The International Symposium ‘Construction History & Film’ aims to be a first step towards creating an academic forum dedicated to exploring cinematographic images as sources for the study of Construction History. By bringing together researchers from different disciplinary areas, the meeting aims to foster debate, share recent research results, and open up new perspectives in this emerging field of study.

Since the late 19th century, moving images have documented countless aspects of daily life in human communities around the world. Like earlier artistic expressions, cinema has recorded the daily realities of new construction in urban, rural, and natural contexts, as well as the restoration and maintenance of existing structures. Newsreels and documentaries are some of the main categories of historical sources that offer relevant contributions to our knowledge of past construction practices. These films document the extraction, transport, and use of materials, machinery, and construction techniques, the activities of architects, engineers, master builders, and workers on construction sites, as well as moments from their daily lives and leisure time. They also record a variety of events, including cornerstone laying ceremonies, inaugurations, and union demonstrations, among many others. More recently, these communicative records have been largely replaced by television. In this context, some educational documentaries have also sought to disseminate knowledge in this area, with the aim of raising awareness and inspiring the public to explore the subject in greater depth.

In fiction films, rigorous—and sometimes imaginative—syntheses of theories or research findings on past building practices have been transposed to the screen, serving as support for narratives aimed at a general audience. These films contribute to the formation of a non-specialized collective imagination, which should not be devalued or ignored.

The symposium welcomes proposals for papers that explore aspects of historical building cultures based on cinematographic sources, particularly those that present innovative perspectives in which film images constitute a relevant basis for research. Reflections on the capacity of cinema and documentary film to disseminate narratives of the constructive processes of the past are also welcome. There are no restrictions on the geographical origin of the films or the historical periods under analysis.

The symposium will take place on February 19 and 20, 2026, in the Auditorium of CIUL – Lisbon Urban Information Center.

With the support of the FAUP Center for Architecture and Urban Studies, the event is organized by SPEHC – Portuguese Society for the Study of Construction History, CIAUD – Center for Research in Architecture, Urbanism, and Design of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, and CIUL – Lisbon Urban Information Center, of the Lisbon City Council.

The SPEHC Organizing Committee consists of João Mascarenhas-Mateus (President of SPEHC), Ana Paula Soares Pires (Vice-President), Maria do Carmo Ribeiro (Board Member), Clara Pimenta do Vale (Board Member), and Manuel Marques Caiado (Treasurer).

Call for Abstracts
The Call for Abstracts runs until November 6, 2025.
Papers must be submitted in English.
Instructions for authors will be available soon.
Proposals should be sent to constructionibus@gmail.com.

After blind review and in-person presentation, selected articles will be published in English, with DOI, in the first volume of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Construction History collection.

Important Dates
Notification of acceptance of abstracts: December 8, 2025;

Submission of full papers (in accordance with the guidelines): January 24, 2026.

Submission Guidelines
Instructions for abstracts available at spehc.pt [pdf];

Articles
accepted language – English.

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