Conference Agenda

Circular economy planning for the built environment is a wicked problem: data are fragmented, tools are siloed, and the goals of material reuse are contested. Those aspects collectively contribute to generating systemic barriers towards circular economy transition. This study targets this challenge by proposing the Circular City Twin as a conceptual open system-of-systems that enables shared inquiry and collaborative action between city and building scales. Drawing on second-order cybernetics and meta-design principles, the Circular City Twin acts as an architectural interface: a modular, scalable, extensible digital infrastructure that integrates cadastral data, parametric BIM generation, and semantic models to deliver high-granularity information flows about building components and their circularity- and environmental- metrics. We outline proposed artefacts such as a Revit plug-in, parametric workflows, and a modular ontology to illustrate how a designed platform can shift practice from isolated modeling to feedback-driven co-design, supporting systemic circular transitions across spatial scales and domains.

To remain effective in an era of technological flux and AI-driven tools, architects must continuously expand their knowledge base. Architectural research and education must evolve alongside these digital transitions to secure legitimacy and funding within academic institutions. This paper asks how the architectural design research community can self-manage in response to these changes. Using the lens of Strategic Niche Management (SNM), we examine how design research behaves as an emerging niche seeking to participate in broader academic regimes. We conducted a multi-stage review of the Design Research Society (DRS) Conference Biennale Series (2002–2024), involving a quantitative analysis of over 2,000 papers and a systematic deductive qualitative review of 71 selected contributions. Our findings: 1) visualize longitudinal design research trends; 2) identify eight key approaches categorized into the SNM pillars of expectations, social networking, and learning; and 3) discuss strategic directions for architectural design researchers to manage digital transitions.

In recent years, co-creation has become common in design and healthcare contexts. This paper examines a co-creation process aimed at creating a physical link between a museum park and a child and adolescent psychiatric hospital. Whereas the experiences of end-users are key in co-creation processes, only few studies analyse how research and design actors experience partaking in such process. Therefore, we aim to unravel how a co-creation process is perceived by the various actors involved to ultimately foster improved understanding and collaboration and formulate recommendations for future projects. Through a focused collective autoethnographic approach, we explore the experiences of all actors. This results in insights into how commitment, engagement, and added value relate and differ in actors’ perception. We methodologically discuss and critically reflect on these insights in the context design and social research to conclude with what this research brings to future co-creation processes.

Diagrams have long been central to architectural reasoning and communication. While their historical and conceptual roles are established, the impact of digitization on their function and representation is underexplored. This study systematically analyzes 245 diagrams from 45 architectural graphics publications between 1980-2025, classifying them by design stage, representation technique, production method, and purpose. The dataset analysis reveals a transformation in published diagrams: while 1980s-1990s diagrams were characterized by being manually produced, exploratory diagrams in early-stage design, the 2000s onward saw almost total digital production, yet representational conventions remained 2D. By the 2020s, diagrams shift toward external communication and coordination in later design stages, with conceptual and exploratory uses diminishing. The findings signal a cultural shift: diagrams in architectural literature now function less as cognitive tools and more as curated visual statements aimed at stakeholders. The study highlights the need for digital-native diagram practices and points to new ways of understanding their evolving role.

In research published in 1982, Mackinder & Marvin put forward their ‘continuum between written information and experience’ model for decision making in architectural practice. As part of a new research project, ethnographic methods were used to collect data on the detailed design processes adopted by early career architects in two medium sized UK architectural practices. This new data reveals that ‘The Continuum’ model still has relevance four decades later but, to reflect the specifics of detailed design, a wider range of actors need to be acknowledged. This network is established on a project-by-project basis with collaborators enrolled in an ad hoc way, some for the duration of the project and others for short periods before they are dropped. Based on these observations, a new ‘Network Model of Detailed Design Collaborators’ is proposed that situates early career architects within a collection of human and nonhuman collaborators.