To be held on 26 and 27 November at TU Delft and Nieuwe Instituut, this year’s conference, entitled Networks of (Ex)Change, is being organised in collaboration with the gta Archive of the ETH Zürich and focuses on international networks of knowledge exchange in architecture and urban planning.
Networks of (Ex)Change
In 1928, the Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne (CIAM) was founded by an international group of forward-thinking architects to address major challenges in architectural design and urban planning. In the run-up to the CIAM centenary in 2028, the Jaap Bakema Study Centre and the gta Archive of the ETH Zurich are organising a series of joint events on networks of knowledge exchange in architecture and urban planning. These events will focus not only on the historical impact of such networks, but also on the potential lessons for addressing today’s key issues of sustainable growth and transformation in our urban regions. The 12th annual conference of the Jaap Bakema Study Centre in Delft and Rotterdam on 26 and 27 November, is the first event in the series.
In the 21st century, globalisation seems like an almost natural condition, inescapable in everything from planetary communication technologies and energy infrastructures to the threat of pandemics and climate crises. The transformation of architectural discourse and exchange has followed suit. Current geopolitical upheavals are a stark reminder of the importance of such networks of collaboration and knowledge exchange.
CIAM played a central role in facilitating a transnational shift in architectural discourse and practice following the crises of World War I. Crucially, design issues were seen as inextricably linked to pressing social and environmental concerns, with mass housing and universal health care at the forefront. CIAM became a place for the exchange of design strategies to both accommodate and counter the relentless modernisation of cities, countries and even entire continents.
CIAM was neither the first nor the only international platform for architects to network and share knowledge. From the first international congresses on housing and urban planning, to a host of avant-garde groups, professional organisations such as the UIA, and international agencies such as UN Habitat, all contributed to the emergence of multiple networks that facilitated international exchanges and professional alignments across ideological and political boundaries. Whatever their scope, agendas or lifespan, these networks were almost invariably transdisciplinary, recognising the benefits of including expertise and voices from outside architecture, especially from government representatives, societal stakeholders, and benefactors.
Dates
- Conference dates: 26-27 November 2025
Organising Committee
- Dirk van den Heuvel (Nieuwe Instituut, TU Delft)
- Stef Dingen (Nieuwe Instituut)
- Irina Davidovici (gta Archive, ETH Zurich)
- Andreas Kalpakci (ETH Zurich)
Jaap Bakema Study Centre Advisory Board
- Tom Avermaete (ETH Zürich)
- Sofie de Caigny (Nieuwe Instituut)
- Maristella Casciato (Getty Research Institute)
- Carola Hein (TU Delft)
- Georg Vrachliotis (TU Delft)
Locations
- Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft
- Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam
The Jaap Bakema Study Centre is a collaborative project of the Nieuwe Instituut and the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of TU Delft. It initiates and undertakes research projects that result in exhibitions, publications, and public events, often in collaboration with third parties and within international networks. The Jaap Bakema Study Centre combines contemporary social issues with fundamental research and knowledge development in the field of the creative industry: design, culture and society.