19th International Docomomo Conference

Sheats Goldstein House, John Lautner, 1963. Photograph by Elizabeth Daniels

 

 

Overview

 

The biennial International Docomomo Conference is headed stateside for only the second time since the founding of Docomomo. Attendees can look forward to exciting venues, rigorous academic sessions, networking opportunities, social events, and the Docomomo tours you know and love. Conference proceedings will be produced.


The 19th International Docomomo Conference will:

 

Explore the pluralistic nature of the twentieth-century global modern movement and its diverse legacies, examining how climate, community, and creativity have shaped and continue to shape the built environment. Our host city of Los Angeles, an embodiment of multiple moderns, serves as inspiration for the theme.

 

Examine a range of modern places and urban forms as a starting point for discussion, considering topics related to pre- and post-World War II modern traditions, through the end of the twentieth century. It will highlight the enduring spirit of creativity that spawned late twentieth-century architectural movements such as late modernism, postmodernism, and deconstructivism. It will also explore the everyday modern architecture that is so common in communities around the world. 

 

Investigate urban forms characterized by automobile dependence and sprawling growth that differs from traditional compact urban forms. It will also focus on modern buildings and landscapes through the lens of the climate crisis, including case studies of climate-related adaptation as well as climate-related disaster preparedness and response.  It will also look at how diverse communities have created, used, and continue to reshape modern environments to serve their current and future needs. 

 

Start planning now to join us in Los Angeles in 2026!

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 may be submitted between Thursday, May 1, and Monday, June 2, 2025, and should include the following required information:

 

  1. Paper Title (65 characters max)
  2. Abstract (400 words max)
  3. Learning objectives (100 words max)
  4. Author’s name, title, affiliation, email, phone, and address
  5. 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.

Organizing Partners

The 19th International Docomomo Conference is organized with the direct support of Docomomo International; Docomomo US; the Docomomo US/Southern California chapter; the University of Southern California, School of Architecture; and Getty.

IDC 2026 Committees

 

Organizing Committee

Katie Horak (Chair), Principal, ARG; Board President, Docomomo US 

Meredith Bzdak, Partner, Mills & Schnoering;  Board President Elect, Docomomo US

Flora Chou, Associate Principal, Page & Turnbull; Docomomo US Board 

Chandler McCoy, Senior Project Specialist, Getty

Todd Grover, Principal, MacDonald & Mack; VP of Advocacy, Docomomo US Board

Shannon Harvey, Principal, IN-FO.CO

Christine Lazzaretto, Managing Principal, Historic Resources Group

Robert Meckfessel, Principal, DSGN, Docomomo US Board 

Gail Ostergren, Research Specialist, Getty

Kyle Normandin, Principal, WJE

Michele Racioppi, Program Director, Docomomo US 

Monica Schaffer, SW Regional Communications Director, Gensler, Docomomo US Board

Adrian Scott Fine, Executive Director, LA Conservancy

E. Sung Yi, Partner, Morphosis Architects; Director, The Now Institute

Liz Waytkus, Executive Director, Docomomo US 

 

Scientific Committee

Theodore Prudon (Co-Chair), Docomomo US | ISC/Technology, ISC/Education & Training

Chandler McCoy (Co-Chair), Docomomo US | ISC/Education & Training

Jesus “Chuy” Barba Bonilla, Docomomo US 

Meredith Bzdak, Docomomo US 

Maristella Casciato, Past Chair, Docomomo International 

Wessel De Jonge, Co-Founder, Docomomo International; Docomomo The Netherlands | ISC/Technology 

Miles Glendinning, Docomomo Scotland | ISC/Publications, ISC/Urbanism & Landscape

Elsa Haarstad, Docomomo US 

Katie Horak, Docomomo US 

Kuukuwa Manful, Docomomo Ghana 

Louise Noelle, Docomomo Mexico | ISC/Registers, ISC/Publications 

Kyle Normandin, Docomomo US | ISC/Technology

Ken Oshima, Docomomo Japan

Uta Pottgiesser, Chair, Docomomo International

Marta Peixoto, Docomomo Brazil 

Horacio Torrent, Docomomo Chile | ISC/Registers

Ying Zhou, Docomomo Hong Kong

Coming Soon:
Sponsorship Opportunities


Thank you for considering an IDC sponsorship, the sponsorship opportunities will be posted in late April/early May. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified when they open.

Featured Sites

Hollyhock House

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House was built for the wealthy oil heiress Aline Barnsdall from 1919 to 1921. The house is named after Barnsdall’s favorite flower, the hollyhock, which Wright used as a central decorative theme throughout the house. The Hollyhock House is part of a larger site, Olive Hill, purchased by Barnsdall to also include a repertory theater company and public performance space. Wright was living in Tokyo, Japan and working on the Imperial Hotel while the house was constructed. He delegated the supervision of the project to his son Lloyd Wright and Rudolf M. Schindler.

Featured Sites

Case Study House No. 22

Perhaps the most iconic house constructed in Arts & Architecture magazine's Case Study House Program (1945-66), the L-shaped Stahl House (Case Study House #22) consists almost entirely of steel and glass set on a concrete pad, with a rectangular swimming pool occupying the space within the L. Twenty foot wide modules allow for large expanses of glass to face the swimming pool. Situated atop a promontory overlooking Los Angeles, the living room cantilevers over a dramatic precipice.

Featured Sites

University of California Geisel Library

Named for long-time La Jolla resident and children’s book author Theodore Geisel, a.k.a. “Dr. Seuss”, the Geisel Library on the University of California, San Diego campus is a concrete and glass structure built in the Brutalist style. It is comprised of eight levels, with the center tower reaching 110 feet in height. The general library collection is contained in the five-level building raised above a two-level platform. The building is supported by sixteen external concrete trusses, which were originally designed to be inside, but were moved outside in order to increase useable space. Like a ziggurat temple, the floors are stepped.

Featured Sites

Eames House

The Eames House is the most recognizable and most widely published of all the residences completed within Art & Architecture magazine’s Case Study House program. It is the property most closely associated with Charles and Ray Eames, serving as their residence and studio throughout their prolific careers as furniture designers, filmmakers, photographers, and graphic artists. Fundamentally, the house is two steel-framed rectangular boxes connected by an open court and is composed of prefabricated bay modules. Enclosing the frame with panels of varying colors, sizes and materials serves to “emphasize rather than disguise” the underlying structure. Architectural historian Pat Kirkham has characterized the aesthetic impact of the configuration as a “Mondrian-style composition in a Los Angeles meadow.”

Featured Sites

Bonaventure Hotel

World-renowned for his pioneering work in design and development, architect John Portman brought his innovative “atrium hotel” concept to Los Angeles in the form of the Bonaventure Hotel. This unique structure evokes a 1970s vision of the future using circular shapes, massive forms, and the concept of space as experience. The exterior of the hotel is comprised of four mirrored cylinders surrounding a slightly taller central tower. The towers sit atop a six story high concrete base, much like a rocket ship on a launch pad. Adding another futurist dimension to the hotel, pedestrian skywalks high above the city streets connect the second through sixth floors of the hotel to buildings in the surrounding area. Inside, massive circular concrete forms rise seven stories from reflecting pools to connect with curved walkways that lead to lounging, dining, and shopping areas. In each quadrant of the atrium, dark glass elevators surrounded by reflecting pools shoot through the glass roof to climb up the exterior of the building. A revolving cocktail lounge which offers 360º views of Los Angeles is located on the 35th floor of the central tower.

Featured Sites

Lovell Health House

A monument of the early modern movement of architecture in California, Richard Neutra’s Lovell “Health” House is a pioneering example of modern technology applied to the creation of a residential environment. The three-story, steel-framed structure provides a showcase for industrial materials and practices adapted to domestic architecture, including open web beams, prefabrication of components which were then transported to the site for installation, Gunite shot from pneumatic hoses onto the expanded steel frame to form the skin of the house, and modular sash adapted from those used in factories. Through its dramatic hillside site and exposed structural system, the house is a recognized monument to the International Style.

Featured Sites

Neutra VDL Studio and Residences

Rising from the ashes of Richard Neutra's original VDL Research House, built on the eastern edge of Silver Lake Reservoir in 1932, the VDL Research House II is the fascinating result of two generations of architectural experimentation. Neutra designed the 1932 International Style building as his home and office (named after benefactor Dr. C. H. Van Der Leeuw) and used it as a demonstration of the potential for a type of small lot construction that brought nature indoors and preserved privacy in confined spaces. Most of the building was burned in a 1963 fire, so Neutra oversaw a new design for a near-total rebuild by his son and architectural partner Dion Neutra. Between 1964 and 1968, the Neutras built a new glass-walled wooden structure atop the previous house's concrete foundation, resulting in the new and visually complex VDL Research House II. The new Modern-style house maintained the original's use of glass walls, built-in furniture, and mirrors to create the illusion of space; it reworked the original design to add varied volumes, balconies, and reflecting rooftop pools that further reduced the barrier between interior and exterior. As much as the original VDL Research House, the VDL Research House II fulfilled the vision of an architect's home as a laboratory for testing new theories and innovative materials and proved a small lot had tremendous potential. It also transcended its original incarnation by transforming the 1930s International Style into a thoroughly modern 1960s structure that reflects the influential architectural viewpoint of more than one Neutra. In 1990, Richard Neutra's wife Dione left the VDL Research House II to the Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design, which offers regular public tours. (Los Angeles Conservancy)

Featured Sites

Pacific Design Center

The buildings at 8687 Melrose Avenue are the work of Cesar Pelli, a noted architect, comprising the Pacific Design Center, including the Blue and the Green Buildings, the MOCA Gallery and the landscaped plaza areas reflect a special element of the city's economic history in that they represent a unique focal point for the interior design industry, which has been a mainstay of the City's economy. The buildings reflect a special element of the City's architectural history in that they are the City's premier work of Modern design, have served as landmarks since their construction and have been the subject of works of art, including David Hockney's painting "Hancock Street, West Hollywood I." (City of West Hollywood website)

Featured Sites

Schindler/Chase House

The Schindler House has the inevitability of a masterpiece. Incorporating both architectural and social theory, it unfolds formally, spatially and intellectually with a coherence unparalleled in early modern architecture. It was the shared vision of Schindler and his wife Pauline: he gave brilliant architectural form to her interest in a revisionist lifestyle. The house was conceived as an experiment in communal living to be shared with another couple, Clyde and Marian Chace. There were four rooms, one for each person to “express his or her individuality.” The communal gathering areas were patios in the garden, one for each family. There was a shared kitchen and outdoor sleeping porches were provided on the roof. A guest apartment with its own kitchen and bath extended from the rear of the house. Schindler designed the house over a two-month period, in November and December 1921. There were four distinct phases in the planning process, each a logical development of a theme. The essential plan—a pinwheel—was established in the earliest scheme. Using a consistent four-foot module and standardized “Slab-Tilt” wall construction, Schindler created a building in which no two spaces are alike while at the same time seamlessly integrating indoors and out, creating, in his words, “A Real California Scheme.” he house became an architectural laboratory: it is the birthplace of the Southern California modernism we celebrate today. Here in the twenties Schindler, working alone and also with his erstwhile partner Richard Neutra, created a body of work as vital today as it was incomprehensible to the East Coast establishment eighty years ago. The seminal Lovell houses, Pueblo Ribera Court, the Jardinette Apartments, and the Wolfe house on Catalina Island all were designed at Kings Road. (Adapted from the website of the MAK Center)