Below you can find a selection of news related to traditional building, architecture and urban planning:
– Traditional Building Cultures Foundation –
The Traditional Building Cultures Foundation takes part in the Earthna Summit 2025 in Qatar
On April 22 and 23, the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation participated in the Earthna Summit 2025, a major international gathering held at the Bin Jelmood House in Msheireb (Doha).
The event brought together experts, academics, and professionals from around the world to discuss the preservation, promotion, and teaching of traditional and sustainable architecture. Over the course of two intensive days, participants shared experiences and perspectives on the current and future challenges facing traditional building cultures in a global context marked by environmental urgency and the need for culturally rooted solutions.
The Traditional Building Cultures Foundation takes part in the 44th Forum of Associations and Cultural Managers of Hispania Nostra
From April 24 to 27, 2025, the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation participated in the 44th Forum of Associations and Cultural Managers, organised by Hispania Nostra under the theme “Living heritage, active heritage”, held in the city of Tarragona.
The Foundation was invited to take part in the panel discussion “Good practices in the promotion of cultural heritage”, where it shared its experience in activating and transmitting traditional built and intangible heritage. Through the presentation of several of the Foundation’s initiatives, the discussion highlighted the importance of traditional crafts, hands-on learning, and community involvement as essential tools for the sustainable preservation of architectural heritage.
The Traditional Building Cultures Foundation takes part in the International Symposium on Cultural Landscapes, Traditional Knowledge, and Climate Change
The Traditional Building Cultures Foundation was invited to participate in the International Symposium “Cultural Landscapes, Traditional Knowledge, and Climate Change”, held on April 28, 29, and 30 at the Seville headquarters of the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage (IAPH). This symposium was part of the PACTO project, led by the IAPH and funded by the Fundación Biodiversidad as part of the grant programme supporting the implementation of Spain’s 2023 National Climate Change Adaptation Plan.
The Foundation took part in the panel discussion “Seeds for a just and sustainable ecosocial transition: Experiences from the territory”, where it shared its work in recovering, teaching, and applying traditional building techniques as effective tools for addressing today’s ecological challenges.
– News –
Call for Entries Open for the 2026 European Heritage Awards
The call for entries for the 2026 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards is now open. These are among the most prestigious prizes in the field of cultural heritage in Europe, recognising outstanding achievements in preservation, research, education, awareness-raising, and citizen engagement.
Applications are open to individuals, teams, and organisations, and can be submitted until 9 September 2025 in five categories. Winners are eligible for prizes of up to €10,000 and significant international visibility.
Call for proposals now open for the Split Sessions at the 2025 INTBAU World Congress
The 2025 INTBAU World Congress has opened its call for proposals for the Split Sessions — a new participatory session format that will be part of the official programme.
These sessions will take place on Friday, 24 October, during the second day of the Congress, and will be held in smaller groups in a workshop-style setting. They offer a space to share practical approaches, methods, and experiences.
The call is open to the entire INTBAU network. Proposals must be submitted by 29 June 2025. All practical details and the application form are available on the official Congress website.
International Competition on Classical Architecture
The Accademia Vivarium Novum has launched an international competition aimed at young professionals. Entitled “Hereditas urbium: The Inheritable City. Concrete Examples of Genuine Urban Regeneration”, the call is part of the congress of the same name to be held from 5 to 8 June 2025 in Frascati, Italy.
The competition seeks built projects completed within the past five years. The submission deadline is 20 May. Winning proposals will be announced during the closing ceremony on 8 June at Villa Falconieri and will also be invited to present at the congress scheduled for June 2026.
Half a Century Without a Paradigm: Conversations on Contemporary Architectural Culture
Ediciones Asimétricas has published Half a Century Without a Paradigm: Conversations on Contemporary Architectural Culture, a book by Alejandro García Hermida and David Rivera.
The publication gathers a series of interviews with some of the most influential voices in architectural theory and criticism over the past decades. It offers a thoughtful reflection on the current state of architecture, the relevance—or absence—of a guiding model, and the key debates that have shaped the discipline since the crisis of the Modern Movement.
INTBAU Offers Volunteer Scholarships for the 2025 World Congress
INTBAU has launched a scholarship call for volunteers, aimed at students and recent graduates who wish to actively participate in the 2025 INTBAU World Congress, to be held in October.
Selected candidates will receive financial support of up to £1,500 to cover travel, accommodation, visa, and insurance expenses. In return, volunteers will assist the organising team with preparations and support during the event.
Priority will be given to applicants who have previously taken part in INTBAU educational activities (alumni of the network’s training programmes).
The deadline for applications is 7 May 2025.
Reading by Hand: Short Texts on Arts, Crafts, and Heritage
Sculptor, researcher, and writer Miguel Sobrino —a member of INTBAU Spain— presents Reading by Hand, a collection of short texts exploring the relationship between the arts, traditional crafts, and the sensory experience of heritage.
The book also serves as a “praise of slowness” applied to the fields of art and architecture, defending the slow, attentive rhythm required both to create and to truly perceive and understand.
Christoph Kohl, leading figure in European traditional urbanism, has passed away
Architect and urban planner Christoph Kohl passed away in Berlin on 10 April 2025, at the age of 64. A prominent advocate of humanist urbanism, Kohl devoted his career to promoting cities that are liveable, people-centred, and respectful of local character.
Trained in Innsbruck, Vienna, and Venice, he co-founded the Krier Kohl office in the 1990s alongside his mentor Rob Krier, later establishing his own practice, CKSA. His work leaves a lasting impact on the contemporary discourse around building more beautiful, sustainable, and humane urban environments.
The obituary was written by Bart Urban, a member of INTBAU Germany.
CentroCentro Hosts the Exhibition “Madrid Metrópolis: Antonio Palacios’s Dream”
From 8 April to 6 July 2025, the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid hosts “Madrid Metrópolis: Antonio Palacios’s Dream”, a research and outreach exhibition exploring the metropolitan vision that the architect conceived for the Spanish capital.
Curated by Javier García-Gutiérrez Mosteiro and Julián García Muñoz, the exhibition traces Palacios’s architectural legacy in Madrid—from the Palacio de Comunicaciones to the Metro—and highlights his key role in shaping the modern identity of the city.
New Book Published: The Alhambra: Form and Drawing
The research group HUM-976 Expregráfica: Place, Architecture and Drawing at the University of Seville has published the book The Alhambra: Form and Drawing. The volume brings together hand-drawn works by architecture students from the 1993–94 and 1994–95 academic years, produced in the course Architectural Form Analysis taught by Professor Antonio Gámiz Gordo.
The book documents an approach to thinking about and representing architecture before the widespread use of digital tools, focused on understanding form, place, and context.
The publication is available for free download from the University of Seville’s repository.
Urban Drawing Competition – Design Your Dream Square
The Aesthetic City and INTBAU Germany have launched the competition “Design Your Dream Square”, open to both professionals and urban design enthusiasts. The challenge invites participants to envision a beautiful, timeless urban square as the heart of a new neighbourhood in Berlin or a nearby town.
Submissions are open until 1 July 2025.
Article: “Why We Teach Classical Design”
Building Design magazine has recently republished the article “Why We Teach Classical Design”, written by architects and educators Timothy Smith and Jonathan Taylor. The piece reflects on the fourteen-year journey of their traditional design studio at Kingston University, home to the only classical architecture module in a UK university.
Since 2011, their approach—described as marginal classicism—has embraced a contemporary and contextual interpretation of classical tradition, grounded in the study of the orders, local construction techniques, and carefully selected historical precedents.
– Education –
HOMO FABER Launches its 2025 Craft Courses in León
The HOMO FABER initiative has announced a new edition of its Craft Courses, to be held in Mansilla de las Mulas (León). Running from May to November, the programme includes more than 20 workshops on traditional building techniques such as lime stucco, tadelakt, timbrel vaulting, Roman mosaic, and carpentry, among many others.
The teaching team features several professionals awarded the Building Arts Awards, as well as members of the Spanish Network of Traditional Building Craft Masters — both initiatives organised by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation.
Mudejar Carpentry Course
From 2 to 6 June, the Mudejar Carpentry Course – Design and Conception of a Roof Structure will take place in Puerto Real (Cádiz). This intensive training focuses on the technical and geometric principles of traditional mudejar carpentry.
The course will be held at Caja y Espiga, a leading centre for the transmission of traditional building and carpentry skills. It will be taught by Loris Carboni, Ángel Candelas, and Javier de Mingo.
Full details are available on the Caja y Espiga website. Places are limited.
Spherical Lazo Carpentry and Dome Design course
The Escuela de Carpintería de lo Blanco in Narros del Castillo (Ávila) will host the third edition of its course on the design and layout of spherical lazo domes from 22 to 25 May 2025. The course will be taught by master carpenter Ángel María Martín López.
More information and registration: angelmariamartinlopez@gmail.com
Timbrel Vaulting workshop in Bétera
From 14 to 18 July 2025, CERCAA will hold an intensive workshop on timbrel vaulting in Bétera (Valencia). The course will combine traditional construction techniques with augmented reality tools applied to the layout and execution of the vaults.
More information: cercaa.build@gmail.com
Manises hosts an International Workshop on Metallic Luster Techniques in Ceramics
From 23 to 29 June 2025, Abbas Akbari will lead the workshop “Lustre Types” at the studio of Arturo Mora in Manises (Valencia), focusing on traditional metallic luster techniques.
Taught in English, the course is aimed at ceramicists interested in deepening their knowledge of this historic decorative method, with particular attention to its technical and expressive variations. The workshop is limited to 14 participants.
More information: a.moraceramica@icloud.com
Finishes Workshop: Scagliola Technique
From 30 May to 1 June, master painter and plasterer Óscar Urruela will lead an intensive workshop in Burgos focused on the Scagliola technique. Over the course of three days, participants will explore both the German and Italian approaches in depth, applying them to the creation of eight different finishes.
More information: Óscar Urruela Sacristán
Summer School in Heritage Preservation and Restoration
From 9 June to 8 August 2025, Amelia International Conservation Studies (AICS) will offer an intensive summer school in the historic town of Amelia, in central Italy, focused on the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage.
The programme combines theoretical and practical training through lectures, workshops, fieldwork, and guided visits. It is open to both beginners and experienced professionals, with courses tailored to different levels of expertise.
– Conferences, seminars and lectures –
Andorra to host the dry stone days
From 14 to 16 November 2025, Andorra will host the dry stone days – 13th Meeting of the Dry Stone and Traditional Architecture Association, organised in collaboration with the PETRA project working group and the Dry Stone and Traditional Architecture Association.
The event will bring together professionals and institutions engaged in the preservation and revitalisation of dry stone construction, recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The call for papers is open until 15 June 2025.
