10 must-see design and architecture exhibitions of 2026

As 2026 marks the centennial of Antoni Gaudí’s death, Barcelona pays homage to the great master with a palimpsest of exhibitions and events scattered across the city. From the Sagrada Família to Casa Batlló, the programme presents the Catalan architect’s vision, highlighting his relationship with nature, matter, and structure through exhibitions, installations, plays, books, and guided tours. An opportunity to look at his work as a foretaste of organic and profoundly contemporary architecture. Don’t miss it.  
When: Throughout 2026 
Where: Various locations (including the Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, Casa Botines, Torre Bellesguard, Casa Vicens), Barcelona 

“Belongings” explores the role of affection in design, analysing how objects create long-lasting emotional bonds. The exhibition reflects on care, memory, and prolonged use, suggesting a definition of design that opposes the single-use logic and instead sparks and enhances more sustainable relationships with things. Created in collaboration with the Danish Design Center (DDC) and artist Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm.
When: January 22 – May 31, 2026 
Where: Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen 

“White Out” tackles the future of winter sports in the light of climate change, answering the question, “What happens to winter sports, when the snow disappears?”. As part of the Milano Cortina 2026 Cultural Olympiad, the exhibition analyses infrastructures, landscapes, and sports practices, challenging development models that rely on artificial snow and resource consumption. A project that blends design, environment, and sports culture, curated by Konstantin Grcic and Marco Sammicheli. 
When: January 28 – March 15, 2026 
Where: Triennale Milano 

In case you missed it at MUDAC, the Röhsska Museum will soon host the exhibition curated by Anniina Koivu and Jolanthe Kugler for the Lausanne museum to explore the “prepper” phenomenon and analyse it from a design standpoint. Objects, tools, and strategies for survival provide keys to understanding contemporary fears, environmental crises, and global instability. The exhibition reflects on the role of design as an answer to uncertainty, leading visitors to wonder, “Should we all be preppers?”. Across three sections – Existential Threats and Risk Assessment, Governmental Prepping, and Individual Prepping – it showcases 200+ design objects, architectural sketches, iconic magazines, and historical video material, including references to post-apocalyptic films and videogames, demonstrating how design can function as a survival strategy.  
When: February 7 – October 4, 2026 
Where: Röhsska Museum, Göteborg 

Held at the Cooper Hewitt, “Art of Noise” explores sound as a design element. Objects, installations, and environments tell the story of design as a force that shapes our daily sound experience. Organised by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and adapted to the history of New York’s musical scene for its East Coast edition, the exhibition draws the connection between technology, space, and perception, inviting us to reflect on the role of sound in building more aware and inclusive environments. 
When: February 13 – August 16, 2026 
Where: Cooper Hewitt, New York