Experts from 15 countries will gather in the Hunter Valley from Sunday for a three-day conference to share experiences on how to deal with the increasingly complex issues surrounding the built environment.

Hosted by the University of Newcastle's Centre for Interdisciplinary Built Environment Research (CIBER), the Building Across Borders conference will discuss how to achieve environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability in urban planning and design.

CIBER Director Associate Professor Kerry London, said the conference would discuss leading edge research on managing the multi-disciplinary problems associated with the built environment.

"Building Across Borders is about the issues that hinder sustainable urban growth due to the need to balance a range of views and opinions, and how to address them," Professor London said.

"It will consider the cultural, social, organisational, geographical, legal and political boundaries, and canvass ways to work across them in planning, designing, constructing and managing urban infrastructure."

The Building Across Borders conference is the annual meeting of the United Nations International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction.

It is the first time the Council has held the annual conference in Australia since its inception in 1953.

Keynote speakers include Professor Steve Kelman from Harvard University and Professor Roger Flanagan from the University of Reading, UK.

Professor Kelman will reflect on his work to manage change within the US government under the Presidency of Bill Clinton.

As an advisor to the World Economic Forum for the Engineering and Construction sector, Professor Flanagan is an international expert on risk in the property and construction industry.

The conference involves delegates from Brazil, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.

CIBER is a research centre led by the University of Newcastle's School of Architecture. It looks at the issue of industry performance by investigating the policies, processes and practices in which architectural, construction and engineering professionals are engaged.

Building Across Borders will be held at Hunter Valley Gardens from Sunday 23 September to Wednesday 26 September.