Paris — The International Union of Architects (UIA), in partnership with UN-Habitat, has announced the winners of the third cycle of the UIA 2030 Award during a ceremony held at the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on20 May 2026.
Established to promote the role of architecture in advancing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda, the UIA 2030 Award recognizes built projects that demonstrate design excellence while contributing meaningfully to the achievementof the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The third cycle of the biennial awards programme invited architects worldwide to submit projects illustrating how architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design can address some of today’s most pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges.The award programme was conducted in two stages, with regional finalists selected across the five UIA regions before progressing to the international jury stage.
According to the jury, the winning projects demonstrate how architecture and urban design can provide integrated responses to climate adaptation, ecological restoration, housing, public space, participation, and social inclusion. The jury highlighted the projects’ capacityto combine technical performance with civic value while offering scalable and replicable models for resilient and inclusive urban futures.
Major Winners Across Categories
Category 1: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Winner
- Meishe River Restoration: Turning Grey Into Green (China) by Turenscape
Commended
- The Phi Phi Wastewater Management Ecological Park (Thailand) by Arsomsilp Community and Environmental Architect Co Ltd
Category 2: Protect labour rights and promote safe working environments
Winner
- Tierras Temporary Housing Units in Palenque (Mexico) by Manuel Cervantes Estudio
Highly Commended
- Taoli – Zhaoshan Village Center (China) by SUP Atelier of THAD
Category 3: Adequate, safe and affordable housing (SDG 11.1)
Winner
- Sanjaynagar Slum Redevelopment (India) by Community Design Agency
Highly Commended
- Inhabited Work in Huayruro (Peru) by INSITU Arquitectura
Commended
- Glass Brick Dwelling in Bayi Village, Weinan (China) by Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology Design and Research Institute
- 31 Social Housing in Torre Baró, Barcelona (Spain) by Aldayjover Architecture and Landscape + Burgos & Garrido
Category 4: Participatory, land-use-efficient and inclusive planning (SDG 11.3)
Joint Winners
- Hutong Community Renewal (China) by Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University
- Kahawa West Health Centre (Kenya) by Kounkuey Design Initiative
Highly Commended
- Stabilisation of Anthropogenic Urban Cave System in Tomelloso (Spain) by Aguado + Vellés + Aperte
Commended
- IDS Industrial Precinct Masterplan (Bangladesh) by Studio Morphogenesis Ltd
- “Designing?” (China) by YIIIE Architects
- E.CO Rotunda, Hong Kong (China) by The University of Hong Kong
Category 5: Access to green and public space (SDG 11.7)
Joint Winners
- Parque Prado (Colombia) by Connatural Arquitectura en el Paisaje
- A Floating Forest: Fish Tail Park in Nanchang City (China) by Turenscape
Highly Commended
- Śhālā Twam (A Space for You) (India) by Bhoomija Creations
- Espacio Modelo (Uruguay) by Intendencia de Montevideo
- La Jalquilla: A School for All (Peru) by Asociación Semillas Para El Desarrollo Sostenible
- Sanath Road, Gurugram (India) by Beyond Built Pvt. Ltd
- Ho Chi Minh City Book Street (Vietnam) by TA Landscape Architecture
- Al Hakoura Community Garden, Ramallah (Palestine) by Ramallah Municipality & UN-Habitat
- Nyhamnen Ferryterminal Park (Sweden) by ZITA
Commended
- Sweitat Sensory Garden (Palestine) by Al Ameed Architects and Engineers Company
- Mashiach Now Square, São Paulo (Brazil) by Natureza Urbana
- Community Plug (India) by Studio Aranya
- Atal Sarovar: A Water-Sensitive Urban Integration, Gujarat (India) by INI Design Studio
Category 6: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related disasters
Winner
- Les Mamas Belgues Flooding Park (Spain) by Calatayud + Mira + Parraga + Sanchis
Highly Commended
- Revitalisation of the Citadel of Agadir Oufella (Morocco) by Studio Salima Naji
- Kon-Tigo, Acapulco de Juárez, Guerrero (Mexico) by Manuel Cervantes Estudio
Commended
- Rockaway Resiliency and Coastal Adaptation (United States) by WXY Architecture + Urban Design
Videos of the winning entries, full jury citations, and a gallery of projects from the third cycle of the UIA 2030 Award will be published on the UIA website.
About the World Urban Forum
Established in 2001 by the United Nations, the World Urban Forum is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanization, designed to examine the impacts of rapid urbanization on cities, communities, economies, and climate change. Since its inception,WUF has been hosted in cities across the world, with the first session held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2002.
About UN-Habitat
UN-Habitat is the United Nations entity responsible for sustainable urbanization. It has programmes in over 90 countries supporting policymakers and communities to create socially and environmentally sustainable cities and towns. UN-Habitat promotes transformativechange in cities through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance, and collaborative action. To know more, visit unhabitat.org or follow us on social media @UNHABITAT.
About the UIA
The International Union of Architects (UIA) is an international non-governmental organisation based in Paris. Established in 1948, it is the only organisation representing architects across the globe working to unify architects, influence public policies onconstruction and development, and advance architecture in service to the needs of society.
Source: UNHABITAT-media, UIA
Also Read: UIA 2030 Award Winners Announced at World Urban Forum 2026 in Baku
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