Call for Papers – VAG Winter Conference 2026 on Vernacular Buildings in Urban Contexts

The theme of the Vernacular Architecture Group’s next winter conference will be Vernacular buildings in urban contexts: The study of urban building types and integration with urban studies. Over the past 25 years a number of notable studies have demonstrated the huge potential of studying vernacular buildings in urban areas – studies both of specific towns and cities and of urban building types more generally. Many of these have illustrated the value of multi-disciplinary approaches to the subject of urban buildings, but it is also clear that there is more to do in making vernacular buildings a key part of wider urban historical studies. We invite papers looking at urban buildings of all types, particularly non-domestic, and also studies of specific towns and cities. Papers considering this subject from a different disciplinary background, or taking a multi-disciplinary approach, are particularly welcome.

The conference will take place at the University of Nottingham, on 10 and 11 January 2026.

Submissions are encouraged from academics, students, and non-academics alike.
Call for Papers
The deadline for abstracts is 31 August 2025.

Information about the Group’s conferences can be found at https://www.vag.org.uk/conferences.htm.