The Department of Architecture at Sahmyook University successfully hosted the 5th International Biennial of Adventist Academic Architecture (BIAAA) from September 29 to October 2, 2025, at the university’s International Education Center. Since its first gathering at the University of Montemorelos in Mexico in 2017, the event marked its fifth edition this year at Sahmyook University.
BIAAA is an international academic conference that brings together architects and students from Adventist universities around the world to reflect on how architecture influences both society and the life of the Adventist faith community, while fostering scholarly exchange and collaboration.
The theme of BIAAA 2025 was “Form Follows Faith,” a conceptual re-alignment of the modernist dictum “Form Follows Function,” inviting participants to explore the relationship between the essential purpose of architecture and the convictions of faith.
More than 40 faculty and students traveled from the United States, Brazil, Peru, and Mexico to join the conference, alongside approximately 250 faculty and students of the Sahmyook University architecture program. Over four days, the participants engaged in paper presentations, key lectures, and architectural field studies, fostering both academic exchange and collegial friendship.
A poster session was held immediately after the opening ceremony, exhibiting 42 research projects from five countries—an opportunity to share architectural perspectives and faith-based interpretations from diverse cultural contexts.
On the second and third days, lectures by faculty members from various countries and university-based project presentations were delivered. Major presentations explored diverse themes, including “Three Keys to Seeking a Space of Hospitality,” “A Place for Spiritual Experience,” “Ecological Architectural Design in the Era of Climate Change,” “A Faith Like the Waldensians: Testimony of Faith in Architecture,” and “Thermal Comfort in Popup Temporary Housing — The Case of San Martín, Peru.”
On the final day, participants joined the “Joseon Dynasty Seoul Tour,” visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seochon, Cheonggyecheon Stream, and the Jongmyo Shrine, where they experienced the heritage and architectural principles of traditional Korea.
During the conference period, department chairs and deans from participating universities held a separate meeting to discuss future directions for BIAAA and ways to expand international collaboration. The member institutions agreed to strengthen joint research and student exchange initiatives. The 6th BIAAA will be held in 2027 at the University of Montemorelos in Mexico.