What happened
Kerpic’26, the International Adobe Conference, was held at Çanakkale Municipality’s Green Local Government Building and Cultural Centre on 24 and 25 September 2026. Kerpiç Akademi organised the event with the Çanakkale branch of the Chamber of Architects and the Bayramiç Ecological Region Institute.
The conference received academics, architects, engineers and postgraduate students. Its programme comprised 55 academic papers: 23 on the first day and 32 on the second. Sessions considered architectural heritage and current construction methods using earth-based materials.
Under the theme of earthen architectural heritage and contemporary adobe techniques, speakers addressed earthquake safety, climate-related considerations, low-carbon building production, indoor thermal comfort and conservation. An accompanying workshop demonstrated adobe production. The programme also included a session on earthquake safety involving representatives of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale Municipality, the provincial environment authority, the Chamber of Architects and the local contractors’ association.
Why it matters
For Türkiye’s construction and architecture sectors, the event placed earth-based systems within discussions on seismic resilience and emissions from building materials. The papers examined ways to assess traditional adobe construction alongside current engineering approaches, including stabilisation methods intended to improve material performance.
The conference also considered locally sourced materials and production requiring less energy. These issues are relevant to designers, engineers, researchers and heritage practitioners assessing material choices, building performance and the preservation of earthen structures.
Background
Kerpic’26 was the 16th event in the International Adobe Conference series. Kerpiç Akademi has worked on the seismic behaviour and production of earth-based building materials since 1978. During the Çanakkale event, a book by Prof. Dr Bilge Işık on gypsum and lime stabilisation in earthen architecture was introduced.
What's next
The 17th International Adobe Conference, Kerpic’27, is scheduled to take place in Antalya in May 2027, hosted by Antalya Bilim University. The precise date has not yet been announced.
