INTBAU World Congress 2025
Join us in London for INTBAU’s fifth World Congress and a milestone 25th anniversary: a global gathering of experts, practitioners, and thought leaders from the network and beyond shaping the future of traditional architecture, building, and urbanism.
From 22–24 October 2025, we invite you to engage in a dynamic programme exploring the past, present, and future of tradition in the built environment.

Congress Programme
Day 1 | Wednesday, 22 October – Practice Open Doors
A unique opportunity to step inside the studios, ateliers, and academic spaces shaping traditional architecture and craft today. From leading firms hands-on workshops, this curated day of visits offers exclusive insight into the practices driving the future of tradition.
The day will be split into morning and afternoon sessions. Delegates can select one visit per session, with spots allocated on a first-come, first-served basis—so be ready to book early!
Confirmed host institutions include:
- ADAM Architecture
- Art Workers’ Guild
- Ben Pentreath
- Create Streets
- The Georgian Group
- The King’s Foundation
- Kingston University (in the Wren Room at Temple Bar)
- Pick Everard
- Purcell
- Richard Griffiths Architects
- Stanhope Gate
- Traditional Architecture Group
Day 2 | Thursday, 23 October – Conference at Chelsea Old Town Hall
- INTBAU Chapter and Professional Member Global Exhibition
- Networking lunch
- Keynote address and Q&A: Simon Jenkins.
- BUILDING: Craft & Construction. We will hear from practitioners who have dedicated their lives to the craft skills that make traditional architecture possible. Focus will be on the aesthetic and the practical aspects of making buildings and places, from the fine detail of a stone carving to the on-site realities of volume housebuilding.
- Talk on Tradition in Modern Society: Robert Adam
- ARCHITECTURE: Design & Practice. This plenary session will feature architects working on new traditional architecture in different contexts around the world. We will learn about the projects and elements of practice they have most enjoyed, alongside the challenges they have overcome to see designs become built realities.
- Evening Reception & Publication Launch: 25 Years of INTBAU. Join us at the Garrison Chapel, one of the King’s Foundation’s iconic spaces, for a celebratory evening reception marking the launch of ’25 Years of INTBAU.’ This special publication reflects on the network’s journey—its founding, growth, and global impact—while spotlighting forward-looking contributions from INTBAU Chapters around the world.
Day 3 | Friday, 24 October – Conference at Chelsea Old Town Hall
- URBANISM: Place-making & Place-mending. In this plenary session, panellists will discuss their work to design new places and to intervene sensitively in existing places. Case studies will include ‘brownfield’ (previously developed, now vacant) sites, historic centres, and areas for post-disaster reconstruction.
- Keynote address and Q&A: Salma Damluji.
- Networking lunch
- Breakout sessions: Designed for deeper, more interactive engagement. Held concurrently, these nine sessions will offer a workshop-style format focused on active discussion and case study exploration. Each session will spotlight a specific project or initiative that advances INTBAU’s mission through traditional building, architecture, or urbanism. From site redevelopments to community-led programmes, research workshops to built interventions, these sessions are an opportunity to explore Progress in Tradition in action—rooted in place, detail, and forward thinking.
Optional Day 4 | Saturday, 25 October – Special Tour of Nansledan
An exclusive guided tour of Nansledan, the award-winning urban extension to Newquay, delivered in partnership with the Duchy of Cornwall and the project’s architectural team at ADAM Architecture.
This special visit offers a unique opportunity to explore a living example of traditional urbanism in action.
Please note: participants are responsible for arranging their own travel and accommodation between London and Newquay. INTBAU will provide guidance on recommended train routes and logistics to help you plan your journey.
Meet the Speakers
Keynote
Salma Samar Damluji
Architect and scholar with over four decades of work in traditional architecture and post-conflict reconstruction. Founder of Daw‘an Architecture Foundation (2007–2024) and co-founder of Earth Architecture Lab (2022). Former Professor of the Binladin Chair at the American University of Beirut and collaborator of Hassan Fathy. Directed major heritage projects across Yemen and advised on landmark developments in Abu Dhabi, including the Grand Mosque. Author of The Architecture of Yemen and Earth & Utopia. Read more about Salma Samar’s career.





Simon Jenkins
Sir Simon Jenkins is a celebrated British author, journalist, and heritage advocate. Former editor of The Times and Evening Standard, he chaired the UK’s National Trust (2008–2014) and has written landmark books including England’s Thousand Best Churches and A Short History of British Architecture. A champion of architectural heritage, he has held senior roles at English Heritage, the Millennium Commission, and The Architecture Foundation.
Panellists
BUILDING: Craft & Construction
Clunie Fretton, Richard Thomas, Philip Fry, and Max Rutgers
Clunie Fretton

Clunie Fretton is a master carver, sculptor, and gilder whose work is held in the UK’s Houses of Parliament, St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. She specialises in conservation, restoration, and new commissions, contributing to the ongoing development heritage skills in the UK.
Philip Fry

Philip Fry is Managing Director of CG Fry & Son, a leading builder in South West England. Since 1993 he has worked on the Duchy of Cornwall’s Poundbury project, applying its principles to CG Fry’s award-winning developments and collaborations with legacy landowners.
Max Rutgers

Max Rutgers, recipient of the Diploma de Mestre Artesà (2020) and the Richard H. Driehaus Building Arts Awards in the carpentry category (2024), is a master framer whose work spans award-winning projects and heritage restorations. He also teaches traditional timber construction across Europe.
Richard Thomas

Richard Thomas is a master stone carver and sculptor with over 40 years of experience. Trained with the Compagnons du Devoir, he has worked on major conservation projects across Europe and currently teaches stone carving for the Wallonny Agency for Cultural Heritage in Belgium.
ARCHITECTURE: Design & Practice
Deependra Prasad, Marianne Cusato, Chris Williamson, and TBC
Marianne Cusato

Marianne Cusato is Professor of Practice at Notre Dame, Director of the Housing and Community Regeneration Initiative, and a Trustee of INTBAU. Renowned for her work on disaster recovery and workforce housing, she designed the award-winning Katrina Cottage and advises governments on resilient, equitable development.
Deependra Prashad

Deependra Prashad is Principal Architect at DPAP and Director of INTBAU India. A leader in sustainable design with nearly 30 years’ experience, he has delivered award-winning net-zero projects and trains governments, NGOs, and institutions globally on humane, resource-efficient architecture and urbanism.
Chris Williamson

Chris Williamson is President Elect of the Royal Institute of British Architects (2025–2027). He co-founded Weston Williamson in 1985, growing it into five global studios specialising in city-shaping infrastructure projects. He is passionate about sustainability, lifelong learning, and supporting architects to design better public transport systems worldwide. Read more.
URBANISM: Place-making & Place-mending
Mieke Bosse, Hugh Petter, TBC, and TBC
Mieke Bosse

Mieke Bosse is a Dutch architect with over 40 years’ experience in restoration, housing, and urban design. Winner of the National Prize for Renovation (1988), she has taught at Delft, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Hannover, and the University of Minnesota. Her work centres on vernacular traditions and community participation.
Hugh Petter

Hugh Petter is a traditional architect and urban designer, recipient of the ICAA’s Arthur Ross Award (2025). As Director of ADAM Architecture, he leads projects including Nansledan, a landmark urban extension for the Duchy of Cornwall, and award-winning restoration and education schemes.
Breakout Sessions
INTBAU 25: Progress in Tradition received nearly 40 proposals for breakout sessions from across the world, spanning Latin America to South Asia. The selected sessions—soon to be announced—will explore Progress in Tradition through hands-on workshops, community-led projects, and forward-thinking initiatives in building, architecture, and urbanism.
Stay tuned for the announcement soon!
Special Tour of Nansledan
Cory Babb

Cory Babb M.Arch, LEED AP, is a Senior Associate at ADAM Architecture and founding member of ADAM Urbanism. He has led masterplans across England and the US, including Nansledan, a flagship Duchy of Cornwall development and nationally recognised model for traditional, sustainable urbanism. Read more.
Join us in London
Tickets for the INTBAU World Congress 2025 – Progress in Tradition are now on sale. Visit the Eventbrite page to view detailed timings for each day and to secure your place.
