The first version of the international Conference on Utopian & Sacred Architecture Studies (USAS) was held from 11 -13 June 2019 in association with Universita degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli. The conference included many discussions that covered extremely important topics and presented theories and practices stimulated over the last five centuries in a wide range of scientific areas such as historiography, political science as well as literary and art studies. It was a very successful conference.

The international Conference was held in one of the most spiritual cities –the city of Aversa –, one that contains a real life model of sacred architecture and spiritual buildings.

The conference was held under the patronage of Prof. Claudio Gambardella (Chairman - Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, Univ. degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Prof. Ferdinando Trapani - National Coordinator of the agreement "IEREK" - Inter - University Network- Department of Architecture, Universita degli Studi di Palermo, Prof. Rosanna Cioffi - Pro- Rector to Culture - Universita degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Prof. Luigi Maffei Director of Dadi - Department of Architecture and Industrial Design.

Similarly, reputable figures took part such as Prof. Galal Abada, IEREK’s representative, Prof. Paolo Giordano PhD Coordinator of the DADI - Department of Architecture and Industrial Design in the Universita degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Luca Molinari editorial director of Platform Magazine - Department of Architecture and Industrial Design.

The conference received 73 paper submissions that were discussed over 12 sessions.

First day: Opening Ceremony and Keynote Speeches:
The opening ceremony started with greetings and short-introductions by:

Prof. Mona Helmi - Chair of the Architeture Department, University of Business and Technology, Jeeddah, KSA

Prof. Niccolo Casidu - Director of DAD - Department of Architecture and Design, Universita degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"

Prof. Salvatore Frigerio - Head of Collegium Scriptorium Fontis Avellanae

Prof. Alfred Jacoby - Faculty of Architecture, Facility Management & Geo-information at Anhalt University

Imam Muhiddin Gabriele Bottiglioni - Council member of the COREIS religious guides

The opening ceremony witnessed highly important speeches addressing the controversy surrounding Utopia and its successors from its origin to the present and explored the impact on and by utopian, religious, and cultural ideals.

After the lunch break, Authors began presenting their researches while the session chairperson and moderators listened, discussed, and evaluated.

Second Day: Continuation of the Parallel Sessions & Start of the Workshop

Over the second day, remaining researchers continued presenting their work, networking and debating topics and trends in the field. Sessions throughout the conference were moderated by reputable names from the University such as professors:

Paolo Girodano
Alessandra Cirafici
Adriana Galderisi
Luca Molinari
Ornella Zerlenga
Mara Capone
Antonella Violano
Carla Langella
Sergio Sibilio
Antonio Rosato
Patrizia Ranzo
Gioconda Cafiero
Olimpia Niglio
Luigi Guerriero
Elena Manzo
Chiara Ingrosso
Gianfranco De Matteis
Marina D’Aprile
Corrado di Domenico
Susana Alves
Anna Gianneti
Fabio Mangone
Fabiana Forte

Francesca Muzzillo

After concluding the final sessions of the second day, a closing ceremony was held to discuss final remarks presented by the session moderators and speakers which stimulated group discussions and open debates. Key to identifying the next steps and recommendations that would assist in a buildup on the existing research and outcomes of the conference, the closing session proved helpful and fruitful.

To conclude the day and provide our researchers and academics with an opportunity to socialize and establish new connections and collaborations, participants were invited to attend a Gala Dinner.

Third Day: Workshop & Site Visit

The day started early with a tour visit to Reggia di Caserta, the royal palace and the park. After a lunch break, another tour visit to Belvedere of San Leucio and Museo della Seta Del Real Belvedere took place. Finally, group photos of all conference participants were taken as shown and the conference days concluded.

Please be informed that the Utopian and Sacred Architecture Studies conference will be held on the 11th through the 13th of June, instead of being held in May, as the attendees of both the Middle and Far East have requested the change since the day that was announced coincides with the month of Ramadan.

For thousands of years, human beings have dreamt of perfect worlds, worlds free of conflict, hunger, and unhappiness. But can these worlds ever exist in reality?

Our ancestors embodied these dreams in spiritual buildings, in hopes of turning those dreams into a reality, until the appearance of sacred architecture. As a result, many utopian communities and cities have now emerged.

IEREK organizes the international conference on Utopian and Sacred Architecture Studies to be hosted in one of the most spiritual cities, the city of Aversa. Aversa contains a real-life model of sacred architecture, spiritual buildings. To optimize the benefits of going through such an experience, visits to Caserta, Royal Palace and the San Leucio belvedere will be designed alongside the conference's main activities

Moreover, this conference aims to explore the theories and practices stimulated over the last five centuries in a wide range of areas of thought, historiography, political sciences, social sciences, literary and art studies, social activism and in the conception of possible worlds. Thus, it is a chance to address directly the controversy surrounding Utopia and its successors from its origin to our present and explore the impact on and by the utopian religious, and cultural ideals.

This is an appropriate time for reflection on the notion of utopia; whether that of the past, today or the future. IEREK, in collaboration with the Architecture and Industrial Design Department, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" is working to encourage and leave room for dreams and new ideas to inspire a selection of historical utopias, the architecture of cities, utopian ideals, and the impact of religion and culture.

http://www.architettura.unina2.it/ITA/bacheca/news.asp?Id=6573

This conference encourages an exchange of knowledge and ideas as a way to question the ups and downs of a visionary approach to life and considers the different ways in which utopias from the past might help us think about the world today. Utopia offers a variety of approaches for facing the encounters of today by reaching out to the "Next-City".

Selected papers of the conference will be published in a book series by Springer in a book series titled Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Others will be published in the Resourceedings journal by IEREK Press.

Partner Universities

• 1. The Advent Of Utopia

  - Utopia and religious and spiritual architecture.

  - Historical influence of ancient cities on new life.

  - Reconstruction of old theological buildings.

  - Architectural and liturgical reforms in the first half of the twentieth century.

  - Twentieth-century monastic architecture.

• 2. The Utopian Realm

  - Utopian history.

  - Utopian new life style.

  - Real life environmental architecture.

  - Reality and utopian anthropology.

  - Difference between utopia and reality.

• 3. Utopia: The City And Human

  - Utopian views for the future of cities: beyond sustainability

  - Visions for non-urban territories in an urbanizing world

  - Art, life, and prefiguration: stories of contemporary art and intentional communities.

  - Unions as utopian spaces: intersecting narratives of potentiality in the fight against marketised education.

  - Mapping the ‘modern attitude’.

  - Translation movements as historic ‘points of solidarity’ among human beings: prerequisite for utopian human society.

  - Sacred spaces: opportunities for promoting social inclusion and diversity

• 4. Architecture And Art

  - Fictional spaces and imagery places: the language of built space.

  - Interior and literature.

  - Furniture, decoration, materials of sacred interior spaces

  - Icons and meaning.

  - Architectural and visual cultures.

  - Gothic architecture and literature.

  - Preservation, conservation, restoration.

  - Sounds and lights of sacred spaces

  - The communication into the sacred and religious dimensions

• 5. Religious Architecture And Philosophy

  - Religion enquiry in art & architecture.

  - Sacred foundations of architecture.

  - the sacred space into material and primitive cultures of euro-mediterranean area- Culture: The context for theology, liturgy, sacred architecture and art.

  - The responses of the churches to cultural shifts.

  - Theology, liturgy, and sacred architecture and art in the post-constantinian.

Instructions

- Each research paper should have one main author who should pay the full fee (Author fees) regardless of attendance.

- Each co-author (1-5 max) has his/her own separate fees to pay as shown in a table below.

- A research paper fee allows only one author, whether main or co-author, to attend the conference and receive only one copy of the conference proceedings book in both hard and soft copies. Extras can be requested for a fee shown below.

Conference Fees:

 Author Fees (for Short Paper)

Author Fees (for Long Paper) 

Regular Attendance Fees 

Extra Fees (upon request) 

- Delegates in any event who cancel their registration due to special circumstances for any reason will receive refunds according to the following plan and according to the number of days from the start of the event:

EXCEPTION

A refund is not possible if

- An acceptance letter has been issued (Authors only)

- The proceedings of the event have been published (Authors only)

- All matters have been finalized (accommodation/travel expenses paid for)

Visa Rejection Cases

Documents to be issued by IEREK to acquire a visa are as follows:

* Final Acceptance Letter (Authors only)

* Visa Invitation Letter

* Invoice/proof of payment

We encourage all authors and attendees to ensure their having acquired all documents (those applicable) mentioned.

* Authors: may choose to let their co-author present his/her research on his/her behalf free of charge. If the author does not have a co-author, a member of the scientific committee shall present on the author’s behalf.

* Audience members/Registrants: will only be allowed to attend another similar event of their choosing that is organized by IEREK free of charge.

All accepted papers of Utopian & Sacred Architecture Studies (USAS) after the peer-review process will be either published as chapters in the Book Series “Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation” (ASTI) by Springer or in The International Journal of Proceedings of Science and Technology (Resourceedings) online by IEREK Press.

 The ASTI Book Series by Springer is by highly professional members of an International Editorial Board to ensure a high-quality publication material to be eventually published online and printable.

The ASTI Book Series will be submitted for indexation in Web of Science (ISI),

EI-Compendex, and Scopus databases.

If you are not sure whether you or one of your co-authors will be able to attend the conference, you should bear in mind that there is a fee to be paid for Audiences (Co-authors, Learners, and Interests). The accepted paper will not be included in the conference proceedings without paying the fee (see Conference Fees for more details). A research paper fee allows only one author, whether main or co-author, to attend the conference and receive only one copy of the conference proceedings book in both hard and soft copies. Extras can be requested for a fee shown below.Note that only authors of accepted papers who will register before the deadline of 01 May 2019 will be allowed to present during the conference sessions (see Important Dates and Conference Fees). 

The proceedings of the Utopian & Sacred Architecture Studies (USAS) will consist of 5 sections (or Parts), each edited by the following group of Chief Editors:

Prof. Claudio Gambardella,
Associate Professor of Industrial Design at the Department of Architecture and Industrial Design (DADI) of the Università degli Studi di Napoli “Luigi Vanvitelli” (SUN).

Prof. Dean Hawkes
Professor of architectural design at the Welsh School of Architecture.

Prof. Francesca Tosi
Professor of architecture at the Department of Architecture of the University of Florence

Prof. Luigi Maffei

Professor and head of department at the department of Architecture and Industrial Design of the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli

Prof. Maria Luisa Germana

Associate Professor of Architectural Technology and of Environmental Design at Palermo University, Department of Architecture

- IEREK provides you the English Review service; where we will be responsible for the language review process of your paper. This service will get your paper revised in terms of grammar, punctuation, and language structure; without changing the scientific content.

- This service will ensure you have the perfect language structure, to get your perfect paper published. This will help you increase the number of citations and make it easier for others access the information provided in your paper.

Fees for the editing process:

If you are interested in getting this service, please email us your paper on: [email protected]

- IEREK has an unyielding policy regarding plagiarism. We believe that copying/taking the ideas and work of other authors without permission and credit is fraudulent.

- The reviewing committee and IEREK employees have the authority to reject a paper during its reviewing process, on the basis of the paper being subjected to either minor or major plagiarism.

- Duplicating any content, even if it is one sentence or one table without the consent of its original author, will lead to the paper’s refusal upon the complaint of the plagiarism victim.

Since conferences are the places where new science results are typically first presented so, it helps you sharpen the saw, meet experts & influencers face to face, learning in a new space, build your knowledge base, expand your resources and grow your professional network. Yet attending conferences organized by IEREK will not only helps you gain previous benefits but also can be very rewarding on the professional level due to below reasons:

1. Open Discussions: We bring together leading academic scientists to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of smart cities development. Furthermore, you get to converse with other researchers from different universities and countries. You learn from experts in the field. It is a great opportunity to find more about your field and listen to ideas that could help inspire research ideas of your own.

2. Internationally Accredited Certificate: The participants are granted internationally recognized certificates which will be added to their certificates of experience or could be presented to the official authorities concerned.

3. Publication: The conference proceedings will be published by one or more journals since authors can choose to publish their research paper either in "Resourceedings" international journal of science hosted by IEREK Press or "SSRN" by "ELSEVIER". Besides, high-quality manuscripts based on scientific committee evaluation will be published either in Environmental Sciences & Sustainable Development (ESSD) by IEREK Press or a book series by "Springer".

4. Research Technologies: Conferences also can expand your resources by providing a great opportunity to promote gathered information on new technologies related to your research. Moreover, they let you test them out, share teaching tools and techniques, or even obtain samples of textbooks.

5. Networking: Conferences help in networking which often increases your chances of collaboration in future projects. As you can engage with respectable professors and discuss with them the very latest research projects they could be working on.

6. Academic Reputation: Attending many conferences will make you a known figure in academic circles, not to mention the benefits for your C.V as it will create an impression that you are an active member of the academic community.

7. Conference Proceedings Material: Delegates will have the choice of receiving the conference proceedings as either a hardcover book or in digital format on a CD. The CD will additionally contain proceedings from previous conferences in this series.

8. Venue: Getting an overview of the place or city where the conference is being held and learning about its people and culture.

Moreover, all conference papers are archived online in the E-Library of IEREK‘s website where they are immediately and permanently available to the international scientific community.

- For participants who need Entry Visas, IEREK will issue a visa letter for applicants who are accepted to present at our conferences.

- Please notice that we will endeavor to assist you in obtaining a visa but the responsibility is yours and the decision rests solely with the appropriate Embassy.

*The Conference Final Program has been announced, to download

Believing in the importance of exploiting time, cultural exchange, as well as visiting new places, IEREK provides its conference members visits to the following spiritual buildings:

- Pompeii: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii
- Amalfi Coast: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalfi_Coast
- Ravello:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravello

Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation Book Series
IEREK Series for Interdisciplinary Studies

Springer:

- On 10 May 1842 (his 25th birthday), Julius Springer founded his bookstore and publishing house in Berlin, laying the foundation for today’s company.

- After 175 dynamic years, the name Springer stands for a globally active publisher dedicated to the advancement of science, putting its authors and editors at the heart of the company’s publishing activities.

- Springer is a leading global scientific, technical and medical portfolio, providing researchers in academia, scientific institutions and corporate R&D departments with quality content through innovative information, products and services.

- Springer has one of the strongest STM and HSS eBook collections and archives, as well as a comprehensive range of hybrid and open access journals.

- Springer is part of Springer Nature, a global publisher that serves and supports the research community. Springer Nature aims to advance discovery by publishing robust and insightful science, supporting the development of new areas of research and making ideas and knowledge accessible around the world.

- As part of Springer Nature, Springer sits alongside other trusted brands like Nature Research, BioMed Central, and Palgrave Macmillan.

About the Series:

Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation (ASTI) is a series of peer-reviewed books based on the best studies on emerging research that redefines existing disciplinary boundaries in science, technology, and innovation (STI) in order to develop integrated concepts for sustainable development. The series is mainly based on the best research papers from various IEREK and other international conferences or direct submissions and is intended to promote the creation and development of viable solutions for a sustainable future and a positive societal transformation with the help of integrated and innovative science-based approaches. Offering interdisciplinary coverage, the series presents innovative approaches and highlights how they can best support both the economic and sustainable development for the welfare of all societies. In particular, the series includes conceptual and empirical contributions from different interrelated fields of science, technology, and innovation that focus on providing practical solutions to ensure food, water, and energy security. It also presents new case studies offering concrete examples of how to resolve sustainable urbanization and environmental issues. The series is addressed to professionals in research and teaching, consultancies and industry, and government and international organizations. Published in collaboration with Springer, the IEREK Interdisciplinary Series for Sustainable Development will acquaint readers with essential new studies in STI for sustainable development.

Publication

Publishing your paper with a reputable and renowned publisher is necessary to maintain the high quality standards of the scientific process along with retaining your copyright. It is even more advantageous to increase the exposure of your paper to the rest of the scientific community either online, offline, or in both versions.

All of the papers present in the book either belong to the best research papers in IEREK’s conferences or the authors’ direct submissions.Fees for direct submission: - The revision process: 200$ (nonrefundable)- Once the paper is accepted and approved: 200$.

Click on the below image to learn more about the editors