The Society of Architectural Historians is pleased to welcome Stella Nair, architect and associate professor of art history at UCLA, to present the Sekler Keynote Plenary during the 2025 Virtual Conference. Register now to save your seat in the virtual audience.

Can't make the date? This plenary will be recorded and a streaming link sent to all conference registrants. Register so you can watch at any time that fits your schedule.

The Crucial Role of the Ephemeral
While the Inca are well known for their impressive lithic architecture, this only made up a small portion of their built environment. In this presentation Stella Nair argues that to understand Inca architecture we must consider the crucial role of the ephemeral. This includes the thatch and reeds that became the roofs of monumental Inca structures, as well as the adobe, rammed earth, wattle and daub, textiles, leather, and quincha (woven walls), that made up much of the Inca built environment. Each of these materials necessitated distinctly different knowledge systems and ways of building while carrying distinct meanings. 

In addition, we must also consider the temporary, such as the massive cities they made and unmade across the Andes and came to define much of the Inca empire and Inca spatial practices. A consideration of the ephemeral and the temporary forces us to reconsider what constituted Inca architecture but also forces us to confront the biases and assumptions we make about materials, space, time, labor, knowledge, and gender in architecture.

Saturday, September 20, 2025
12:00-1:00pm CDT