The 13th World Construction Symposium, jointly organised by the Building Economics and Management Research Unit (BEMRU) of the Department of Building Economics and the Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB), was held on 15th and 16th August 2025 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. The theme for this year, “Sustainable Futures: Shaping a Regenerative Built Environment for Future Generations,” highlighted the global need for transformative approaches to sustainability.
The event was graced by the presence of the Chief Guest, Professor Malik Ranasinghe, Emeritus Professor of the University of Moratuwa, and the Guest of Honour, Professor D. P. Chandrasekara, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa. A key highlight of the event was the delivery of two thought-provoking keynote addresses by internationally renowned academics. Professor David Proverbs, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Innovation at De Montfort University, UK, presented insights on “Building Resilient Communities: Lessons from the UK Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCRIP).” His address drew attention to the importance of resilience planning in the face of increasing climate risks. Professor Srinath Perera, Chair Professor of Built Environment and Construction Management and Founding Director of the Centre for Smart Modern Construction (c4SMC) at Western Sydney University, Australia, followed with a keynote on “Sustainability and Circularity through Digitalisation.” His talk explored how digital technologies can accelerate the transition towards circular construction practices and a regenerative built environment.
The academic programme of the symposium reflected its commitment to research excellence. Over 120 submissions were received, of which 108 local and international papers were selected following a rigorous peer-review process. Since 2019, all full papers from the Symposium have been indexed in Scopus, further strengthening its international academic standing.
Outstanding research contributions were also recognised through five prestigious awards. The CIOB presented two awards: the CIOB Best Paper Award and the CIOB Highly Commended Paper Award. In addition, three awards were presented by the Built Environment Project and Asset Management (BEPAM) Journal, published by Emerald Group Publishing, an associate partner of the conference. These included the BEPAM Best Paper Award and two BEPAM Highly Commended Paper Awards.
Further, a special panel discussion titled “2030 Step Ahead: Strategic Foresight for the Sri Lankan Construction Industry” was held as part of the conference. The panel brought together five representatives from both academia and industry to deliberate on the future trajectory of the sector. The discussion emphasised the importance of academia–industry collaboration in shaping a sustainable and competitive industry and culminated in the identification of ten strategic future directions for the Sri Lankan construction industry.
The Symposium concluded with an awards ceremony and conference dinner at Hilton Colombo, providing a fitting close to two days of engaging dialogue and knowledge sharing. The event reaffirmed the World Construction Symposium’s role as a global platform for advancing research, innovation, and collaboration in shaping a more sustainable and resilient built environment for future generations.
