IPAU International Conference 2026
“Designing for Uncertainty: Resilience, Community, Creativity”

In an era defined by environmental instability, rapid urban transformation, and shifting social dynamics, uncertainty has become a defining condition of contemporary life. Architecture and urbanism are increasingly required to respond not to fixed scenarios, but to evolving, unpredictable contexts shaped by climate change, socio-economic pressures, and technological transitions.

The theme Designing for Uncertainty invites researchers, practitioners, and emerging scholars to rethink the role of design as an adaptive, responsive, and anticipatory practice. Rather than seeking permanence or control, architecture is positioned as a framework for resilience, a platform for collective life, and a catalyst for creative engagement.

The conference explores how spatial practices can address uncertainty through three interrelated lenses: resilience, as the capacity of systems and communities to adapt and transform; community, as the social foundation of inclusive and participatory environments; and creativity, as a critical tool for reimagining futures beyond crisis.

By engaging diverse perspectives, from theoretical inquiry to design experimentation, the conference aims to foster dialogue on how architecture can contribute to more robust, equitable, and imaginative urban futures.

SUB-THEMES:
1. Designing for Uncertainty
Explores design strategies that respond to changing, unpredictable conditions, focusing on flexibility, adaptability, and open-ended spatial systems capable of evolving over time.

2. Community, Participation, and Co-Production
Focuses on inclusive design processes, participatory planning, and community-led spatial practices that redefine authorship and empower local actors.

3. Public Space as Resilient Infrastructure
Examines the role of public spaces as systems that support social life and urban continuity, particularly in contexts of fragmentation, transformation, or rapid growth.

4. Transforming Existing Environments
Addresses adaptive reuse, retrofitting, and the transformation of heritage and existing built environments in response to contemporary needs and uncertainties.

5. Creative Practices and Experimental Methodologies
Highlights speculative design, research-by-design, artistic practices, and alternative pedagogies that expand architectural thinking under uncertain conditions.

IMPORTENED DATES:

• Abstract Submission Deadline (Extended): 15 August 2026

• Notification of Abstract Acceptance: 25 August 2026

Extended Abstract Submission: 30 September 2026
Conference Dates: 5–6 November 2026
Inquiries are to be submitted to the conference commissions at [email protected]