Presidents Message, March 01, 2015

Notes from the President

When elected in the summer of 2013 this EAAE Council gave itself two years to re‐establish the organisation. The EAAE Conference 2015 in Milano will be the start of a new series of annual EAAE events, following the tradition of the Rectors meeting in Chania. I invite you all to the first EAAE Conference titled “Architectural Education in Troubled Times” and I invite EAAE‐members to be represented at the very decisive General Assembly in Milano where will be decided upon the
future role of the organisation and where a new Council and EAAE President will be elected.

The Conference and the GA mark the end of the two‐year period for this council. We have been able to meet the accusations raised by the questions of EAAE and ENHSA economy and organisational procedures. This has been done by careful  investigations and professional auditing. The Council has also been able to start a reconciliation process within the organisation that proved itself during the conclusion of the EU‐financed ENHSA project and the celebration of the history of
ENHSA, the 17th Meeting of Heads and the ENHSA coordinators. EAAE is gaining members that left or have been reluctant to participate in the organisation since the 2013 conflict.

The challenge is however, to restart the organisation and to turn it into a productive, disciplinary relevant, representative, and politically active organisation for the European schools.

The Council is convinced that, more than ever, there is a need for the EAAE as an “umbrella organisation” covering the European map of schools of architecture. We observe that sister organisations like ELIA for the European Art Schools works as a very productive and professional organisation http://www.elia‐artschools.org.

There are changes to be made, actions to be fulfilled and ground to be covered before the EAAE can successfully fulfil the role of a modern interest organisation for European Schools of Architecture. However, the organisation has a strong member‐based economy, the total membership is relatively stable, and the new secretariat and administration handled by the University of Hasselt works efficiently.

The process of “re‐start” was kicked off in 2014:

  • New modernised regulations for the EAAE have been formulated and were voted upon and accepted in the Chania GA.
  • The EAAE has established new and well‐functioning web‐pages that are further developed according to an ambitious plan of becoming the central web‐page for exchanging information between Schools of Architecture, http://s397983935.websitehome.co.uk/eaaelive.
  • The EAAE guide for Europeans Schools is re‐established.
  • The EAAE/Ace working party is re‐established with both the ACE president Luciano Lazzari and the EAAE president as members. This gives a platform and more precise strategies towards EU politics and organisations.
  • The EAAE Advocacy group and Periodicals group are being re‐established.
  • EAAE has received EU‐funding for an Erasmus+ project (“Wicked problems in Architectural Educations”) that involves a number of EAAE‐schools. The project will be disseminated as part of the Milano program.
  • The EAAE student prize competition is re‐established in cooperation with Ion Mincu University in Bucharest and ACE.
  • The planning of the EAAE/ARCC INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE – LISBON 2016, has started, following the earlier Conferences in Copenhagen, Milano and Hawaii. We are planning for a comprehensive and global conference, working together with sister organisations in the US, Latin America, China, and Australia.
  • The EAAE is still publishing documents from our activities. During the autumn books based on the EAAE/ARCC Research Conference in Milano were distributed. In January 2015 we published annual EAAE review, this time publishing articles on Research by design, including the winning articles from the EAAE Prize Competition.

The discussion in the Council at the moment considers the future role of the organisation, how to work and what to give priority. The EAAE has to a large extent been working through networks, many of these financed by the ENHSA project that has now ended. A few of the EAAE networks are still functioning well; a very good example is the Conservation network.

The Council divides the activities into networks, strategic initiatives, and projects. The intention is, during the meeting in Valencia in mid‐March, to give priority to certain thematic network, strategic initiatives and projects, and to establish leadership, mission and a budget for the different activities.    The EAAE general mission covers Architectural Education and Architectural Research. A central discussion at the Valencia meeting and in the Milano GA will deal with our input in research activities. There has been a meeting between the EAAE Council and members of the research network Arena and we are taking into account the ENHSA project of mapping doctoral education in the schools of architecture.

The meeting in Milano will be very important for the future of the EAAE. We will be making decisions on the future of the organisation and on the establishment of a new Council and EAAE President.

EAAE CONFERENCE MILANO
Architectural Education in Troubled Times  
27th – 31th of August 2015

The Conference is supervised by the EAAE Council.
The Organisational Committee of EAAE 2015 Milano: Adalberto Del Bo, Ilaria Valente, Marco Bovati, Michele Caja, Giancarlo Floridi, Martina Landsberger

PROGRAM (draft)
27th of August, Patio Politecnico Leonardo School
REGISTRATION / WELCOME, LECTURE, Opening Exhibition “LC IN MILAN” Spazio Mostre Leonardo,
SOCIAL DINNER in Patio Leonardo

28th of August, Politecnico Leonardo School
CONFERENCE ‐ European Architectural Education in Troubled Times
EAAE book presentation: “The future of Architecture and its education”
TEATRO SCALA La Bohème (Individual booking)

29th of August
EXPO Visit

30th of August, Leonardo:
EAAE/ACE ACADEMY ‐ Dissemination ERASMUS +
EAAE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
VIGEVANO.  CITYVISIT AND DINNER IN CASTELLO

31st of August Check out
Reasonable accommodation is available in student residences. Politecnico di Milano provides a list of hotels close to venue to book individually.

The 2015 General Assembly is scheduled for the 30th of August and will take place at the Politecnico Leonardo School. Preparatory documents will be sent out before the 1st of May and should be completed before the 1st of July. At the GA the following will be discussed (preliminary schedule):

  • Report from the Council
  • Report on EAAE management and economy
  • EAAE – role and strategies.
  • Priorities and ways of working: Networks, strategic initiatives and projects
  • EAAE work plan 2015 – 2016
  • EAAE budget 2015
  • Supplementary election of Council Members
  • Election of President

 

Oslo, 1st of March 2015
Karl Otto Ellefsen
EAAE President