First International Conference on Architecture and Urban Design

Location: Epoka University in Tirana, Albania
Date: 9 - 21 April 2012
Participation fees: 120 Euro for international delegates, 60 Euro for Albanian and Kosovar delegates

Delegates are free to decide how much to submit or publish. Authors may publish only an abstract in the Abstract book or a full-length manuscript in the Proceedings CD, which will be made available online. Delegates may also attend a conference without submitting or publishing any research. Authors may present their work during the conference either as (i) a 15-minute oral presentation, or as (ii) a poster session.

Conference tracks:

• Architectural history and historic preservation
• Green building technologies and materials
• User-friendly public spaces
• Architecture & urban design education
• Construction management
• Information technology in architecture & urban design

Keynote speakers:
Prof. Dr. Ardeshir Mahdavi, Technical University of Vienna, Austria
Prof. Dr. Giorgio Gianighian, University IUAV of Venice, Italy
Prof. Dr. Ilknur Kolay, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey
Prof. Dr. Aspa Gospodini, University of Thessaly, Athens, Greece
Adj. Assist. Prof. Dr. Deike Peters, University of Southern California,
    Los Angeles, USA
Assist. Prof. Dr. Martino Tattara, Berlage Institute, Rotterdam, Holland
Dr. Paola Ardizzola, MuseoArchitetturaArte, Pescara, Italy
Mirela Kamberi, United Nations Development Programme, Albania
Christos Passas, Zaha Hadid Architects & Architectural Association,
   London, UK

Over the past twenty years, Tirana, the capital of Albania, has evolved into a dense, compact, and vibrant city of almost one million people, full of shops, cafes, restaurants, music, colorful buildings, and street life. At the same time, it is choked with automobile traffic, its older façades are crumbling down, and the traditional housing stock is being eroded to make room for condominium buildings. Sustainable construction technologies are in their infancy. High-tech high-rise architecture is juxtaposed with small scale informal additions to communist-era housing units and pre-communist oriental and Western neoclassic homes. While there is much private wealth in the country, the public sector has limited resources. This set of circumstances makes Tirana a very interesting laboratory for architects and urban designers & planners, and an enjoyable place to visit.

Epoka University is a newly established non-profit private university with 850 students, including 200 Master’s students. It has seven academic departments, including the Department of Architecture. The academic programs are compatible with the Bologna system. Epoka University fosters cultural diversity: students come from seven different countries in the region and 70 percent of the faculty members come from other countries. Epoka University has already established international ties with universities in the USA, the UK, Italy, Poland, Turkey, and Montenegro. The language of instruction is English.

Further Information:
Epoka University
Autostrada Tirane-Rinas, Km 12,
Tirana, Albania
Tel.: +35 5 42 23 208 6
Fax.: +35 5 42 22 21 17
eMail: icaud@epoka.edu.al
web: www.icaud.epoka.edu.al