The Conference aims to provide an effective forum for the exchange of new ideas regarding the question of local architecture, cultural heritage and identity facing the pressures of modern growth and global technologies. The themes emphasize the importance of developing a critical regionalism approach in modern architectural design that exploits lessons derived from sustainable vernacular architecture in a particular locality or region. It is also hoped that the Conference will shed particular light on important issues facing architectural and urban design in the city of Sulaimani in particular and the Kurdistan Region in general. Several distinguished architects, who have been invited as keynote speakers, will inject exciting new ideas to the overall discourse.