The Commonwealth Association of Architects was represented at IAPEX RIC 2026, a major architecture convention and building materials expo held at the Pak-China Friendship Centre in Islamabad from 1–3 May 2026. The event, organised by the Institute of Architects Pakistan – Rawalpindi/Islamabad Chapter (IAP-RIC), brought together leading practitioners, academics, and emerging voices from across Pakistan and the international architectural community.
CAA Past President Kalim A. Siddiqui and CAA Regional Vice-President for Asia Maira Khan both participated in and presented at the forum, contributing to its central theme of bridging academia, professional practice, and policy advocacy. Their involvement reflects the CAA’s commitment to supporting member institutes and advancing architectural leadership across the Commonwealth.
Dialogue on Architecture and Society
The three-day convention featured panel discussions that drew some of Pakistan’s most distinguished architectural voices. Panels included celebrated practitioners Kamil Mumtaz, Nayyar Ali Dada, and Shahid Abdulla, alongside Azhar Mamoon, Ejaz Ahmed Qadri, and Khawaja M. Sikandar — figures whose collective experience spans decades of practice, heritage conservation, and built environment advocacy in Pakistan.
The forum also featured a distinguished roster of speakers including international keynote George Kunihiro, alongside Maira Khan, M. Farhan Farhat, Aiman Jaffery, Sadaf Raja, Amal Azam, and M. Areeb Khan, bringing a rich diversity of perspective to discussions on the future of the built environment.
Architecture as Policy Advocacy
IAPEX RIC 2026 served as both a professional exhibition — Pakistan’s largest building materials expo — and an architecture convention, combining practical industry engagement with high-level discourse. This dual character made it an appropriate platform for the kind of cross-sectoral dialogue the CAA champions: connecting the profession’s technical expertise with its broader responsibility to society, policy, and public life.
The active participation of CAA leadership in events such as IAPEX RIC reflects the Association’s wider regional engagement strategy, deepening relationships with member institutes and reinforcing the relevance of Commonwealth architectural networks at a local level.
These connections will carry forward into the CAA’s 60th Anniversary General Assembly, to be held in Aotearoa New Zealand in September 2026 hosted by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects, where themes of professional responsibility, architectural leadership, and the role of architects in shaping resilient communities will take centre stage.
