8TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

FORMAL METHODS IN ARCHITECTURE

ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, TÜRKIYE, 1-5 DECEMBER 2026

Formalising Complexity: Bridging Intelligence, Culture, and Computation in Architecture

This edition of the symposium Formal Methods in Architecture (FMA) invites reflections on how formal reasoning, data-driven methods, and computational design intelligence can engage meaningfully with the complexity of architectural and urban environments. The symposium aims to bridge the gap between mathematical abstraction and architectural interpretation, addressing both the technical and human dimensions of design. By situating formal methods within the evolving paradigms of artificial intelligence, sustainability, and participatory practice, FMA 2026 emphasises architecture’s dual nature as a technological and cultural endeavour.

Sub-Themes / Topics

1. Formal Theories and Computational Frameworks

Exploring advances in shape grammars, ontologies, topology, and logical models that formalise architectural knowledge and reasoning.

2. Architectural Design, Representation, and Visualisation

Innovations in generative and parametric systems, interactive simulations, and mixed-reality visualisation that redefine representational practices.

3. Data, Sensing, and Information Environments

New modes of data acquisition (LiDAR, photogrammetry, IoT) and semantic integration (GIS–BIM, IFC) enabling informed design intelligence.

4. Formal Methods and Spatial Analysis

Applications of configurational, visibility, and agent-based analyses in understanding spatial performance and urban morphology.

5. Design Automation and Fabrication

Integration of algorithmic thinking with digital manufacturing, BIM-based automation, and computational material design.

6. Formal Methods for Sustainable and Resilient Environments

Formal and parametric modeling for energy efficiency, adaptive systems, and circular design strategies.

7. Human–Machine Interaction and Cognitive Environments

Emerging interfaces between AI, cognition, and design decision-making in human–machine collaborations.

8. Participatory and Smart Environments

Designing with data and communities—formal approaches to participatory urbanism, smart buildings, and responsive infrastructures.

9. Formal Methods in Architectural Education

Pedagogical innovations promoting computational literacy, visual programming, and reasoning-based learning in architecture.

10. Cultural and Interpretative Dimensions of Formalisation

Engaging formal methods in dialogue with cultural identity, memory, and meaning—positioning space as a living laboratory of layered form and data.

The symposium seeks to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration among architects, mathematicians, computer scientists, and urban theorists. It aims to advance the discourse on formalisation as a creative, interpretive, and ethical practice that enhances architecture’s ability to respond to the intertwined challenges of intelligence, culture, and complexity.