World Design Congress 2025 lands at the Barbican with a climate-first agenda

The World Design Congress 2025 opens in London on September 9, focusing on "Design for Planet" with over 1,000 delegates. Hosted by the UK Design Council, it features key speakers like Lord Norman Foster and recognizes Dieter Rams with the WDO World Design Medal. The event emphasizes actionable outcomes for climate solutions.

Newsdesk R. Michael September 9, 2025 2 min read

London — 9 September 2025. The World Design Congress 2025 opens at the Barbican with more than 1,000 delegates and a two-day program built around Design for Planet. Hosted by the UK Design Council for the World Design Organization, the Congress returns to London after more than fifty years, with both in-person and online access.

Why this Congress matters

The agenda treats design as a driver of climate and nature action. It focuses on circularity, net zero and the regeneration of places. Designers, business leaders, policymakers, researchers and educators work side by side to share tools and build partnerships.

World Design Congress 2025: highlights

Headliners include Lord Norman Foster, with contributions from Thomas Heatherwick, Mariana Mazzucato, Charlot Magayi and Bas van Abel. A major moment is the WDO World Design Medal 2025, recognising Dieter Rams. Beyond the main stage, the schedule adds unconferences, book launches and activations across the centre.

Built for outcomes, not talk

Hive workshops translate strategy into practice. The Design Value Framework underpins decision-making and tracks outcomes across the event. As a result, the format aims to produce measurable impact that continues after the doors close.

Venue advantage: the Barbican

Purpose-built for culture and conferences, the Barbican supports events from 10 to 2,000 attendees across a concert hall, theatres, conference suites and boardrooms. Investments since 2016 strengthened links between meeting rooms and arts spaces, creating flexible, sustainability-minded options for hybrid events.

Fast facts

Event: World Design Congress 2025 (Design for Planet)
Dates: 9–10 September 2025
Venue: Barbican Centre, London, UK (hybrid)
Delegates: 1,000+ expected
Organisers: Design Council for the World Design Organization
Recognition: WDO World Design Medal 2025 honouring Dieter Rams

The bigger picture

London’s design ecosystem—studios, universities and cultural institutions—adds a dense network around the Congress. This context helps new collaborations form quickly, while the program’s outcome focus aims to turn ideas into policy-ready initiatives and investable projects.