The Call for Abstracts is now closed. Notifications will be made in mid August.
Call for Abstracts
Docomomo International invites practitioners, educators, researchers, and scholars involved in the documentation, conservation, and renovation of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the modern movement to submit paper abstracts on the theme Multiple Moderns: Climate, Community, Creativity.
We encourage proposals that support the conference theme and the subthemes described below, that advance our collective practice in the documentation and conservation of modern works, and expand our understanding of modernism globally to assist in the development of educational frameworks and tools for a new generation of designers.
This could include historic research and scholarship, educational and pedagogical applications, and case studies in conservation practice related to one of the following themes:
Mobility and Sprawl
The twentieth century, non-traditional, automobile-oriented megacity and ways it can successfully be adapted to twenty-first-century demands. With its car-oriented infrastructure, megahousing blocks, industrial sites, and huge populations, this pattern of urban development is exemplified by cities like Los Angeles, Taipei, Mexico City, Seoul, and Caracas, to name a few, but can be found in many forms worldwide.
Modernism in the Sun
Looking at modern buildings and landscapes that were originally designed to be responsive to their climates; examining how they have fared over time; how they have been maladapted or misunderstood; and how these sites must respond to and mitigate the effects of climate change, with case studies of resilient and thoughtful adaptation.
Late Twentieth-Century Modernism
Modernisms from mid to late twentieth century, including late modernism, postmodernism, and deconstructivism in their many regional expressions, and any unique advocacy or conservation challenges these buildings face.
Community Adaptation and Repurposing
An investigation of the role that local and regional communities have played in reshaping their own modern environments, including case studies to demonstrate how marginalized and underrecognized communities have both created and adapted spaces to their specific needs.
Creativity and Collaboration
The ways in which collaborations across disciplines (architects; landscape architects; interior, industrial, and graphic designers; engineers; artists; contractors, etc) shaped the modern built environment and continue to contribute to their conservation through practice and education.
In addition to the themes and subthemes above, presenters are also encouraged to consider the mission statements of the Docomomo International Specialist Committees (ISCs) on Registers, Technology, Urbanism & Landscape, Education & Training, Interior Design, and Publications in the preparation of their responses to this call for abstracts, which can be found at the following link: https://docomomo.com/iscs/.
Submission Guidelines
Abstracts are due Monday, June 2, 2025, and should include the following required information:
- Paper Title (65 characters max)
- Abstract (400 words max)
- Learning objectives (100 words max)
- Author’s name, title, affiliation, email, phone, and address
- Author’s biography (200 words max)
All submissions must be in English and should take no more than 20 minutes to present.
We encourage in-person participation. We understand this is not always a possibility, and therefore the conference will have a hybrid format that allows for remote participation. For those speakers participating remotely, a pre-recorded video presentation will be required.
Participants will be notified in early August 2025, and a first draft will be expected by Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
Speakers are expected to submit a full paper no longer than 3,000 words by Monday, January 26, 2026, to be included in the conference proceedings. Paper submission guidelines will be provided to participants once abstracts are selected.
Speakers receive a reduced registration rate of $200. Students can register at the reduced rate of $100.
Click below to submit an abstract. Please note, you will need to use an existing Gmail or LinkedIn account, or create a new login, to access the submission form.