This symposium will explore various ways in which locally specific and culturally embedded forms of architecture are shaped through dynamic interactions between climatic, environmental, social and technical processes. Bringing together historical and contemporary research from a broad range of academic and applied disciplines, the event seeks to clarify the role climatic factors play in the transformation of vernacular architecture over time, as well as to identify the main threats and opportunities it is likely to face over the remainder of the 21st century. This may include discussion of emerging risks and vulnerabilities as well as strategies, innovations, and interventions that could bolster resilience in future.
The symposium adopts a resolutely comparative, intertemporal and interdisciplinary approach. It will provide ample space for the presentation of specific methodologies and focused case studies, while encouraging exchange between scientific, technical, and social science experts. The aim is to develop collaborative platforms for the generation of comparative insights concerning vernacular architecture and climate across temporal, spatial, social, and disciplinary frames. The event will focus primarily on the Alps and the Himalayas, but research from other mountainous regions and different bioclimatic zones will provide vital comparative scope.

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