This working session at the 23rd IEEE International Conference on Software Architecture (ICSA 2026) is organised in the form of a Birds-of-a-Feather (BoF) session. A Software Architecture BoF is a short, informal forum for discussing any aspect of software architecture. Initiated by the IFIP/IEEE Working Conference on Software Architecture, it became a platform for like-minded individuals to connect, exchange ideas, and explore areas of mutual interest.

This working session is designed to re-center the role of the software architecture researcher as a scientist: to step back from short-lived trends, identify the enduring challenges, and formulate the big research questions and lasting principles that should guide meaningful and sustainable research.

It builds upon the results collected during the preliminary BoF session held at ICSE 2026, and looks forward to complementing them with the results of this second one. With this purpose in mind, we share herewith the link to the preliminary report of the results of the BoF at ICSE. We invite anybody interested to participate, to read it beforehand.