Architectural and urban research, education, and practice in the era of ‘post-professionalism’ : CAUMME - 2014 International symposium: Contemporary Architecture & Urbanism in the Mediterranean & the Middle East / proceeding editor: Hossein Sadri.

"23-25 October 2014, Girne – Cyprus"

Conference Co-Chair and Invited Keynote Speaker: 'Post-professional' architecture and urbanity have emerged in recent decades as a by-product of the globalized world with neo-liberal states, multi-national corporations, and worldwide social and environmental predicaments. The structure of the state is being transformed and consequently the associated paradigm of 'professionalism' that prevailed throughout the period of the modern (nation) state, much of the twentieth century, is no longer persuasive. A significant feature of these changes in relation to contemporary architectural and urban research, education and practice is that as they are transitioning into the 'post-professional' era they are losing their public/ national/ social roles. As public-oriented correlations between education, research and practice have subsided, so the education, research and practice of architecture and urbanity have been restructured via business-led / market-led motivations. Architectural and urban research discourse has progressed from the exclusivist vision of the physical / built environment where discrete objects were produced within the ordained limits of delineated professional fields, towards more inclusive inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches with both international and local visions. The professional intention, technical base, and mostly mono-type educational programmes in architecture and urbanity have evolved towards experimental, critical and diverse educational curricula. At the same time, architectural and urban practices have changed from individual engagement in designing spaces with high use value for public benefit to specialists' collective production of images with high exchange value for the benefits of private / limited stakeholders. That is to say, parallel to these developments in the practice, 'post-professional' architecture and urban research and education established the ground for diverse critical movements. This symposium aims to discuss these critical attitudes which can reshape architectural and urban practices and re-establish their relations with research and education, to foster understanding and appreciation of different manifestations in contemporary architectural and urban education, research and practice.