2020 Intersections Symposium

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) are pleased to announce a partnership dedicated to the INTERSECTION of Education, Research and Practice. A series of educational sessions at the 2020 AIA Conference on Architecture in Los Angeles will feature exemplary research projects that address the Symposium theme of Design for Climate Action.

The symposium will explore Design for Climate Action from multiple, intertwined perspectives. In support of the recent AIA Resolution for Urgent and Sustained Climate Action, we encourage submissions of research and projects that explore intersections between the following questions and that address climate change across scales—from building, to community, to the planet.

• How are specific issues of climate justice and environmental equity being identified, prioritized and addressed through design, architectural research, education, practice and advocacy?

• What innovative economic models and practices might transform decision-making and hasten the decarbonization of the built environment?

• How can the imperative for Climate Action be translated and scaled from the production of relatively few, singular works of sustainable architecture to evidence-based processes for achieving climate goals across virtually all buildings, landscapes and infrastructure?

• What new theories, research, tools, technologies, processes, and collaborations are needed to educate and support architects in designing and implementing effective interventions?

• How can architects help foster and realize community-based visions of equitable development and climate responsive design?

Educators, Practitioners, Researchers and Students are all encouraged to submit. If you are already an ACSA member, please log into the website to submit your abstract. If you are not an ACSA member or do not have ACSA credentials, please send an email to Eric Ellis, eellis@acsa-arch.org, to request access to the submission portal.

Following the blind peer-review process, the conference co-chairs make final acceptance decisions. All authors will be notified of the status of their submission and will receive comments from their reviewers. Final acceptance of abstracts translates to presentation at the conference and inclusion in the Proceedings. Sessions will be composed of three to four accepted authors allowing for both scholarly and applied research to demonstrate impact. Accepted abstracts will be invited to expand on their research and submit a full paper, post-conference, to be included in the conference Proceedings.