This IS Architecture. Notes from the Field
In 2026, as it marks thirty years of publication, the Journal of Architecture invites contributions to ‘This IS Architecture. Notes from the Field’: concise, rigorously framed reports and reflections that document how architectural research, and research on architecture, becomes public through events and practices around the world. We seek situated writing that shows why a given event or practice is timely where it happens, how it speaks to the climate emergency and related socioeconomic and ecological crises, and in what ways it sets trajectories for research, pedagogy, policy, or practice. Rather than asking whether something is ‘architectural’, the strand asks what kinds of practices, events, and inquiries matter for the ways we inhabit and organise space.
A ‘Note from the Field’ is short-form and accessible, yet grounded. Authors are encouraged to write from participation or close observation, to foreground local actors and knowledges, and to articulate stakes and implications with clarity. We welcome contributions from researchers, practitioners, educators, collectives, curators, activists, policy workers, and community partners. Notes may emerge from exhibitions, installations, design studios, field schools, research projects, public programmes, policy processes, activist work, or situations where architectural knowledge – including that which emerges outside conventional boundaries of the discipline – is produced, contested or mobilised.
What to submit
Please send a note of 1,000 to 1,800 words (shorter pieces are welcome where appropriate), optionally accompanied by images or a short video link where relevant. Where images depict people or proprietary work, please confirm that permissions and credits are in place.
How we read
Submissions will be considered in the spirit of the Journal of Architecture’s long-standing criteria of originality, significance, and rigour. We are particularly interested in notes that convey the specificity of a situation while making its broader stakes legible. Clarity, situated insight, and the capacity to illuminate emerging trajectories will guide editorial decisions.
Timing
The strand will run across 2026 and into early 2027. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis and published as they are ready.
Submission
Please submit via the Journal’s online system under the article type ‘This IS Architecture’. We encourage prospective contributors to contact us informally if they wish to discuss an idea before submitting.
Accessibility and inclusion
We welcome co-authored notes and notes that draw on community or practitioner perspectives. If English is not the working language of the event or practice described, please indicate this. Where possible, the editorial team will support light language editing to ensure clarity and fair representation.
Rights
Standard Journal terms apply. Authors are responsible for securing permissions for images and third-party materials before publication.
Guidance for prospective authors
A good ‘Note from the Field’ reads with immediacy and precision. It names places and actors, anchors claims in observation and participation, and shows how an event or practice makes a difference. It is a concise account of architectural knowledge in action.
Length and media
Approximately 1,000 to 1,800 words; images at 300 dpi or a link to a short video hosted on a stable platform are welcome but not required.
Attribution and ethics
State roles and contributions where multiple authors are involved. Confirm consent for identifiable participants in images or recordings. Any funding or institutional support relevant to the activity may be acknowledged briefly.
Referencing
References may be included where useful but should be kept to a minimum.
Editorial process
The editorial team will screen submissions for fit and quality, request revisions where needed, and schedule accepted notes for publication. Correspondence will focus on clarity, permissions, and alignment with the aims of the strand.