7th International Symposium

Formal Methods in Architecture 2024

The 7th International Symposium on Formal Methods in Architecture will take place in Porto between the 3rd and the 6th of December 2024.

ABOUT
KEY DATES
SYMPOSYUM THEMES
REGISTRATION FEES
PROGRAMME
ABOUT
ABOUT
KEY DATES
SYMPOSYUM THEMES
REGISTRATION FEES
PROGRAMME

THEMES

The 7th Symposium on Formal Methods in Architecture (7FMA) aims to contribute to the discussion in architecture and urbanism on the application of new formal methods to emerging social and technical issues. The focus will be on methodological advances based on recent developments in collaboration with mathematics and computer science, applied to architecture and urbanism at different levels of abstraction and formalization.

2024’s FMA will focus on the connection between formal methods and architectural practice. With the proliferation of digital technologies, which every day allow increasingly intelligent tasks to be delegated to automated tools and have immense potential to increase productivity, it is urgent to examine the gap that often exists between scientific endeavors and practical applications in everyday architectural work.

Each Symposium edition has showcased complex methods and exciting advancements in the various fields under the FMA umbrella: we have witnessed how artificial intelligence, generative grammar, and other forms of design automation can be implemented into the design process; we have also explored how spatial analysis methodologies can provide a systematic understanding of large-scale social processes and can be applied to comprehend the social outcomes of architectural interventions; we have observed GIS, photogrammetry, and other methods for collecting and organizing data become simultaneously more sophisticated and user-friendly every year and see how virtual and we have seen how virtual and augmented reality not only facilitate visualization but also enhance our understanding of designs and can be incorporated into interactive design environments; we have examined how this myriad of formal methods be used for the development of smart buildings and cities and to facilitate participatory processes. Simultaneously, and in parallel, we have witnessed the growing pressure put by the construction industry on architecture offices to implement CAD and BIM technology. It is in this context that, with this edition of the Symposium, we wish to discuss, disseminate, and promote the use of formal methods in the creation of new explicit languages for the solution of architectural and urban problems.

Recognizing that architecture and urbanism requires both technological and artistic approaches, the 7th Symposium will address current challenges in these fields, including production, sustainability, design, representation, communication, and heritage. The potential and limitations of using formal methods to address these challenges will also be explored. Researchers, professionals, and students in the fields of architecture, urbanism, landscape design, civil engineering, and computer science are invited to attend. The event will cover the following topics:

  • Collection of information: including tracking and mapping methods (video, GPS, WiFi, ISP, IoT, cellular phones); biometric sensing; surveying; photogrammetry and 3d scanning through drones, photography, or laser; machine learning; computer vision.
  • Semantic organisation of information: including Geographic Information Systems – GIS; Building Information Models – BIM; Industry Foundation Classes – IFC; Ontologies for the built environment.
  • Formal theories and methodologies of spatial analysis: including Space Syntax; visibility graph analysis; Space Configuration, Accessibility and Visibility Analysis (SCAVA); agent-based analysis; rule checkers.
  • Representation, visualisation and interaction: including CAD; renderings and animated motion; mixed realities (virtual, augmented); human-computer interaction.
  • Authomation of architectural design: including parametricism; generative design; shape grammars; processing; advanced reasoning artificial intelligence tools.
  • Active management of the built environment: including participatory architecture and urbanism; smart buildings and cities; life cycle management; 6-7d BIM; facilities management; flow and crowd management.
  • Computer aided production: including CAM, Scale models, 3-4-5D BIM and automated manufacturing.
  • Formal Methods in teaching architecture: including teaching methodologies; learning experiences and digital training; spatial reasoning through visual programming and coding.

We invite the submission of research proposals that enhance and advance these and related themes using novel or established methodologies, case studies, theoretical and historical perspectives, analytical experiments, and other methods. We encourage contributions from a diverse range of fields, including proposals that explore non-traditional formats (e.g., artistic, performative, demonstrative, etc.). In proposing a topic as broad as formal methods in architecture, we aim to facilitate the exchange and generation of knowledge through interdisciplinary communication.

ABOUT

The 7FAM is a joint organization between LIAD-ESAP & OA-SRN:

  • LIAD-ESAP / Architecture and Design Research Laboratory at Porto Higher Arts School;
  • OA-SRN / Order of Architects – North Regional Section;
  • CESAP / Porto Higher Artistic Education Cooperative.

The 2024 symposium has the institutional support of CIAUD-UPT and DAMG-UP:

  • DAMG-UPT / Gallaecia Department of Architecture and Multimedia at Universidade Portucalense;

The 2024 edition has the logistic support of Concinnitas.

The first edition of the symposium took place in Porto, in 2011. Throughout the following decade, it has counted with the collaboration of various institutions, both national and international.

KEY DATES

Abstract / Worshop submissionJune 3rd 2024
Abstract / Workshop acceptance noticeJuly 15th 2024
Registration – early birdAugust 1st – September 15th
Registration – standardOctober 15th – November 15th 2024
Worshop Registration – early birdOctober 15th 2024
Full paper submissionNovember 4th 2024
Symposium weekDecember 3rd – 7th 2024
Paper revisions noticeDecember 16th 2024
Revised paper submissionFebruary 3rd 2025

REGISTRATION FEES

Early Bird RegistrationStandard Registration
Speaker (with paper)
Standard¹ 250€300€
OA member¹200€250€
PhD candidate or student¹175€225€
Participant (without paper)
Standard¹125€175€
OA member¹95€125€
PhD candidate or student²35€55€

¹ Includes lunches and coffee breaks

² Includes coffee breaks

OA Member, PhD Candidate or StudentStandard Registration
Early Bird Registration – Full Day Workshop35€45€
Early Bird Registration – Half Day Workshop20€25€
Standard Registration – Full Day Workshop55€70€
Standard Registration – Half Day Workshop30€40€

PROGRAMME

december 03december 04december 05december 06december 07
9:00 – 9:30RegistrationRegistrationPaper SessionPaper SessionCity Tour
9:30 – 10:30WorkshopsOpening SessionPaper SessionPaper Session
10:30 – 11:00Coffee BreakCoffee BreakCoffee Break
11:00 – 13:00Keynote SessionKeynote SessionKeynote Session
13:00 – 14:00Lunch BreakLunch BreakLunch BreakLunch Break
14:00 – 16:00WorkshopsPaper SessionPaper SessionPaper Session
16:00 – 16:30Coffee BreakCoffee BreakCoffee Break
16:30 – 18:00Paper SessionPaper SessionPaper Session
Opening EventSymposium DinnerClosing Event

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BOOK OF PROCEEDINGS 6FMA

This book comprises the select proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Formal Methods in Architecture (6FMA), A Coruña 2022. The contents focus on the use of methodologies, especially those that have witnessed recent developments stemming from mathematical and computer sciences and are developed in a collaborative way with architecture and related fields. This book constitutes a contribution to the debate and to the introduction of new methodologies and tools in the mentioned fields that derive from the application of formal methods in the creation of new explicit languages for problem-solving in architecture and urbanism. Some of the themes in the book are CAD and BIM, mixed realities, photogrammetry and 3D scan, architectural design automation, urban and building performance analysis, SCAVA-space configuration, accessibility and visibility analysis. This book proves a valuable resource for those in academia and industry.