INTBAU’s fifth World Congress took place in London from 22–24 October 2025, marking the network’s 25th anniversary. More than 250 attendees joined across four days, representing over 40 countries and regions — from architecture students and doctoral researchers to master craftspeople, alongside urban designers, developers, architects, and concerned citizens and civic officials.

Under the theme Progress in Tradition, the programme centred on what is being designed, built, researched, and taught globally — and the real and replicable evidence this provides that tradition is not a constraint but a source of solutions for contemporary challenges. Across discussions on materials, design, adaptability, and community-led place-making, there was a shared understanding that traditional knowledge provides practical pathways for creating a healthier, more resilient built environment.

25 years on from INTBAU’s founding, the scale and confidence of the World Congress marked a clear shift. What began in 2001 with practitioners often working in isolation has grown into a far broader global exchange supported by an expanding network of practitioners, INTBAU Chapters and members, and forward-looking projects.

For newer members, the Congress offered a vivid introduction to INTBAU’s work and reach. Those who have been part of the network for longer spoke of the growing impact that Chapters, partners, and allied organisations are achieving.

The mix reflected what makes the network distinct: globally relevant ideas anchored in local knowledge; tradition working confidently alongside innovation; and the understanding that with societies facing large-scale, simultaneous transformations, only a holistic approach can meet the challenges that are too complex and too significant for a single ‘business as usual’ solution.

The Congress closed with a sense that the work required ahead is both ambitious and achievable. The gathering in London was not an end point but a marker of collective progress — and a reminder that tradition is not only alive but advancing with purpose, shaped by a global community committed to building places that are humane, resilient, and rooted in continuity.

Keynote speakers

Simon Jenkins

Sir Simon Jenkins delivered a keynote that set a reflective tone for the Congress. One of Britain’s most influential voices on heritage, culture, and the built environment, Jenkins drew on decades of advocacy as former Chair of the National Trust, Deputy Chair of English Heritage, and long-serving commentator on architecture and place.

He spoke to the enduring relevance of traditional architecture in shaping a place’s identity, weaving together themes from his celebrated publications on houses, cathedrals, and railway stations. His address highlighted how human-scale design, local materials, and historic continuity offer essential guidance for cities seeking resilience and liveability today.

Salma Samar Damluji

Salma Samar Damluji brought a powerful global perspective to the Congress, drawing on decades of practice at the intersection of vernacular architecture, community resilience, and post-conflict reconstruction. A British-Iraqi architect trained at the AA and the Royal College of Art, Damluji’s career spans collaborations with Hassan Fathy, the founding of the Daw‘an Architecture Foundation in Yemen, and the creation of the Earth Architecture Lab, which extends her work on earth-based construction, training, and research worldwide.

Her keynote traced the continuity of earth architecture from historical precedent to contemporary necessity, showing how locally rooted materials and techniques can strengthen cultural identity, restore dignity, and support ecological stewardship. Through vivid examples from Hadramut — from mudbrick palaces to the reconstruction of domes and traditional interiors — she illustrated how architecture becomes a vehicle for healing communities, protecting heritage, and adapting to climate realities without erasing local knowledge.

Panel discussions

BUILDING: Craft & Construction

Four practitioners at the forefront of traditional building crafts led a richly textured discussion on the art and pragmatics of construction. Master carver Clunie Fretton, heritage builder Philip Fry (CG Fry & Son), master framer Max Rutgers, and stone carver Richard Thomas shared the techniques, philosophies, and on-site realities that define their work across the UK and Europe. Moderator Alejandro García Hermida steered a conversation that moved seamlessly from fine detail to large-scale delivery, underscoring the enduring relevance of craft in contemporary building.

ARCHITECTURE: Design & Practice

The Architecture: Design & Practice panel discussion brought together four architects whose work spans disaster recovery, heritage conservation, housing, and sustainable regional design. Marianne Cusato (Notre Dame; disaster recovery and regeneration), Sami Kayani (Earthna; heritage of Makkah), Deependra Prashad (INTBAU Delhi; net-zero and humane design), and Joanna Wachowiak (John Simpson Architects; major cultural and educational projects) compared how their varied contexts shape the realities of making traditional designs buildable today. Moderated by INTBAU Chair of the Board Alireza Sagharchi, the discussion highlighted how context shapes practice while revealing shared commitments to resilience, identity, and community.

URBANISM: Place-making & Place-mending

The Urbanism: Place-making & Place-mending panel convened urbanists and designers working across historic centres, post-disaster recovery, and large-scale new communities. Dyfed Aubrey (UN-Habitat), Mieke Bosse (Scala Architects), Professor Rebecca Madgin (University of Glasgow), and architect-urbanist Hugh Petter (ADAM Architecture) explored how places can be shaped and repaired in ways that honour local identity while meeting contemporary needs. Dr Matthew Hardy of The King’s Foundation moderated, drawing out the shared principles that connect global crisis recovery, vernacular housing, emotional value, and community-making. Speakers also examined how traditional building and urbanism can guide cities as they regenerate, adapt, and plan for long-term wellbeing.

Breakout sessions

Wellness by design: transforming health outcomes through architecture and urban planning

Timothy McCarthy led a session examining how the built environment shapes physical, psychological, and social wellbeing. Drawing on contemporary research and historical precedents, participants explored how design decisions—from neighbourhood structure to architectural detail—can passively support healthier lives. The session highlighted emerging evidence from major research centres and invited attendees to consider how wellness-based design can be embedded into everyday practice.

Mapping what we love: how local people read and shape place

Create Streets demonstrated how digital tools can widen and democratise public engagement. Through geolocated comments and visual preference surveys used in UK projects such as Lichfield, Chesham, and Chatham, the team showed how resident-led insights can shape design codes and planning outcomes. Founder Nicholas Boys Smith, with Ed Leahy and George Payiatis, guided participants through the platform and opened a discussion on how such methods could be adapted to local contexts worldwide.

Stone Free Movement: reviving earth architecture as a global solution in the age of climate crisis

Architect and environmental advocate Hasan Naseef introduced the Stone Free Movement as a model for climate-positive construction rooted in Kerala’s traditional materials and techniques. The session traced the ecological damage caused by quarrying and concrete-led development, proposing a shift toward renewable earth-based materials, community-led production, and policy reform. Naseef presented Kerala as a case study with global relevance, urging a return to construction practices that safeguard biodiversity and strengthen local resilience.

Genius Loci and Corbusier’s pack donkey: the unique character of place as a cornerstone of traditional building

Robert Tomlinson led a reflective discussion on genius loci and the intuitive, resourceful patterns that shaped traditional settlements. Using Corbusier’s “pack donkey path” as a metaphor, the session contrasted natural placemaking with the abstractions of modern planning. Participants explored how contemporary technologies can support, rather than override, the wisdom of place—linking historic examples, desire paths, and regenerative design to today’s challenges in settlement-making.

Join the discussion to create a permanent school for traditional building and architecture

This session advanced INTBAU’s ongoing effort to imagine a future school dedicated to teaching traditional architecture. Led by Nadia Naty Everard, the discussion considered how such an institution might look in both form and curriculum, drawing on global teaching experiences and the success of existing INTBAU summer schools and craft workshops. Participants explored models for education that reconnect designers with time-tested principles, materials, and techniques.

Railway buildings out of service in Portugal: rehabilitation and new uses

Architect António Borges presented Portugal’s experience rehabilitating abandoned railway buildings after decades of line closures. Through drawings, photographs, and case studies, the session examined strategies that preserve structural integrity while adapting stations for new uses. Participants compared international examples and discussed how integrating heritage conservation with functional renewal can revive undervalued pieces of national infrastructure.

Cuauhnáhuac: City of Eternal Spring — combating urban decay and insecurity through traditional urbanism

Led by INTBAU Mexico Chair architect Nadia Samir, this session presented a master plan for regenerating central Cuernavaca through traditional urbanist principles. The proposal addresses insecurity, urban decay, and fragmentation by strengthening neighbourhood identity, prioritising pedestrians, and promoting mixed-use, human-scaled urban form. Attendees discussed how these strategies form a replicable model for Latin American cities facing similar challenges.

The Medina of Sousse: Islamic urban design, sustainability, and cosmology

Anthropologist and sustainability expert Soraya Hosni led an interactive exploration of the Seven Principles of Islamic Urbanism using the Medina of Sousse as a case study. Participants examined how these principles manifest spatially, then collaborated on a hands-on design exercise to imagine future Islamic cities rooted in heritage, community, and environmental stewardship.

International call: the formation of the INTBAU Technical Committee

This session launched the groundwork for a new INTBAU Technical Committee, setting out a collaborative plan to centralise global regulations, develop shared resources on traditional construction physics, and create an international directory of craftspeople. Led by conservation architect Georgia Cristea, the discussion emphasised how education alone is insufficient without regulatory reform, proposing a long-term effort to support traditional techniques, passive design strategies, and traditional urban patterns through practical and legal frameworks.

Reflections from attendees

“The search for somewhere is breaking out everywhere. INTBAU has played, is playing and will play a seminal role in our generation’s re-discovery of the importance of place, tradition and beauty in leading meaningful lives and treading more lightly upon the planet. The INTBAU World Congress in London was a marvellous and magical part of this journey. Thank you for making it happen and for your leadership in this vital realm.”

Nicholas Boys Smith, Founder and Chairman, Create Streets

“INTBAU and the World Congress represent a vital dialogue between tradition and the future — a space where craftsmanship, culture, and community converge. Preserving and advancing traditional building and urbanism is not about nostalgia, but about continuity: sustaining the human values, local wisdom, and environmental harmony that make places truly liveable and meaningful today.”

Ataa Alsalloum, Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Urban Heritage at the Liverpool School of Architecture

“Much of what INTBAU is working toward echoes the aspirations I carried into my architectural studies. Traditional knowledge can be the foundation for building better cities. Our cities are facing serious pressures that demand different approaches — and we need to draw on ancestral knowledge we have lost in order to create intelligent solutions for the future.”

Pietra Viola Siquieroli, Architecture and Urbanism Student, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Brazil

Scenes from the Congress

Our sincere thanks go to all who made the Congress possible — our speakers, panellists, practitioners, Chapters, partners, members, and every attendee who contributed to three days of meaningful exchange.

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