In an unprecedented collaboration, the International Archive of Women in Architecture, a joint program of Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the University Libraries, will host the 18th Congress of The International Union of Women Architects, known as UIFA, July 26 – 31. The congress will kick-off in Washington and conclude in Blacksburg.

The congress begins with a reception in the nation's capital on Sunday, July 26. On July 27, participants will take a tour of the great rooms of Washington with a reception at the national headquarters of the American Institute of Architects. On July 28, congress participants travel by bus to Charlottesville, Virginia where they will tour the campus of the University of Virginia, and will then continue on to Blacksburg.

The remaining three days, July 29-31, will offer a variety of talks, presentations, exhibitions, and tours at Virginia Tech. Registration is open, and the complete schedule and registration are available online.

The event is expected to attract guests from more than 90 countries.

In hosting the 18th UIFA Congress, the International Archive of Women in Architecture seeks to commemorate its 30th anniversary; to connect and build a network of women in architecture and design; to preserve, highlight, and recognize the professional contributions of women architects and designers; and to provide global education through the dissemination of information about the important role of women in architecture and design.

The congress’s theme, “Contributing to the Constellation,” honors both organizations’ aims to exhibit and elucidate woman’s influences in the field of architecture and other design disciplines. The idea of a constellation advances the archive’s mission to preserve the works of women pioneers — the first bright stars — in architecture and design.

The inaugural UIFA Congress, “Women in Architecture around the World and The Requirements of the Modern City as Conceived by Women,” was held in Paris, France in 1963. The tradition of the congress continued with an international group of women in architecture and design convening every two to three years in host cities around the world. Recent congresses have been held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 2013; Seoul, Korea in 2010; and Bucharest, Romania in 2007.

Donna Dunay, G.T. Ward Professor of Architecture in Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design and chair of the International Archive of Women in Architecture said, “It has been almost 30 years since the UIFA Congress was first held in the United States, and the IAWA is excited to welcome a gathering that carries such weight, importance, and authority to empower, connect, and celebrate women in architecture.”

 

 

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