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INTBAU Dialogues: Reviving Traditional Building Knowledge in Contemporary Education

Posted 1 Apr 2026

This webinar brings together INTBAU Chapters from across continents to present initiatives addressing gaps in the transmission of traditional building knowledge.

Reviving Traditional Building Knowledge in Contemporary Education

2 April 2026 | 13:30 EEST (Cyprus, Romania, Finland, Türkiye) | 12:30 CEST (Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, France) | 11:30 BST (UK, Portugal)
Faculty of Architecture, A01 Alpay Özdural Conference Hall
Hosted by INTBAU Cyprus in collaboration with Eastern Mediterranean University

LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE

Traditional building knowledge continues to shape resilient, meaningful and human-scaled environments across the world. Yet much of this knowledge — rooted in proportion, craft, material understanding, and local cultures — is no longer consistently transmitted through contemporary education.

INTBAU Dialogues III brings together INTBAU Chapters from across continents to present educational initiatives that are actively addressing this gap. Through summer schools, workshops, field studies and research collaborations, these programmes demonstrate how traditional design and building knowledge can be taught, practised, and adapted to contemporary challenges.

From rural fieldwork in Hatay to Palladian drawing traditions in Vicenza, from vernacular research in Romania to summer schools in Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, this event highlights the diversity of pedagogical approaches emerging across the INTBAU network.

Together, these initiatives show that tradition is not static or nostalgic, but a living body of knowledge capable of informing sustainable, culturally grounded, and enduring built environments.

Programme highlights

Presentations from INTBAU Chapters:

  • Mexico
  • Finland
  • Romania
  • Portugal & Spain
  • Netherlands
  • Türkiye
  • Italy

Topics include:

  • vernacular architecture as a source of design intelligence
  • drawing as a tool for understanding traditional form
  • field-based learning in historic environments
  • transmission of craft knowledge
  • the role of traditional principles in contemporary education

The event forms part of an ongoing dialogue exploring how education can reconnect architecture with place, culture, and long-term environmental responsibility.

How to join

Join the livestream via the following button. No prior registration is needed.

2 April 2026 | 13:30 EEST (Cyprus, Romania, Finland, Türkiye) | 12:30 CEST (Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, France) | 11:30 BST (UK, Portugal)

Join the livestream