Technology has always been pivotal in shaping the society. Advances in information technologies and material sciences in the course of the twenty-first century have irreversibly altered not only everyday life of individuals, so that the structural tenets of societies, but also the design, construction and management methods in architectural, engineering and urban practices. Beyond these alterations, recent innovations in emergent technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and/or Machine Learning have started to define unprecedented needs and requirements for the built environments. Moreover, environmental problems like pollution, source limitations, overcrowded cities, climate change, extreme weather conditions and the social crises that they cause on the doorstep require each and every profession to rethink its role in the ever changing conditions of today’s dynamic political and economic agenda, make urgent decisions to adjust itself and take immediate actions. Cutting edge technological developments and innovations have the potential of being both remedy and poison for these environmental, economic and social upheavals.
In order to give insights into the role of technology and innovation in the practice and critical theory of contemporary rchitecture, Yaşar University initiates the International Symposium of Architecture, Technology and Innovation (ATI), which is planned to be organized annually from this very first one onwards. The symposium aims to provide scholars a transdisciplinary platform where theoretical, technical and/or practice-based state-of-the-art research findings revolving around a yearly theme in the larger framework of ATI can be discussed reciprocally.
