8 th International Conference on Building Resilience Risk and Resilience in Practice: Vulnerabilities, Displaced People, Local Communities and Heritages 14-16 November 2018 | Lisbon, Portugal 8 th ICBR Lisbon Book of Papers Humanitarian Architecture in practice: reducing risk and building resilience in incremental housing and post-disaster reconstruction A. Nuno Martins Universidade de Lisboa, Faculty of Architecture, CIAUD, Research Center for Architecture, Urbanism and Design Abstract The 8th edition of the ICBR gathered more than 350 academics and practitioners under the motto: Risk and Resilience in Practice: vulnerabilities, forced displaced people, local communities and heritages. Some of the best scholars in the field were present distributed over 30 thematic tracks and 4 special sessions. This paper summarises the organisation of the two competitions addressing architects and NGOs multidisciplinary teams that the role they played, together with the conference track on Humanitarian Architecture at the 8th edition of the International Conference on Building Resilience. Both the competitions and the scientific event meant to contribute to the debate on an architectural practice carried out in crisis scenarios near the most vulnerable, notably the poor, the forcibly displaced or the disaster affected. Besides the main data about the design contest it is discussed the concept of humanitarian architecture on the basis of selected readings. The paper conclude with a tentative definition of Humanitarian Architecture and suggestions regarding criteria for successfully organising both the contests and the scientific event. Keywords: Humanitarian Architecture, Slum upgrading, Incremental Housing, Residential Building Types, Disaster Risk and Resilience, Vulnerable Communities 1. Introduction Humanitarian Architecture in practice: Reducing Risk and Building Resilience in incremental housing and postdisaster reconstruction Description In parallel with the 8th edition of the International Conference on Building Resilience a few members of the conference organising team, in representation of the NGO Building 4Humanity, Design and Reconstruct Communities Association (with headquarters in the city of Coimbra, Portugal) have run the first edition of a architectural design contest: the Building 4Humanity Design Competition. We received more than 60 submissions from all over the world in the three categories: students, professionals built works and professionals unbuilt works. The various sponsors granted more than ten thousand euros in prizes. Among the evaluation panels where 90 practitioners and academics from all continents with a strong reputation in the area. All projects were exhibited during the conference and the shortlisted published in the conference and NGO websites. Together with this competition we organized a very special award that meant to acknowledge the