Below you will find a selection of news related to traditional building, architecture, and urbanism:
– Traditional Building Cultures Foundation –
Open Call for the 2026 Building Arts Awards
The Building Arts Awards are organized annually by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, and in collaboration with INTBAU Spain and the Spanish Council of Architects’ Associations. The submission deadline for applications is 21 January 2026.
For the purposes of these awards, work in traditional construction are grouped into four categories. In each category, one annual award is granted, consisting of a prize of €10,000 and a commemorative plaque.
Category 1
Masonry and stonework: arches and vaults, vaulted staircases, stone carving, and related work.
Category 2
Carpentry work: timber structures, furniture, muqarnas, woodturning, wood carving, doors and window joinery, and related work.
Category 3
Finishes and other traditional building work: tilework, mosaics, plasterwork, scagliola, sgraffito, decorative pavements, and related work.
Category 4
Glass and metal work: wrought-iron grilles and fittings, leaded stained glass, and related work.
– News –
The University of Notre Dame hosted a Conference and Exhibition honoring Léon Krier
The University of Notre Dame organized the Léon Krier Conference and Exhibition, an international event dedicated to the intellectual career and legacy of the Luxembourgish architect and urban planner Léon Krier, a leading figure in the fields of traditional architecture and urbanism.
The conference, in which the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation participated, took place from 23 to 25 November 2025. The sessions examined the influence of Krier’s thinking on the international movement inspired by his work.
Architect Robert A. M. Stern dies at 86
The American architect Robert A. M. Stern, one of the most influential figures in architecture over the past six decades, has died at his home in Manhattan at the age of 86. He served as Dean of the Yale School of Architecture from 1998 to 2016 and authored numerous publications on architecture and urbanism.
In 2011, Robert A. M. Stern received the Richard H. Driehaus Prize.
The trade of the Marger officially recognized by the Spanish State with the approval of its vocational training
The traditional trade of the marger has finally achieved official recognition by the Spanish State, marking a key step toward ensuring its continuity and the training of new generations. The Council of Ministers has approved the creation of a 600-hour professional certificate in dry-stone construction, which will restore formal training in this technique after more than a decade of interruption.
National Craft Awards
The awards ceremony for the 18th edition of the National Craft Awards will take place on 17 December at 12:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism.
Among the finalists for the National Craft Award are Artesanía en Vidrio J. Sorribes S.L.U. (Valencia), master potter Juan Pablo Martínez Sánchez “Pablo Tito” (Úbeda, Jaén), and Pedro Antonio Blanco Ubalde, an esparto-grass craftsman also from Úbeda. All of them are members of the Spanish Network of Traditional Building Crafts Masters, organized by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation in collaboration with INTBAU Spain.
Rehabilitation project of the Monastery of São João de Cabanas
Awarded On 4 December, the Espaço 2025 National Architecture Awards ceremony took place in Viana do Castelo (Portugal). In this edition, architect Fernando Cerqueira Barros was awarded in the Architectural Rehabilitation category for his project for the Monastery of São João de Cabanas.
This design was published in 2024 in the fifth issue of the Journal of Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism.
Exhibition: “More than a Grain of Sand. Málaga and the Architect Guerrero Strachan (1880–1930)”
Since 20 November, the Museum of Málaga has been hosting the exhibition “More than a Grain of Sand. Málaga and the Architect Guerrero Strachan (1880–1930)”, which offers a comprehensive overview of his career and the historical context in which he developed his work.
The exhibition, open to the public until March 2026, brings together more than one hundred items that help to understand the multiple facets of a key figure in Málaga’s urban and cultural history.
– Education –
INTBAU Qatar Winter School 2025
The INTBAU Qatar Winter School 2025, titled “Craft, Environment, and Community”, will take place from 21 December 2025 to 3 January 2026 at Heenat Salma Farm (Qatar). The program will bring together international participants with an interest in traditional architecture, building, and urbanism.
Introductory Carpentry Courses
La Table ronde de l’architecture has organized a series of introductory carpentry workshops led by the Belgian master carpenter Dirk Mortier.
The workshops will take place in Belgium between June and July 2026. The registration period remains open until 27 March.
Intensive Introductory Scagliola Course in Burgos
Master painter and scagliola specialist Óscar Urruela will lead an intensive introductory course on scagliola in Burgos on 18, 19, and 20 December. Places are limited.
More information: oscarurrueladesign@gmail.com
“Earthen Architecture & Construction Techniques in the Region of Ziban in Algeria”
The UNESCO Chair in Earthen Architecture, Building Cultures, and Sustainable Development has made its November lecture available to the public. The recording is now accessible on its YouTube channel.
The lecture, titled “Earthen Architecture & Construction Techniques in the Region of Ziban in Algeria. The Case of the Ksour of Chetma and Lichana”, was delivered on 27 November 2025 by Amdjed Islam Dali, co-founder of Tourab.
