AASA Conference 2015

The 2015 8th International Conference and Exhibition of the Association of Architecture Schools of Australasia takes place from 2-3 October at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. Organised by the New Zealand Architecture Schools at Victoria University, Unitec and the University of Auckland, this event is supported by Studio[]Christchurch and the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT).

The focus of the conference is on educational projects in the context of collaborations in the built environment and seeks participation from a broad range of built environment academics and professionals. The event will consist of a conference for individual presentations and an exhibition, where schools and individuals will have the opportunity to exhibit recent interdisciplinary studios, collaborations with the profession and industry and community based projects.

Topic: Applied Collaborations
One of the most unique abilities that we have as human beings is to remember ideas, communicate them, and to build on ideas from others. This ability is called collective learning. Over the past two decades, more than any other technical development in history, digital media has boosted this capacity. Learning is no longer just about what we know as individuals, but also about how we access information and how we share information with others.

Todays problems are being solved in teams, across and inbetween disciplines and through collective learning processes. The new interest in integrative planning strategies such as adaptive and user-generated urbanism are key indicators of a shift in thinking. Effectively this shift requires new competencies and dissolves the traditional distinctions between teaching and learning.

On a global level this change is reflected in the emergence of an increasing number of alternative architectural education platforms. With multiple collaborators involved, their aim is to react to acute architectural, social and environmental demands, which expand beyond the limitations of institutional structures and the focus of assessment criteria for predefined outcomes.

The conference will be structured around 3 broad themes:

1. Interdisciplinary and collaborative projects
Outcome-focused planning and design projects which involve multiple disciplines or the collaborations with professionals, industry, NGOs and governmental bodies. The design collaboration may include interaction in physical space or through virtual environments, the development of methods, protocols and tools and the exploration of new professional skill sets and competences.

2. Live and interactive projects
Realization projects which include a range of stakeholders. They may involve the production of buildings, places, events or public art. Common is the real world setting, the public display and interaction.

3. Situated and community based projects
Design and planning projects which are based on user and community participation. Projects are situated, based on reflection, empowerment, participation, vision or activism. They may involve investigations to support new social planning structures and offer alternatives to traditional practice.

The event will consist of two components: the AASA conference for individual presentation and an exhibition to introduce recent interdisciplinary studios, collaborations with the profession and industry and community based projects.

The conference desires academic papers and practice-based submissions on interdisciplinary, collaborations and collective learning. We welcome submissions from both academics and practitioners involved in teaching. Propositional and speculative papers are encouraged to provoke discussions about new competencies for architectural practice and new modes of educations.

Papers and posters are double blind peer reviewed and the conference proceedings will be made available publicly online. Additionally, selected projects will be presented in a peer reviewed book to be published in 2016.

Keynote Speakers:
Colin Fournier: Centipede Cinema

Key Dates:
4 May: Deadline for abstracts of papers (submit to Easychair 300 words)
15 May: Notification of paper to progress
12 June: Extended deadline for poster abstracts (submit to Easychair )
29 June: First draft of complete paper
31 August: Deadline for final revised papers
14 September: Deadline for submitting completed posters
14 September: Deadline for printed abstracts (300 words) to go to print for programme
2 - 3 October: Conference

Conference and Exhibition:
CPIT - Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology
Corner Madras Street and St Asaph Street
CBD, Christchurch.

Friday 2 October: 9am – 5.00pm
Saturday 3 October: 9.30am - 5.30pm

Public Keynotes:
On Thursday 1 October the keynote will be held at CPIT, Madras Street Campus, at 6.00pm.
On Friday 2 October the keynote will be held CPIT, Madras Street Campus, at 6.00pm.

For more information see website. Register here.