Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada
48th Annual Conference
School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
May 31–June 3, 2023
Cast in Place
The theme for the 48th annual conference of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada is Cast in Place. Exceptionally versatile and strong, cast-in-place concrete has played an important role in architecture, engineering, and landscape design in Alberta and across Canada. At times behind the scenes and at others on full display, it has been used in a wide variety of applications, from churches to aqueducts, museums to law courts, and from landscapes to towering observation platforms. Many of these have been recognized as protected historic resources, or awarded prizes for design excellence. While there is much to inspire discussion within this wide variety of structures, the phrase Cast in Place goes beyond concrete. It evokes a broad range of concepts associated with environment, society, philosophy, and theory as they relate to Canadian architecture and sense of place. All of these are welcome interpretations of the conference theme.
The SSAC Calgary 2023 Conference Committee invites proposals for sessions relating to the theme Cast in Place. Sessions may examine such topics as
- Past, current or future construction using cast-in-place concrete;
- philosophy and aesthetics of construction materials;
- the impact of materials on the environment before, during, and after their use in creating structures;
- the influence materials have on the people who inhabit designed spaces;
- connections between place and design;
- the influence of context—social, geographical, historical, economic, etc.—on architectural design;
- the importance of locus to heritage resources;
- any other topic inspired by the phrase “cast in place.”
The SSAC supports inclusive dialogue and encourages perspectives illuminating the influence and experience of gendered and sexually diverse, BIPOC, and disabled communities.
Interested persons are invited to submit proposals for sessions relating to the theme Cast in Place. Please send session proposals, along with a one-page CV, no later than Monday, December 19, 2022, to the following e-mail address: .
A Call for Papers will follow in January.
We acknowledge the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprising the Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai First Nations), as well as the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley First Nations). The city of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.
Photo: UNESCO Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site (cliffs at right), showing the Interpretive Centre with the (cast-in place concrete) museum built into the cliff and tipis pitched on the prairie in the foreground. © Alberta Culture (2009)
