This November, architects, designers, and technological innovators will convene in Miami for ACADIA 2025, the annual conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture. Co-hosted by Florida International University (FIU) and the University of Miami (UM), the six-day event will explore how computational design can foster resilience amid climate, political, and economic instability.
Set against Miami’s precarious yet dynamic urban landscape, this year’s theme, COMPUTING for RESILIENCE: Expanding Community Knowledge & Impact, positions the city as both a testing ground and model for innovation. As sea levels rise, and social inequities deepen, the conference asks how architects and researchers can use technology not just to predict and mitigate crises, but to imagine a new system of adaptation.
The workshops will take place November 3–5 across the FIU and UM campuses, offering both in-person and online sessions. Topics will range from AI-driven design methods to advanced fabrication workflows, encouraging hands-on experimentation with emerging tools.
The main conference follows November 6–8 at FIU’s School of Architecture and the School of Computing and Information Sciences building. Each day will feature paper sessions, panels, and keynote lectures that examine computational methods for sustainable and socially responsive design.
Day one for the main conference opens with a panel discussion moderated by Dana Cupkova joined by Skylar Tibbits, Karla Saldana Ochoa, Aldo Sollazzo, Neil Leach, and Rodolphe el-Khoury, who will debate the potential of computation to foster material and social resilience. Later that evening, keynote speaker David Benjamin will deliver the first of the conference’s major talks, followed by the exhibition opening and book forum at the BEA gallery. Benjamin leads applied research on net-zero buildings at Autodesk Research and directs Autodesk Research’s in-house architectural studio The Living. His work at Autodesk examines generative design, low-carbon materials, and biological innovation.
The following days will highlight ACADIA’s annual Awards of Excellence, recognizing groundbreaking research and leadership in digital practice. On November 8, Samuele Sordi, chief architect at Pininfarina America, will deliver the closing keynote. A gala dinner will follow at Bay 13 Brewery in Coral Gables.
Throughout the three-day conference, concurrent project sessions, field notes presentations, and a new grant-writing workshop are meant to provide avenues for interdisciplinary collaboration.
The full conference agenda can be accessed here, and details on registration can be found here.
The Architect’s Newspaper is a media partner for ACADIA 2025.