Photo: UM

STATEMENT

Under the aegis of the Association for Research on Digital Architectural Design (ARCAN), and following on from the discussions initiated during the 11th edition of the SCAN'24 seminar "Artificial Intelligence and Architecture" (organized by the University Ibn Khaldoun in Tunis, from November 6 to 8, 2024), the 12th edition of the SCAN'26 seminar "CONCEVOIR ET HABITER LE FUTUR" will be organized by the EVCAU laboratory (Digital Environments, Architectural and Urban Cultures) at ENSA Paris-Val de Seine – Université Paris-Cité, in partnership with the HUT consortium (HUman at home projecT). It will be held in Montpellier, from November 4 to 6, 2026, hosted by the LICeM Laboratory (Innovation, Communication and Market) of the University of Montpellier.

This call for papers is situated within the context of adapting territories and built environments to the intersecting challenges of digital and ecological transitions, where the fight against climate change is a central concern. Addressing these challenges requires a systemic approach mobilizing a plurality of disciplinary fields, levers of action, and scales of intervention.

Intelligent environments and systems are profoundly transforming the ways in which we design, inhabit, and govern our cities. The emergence of computational models integrating big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and modeling such as BIM, CIM, and digital twins is modifying not only the design processes, but also offering new logics for decision-making, management, and education.

These transformations have led, over the past decade, to the development of theoretical frameworks and operational models aimed at analyzing the integration of intelligent technologies into spatial production. These approaches particularly seek to optimize usage conditions, adapt to social dynamics, and support the imperatives of environmental sustainability.

The use of natural language processing, the rise of generative AI, and the generalization of data now make possible the creation of highly detailed models of buildings, neighborhoods, or even entire cities, particularly through the development of digital twins. These dynamic representations can be used to simulate and visualize various urban evolution scenarios: land-use planning, resource and flow management (mobility, energy, water), risk prevention, and improvement of living conditions.

These transitions assume a rational and optimized management of resources—especially energy resources—and imply a profound transformation of urban forms, norms, usages, and housing mechanisms. Digital technology here plays a structuring role, both as a vector of technical change and as a driver of behavioral transformation. The active involvement of users, through the adoption of more sober and responsible energy practices, constitutes a central lever of this transformation.

The housing of tomorrow must therefore combine environmental sobriety, user comfort, technological intelligence, and adaptability to the evolutions of our lifestyles. Living in an intelligent home is no longer a prospective fiction, but is already initiating new forms of interaction between the inhabitant and their environment, through a renewed relationship with space, automation, and data. This future housing, however, must not exacerbate existing social inequalities, but rather contribute to reducing them by ensuring equitable access to innovations and their benefits.

This new edition of SCAN’26 thus aims to take these transformations as subjects of study and debate, mobilizing an interdisciplinary approach combining architectural design, technological innovation, and lifestyle transformations. The goal is to explore how research and education can meet the challenges of ecological and digital transitions by reshaping design frameworks and pedagogical practices. It also aims to question the complex interactions between human intelligence, artificial intelligence, urban data, and architectural practices.

The 2026 edition of the SCAN symposium is part of an interdisciplinary dynamic exploring contemporary transformations of housing and built environments in the digital age. The research themes developed by the HUT project (HUman at home projecT), which studies the interactions between technologies, uses, and connected habitat, present strong thematic complementarities with the questions raised by SCAN. This proximity offers a favorable framework for enriching scientific exchanges on emerging forms of inhabiting, the role of data in design processes, and the technological systems reconfiguring spatial and social practices.

Several research themes have been identified, each addressing scientific, technological, and pedagogical challenges that must be overcome to support the reconfiguration of the built environment in response to the changes in sociotechnical systems, usage regimes, and digital tools.

These themes are organized around six structuring topics, which aim to jointly question the transformations in design practices, the evolutions of forms of inhabiting, and the modalities of transmission and production of architectural knowledge in the age of artificial intelligence.

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

Three types of contributions are proposed under this call for papers. Submissions must follow the templates and editorial guidelines defined in the downloadable style sheets (see publisher’s folder).

1. Scientific article (8 to 12 pages) Scientific articles should present original, recent, and mature research, aligned with the standards of the academic community. They must articulate a clear problem, an explicit theoretical positioning, a rigorous methodology, and findings or perspectives that offer a significant contribution to research. The submitted work must not have been published previously.
2. Pedagogical article (6 to 12 pages) This format is intended for the sharing of experiences, practices, and critical reflections related to the teaching of architecture and the city in the digital age. Proposals may focus on innovative approaches, pedagogical experiments, digital tools, or reflections on curriculum evolution. Particular attention will be paid to the reflective and transferable dimensions of the experiences presented.
3. Poster (A1 format, portrait) Posters should present ongoing research, experimental projects, prototypes, methodological approaches, or practical applications involving digital technologies in architecture, urbanism, or interdisciplinary research. Authors must use the provided template; printing will be handled by the organizers.

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE (in progress and to be confirmed)

• Hassan AIT HADDOU, EVCAU, ENSA Paris Val de Seine, France
• Rahim AGUEJDAD, TETIS CNRS, France
• Benoît BARDY, EuroMov, Université de Montpellier
• Claire BAILLY, EVCAU, ENSA Paris Val de Seine, France
• Samia BEN RAJEB, BATir, Ecole Polytechnique, ULB, Belgique
• Abdelkader BEN SACI, UMR AAU, CRESSON, ENSA Grenoble, France
• Nazila Kahina BELKADI, ENSA-PLV, France
• Vincent BECUE, URBAIne, Faculté d'Architecture et d'Urbanisme, UMons, Belgique
• Catherine BERNIE-BOISSARD, Université de Nîmes 
• Eglantine BIGOT-DOLL, MAP-Aria, ENSA Bretagne
• Abdelaziz BOUKARA, ENSA de Marseille, France
• Hakim BOULAASSAL, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Tanger, Maroc
• Jean Brange , Président AFNeT Services
• Edouardo BREVI, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Brésil
• Guy CAMILLERI, IRIT, Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse
• Anne-Sophie CASES, MRM, Université de Montpellier
• Patrice CECCARINI, ENSAPVS, Université Paris-Cité
• Damien CLAEYS, LOCI, UCL, Belgique
• Thierry CIBLAC, GSA, ENSA Paris Malaquais, France
• Jean-Pierre COUWENBERGH, LOCI, UCL, Belgique
• Malo DEPINCE, LECiM, Université de Montpellier, France
• Catherine DESHAYES, MAP-MAACC, ENSA Paris La Villette, France
• Omar DOUKARI, Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University
• Hamou FADILI, FMSH, Université Paris 8, France
• Serge FARAUT, LRA, ENSA de Toulouse, France
• Alain FOUCARAN, IES-CNRS, Université de Montpellier
• Mohamed-Anis GALLAS, UMons, Belgique
• Gilles GESQUIERE, Univ. Lyon 2, LIRIS, France
• Marie-Pierre GLEIZES, IRIT, NeoCampus
• Jean-Pierre GOULETTE, LRA, ENSA Toulouse, France
• Annie GUERRIERO, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Luxembourg
• François GUENA, MAP-MAACC, ENSA Paris La Villette, France
• Gilles HALIN, MAP-CRAI, Université de Lorraine, France
• Elodie HOCHSCHEID, ENSA Nancy, France
• Kévin JACQUOT, MAP-ARIA, ENSA Lyon, France
• Pedro KOPSCHITZ, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Brésil
• Laila KOUBAA TURKI, M2A- ENAU, UIK, Tunisie
• Patrizia LAUDATI, Laboratoire EUR CREATES, Université Côte d'Azur
• Pierre LECLERCQ, LUCID, Faculté des Sciences appliquées, ULiège, Belgique
• Laurent LESCOP, ENSA Nantes, UMR AAU - CRENAU, France
• Thomas LEDUC, AAU, ENSA Nantes, France
• Théo MARCHAL, UMR AAU, CRESSON, ENSA Grenoble, France
• Philippe MARIN, MHA, ENSA Grenoble, France
• Sandra MARQUES, LRA, ENSA Toulouse, France
• Jean MAGERAND, EVCAU, France
• Marc MEQUIGNON, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse
• Tommy MESSAOUDI, MAP-CRAI, ENSA Nancy, France
• Arthur-Henri MICHALLAND, LIRMM, CNRS
• Denis MOTTET, EuroMov, Université de Montpellier
• Ahmed Nait Sidi MOUH, Université de Picardie Jules Vernes
• Déborah NOURRIT, EuroMov, Université de Montpellier
• Claire NOY, Lerass Ceric, Université Montpellier Paul Valery
• Stéphane Ploix, Grenoble Institue Of Technology, Grenoble
• François PEREA, Université Montpellier Paul Valery
• Patrick REIGNIER, Ensimag Grenoble
• Stéphane SAFIN, Telecom Paris Tech, France
• Myriam SERVIERES, UMR AAU - CRENAU, Ecole Centrale de Nantes
• Joaquim SILVESTRE, MAP-MAACC, ENSA Paris La Villette
• Daniel SIRET, UMR AAU, ENSA Nantes, France
• Souha TAHRANI, École de Technologie Supérieure, Montréal, GRIDD, Canada
• Magalie TECHER, Université Montpellier Paul Valery
• Sibylle TURO, CSTB, HUT, Université de Montpellier
• Pierre VINCENT, EVCAU, ENSA Paris Val de Seine, France
• Pascale ZARATE, Université Toulouse Capitole
• Georges ZISSIS, LAPLACE et fédération SH HD

(en construction)