T HE DESIGN AWA RDS ISSUE
WINTER 2017
EDUCATION: BUILDING THE FUTURE OF THE PROFESSION
The Boyer Report: Are We Training Engaged Architects? The Benefits of Academic Research In Your Career How Do We Attract Diversity In The Profession?
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PHOTO: THE ALBERTI PROGRAM, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS
WINTER 2017 – IN THIS ISSUE We take a look at education and how it is shaping the future of the profession.
FEATURES 12
The Boyer Report at 20: an appreciation 20 years after the Boyer Report is published, has the state of the educational-practice continuum changed?
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Intersections: Academia and Industry, Research and Practice What is the role of research in the education of architectural students and how does it impact the profession?
DEPARTMENTS 5 EDITOR’S LETTER 6 COMMUNITY 24 EXPRESSION 27 DESIGN AWARDS 34 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS 20
Diversity by Design? Exploring the challenges and opportunities to recruiting, retaining, and nurturing a more diverse architectural profession.
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5950 NW 1st Place, Gainesville, FL 32607 (800) 369-6220, www.naylor.com. Group Publisher Jack Eller, Sales and Project Manager David Freeman, Editor Ann DeLage, Marketing Nancy Taylor, Book Leader Nicholas Manis, Designer GK DS, Account Representatives Lou Brandow, Anook Commandeur, Krys D’Antonio, Ralph Herzberg, Jacqueline McIllwain, Chris Zabel, Brian Zeig The opinions expressed in this – or the representations made by advertisers, including copyrights and warranties, are not those of the editorial staff, publisher, AIA Philadelphia, or AIA Philadelphia’s Board of Directors. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole without written permission is strictly prohibited. Postmaster: send change of address to AIA Philadelphia, 1218 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Published DECEMBER 2016/AIP-Q0416/3729
ON THE COVER A Temple University, Tyler School of Art, Architecture Studio. Image courtesy of Temple University. AIA Philadelphia | context | WINTER 2017 3
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EDITOR’S LETTER BY RASHIDA NG, RA, CHAIR AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, TYLER SCHOOL OF ART
PHOTO: ALBERTI PROGRAM, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS
Education: Building the Future of the Profession
On a routine call home during a recent business trip, my husband greeted me with some surprising news. “Guess what?” he said, continuing to explain that our eight-year-old son had just declared that he— too—was going to be an architect. My daughter, who is five years older, made a similar announcement of her intentions at about the same age. Faced with the possibility that both of my children might decide to walk down the same career path as my own, I was filled with a sense of ambivalence. On the one hand, I enjoy my career and know first hand the joy and fulfillment that the profession offers. However, I have a long mental list of all of the innate talents and gifts of my children (as any unbiased mother does). I could not ignore this lingering sense of doubt. Is this what I want for both of my children? Would a career in architecture allow them to best utilize their natural talents and abilities to make the world a better place and fulfill all of my expectations of their lives? After a few days of reflection, I was reminded of the (perhaps obvious) reality, there’s a very good chance that my son and perhaps even my daughter will change their minds about their careers. I remember declaring that I was going to become an astronaut when I was in elementary school. Nevertheless, my musing over this possibility served to remind me of why architecture is such an attractive career to children who are exposed to the field. Our pedagogies and their outcomes are tangible and accessible. The models, drawings, and renderings that are commonplace in our schools possess an inherent optimism about the possibilities to affect change, and change for the better. My children have spent countless hours around these imaginative artifacts that propose new realities for our neighborhoods and cities. They have been inspired.
This issue of Context is focused on education. As such, it is focused on the future of architecture. How will we inspire and educate the next generation of architects? Will the discipline take full advantage of all of the talents and skills that these students have to offer? Will their collective contributions serve to make the world a better place? How can we become a more diverse community? How can our pedagogies and curricula embrace the cultural heritage of the communities that we serve? These and many other questions remain. Harris Steinberg, Director of the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation and professor at Drexel University, provides another call to action as he redirects our attention to the stinging conclusions of The Boyer Report on the 20th anniversary of its publication. Professor Steinberg reminds us of how little has changed since 1996, and how much we have to gain by realizing the recommendations set forth in this significant report. Also building upon the Boyer Report, Ming Hu, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, considers the potential for academic research to advance the profession. Professor Hu explores the outcomes of the Intersections Symposium, a jointly sponsored event between the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and the AIA at the 2016 convention in Philadelphia. Bruce Lindsey, Dean of the College of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, and I co-authored an article that examines the issue of diversity and equity in architecture. While acknowledging the discouraging statistics that reflect our challenges in increasing the percentages of women and minorities in the field, we shed light on a few exemplary initiatives that could make architecture a more inclusive and diverse profession in the future. It is clear that the issues that face the profession are significant, and shifting the culture of the discipline will not be easy to do. However, I hope that you are encouraged by the sense of curiosity, intensity, and community reflected in the napkin sketches of local architecture students who remind us what “the best part of an architecture education is…” As for my children, it is too early to tell if one or both of them will make good on their promise to study architecture in college. However, as an educator, I never lose sight of the fact that everyday I have the privilege and honor to educate someone else’s son or daughter. This opportunity brings with it the responsibility to ensure that the talents of these students are fully tapped into and will one day be leveraged for the good of us all. That is the charge of education. ■ Rashida Ng is the Chair of the Architecture Department and an Associate Professor at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art in the Division of Architecture and Environmental Design.
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COMMUNITY
Dear Friends and Colleagues, Our country feels very different from the last time I wrote this letter. The November Presidential election toppled many of our assumptions and challenged our understanding of what our fellow citizens are concerned about and how they think we can fix our problems. As we all sort through information and emotions, I am resolute in my belief that our members need to be involved in how cities, suburbs, and rural America are developed. In this issue about education, Harris Steinberg’s article about the Boyer Report 20 years ago, hits home because it is so pertinent to where I see the profession today. Making the profession more relevant to the public is the number one concern of members and the number one issue that members reach out to me about. AIA Philadelphia, along with AIA National, has been saying relevancy is among it’s organization’s mission and purpose. In 2017, AIA Philadelphia is getting serious about how to operationalize that, while we go through our strategic planning process. Members and non-members will be engaged throughout the year in this process – I implore folks to get involved and share your thoughts. AIA Philadelphia and the Center for Architecture and Design, have already begun the process to engage with K-12 educators and program providers and local universities and colleges through our Architecture + Design Education Network. This group is looking at what resources are available to students from kindergarten through college and graduate school. Our intention is that this group will (1) aggregate information about local architecture and design education programs; (2) develop strategies for how we (AIA and the Center) can support existing programs and develop new programs; (3) focus on how to support women and minority students through the process of becoming an architect; and (4) strengthen relationships between the academy and the profession. I hope you enjoy this issue and feel inspired to get involved in helping to connect the skills and expertise of our local design community with solving our City, State, and Nation’s most pressing issues and that the future of the profession must involve and reflect the population it is trying to serve.
2016 Design Award winners on display during the 2017 Architecture Exhibition presented by AIA Philadelphia. Visit Liberty Place Mall from February 6 -18 to view AIA Philadelphia’s best and brightest member designs.
The Better Philadelphia Challenge is an annual international design competition, founded in memory Philadelphia’s iconic city planner Edmund N. Bacon, to challenge university-level students to address real-world urban design issues in Philadelphia. This year, Better Philadelphia Challenge is focused on Philadelphia’s City Branch, an unused network of 115-year-old depressed rail lines that transported goods and people into and out of Center City Philadelphia. In 1992 the tracks were taken out of service and now lay dormant. The challenge is to imagine a future for The Rail Park’s tunnel. Winners of this year’s competition will be announced at the Edmund N. Bacon Award + Talk on March 8.
Executive Director AIA Philadelphia | Center for Architecture and Design
The On the Rise exhibition is back! Stop by the Center for Architecture and Design mid-February for our annual exhibition celebrating the winners of the Philadelphia Emerging Architect (PEA) Prize, awarded to an emerging Philadelphia architecture firm producing innovative design strategies, and the Young Architect Prize, awarded to one or more registered architect members of AIA Philadelphia between the ages of 25 and 39. This year’s exhibition will feature Assimilated Design Labs, the 2016 PEA Prize winner; Fon Wang, AIA, the 2015 Young Architect honoree; and Paul Avazier, AIA, the 2016 Young Architect honoree. Keep an eye out for exact dates in AIA Philadelphia and the Center for Architecture and Design’s email newsletters.
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COMMUNITY
Are you curious how Philadelphia became the city it is today? Earn a certificate in Philadelphia’s architectural history by attending this engaging 10-part series. Renowned local architects, urban planners, archaeologists, and historians will explore the political, economic, and design trends that drove Philadelphia’s development. Topics include: major urban planning projects such as the Benjamin Franklin Parkway & Society Hill, our world-class collection of architectural styles, and Philadelphia’s immigrant history. By attending this series and passing an online exam, you can receive a certificate in Philadelphia Architecture + Urban History. Attend an additional 3-5 training sessions and pass a test-tour to be certified as a volunteer guide for the Center for Architecture and Design and the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia (PAGP). The series starts on March 6, visit the Center’s website for details, www.philadelphiacfa.org/calendar.
The annual Edmund N. Bacon Memorial Award + Talk honors one outstanding national or international figure who has advocated for excellence in urban development, planning, thought, and design through conviction of vision, effective communication, and a commitment to improving their commu-nity. This year’s honoree, Theaster Gates, is a Chicago-based visionary artist trained in urban planning and religious studies. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Rebuild Foundation a not-for-profit organization that endeavors to rebuild the cultural foundations of neighborhoods and incite movements of community revitalization that are culture-based, artist-led and neighborhood-driven. He is also a professor in the Department of Visual Art and director of Arts + Public Life and Place Lab at the University of Chicago. The recent winner of Artes Mundi 6, Gates has received awards and grants from Creative Time, the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, United States Artists, Creative Capital, the Joyce Foundation, Graham Foundation, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and Artadia. Hear Theaster Gates speak at the Bacon Memorial Award + Talk on March 8, location TBD.
As an all-volunteer group, the Design Advocacy Group (DAG) couldn’t function without its partners. And foremost among them is PlanPhilly. Since 2006, Philadelphia has been extraordinarily fortunate to have a journalistic enterprise specifically devoted to covering design, planning and development. Over the years, PlanPhilly.com has been a daily mustread for anyone interested in and concerned with the physical development of the city. PlanPhilly’s mission goes beyond reportage to encourage citizen engagement on behalf of a well-designed city, making it a natural partner for DAG. The two organizations co-host “Design Matters,” a series of special events that has so far included a tour of the Philadelphia Navy Yard and two indepth, live conversations about the current moment in Philadelphia design and planning. PlanPhilly is a project of WHYY and NewsWorks.org. It was incubated and supported until 2015 by PennDesign and PennPraxis. We owe them all a huge thanks. To stay up to date, be sure to bookmark PlanPhilly.com, DesignAdvocacy.org and facebook/designadvocacy.
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COMMUNITY
As many of you already know, the Collaborative offers design professionals the opportunity to provide pro bono preliminary design services to nonprofits throughout Greater Philadelphia. For many of these nonprofit organizations, this experience serves as an introduction to the services that we as designers provide. This experience empowers nonprofit organizations to identify ways to advance their mission, communicate their vision, and gain community and financial support. The Collaborative’s Design Grants focus on specific sites and nonprofits—but their impact goes much farther. They lay the groundwork for the kinds of buildings and civic spaces that bring vitality to neighborhoods and give people a strong sense of community. Hatched in the broom closet of the Philadelphia AIA office, the Collaborative has been doing community design for Philadelphia for 25 years. We couldn’t do it without your support. We thank the people and design firms who have contributed their time, ideas, and financial support to the organization.
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The Collaborative’s volunteer teams completed 25 Design Grants in 2015. The Architects and other design professionals comprising these teams provided over 8,000 hours of community service in 2015 alone. In October, it was my privilege to present the Collaborative’s 2016 Community Design Award at the AIA Philadelphia Design Awards for excellence in design, collaboration, and community impact. This year’s winner of the Collaborative’s 2016 Community Design Award is the conceptual design for Dragon Green Park—a schoolyard greening project done in partnership with the School Advisory Council of Southwark Elementary School and East Passyunk Crossing Civic Association and Town Watch. The Dragon Green Park volunteer team included Allison Harvey, Agnes Ladjevardi, Chris Landau, Vivian Martinez, Richard Roark, ASLA, and Brian Velleman of OLIN and Frank Gallagher of The FGX Group. Over the past decade, the Collaborative has provided 33 design grants for the design of
schoolyards and school-related open space. Among the collection of inspiring schoolyard projects, Dragon Green Park was a standout for its design excellence. The jury noted how the intimate collection of elements—play structures, multi-use surfaces, rain gardens—that have come to define this project type, have been reinterpreted in a engaging and identifiable way that at the civic scale. Everyone was blown away by the design. This project also exemplifies a true partnership between community and school. Since the Collaborative wrapped up Dragon Green Park, Southwark’s schoolyard has been chosen for implementation as part of Parks for People Philadelphia, a joint schoolyard greening initiative of The School District of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Water Department, and the Trust for Public Land. Danielle Denk of the Trust for Public Land noted, “The work by the Collaborative showcased a commitment to schoolyard greening and elevated the selection of Southwark Elementary School as one of our next sites.”
JEFF GOLDSTEIN, AIA, IS A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY DESIGN COLLABORATIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND A PRINCIPAL OF DIGSAU
Dragon Green Park—an imaginative design for a South Philadelphia green schoolyard inspired by the school’s mascot, a bright yellow dragon—received the Collaborative’s 2016 Community Design Award.
COMMUNITY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
CHAD: Overseas and On The Street
Blijkbaar lukt het CHAD wel om een moeilijke populatie op te laten bloeien in een stabiele school… Don’t read Dutch? They are words of praise, offered by recent guests at CHAD. A team of teachers, traveling from the Utrecht region of The Netherland, recently visited a number of U.S. high schools over ten days. Their school district sent them to research innovative education initiatives. They originally were focused on schools in New York City. Then they learned about CHAD and had to see more. Here’s some more of their feedback. “The school ‘breathes’ art and design, it’s a really pleasant place...we were really impressed by the students…We visited [another] school and we left impressed with how tough it must be... it looked really tough. At CHAD our opinion changed completely, and we saw that it’s a matter of treating the students as what they could be, instead of treating them as they are.” For a half day they toured the school, visited classrooms, and asked lots of questions (in English). What they learned is what a lot of other teachers in K-12 education are learning: Design is an extraordinary and powerful learning vehicle for the next generation as they enter a global economy. The thinking skills developed through projectbased learning encourage nimbleness in a creator
as he or she sorts through different permutations of sets of variables. Design taps into all four of what’s been identified as the essential skills for 21st century thinking: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving. In other words, educational theory is recognizing what designers have always known. These skills are Design’s home turf. It’s the native environment; the serious play required by the design process is indigenous to the work. Design Thinking is not training; it’s real time learning. Here’s a recent example: Park(ing) Day 2016. Park(ing) Day happens each year on the third Friday in September. Parking spaces in Philadelphia, The United States, and in cities around the world, are converted into Pop-Up Parks for the day. Park(ing) Day originated in San Francisco in 2005. CHAD has participated the past 4 years. Seniors majoring in Architecture were charged with their first (of three) Design/Build problems: create the Park(ing) Day installation. This not only meant the structure but the program: what, why and how. The budget was (mostly) non-existent. With the exception of a few items, all of the materials needed to be sourced from materials on hand at the school. (The basement is sometimes a gold mine.). The analogy for the students was this: you open the refrigerator and you decide what to make for dinner, then you make it.hey had 1 week.
The students quickly determined they wanted the site to be inclusive. The whole school should have an opportunity to contribute. They wanted to include the public too. Sketching led to napkin sketching, which led to the idea: Draw’n’Park, a napkin sketching station for all to display and enjoy. Each decision led to more questions in successive layers of refinement. Then came install day. Some things worked as planned. Other didn’t. New solutions had to be found in the moment. A last minute angel delivered sod. It served as a green carpet for the display area, adjacent to the drawing station which stood on a raised platform. By mid day, the site was up and running. Through the rest of a beautiful sunny afternoon sketches accumulated. They soon filled the display panels and fluttered in a light breeze. By late afternoon, the site was cleared, memories were gathered and the basement reclaimed its materials…until next year. In less than five days, students went from blank paper (or napkins) to standing in their own design creation. Some of it was as planned; some of it was a response to an unexpected problem. All of it was real, tactile, and immediate. Nothing was abstract. Tactile knowledge resonates. Its lessons last. It is that sixth sense which offers something stronger than intuition. It builds intelligence. AIA Philadelphia | context | WINTER 2017 9
COMMUNITY Reconstructing the Center for Architecture and Design Before I started this job I was told that AIA Philadelphia would be hosting the National AIA Convention in 2 short years and that the Center’s largest commercial tenant was not renewing its lease. Therefore, almost immediately, the Center for Architecture Board and I started working on various business models for how to replace the lost revenue that was critical to the Center for Architecture’s operations and programming. We had a short timeframe and limited budget; doesn’t everyone? After reviewing our options, creating a simpler, larger venue for events was chosen because of revenue potential and the cost-efficient renovations necessary for that use fit into our budget. Once the Facilities Committee and Center Board had a program for the new space, the Committee focused on performance of acoustics and A/V, while cleaning up the space and highlighting the beautiful floors and brick wall. Adding glass above the conference rooms and along the hallway was a significant part of the design strategy; practical in that it would improve acoustics in the conference rooms and aesthetically in that it creates a clean, elegant atmosphere within the space. The Architectural Glass Institute (AGI) partnered with the Center on the design and installation of the glazing systems. AGI, affiliated with nearly 40 area glazing contractors, orchestrated the donation of all glazing systems including both material and installation. AGI contractors worked with the design team to overcome a number of challenges,
the most notable being the out of level existing floor. The resulting installation of glass doors and partitions includes a window film pattern which creates a uniform look within the space. The Facilities Committee’s vision of creating a hub for the design and construction community has come to fruition. Industry partners like AGI are committed to a continued relationship as renovation plans expand and include glass as a material of choice. AGI affiliated companies raise the bar for glazing contractors so architects and owners benefit from quality installations. ■
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COMMUNITY The renovations would not have fit into the budget if it were not for the generosity of and commitment to this project of our Design and Construction Team. Thank you, to the following individuals and companies: Facilities Committee Antonio Fiol-Silva, FAIA, Sitio architecture + urbanism, Co-Chair Margeret Carney, AIA, Temple University, Co-Chair James Rowe, AIA, Agoos Lovera, Center for Architecture Board President Richard Maimon, AIA, KieranTimberlake Jules Dingle, AIA, Digsau Lead Design Team – WRT Special thanks to… Antonio Fiol-Silva, FAIA, Sitio architecture + urbanism Vera Kiselev, AIA, LEED AP Jared McKnight, Assoc. AIA Bookstore Design Team – Agoos Lovera Special thanks to… James Rowe, AIA Dave Franke Brian Fullen Bookstore Screen Design Team – DIGSAU Special thanks to… Jules Dingle, AIA Jeff Goldstein, AIA Mark Sanderson, AIA Jamie Unkefer, AIA Stephanie Lee Michael Goldberg, AIA James Ferello Lauren Mears
PHOTOS: CHRIS KENDIG
General Contractor – Clemens Construction Special thanks to… Stephen Pouippirt David Gyurina Darren Peters Glass Donation & Installations Special thanks to… Architectural Glass Institute Allglass Systems LLC Eastern Solar Glass Eureka Metal & Glass Services, Inc. Finishing Trades Institute JE Berkowitz R.A. Kennedy & Sons Synergy Glass & Door Service, Inc. Acoustic Consultant – Metropolitan Acoustics* Special thanks to… Felicia Doggett, INCE Bd.Cert. Lighting Designer Consultant – BEAM Ltd.* Special thanks to… Stephen R. Hoppe, Associate IALD *Due to budget and time constraints, we were not able to fully implement the plans and recommendations by both Metropolitan Acoustics and BEAM Ltd., but we plan to do so in Phase II of the renovations.
AIA Philadelphia | context | WINTER 2017 11
THE BOYER REPORT AT 20: AN APPRECIATION BY HARRIS M. STEINBERG, FAIA
Yodakandiya Community Complex, Sri Lanka (2007) shortlisted for the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Building Community: a new future for architecture education and practice: a special report By Ernest L. Boyer and Lee D. Mitgang. Published by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 1996. Perhaps never in history have the talents, skills, the broad vision and the ideals of the architecture profession been more urgently needed. The profession could be powerfully beneficial at a time when the lives of 12 WINTER 2017 | context | AIA Philadelphia
families and entire communities have grown increasingly fragmented, when cities are in an era of decline and decay rather than limitless growth, and when the value of beauty in daily life is often belittled. Those words were emblazoned on a mailer from the American Institute of Architects that I received in January 1997. At the time, I was an architect in Philadelphia working with my wife in a small Mom and Pop practice. Philadelphia was making a slow comeback from
near-bankruptcy and we were trying to both build a practice and raise a family. The Savings and Loan Crisis had forced my best friend and me to close our practice in Center City as credit was staunched and firms like ours were cannibalized by the larger firms descending from New York and New England. My wife and I took up the challenge and with two kids in diapers, day care bills to pay and a seemingly intractable financial crisis looming, we scrambled to keep food on the table. I instinctively walked onto the streets of Germantown Avenue, our local commercial corridor, and landed at a meeting of the Mt. Airy Business Association. After giving an impassioned homage to the “real urbanism” of the extraordinary urban fabric we had along the avenue I was asked to be president. I threw myself into the challenge and began to organize community meetings about how we might envision a cleaner, safer, more prosperous main street that more accurately reflected the richly diverse and vibrant neighborhoods that abutted the beleaguered strip. I began to attract the attention of the local press as well as elected officials. None of this was strategic or planned. I intuitively used my architectural skills to help shape a community vision. I stumbled into the work of civic engagement and into a non-traditional way of practicing architecture that would lead to the work I do now. I learned of the power of the architect’s intellect in helping to address and solve complex community challenges and how robust civic engagement could build a trusting relationship within a neighborhood around change. The mailing from the AIA was an invitation to an inaugural Leadership Institute of the American Institute of Architects to be held over 5 days in March 1997 in Washington, DC. I applied and was accepted and met with folks from all walks of life—leaders from other professions such as business, politics, journalism and technology who had no idea what an architect actually did—along with a cohort of like-minded participants who bonded around the shared “aha” moments acknowledging that there are many ways to be an architect. Indeed, we came to understand that our training, our ability to listen, our ability to envision a future and to communicate it graphically were extremely valuable skills that the non-profit, business, and public sectors sorely lacked. The AIA’s Leadership Institute was a direct outgrowth of the publication of Building Community: A New Future for Architecture Education and Practice (Boyer Report) in 1996 by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The report, commissioned by the American Institute of Architects, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the American Institute of Architecture Students, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and the National Architectural Accrediting Board, was the result of a 30-month study of the intersection of architectural education and practice led by the president of The Carnegie Foundation, Dr. Ernest L. Boyer. Boyer, and his co-author, Lee D. Mitgang, were asked to study the increasingly frayed relationship between academia and practice and posit strategies for strengthening the profession. Boyer and Mitgang observed that the “…core elements of architecture education—learning to design within constraints, collaborative learning, and the refining of knowledge through the reflective act of
design—have relevance and power far beyond the training of future architects.” The authors found that architecture education is ultimately about developing a habit of mind over the lifetime of the architect in which inquiry, discovery, and the application of new knowledge were at the foundation of the architect’s skills and capacities. They felt that these skills were unique professional skills with board application beyond the narrow world of design. Yet, despite the architect’s capacity for creative and collaborative problem solving through active listening, the authors concluded by noting “…the architecture community’s long history of failure to connect itself firmly to the larger concerns confronting families, businesses, schools, communities and society.” This failure to connect to society’s larger concerns was a damning condemnation of both the profession and the training of architects. Boyer and Mitgang put forward a “broad blueprint” for the profession to renew the connections between the academy and the profession. The authors were heartened by the ideals of the profession and the large wellspring of public support that the profession enjoyed. And yet, they sadly observed a profession that had become increasingly less relevant as civic actors within our communities and issued a call to service that, they believed would “…lead the profession into more constructive engagement with the most pressing problems of our communities, our nation, and our planet.” They offered seven goals for the renewal of the profession:
Goal One: An Enriched Mission The profession must focus on “the larger purpose of architecture itself” and “expand beyond aesthetic frontiers” and build for human needs.
Goal Two: Diversity with Dignity The profession benefits from the rich diversity of the types of architectural schools, educational models and types of faculty and should resist the urge to conform to a single mode of education.
Goal Three: Standards Without Standardization Within the context of the benefits of a diversity of types of architectural education, the profession must establish a “…clear set of expectations uniting all professional programs.”
Goal Four: A Connected Curriculum The profession must train broad, liberal thinkers and not solely competent technicians and must integrate theory and practice.
Goal Five: A Climate for Learning Schools must be nurturing, diverse and healthy places for learning— “places where students are supported, not put on trial, where communication is clear and mutually respectful, where all groups are actively sought out, and where the community regularly celebrates itself.”
Goal Six: A Unified Profession The profession must work with the academy to create a seamless transition from school to internship and on into practice. AIA Philadelphia | context | WINTER 2017 13
Goal Seven: Service to the Nation “The aim is not only to prepare the young for productive careers, but to enable them to live lives of dignity and purpose; not only to generate new knowledge, but to channel that knowledge to humane ends.” 20 years have passed since Boyer and MItgang offered their bracing assessment of the state of the educational-practice continuum. How many architects actually know of its existence? A recent Google search of “Building Community: A New Future for Architecture Education and Practice at 20” brings up zero hits. It is doubtful that their recommendations still inform the professional organizations that commissioned the report and whether the 123 accredited programs have seriously taken to heart the call to train engaged architects at the service of society. What is clear, is that the rest of the world has rushed into the void that the profession created when it pulled away from the need to address the compelling issues of the day. In challenging the profession to connect directly to society’s greatest needs, Boyer and Mitgang ripped the bandage off the long-festering wound that had been simmering for decades. Recall how in the 1980s the academy had veered into the realm of irrelevance in embracing an obscure French literary theory called de-constructivism as the basis of a new architectural pedagogy and practice. The disconnected theory elevated semiotic discourse and surface manipulation of form above human experience and societal need. It sent the profession into a tailspin from which it is still recovering and it removed any semblance of connection between the academy and practice particularly within the elite schools in the country. It is not hyperbole to say that those 5 days in March 1997 at the AIA’s inaugural Leadership Institute changed my life. I literally blasted off on a journey that led me to what I do today— ultimately leading city-wide civic engagement projects that tap citizen expertise to inform how we plan and build our cities. My trip from the Leadership Institute to my work in academia at the intersection of theory and practice has been a direct flight. The world is a different place in 2016. The Millennial generation is the great disruptor. Where our generation saw boundaries and hierarchy, they see only a horizon of opportunity. They have upended conventional wisdom and practice and flattened the world into one hyper-connected social network. And many of them are asking what they can do to make the world a better place. I have seen how young people’s attitudes to social responsibility has vastly changed. Today, young people are deeply involved in the life of their cities—from blogging about traffic calming to conducting tactical guerilla urbanism to reclaim the physical margins of our cities left scared by urban renewal and disinvestment. Which leads me back to Boyer and Mitgang and their landmark Building Community. 20 years on is a good vantage point from which to assess the state of the profession and the state of academia. And while it is true that many schools now have socially responsible projects and curricula informed by landmark programs such as Auburn’s Rural Studio, my observation is that there is still a vast disconnect between the teaching of architecture, the practice of architecture and the real needs of society. 14 WINTER 2017 | context | AIA Philadelphia
Rocinha is the largest hill favela in Rio de Janeiro. Although favelas are found in urban areas throughout Brazil, many of the more famous ones exist in Rio.
“…WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT MANY SCHOOLS NOW HAVE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE PROJECTS AND CURRICULA INFORMED BY LANDMARK PROGRAMS SUCH AS AUBURN’S RURAL STUDIO, MY OBSERVATION IS THAT THERE IS STILL A VAST DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE TEACHING OF ARCHITECTURE, THE PRACTICE OF ARCHITECTURE AND THE REAL NEEDS OF SOCIETY.” To be sure, we have seen the meteoric rise (and fall) of Architecture for Humanity—the award-winning response to international natural disasters along with the establishment of non-profit practices such as MASS in Boston and Assemble Studios in London (massdesigngroup.org, assemblestudio.co.uk). And yet, despite the notoriety and well deserved press that these projects and practices receive, we continue to educate architects and other design professionals largely along the lines of a design-centric profession that pays lip service to social responsibility. Where are the studios (both in schools and in practice) that are working to solve the housing crisis at home and abroad? Le Corbusier’s post-war housing studies—whatever you think of the impact—were critical to our thinking about rebuilding Europe. Who is building the communities for the refugee crisis that is subsuming Europe and threatening to destroy the stabilizing impact of the Eurozone? Who is working at the edges of the known world with Elon Musk on his attempt to colonize
Rural Studio construction of a restroom at Perry Lakes, Alabama.
Mars and build cities on it? Where are the design professionals figuring out the social, environmental and economic impact of driverless cars on the built environment? Why are women and minorities still shamelessly unrepresented in the profession? What architects are working to help solve the water crisis in the U.S. West? In a rapidly changing world the teaching and practice of architecture remains largely a vestige of the 20th century. The business world appropriated not only our pedagogy (think the D School at Stanford) and the sobriquet “architect” for just about anything that has to do with form in the digital world. We remain stupefied by starchitecture and the cult of personality made more immediate by instant access to addictive images on Pinterest. All while the teeming slums of Rio multiply, architecture schools clinically study them as “informal settlements” as opposed to attempting to offer real world solutions to some of our most urgent human problems that demand cross-sector problem solving. The first and last US president who was an architect was Thomas Jefferson. We’ve yielded our seat at the community table to the lawyers and accountants and relegated design to an intellectual parlor game at best and a hackneyed fashion
show at worst. As our inner cities still cry out for our help and our planet is heating up, we are on the sidelines. Where are our schools of architecture policy? Boyer and Mitgang clearly gave voice to this hard truth 20 years ago and what was true then remains depressingly true today. For the profession (and that means the academy as well) to be truly relevant we must lean into the existential crises that are staring us in the face —from climate change to homelessness—and work on serious design solutions tied to the human condition. Only then, will the profession attain the relevancy that it so desperately and plaintively called for by the profession. Building Community is as fresh today as it was when first published in 1996. Perhaps it is time for another look at it. ■ Harris M. Steinberg, FAIA, is the executive director of the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation at Drexel University and a distinguished teaching professor at Drexel’s Westphal College of Media Arts and Design. He serves as a special advisor on urbanism for Drexel’s president and is the co-chair of the editorial board of AIA Philadelphia.
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INTERSECTIONS— ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY, RESEARCH AND PRACTICE BY MING HU
Introduction There is a plurality of understanding about what activities constitute research. In particular, traditionally, practicing architects may not recognize their design research as research, and consequently fail to maximize value from the knowledge gained through the design process. There is wide recognition from practitioners of potential benefits of engaging with research, such as post-occupancy evaluation or client needs evaluation. Reliable and unbiased knowledge acquired from research about client requirements, along with user needs and behavior, are also important in improving design quality and performance. A structured and organized process such as research is most effective in gaining this knowledge. The benefits for practicing architects of engaging with academic research do not appear to have been addressed widely and broadly enough, even though the connection and linkage between architecture education and practice has been proposed by Ernest L. Boyer in Boyer Report published 20 years ago. The full value of academic-led research has not been recognized and some barriers to wider engagement of academic research remains, including a preference for academic knowledge exchange to take place via scholarly communication and journal articles, instead of knowledge-based practice. Some problems that architects face in accessing and using research appear to arise from differing cultural norms, knowledge practices and knowledge bases within the profession and academia. Other built environment professions and the construction industry more widely have different knowledge cultures as well. Lack of effective systems to support knowledge exchange in practice means that many practices— particularly small ones—are failing to learn from peers and colleagues, while also not benefitting from the new knowledge created in academic settings. This is not a new issue or phenomena, however due to the evolution of technology and practice formats, there is a need to examine the connection of industry, research and practice to the academy to enhance these relationships. According to the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture’s 2012 volume, “Architecture School: Three centuries of educating architects in North America,” the relationship between academia and the profession has entered a new stage, since the first formal architectural curriculum was offered at MIT in 1865. The core elements of architecture 16
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education—learning to design within constraints, decision-making, collaborative and continuous learning, and the ability to build community through the reflective act of design—have relevance and power far beyond the training of future architects. If they were better known and more widely appreciated, the basic canons of design education found at the nation’s 123 accredited architecture schools could be as enriching for students of all ages and interests as they are for aspiring architects. Two emerging trends have shaped and shifted the conversation around architecture education, research, and practice in recent years.
Design Thinking Is in Demand The public has shown a growing interest in architecture and design in recent years. For instance, business schools have started to teach design thinking, such as the Harvard Business School. In a report produced by The Institute for the Future, a research arm of Arizona State University published a report identifying twenty most needed skill sets in 2020, and a “design mindset” is identified as one of ten skills for the future workforce. Yet discussions within the architecture profession indicate strong concern about architects playing a diminishing role in the design and construction of the built environment. This apparent paradox prompts the need for renewed perspective on the purposes of architectural education—particularly the extent to which changes foreseen today will be sufficient to adjust to the realities that graduates will face in five years, ten years, and beyond.
Interdisciplinary Research When an increasing number of fields claim design thinking as their domain, all design inquiry must demonstrate “added value” to whatever objects or problems they explore. This value could be located precisely in the often tense and positively charged gap between research and practice. Traditionally, architectural research and practice is a field that recognizes the nature and process of interdisciplinary work.
Trends in practice 1. Evolving value propositions As firms face competitive environments and changing expectations in the market place, some have found innovative ways of structuring stronger value propositions. Fast Company’s 50 most innovative
companies listed only one architecture practice: New York-based SHoP Architects, who were lauded for successfully marrying great design and good business practices. They are rethinking the very notion of how architecture should be practiced, experimenting with everything from how architects get paid to how the firm participates in complicated construction. 2. Technology driving practice From designing high-performance buildings to innovating materials and leaner construction methods, technology is a dominant force in shaping the future practice of architecture and design for the built environment. In a May 2013 report produced by McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) titled “Disruptive Technology: Advances that Will Transform Life, Business, and the Global Economy,” the MGI attempted to identify the top technologies likely to affect the world in the coming decade. In order to determine which technologies were most important, MGI examined four characteristics: rapidly advancing, broad potential impact, significant economic impact, and potential for economic disruption. And the identified technologies include: advanced materials, 3D printing, advanced robotics, mobile internet, renewable energy, Internet of Things, etc.
Intersections Symposium at the AIA 2016 Convention To respond to those trends, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) formed a partnership dedicated to the integration of education, research, and practice of technologies at the 2016 AIA Convention in Philadelphia. This symposium focused on technologies—specifically innovative technologies and unknown areas that will revolutionize the built environment— and was co-chaired by representatives from both academia and practice:
Rashida Ng from Temple University and Jeff Goldstein from DIGSAU. The symposium featured ShoP as the keynote speaker. The symposium attracted many examples of high-quality and innovative collaborative research. The presentations from the symposium demonstrated the richness and depth of architectural research and showed the future of professional development actually lies in the intersections between practice and research. In order to further examine the possibility to integrate research into practice or vice versa, first we need to clarify the three myths related to architectural research. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has produced a report in 2004 about the status of practice and new knowledge in architectural field and identify the three myths. The first myth is that architecture is so different as a discipline and form of knowledge that normal research definitions or processes cannot be applied to it. On the contrary, architecture is not an autonomous discipline; indeed research methods applied to other related disciplines could also be applied to architectural research. The second myth “works in opposition to the first…Architecture must turn to other disciplines for authority”. The danger of the second myth is that by turning to others, architecture forgets what it might be in itself. The third myth, which is most common within design discipline, “is that designing a building is a form of research in its own right…Architectural knowledge ultimately resides in the built object…the very act of making is sufficient in terms of research”. Indeed, in the past several decades, the third myth created a huge impediment to the further development and evolution of architectural research in comparison to other disciplines. The process of design could be a form of research, however research does not necessarily lead to a building. Architects were satisfied to constrain research within the extent of buildings and to ignore the large
Keynote Presentation by John D. Cerone from ShoP Architects.
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Camera Obscura provided by ShoP’s Architects.
amounts of knowledge that indeed resides outside buildings’ boundaries. Research must therefore address this expanded field. In the symposium, all research teams intentionally reached beyond the building boundary and brought new knowledge to the design field or applied design to other disciplines. A team of researchers including Kihong Ku and Danile H. Chung—academics from Drexel University and Philadelphia University—presented the results of new digitally driven fabrication methods for fiber-reinforced composite sandwich panels
for use in complexly shaped buildings. This presentation discussed the material properties, manufacturing methods, and fabrication techniques needed to develop a proof of concept system using off-the-shelf production technology that ultimately can be packaged into a containerized facility for on-site panel production. This project blurs the boundary between fabrication, computational design, and construction methods. Another interdisciplinary team of experts in architecture, engineering, computational science, sociology, virtual organizations, and data informatics from University of Notre Dame—Aimee P.C. Buccellato, Charles Vardeman, and Holly Ferguson—presented the possibility and concept that the future of building design will be driven by the power of structured data and the development of new frameworks, tools, and methodologies capable of bringing heterogeneous design data and information back together. Ultimately, this would make it more accessible, reliable, and effective in practice. A positive trend is that a lot of architects consider research to be an intrinsic part of the project work they undertake. This encompasses a range of aspects from understanding client needs and evaluating project contexts, to assessing the performance characteristics of materials and building components. In fact, most research in practice seems, perhaps not surprisingly, to be project focused. This project-focused research includes investigation of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency; analysis of precedents; and research into materials, products, and construction techniques. Post-occupancy evaluation is clearly emerging as an area of increasing interest and importance, as design and research are moving in a user-based or user-focused direction.
Conclusion Panel Discussion moderated by Rashida Ng during symposium.
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Like many other associated disciplines, leveraging the full body of technology, knowledge, and expertise in our discipline—including
3D Fabrication Process provided by ShoP Architects.
what is already embedded in the built environment—will require new structures. Building connections will go far toward propagating critical cross-disciplinary virtual communities and collaborative networks; new tools to facilitate the use, reuse, and sharing of knowledge; and new platforms to grow and sustain new networks of information. And as a profession as a whole, educators, practitioners and researchers are more closely connected than ever. On the other hand, another picture that emerges is one in which the role and value of research in a knowledge-based profession is recognized on a widespread basis, albeit with some practical barriers that prevent architects from realizing their aspirations. The project focused nature of architectural practice tends to mean that research is mainly undertaken in relation to individual building projects and is largely funded through marginal elements of project fees. Overall linkages to research organizations such as institutions, universities, and research knowledge bases were often weak and ad hoc in nature. There is strong evidence of an increasing awareness of the potential role for research, not just as part of the project process but also as a distinct area of practice activity, wherein the firm that conducts research could in fact increase the value of their proposed projects. In fact, several large firms have already established their research arms, such as Perkins+Will, SOM, HKS, and Arup. As Perkins+Will claims, “At Perkins+Will, research is part of our DNA…we’re creators and curators of intelligence.” They have established ten research labs in collaboration with academics and other experts. Gensler views “research as an investment in our future that empowers our global processionals to seek answers to pressing questions facing our design teams and clients every day.” As more and more firms realize the crucial role research could play, in the next few years we could see the research organizations and industry (firms) forge a stronger relationship. Through the
Intersections Presentation given by a research group from University of Notre Dame.
intersection of practice and academia, and by conducting broad-based, joint research, the profession could stay on the cutting edge instead of constrained within the boundaries. ■ Ming Hu is an Assistant Professor at School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, University of Maryland, College Park. She teaches technology courses focus on the integration of architectural design with structural, materials and enclosure systems. Her research focuses on the intersections of building systems and green technologies with an emphasis on integrated design, multi-performance systems.
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DIVERSITY BY DESIGN? BY BRUCE LINDSEY AND RASHIDA NG Over the past 20 to 25 years, there have been numerous studies and articles citing the underrepresentation of minorities and women within the discipline. This year the AIA published “Diversity in the Profession of Architecture.” AIA president Elizabeth Chu Richter states in the foreword of the report, “…we must be a mirror of the rich human tapestry we serve.” One of the key findings of the study reports agreement on the underrepresentation of people of color, while perceptions on the status of women in the field are less conclusive. Although there appears to be consensus on the need for increased ethnic diversity in architecture, the fact remains that the profession continues to struggle to attract and retain people of color in the field. Moreover, current statistics confirm that there remains a marked gap between the percentages of women graduating from architecture school, and those who advance within the profession to attain licensure, become members of the AIA, and assume senior leadership positions in architecture firms. Here, we will explore some of the challenges to attaining an inclusive culture that recruits, retains, and advances minorities and women and will highlight initiatives that could help achieve this goal.
Anecdotal evidence and statistical data The U.S. toymaker Mattel selects careers for its popular toy, Barbie, that it considers “aspirational and culturally relevant” in an attempt to provide a positive “role model and agent of change for girls.” Despite winning the 2002 public vote as the next career for Barbie, the hard hat wearing, pink drawing tube toting Architect Barbie was not available for purchase until 2011. In Despina Stratigakos’ book Where Are the Women Architects?, a Mattel spokesperson explains the delay in the release of the toy by stating that for children, becoming an architect “is not in their lexicon.” Perhaps only anecdotal evidence, the story of Architect Barbie reflects a commonly held notion that one barrier to increasing the diversity of architecture is a lack of cultural relevance. The same year, women architects met in San Francisco for an event sponsored by the local chapter of the AIA. The event aptly named, “Ladies (and Gents) Who Lunch with Architect Barbie” explored women’s participation in the profession. This gathering led to The Missing 32% Symposium, titled to reflect the number of women architecture graduates that do not join the profession. An extension of this project, Equity by Design, conducted a survey of nearly 2300 male and female architects in 2014. They recently completed a second survey in preparation for the 4th symposium titled “Equity by Design: Metrics, Meaning, & 20
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Matrices” that was held in October. Among many statistics, the 2014 survey revealed that while women comprise nearly 50% of architecture students, the number of women who were licensed architects was 22%. Perhaps even more alarming, Women in Architecture’s 2014 survey reported that 72% of women worldwide said that they have experienced sexual discrimination. In a 2006 interview in Architectural Record, Marshall Purnell, former president of the AIA and the first African American elected to that role, speculated that the profession would improve by including more historically disadvantaged groups. “It would get enlivened and enriched. What would dance be without African Americans? What would our music be?” Since Purnell’s presidency in 2008, the number of African American architects has increased from 1.5% to just under 2%, according the Directory of African American Architects, a public listing of all registered African American architects in the U.S. sponsored and maintained by the University of Cincinnati. The number of Asian American and Latino architects are higher than African Americans, and ethnic and racial diversity overall continues to climb. In 2015, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards reported a 19% increase in the number of individuals seeking architectural licensure within the past nine years. However, historically, minority and women architects leave the profession at disproportionately higher numbers than their white male counterparts.
Education to lead the way Data is big and big data even bigger. Data visualization, data driven design, data manipulation, and data collection, raise millions of Google hits. This situation can sometimes mask that important moment when enough data is in, and the implications are clear. We believe we are at that moment. While we need to continue to count, assess, and study, we also need to develop bridges to the barriers and sustain coordinated initiatives towards a more diverse community of architectural education and practice. It is certainly an issue of equity. It is also an issue of the relevance of what we do, that can be informed and given increased value through different perspectives. If ecology is any model, our survival might depend on it. Current models of ecology suggest that diversity = survival and complexity = life. An ecology of design might be diversity = creativity. As stated in his definition of complimentarity, the Danish physicist Niels Bohr, suggested that the richness of shared experience can only be achieved through multiple, overlapping, and at times mutually exclusive points of view. In this
PHOTOS: THE ALBERTI PROGRAM AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS
Student in the Alberti Program at Washington University in St. Louis.
way diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status is also intellectual diversity. As education feeds the pipeline to the profession, architecture schools must lead the way towards building a more diverse and inclusive culture in the field. Schools must engage in more outreach to K-12 schools and inform students from all backgrounds of the rewards of pursuing a career in architecture. Once those students are within our classrooms, we must provide diverse curricula that are representative of the rich cultures and communities of cities, suburbs, and rural areas alike. In order for those students to thrive, we must also provide mentorship and support to those students by hiring and promoting more faculty of color within the academy. Here are examples of these types of initiatives that will be essential to our success.
The Alberti Program, a tuition-free camp for 4th through 9th graders The Alberti Program in the College & Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Design at Washington University in St. Louis began 10 years ago. With few courses or opportunities for young students to be exposed to architecture or landscape architecture, the goal of the program was simple—introduce 4th through 9th graders from St Louis
Alberti program students and graduate student teacher.
public schools to the fields of environmental design. This tuition-free program operates year-round: during the summer as a four-week day camp and during the academic year as a Saturday afternoon program. The Saturday program has grown to over 100 students from more than 15 different schools. Attempting to build on the student’s own life in the city experiences as a form of environmental knowledge they tackle real challenges such as the design of a homeless shelter or a playground for children that promotes learning. The hands on exercises are directed by faculty member Gay Lorberbaum, introduced by a lecture from local AIA Philadelphia | context | WINTER 2017 21
—(Arthur Lee quoted in Minneapolis Tribune, July 15, 1931)
Born in St. Cloud, Minnesota in 1894, Arthur Lee fought in World War I and worked for the United States Postal Service in Minneapolis.
“This case is not the case of Lee alone. It is a case of the people, white and black, who believe in the fundamental laws of the country and the state. It is a case of right against wrong. It is the concern of any man, be he Jew or Gentile, white or black, Protestant or Catholic. This country will never be safe until the rights of every citizen are safe.” (Twin City Herald, September 9, 1932)
Arthur and Edith Lee seated with daughter Mary (Courtesy of Robert A. L. Forman and James T. Morris Jr.)
4600 COLUMBUS AVENUE SOUTH
Arthur and Edith Lee House with black paint defacing corner (Minneapolis Tribune, July 16, 1931)
What does it mean to establish a home?
Panel from the Right to Establish A Home exhibition at the Goldstein Museum of Design
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The Right to Establish a Home, expanded curricula in schools Some of our histories are not easily remembered, but still need to be told. The Right to Establish a Home explored an incident of housing discrimination in south Minneapolis in the 1930s. Initiated as a class project in a course focused on heritage preservation, the project evolved into a public exhibition at the Goldstein Museum of Design in August 2014 through January 2015, the result of a collaboration between faculty and students at the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota History Center, and community members. Under the guidance of Professor Greg Donofrio, a 2015 recipient of the ACSA Diversity Achievement Award, students consulted primary sources and conducted interviews with local residents to research the history of the Lee family, an African American family who experienced harassment and vandalism when they moved to a “white neighborhood.” More than the story of one family, the Right to Establish a Home examined the broader issue of housing discrimination, as a historical and current condition that is part of the cultural heritage of the United States. The project ultimately led to the inclusion of the Lee home on the National Register of Historical Places. The Right to Establish a Home served to broaden and enrich the experience of students, creating cultural sensitivity of the diverse experiences of Americans. Furthermore, the
IMAGE: GREG DONOFRIO
“Nobody asked me to move out when I was in France fighting in mud and water for this country. I came out here to make this my home. I have a right to establish a home.”
professionals and taught by 25 graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants who line up to work with the young students. More than 800 students have participated some of whom have gone on to study architecture in college. This past year the program was honored by the AIA Diversity Recognition Award, and received a generous gift from St. Louis based architectural firm PGAV Destinations that will ensure its funding for the next five years. Mike Konzen, chair of PGAV, cites an old adage that the best time to plant a tree was ten years ago as he states that “Alberti is able to reach students who otherwise might never consider a career in architecture.”
COURTESY OF: KIWANA MCCLUNG; PHOTO: THADDAUS PERKINS
Professor McClung (top center) working with NOMAS students on a design competition.
project exemplifies the ways in which we can expand historical curricula within architecture schools to include varied perspectives and individuals.
NOMAS and mentorship The current AIA report on diversity cites a lack of role models for people of color as one factor impeding a more rapid increase in the number of students from diverse backgrounds studying architecture. All students are prone to momentary thoughts of self-doubt when subjected to the rigor and intensity of architecture school. However, first generation college students, minorities, and those that feel isolated from the dominant social culture of the school may require additional support. Mentoring activities through organizations such as the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students can positively impact students and help improve their performance in school. Professor Kiwana McClung, another recipient of a 2015 Diversity Achievement Award, serves as the Faculty Advisor for the NOMAS chapter at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and actively recruits high school students to study architecture. Characterized by her students as “passionate,” Professor McClung has personally dedicated her time to the recruitment, retention, and overall success of her students. While serving as a mentor to her students, she also seeks personal mentorship from the Black Faculty and Staff Association at the University. The availability of faculty-to-faculty and faculty-to-student mentorship is key to building the pipeline of successful faculty and students of color. Under Professor McClung’s leadership, the NOMAS chapter at the University grew from 5 to 27 active student members, which engages in community service projects, participates in the annual NOMA Student Design Competition, and works collaboratively with the AIAS chapter at the school.
A Shared Priority The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects average growth of 7% for the architecture profession over the next ten years. The AIA expects there to be a shortage of architects over the next five years. Stakeholders across the discipline including the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), the Coalition of Community College Architecture Programs (CCCAP), and the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) have committed to increasing diversity during this time of growth in the profession. We have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to help improve the diversity of the increased numbers of architects moving into the work force as well as to attract more diverse students to our schools. This is a long-term project that will require others to join in. It will also require the difficult task of changing school and office culture to reflect a more open and supportive environment for a more diverse community, given that the current state of affairs is the result of our existing culture that falls short of providing that support. The projects discussed here provide some examples of how this can be done. We need more. Fortunately, architects have experience with long-term projects that require change. ■ Bruce Lindsey is the Dean of the College of Architecture and the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Design at Washington University in St. Louis and the E. Desmond Lee Professor for Community Collaboration. He is also the current President of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. Rashida Ng is the Chair of the Architecture Department and an Associate Professor at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art in the Division of Architecture and Environmental Design.
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THE BEST PART OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION IS...
EXPRESSION
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1. Sabrina Yamaguchi sabrinay@sas.upenn.edu U Penn, BA, ‘19
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2. Cristina Vaca cvaca@sas.upenn.edu U Penn, BA, ‘19
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3. Sarah Shi shiyue1@sas.upenn.edu U Penn, BA, ‘18 4. Juliette Bibla jeb442@drexel.edu Drexel, B Arch, ‘20
5. Kya Kerner tuf17455@temple.edu Temple, BS, Arch ‘17 6. Ji Eun (Claire) Yoon jieuny@sas.upenn.edu U Penn, BA, ‘18
7. Chelsea Lowe chelsea.lowe@temple.edu Temple, BS, Arch ‘18
THE BUILDING PHILADELPHIA SPEAKER SERIES MARCH 6 - APRIL 5 | MONDAY + WEDNESDAY EVENINGS In this engaging 10-part series, renowned local architects, urban planners, archaeologists, and historians will explore the political, economic, and design trends that drove Philadelphia’s development. Topics include: major urban planning projects such as the Benjamin Franklin Parkway & Society Hill, our world-class collection of architectural styles, and Philadelphia’s immigrant history.
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The more than 350 attendees of the 2016 Design Awards Gala couldn’t have asked for a more stunning venue on a more perfect “Indian Summer” evening in late October. Held in the Kimmel Center’s intimate Perelman Theater, the ceremony gave just the right tone in honoring this year’s awardees. After the ceremony, the celebration moved upstairs to the Tier 2 Lounge for a delicious spread by Iron Chef Jose Garces’ catering group, wine, beer, and one of the most stunning views of Broad Street in the City!
The Community Design Award recognizes one pro bono preliminary design project completed by the Community Design Collaborative each year for excellence in design, collaboration, and community impact. Dragon Green, a conceptual design for greening the Southwark Elementary schoolyard, received the 2016 Community Design Award. The award recognized the Southwark Elementary School Advisory Council, the East Passyunk Crossing Civic Association and Town Watch; and volunteers Allison Harvey, Agnes Ladjevardi, Chris Landau, Vivian Martinez, Richard Roark, ASLA, and Brian Velleman of OLIN and Frank Gallagher of The FGX Group. 26
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DESIGN AWARDS The Philadelphia Emerging Architect Prize is awarded annually to recognize an emerging architecture firm producing highquality design and thinking within the Philadelphia region.
The Paul Philippe Cret Award recognizes individuals or organizations who are not architects but who have made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the design of buildings, structures, landscapes, and the public realm of Greater Philadelphia. Jane Golden is Executive Director of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, overseeing its growth from a small city agency to the nation’s largest mural program and a model for community development around the globe. Under Golden’s direction, the Mural Arts Program has created more than 3,800 landmark works of public art through innovative collaborations with community-based organizations, city agencies, nonprofits, schools, the private sector, and philanthropies. Sought after as an expert on urban transformation through art, Golden has received numerous awards for her work, including the 2016 Woman of Influence Award from Pearl S. Buck International, the Philadelphia Award, The Hepburn Medal from the Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center at Bryn Mawr College, and the Visionary Woman Award from Moore College of Art & Design. Golden holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and degrees in Fine Arts and Political Science from Stanford University.
Assimilation Design Lab (ADL), Founded in 2012, the firm strives to assimilate theory based design solutions with programmatic needs specific for each project and client. ADL believes in a collaborative approach, working closely with the client, construction trades, and artists, from conception through the final details of construction. This approach allows the architecture to seamlessly flow, from the big picture to the smallest detail, while creating complex spacial readings. Notable projects include the James Beard Design Award Finalist Tria Taproom located in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood and Passyunk Ave’s Sate Kampar.
The Young Architect Award, presented by AIA Philadelphia’s Steering Committee of Fellows, seeks to recognize a candidate’s contribution to the categories of leadership, practice and service.
The John Frederick Harbeson Award is presented annually to a long-standing member of the architectural community and is intended to recognize significant contributions to the architectural profession made over their lifetime. Joanne Aitken, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, Associate at KieranTimberlake—Joanne Aitken has devoted her professional life to building public appreciation for the value of architecture and its ability to shape place and create community. She has over thirty years of experience as an architect, educator, and advocate for the built environment. She led the Design Advocacy Group of Philadelphia as a Steering Committee founding member and Chair from 20082011, and her reviews of the built environment, published in the weekly Philadelphia City Paper, helped spur discourse on design in Philadelphia. She served as President of AIA Philadelphia in 1999, where she was involved in the founding of the Charter High School for Architecture and Design. Joanne is an Associate at KieranTimberlake, where she has led the design and construction of numerous student life projects for the University of California, San Diego, Yale University, and Harvard University. Joanne carries her experience teaching design studios at Drexel University into her professional practice, where she mentors young architects.
Paul Avazier, AIA, LEED AP, Associate at Atkin Olshin Schade Architects—His work has showcased his excellence in design, and his management of projects and staff has proved his leadership in practice and education. He serves as project manager for multiple projects and is a mentor for new graduates and employees. Paul is a Chapter Director on the AIA Philadelphia board and a 2007 graduate of Drexel University.
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CONGREGATION RODEPH SHALOM KieranTimberlake
GOLD MEDAL WINNER - BUILT CATEGORY
Rodeph Shalom is the oldest Ashkenazic congregation in the Western Hemisphere. While the historic building is well-loved, the lack of interior connection between program spaces, coupled with a somewhat foreboding and largely opaque exterior, undermined the current vision for a welcoming and open place. The addition offered the opportunity to improve the historic building through connectivity and legibility, while introducing a contemporary architectural character of welcome and luminosity.
CLIENT Congregation Rodeph Shalom
PROJECT TEAM
Photos: James Ewing/OTTO
The Ohio State University was founded with agriculture at its essence. As a landgrant university, the OSU Waterman Lab Master Plan envisions three new buildings that each uniquely embody the fundamental objective to conduct agricultural research and deliver knowledge and practical information to its students, faculty, and local community of farmers and consumers. The Food Security Collaborative, one of the three new buildings, will develop transformative solutions to create greater food security through improvements in agricultural vitality. The facility will contain a 24,000 SqFt food processing lab and headhouse to support the 80,000+ SqFt of growing space for both research and production.
CVM Engineers (structural engineer), Bruce Brooks Associates (electrical, mechanical engineer), Studio Bryan Hanes (landscape design), Marguerite Rodgers LTD (interiors), Sean O’Connor Lighting (lighting), Metropolitan Acoustics, LLC (acoustics), Lerch Bates (elevator), International Consultants, Inc. (cost estimating), Intech (general contractor)
FOOD SECURITY COLLABORATIVE AT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY Erdy McHenry
SILVER MEDAL WINNER - UNBUILT CATEGORY
CLIENT The Ohio State University
Renderings: Erdy McHenry
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TERRACURTAIN Digsau
DIVINE DETAIL WINNER
The Philadelphia Center for Architecture and Design renovations included a significant reduction in the size of its bookstore to create greater visual connectivity throughout the space. The Philadelphia AIA chapter invited one of its member firms to design and construct a screen wall to separate the store from the main hall using donated material from a manufacturer of terra cotta rainscreen wall systems. The screen wall explores the creative process writ large. Revealing the intriguing cross section of an otherwise familiar material became the inquiry. Joining this material in an unconventional yet sturdy way became the tectonic challenge. Aggregating the connection details into a simple, functional, and ephemeral pattern invites the next level of inquiry about how we can think differently about the world around us through design.
CLIENT Center for Architecture and Design
PROJECT TEAM Shildan Group (product supplier)
The former Benjamin Franklin Hotel, designed by Horace Trumbauer in 1923, had three large interior check-in windows, similar to a bank teller window. One of these was tasked with becoming a fully functioning cocktail bar. The desire to have a warm, hearth-like glow emanate from the space without adding a distraction to the larger lobby drove many lighting and material choices. Low levels of light, mostly linear LEDs distributed through many sources rather than fewer, brighter lights were employed. Much experimentation was performed in the application of the Muntz Metal, and final light diffusers and color gels were used to adjust light levels in the field.
TRUMBAR LIGHT VAULT Stanev Potts Architects DIVINE DETAIL WINNER
CLIENT Korman Communities
PROJECT TEAM Andrew Slavinskas (lighting consultant), Phoenix Design Group, Inc. (general contractor)
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TERMINAL F BAGGAGE CLAIM BUILDING AT PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL The Sheward Partnership, LLC HONOR AWARD - BUILT CATEGORY The New Bag Claim Building improves passengers’ experience for those who are either retrieving their checked bags or proceeding to the parking garage.
CLIENT The City of Philadelphia & The Division of Aviation
PROJECT TEAM HNTB (structural engineer), Arora Engineers (electrical, mechanical engineer), Urban Engineers (civil, geotechnical engineer), Daroff Design, Inc. (graphic design), Hunt Engineering Company (surveying, civil engineering support), AECOM (baggage handling system engineer), Synterra, Ltd. (landscape architect), Burns & McDonnell (construction manager), Syska Hennessey Group (LEED commissioning), LDC (lighting), Skanska (general contractor)
Photo: Tom Craine
MALTZ PERFORMING ARTS CENTER MGA Partners HONOR AWARD - BUILT CATEGORY (PRESERVATION) Located in Wade Oval, a nationally registered historic synagogue, The Temple-Tifereth Israel, is repurposed as a new multi-disciplinary performing arts center for Case Western Reserve University.
CLIENT Case Western Reserve University
PROJECT TEAM Barber & Hoffman, Inc. (structural engineer), Karpinski Engineering (civil, electrical, mechanical engineer), Akustiks, LLC (acoustics, a/v), Theatre Projects Consultants (theatre), The Lighting Practice (lighting), Behnke Associates (landscape design), Blundall Associates, Inc. (cost estimating), Turner Construction Company (general contractor) Photo: Halkin Mason Photography
UNDER ARMOUR BUILDING 37 Bohlin Cywinski Jackson MERIT AWARD - BUILT CATEGORY Under Armour’s expansion to a new campus at Baltimore’s Port Covington reuses the shell and structure of a 130,000 square foot facility. The addition of a mezzanine level accommodates 650 employees, a 350-seat auditorium, food service, and fitness amenities.
CLIENT Under Armour
PROJECT TEAM Hope Furrer Associates, Inc. (structural engineer), Vanderweil Engineers (mechanical, electrical engineer) WRT (landscape architecture), STV (civil engineer), James G. Davis Construction Corporation (general contractor) Photo: Jeffrey Totaro
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CONSORTIUM FOR BUILDING ENERGY INNOVATION KieranTimberlake MERIT AWARD - BUILT CATEGORY The Consortium for Building Energy Innovation (CBEI) incorporates more than twenty member organizations, led by Penn State University, working towards whole building-system solutions for energy usage reduction. CBEI Headquarters is a living laboratory for advanced energy retrofit technology.
CLIENT The Department of Energy/The Pennsylvania State University
PROJECT TEAM CVM Engineers (structural engineer), Bruce Brooks Associates (electrical, mechanical engineer), Hill International (project manager), Hunt Engineering (civil engineer), Studio Bryan Hanes (landscape), Atelier Ten (environmental, lighting engineer), Metropolitan Acoustics (acoustics), Ernest J. Bock (general contractor)
Photo: Michael Moran/OTTO
GLOBAL LEARNING CENTER Digsau MERIT AWARD - BUILT CATEGORY Set on a bucolic campus in Wilmington, DE, the Wilmington Friends School initially consisted of a modest school building adjacent to a small, detached historic farmhouse. The most recent expansion, the Global Learning Center, includes five new classrooms that have been conceived as modest, independent structures organized along a glazed “porch” which extends from the school’s existing library towards the historic farmhouse.
CLIENT Wilmington Friends School
PROJECT TEAM MacIntosh Engineering (structural engineer), Bala Consulting Engineers (electrical, mechanical engineer), Studio Bryan Hanes (landscape)
Photo: Todd Mason
CABRINI ATHLETIC PAVILION WRT MERIT AWARD - BUILT CATEGORY The Cabrini Athletic Pavilion is the first phase in the implementation of a new campus master plan for Cabrini University. The master plan creates a pedestrian-focused core, woven together by a network of paths and open spaces. The new Athletic Pavilion is designed to serve as a great room that connects the various programmatic spaces.
CLIENT Cabrini University
PROJECT TEAM CVM Engineers (structural engineer), HF Lenz Co. (electrical, mechanical engineer), Beam (lighting design), Warfel Construction (general contractor) Photo: Jeffrey Totaro
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84 NORTH AMERICAN STREET KieranTimberlake MERIT AWARD - BUILT CATEGORY A former bottling plant is retrofitted to be a flexible and sustainable architecture studio suited to 21st century workflows. The owners envisioned the retrofit of this large industrial building as an opportunity to undertake an ambitious experiment in sustainability. The goal: to achieve a comfortable working environment with as little energy as possible.
CLIENT Architecture firm
PROJECT TEAM KTRE, LLP (owner/developer), Elliott-Lewis (electrical, mechanical engineer), Fisher Marantz Stone (lighting consultant), SSM Group (surveyor), Jon Milner, Architectural Research and Cultural History (historic preservation consultants), AJ Lewis (general contractor)
Photo: Michael Moran/OTTO
SCIENCE + ENGINEERING HALL Ballinger MERIT AWARD - BUILT CATEGORY (INTERIORS) Spanning a full city block, the 750,000 SF Science + Engineering Hall is the largest academic building of its kind in Washington, DC
CLIENT George Washington University
PROJECT TEAM Ballinger (structural, electrical, mechanical engineer; interior design), Wiles Mensch Corporation (civil engineer), A&F Engineers (structural engineer consultant), Oculus (landscape architect), The Lighting Practice (lighting), Shen Milsom Wilke (acoustics, a/v), ECS Mid-Atlantic, LLC (geotechnical), Colin Gordon & Associates (vibration), VDA (elevator), Jensen Hughes Associates (code/life safety), VitaTech Electromagnetics (EMI/RFI), Wells & Associates (parking), Ross Infrastructure (co-generation), AdvanceTEC (clean room), AquaEngineering (irrigation), Rough Brothers, Inc. (greenhouse), Clark Construction Group (general contractor)
Photo: Judy Davis
HAMILTON COURT AMENITIES BUILDING Coscia Moos Architects MERIT AWARD - UNBUILT CATEGORY The owners of Hamilton Court wanted to build an amenities building for its residents and retail spaces for the neighborhood. The client initially requested a glass box with a pool on the roof, imagining a structure similar to the Apple Store in New York City. The final design is multiple, angled planes over a rectangular base encased in glass and wire mesh.
CLIENT Post Brothers Apartments
PROJECT TEAM CVM Engineers (structural engineer), Eckersley O’Callaghan & Ptrs (structural engineer), FXB Engineering (electrical, mechanical engineer), Bohler Engineering, ThinkGreen, GWA Lighting, Main Line Commercial Pools Rendering: Lifang
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MIDTOWN PARK L2 Partridge MERIT AWARD - UNBUILT CATEGORY Midtown Park is an urban mixed-use residential complex planned to be constructed on the site of a former two level parking structure of the same name in Wilmington, Delaware. Located only a few blocks from the Center City Business District, the developer for this project has partnered with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Parking Authority of Wilmington, in an effort to help fulfill a broader urban initiative focused on revitalizing downtown Wilmington.
CLIENT The Buccini/Pollin Group
PROJECT TEAM MacIntosh Engineering (structural engineer), FXB Engineers (electrical, mechanical engineer), Stantec (civil engineer), Norwoord Construction (general contractor)
Rendering: L2 Partridge
XS HOUSE Interface Studio Architects, LLC. MGA Partners MERIT AWARD - UNBUILT CATEGORY Philadelphia’s urban renewal era left behind an east-west cut through the city’s urban fabric in the form of the Vine Street Expressway. Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood was one of those disconnected by the Vine Street Expressway. The existing lot of XS House is so marginal and small it is barely noticeable as a development parcel. It is currently used for informal surface parking for two cars. The proposed project will provide (6) apartments.
CLIENT Callahan Ward, LLC
PROJECT TEAM Larsen & Landis (structural engineer), J and M Engineering (electrical, mechanical engineer)
Rendering: Interface Studio Architects, LLC.
AMBLER YARDS Interface Studio Architects, LLC. MERIT AWARD - UNBUILT CATEGORY Ambler, Pennsylvania lies 20 miles north of Philadelphia along major highways and rail lines. A large scale chemical manufacturer occupied a 25 acre swath of land that was gradually decommissioned. The owner and design team conceived of the transformation of the campus into a contemporary creative class working environment bringing forth its historical assets and re-imagining its landscape and twenty three existing buildings. The first phase of the project involves the renovation of five core buildings close to the main campus entrance.
CLIENT 300 Brookside, L.P.
PROJECT TEAM Jonathan Alderson Landscape Architects, Inc. (landscape architect), R.L. Showalter + Associates, Inc. (civil engineer)
Rendering: Interface Studio Architects, LLC.
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