The Centre for Regenerative Design & Engineering (RENEW) at the University of Bath invites scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to contribute new, creative, innovative insights, debate and thought leadership in regenerative design and engineering, to co-evolve new solutions with societal, cultural, ecological, and economic co-impact. Our goal at RENEW is to foster a collaborative intellectual and practical environment for academics, researchers, practitioners and policymakers to move beyond sustainability to regenerative solutions with positive impact, creating built environments, products, and processes that contribute to the health of people and the planet [Read Our Manifesto]. 

At the conference, we aim to explore all aspects of regenerative design, including architecture, engineering, building systems (social, technical and governance) and place-making strategies that restore and enhance ecological and social systems.

What you can expect

We do not aim for this to be a conference in the traditional sense, so participants are not being invited to submit full papers but only extended abstracts. Rather, we aim to encourage debate, interaction and engagement through a series of curated talks.

On an invitation basis: The Scientific Committee will select presentations for Flash Talks from the pool of accepted extended abstracts with the aim of these being curated to match invited speakers. 

Submission Guidelines

• Extended Abstract: 800 words, excluding captions and references.
• Posters: A1 portrait format, one per delegate.

Optional:

    Creative art or artefact on the regenerative design theme (include description/photographs in the extended abstract)

All accepted submissions will be published in a Book of Abstracts which will contain a RENEW Art Portfolio with pictures of art submissions with assigned ISBN. 

Dates

• Abstract submission: 27 February 2026 extended to 27 March 2026.
  • Submit a minimum 300 word abstract (longer illustrated abstracts also accepted).
  • After review, final submissions will be invited either as either extended abstracts or posters.
  • Selected extended abstracts will be invited to flash talks at the conference, depending on availaibilty.
  • Authors will be notified via the system.
• Final submission as either extended abstract (on supplied template) or poster: 27 April 2026.
  • We encourage extended abstracts to include 2 graphics – one of which can be a graphical abstract.  

List of Topics

Committees

Organising Committee

• Dr Juliana Calabria-Holley
• Dr Emma Emanuelsson
• Prof Sukumār Natarājan

Scientific Committee

• Dr Kemi Adeyeye (Chair)
• Dr Alejandro Jimenez Rios
• Prof Antony Darby
• Prof David Coley
• Dr Fulvio Pinto
• Prof Jan Hofman
• Prof James Norman
• Dr Murat Mustafa
• Dr Robert Proctor
• Dr Sara Biscaya
• Dr Taghried Abdelmagid
• Dr Valeria Cascione
• Dr Will Hawkins

Publication

Selected submissions from the conference will be invited to convert to full papers for potential publication in:

• Special issue on Regenerative Design of the International Journal of Architectural Engineering and Design Management
• Special issue on Regenerative Design of Water and Wastewater Systems for Future Water Resilience, Water Science and Technology, SI Regenerative Water Systems | Water Science & Technology | IWA Publishing

Venue

The conference will be held at the University of Bath, Bath, UK

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to:

Zina Abdulla email: za440@bath.ac.uk