Published by Neil ThompsonThe World Design Congress will return to London in September 2025 for the first time in 56 years. The 34th event, which will take place at the Barbican Centre, will bring together over 1,000 individuals from the international design community as well as thought leaders from business, research and education to discuss and debate design issues of global importance.
The World Design Organization's prestigious congress, which will be hosted by the UK’s Design Council, is a biennial, multi-day event, with previous host cities including Tokyo, Mexico City, and Seoul.
The event will run in partnership with the London Design Festival in September 2025 and will be supported by regional activations designed to put the UK at the heart of the global design community.
The Barbican was chosen as the venue for the Congress due to its iconic status as a unique and audacious building, recognised globally for its famous brutalist architecture.
The Design Council is also supporting with Barbican Renewal Programme, an ambitious project to reimagine what an arts centre can be by protecting what people love about the Barbican, while delivering improved public and creative spaces. The project will deliver a sustainable revitalisation that brings underused spaces into new creative use, all without adding a single square metre of extra building.
Barbican Renewal supports the Congress’ “Design for Planet” theme, which will consider the effects of climate change and the crucial role design has to help reduce carbon emissions and increase biodiversity.
2We’re incredibly proud to have won an event that aligns so perfectly with the Barbican’s unique design, cultural offerings and sustainable values. We play an important role in providing a platform for artistic and educational work which discusses and develops solutions for our planet and this event is an example of that. We are excited to have been chosen for such a high-profile global event and look forward to welcoming delegates from around the world in 2025.”
Charlie Smith, Deputy Head of Sales at the Barbican
The Design Council, who have been selected to host the event, are the UK’s national strategic advisors on design. Founded in 1944 by Winston Churchill’s government to help drive the post-war economy, they are now supporting the 1.97 million people working in the UK design sector to tackle the biggest challenge of our time through their Design for Planet mission.
Minnie Moll, Chief Executive of the Design Council added: “Both London and the Barbican represent the height of creativity, inspiration and design, which is why they are the perfect choice for the 2025 Congress, particularly with its focus on sustainability. The Barbican has demonstrated time and again that it is a world leader in event sustainability, and we look forward to developing the themes of the event around its incredible offering.”
London hosted the sixth edition of the World Design Congress in 1969, which was attended by almost 1,000 delegates from 39 countries, including special guest of honour H.R.H. Princess Margaret.
