The Dresden International Symposium of Architecture, organized by the Chair for Spatial Design at Dresden University of Technology, will be held in Dresden, Germany, from 16 to 19 June 2004. The theme of the symposium is "Aesthetics and Architectural Composition" and addresses not only architects, urban designers and planners, but also scientists, artists, philosophers, practitioners and theoreticians from related fields.

THEME
This International Symposium aims to resurrect a strong tradition in the theory of aesthetics and architectural composition at Dresden University. Up to the middle of the 20th Century, architectural education was organized around three primary aspects: form, function and structure. While functional and structural aspects still dominate the field, it seems that aspects of building form and spatial aesthetics have been marginalized in the recent practice of architectural education. This development can be interpreted as a reorientation of architectural ideologies after WW2 as well as an increasing insecurity and lack of consensus on criteria for the evaluation of buildings and for the design of good architecture.

Yet despite disagreement on the right kind of principles that should be the basis of good architectural form and space, for centuries there was common ground for the assumption that good form can be systematically analyzed and described. Principles of this kind can be traced from classical essays by Vitruvius, Alberti and Palladio as well as in writings by french theorists such as Blondel and Durand and even in modern manifestoes by Corbusier and Frei Otto. Building composition was not an exclusive domain of architects, but it was inspired by the arts and sciences such as painting and music as well as physics and biology.

As one of the oldest schools of Architecture in Germany, Dresden has a long and continuous tradition in the field of building composition. One of its special characteristics is a unique link between architecture and landscape architecture in one area of study and the subdivision of the department into teaching clusters along the lines of funcional aspects of architecture. Both research and education have been developed by architects such as Fritz Schumacher and Otto Schubert, who revitalized that tradition after WWII, and laid the foundation for a scientific description of the correlation between optics and architectural design. At present, the organizing institute focusses on the psychological foundations of architectural design as well as on theories of proportion and mathematically based ordering systems of design.

To celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Technical University of Dresden and the 125th anniversary of Prof. Otto Schubert, the Institute of Spatial Design hosts a symposium on the role and relevance of form-finding and form-generating processes in the recent field of architecture and design. The focus of this symposium is to discuss the role, the relevance and nature of a systematic and scientific discourse of architectural and urban form. A particular focus will be the role of systems of mathematical order and proportions in the design process. Furthermore, of interest is the aspect of form as it relates to research in cognitive sciences and environmental psychology. In summary, the overall framework of the conference is architectural aesthetics and its application to the practice of design.

SECTIONS
This call for papers addresses not only architects, urban designers and planners, but also scientists, artists, philosophers, practitioners and theoreticians from related fields. Below we list some themes around which we would like to organize work-groups.

• The role and relevance of architectural aesthetics in a field that is currently dominated by economic factors on the one side and short lived architectural fashions on the other. Is there a contemporary need for a discourse on building and urban design for which transcend these aspects, and can such a revitalized focus improve the overall qualities of our built environment?
• Which are the central, scientific findings to be identified for the development of an understanding of architectural and urban form?
• Are there systems of visual order that have gained importance in the design field both in history and the recent past? Are there new theories on the horizon?
• What is the role of proportioning systems in contemporary architecture and urban design. Can a rediscovery and further development of such systems have an impact on the perceived visual qualities of architecture?
• Digital tools for visualization and form generation: Order and harmony generated by computerized algorithms. Virtual realities as a test for spatial cognition. Shape grammars and form metamorphosis.
• Psychological aspects of aesthetics and architectural design. The role of perception and cognition in the process of form finding.

The symposium is organized in sessions with presentations and discussions. The presentations should be no longer than 20 minutes to allow for a 10-minute discussion afterwards. There will be poster-sessions where presentations can be made on posters in A0-landscape-format. A detailed schedule of events will be available at the conference and it will be sent to participants two weeks before.

Please sent your abstracts and papers prior to February 1, 2004 via email to:

The conference languages are English and German.

DRESDEN
Dresden, Saxony's capital city, is located in the eastern part of Germany close to the borders with the Czech Republic and Poland. The urban area is dominated by the valley of the Elbe-River, with wide meadows and steep hillsides framing the river valley. The legendary architectural heritage includes world-renowned building ensembles especially from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, e.g., the "Zwinger" by Poeppelmann, the Opera House and the Gallery by Semper, the Cathedral, the Castle and the "Bruehl Terraces" painted by the famous Italian painter Canaletto. The spectacular reconstruction of the "Frauenkirche" cathedral has received worldwide attention and is almost completed. Numerous architectural monuments have contributed to Dresden?s reputation as a city of remarkable beauty.

Conference Site: BZW /Neues Hörsaalzentrum TU Dresden
Accommodations: Guesthouse of the TU-Dresden, Hotels

Reception
Guided Tour of Dresden
Dinner on a Steamboat-trip on the Elbe-River
Brochures, and various conference documents

Deadline for fees: May 25, 2004 via international money order to the organizers.
If paid after that date or on site there will be an additional 30 EURO (US$ 50) charge.
The organizers offer assistance in finding accommodation.

Abstracts to be received by	February 1, 2004
Information of selected participants	April 1, 2004
Registration via mail or email to be received by	June 10, 2004
Payment of conference fee to be received by	May 25, 2004
Registration in person	June 16, 2004
Symposium	June 16 -19, 2004

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Copyright ©2003 Kim Williams Books