WG3 WORKSHOP

Polyphonies of Ambiances

The Workshop

As part of the COST Action CitySenZ, Athens will host a series of events in late 2026 dedicated to the polyphonies of urban ambiances, exploring the city as a living collective of relationships between inhabitants, spaces, infrastructures and environments.

A participatory architecture workshop, Polyphonies of Ambiances, will take place from 28 to 30 November 2026 at the Kypseli Public Market. It will offer an immersive exploration of the neighbourhood’s ambiances through sensory walks, field recordings, collective analysis and experimental design approaches, closely connected to everyday practices and perceptions.

The workshop is co-organised by COST MC members Greece - Evangelia Paxinou and Nicolas Rémy - with the participation of Théa Manola and Théo Marchal (AAU CRESSON, ENSAG) from Grenoble France, bringing together scientific expertise, architectural practice and sensory approaches.

These activities will be extended by an international public conference on 1–2 December 2026 at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Titled Balancing and Aligning Urban Ambiances, the conference will gather researchers, practitioners and public stakeholders to address contemporary urban challenges through the lens of ambiances, bridging science, engineering, architecture and lived experience.

Together, these events form a key moment of research-creation and interdisciplinary dialogue, positioning ambiances as a shared framework for understanding, designing and inhabiting contemporary cities.

ORGANISING COMMITTEE

Nicolas Remy
WG 3. LEADER

Evangelia Paxinou
WG 3. CO-LEADER

DESCRIPTION

"Balancing and Aligning" aims to create balance and align the different approaches, perspectives and concepts relating to architectural and urban ambiences within the Action. This involves ensuring a common and coherent understanding of the ambiences, while recognizing the diversity of perspectives brought by participants from various disciplinary backgrounds..

The task includes collecting various types of resources, including but not limited to:

1. Synthesis of Concepts: Participants will synthesize ambiences-related definitions and approaches to create a comprehensive and nuanced consensus definition.
2. Unification of Terminologies: The task aims to harmonize and unify vocabulary for clear communication.

3. Identification of Convergences and Divergences: Participants will identify common ground and differences in ambiences approaches, working on clarification and compromise.

4. Training and Awareness: Action members will receive training for a shared understanding, fostering effective participation and awareness.

Participatory Validation: A participatory validation process will allow members to comment, evaluate, and validate alignment results.

5. Continuous Review: Balancing and Aligning is an ongoing process that may evolve with new ideas and research.

Workshop Call

Useful Informations

Location and Practical Information

• Venue: Kypseli Public Market, Athens.

• Dates: 28-30 Nov, 2026.

• Duration: 3 days

• Funding: Eligible participants will be invited via e-COST and reimbursed in accordance with COST rules. Daily allowances of €199/day are provided to participants by reimbursement only. Participants must submit their reimbursement claims in e-COST within 30 days of the workshop's completion. The Grant Holder will process reimbursements after validation of the claims.