Founded in 1976, the ARCC is an international association of architectural research centers, academies and organizations committed to the research culture and supporting infrastructure of architecture and related design disciplines. Through conference programming, grant and award programs, workshops and research journal Enquiry, ARCC represents a concerted commitment to improve the quality of life in the built environment.

Historically, ARCC’s members have been schools of architecture who have made substantial commitments to architectural research, often by forming centers directed to research programs. At the same time, ARCC has sponsored many projects, conferences, and other activities involving the broader architectural research community, including industrial laboratories, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private practitioners engaged in research.

ARCC members are engaged in sponsored and theoretical research and in graduate studies intended to develop a more comprehensive research infrastructure for architecture — an infrastructure of researchers, facilities, equipment, research centers, and academic programs working to expand the knowledge base for education and practice. Research areas include, but are not limited to:

• Acoustics
• Adaptive Environments
• Building Technology and Systems
• Community Development and Design
• Computational Design and Digital Inquiry
• Construction Materials and Processes
• Cultural Studies
• Energy, Resources, and Sustainability
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
• History, Theory and Criticism
• Health and Wellness
• Housing
• Indoor Environments
• Lighting and Daylighting
• Planning and Design
• Politics of Architecture
• Professional Practice
• Public Interest Design
• Preservation and Rehabilitation
• Simulation and Representation
• Social Practices
• Urban and Rural Design

As an organization of researchers and research centers, ARCC sponsors workshops, undertakes sponsored projects, sustains networks, and exchanges information and experience intended to help build a research culture and infrastructure — in architecture schools and beyond.