Editorial to the Special issue: 47th ASA: Cutting Edge

What is it about?

Especially in the larger Australasian context, with its philosophical richness and its rising influence on the world stage, the Architectural Science Association (ANZAScA) aims to support cutting-edge developments, relevant discourses and, possibly, appropriate cures. Recognizing the importance of rapid Asian urbanization and the impact it has on a global scale, the 47th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association returned after 17 years Asia to Hong Kong where it was held at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Mid-November 2013 with the provoking conference theme ‘Cutting Edge’. The title was aimed to prompt researchers and practitioners to reflect on the epistemological dimensions of their enquiries: Where do we stand and where are we heading? What is the impact of our research tomorrow? What novel avenues are we anticipating? And how do we generate lasting value in our research and contributions? The theme acknowledged the needs to not only find solutions for existing problems but also to look ahead and anticipate architectural needs in future. The conference aimed to explore and raise awareness to the need of overstepping disciplinary boundaries and reaching creative communities at all levels of expertise, by pooling resources, knowledge and practices, and integrating them into the discipline of applied architectural research and science. Innovative research and current exploration are responding to the tasks that academia and profession face to address the multi-faceted issues of architectural science.

Featured Image

Photo by David Vives on Unsplash

Photo by David Vives on Unsplash

Why is it important?

We are facing unprecedented challenges in our natural and human-made, cultural, social and built environments as we can read in the recent issues of ASR. Working at the intersection of human needs, creative innovation, education, critical thinking, computing, science, design and technology, Architectural Science Practitioners and Researchers are uniquely placed to engage with these challenges and frontiers. Architecture is no longer an organization of matter and space, but systems with multi-layered components and increasingly complex relationships.

Perspectives