Contemporary Techniques, New Strategies

2008 International Architecture Symposium
9-11 April 2008

Everything we see and witness around us is affected by technological progress and the force of social issues, especially the economic factors of our times. We have experienced fundamental, irreversible changes in a myriad of contexts: globalization, the technological and digital revolution, and new production systems, with delocalization to other continents, and their subsequent increase in purchasing power. These changes even affect the delicate balance of our ecosystem.

At a time when words like postmodernism, deconstructivism and minimalism have lost their contemporary ring and no new dominant styles have been glimpsed on the horizon to serve as benchmarks, an unprecedented transformation is, however, taking place in the core of architectural practice. And the causes include the impact of technology, information systems and production processes. New architectural proposals appear to follow empirical methodologies rather than any previously structured rationalist system. Theoretical manifestos seem to have only a relative influence, if any at all, on new architectural trends, which appear to be guided mainly by the effects of the economic and social systems, along with constantly evolving production demands. The new markets that are emerging all over the world and the transformation of the social context combined with these new techniques have enabled us to include new design possibilities in our approach to architectural practice. These techniques allow us to develop proposals based on methodologies such as “thinking while experimenting”, which bring us back to the Deleuzian concept of “thinking as doing”.

In this constantly evolving market, latest-generation materials such as composites are now used in engineering and other areas, and open up new possibilities in terms of usage and performance. >>>

Call for Papers: Closed

Thank you for the high level of participation in the symposium. The Call for Papers is now closed. We will make a selection of the best summaries. The selected applicants, will be invited for a 15 to 20 min presentation at symposium. Also they will share discussion panel with the rest of the guests and the thematic director that will take place at the end of the day.