Empowerment through an Architecture of Performance
Millennium Park
Historically, shifts in building technology and methodologies have generated changes in the expression and form of architecture. The Modern theorist and architect Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc said that the integration of architecture and technology is necessary to create an honest reflection of societal values, environment, and culture. He implies that the architecture produced with a knowledge of some engineering concepts would perform technically while manifesting novel architectural form and spatial experience.
Is this relevant today? Can students enhance design while they integrate technology, critically explore materials, or embrace nuances of user experience to ultimately feel empowered to make informed decisions? What technical or social factors impact architectural form and performance? What distinguishes performative architecture from performance-based design? How much understanding and ability is necessary to encourage architects to actively engage in decisions throughout the design process that have significant impact on users, building form, and performance?
Chicago will be the site of this, BTES’ 10th Biennial Conference. Chicago sits in the center of the mid-west United States, and, for a long time, was the center of technological development in architecture and engineering. From the first skyscrapers and tall buildings, to the renewal of the city center with landscapes and public functions, Chicago remains a city of architecture. We are hoping that, by situating the conference at the Chicago Architectural Center (CAC), with some off-site events at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the venues will serve to excite and inspire discussion. The CAC is within walking distance of Millennium Park and the Historic Loop District.
The core conference will take place at the Chicago Architectural Center located at 111 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601. The CAC is convenient to downtown Chicago, transportation, Millennium Park, the Historic Loop District and transportation.
The Opening Reception and Keynote will take place the arrival evening on Monday, June 2, 2025 at the CAC and include access to the gallery spaces.
The closing keynote and Awards Dinner and presentations will take place in on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology in S R Crown Hall, one of the renowned projects by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, on the evening of Wednesday, June 4, 2025.
To provide a true experience of Chicago, the activities will include a traditional River Boat cruise which is one of the best ways to experience the unusual urban configuration of this major city.