Welcome to the CA²RE conference 2026

We are delighted to announce the 20nd CA²RE conference for Artistic and Architectural Research at the Faculty of Architecture and Design, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.
This edition of the CA²RE Conference series will take place in Trondheim (Norway) from September 24th to September 26tht, 2026.

Practice & Design driven Research encompasses many different forms of research in which (architectural and artistic) practice and the results thereof are implemented as means to generate and disseminate new knowledge. This includes contemporary alternative formulations of the field, like: Artistic Research, Research by Design, Practice Based/Led Research, Creative practice Research. These variations pave the ground for an investigation of the meeting/touching points and/or borders between these (maybe) different approaches:

In Trondheim we have two PhD study programs which are supposed to outline all these named research approaches; The study program in Architecture (which at least covers the academic and the practice-based research) and the PhD program for artistic research, a cooperation between our Faculty of Architecture and Design and the Faculty of Humanities. Inside either of these programs one can argue that similar research themes can have different approaches, methods and directions.

At the Trondheim CA2RE conference we intentionally positioned the conference theme at the fringe, the border of your research. We want you to follow your originally intended path and approach, without necessity to vary or bend towards a particular topic. Still, we will ask you to look “outside” your manifested direction and overall approach, to contextualize your research in wider discussions. Is there something you could gain from other ways of doing it? Are you curious about how the arts e.g. approach certain challenges or vice versa, or do you think yours is the ONLY right way?

Programme and mode(s) of presentation

The CA²RE Conference Trondheim is a three-day event around a program of research sessions, discussions, and invited lectures/activities. Participants are encouraged to realize experimental presentation formats for the presentation and discussion at the conference, using different sorts of objects, media, creating spaces of immediate experience, live performances, artefacts, multi-media installations, or movie clips.

Submission guidelines - visual abstracts and papers

UPLOAD through EasyChair HERE!

We invite researchers from diverse fields of design-driven research of any stage and context to apply for presenting and discussing their projects at the conference. Contributions from all relevant fields and disciplines are welcome: architectural design, urban design and planning, sustainable development, interior design, landscape architecture, music, performing arts, visual arts, product design, social design, interaction design, and others.

First stage submission

Abstracts: 600-800 words including illustrations (max four A4 pages of images, as an integral part of the submitted file) in an anonymous PDF file.

And include in addition:

• A short reflection on the importance and role of the design-driven research approach (or your mode?), methodologies, techniques and tools employed in the research project (max 250 words), referring as well to the conference’s main topic, should be included on both previous formats.

It is only possible to upload 1 file in easychair, please combine your parts.

Second stage submission

1. Extended illustrated abstracts: 50-800 words including illustrations (max four A4 pages of images, as an integral part of the submitted file) in an anonymous PDF file;
2. Papers/ written essay: 1200-2400 words; 1 image; bibliographic references;
3. A short CV (max 100 words) should be uploaded as a separated PDF file.

Publication

Abstracts of admitted contributions will be published in the Conference Book of Abstracts. Essays of selected participants will be published in the conference proceedings (open access with DOI and ISBN).

Presentations

For each contribution at the conference 20 minutes of presentation by the author(s) are foreseen and ca 30 minutes of discussion with a board of respondents, as a second peer review. In-place participation is obligatory. Participants are encouraged to realize experimental presentation formats for the presentation and discussion at the conference, using different sorts of objects, media, creating spaces of immediate experience, live performances, artefacts, multi-media installations, or movie clips. We would also like to involve all participants, presenters and panel in a short workshop, discussing the conference theme.

Venue

Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Trondheim, Norway, Campus Gløshaugen

Fee

A conference fee of 150 EUR will be applied to all participants and submissions.

Contact

All questions about submissions should be mailed to: markus.schwai@ntnu.no.

Important dates

April 10 publication of Call

May 17 Abstract submission

June 10 Notification of acceptance

June 30 Submission II

September 24-26 Conference