John Wiley & Sons published the 3rd edition of Fundamentals of Residential Construction by Associate Professor Rob Thallon and Edward Allen, FAIA.

Professor G.Z. “Charlie” Brown won a $25,000 research grant, with matching funds from the University of Oregon, the University of Tennessee, and John Wiley & Sons. Associate Professor Ihab Elzeyadi won a $25,000 grant in addition to matching funds from the Van Evera Bailey Foundation, Oregon BEST, and Glumac Engineering. The UO projects are expected to provide funding for graduate and undergraduate student researchers and expand ongoing work in labs. 

Brown’s project, “New Knowledge Structure for Designing Net-Zero Energy Buildings,” aims to provide more sophisticated tools for energy-efficient architecture “by organizing much of the knowledge of net-zero energy building design.” He and co-investigator Mark DeKay of the University of Tennessee hypothesize “that we can generate, test and publish an integrated knowledge structure for net zero energy design that will help designers choose families of design strategies and, thereby, broaden the number of net-zero designers, improving the sophistication of their designs.”

Elzeyadi’s longtime pursuit of energy-efficient classroom retrofitting technology was the focus of his proposal. His submission, “Green Classroom Toolbox: Evidence-Based Integrated Design Tools to Guide Architects in Retrofitting K-12 School Facilities for Climate Change,” outlined his research objective of “developing evidence-based design guidelines for retrofitting existing educational spaces through the Green Classroom Toolbox (GCT) project in five US Climate Zones.” 

Associate Professor Mark L. Gillem, PhD, AIA, AICP lectured at the North China University of Technology in Beijing on the topic of sustainable urbanism in October. Using case studies from across the U.S., Dr. Gillem discussed the role of walkable streets, downtown parks, and public transit in making density livable and sustainable. On November 4, he lectured at Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture in Vietnam. In his lecture, “Urban Design: Sustainable Principles and Practices,” Dr. Gillem discussed ways in which urban design could address key challenges facing Ho Chi Minh City including integrating land use patterns and public transportation, adding parks and open spaces to the heart or urban areas, and regulating sustainable development through the use of form-based codes.  On November 9 and 10, he chaired the first-ever Regional Workshop hosted by the American Planning Association’s Federal Planning Division. The event, held in downtown Denver, brought together over 200 planners from a variety of federal agencies including the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Federal Transit Authority, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Participants addressed the conference theme, “Interagency Collaboration for Sustainable Landscapes,” in paper presentations, panel sessions, and roundtable discussions.  

The University of Oregon hosted the Fall 2011 International PUARL Conference in Portland, October 28-31: “Generative Process, Patterns, and the Urban Challenge.” The keynote address was delivered by Professor Donald Corner.