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Clemson University

Clemson School of Architecture (CSoA) celebrated its 100th year of architectural education with a symposium on “The Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization” on Friday, October 18. The keynote address was given by architectural historian-theorists Alexander Tzonis and Liane Lefaivre, who coined the term “critical regionalism” and who recently wrote a book with the same title, published by Routledge last December. Other speakers were noted Southeast-based practitioner-educators Marlon Blackwell (based in Fayetteville, AK), Merrill Elam (Atlanta), and Frank Harmon (Raleigh, NC).

Assistant Professor
Peter Laurence, PhD, Clemson’s director of graduate studies and conference organizer, says that the school’s strong regionalist concern is “what made us seek out Tzonis and Lefaivre and three prominent regional architects to help celebrate our centennial.” Clemson, the only school of architecture in the state of South Carolina, also maintains a “Fluid Campus,” urban satellites offering to its nearly 400 students semester-long study in Charleston, SC, Barcelona, and Genoa, where the school has owned a villa since 1972. Off-campus study is in fact required of the school’s undergraduates. With the theme of “Southern Roots + Global Reach,” the centennial year also marked the 40th and 25th anniversaries of the Genoa and Charleston programs, as well as the 45th year of the school’s Architecture + Health program. 

The CSoA Architecture + Health Program brought 20 students to the Annual Healthcare Design Conference in Orlando and involved in the following activities:

– Five students participated in a design Charrette with Professor David Allison. The remainder of the students worked as volunteers at the Conference. 

– May 2013 graduate Minglu Lin received a National Healthcare Environments Design Award for her comprehensive project last year.

– May 2013 graduate Lisa Marchi presented her Thesis and AIA Academy of Architecture for Health Fellowship proposal at the Conference. 

– Associate Professor Dina Battisto and her PhD student Debbie Franqui presented their research on Post Occupancy Evaluation. 

– Professor David Allison with Frank Zilm from the University of Kansas conducted a panel session on MOOCs in architecture and health education.

Also, The Architecture + Health Program will be offering a summer study abroad program for academic credit in Northern Italy the last two weeks in May of 2014. It will explore the historic and contemporary healthcare architecture of northern Italy. 

Professor David Allison FAIA, ACHA, has been elevated to the Council of Fellows of the American College of Healthcare Architects position. The American College of Healthcare Architects provides board certification in the specialty area of architectural practice in health facilities design and advancement to fellowship is one of the highest honors the American College of Healthcare Architects can bestow upon a certificant. Fellowship is granted to architects specializing in healthcare who have shown distinction in fulfilling the Area of Expertise. Nominations should be based on the certificants contributions that impact the healthcare profession as a whole in fulfilling the Area of Expertise. Achievements should include those that are national in scope and have made substantial and positive contributions to the American College of Healthcare Architects as well as to architecture and society. The link to the ACHA organization and Fellowship is: http://www.healtharchitects.org/Member/fellowship_info.asp. Allison was also named by Designintelligence one of “30 Most Admired Educators for 2014,” a list that includes the 30 most admired educators in design, chosen from architecture, landscape architecture, industrial design and interior design. The publication states, “Thanks to his knowledge and connections to the workforce, he knows that his students are in demand, and pushes each one to be the best.”

Lecturer Nicholas Ault has been appointed the Professor in Residence at the Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies, Genoa. Ault also designed the Clemson Centennial Gallery Exhibit entitled Southern Roots + Global Reach. 

Keith Evan Green, RA, PhD, Professor of Architecture and Electrical & Computer Engineering, received an award of $199,995 from the National Science Foundation supporting the design, prototyping and evaluation of the LIT ROOM, an evocative, literacy support tool at room-scale. The LIT ROOM is a novel suite of user-friendly, networked, “architectural-robotic” artifacts embedded in the everyday physical space of the library. This physical-digital environment is transformed by words read by its young visitors so that the everyday space of the library “merges” with the imaginary space of the book: The book is a room. The test bed for the LIT ROOM is a ground zero for literacy: the Richland County Public Library of Columbia, South Carolina – the largest public library in the State. Green is Principal Investigator for the LIT ROOM research, joined by Co-PIs Ian Walker (ECE) and Susan Fullerton (Education). Green is PI as well for the NSF-funded Assistive Robotic Table [ART], the key component of his larger “home+” suite of robotic, networked furnishings supporting independence for clinical populations and those aging in place. With Mark Gross of CMU, Green is co-authoring Architectural Robotics forthcoming from MIT Press to further establish this subfield at the interface or architecture and computing.

Assistant Professor Sallie Hambright-Belue and Associate Professor Robert Silance have recently co-authored an essay entitled, Consecrated Community: The Indian Field Methodist Campground which will be published in the Unpublished issue of the journal CLOG coming out later this year. The essay describes the unique morphology of the early Christian campground and its importance in defining a culture’s place in the world. 

 

University of Maryland

Professor Matthew J. Bell has been elected to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows.  Election to the College status is awarded by a jury of peers and recognizes achievements of national significance in advancing the architectural profession.  The 2013 Fellows will be honored at an investiture ceremony in Denver, Colorado on June 21 during the National AIA Convention. Bell joined Perkins Eastman in 2011 and prior to that was a principal with EE&K Architects for over 11 years and has been a practicing architect and professor of architecture for over 25 years.  His national and international architectural and urban design experience ranges from urban buildings and neighborhoods to the design and implementation of new towns, campuses and large scale development projects.  Creating a diverse portfolio of work has led Matt to unique insights into the urban-environment and design-issue challenges facing our cities, towns, and suburbs. Matthew Bell, FAIA is a principal of Perkins Eastman in Washington DC. As tenured Professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Matt teaches architectural and urban design at all levels of the studio curriculum and has spearheaded the schools efforts at the archaeological site of Stabiae, Italy.  

Philadelphia University

We are pleased to welcome Professor James Doerfler as the new Director of the Architecture Program.  James comes to us from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he was serving as Interim Head of the Architecture Department.  James will oversee the Bachelor of Architecture and the four-year Architectural Studies programs as well as supervising the development of new graduate programs.

Assistant Professor Daniel Chung recently received a $25,000 National Center for Preservation Technology and Training grant to research methods to improve simulation and verification techniques in energy modeling of historic buildings. This research investigates improving energy simulation methods of existing buildings to help model building material assemblies and improve accuracy in energy modeling of historic buildings.

Led by Associate professors
David Kratzer (architecture) and Frank Baseman (graphic design), with exhibition advising by Assistant Professor Donald Dunham, architecture and graphic design students collaborated to create an exhibit celebrating the life of Arlen Specter entitled “Single Bullet: Arlen Specter and the Warren Commission Investigation of the JFK Assassination.” that places visitors “in the place of” Specter and JFK during the assassination and the subsequent Warren Commission to understand the nature and gravity of the events.

Associate Professors Carol Hermann, along with Director of Construction Management Greg Lucado and Asst. Professor of Interior Design Jake Tucci, were awarded a University Nexus Learning Grant to work on “A Common Core Experience to Promote Understanding of the Relationships between Professions.” 

Associate Professor Craig Griffen was awarded a University Online Nexus Learning Grant to research best practices for online studio delivery procedures.

Edgar Stach, Professor of architecture, and Assistant Professors of architecture Kihong Ku and Daniel Chung were awarded a university Innovations in Research Grant to conduct new research to support the Philadelphia University MAG Composites Institute. The professors will explore Digitally-driven Fiber Composites for Complex Buildings.

During the Summer of 2013, Assistant Professor Chris Harnish and 7 architecture students traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa, to research the urban conditions in Alexandra Township. The students led community design workshops, conducted interviews of stakeholders, and researched site conditions in a historic youth precinct.

Clemson University

 

Clemson University, School of Architecture celebrates its centennial with a series of events including exhibitions, lectures and symposia:

 

ANNUAL CAF/ARCHITECTURE LECTURE SERIES
All lectures in the 2013 series will be given by individuals who have a connection to Clemson’s School of Architecture — alumni, former teachers and friends. Sponsored by the Clemson Advancement Foundation for Design and Building and the School of Architecture

March 25, 2013: Symposia and receptions in Genoa, Clemson, Charleston and Barcelona
THE VILLA AT 40
Celebrating four decades of life-changing education at the Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies in Genoa

May 3, 2013: CAC.C-hosted sessions of the SCAIA Annual Conference
ARCHITECTURE + COMMUNITYBUILD IN CHARLESTON, S.C.
Celebrating 25 years of teaching, research and community outreach at the Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston

August 22–23, 2013: Symposium, reception and address
2013 SAR ARCHITECTURE FOR HEALTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE CENTENNIAL SYMPOSIA: LOCAL ROOTS AND GLOBAL REACH
Chautauqua 4.0 — Health Care Architecture in the Public Realm Keynote Speaker: Michael Murphy with MASS

September 30–October 30, 2013: Exhibition
SOUTHERN ROOTS + GLOBAL REACH: 100 YEARS OF CLEMSON ARCHITECTURE
A monthlong exhibition in the Lee Gallery to explore and honor the people, themes and stories of the past century

October 18, 2013: Symposium
SOUTHERN ROOTS + GLOBAL REACH
A daylong symposium featuring a keynote lecture by Alexander Tzonis and Liane Lefaivre, Ph.D., on “The Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization”

October 18, 2013: Celebration
GET YOUR BEAUX-ARTS ON!
A formal reception in Lee III, the new Thomas Phifer addition to Lee Hall

http://www.clemson.edu/caah/architecture/celebration/

Morgan State University

Baltimore – Students and faculty from the School of Architecture and Planning have been invited for the third straight year to participate and exhibit an environmental installation for Artscape. The project, titled Destination 1 is a music pavilion and DJ dome inspired by the visionary ideas of Buckminster Fuller. A forefather of the modern sustainability movement, Fuller sought ways to help humanity better understand the inherent connections of Earth’s living systems that bind us all together. Melding with Artscape’s 2013 theme “No Passport Required,” Destination 1 seeks to celebrate the oneness of the human race regardless of nationality, ethnic, geographic, cultural or financial boundaries. Working with reclaimed / re_purposed materials, Destination 1 seeks to deconstruct those boundaries. Thus, by promoting a global “oneness” and encouraging visitors to think holistically about our planet, we can encourage all to be better stewards of the planet we share, our “Spaceship Earth.”

Led by faculty members Brian Grieb, AIA and Brian Stansbury, Destination 1 will be a centerpiece of the festival along the Charles Street promenade. The team has collaborated with local DJ’s and artists who will help activate the space with music performances. Throughout the three_day event, DJ’s will be spinning found records for a local salvage company. On Saturday evening, the sounds of Kinetic Light Instruments designed by artists McCormack and Figg, will help bring the first ever “Artscape After Dark” event to life.

“We are excited to once again be selected by Artscape and the Baltimore Office and Promotion & the Arts,” said Brian Grieb, faculty advisor for Destination 1. “The event provides a fantastic environment for our students to display their talents and creative energy, while creating a vibrant and thought provoking space for festival attendees.”

“Working on Destination 1 is extremely rewarding to see our concepts and models become physical structures,” said team member Courtney Morgan, a junior in the architecture program at Morgan State University. “It’s hard work, but at the end of day when you walk past all the things we have built, it definitely puts a smile on my face seeing what we have accomplished.”

Learn more at: www.destination1.org

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

Associate Professor Markus Breitschmid, Ph.D., S.I.A., Chair of the Core Professional Bachelor of Architecture Program, has edited the text for the book publication “Olgiati”. The volume is published by Birkhäuser Publishers in Basel in 2012. Besides the English edition, there are editions in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese. Breitschmid was also invited to moderate the event “Architettare: Tradition & I”, a discussion on architecture among internationally active architects, by the Organizzazione Studenti Accademia of the Accademia di Architecttura at the Universita della Svizzera Italiana, held on May 31, 2012.

Assistant Professor Aki Ishida has been awarded Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership Education Grant to design an interactive installation reinterpreting Japanese lantern festivals for the AIA Blue Ridge chapter’s design award exhibit on September 14, 2012. The project is designed in collaboration with the Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology at Virginia Tech. 

Catholic University of America

The School of Architecture & Planning at the Catholic University of America, Spain Arts & Culture, and the District Architectural Center are co-sponsoring the lecture by Spanish architect Iñaqui Carnicero on “Second Hand Spaces.”  Iñaqui Carnicero has been an Associate Professor of design at the School of Architecture, Polytechnic University of Madrid for 13 years and is currently a Visiting Critic at Cornell University.  He is also the director of “Symmetries” an architecture platform that relates Roman and contemporary strategies in the city.  His work has been widely recognized in multiple occasions by publications, exhibitions, and prestigious awards.  Carnicero´s lecture will explore the relationship between architecture and the economical context through some of his projects, and the opportunities that these constrains can offer in the design process.
The lecture is on Thursday 10/24 at 
6:00pm, at the District Architectural Center located at 421  7th Street Northwest Washington, DC 20004 and entry is free for all public.  Registration is required at  http://aiadac.com/calendar/event/architecture-week-lecture-iñaqui-carcinero
Photo: hangar-16-matadero-madrid by Symmetries.

Auburn University

Fourth year interior architecture students Jeffrey Bak, Chloe Schultz and Sean Flaharty won the Innovator’s Jury Award in the 2013 American Institute of Architecture Students’ Reinventing HOME© Student Design Competition. Their design, “Sun and Stone: A Case for Spatial Sequencing through Thermal Variation,” addressed the challenge of designing innovative homes and workplaces for those who live and work in long-term care settings. Christian Dagg, interior architecture program chair in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, was the team advisor.

Professor Behzad Nakhjavan , chair of the architecture program at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture has been granted a visiting artist Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome this July, 2013.  Professor Nakhjavan plans to catalogue a series of Roman architectural urban contexts from the Classical to Baroque period during the visit. 

The Cahaba Blueway Project was inaugurated recently with an announcement for the first recreational site planned for development.  The “Moon River” canoe launch, on land provided by the Freshwater Land Trust, will be located on between Irondale and Leeds, AL on US Hwy 78. The Cahaba Blueway Project is a team effort between Alabama Innovation Engine, the Cahaba River Society and the Nature Conservancy.  Alabama Innovation Engine is a design-based community and economic development initiative, jointly funded by Auburn University and the University of Alabama.