2026 SYMPOSIUM
MATERIAL AND BEYOND:
ON THE SPECTRUM OF MEANING IN MATERIALITY
November 9, 2026 | Surabaya, Indonesia
About AR+DC
The International Conference and Symposium on Architecture Research and Design (AR+DC) is an annual event organized by the Department of Architecture, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS). Established in 2009, AR+DC brings together academics, researchers, and professionals.
In 2026, the event returns in a symposium format under the theme Material and Beyond: On the Spectrum of Meaning in Materiality.
Symposium
Theme
Sub-Topics:
Material and Beyond:
On the Spectrum of Meaning in Materiality
What was once an integrated understanding of material, held together across its technical, practical, and symbolic dimensions, has undergone significant transformation through technological advancement.
This shift is reflected in the reconceptualization of phenomena such as light, sound, air, and environmental forces as building materials; in the treatment of data as a material resource; and in the emergence of hyperreal material embodied in the synthetic imagery of the post-digital age. The developments of the past half-century have led to unprecedented collective knowledge within each dimension, yet their relationship has become a subject of fragmentation.
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AR+DC 2026 sits with this condition and asks what it means.
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How do environmental substances and emerging technologies transform the way we build and inhabit space?
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And how should we reintegrate technical, practical, and symbolic dimensions of materiality?
Keynote Speakers
Symposium Contributors
Technical and Practical
The instrumental role of material as mediator of environmental forces and its functions in relation to human activity.
Sub-Topic
A
Symbolic
Material's function as a system of sign in relation to cultural, perceptual, and representational dimensions.
Sub-Topic
B
July 25 - September 5, 2026
Open Call for Extended Abstract
Registration Fee
Public: IDR 500.000,00 | Students: IDR 450.000,00
AR+DC 2026 Symposium invites one contributor per subtopic (2 total) to explore the transformation of material knowledge across two themes: technical-practical and symbolic dimensions, and its implications for architectural thought amid technological acceleration.
Further information and updates regarding this event will be announced soon. Please stay tuned for the latest news and announcements.