World Architecture Day—“Housing is a Human Right. Build It.”, 5 October 2026

Architecture plays a fundamental role in shaping the places in which we live, work, and connect, influencing our quality of life, well-being, and access to essential resources. Celebrated on the first Monday in October, World Architecture Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the importance of creating inclusive, resilient, and sustainable communities.

This year’s theme, “Housing is a Human Right. Build It”, highlights the need for adequate, accessible, and affordable housing. Through innovation, interdisciplinary research, and sustainable design, architecture can help address evolving housing challenges and contribute to more equitable living environments.

To commemorate World Architecture Day 2026, we present a curated collection of research papers published across various MDPI journals. This collection brings together diverse perspectives and research findings that explore the relationship between architecture, housing, and sustainable urban development. Discover insights into emerging challenges, innovative solutions, and opportunities for building environments that support the needs and aspirations of communities worldwide.

“Texts, Architecture, and Ritual in the Iron II Levant”
by Timothy Hogue
Religions 2025, 16(9), 1178; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091178

“Comparison of Pulse-Echo Tomography and Through-Transmission Ultrasonic Test for UPV Characterization of Building Materials”
by Emilia Vasanelli, Davide Di Gennaro, Matteo Sticchi, Gianni Blasi and Luigi Capozzoli
Infrastructures 2025, 10(7), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10070162

“Cultural Heritage Architecture and Climate Adaptation: A Socio-Environmental Analysis of Sustainable Building Techniques”
by Victoria Sanagustín-Fons, Polina Stavrou, José Antonio Moseñe-Fierro, Francisco Escario Sierra, Guido Castrolla, Cândida Rocha and Ester Bazco Nogueras
Land 2025, 14(5), 1022; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14051022

“Research Progress on Machine Learning Prediction of Compressive Strength of Nano-Modified Concrete”
by Ruyan Fan, Ankang Tian, Yikun Li, Yue Gu and Zhenhua Wei
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 4733; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15094733

“The Evolution of Digital Building Logbook: Exploring Building Information Gathering Systems to Boost Building Maintenance and Renovation”
by Martina Signorini, Mario Claudio Dejaco and Sonia Lupica Spagnolo
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 771; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15020771

“CARES Framework: A Circularity Assessment Method for Residential Building Structures”
by Alicia Vásquez-Cabrera, Maria Victoria Montes and Carmen Llatas
Sustainability 2025, 17(2), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020443

“Seismic and Post-Seismic Ductility and Forces of Mid-Story Pin Moment-Resisting Frames Based on Scale of Local Deformation of I-Beam’s Segments”
by Atsushi Suzuki, Ruiyu Che and Yoshihiro Kimura
Appl. Mech. 2024, 5(4), 938-963; https://doi.org/10.3390/applmech5040052

“Status of Livability in Indonesian Affordable Housing”
by Laksana Gema Perdamaian and Zhiqiang (John) Zhai
Architecture 2024, 4(2), 281-302; https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture4020017

“Integrating Urban Design and Landscape Architecture (Second Edition)” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Michael Hensel, Dr. Defne Sunguroglu Hensel and Prof. Dr. Alessandra Battisti Submission deadline: 31 October 2026	“2026 Early Career Scientists' Contributions to Applied Mechanics (ECS 2026)” Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Magd Abdel Wahab Submission deadline: 31 December 2026
“New Perspectives on East Asian Buddhist Architecture” Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Puay Peng Ho Submission deadline: 31 January 2027	“Innovations in Rock Mechanics and Mining Engineering” Guest Editor: Dr. Yuantian Sun Submission deadline: 20 March 2027
“Housing Reimagined: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Innovation in Contemporary Residential Design” Guest Editors: Dr. Sana Malik, Dr. Adiba Shafique and Dr. Muhammad Tariq Shafiq Submission deadline: 30 April 2027	“Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Management of the Built Environment: From Buildings and Cultural Heritage to Public Asset Portfolios and Territorial Scale” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Marco Casini and Dr. Sofia Agostinelli Submission deadline: 31 August 2027