International Museum Construction Congress

05/30/2026

"A building doesn't drop from the head of an architect."

One of the opening slides shared during | Basque Country came from those directly involved in the birth of the Guggenheim Bilbao.

More than two decades after opening, the museum remains one of the most studied cultural projects in the world. Yet one of the most valuable aspects of the discussion was hearing firsthand about the collaboration, leadership, and long-term thinking required to bring a project of this scale to life.

These are the kinds of perspectives that continue to define the IMCC experience—direct access to the institutions, projects, and people shaping cultural development around the world.

Looking ahead, 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 is now open for in Munich!

📲 Visit us online to learn more. https://bit.ly/4dHEGte

05/23/2026

Munich, one of Europe’s leading cultural capitals, is recognized for its museum landscape, architectural legacy, and continued investment in world-class public institutions.

This October 25–27, the International Museum Construction Congress convenes in Munich for three days of international perspectives, site visits, and conversations among museum leaders and design professionals connected to projects of extraordinary scale and significance.

🚨𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 for organizations interested in supporting the relationships, shared experiences, and exchange of ideas that continue to shape museum and cultural development internationally. Learn more: https://bit.ly/49h1Tls

📸Photo credits: (1-3) München.de

05/18/2026

On International Museum Day, we celebrate this year’s theme, “Museums Uniting a Divided World,” and the role museums continue to play as spaces for cultural exchange, reflection, and shared understanding.

IMCC has had the privilege of gathering inside museums, restoration projects, and cultural institutions across the UAE, Oslo, Edinburgh, Tokyo, Notre Dame, and beyond — bringing together museum leaders and design professionals working across projects of extraordinary scale and significance.

Across regions and disciplines, this work continues to demonstrate the impact that experienced leaders and professionals have in helping cultural organizations navigate change, strengthen institutions, and create spaces that remain meaningful for years to come.

📸 Moments from IMCC programs around the world.

05/12/2026

As : Basque Country concludes, we leave with a deeper appreciation for the institutions, professionals, and cultural leaders who made this program so meaningful.

Across three days, attendees experienced a region where architecture, heritage, cultural investment, and public life intersect in visible and lasting ways. Conversations throughout the congress reflected on the role museums play in shaping identity, interpreting place, and evolving through new approaches to visitor experience, storytelling, and public engagement.

The program brought the IMCC community inside some of the Basque Country’s leading cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Bilbao, Chillida Leku, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, the Basque Museum, Itsasmuseum Bilbao, and the Gastronomy Open Ecosystem (GOe) Basque Culinary Center.

Thank you to Congress Host Javier Martínez Martínez, Silver Sponsor Proasur, and all of our venue partners for sharing this special part of the world with the IMCC community.

📸 These images offer a glimpse into the experience, but they also reflect something larger — the exchange of ideas, perspectives, and relationships that continues to shape the international museum community.

And to everyone who joined us, thank you for being part of the experience. If you missed IMCC InFocus this year, we hope to welcome you at a future gathering ahead.

05/11/2026

The first two days of : Basque Country have brought the international museum community through a series of institutional visits, discussions, and behind-the-scenes exchanges across Bilbao.

From conversations at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum to tours and presentations at the Basque Museum, Itsasmuseum, and Guggenheim Bilbao, attendees have explored how museums and cultural institutions continue to evolve through architecture, operations, storytelling, visitor experience, and regional identity.

The dialogue throughout the program has reflected the broader relationship between cultural investment and public life across the Basque Country — a region long recognized for its contributions to architecture, design, and cultural development.

The congress continues tomorrow in San Sebastián with visits to Chillida Leku and GOe Basque Culinary Center.

Thank you to Congress Host Javier Martínez Martínez and Silver Sponsor Proasur for their leadership throughout this special edition of IMCC InFocus.

📸Photo Credits: ACCIONA Cultura, Ben Melham, David Martínez Martínez, Phanta Visual

05/06/2026

🇪🇸 On behalf of Congress Chairperson Javier Martinez, Proasur, and the IMCC Planning Committee, we are thrilled to welcome attendees this weekend in Bilbao for IMCC InFocus: Basque Country!

A three-day program centered in Bilbao and across San Sebastián—a region recognized for its approach to architecture, culture, and urban transformation.

This InFocus program is limited to 100 attendees, with an emphasis on time inside the work itself: private access, behind-the-scenes tours, and direct engagement with the institutions and individuals responsible for delivering projects at this scale.

🏛️ Congress Venues:
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
Itsasmuseum Bilbao
Chillida Leku
GOe-Gastronomy Open Ecosystem

A focused setting, shaped by the institutions opening their doors and those leading the work. ✅✅✅

If you are attending, please tag us in your photos.
Full agenda overview: https://bit.ly/47PFOK3

📸 Photo credits: (1-3) Bilbao Turismo, (4 & 5) Visit Euskadi, (6) Chillida Leku, (7 & 8) Francisco Tirado

05/01/2026

The Victoria and Albert Museum has opened its new site in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park!

The V&A East Storehouse, which opened in 2025, has already been recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the World’s Greatest Places of 2026. 🔗 https://bit.ly/4dgLIqu

During , the V&A was one of few iconic venues that hosted our global community.

These are the kinds of projects that shape the dialogue at IMCC. Long timelines, complex delivery, and a level of coordination that brings together architecture, collections, and public access in entirely new ways.

The same level of coordination and ambition continues to define the conversations and shared experiences across IMCC. https://bit.ly/48Wbqht

📸Photo credit: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

04/25/2026

The strength of IMCC reflects the people behind it, leaders who bring active projects, real constraints, and practical insight into the program.

The Planning Committee and Steering Committee guide the direction of the congress, with a global group of professionals contributing to the depth and quality of the dialogue.

In a week that recognizes volunteer contributions across industries, we’re grateful for the people who continue to invest in IMCC. https://bit.ly/4tOSV6B

Photos: ↔️Copenhagen, Notre-Dame de Paris, Tokyo, Edinburgh

04/18/2026

Cities reveal more when you see them through the people shaping their institutions.

In Copenhagen, IMCC2025 brought together museum leaders, architects, and designers for a program grounded in real projects, real constraints, and shared perspective.

Across venues including the Det Kgl. Bibliotek and BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group Headquarters, conversations examined storytelling not as overlay, but as methodology — and the responsibility institutions carry as civic actors in moments where public trust, identity, and truth itself are being tested.

That level of exchange continues this fall in Munich — through plenary sessions, evening receptions, and behind-the-scenes access across a new host city.

📲 Learn more and get involved: https://bit.ly/4tOSV6B

04/17/2026

Blooloop 2026 museum feature highlights openings, reopenings, and expansions across a number of cities.

Several of these destinations—Tokyo, London, Abu Dhabi, Oslo, and the UK more broadly—are places where IMCC has spent time over the years, often while projects like those featured were actively in development. In a number of cases, IMCC programs have included delegates directly involved in these projects, sharing their work and perspectives as part of the congress. https://bit.ly/48Wbqht

With the Basque Country up next, we’re proud to continue building programs that bring together museum leaders and design professionals from around the world—many of whom are responsible for delivering projects of this scale.

Read more: 📲https://bit.ly/49MJ621

We explore the landmark institutions redefining cultural experiences in the year ahead