CFP - Society of Architectural Historians 2026 Virtual Conference
Matthew Heins
Society of Architectural Historians
Virtual 2026 / September 24-26, 2026
Conference Chair: Swati Chattopadhyay, SAH Vice President, University of California, Santa Barbara
The Society of Architectural Historians invites those interested in the history of the built environment to submit a session or paper proposal for its virtual conference—SAH Virtual 2026—that will be held from Thursday, September 24, to Saturday, September 26, 2026.
The purpose of SAH Virtual 2026 is to share and discuss research in architectural history and related disciplines that cover every period in the history of architecture and all aspects of the built environment. In addition to architectural historians, we seek submissions from allied and adjacent disciplines including (but not limited to) architecture, landscape, urban history, art history, design, archaeology, sociology, anthropology, geography, environmental studies, etc. The guiding principle for SAH Virtual 2026 is inter-disciplinary sharing and collaboration. We hope this will be an opportunity for people from any discipline who are interested in the history of the built environment to participate in a meaningful exchange of ideas.
NEW FORMAT FOR 2026
SAH Virtual 2026 will have three options for proposing research presentations:
- Pre-formed Sessions. Each session will have between four and five papers. Session organizers will be responsible for the theme of the session and for finding appropriate presenters. Sessions may include up to two session chairs. Session organizers may act as session chairs and present a paper in their session. Sessions may include respondents. Each session will be 1 hour and 30 mins long, including a five-minute introduction by the session organizer or chair, 15-minute paper presentations by each presenter, followed by audience questions and discussion, moderated by the session organizer or respondent.
- Roundtables. Each roundtable will focus on a topical theme of research interest to SAH Members, comprising 7-10-mins presentations by 4 to 6 panelists with generous time for discussion and audience engagement. Each roundtable will be 1 hour and 30 mins long.
- Open Sessions. Meant to include individual research presentations that may not figure in pre-formed sessions, open sessions will be formed by selecting paper proposals submitted to SAH 2026 Open Sessions. Each open session will include 4 papers, each of 15 minutes duration with time for Q&A.
Sessions, papers, and roundtable proposals may be theoretical, methodological, thematic, interdisciplinary, pedagogical, revisionist or documentary in premise and have broadly conceived or more narrowly focused subjects. Sessions that embrace cross-cultural and transnational topics are particularly welcome. Topics related to historic preservation and cultural heritage as related to architecture are also encouraged. Our goal is to create a transdisciplinary platform, so we welcome submissions from colleagues in other fields including but not limited to architecture, landscape, urban history, art history, design, archaeology, sociology, anthropology, geography, environmental studies, and public health.
SAH welcomes session and roundtable proposals that are organized by individuals or groups, including (but not limited to) SAH partner organizations; SAH Affiliate Groups, chapters, and committees; and groups not affiliated with SAH. The Society also seeks proposals for sessions that further the goals of the SAH IDEAS Initiative and explore the intersection of architecture and social justice, inclusion and exclusion, diversity, transparency, accessibility, borders and conflicts, systemic inequalities, and methodological challenges.
Proposals will be selected based on merit and the need to create a balanced program. The theme for a pre-formed session or roundtable should be clearly defined in critical and historical terms.
Presenters in each session and roundtable will be asked to comply with the SAH Digital Accessibility Guidelines.
The virtual nature of this conference allows us to schedule sessions for different time zones, so we welcome submissions from all continents.
Since late submissions cannot be considered, it is recommended that proposals be submitted before the deadline.
Each individual participating in a session (as an organizer, moderator, respondent, session chair and/or presenter) will be required to join SAH and register for the virtual conference to participate in the session.
Additional Information
Sessions for Virtual 2026 will be recorded in their entirety and made available to all registered attendees for 30 days post-conference.
Submission Guidelines
Session, paper and roundtable proposals must be submitted online by 11:59 pm CDT, on Monday, May 18, 2026.
Session organizers must complete the 2026 Session Proposal Form with the following:
- A session title not longer than 65 characters, including spaces and punctuation.
- An abstract of the session (300-word maximum).
- Contact information, including affiliation and email address, for each session participant including organizers/session chairs and presenters.
- Indication of the time zone of session organizers/presenters.
- Titles for each of the papers in the session.
- Confirmed participation in SAH Virtual 2026 from each participant.
- Current CV (2 pages max) for each session participant including session chairs and presenters.
Roundtable organizers must complete the 2026 Session Proposal Form with the following:
- A roundtable title not longer than 65 characters, including spaces and punctuation.
- An abstract of the roundtable stating the importance of the topic and why the suggested panelists are suitable for (300-word maximum).
- Contact information, including affiliation and email address, for organizers/session chairs and panelists.
- Indication of the time zone of session organizers/presenters.
- Confirmed participation in SAH Virtual 2026 from the roundtable organizer(s).
- Current CV (2 pages max) for each roundtable organizer.
Selected roundtables will require confirmed participation in SAH Virtual 2026 from the panelists by July 13, 2026.
Paper proposals for Open Sessions must be submitted via the SAH Submission Portal with the following:
- A paper title not longer than 65 characters, including spaces and punctuation.
- A paper abstract (300-word maximum).
- Contact information, including affiliation and email address, for the presenter.
- Indication of the time zone of presenter.
- Confirmed participation in SAH Virtual 2026.
- A current CV (2 pages max).
Session Chair Guidelines, which include key dates and step-by-step processes, will be distributed after session selections are finalized.
Call for Papers Key Dates
May 18, 2026, 11:59 pm CST – Deadline to submit a session proposal
June 22, 2026 – Session selection notification begins
June 30, 2026 – Virtual 2026 Early Registration opens
July 13, 2026 – Virtual 2026 speaker and session chair registration deadline
July 31, 2026 – Virtual 2026 General Registration opens
September 23, 2026 – Registration closes at 12:00 p.m. CDT
Contact
Christopher Kirbabas, SAH Director of Programs, ckir...@sah.org