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IJAC Call for Papers -- Rebalance & Reciprocity: Emergent Topics in Architectural Computing
Published: September 11, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Rebalance & Reciprocity: Emergent Topics in Architectural Computing
International Journal of Architectural Computing (IJAC)
The International Journal of Architectural Computing (IJAC) invites contributions to a special issue dedicated to the theme “Rebalance and Reciprocity” - an inquiry into how architectural computing navigates structural, social, and technological dynamics in the wake of rapid innovation. This issue calls for critical work that interrogates how computational systems encode relationships - between designers and tools, individuals and collectives, humans and nonhumans, materials and systems - and how these relationships might be rebalanced in the pursuit of more reciprocal, inclusive, and contextually responsive design practices.
In contrast to deterministic narratives of unchecked technological disruptions, this issue seeks work that emphasizes recalibration and critical reflection. We are interested in how architectural computing can foreground non-binary processes that focus on negotiating the complexity of optimization, automation, and/or collaboration to facilitate varied forms of stewardship in our built environment. Topics may explore how systems negotiate new distributions of authorship, how tacit or affective forms of knowledge are reintegrated into digital workflows, and how emerging tools mediate values, labor, and participation across diverse contexts and publics.
We welcome reflective, speculative, and research-informed contributions that engage critically with the cultural, ethical, and infrastructural implications of architectural computing. We also welcome explorations of these themes that employ alternative and non-traditional forms of computation. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Computational tools that support non-deterministic open-ended design exploration
- Integrations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) that empower human learning, interpretation, or contextual responsiveness
- Participatory platforms, co-design methodologies, and community-engaged computation
- Tacit knowledge, craft practices, and sensory feedback within digital fabrication workflows
- Simulations and digital twins that embed social memory or cultural identity
- Multispecies and ecological approaches to architectural modeling and fabrication
- Affective computing, biometric feedback, and emotionally responsive spaces
- Frameworks for co-authorship or collective processes.
- Distributed design systems and controls,
- Critical approaches to optimization, algorithmic bias, design agency, and systemic imbalance
We particularly encourage contributions that cross disciplinary boundaries or offer perspectives from underrepresented or emergent communities within architectural research. Submissions may include theoretical texts, technical development, design research, speculative essays, or project-based case studies.
Deadline for full submissions: Friday 10/3/2025
Issue release: 6/1/2026
For submission guidelines, visit: https://journals.sagepub.com/author-instructions/jac
Inquiries may be directed to the Guest Editors at: ijac@acadia.org
IJAC / ACADIA Editorial Board (alphabetically): Edvard Bruun, Georgia Institute of Technology; Galo Canizares, The University of Kentucky; Dana Cupkova, Carnegie Mellon University; Daniel Koehler, The University of Texas at Austin; Tsz Yan Ng, University of Michigan; Kyle Steinfeld, University of California Berkeley; Shermeen Yousif, Florida Atlantic University