SYMPOSIUM: Towards Integrative Design
The department of Integrative/s Design | Extremes and the Bio-Futures for Transplanetary Habitats initiative are pleased to invite you to the “Towards Integrative Design” Symposium, where experts and thinkers will explore the challenges facing our built environment and present innovative responses that lead to long-lasting structures, bio- integrated materials, and inclusive living environments for all beings. We seek contributions from practitioners, researchers and theorists addressing the profound transformations driven by digital technologies, such as 3D printing, robotics, and autonomous systems.
The symposium aims to generate discussions on design-driven, innovative construction for regenerative architecture that integrates biological principles into architectural and material practices, generating positive environmental impacts. It focuses on exploring the intersections between bio-integrated architecture and advanced computational design processes. We are particularly interested in implementation strategies, scaling-up current state-of-the-art, and translating research into practical applications. Additionally, we seek practitioners who adopt an integrated approach, where function, design, fabrication, and computation are seamlessly intertwined into a unified design strategy and workflow.
The event will showcase novel projects and research in sustainable building construction, computational design, robotic fabrication, and material innovation such as the characterization of responsiveness properties of biomaterials or the use of mycelium in high performance environments. We invite contributions for a short oral presentation and for posters.
Keynote talks
Prof. Fabio Gramazio , Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
Prof. Mette Ramsgaard Thomsen, Digital Technologies, Centre for Information Technology and Architecture (CITA), Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Kopenhagen, Denmark
Prof. Alexander Bismarck, Head of Department of Materials Chemistry, University of Vienna, Austria
Registration Form - until March 30 th
Participation is free of charge, offering the opportunity to engage with leading discussions in the field without a registration fee. However, please note that travel, accommodation, and meals are not included. The symposium will take place onsite only (Architecture Faculty, Technikerstraße 21, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria), and no recordings will be available.
Key dates
Abstract submission deadline: January 31st 2025
EXTENDED abstract submission deadline: February 14th 2025
Registrations from: February 1st 2025
Abstract acceptance: start of March 2025
Registration closes: 30th March 2025
Symposium: 22nd – 23rd May 2025
Extra social day: 24th May 2025
Provisional Programme
Download the full provisional programme, incl. useful information about travel, a map of the TECH campus, and some tips to enjoy Innsbruck. Note: the programme can be subject to last minute small changes and additional information.
FAQ’s Symposium
1. Is the Symposium free to attend?
Yes, the symposium is free to attend but we would prefer if you register in advance using the Google Form link above. The registration includes attendance, however, you should arrange and finance your travel, accommodation and meals.
2. I have been selected to present, what are the next steps?
Congrats and welcome to our symposium! You will need to re-submit your abstract by 20th March by incorporating the reviewer’s comments (within the 500 words count). The organisation will send you more information including the programme and presentation format at the end of March.
3. How do I publish my work in the Research Directions journal?
If your abstract was selected for an oral presentation, after the symposium, we will invite you to submit the full paper to the journal where it will be peer-reviewed as a Results, Analysis or Impact paper. The peer review will be blinded by experts from the Journal, meaning that an acceptance to talk at the symposium does not automatically guarantee an acceptance of the paper – rather the Journal gets our recommendation.
If your abstract was selected for a poster, you will be invited to submit your poster as Community content to the Journal after the symposium.
4. Will the abstracts also be published?
Yes, the selected abstracts will be published as Community content in the Journal. The book of abstracts will be open access and available after the symposium.
5. Is the Symposium mandatory to attend?
If your abstract was selected, it is mandatory for at least one of the authors to attend and give the presentation or present the poster in person. Abstracts and papers will only be published when the work has been presented at the symposium. Posters will only be exhibited if one of the authors is onsite to present it during our poster session.
6. What is the poster format?
A poster template will be sent out to all poster presenters at the end of March alongside instructions on how to print and when to hang them.
7. Will there be opportunities to network?
The Symposium will gather experts from over 20 countries spanning disciplines such as architecture, material sciences, biodesign, microbiology, social sciences. There will be multiple occasions to connect and exchange ideas, notably during the posters and Aperitiv session and during our informal Social Day on Saturday. Moreover, the programme includes a tour of various facilities and departments around the Faculty of Architecture where state-of-the-art research will be shown.
8. Are there funds available to support travels and accommodation?
Unfortunately, we don’t offer any grants. The symposium will already be free to attend, but travel, accommodation and dinners will have to be covered by you or your university.
Organizing committee
Prof. Dr. Barbara Imhof, Dr. Layla van Ellen, Dr. Monika Brandić Lipińska, MSc. Anne-Sofie Belling,
Dr. Judith Ascher-Jenull, MArch. Natalia Piorecka, DI Frank Ludin, Mag. Simone Rautschek
Support:
Florenz Marks, Ash Reitsamer, Finn Seethaler, Henning Dörfler, Irina Radeva
With Welcome from
Prof. Peter Trummer, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture Innsbruck
Prof. Karolin Schmidbaur, Dean of Study of the Faculty of Architecture Innsbruck