ACADIA 2026 - HUMANISM RECODED: Humanism Recoded: Reframing Computation and Making through Embodiment and Culture Lawrence Technological University Southfield, MI, United States, October 22-24, 2026

Call for Submissions

The conference peer-review process is organized around calls for technical papers, projects, and field notes. Technical papers present original research, methodologies, and theoretical frameworks that advance discourse on computation, making, and cultural practices. Project presentations focus on built work, speculative prototypes, and experimental workflows that connect technology with design culture. Field notes provide concise reflections, critical provocations, and in-progress investigations that document emerging practices.

Conference Theme: Humanism Recoded

ACADIA 2026 invites contributions, including but not limited to the following areas:

• Artificial Intelligence and AI-driven Design
• Augmented Reality and Simulation
• Autonomy and Human Agency
• Biodesign and Climate Responsive Architecture
• Computational Design
• Data Capture and Sensing
• Design-build and Construction
• Digital Fabrication
• Ethics and Data Practices
• Human-Computer Interaction and Human-Robot Interaction
• Material Computation
• Pedagogies and Philosophies
• Robotics and Automation
• Simulation, Predictive Modeling
• Spatial Computing and Extended Reality
• Theory and Cultural Frameworks

We anticipate several subthemes for the call for submissions, framing broad areas of inquiry and establishing thematic orientations, including:

• Machines that Care — Robotics and autonomous systems reimagined as partners in repair, care, and cultural making.
• Embodied Codes — Computation situated in bodies, practices, and local contexts.
• Algorithmic Fictions — AI as narrator, collaborator, and storyteller of shared futures.
• Humanistic Inquiries — Critical perspectives on computation, making, and cultural practice.
• Material Worlds — Circular systems, craft traditions, and experimental fabrication.
• Eco-Digital Fusion — Living materials and synthetic ecologies in design workflows.
• Collective Intelligence — Shared authorship across humans, machines, and communities.
• Digital Commons — Technology as infrastructure for equity and participation.
• Built Grounds — Architecture as a site of making, use, and collective life.
• Temporal Layers — Design and heritage in dialogue with history and memory.
• Speculative Grounds — Design fictions, non-linear worlds, and cultural imaginaries.
• Climate Matters — Computation and making within planetary urgencies.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION AND DEADLINES

1. Technical Papers

Full-length research papers presenting original methodologies, theoretical frameworks, computational systems, or design research that advance discourse in computation, fabrication, and culture. Submission Requirements: Full papers (4,000 words) are invited for submission. All paper submissions are subject to blind peer review. Accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings, and authors will be invited to present at the conference. Published papers will be included in the CumInCad database and assigned a DOI. All ACADIA papers are searchable through Web of Science Platform and Scopus.Deadline: April 19, 2026, 11:59 pm PSTNotification of Acceptance: May 2026Revised Papers Due: June 2026

2. Projects

Built work, speculative prototypes, installations, or experimental workflows demonstrating the integration of computational tools with material, cultural, or social contexts. Submission Requirements: 600-word text (excluding citations and captions) plus a maximum of 10 images. Details: Project submissions will be blind peer-reviewed. Projects will be published in the conference proceedings and exhibited as posters in the Exhibition. Select submissions may be invited to present in the plenary sessions and/or participate in a discussion panel during the conference. Published projects will be included in the CumInCad database and assigned a DOI. All ACADIA projects are searchable through Web of Science Platform and Scopus.Deadline: May 17, 2026, 11:59 pm PSTNotification of Acceptance: June 2026Revised Papers Due: July 2026

3. Field Notes

Short-form submissions offering critical provocations, in-progress research, reflective observations, or emerging practices that engage computation through situated, experimental, or exploratory approaches. Submission Requirements: 800–1,000 word texts max; images are permitted, and image-based essays are also welcome. Details: Field Notes are an invitation for shorter pieces that may include provocative artifacts regarding the culture and practice of computational design: experimental ideas, behind-the-scenes observations, brief narratives, provocations, and manifestos. Submissions will be jury-selected and published in the proceedings. Select submissions may be invited to present and/or participate in a discussion panel during the conference.Deadline: May 17, 2026, 11:59 pm PSTNotification of Acceptance: June 2026Revised Papers Due: July 2026

REVIEW PROCESS

All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer review process coordinated by the Technical Chairs and Project Chairs in accordance with ACADIA standards. Submissions will be evaluated based on originality, rigor, relevance to the conference theme, and contribution to computational design research and practice.

IMPORTANT DATES

Submission deadlines, templates, and formatting guidelines will be announced following approval by the ACADIA Board. Updates will be posted on the ACADIA 2026 website.