With the stated aim of determining how architecture should evolve to meet the challenges of the 21st century, the 24th triennial World Congress of the International Union of Architects will be held in Tokyo in 2011, organizers announced.

One of the largest gatherings in the architecture profession, the congress will consist of symposiums, exhibitions and other events, exploring the consequences to architecture of such issues as global warming, rapid population growth in developing nations and aging populations in developed nations.

Scheduled to be held from Sept. 25 through Oct. 1, 2011, at Tokyo International Forum and other venues in Tokyo, the congress is expected to attract 10,000 architects and architecture students, including about 3,000 from overseas.

With an operating budget of ¥800 million, the congress will be organized by a special committee, the Japan Organizing Board, made up of government and industry figures.

Yoshiaki Ogura, chairman of the JOB action committee and a former president of the Japan Institute of Architects, said he also hopes such a large event will prompt the public to think of architecture more as a form of culture than as a business.

The International Union of Architects was established in 1948 with the aim of linking the national institutes of architects in over 100 countries.