EAEA15 conference attracts architects and design experts

The University’s Department of Architecture and 3D Design overcame the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic to host a prestigious international conference in 2021 and publish its outcomes.

The EAEA15 Conference, the 15th Biennial International Conference of the European Architectural Envisioning Association, was held online in September of last year. It was led by Senior Lecturer Dr Danilo Di Mascio , having initially been planned as an in-person event when the University won the right to host it in 2019.

Danilo has now compiled and edited a monograph, “Envisioning Architectural Narratives”, that pulls together the papers that went through a double-blind peer reviewed process that involved 45 scholars from 12 countries and were presented during the three-day meeting. It has now been published by the University.

“The whole process was challenging and rewarding,” says Danilo. “I'd never expected to manage a conference during a pandemic, and in parallel with my teaching. I tried to interpret it as an opportunity, a valuable moment for communication and exchange of ideas and experiences in teaching, research and practice."

EAEA15 featured an eclectic mix of contributions from Europe, the United States, Brazil, India, Japan and New Zealand. The keynote speakers were Professor Sophia Psarra from UCL, theme park and game illustrator and designer Don Carson, who worked as a Senior Show Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering, and MVRDV Associate Design Director Gijs Rikken.

The conference considered the role of narrative and its multifaceted aspects in architecture and related disciplines, and following its success Danilo is hoping to attract some of those who attended online to a further event on the campus itself later in 2022.

“It was extremely successful, we had over 90 submissions for the first stage. After a competitive and rigorous selection, we published 48 papers, and we welcomed over 80 scholars from 20 countries.

“It went very well even though it had to move online, and it was a pleasure to show off our Barbara Hepworth Building and its Create Lab from where I chaired the whole online event. I've had many positive comments, many of the scholars who attended would still like to visit and I am planning a workshop here in Huddersfield.”

The digital version of the monograph is available as Open Access.