Description
We address you regarding the World Congress on Earthen Architectural Heritage, scheduled to be held at the University of Cuenca, Ecuador from June 9 to 13, 2025.
Following decree 111 issued by the President of Ecuador on January 9, 2024, the board of ICOMOS-ISCEAH has communicated to the organizing committee on March 12th, 2024, the decision to POSTPONE the development of Terra in Ecuador until 2028.
As organizers of the Terra Ecuador event, on behalf of the University of Cuenca, we thank the advisory committee, the members of the scientific committee, the different national and international companies and institutions, and the community in general for their support and interest in participating in this prestigious academic event.
Organizing Committee
Terra2025
Contact
Terra2025@ucuenca.edu.ec
Tel: 4051000 ext 4122
Description
The14th World Congress on Earthen Architectural Heritage, to be held in Cuenca, Ecuador, seeks to emphasize a view from the south, from the Andean environments worked by cultures with deep roots in the Earth, from where we aspire to amplify the experiences that are necessary to move forward the construction of resilient and sustainable settlements.
The Terra2025 World Congress addresses architecture and construction with earth, going far beyond the fields of technology applied to earth alone, to venture into processes, social practices, creativity, inventiveness, commitment to the environment, social cohesion, habitat, security, culture, and heritage legacy, education, and transmission of knowledge. These thematic lines contribute to creating conditions to evidence, discuss, and share knowledge and experiences that inject optimism and commitment to our own future.
Terra2025 aims to promote the exchange of knowledge between the different actors specialized in earthen construction and to strengthen joint work networks to reintroduce earthen architecture as part of sustainable development.
Key dates
- Deadline for abstracts submission
18th March 2024 - Notification of acceptance
3rd June 2024 - Deadline for reception full articles
30th September 2024 - Deadline for submission of full articles for proceedings
13th January 2025 - Early bird registration opens
13th January 2025 - Regular registration opens
14th April 2025 - Terra2025
9th-13th June 2025
Official languages
English/Spanish
Thematic Lines
1. Education, learning, and knowledge transfer.
2. Local communities and co-creation.
3. Ancestral and contemporary technology.
4. Strategies and criteria for the conservation and safeguarding of heritages.
5. Pachamama: Land and nature (Use, respect, landscape and territory, relationships, cosmovision).
6. Habitat (landscape, regulations – financing – policies – development, and housing).
7. Risk and vulnerability: mitigation, adaptation, resilience.
8. Materials, technology, and innovation.
Place
Universidad de Cuenca
Campus Central, Av. 12 de Abril &, Cuenca
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Xs922WcqEV9HWhMs8
Terra2025@ucuenca.edu.ec
Tel: 4051000 ext 4122
Organizer
With the support of
History
Terra is the world’s leading congress on architectural heritage on earth. It emerged in the 1970s, promoted by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), as part of an international commitment to the conservation of earth-built elements. Since then, Terra continues to be held periodically under the guidance of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Earthen Heritage (ISCEAH).
Over the course of more than five decades, the approach of the Terra Conferences has been adapted in line with developments in the field, incorporating archaeological sites, standing earth architecture, training, use of chemicals in conservation, cultural landscapes of earth, disaster preparedness and mitigation, historical techniques that inform new construction, among others.
Thus Terra aims to foster the exchange of information, as a means to achieve greater understanding in earth studies. The Terra conferences reflect the variety of innovative work being carried out in different parts of the world shared through papers, practices and proceedings of the event, and strengthen collaboration, create and reinforce regional networks to advance the field of knowledge.
Previous Editions
The University of Cuenca has been chosen to host the next 14th World Congress on Earthen Architecture 2025, as was officially announced at the 13th TERRA 2022, held June 7-10, 2022, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This congress has been held since the 1970s, promoted by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and currently under the direction of its Scientific Committee on Earthen Architectural Heritage (ISCEAH). Throughout its more than five decades, it has served to foster the exchange of knowledge as a means to achieve a greater understanding of earth as an essential building element and the conservation efforts led by archaeologists, architects, and conservation and design scientists.
International conferences on earthen architecture
Abstract submission
The abstract should be submitted in English and Spanish. You may submit abstracts for both papers and posters. The abstract should not exceed 350 words and should contain the following sections:
1. Background
2. Objectives
3. Methods
4. Results
5. Conclusions
The abstract should be written using the following template: https://tinyurl.com/Abstract2025. To proceed with the double-blind evaluation of the document, the abstract must be sent in PDF format and MUST NOT CONTAIN information regarding the authors and their affiliation.
For the file name use the initials of the last name and first name of the first author followed by underscore, the subject to which you are applying (T1, T2, etc), underscore and a sequential number in case of multiple submissions. For example: GV_T1_1
The platform for abstract submission will be available at the beginning of March.
The abstract will be evaluated by the Scientific Committee of the Congress and the authors will be notified of the result of the evaluation by e-mail to the corresponding author.
Paper submission
Once the abstract has been accepted, the full article should be submitted for a second round of revisions. After the changes have been adjusted, the final version of the paper will be sent. The presentation should then be submitted using the conference templates. Both the full article and the presentations can be written in any of the official languages (English, Spanish).
Further information on the publication process will be specified in 2024.
Sending the article
Once the abstract has been accepted, the full paper should be submitted for further review. After the changes have been adjusted, the final version of the article will be sent. Subsequently, the full paper should be sent using the Congress templates. Both the full article and the paper can be written in any of the official languages (English, Spanish).
Poster submission
Once the abstract has been accepted, the poster should be submitted using the conference template. The corresponding author will be notified in case there are any observations. Authors are responsible for submitting to the organizers the poster printed according to the congress guidelines by Monday, June 9th at 17:00. The poster can be written in any of the official languages (English, Spanish).
Templates
Publication of contributions
More information on the publication process will be specified in 2024.
Objectives
General:
Facilitate the organization of meetings and debates between the different actors specialized in earthen construction in order to reintroduce earthen architecture as part of sustainable development.
Specific:
– Recognize good practices and examples of earthen architecture through emonstrative exercises.
– To contribute with reflections for the generation of state policies that will forge a real institutional impact and that in turn will serve to create local regulations.
– To create capacities and strengthen the sense of community through a multidisciplinary exchange of knowledge and knowledges that revolve around earth through the creation of diversified spaces between academia, professionals and community.
– To propose earth as a response to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, related to energy saving, health (earth architecture as a space that contributes to health), habitat, resilience (environment) and poverty reduction.
Organizing Committee
Grupo de investigación CPM-Ecuador
Facultad de Arquitectura
Universidad de Cuenca
Advisory Committee
Camilo Giribas (Chile)
Gabriela García (Ecuador)
Amanda Rivera (Chile-Italia)
Jenny Vargas (Colombia)
María Eugenia Siguencia (Ecuador)
Juan Diego Badillo (Ecuador)
Hernán García (Ecuador)
Koen Van Balen (Bélgica)
Fausto Cardoso (Ecuador)
Mariana Correia (Portugal)
Pablo Longoria (España)
Congress
Contact
Terra2025@ucuenca.edu.ec
Tel: 4051000 ext 4122