Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture
October 24–30, 2020
The Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) is pleased to announce the program for the 2020 annual conference Distributed Proximities, which will take place online October 24-30, 2020.
ACADIA 2020 will be an entirely virtual event, featuring peer-reviewed, juried, and curated content, published proceedings, design and fabrication workshops, as well as live discussions and activities that aim to radically open up the conversation around computational design and its critical dialogues. This year, with the generous support of Autodesk, ACADIA is pleased to offer free registration to the full conference for all students globally.
The conference theme, Distributed Proximities, recognizes that abrupt shifts due to the global pandemic have precipitated myriad experiments in remoteness, improvised virtual communities, and rapid retooling to address novel urgencies. These circumstances provide an opportunity to reflect upon practices and priorities, to recognize the interdependent coevolutionary nature of our planet, society, and built environment, and to collectively re-imagine alternate futures. The conference will showcase recent and emerging work in computational design innovation and culture, including work that is in-process, behind-the-scenes, recently initiated, and in-formation.
ACADIA 2020 features six keynote events, organized as critical conversations around the limits and possibilities of computation in contemporary design culture, with discussions around and issues such as ecology, ethics, access, labor, and algorithmic biases. Speakers include some of the most forward-thinking writers, researchers, designers, and practitioners who operate within and adjacent to the realm of design technology. The conference also features presentations by winners of the 2020 ACADIA Awards, academic and practice leaders whose work is recognized for excellence and innovation in design computation. Immediately preceding the five-day conference will be a series of online workshops, led by leading designers, researchers, and fabricators from across the globe. The workshops uniquely address the conference’s theme of distributed modes of working and collaboration, including topics such as remote robotics, co-design, machine learning, and more.
The conference leadership team includes members of ACADIA’s Board of Directors from across North America; serving as co-chairs are Viola Ago (Rice University), Matias del Campo (University of Michigan), Shelby Elizabeth Doyle (Iowa State University), Adam Marcus (California College of the Arts), Brian Slocum (Universidad Iberoamericana), and Maria Yablonina (University of Toronto).
A Conversation on Ecology & Ethics
Jennifer Gabrys (University of Cambridge) with Molly Wright Steenson (Carnegie Mellon University)
A Conversation on Data & Bias
Ruha Benjamin (Princeton University) and Orit Halpern (Concordia University), with David Benjamin (The Living / Columbia University)
A Conversation on Automation & Agency
Erin Bradner (Autodesk), Sougwen Chung (SCILICET), Stefana Parascho (Princeton University), and Elly R. Truitt (University of Pennsylvania), with Georgina Voss (London College of Communication)
A Conversation on Culture & Access
Kate Hartman (OCAD University) and Vernelle A. A. Noel (Georgia Institute of Technology), with Laura Devendorf (University of Colorado, Boulder)
A Conversation on Labor & Practice
Peggy Deamer (Yale University) and Billie Faircloth (KieranTimberlake), with Mollie Claypool (UCL Bartlett)
A Conversation on Speculation & Critique
Hernán Díaz Alonso (SCI-Arc), Winka Dubbeldam (University of Pennsylvania), Nicholas de Monchaux (MIT), Albena Yaneva (University of Manchester), and Molly Wright Steenson (Carnegie Mellon University), with Kathy Velikov (University of Michigan)
ACADIA 2020 Awards Speakers:
Teaching Award: Jane Burry (Swinburne University)
Digital Practice Award: Nervous System (Jessica Rosenkrantz & Jesse Louis-Rosenberg)
Innovative Academic Program Award: DigitalFUTURES, Tongji University (Philip Yuan & Neil Leach, co-organizers)
Innovative Research Award: Sean Ahlquist (University of Michigan)
Society Award: Mike Christenson (University of Minnesota)
Registration for the conference is now open at this link. Registration for the workshops will open in mid-August.
About ACADIA:
The Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture is an international network of digital design researchers and professionals. ACADIA was formed to facilitate critical investigations into the role of computation in architecture, planning, and building science, encouraging innovation in design creativity, sustainability, and education. Please visit the main ACADIA website for more information.
