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The International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism was founded in 2001 by His Majesty King Charles III, who remains our patron.

INTBAU now includes 45 chapters and over 10,000 members across 100+ countries and regions. INTBAU, the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism is dedicated to promoting traditional building practices worldwide. Founded in 2001 by His Majesty King Charles III, who remains our patron, INTBAU now includes 40 chapters and 9,000 members across over 100 countries and regions. Our mission is to preserve and promote traditional building knowledge for a built environment that respects local climate, context, and character. We do this through projects, conferences, workshops, summer schools, study tours, awards, and competitions, fostering connections between professionals, academics, students, and communities.

07/10/2026

Earlier this week, the International Union of Architects (UIA) marked World Architecture Day under the theme “Housing is a Human Right. Build It.”

The theme highlights the urgent need for adequate housing for people around the world. At INTBAU, we welcome this focus while also emphasising another part of the question: the places we build should not only meet a need for shelter, but help people feel connected to where they live.

We believe that everyone should love where they live. Buildings and places should be rooted in their local context, climate and culture. Traditional building, architecture and urbanism offer time-tested, forward-looking approaches to creating places that people can connect with and love.

Since 2001, INTBAU has worked collectively to advance these approaches through Advocacy, Education, Research and Grants for exceptional grassroots projects.

Our Chapters and Professional Members bring these principles into practice across different contexts and disciplines, including architecture, building and urbanism. Together, they form a global network working towards a better built environment.

From Guatemala to the UK. From the United States to Luxembourg, we celebrate the breadth of knowledge, skills and work across our Membership.

Explore our Members' profiles at: intbau.org/intbau

28/08/2026

Introducing The King's Foundation and INTBAU's new series, 'Sustainable Places: Vernacular Architecture Seminar Series' 🏘️

This series of seminars and accompanying research project will explore the fundamental connection between environmental sustainability and socio-cultural sustainability, as embodied in vernacular architecture.

Between October 2026 and September 2027, we'll bring together researchers and practitioners from a range of disciplines to share their work, approaches and insights in eight panel sessions, taking place both online and in-person.

Learn more and register at: intbau.org/sp-series

07/08/2026

Should there be more postgraduate degree programmes in traditional building, architecture, and urbanism?

Tell us what you think and help shape how we learn to build better places.

Traditional knowledge offers time-tested answers to many of today's built-environment challenges — yet, current best estimates suggest it is only taught in about 3% of schools worldwide.

To help bridge this gap, INTBAU Chapters run education programmes each year that not only teach traditional design but also connect place-specific challenges with knowledge and practice.

We are now inviting our Network to share views on a potential next step: the development of more full-time postgraduate degree programmes in traditional building, architecture, and urbanism.

INTBAU is acting as a supporter and convener — giving voice to students, teachers, practitioners, and supporters, and sharing the findings with Chapters and partner institutions that may be able to take this forward.

This short survey invites input from prospective students interested in the future of the built environment.

Please take 5 minutes to complete the survey via the link in our bio.

23/07/2026

INTBAU is delighted to welcome Luís Silva, CEO at Cadmiods, as a member of the INTBAU College of Traditional Practitioners.

With extensive experience in conservation and restoration, José Luís Silva specialises in historic interiors, decorative arts, and wooden works of art. As CEO of Cádmio – Decorative Systems, his work spans both the conservation of heritage buildings and the ex*****on of traditional decorative techniques, including scagliola, Venetian stucco, and painted imitations, in historic and contemporary contexts.

Luís Silva's early professional work focused on the conservation of wooden objects, including gilded altarpieces, sculpture, and furniture, alongside the replication of historic tile panels. He completed both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Conservation and Restoration at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, specialising in polychromed wooden sculpture and developing analytical methods for the scientific identification of wood in artistic objects.

Luís has worked on conservation projects across Portugal, France, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. He was invited to pursue a PhD within the Conservation and Restoration programme at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, where he also lectures in Wood Physiology and Technology and in Conservation and Restoration Techniques for Wooden Artworks. His doctoral research focuses on the scientific identification of woods used in Portuguese sculpture from the 16th to 19th centuries, contributing to research and publications in the field.

Luís joins the College with a strong combination of practical experience, academic research, and specialist knowledge of traditional materials and techniques.

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About the INTBAU College of Traditional Practitioners
The ICTP is a peak international professional body for practitioners in traditional urban design, architecture, and the building arts, recognising professionals who have produced a sustained output of high-quality work over at least five years of practice. Admission is peer-reviewed by an international committee.

09/06/2026

Is your project using traditional knowledge to solve local challenges? Apply now!

Supporting grassroots initiatives rooted in traditional building knowledge is central to INTBAU's mission. Through our Grassroots Grants programme, we have funded projects around the world with work including craftsmanship preservation, climate-resilient housing, and community empowerment. The programme has attracted applications from over 70 countries — a response that speaks to how widely traditional building knowledge is alive and needed.

INTBAU is proud to support Earthna and Qatar Foundation in promoting a global initiative that closely aligns with this work — the Earthna Prize.

The Earthna Prize supports projects that preserve, adapt, and apply traditional knowledge and cultural heritage to address today's environmental challenges. The Prize recognises work across 5 focus areas, including built environments and settlements rooted in traditional knowledge.

Four winners will be selected by a high-level jury and will share a prize pool of US$1 million. In addition to funding, winners receive a global platform to elevate their work and access opportunities for collaboration with an international network of sustainability stakeholders.

The Prize is open to NGOs, community-based organisations, civil society organisations, and private sector entities.

Applications are open until 20 July 2026.

Read more and apply at https://www.earthna.qa/earthna-prize-2026

16/04/2026

In conversation with Marjo Uotila — the newly elected Chair of the INTBAU Council of Chapters

We are pleased to announce the appointment of the new Chair of the INTBAU Council of Chapters, one of the organisation’s governing bodies. Marjo Uotila, Chair of INTBAUFinland and a longstanding advocate for traditional building and a humane built environment in the country, began her term in March 2026.

Her appointment coincided with International Women’s Day — a fitting moment to reflect on the growing contribution of women across the built environment. We spoke with Marjo about her professional journey, the importance of international peer networks, and how broader participation helps shape more meaningful and humane places.

In this conversation, Marjo reflects on:

- the growing leadership role of women across architecture, urbanism, and building crafts
- how interdisciplinary perspectives enrich the way we approach the built environment
- the importance of international networks in connecting knowledge, practice, and community
- the growing understanding that sustainability includes beauty, durability, and cultural continuity rather than disposable architecture

“When I first began engaging with this field, many of the visible figures, especially internationally, were predominantly men. Over the past decade I have seen a noticeable change — many of the most dynamic initiatives today involve women: architects, historians, planners, craftspeople, and activists who are bringing new perspectives into the conversation … the growing presence of women in the field is not only a matter of representation; it also enriches the way we approach the built environment.” — Marjo Uotila

Read the full article at: https://www.intbau.org/in-conversation-with-marjo-uotila-intbaus-newly-elected-chair-of-the-international-council-of-chapters/

14/04/2026

We are pleased to announce the establishment of INTBAU Croatia, the newest Chapter to join our international network.

INTBAU Croatia is dedicated to restoring knowledge and practice related to traditional building, architecture, and urbanism in the local context. Today, much of this knowledge — including proportion, composition, building techniques, and craftsmanship — is no longer widely taught or consistently applied. The Chapter seeks to contribute to renewed awareness of the value of traditional knowledge and its relevance to contemporary practice.

Focusing on three key areas — education, building practice, and promotion — INTBAU Croatia aims to support the development of design knowledge, encourage the continued use of traditional materials and crafts, and promote greater understanding of architecture rooted in local identity and long-term value.

Through collaboration with practitioners, academics, institutions, and the wider public, the Chapter aims to strengthen local capacity while contributing to the international conversation within the INTBAU network.

Welcome INTBAU Croatia!

Learn more and get in touch with INTBAU Croatia at:

intbau.org/croatia/

Photo credits:

1. Dubrovnik — Laszlo Toth
2. P**a — Niels Bosman
3. Zagreb — Goran Zuric
4. Osijek — Goran Zuric

26/03/2026

Celebrating the Establishment of INTBAU Morocco

Following the creation of the Kenya Chapter last year, INTBAU continues to expand its presence across the African continent with the establishment of its first Chapter in North Africa: INTBAU Morocco.

INTBAU Morocco promotes Moroccan architecture and building traditions by highlighting local expertise, craft knowledge, and architectural expressions that shape the country’s cities, villages, and landscapes. The Chapter adopts a heritage-led yet forward-looking approach, recognising the relevance of traditional knowledge for contemporary architecture, urbanism, and sustainability.

As a platform for research, exchange, and dissemination, INTBAU Morocco brings together artisans, architects, academics, institutions, and communities, contributing Moroccan building culture to the international dialogue on architectural quality, cultural continuity, and environmentally responsive design.

Learn more and contact INTBAU Morocco at: intbau.org/morocco

20/03/2026

2026 INTBAU Summer Schools

Apply now for programmes in France, Italy, the Netherlands, the USA (waitlist), Mexico, Portugal, and Kenya, with deadlines as early as 5 April.

We are especially pleased to see a programme taking place in Kenya for the first time in 2026.

Visit intbau.org/programmes

Traditional architecture is taught in only a minority of schools worldwide. Where do practitioners learn what is no longer taught?

Across the world, a growing number of students and practitioners are seeking something missing from conventional education: continuity with tradition, human-scaled design, and a deeper understanding of place.

The INTBAU Network’s summer schools are designed to respond directly to this gap.

From Mexico City to Utrecht, Mombasa to Vicenza, and the cobbled streets of Lisbon, these programmes reconnect design with craft, culture, and lived environments.

They bring together participants from across disciplines and continents to learn not only through lectures, but through drawing, building, walking cities, and engaging directly with historic places and communities.

Many leave with new skills, new collaborators, and, in some cases, new career paths — from joining restoration projects to working with public institutions and shaping future housing initiatives.

If you are looking for an educational experience grounded in meaning, context, and practice, explore the 2026 programmes at intbau.org/programmes.

19/03/2026

Chair of INTBAU Qatar, Ambassador Fahad Al-Attiya, named RIBA Honorary Fellow 2026

The Royal Institute of British Architects has named Ambassador Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiya, Chair of INTBAU Qatar, as an Honorary Fellow for 2026—recognising his contribution to sustainable architecture and the promotion of traditional building practices.

Through the Caravane Earth Foundation, he has supported social, cultural, and ecological initiatives in communities around the world.

In 2022, INTBAU Qatar was established by Ambassador Fahad Al-Attiya as an entity hosted by the Foundation, to preserve and promote Qatari and Gulf architectural traditions—and to position them as viable models for contemporary living.

INTBAU Qatar Winter School

In 2024 and 2025, INTBAU Qatar organised an immersive programme bringing together over 40 students and lecturers from Qatar and beyond, including South Africa, Austria, Pakistan, Libya, Lebanon, the USA, the UK, Singapore, and Oman.

Through lectures, fieldwork, and design practice, participants explored Qatar’s craft traditions—from mud and palm construction to seafaring and nomadic architectures—reinterpreting them as strategies for adaptation in a warming world.

“I am sincerely grateful to the RIBA for this honour. It affirms my belief that traditional architecture and urbanism are not relics of the past, but foundations upon which a more humane and ordered future may be built. Through platforms such as the Caravane Earth Foundation and INTBAU Qatar, we aim to encourage hands-on exploration of how these principles can inform contemporary practice and support thriving communities.”
— Ambassador Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiya

INTBAU warmly congratulates Ambassador Fahad on this recognition.

We are proud to count him as Chair of INTBAU Qatar, and look forward to his continued contribution to the global INTBAU Network.

Read more at intbau.org

Pictured:

1. Chair of INTBAU Qatar, Ambassador Fahad Al-Attiya, sharing his views on traditional building, architecture and urbanism at the INTBAU World Congress 2025 in London.

2. Scenes from the INTBAU Qatar Winter School 2025.

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19-22 Charlotte Road
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+442076138500

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http://www.intbau.org/

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