Summary: The Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) and the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE) are holding a joint International Conference on Architectural Research June 23–25, 2010, in Washington D.C. The conference is to serve as a forum for the dissemination and discussion of architectural research issues, concerns, findings, approaches, philosophies, and potentials. The Consortium welcomes researchers, educators, practitioners, and scholars in architecture, landscape architecture, and planning to become involved. The final session themes of the conference will be formed to reflect the diversity of the presenters’ work and investigations. Abstracts are due October 15, 2009.

The growing interest in performance-based architecture energizes the design disciplines to engage in rigorous research and raises questions. What is the place of research in the discipline of architecture? Where does research enter into the practice and pedagogy of architecture? How do architecture schools teach research methods and engage students in meaningful investigations? How do practices conduct research and apply findings in the design process? How does society recognize the importance of research in architecture? What funding sources exist for architectural research? What is the place of both pure research and applied research?

The 2010 International Conference on Architectural Research will focus on these questions within seven modes of research to reveal the scope of the discipline.

1. Environmental Research investigates the physical context of architecture, opening timely questions about the influence of society on environment.
2. Cultural Research studies place making and the norms of the inhabitants of natural and built places past, present, and future.
3. Social Research examines the people who inhabit and use the spaces of architecture.
4. Technological Research studies the physical materials, methods, elements, systems, and science of architecture and the design and construction processes.
5. Design Research considers the processes of shaping and making of places.
6. Organizational Research examines the ways in which individuals and teams collaborate in the practice of architecture and in the client organizations.
7. Educational Research examines the pedagogies of architecture and related fields.

Unifying our discipline is the underlying concern with the research of place. The mission of this international research conference is to consider significant and rigorous new and ongoing investigations that will engage participants in dialogue about the place of research and the research of place in the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, and related fields.

The conference will capitalize on its location close to the headquarters of most U.S. government agencies and the embassies of the world in its consideration of the public nature and global context of research. The host institutions include Howard University, the American Institute of Architects, The Catholic University, and the University of Maryland.

A digital and hard copy version of the proceedings will be developed after the conference.

Abstract/paper submission information

• The paper review for this conference will be conducted in two stages. The first stage of the review will involve a blind peer review of the brief abstract. Successful review at this stage will result in an invitation to submit a full paper for peer review.
• Submit a 500-word (maximum) abstract to be received no later than midnight (EST) October 15, 2009. Images (two maximum, 72 dpi) may be included as part of the abstract if they enhance the text and are an integral element of the abstract. Abstracts should be well written, clearly organized, and compelling. All abstracts must be submitted in electronic form. The abstract shall be submitted for blind peer review, with identification of the author/s and contact information on a separate cover page. Abstracts and papers must be in English.
• Results of the first stage selection process will be conveyed at all submitters by November 19, 2009.
• Up to three abstracts dealing with different issues may be submitted by a single author. The abstract(s) should not bear any markings or include any information that would allow the review committee to identify the author. The authorship automatically appended to word-processing files should be deleted before submitting an abstract. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent to each submitter via e-mail.
• A digital copy of each abstract (as an attachment in MS Word) must be e-mailed to Professor J. Brooke Harrington on or before 12 midnight EST of October 15, 2009.
• A hard copy of the abstract may also be sent to:
  Professor J. Brooke Harrington, Paper Review Chair, ARCC/EAAE 2010 Conference, Temple University–Architecture Program, Room 914, 1947 N. Twelfth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
• Authors in Europe MUST submit their abstracts via the EAAE review process. Peer reviewers in Europe will review abstract submissions to the EAAE separately.
• A digital copy of the abstract (as an attachment in MS Word) must be e-mailed to Professor J. Brooke Harrington before October 16, 2009, mentioning ARCC/EAAE 2010.
• Hard copy of the abstract may also be sent to:
  Professor J. Brooke Harrington, Paper Review Chair, ARCC/EAAE 2010 Conference, Temple University - Architecture Program, Room 914, 1947 N. Twelfth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
• Final papers should not exceed 5,000 words and must be submitted for peer review in digital form by February 10, 2010. Formatting and more specific details will be issued in the future. Notification of paper acceptance with reviewer’s comments and concerns will be conveyed to all submitters by March 21, 2010.