PLEA 2020 Conference in A Coruña
Living Peripheries / Chavornay © EPFL / LAST / Olivier Wavre
The 35th edition of the International Conference on Passive Low Energy Architecture (PLEA) was organized by the University of A Coruña (UDC) from 1st to 3rd September 2020. On this occasion, the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) was involved into the presentation of two conference papers concerning its research on the integration of sustainability criteria into the urban and architectural design process.
PLEA is an organization engaged in a worldwide discourse on sustainable architecture and urban design through international conferences, workshops, and publications. It has a membership of several thousand professionals, academics, and students from over 40 countries. PLEA is a renowned, highly regarded international annual conference to discuss and promote the development of bioclimatic design and the application of natural and innovation techniques for sustainable architecture and design.
Since 1982, PLEA has organized conferences and events across the globe. The annual conference of PLEA is highly regarded, attracting academics and practicing architects in equal numbers. Past conferences have taken place in the United States, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. It is the first time since 1991 that the PLEA conference comes to Spain, organized by the University of A Coruña.
With the theme “Planning Post Carbon Cities” and six tracks of “Sustainable Buildings”, “Resources”, “Resilient and Extreme Design”, “Sustainable Communities”, “Analysis and Methods”, and “Education, Awareness and Dissemination”, the conference explored the interplay between research, technology, and design in defining and planning future urban areas. It is the aim of the conference to network designers, academics, researchers, students, and professionals in the building industry in the pursuit of a better and more sustainable urban and built environment.
During this international conference, the LAST presented two articles on the results of the “Living Peripheries” and “Active Interfaces” research projects, developed with the support of the Swiss National Science Fund (SNSF):