The International Union of Architects (Union internationale des Architectes, or UIA) is an international non-governmental organization that represents over a million architects in 124 countries.[1] The UIA was founded in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1948. The General Secretariat is located in Paris. It is recognized by most United Nations agencies as the only association in its field, including UNESCO, UNCHS, ESOSOC, UNIDO, and the World Health Organization, as well as the WTO. The current president is Louise Cox from Australia.
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The UIA helds a triennal Congress of Architecture during which the Council members are elected.[1] The next congress will be held in Tokyo 2011 on the topic: "Design 2050". Former congresses were:
| Nr. | Year | Location | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1948 | Lausanne | Architecture Faced with its New Tasks |
| 2nd | 1951 | Rabat | How Architecture is Dealing with its New Tasks |
| 3rd | 1953 | Lisbon | Architecture at the Crossroads |
| 4th | 1955 | The Hague | Architecture and the Evolutions of Building |
| 5th | 1958 | Moscow | Construction and Reconstruction |
| 6th | 1961 | London | New Techniques and New Materials |
| 7th | 1963 | Havana | Architecture in Underdeveloped Countries |
| 8th | 1965 | Paris | The Training of Architects |
| 9th | 1967 | Prague | Architecture and the Human Milieu |
| 10th | 1967 | Buenos Aires | Architecture as a Social Factor |
| 11th | 1969 | Varna | Architecture and Leisure |
| 12th | 1972 | Madrid | Creativity and Technology |
| 13th | 1975 | Mexico City | Architecture and National Development |
| 14th | 1978 | Warsaw | Architecture, Man, Environment |
| 15th | 1985 | Cairo | Present and Future Missions of the Architect |
| 16th | 1987 | Brighton | Shelter and Cities - Building Tomorrow's World |
| 17th | 1990 | Montreal | Cultures and Technologies |
| 18th | 1993 | Chicago | Architecture at the Crossroads - Designing for a Sustainable Future |
| 19th | 1996 | Barcelona | Present and Futures. Architecture in Cities |
| 20th | 1999 | Beijing | Architecture of the 21st Century |
| 21st | 2002 | Berlin | Resource Architecture |
| 22nd | 2005 | Istanbul | Grand Bazaar of Architectures |
| 23rd | 2008 | Turin | Transmitting Architecture |
| 24rd | 2011 | Tokyo | DESIGN 2050 Beyond disasters, through Solidarity, towards Sustainability |
Since 1961 the UIA awards four prizes trienally[2]:
Since 1984 the organisation also awards the UIA Gold Medal to honour an architect (or group of architects) having distinguished themselves through their work and professional practice by the quality of services rendered to man and society.[2] Past recipients of the award were:
| Year | Architect | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Hassan Fathy | Egypt |
| 1987 | Reima Pietila | Finland |
| 1990 | Charles Correa | India |
| 1993 | Fumihiko Maki | Japan |
| 1996 | Rafael Moneo | Spain |
| 1999 | Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis | Mexico |
| 2002 | Renzo Piano | Italy |
| 2005 | Tadao Ando | Japan |
| 2008 | Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon | Mexico |
| 2011 | Álvaro Siza Vieira | Portugal |
The organization also manages international competitions for some of the most important spaces of our age, as well as attempts to improve human habitats through architecture and technology. The UIA managed international competitions resulting in the construction of: