








































































































































































































































Given the wealth of  new ways of  conceptualizing building, its practice, and its 
meanings, this call for papers prompts authors to reconceptualize the notion of  
buildings’ functions in terms of  use, particularly as is described in Wittgenstein’s 
use theory. 

By engaging one of  philosophy’s richest and most formidable postmodern 
thinkers -– Ludwig Wittgenstein – the discourse surrounding function can move 
away from architecture’s Modernist paradigm that has largely defined how we 
think about and deal with questions relating to function. Wittgenstein – who 
remains largely undealt with by the architectural discourse, but whose work has 
nevertheless had ample development from within the philosophical discourse 
– provides genuine contributions to the understanding of  use and meaning. 
Specifically, the Wittgensteinian notion of  meaning as use moves the discussion 
away from mechanical or systematic notions grounded in scientific enquiry, and 
instead focuses analysis on the particular context or language-game within which 

AP . vol 1 . No 2 . 2015

CALL FOR PAPERS: 
International Wittgenstein SYmposium

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KEYNOTES:
James Conant, Professor of Philosophy, University of Chicago
Ákos Moravánszky, Professor of Architecture Theory, ETH Zürich
Simo Säätelä, Professor of Philosophy, University of Bergen
Paul Wijdeveld, Author of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Architect

USE VALUE IN ARCHITECTURE:
RECONCEPTUALIZING
BUILDINGS’ FUNCTIONS

Wittgenstein House
Vienna, Austria
17-18 AUGUST 2015



isparchitecture.com

a building partakes. Thus, the hope is to utilize Ludwig Wittgenstein’s theory of  
meaning to achieve radically alternative analyses of  building’s use, thereby allowing 
for productive re-engagement with one of  architecture’s most fundamentally 
philosophical questions.

Lines of  enquiry may include:

• Does a building mean in isolation from humans? Does a canonical building 
mean outside of  its local socio-cultural context? Or does a building only mean 
within the architectural discourse that has canonized it?

• Within Wittgenstein’s use-theory, does the distinction between building and 
architecture exist? In which contexts does this distinction hold meaning? Is the 
distinction still meaningful today?

• What is the use value of  building in contemporary society? Are there new use 
values in building that suggest a shift in the trajectory of  the building practice, 
of  society, of  culture?

• Does building itself  challenge commonly accepted theories of  meaning? 
Does building itself  challenge commonly accepted readings of  Wittgenstein’s 
use-theory? Are there specific instances in which building can be shown as 
revealing limitations in Wittgenstein’s theory of  use?

• Does Wittgenstein’s use theory supplant notions of  the symbolic? Or does it 
give symbolism renewed significance? How do different types of  architectural 
symbolism figure in Wittgenstein’s use theory?

The symposium will take place between the 17th and 18th of  August 2015 in the 
famous Wittgenstein house in Vienna, Austria. Given the unique and incredibly 
inspiring setting, space is limited. 

Abstracts should be between 300 and 500 words. All submissions are due by 01 
May 2015 submitted in RTF file format to isparchitecture@gmail.com. 

For questions regarding the call for papers or the symposium please contact the 
acting editor for the issue and event organizer, Dr. Carolyn Fahey at carfahey@gmail.
com. Refer to the ISPA website for the most up-to-date information regarding the 
event’s organization.

A selection of  the papers will be published as a special issue in Architecture Philosophy. 
Symposium delegates who wish to be considered for inclusion in the special issue 
will be asked to submit papers between 5,000 and 7,000 words by 01 December 2015. 
More details regarding full paper submission will be provided at the time of  the 
event. In the meantime, detailed submission instructions for Architecture Philosophy are 
available in this printed journal as well as on the ISPA website at isparchitecture.com.



AP . vol 1 . No 2 . 2015

Architecture Philosophy conducts double-blind reviews of  all papers submitted. Each 
paper is reviewed by one philosophy expert and one architecture expert. Reviewers 
are members of  the editorial board and are asked to evaluate submissions according 
to the following criteria:

Appropriateness to the field of architecture philosophy
Does the paper acknowledge and/or build on existing scholarship in both 
architecture and philosophy?
Does the paper acknowledge existing scholarship in philosophy and architecture 
respectively?

Philosophical analysis
Is philosophy engaged directly?
Is there an argument?
Is there analysis of  the claims made?
Is the logic of  the argument presented explicitly?
Are the paper’s arguments valid and sound?

Architectural analysis
Is architecture engaged directly?
Is architecture’s relevant history/contemporary situation acknowledged?
Is architecture’s history/contemporary situation dealt with accurately?

Originality
Is this paper a contribution to knowledge?
Does the paper present new ways of  solving philosophical problems 
in architecture (philosophy) or does it engage architecture to illustrate 
philosophical problems?
Does the paper present new ways of  engaging architecture and the built 
environment?

Presentation
Is the paper written in English to general academic writing standards for the 
humanities?
Does the paper follow the journal’s submission guidelines?

review criteria



isparchitecture.com

Please direct all submissions and general inquiries to isparchitecture@gmail.com. 
There are no deadlines for submissions, unless otherwise announced (e.g. special 
issue, conference proceedings, etc.).

submission Types
Authors are invited to submit full papers, response pieces, and book reviews. Full 
papers should be between 4,000 and 5,000 words with a 200-300 word abstract, 
response pieces should be between 500 and 1,500 words, and book reviews between 
1,000 to 2,000 words.

General Formatting
All submissions should be presented in accordance with the University of  Chicago 
Style. Papers should be RTF documents, 12 point font, Times New Roman, double-
spaced, and with no additional or otherwise unique formatting. References should 
be manually placed in brackets (e.g. [1], [2], and so on) with full citation information 
placed in the references section at the end of  the document.

Photo Guidelines and Image Permissions
Images should be at least 300 dpi and read well in greyscale prints. The images should 
be submitted as individual files (TIFF or JPEG), in combination with proof  of  
copyright permission. Authors are responsible for obtaining image permissions, and 
are asked to have done so prior to submitting their papers for review. The Oklahoma 
State University image archive is also available for use. Please send inquiries about the 
OSU image holdings to Prof. Tom Spector at tom.spector@okstate.edu.

The papers published by Architecture Philosophy are protected by copyright. The 
content must not have been previously published and cannot be republished without 
the permission of  the journal’s copyright holder. The copyright holder is Oklahoma 
State University.

Authors are responsible for obtaining copyright permission for the use of  images 
in their papers. Original images created by the author are acceptable, and copyright 
access to the Oklahoma State University image archive is available to the journal and 
its authors. In most cases, authors will be seeking image permissions and are asked 
secure image permissions on their own before submitting their paper for review.

submission guidelines


