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 impacts on users, building form, and performance?

The call for abstracts, papers, and posters for this conference looks for submissions that address an aspect of performance in architecture. Proposals could involve a wide variety of assessments including but not limited to systems, materials, energy, carbon, daylight, user experience, or software. We encourage the sharing of teaching strategies that best empower students to understand or apply building performance in the design process, faculty research that incorporates assessment, analysis, or measurement of the performance of architectural form, connections between faculty and industry professionals, and a overall exploration of different approaches to the balance of architectural design with other relevant topics within curricula.

• Integrated Design
• Design-build
• Energy and Embodied Carbon
• Materials and Construction
• Building Systems
• User Experience and Cultural Topics
• Urban Design
  
• Teaching Pedagogy
• Open

Chicago sits in the center of the mid-west in the USA 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, 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.

From the point of view of travel it is easy to get to. Most cities have direct flights to Chicago (O'Hare or Midway), and it is an inexpensive ride in on the CTA from the airport to our venue.

Chicago, Illinois

Monday, June 2 to Thursday, June 5, 2025

SITE CO-ORDINATION
Jeanne Homer
Senior Architect of University Relations
AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction)

PAPER & SESSION CO-ORDINATION
Terri Meyer Boake
BES BArch MArch LEED AP
Professor | Associate Director
School of Architecture, University of Waterloo

This event is part of a bi-annual conference series of the BTES

In order to have your work included in the proceedings it must be submitted on time and at least one of the authors register for the conference by the deadline.

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS and for access to the upload portal.

We are using Conftool for the submission and review process this year.

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.

HOTEL INFORMATION AND BLOCK RATES TO FOLLOW

The event registration is being handled by AISC Conference Services and will open February 17, 2025.

Registration will include the core conference, all paper and keynote sessions, opening night reception at the Chicago Architectural Center, Chicago River Cruise, coffee/muffin breaks, lunches, awards buffet at the close of the conference.

Optional Thursday tours will require extra payment (bus costs).

All attendees are encouraged to join the BTES to obtain the reduced conference rate. If you are not sure whether or not your membership is up to date, use this link to verify your membership. Annual membership is $30. Two year membership is $50.

Registration rates (in USD):

• $400 Early bird for members (ends April 14, 2025)
• $450 Early bird for non-members (ends April 14, 2025)
• $450 Regular registration for members (ends May 28, 2025)
• $500 Regular registration for non-members (ends May 28, 2025)
• $500 Late registration for members (starts May 29, 2025)
• $550 Late registration for non-members (starts May 29, 2025)
• Student discount TBD

REGISTRATION PORTAL OPENS FEBRUARY 17, 2025.

Registration may be cut off when the venue capacity is reached.

The BTES is excited to celebrate two of our highest faculty awards during our final conference dinner. Calls for both will be coming in January 2025.

BOOK AWARD

The BTES believes in the importance of developing professionally-prepared and socially responsible students. Effective education relies, in part, on engaging and informative source materials—specifically, books on building technology topics. Awarded at the biennial BTES Conference, the BTES Book Award recognizes an outstanding new book that significantly contributes to building technology education in architecture. 

EMERGING FACULTY AWARD

The mission of the BTES includes encouraging innovation through committed and creative teaching of building technology. Awarded at the biennial BTES Conference, the BTES Emerging Faculty Award recognizes demonstrated excellence in teaching performance and innovation during the formative years of an architectural teaching career in building technology. 

Dustin Albright, Clemson University
Mohamad Araji, University of Waterloo
Andrea Atkins, University of Waterloo
Genevieve Baudoin, Kansas State University
Mary Ben Bonham, Miami University
Caryn Brause, UMass Amherst
Dana Buntrock, Berkeley University
David Correa, University of Waterloo
Naomi Darling, Mount Holyoke University
Bob Dermody, Roger Williams University
Thomas Fowler, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Dana Gulling, North Carolina State University
Jeanne Homer, AISC
Vincent Hui, Toronto Metropolitan University
Joyce Kim, University of Waterloo
Brian Lee, Kansas State University
Fiona Lim Tung, University of Waterloo
Sinead Mac Namera, Syracuse University
Nea Maloo, Howard University
Liz McKormick, University of Charlotte North Carolina
Deborah Oakley, UNLV
Patrick Rand, North Carolina State University
Regin Schwaen, North Dakota State University
Patrick Tripeny, University of Utah
Marci Uihlein, University of Illinois Champagne Urbana
Shahin Vassigh, Florida State University
Robert Whitehead, Iowa State University
Robert Williams, UMass Amherst
Andrzej Zarzycki, NJIT

We would like to thank our sponsors for gifts in kind and defraying some of the conference expenses so that we could reduce our registration fees.