AN UPCOMING architecture and technology conference is setting its sights on the future of workspaces in the country.
Returning this July, Archtech Con 2025 will spotlight the evolving role of built environments in an increasingly tech-driven and collaborative economy.
At a press briefing held Thursday, June 26, at the Carrier Showroom in Meerea High Street, Mandaue City, the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) unveiled details of this year’s conference, which runs from July 25 to 27 at Ayala Central Bloc in Cebu IT Park.
Themed “Future/Form: Rethinking Workspaces in Design,” the event will examine how architecture, technology and human behavior are reshaping productivity, collaboration and well-being in the modern workplace.
“This time, Archtech Con will go into the evolution of workspaces,” said architect Buddy Lim Ong, UAP Datu Lapu-Lapu Chapter president and Archtech Con 2025 event chair.
“Designers are now being called upon to create spaces that are not only functional but also flexible and responsive to the shifting needs of work, life and culture. Archtech Con 2025 is about exploring those possibilities and imagining what comes next.”
Ong added: “We’re expanding our reach — not just to architects, but also to creatives and professionals engaged in rethinking how people interact with space.”
Organized by UAP District C1 and its four Cebu-based chapters — Cebu, Rajah Humabon, Datu Lapulapu and Sugbu — the three-day conference will feature seminars, workshops, networking sessions and exhibitions.
A highlight of this year’s event is the Wikihouse Pavilion, a special installation that will house the Build A City: 3D Printing Workshop and Exhibit. This interactive space invites attendees to engage with modular, digitally fabricated architecture while exploring how 3D printing can shape collaborative, sustainable, and scalable urban solutions.
Organizers said Archtech Con 2025 builds on the momentum of its past iterations. Its inaugural run in 2023 at Robinsons Galleria focused on integrating new software and technologies into the practice. The 2024 edition emphasized resource sharing and elevating design standards across the profession.
Ong noted that last year’s success prompted UAP’s national chapter to adopt a version of the event. “We were able to let them borrow the speakers we had back in 2023 and then do their own version in May,” he said.
Archtech Con 2025 will feature thought leaders and speakers including architect Jonathan Cruz, Mona Alcudia-Ong and Charles Barrete. The lineup reflects UAP’s intent to broaden the conversation around workplace design as the industry responds to shifting trends in hybrid work, sustainability and digital collaboration.
“This event will help broaden the design vocabulary in creating spaces within the sphere of architecture,” said incoming UAP District director architect Eden Catalan, underscoring the conference’s potential to shape the future of the built environment.
The conference is inviting professionals, students and creatives to explore emerging trends, tools and design strategies that will redefine the workplace across industries. / Frances Ibo and John Mart Mabalhin, VSU Interns