AlICe lab & the Faculty of Architecture La Cambre Horta of the Université libre de Bruxelles will host the 17th European Architectural Envisioning Association Conference (EAEA17) in Brussels from August 26th to 28th, 2026.
Conference organization & proceedings editing: David Lo Buglio & Myriem Saoud
Architecture is conceptualised, theorised, and analysed through its representation, with projection lying at the heart of the discipline. Serving as a language, a tool, and a design process, projection permeates various domains of architecture. Whether it involves the transition between two temporal states, the journey from an idea to its material embodiment, or the expression of geometric transformations, projection is foundational to architectural exploration and theorisation.
EAEA17 will center on the significance of projection in architecture, focusing on its role in design, representation, and study. It will explore the spaces in which projection is practiced, its applications, and its historical and theoretical dimensions. As a structuring system, projection involves the architect's thought processes and helps in understanding spatial contexts, linking representation, production, and comprehension of architectural projects. Through this theme, we aim to question projection's contributions to spatial conceptualisation, geometric structuring, and the examination of architectural projects' temporal dimensions.
Topics:
Projection as Ideation
Projection serves as a medium of translation fromidea to form. This theme invites participants to interrogate architectural conception processes. While representations often highlight a finalised project or a fully formed idea, this aspect of the conference seeks to reveal and express the iterative steps (sometimes unconscious) that guide the formalisation of a project. How do drawn lines that materialise boundaries differ from those that express the project’s process? What can projection tell us about the architectural ideation?
Projection as a Geometrical Process
Projection ensures the transition from one geometric space to another, whether real, paper-based, or digital. This section focuses on projection’s role in translating spatial dimensions, addressing the tools, methods, and devices used to navigate between 2D and 3D spaces, as well as between physical and digital realms. How do these geometric processes define architectural understanding and practice? What observations and challenges arise from these transitions?
Projection Across Times
As projection facilitates transitions between spaces or states, it also opens windows between distinct temporal conditions. By addressing projection through the lens of time, this theme offers an opportunity to discuss research projects exploring temporal dimensions. These might include representations of architecture’s evolution or modifications over time, such as but not exclusively:
These explorations might include hypotheses about the restitution of altered heritage or other speculative approaches to temporal transitions in architecture.
Cover image: Lola Perret & Romain Fontaine, AlICe lab 2022