Photo: Sketch-analysis travel through Turkey with Professor Eric Jenkins.

Architect Claudio Silvestrin is the Walton Critic and Professor in residence for 2013.  He is based in London and Milan, and the author of an internationally recognized oeuvre covering architecture as well as a wide range of design scales and interests. Silvestrin’s thoughts and work have been featured in four books, many professional magazines and journals, exhibitions, as well as multiple other media outlets. During his residence at CUA School of Architecture and Planning, architect Silvestrin is directing a design studio centered in the intersection between culture and spirituality. He participates in the life of the school through guest talks, reviews, and informal meeting with students and faculty. Claudio Silvestrin lectured on his work philosophy and concerns last Wednesday 09/11 at CUAch’s Auditorium. He will be giving a special presentation titled “Works and Inspirations” hosted by the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington, DC on Thursday, October 17 at 6:00PM at the Embassy of Italy. Claudio Silvestrin’s residence is made possible in part by the Clarence Walton Fund for Catholic Architecture. For more information on the Walton Critic Program, contact Associate Professor Julio Bermudez.

This past June, Associate Professor Eric J. Jenkins directed a special program with sixteen students on a three-week sketch-analysis travel through Turkey. Studying primarily Islamic and vernacular architecture, the students began their studies in Istanbul and then moved onto towns such as Safronbolu, Amaysa, Tokat, Sivas, Konya and Bursa. In addition, Professor Jenkins has been invited by the Washington, DC-based firm Hickok-Cole Architects to lead a workshop related to his most recent book, Drawn to Design: Analyzing Architecture through Freehand Drawing. The workshop will re-introduce freehand drawing skills, diagramming and specific sketching exercises to the firm’s employees so that sketching might be better re-integrated into the design process.

Associate Professor Julie Kim presented a paper at the 2013 BTES Conference “Tectonics of Teaching” at Roger Williams University in July. She shared the pedagogy and framework of the Comprehensive Building Design Studio at CUA in a presentation entitled “Reflections on Building Technology in the Design Studio.”

Assistant Professor Hyojin Kim Ph.D. has joined the Master of Science in Sustainable Design program at the Catholic University of America’s School of Architecture and Planning. Kim holds a doctorate in Architecture (December 2012) from Texas A&M University. She will be teaching courses in energy modeling and simulation.

Framed within the theme of ABSENCE, the 2013 Summer Institute for Architecture successfully celebrated another year with the completion of the NADAAA Design Studio, led by Nader Tehrani, and co-taught by Julian Palacio, Lecturer (CUA). The SIA also hosted a robust lecture series with presentations from Mark Sexton (Krueck + Sexton, Chicago); Rhett Russo (Specific Objects, NJ); Nader Tehrani (NADAAA, Boston); Lyn Rice (Rice+Lipka, NYC); and Andrea Leers (Leers Weinzapfel, Boston). The 2014 Summer Institute theme will be HYBRID SCALE. Questions should be directed to Associate Professor Julie Kim, SIA Director.

Team Capitol DC’s Harvest Home is Washington DC’s first ever entry for the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon Competition. The team’s contributing universities The Catholic University of America (Architecture and Planning), George Washington University (Engineering) and American University (Media and Communications) have been collaborating successfully for over two years. Harvest Home will be donated to Wounded Warrior Homes who specialize in finding accommodation for veterans who suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Harvest Home harvests sun, wind, rain and building materials to provide a healing environment for wounded warriors.