Excited by the opportunities the UN’s agenda presents to architects the world over? Interested in how the profession can respond to problems of overcrowding and rising property prices in our 21st –century cities? Then check out RIBA International Week from the 3rd to the 7th July, which is aimed at promoting a positive sharing of ideas and placing architects at the forefront of creating better cities and urban areas.
The week kicks off with a fun-packed programme of events and master classes. These are led by experts in the field and designed to engage and inspire young architects to consider their contributions to the cities of the future and how to tackle issues highlighted in the New Urban Agenda.
A Festival with an Agenda
The week continues with a particular highlight, a daylong conference introduced by RIBA Royal Gold medallist – Dr Joan Clos, who will set the context of the day by outlining the UN’s agenda and the exciting opportunities it presents for the profession. This will be followed by speeches from esteemed architects, sociologists and other specialists from across the globe, around the theme of the New Urban Agenda – the United Nation’s global strategy on goals for sustainable development and housing, over the coming two decades.
Key Speakers: First Row, Left to Right – Ma Yansong, Diébédo Francis Kéré, Hannah Corlett. Second Row, Left to Right – Saskia Sassen, Sir David Chipperfield, Suzanne Hall
The 5-day programme facilitates engagement with architects at every stage of their career and also incorporates an evening film performance, an Ambassadors’ Debate on ‘Driving Professionalism in a Global Context’, a lunch for International Woman in Architecture, hosted by the RIBA President Jane Duncan and an exhibition entitled – Beyond Borders.
RIBA will also use the week to launch its prestigious International Prize 2018, recognising emerging architects. It is open to qualified architects from across the world and identifies and celebrates the best, new international civic building.
Burkina Faso National Assembly by Diébédo Francis Kéré, one of the keynote speakers at RIBA International Week
In an era of rapid urbanisation and migration, more and more people now live and work in the cities and despite urban successes, overcrowding issues and escalating property prices are causing problems. With this in mind, the aim of the week is to energise and inform architects in realising the vital role they play in using “skills over the next two decades to make a valuable and long-lasting contribution to our future cities and society”, Jane Duncan, RIBA President.
RIBA International Week promotes an optimistic sharing of ideas with an international family and highlights how architects really can be at the centre of improved cities and innovative spaces.
Keen to know more? Click here to view the full programme of events taking place over RIBA International Week.
