‘To advance the science and art of planning and building by advancing the standards of architectural education and training.’
ROB WHITEHEAD, AIA
26 September 2022
RK Stewart, FAIA, Chair, Jury of Fellows
The American Institute of Architects
1735 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20006-5292
Mr. Stewart and Members of the Jury:
It is my honor and privilege to sponsor Professor Rob Whitehead, AIA for advancement to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. I have known Professor Whitehead for 24 years; as a fellow practitioner for 11 years at Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture and BNIM, as an internationally recognized professor at Iowa State University, and most recently teaching as co-professors of graduate and undergraduate studios at Iowa State University. Unquestionably, collaborating with Rob has made me a better practitioner and educator
.
Professor Whitehead’s practice, scholarship and instructional activities have focused on the critical relationship between architecture and structural design. His research has enriched the education of students worldwide. His award-winning book, “Structures by Design: Thinking, Making Breaking” is the model for collegiate structural design education in several architectural programs across the US a teaching model supported by Whitehead’s prolific and influential scholarship on the teaching and learning of structures in contemporary education. The most pre-eminent international and national associations for architectural and structural practitioners, researchers, and educators have reviewed and included his scholarly work: books, papers, journal articles, presentations, and symposia.
Professor Whitehead has been honored by several prestigious national educational and architectural organizations including the AIA, NCARB, the Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES), and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) The impact of the work is clear; books authored or coauthored by Professor Whitehead have been adopted by 11 international and 12 US higher education institutions and the digital publications of his scholarly works have been viewed thousands of times worldwide.
Professor Whitehead’s community-based design-build and design-science research projects have focused on ways to create sustainable and resilient environments. The novelty of the work is Whitehead’s ability to link structural design considerations with humanitarian design concerns. This impactful work has been appropriately recognized and many of the pavilions constructed as part of the design-build projects are regularly enjoyed by hundreds of local community residents. Professor Whitehead has also served the AIA through numerous leadership and mentorship roles and his leadership in practice has been published and recognized for design excellence at AIA State and Regional levels.
Without question, Rob Whitehead has Internationally, nationally, and locally bettered and impacted the education and practice of architecture. I can unquestionably state that Rob is qualified and deserving of Fellowship.
Respectfully
Rod Kruse FAIA, Principal BNIM, Professor of Practice, Iowa State University
SECTION 1: SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS ROB WHITEHEAD, AIA
Professor Whitehead’s prolific career is distinguished by awardwinning practice, scholarship, and instructional activities; he’s elevated the crucial bond between architecture and structural design in a manner that transcends the classroom and traditional disciplinary constraints.
Whitehead’s experiences as an architect and educator have coalesced around thoughtful, innovative, and technically proficient solutions to vexing architectural problems. The premise of the work is his belief that creative and scrupulous attention to structural principles enriches architecture in impactful ways. The work is intentionally multi-faceted for elevated impact; his teaching, writing, and building activities are designed to bring together learners, educators, researchers, and communities towards more progressive models of design that are more mindful of the ways we can effectively learn, create, and evaluate together.
INSTRUCTIONAL IMPACT
Whitehead is a renowned educator who’s been recognized by all the major pillars of architectural education and practice: AIA, NCARB, USGBC, ACSA, Design Intelligence, and the Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES) for his contributions to architectural and structural design education. In 2021, his most recent textbook, “Structures by Design: Thinking, Making, Breaking” received a prestigious national “Textbook Excellence Award (College)” from the Textbook Authors Association (TAA) and an Honorable Mention for the BTES Book Award. This book has been adopted worldwide reaching thousands of students a year. The book is based on the innovative structural design sequence Whitehead created at Iowa State University which received an ACSA Creative Achievement Award and has become a model for a new generation of collegiate structural design education at several institutions around the U.S.. His writing on structural design teaching has been presented and viewed internationally thousands of times .
SCHOLARLY INFLUENCE
Whitehead bridges architectural and structural design practices with the academy through a vibrant and internationally-recognized realm of construction history scholarship. Broadly, this work looks at experimental structures with an emphasis on shells and lightweight spatial structures developed by architects / engineers in a precomputational era of practice. Often, bold innovations and/or
instructive failures are revealed during final analysis and construction. These historical examinations of experimentation and innovation in design practices tie directly to contemporary issues of progressive practice models and education. This scholarship produced critical insights into the practices and challenges faced by Eero Saarinen and Frei Otto in their work. These writings and presentations have been widely shared at international conferences of architects and engineers (including with former associates of Saarinen and Otto), in peer-reviewed journals, and as a chapter in “Constructing Building Enclosures” (Ed. C. Fordham, 2020). This work has been downloaded and viewed internationally thousands of times across multiple modes of media.
DESIGN RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
These connections between architecture and structures take physical form in a series of community-engagement / design-build works and design-research projects. Whitehead’s humanitarian-oriented research centralizes structural design and technical performance together in the search for ways to create sustainable and resilient environments. These contributions include: the design for the Iowa National Guard’s off-grid Mobile Operation center, prototypes produced for his “Structures in Service” design-build option studio (including two AIA Iowa Impact awards), on-going research collaborations with civil engineers, and in his internationally-recognized scholarly research connecting structures to humanitarian design. His built work also has impact at a local level as well. Whitehead’s design-build courses have created several pavilions for non-profit community organizations in central Iowa that are regularly used by hundreds for recreational and performance purposes--the students that participated in these designbuild courses also learned crucial lessons.
SERVICE TO PROFESSION
His work has consistently been connected to architectural practice for 25 years. He has two decades of award-winning practice experience including local, state, and regional awards, including a leadership role at HLKB Architecture, 2001 AIA Firm of the Year. For the last decade he’s been either the AIAS and NCARB-AXP advisor at ISU. He’s been a consistent AIA member for decades and he’s been a regular participant in local chapter events, conventions, publications, and juries for the extent of his career.
SECTION 2
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2.1 SIGNIFICANT WORK
TEXTBOOKS
STRUCTURAL PEDAGOGY
CONSTRUCTION HISTORY
DESIGN-RESEARCH
DESIGN-BUILD
EDUCATION & PRACTICE INFLUENCE
3.2 HONORS, AWARDS, & RECOGNITION:
INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL, REGIONAL, & LOCAL
3.3 PUBLICATIONS:
INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL, SYMPOSIA & EXHIBITS
ROB WHITEHEAD, AIA
2.1 SIGNIFICANT WORK TEXTBOOKS
Description of Work: Textbook Author
“Structures by Design: Thinking, Making, Breaking” is a textbook written for those who prefer to learn about building structures using hands-on, creative problem-solving techniques to better understand the principles that bind structural form and behavior to architecture.
Each chapter teaches concepts before calculations and demonstrates ways these lessons can be applied with an iterative design-centric, problem-based learning approach that connects the understanding of structural principles to the various tools and modeling processes (physical and mathematical) used to create, and evaluate structures more holistically.
“(Structures by Design) is the structures text I needed when I was a student, and it’s one I’m pleased to have now.”
BTES Textbook Award, Honorable Mention, Building Technology Educators Society (BTES), 2021
Adopted worldwide (U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, etc.). Currently reaching 2,000+ students / year.
Description of Work: Textbook Co-Author
Design-Tech: Building Science for Architects, 2nd Ed.” takes a holistic approach to the way building technology topics are presented and explained. All major building technology topics are covered in one consolidated resource book for easy reference and to reinforce the importance of building science in integrated design.
Through the use of hundreds of drawings and tables the text explains the why as well as the how of building science. Chapters explain topics from first principles in easy-to-reference formats, utilizing numerous case-studies to demonstrate design implications, and focusing on practical information needed for future discussions with engineers, contractors, and consultants.
“Design-Tech is how I wish I had learned first principles of building technology: integrated, intuitive, and imaginatively illustrated. “
-Ryan E. Smith, Director, University of Utah (2014)
Impact, Textbook:
“Design-Tech: Building Science for Architects,” 2nd Edition, 2014. Written by Profs. Jason Alread, Tom Leslie, & Rob Whitehead. Prof. Whitehead wrote and primarily illustrated Section 4: Structures, Chapters 4.1-4.9
Impact and Influence:
3rd Edition, Under Contract; Summer 2023 Completion
Adopted worldwide (U.S. & UK. Currently reaching 500+ students / year.
2.1 SIGNIFICANT WORK STRUCTURES PEDAGOGY
Description of Work: Instructor
Novel Approach to Structural Design Pedagogy
In 2012, Whitehead created and implemented a new five-course structural design sequence (Structures by Design) as part of a new curricular-wide integrated building technology sequence at Iowa State (developed collectively by a cohort of instructors).
The course’s theme: “Think, Make, Break”reflects the iterative and exploratory nature of the learning.
The course’s organization, teaching methods, and learning objectives were created to be more akin to a design course with elevated expectations for acumen. Lecture topics become the basis for designcentric lab problems students set out to solve—typically through the design and construction of a structural solution.
“This program is exemplary for its strength, integration, and accessibility to students.”-Jury Comments, ACSA Creative Achievement Award, 2013
Description of Work: Researcher
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Architectural Structures
Whitehead undertook a decade-long scholarly study of the new structures design courses. The study, and results, developed into an internationally recognized realm of scholarship of teaching and learning.
The research looked at how physical modeling and haptic-engagement with materials could lead to more effective understanding of physical and mathematical principles associated structural design. More broadly the research looked at the effect of introducing “inquiry-based” and “problem-based” creative activities into STEM-dominant course work.
Impact and Influence:
Whitehead has given presentations internationally about the course sequence and has personally advised with multiple peer institutions during their development of integrated technology sequences: University of Utah, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Clemson University, etc. and many more after adoption of companion textbook, “Structures by Design” (e.g., UT-Austin, U. or Arkansas, Kansas State University, etc.).
Course Development: Integrated Building Technology Course (“Sci-Tech”) & “Structures by Design,” modules (2012-present)
Awards:
Creative Achievement Award, Assoc. of Collegiate Schools of Arch., 2013 NCARB Grant for Integration of Practice & Education in the Academy, 2009 (w/ Prof. Tom Leslie) ISU Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching, 2020 AIA Iowa Educator Award, 2014 Emerging Faculty Award, Building Technology Educators Society, 2011
Impact:
Presented findings to engineers, architects, and educators: Assoc. Civil & Str. Engineers (ACSE), Structures Congress, Arch & Engin. Instit. (AEI), Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES), and Assoc. for Collegiate Schools of Arch. (ACSA); See publications 2.3.
Conference co-chair, Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES) 2017 (with T. Leslie and S. Doyle).
Hundreds of downloaded papers worldwide, 10,000+ views for instructional videos (YouTube),
2.1 SIGNIFICANT WORK CONSTRUCTION HISTORY
Description of Work: Book Chapter Author
Experimental Structures Research
Saarinen’s Shells: Kresge Auditorium, TWA Terminal, and Dulles Airport
This construction history-based scholarly work looks critically at the design process and construction history of Eero Saarinen’s four shells and spatial structures: Kresge, TWA, and Dulles (1951-61). Specifically the study looked and how and why the shells were designed the way they were (Kresge and TWA didn’t match structural principles) and the relationship between Saarinen and his engineers that developed.
The papers revealed previously unpublished information about the design and construction. Because these designs were truly anomalous in technical complexity and form at the time, the research revealed ways in which project teams devised to work collaboratively to address the particular challenges. Initially this process resulted in more compromises than collaborations, but each successive design demonstrated how proactive engagement in structural, material, and construction considerations could better benefit the overall design.
Textbook:
Book Chapter, “Saarinen’s Shells: The evolved influence of engineering and construction,” by R. Whitehead Constructing Building Enclosures, Ed. C. Fordham, Routledge, 2020.
Impact:
Similar content presented Internationally at conferences for architects, engineers, and academics. Online Work Distribution: 800+ downloaded papers worldwide related to Saarinen Shells (ISU Digital Collection), 6,000+ page views on blog (Think, Make, Break). *Based on Sept. 2022 data.
Description of Work: Researcher
Experimental Structures: Pre-Computational Modeling, Frei Otto and the Institute for Lightweight Structures
This work looks broadly at experimental lightweight structures with an emphasis on the early era of practice, research, and education at Frei Otto’s Institute for Lightweight Structures in Stuttgart. Their earliest experiments in form-finding and analysis relied heavily on the use of innovative physical modeling techniques, which in turn led to insights in the engineering and construction phases. Nearly immediately, the Institute and the students were embroiled in the ‘72 Munich Olympic Roof design. Although this work was innovative and impactful initially, his efforts weren’t universally effective which set up significant conflicts with the team of engineers.
The larger body of scholarly work is related to pre-computational modeling methods and experimental structures reveals unique insights about the project roles, conflicts, and the manner in which contemporary modeling methods were influenced by the tumultuous moments surrounding the Munich roof project.
Journal Article:
“Evolution of Modeling for Lightweight Structures: Creating the Munich Olympic Stadium Roof (1967-72)” by R. Whitehead, TAD (Technology & Design) Journal, 6:2, Engineering, Taylor & Francis / Routledge Publishing, 2022.
Impact:
Similar content presented internationally at Int’l. Assoc. of Shells & Spatial Structures (IASS), Structures Membrane Conference, Int’l. Conf. on Constr. History (ICCH), Constr. History Society (CSA), Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES), and Assoc. for Collegiate Schools of Arch. (ACSA).
2.1 SIGNIFICANT WORK DESIGN-RESEARCH
Description of Work: Researcher
Humanitarian Design for Relief Operations
The research team designed two energy-independent mobile units for disaster relief operations for the Army Core of Engineers. In our proposal, modified existing shipping containers using a kit-of-part matrix to meet an array of functional and environmental needs for disaster relief operations. Instead of creating a singular product, we have created a system for decision-making and modular construction that conjoins the performance models of energy use with operations. Iterations were designed, modeled and tested to optimize comfort levels and various uses.
Nominee Role:
Part of Investigation Team: Dolf Ivener (Sun Crate), Dan Stieler (Solar Film), Anne Kimber (ISU), Chao Hu (ISU, Electrical), Ulrike Passe (ISU, Arch), Rob Whitehead (ISU-Arch).
Specific Research Role: Crate #2, Co-designer of create options related to operations, environmental performance, and fabrication options.
Description of Work: Instructor
Humanitarian-based Design-Build Courses
The course, an interdisciplinary design-build studio (created and taught by Whitehead), serves as an inspiring and often times sobering look at the power and limits of design. Students are tasked with designing, “places, objects, and experiential operations in service of on-going disaster relief and/or resiliency measures.” Students don’t search for better shelters--they explore the limits of social-entrepreneurialism and design-science as approaches to problem solving for vexing issues while presenting real-world opportunities for new design realms.
Students were asked to construct physical mock-up prototypes of their solution. The design, fabrication, and implementation solutions need to consider advanced technical challenges including the portability / deployment of the assembly and the efficiency of material utilization
Funded Research Project:
Mobile Micro-Grid Disaster Relief Crate, Phases One.
Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) w/ Iowa National Guard, 2019-2021. Total Funding: $158,396
Impact:
Phase One is under-going testing and deployment by the Iowa National Guard for full operational potential deployment. The mobility of the unit has allowed for it to be easily integrated into training and use.
Course Development / Design: “Structures in Service: Design for Relief and Resiliency,” (DSN 546) Various semesters, 2015-2022, Iowa State University
Awards:
AIA Iowa, Impact Award, Merit Award of Excellence, 2020 “Store Floor”
AIA Iowa, Impact Award, Merit Award of Excellence, 2020 “Waterwall”
Iowa State University, Best in Innovation “Pitch-off” Runner-up (Ramirez, Gonzalez) for “Retro-Brick.” 2018
2.1 SIGNIFICANT WORK DESIGN-BUILD
Description of Work: Instructor, Designer
Design-Build Instruction, Community Engagement: Whitehead engages communities through design-build course work. Through a series of graduate level design-build / service learning courses, partnerships with local non-profit organizations that normally couldn’t afford professional services were developed. His responsibilities included the role of instructor, client liaison, construction manager, and pro-bono project architect services (Whitehead Design Workshop). Whitehead collaborated with colleagues for two of these projects (Doyle, 2016 and Rogers, 2015).
During the courses, students develop and refine designs, present to a client group, meet with consultants (as required), research available materials and costs, and develop permitted construction documents that match a given budget (usually a very meager budget under $5,000). During construction, students participate in all phases of work on-site whenever possible. Prototyping and testing at full-scale are integral parts of the learned design process.
Description of Work: Researcher
Design-Build Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Design-build work is exciting and challenging and, if unexamined, can be fraught with potential issues in education. Whitehead created a body of scholarly work that looks at the distinct pedagogical challenges and opportunities when students participate in community engagement / service learning projects.
This work explores one of the most unquestioned mandates of architectural education: that ‘building’ is always better for learning. In reality, the findings show a more complicated set of considerations; not all acts of making are equivalent. When projects increase in scope and complexity they rightly exceed the capacity of relatively inexperienced learners to actually construct them.
More complexity in the design and process triggers deeper concerns including the intimate relations between capitalism and architecture, and labor injustices and construction that often result from “free” student labor. Asking questions about what is built, and why, is essential.
Community Impact: Locations include: Story County Conservation Center, DM Social Club, Des Moines Parks & Recreation, and City of Urbandale Parks Department. Primarily all population centers serving thousands.
Results / Impact:
Papers, presentations, and moderated panels at national and international conferences:
“The Lore, Lessons, and Limits of Building Experience.” BTES, 2019 (R. Whitehead & S. Doyle)
“All Hands on Deck: Instructors as Collaborators and the Modified Dynamics of Design Build Instruction,” NCBDS, 2016 (R. Whitehead & C. Rogers)
“Service-Learning: Teaching & Learning Community Engagement and Service-learning,” w/ M. Myers, CELT, Iowa State University, 2019
2.1 SIGNIFICANT WORK
EDUCATIONAL & PRACTICE INFLUENCE
Description of Work: Instructor & Researcher
High-Impact Practices and Instructional Development (CELT) Whitehead’s role as a Faculty Fellow for High-Impact practices at ISU’s CELT included the development and delivery of teacher training related to Project-Based Learning and Community-Engaged coursework (Service Learning).
Impact:
Whitehead used his architectural experience and pedagogical research background to assist faculty members in the implementation of new high-impact practice initiatives, specifically project-based learning and service-learning coursework, across the University.
As the fellowship overlapped with the global pandemic, virtual learning and training became a focus. Whitehead developed and led international virtual training sessions on project-based learning for the “Trans-Atlantic Virtual Exchange” which was a collaborative partnership of five institutions (in the U.S. and Germany).
Description of Work: Service & Advising Service to Profession, Professional Support in Academia . Whitehead has consistently volunteered in service to the AIA including as a design juror (Iowa Architectural Foundation, AIA Design awards, etc.), convention committees (organization, presentation, exhibits, etc.), Committee Chair (AIA Diversity Task Force), and Editorial Board for Iowa Architect magazine.
Whitehead’s current practice, Whitehead Design Workshop, is a designbuild oriented practice created to assist with the pro-bono professional services needed to work with non-profit community organizations for ISU design-build courses.
Impact:
This professional experience and service has been applied to his role as professional practice advisory roles in academia including the faculty advisor for the American Institute of Architectural Students (AIAS) and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards Architectural Experience Program (NCARB-AXP).
Educational Influence: Faculty Fellow for High-Impact Practices, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), Iowa State University, 2019-2021.
Funded Award:
International Virtual Academic Collaboration, German Academic Exchange Service. “Virtual Exchange+”. International Institutions: Hochschule Ruhr West (HRW) & Hochschule Hannover (HSH), Germany. National Institutions: ISU, Wayne St., Michigan. St. Nominee Role: Training for project-based learning initiatives for all institutions.
Professional Roles & Service: Licensure / Certifications: Licensed Architect, State of Iowa, 1998-present
AIA Member, 1993-95, 1998-Present
LEED Accredited Professional, 2006-present
Disaster Safety Assessment Program (SAP) Certified, 2020-present
Professional Advising in Academia: AIAS Faculty Advisor, 2012-16
NCARB-AXP, School Appointed Advisor, 2016-present)
2.2 AWARDS, HONORS & RECOGNITION
INTERNATIONAL:
BTES Textbook Award, Honorable Mention, Building Technology Educators Society (BTES), 2021
Structures by Design: Thinking, Making, + Breaking, R. Whitehead.
Award recognizes, “excellence in any published scholarly work (International) that contributes towards building technology topics.”
Creative Achievement Award, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), 2013
“Think, Make, Break, + Evaluate,” Structural Design Sequence at Iowa State University Award recognizes a “specific creative achievement in teaching...that advances architectural education.”
Emerging Faculty Award,
Building Technology Educators Society (BTES), 2011 Inaugural Recipient Award is presented to “…an outstanding, rising educator in building technology education who has demonstrated particular excellence in teaching and innovation during their formative years.”
NATIONAL:
TAA Textbook Excellence Award (College),
Textbook & Academic Authors Association, 2021
Structures by Design: Thinking, Making, + Breaking, R. Whitehead Award recognizes excellence in current textbooks (U.S.) across multiple disciplines.
30 Most Admired Educators for 2015,
Design Intelligence Magazine, Volume 20, Number 6, 2015
Selected by Design Intelligence based on surveys respondants; educators selected from architecture, industrial design, interior design, and landscape architecture programs nationwide.
NCARB Grant for the Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, 2009
“Practicing Structures,” with Tom Leslie (PI.), Co-PI R. Whitehead. Award recognizes programs, “… that incorporate architectural practice and education in creative ways…to address significant needs in architecture education.”
Excellence in Green Building Education Awards, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Honorable Mention, 2009
“SCI-TECH: A Technology Sequence for Generation Green,” with Profs. Leslie and Alread. The award recognizes “discrete, replicable pedagogical efforts” in curricula that “advance green building ideals of transforming how buildings and communities are designed, built, and operated.”
ACSA AWARD
2.2 AWARDS, HONORS & RECOGNITION CONTINUED
STATE / LOCAL / UNIVERSITY AWARDS:
ISU Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching, Iowa State University, 2020 Award presented to Iowa State University faculty to recognize “outstanding teaching performance over an extended period of time.”
AIA Iowa Educator Award, American Institute of Architects, Iowa Chapter, 2014 Prof. Rob Whitehead for “significant contribution to architectural education in Iowa.”
AIA Iowa, Impact Award, Merit Award of Excellence, 2020 “Waterwall”; DSN 546 (Keeble, Hiestand, He) & Whitehead Design Workshop
Miller Faculty Fellowship, ISU Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) Board of Directors, 2015 “Active Collaboration for Sustainable Technological Integration.” Rob Whitehead (PI.), with U. Passe, A. Wheeler, and K. Nelson (Co-PIs).
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Scholars Program, ISU Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), 2015
REGIONAL / LOCAL / UNIVERSITY FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS:
Vernon Stone Fund in Architecture, 2022, Iowa State University, Department of Architecture, “Experimental Structures: Innovations in Design and Prototyping.” Selected Recipient w/ Prof. N. Senske, Funding total, $10,000.
Mobile Micro-Grid Disaster Relief Crate, 2019-2020, Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) w/ Iowa National Guard. Design construct and deploy a prototype modified shipping “power” crate. Investigation Team: Ivener (Sun Crate), Dan Stieler (Solar Film), Anne Kimber, Chao Hu, Ulrike Passe, Rob Whitehead (Arch). Total Funding: $158,396
Wells Concrete Fellow for Construction Research, 2018, Iowa State University, Department of Architecture. Design and construction research related to prototyping for remote water cistern shell structure. Funding: $10,000.
Construction Researcher, Bishop Family Shelter, 2016, City of Urbandale. Iowa State Office of Sponsored Projects. PI, R. Whitehead, Co-PI S. Doyle. In-kind Professional Service donation, Whitehead Design Workshop. Funding: $70,000.
Vernon Stone Fund in Architecture, 2013, Iowa State University, Department of Architecture, “Practicing Failures: Making, Breaking, & Innovating Building Designs.” Selected Recipient. Funding total, $3,000.
INTERNATIONAL FORUMS
“Frei Otto’s Pneumatic Experiments for Humanitarian Design,” Building Technology Educators Society, 2021
“Pneumatics for Humanitarian Design: The ideology and technology of lightness and adaptability.” Int’l Assoc. for Shell and Spatial Structures, “Form and Forces,” 2019
“Structures for Relief & Resiliency: Enhancing Creative Applications of Technical Acumen through Constrained Conditions” Building Technology Educators Society, 2019
“Portentous, and Predictable: Eero Saarinen, Ammann & Whitney, and the Damaging Failures of Kresge Auditorium (1950-1955)” Int’l Assoc. for Shell and Spatial Structures, 2018
“Model Behavior: The Evolving Use of Physical Prototypes in Structural Shell Design, 1959-1974,” Assoc. Collegiate Schools of Arch., 2016
“Ten Concrete Buildings: Donald Judd’s Incomplete Integrations of Art & Engineering,” Int’l Assoc. for Shell and Spatial Structures, 2015
“Formative Experiences: Saarinen’s
Shells and the Evolutionary Impact of Construction Challenges,” 5th Int’l Congress on Const. Hist. (ICCH), 2015
“Saarinen’s Shells: The Evolution of Engineering Influence,” Int’l Assoc. for Shell and Spatial Structures, 2014
“Pedagogical Progressions: Reflections from an “Integrated” Technology Sequence” Assoc. for Collegiate Schools of Arch., 2014
“Breaking (A)way: The Role of Productive Failures in a New Structural Design Pedagogy” Assoc. Collegiate Schools of Arch. (ACSA), 2013
“(RE)Covering Shelter: Enhancing Structural Pedagogy by Designing for Disaster Relief,” Assoc. Collegiate Schools of Arch., 2013
“Impediments to Integration: The Divergent Intentions and Convergent Expressions of the Dymaxion House and Demountable Space Structural Designs” Assoc. Collegiate Schools of Arch., 2012
“Productive Failures in the Creation and Analysis of Surface-active Structural Systems” Int’l Conf. on the Constructed Environment, 2012
“Making Marfa: Technical Encumbrances and Creative Resistance in Donald Judd’s Ten Concrete Buildings” Assoc. Collegiate Schools of Arch., 2009
“Places, Spaces, and Faces: Combining Architecture and Landscape Architecture Studios and the Challenges of Integrated Pedagogy,” w/ C. Rogers, L. Paxson, Assoc. Collegiate Schools of Arch, 2009
NATIONAL FORUMS
“The Lore of Building Experience: Deconstructing Design-Build,” w/ S. Doyle, Nat’l Conf. on the Beginning Design Student (NCBDS), 2017
“Saarinen’s Seating and Sculptural Shells: Enduring Influences of Early Furniture Designs,” Construction History Society of America (CHSA), 2016
“Supporting Students: Using Anthropomorphic Structures to Enhance Early Structures Education,” NCBDS, 2016
“All Hands on Deck: Instructors as Collaborators and the Modified Dynamics of Design Build Instruction,”
with C. Rogers, NCBDS, 2016
“Comprehensive and Creative Conclusions: Enhancing Structural Design Education,” Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2015
“Building a Framework: Rethinking Structural Design in an Architectural Curriculum” Structures Congress 2015, Str. Eng. Inst. (SEI) of the ASCE
“Supporting Students Structurally: Engaging Architectural Students in Structurally Oriented Haptic Learning Exercises,” Architecture & Engineering Institute (AEI), 2013, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
“Tectonics, Tolerances, and Time: Eero Saarinen and Mies van der Rohe at Drake University,” Preservation, Education & Research Journal, Vol. 2, 2009, The National Council for Preservation Education, pg. 27-40
“Midwestern Modern Failures: Building Envelope Detailing, Performance, and Remediation Challenges at Drake University,” Construction History Society of America (CHSA), 2008
SYMPOSIA, WORKSHOP, PANELS
“Thinking, Making, Breaking (A)Way, The Relationships of Innovation in Pursuit of Great Problems,” Iowa State University, “Innovation Mindset Sessions,” Office of President, 2020
“Re-affirmation > Replacement: Tactical Enhancement for Difficult Conditions,” Building Technology Educators Society (BTES), “Alternative Pedagogies” webinar, 2020
“Innovation by Design: Project-Based Learning,” workshop series, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), Iowa State, 2020
“Getting Started with Project-based Learning, Advanced PBL, and Teaching Great Problems” workshops, w/ P. Quinn (WPI), Iowa State, 2019
“Service-Learning: Teaching & Learning Community Engagement and Service-learning,” workshop series, w/ M. Myers, CELT, Iowa State, 2019
Co-Chair, Building Technology Educator’s Society (BTES) 2017, Co-chairs: S. Doyle, T. Leslie, & R. Whitehead “Poetics & Pragmatism,” Conference Host, Iowa State University.
“Structural Shells: Design and Innovation,” Presenter and Studio Critic (Prof., Georg Rafailidis), SUNY, University of Buffalo
“Tea Anyone? A Story of Disaster and Resilience at
“Eponymous Exhibition: Developing Innovative Objects of Design,” Figge Art Museum, 2011
POSTERS, EXHIBITS,
INSTALLATIONS
Consulted Author, “Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future,” PBS Documentary. Director Peter Rosen, 2015 (aired 2016)
“Mies / Weese at Drake: Where We Live and Work,” (M. Lyons, curator). Invited Contributor & Exhibit Evaluator, Anderson Gallery, Drake University, 2017
“Innovative Objects of Design,” Figge Art Museum, Community Gallery, 2011
“Active Collaborations for Sustainable Technological Integration,” CELT Miller Faculty Fellowship Exhibition, ISU, 2015
“Once Built Structure,” Selected Exhibitor (with B. Phillips & N. Scott), ACADIA 2013
“Practicing Structures NCARB Prize,” w/ T. Leslie, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), 2011 National AIA Convention
PEER-REVIEW ACTIVITIES
Book Reviewer, “Sculpture on a Grand Scale,” by T. Sprague, Journal for Architectural Historians, 2022.
Journal Reviewer, “International Association of Shells and Spatial Structures (IASS)”, Article: “Shaping Indeterminate Frames,” Madrid, Spain, 2020
Textbook Referee, Reviewer, and/or Endorsee, Titles withheld, Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2014, 2018-2019
Journal Reviewer, “Technology / Architecture + Design (TAD)” Routledge, Taylor and Francis, 2019
Journal Reviewer, “Histories of Postwar Architecture (HPA)” University of Bologna, 2018
Reviewer, “Preservation, Education & Research,” The National Council for Preservation Education, 2010
Scientific Committee Member, Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES) Conferences: 2015, 2017, & 2019
Session Moderator: BTES conferences (2017, 2019), Nat’l. Conf. Beg. Dsn Student (2015-2017), Architecture and Engineering Institute (ACSE), (2015).
2.3 PUBLICATIONS DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION & MODALITIES OF SCHOLARLY INFLUENCE
ISU Digital Repository & ScholarWorks 2014-2022, Whitehead Publications
The Iowa State Library maintains an open-access repository known as ScholarWorks. It is a digital archive designed to capture, preserve, and make openly available research, creative works. It keeps track of downloads of individual papers, locations, and types of institutions viewing one’s work.
Whitehead currently has 24 publications available for digital viewing and downloading. As of Sept. 2022, the work had been downloaded more than 9,000 times all around the world. The highest percentage of downloads were from educational institutions (60%) but commercial and governmental institutions also downloaded the work.
Thinking, Making, Breaking Blog: 2014-2022, Whitehead Blog
Whitehead’s blog that features teaching and research work related to the ISU structures sequence. As of Sept. 2022, it had 35,000 views, including nearly 4,000 views on a post about Saarinen’s Shells and 3,000 views on a post about the textbook, Structures by Design.
Structures by Design: YouTube Channel, 2019-present, Whitehead Educational Videos
This channel features a series of lectures about structural design and project-based learning strategies. As of Sept. 2022, the channel has 380 subscribers and more than 18,000 total views of all videos.
SECTION 3
3.1 STRUCTURES BY DESIGN
THINKING, MAKING, BREAKING
3.2 DESIGN-TECH
BUILDING SCIENCE FOR ARCHITECTS
3.3 STRUCTURES PEDAGOGY
INTEGRATED SEQUENCE & STRUCTURES BY DESIGN
3.4 CONSTRUCTION HISTORY
EXPERIMENTAL STRUCTURES
3.5 DESIGN-RESEARCH
STRUCTURES IN SERVICE & HUMANITARIAN DESIGN
3.6 DESIGN-BUILD
COMMUNITY ENGAGED COURSEWORK
3.7 PROJECT-BASED PEDAGOGY
FELLOW FOR HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICES
3.8 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE & SERVICE
NCARB, AIAS, & PRACTICE RECORD
ROB WHITEHEAD, AIA
EXHIBIT 3.1: STRUCTURES BY DESIGN THINKING, MAKING, BREAKING
Adopted: U.S., U.K., Australia (Architecture, Civil Enginering, & construction systems majors)
Challenge:
This textbook was written to share the structural design learning strategies and activities that had been integrated into Whitehead’s structural design course modules; no other textbook provided an active-learning, design-centric perspective on structural design and technology. The challenge was the inherent paradox of writing a textbook (a normally static learning tool) that reflected the hands-on, active-learning design exercises.
Results:
Structures by Design: Thinking, Making , Breaking connects an iterative design-centric, problem-based learning approach to structural principles, the tools used to create proposals, and the ability to evaluate structures more holistically.
Instead of focusing only on formulas and diagrams, each chapter teaches concepts before calculations and demonstrates ways these lessons can be applied to the design of effective, efficient, and expressive building designs by using models, sketches, and other design-based exercises. Many chapters are simply “how-to”demonstrations of designing and evaluating various structural options.
Each section of the book is focused on a particular manner by which structural resistance is provided: Form (Arches and Cables), Sections (Beams, Slabs, and Columns), Vectors (Trusses and Space Frames), Surfaces (Shells and Plates), and Frames (Connections and High-Rises).
AWARDS:
TAA Textbook Excellence Award (College), Textbook & Academic Authors Association, 2021 “Structures by Design is an innovative and abundantly illustrated book packed with interactive exercises and informative diagrams. It is a book that will likely traverse conventionally siloed aspects of architecture curricula, finding its way into structures courses as well as design studios.”
-2021 TAA Textbook Awards Jury
BTES Textbook Award, Honorable Mention, Building Technology Educators Society (BTES), 2021
“The ‘think-make-break’ method of learning is innovative in its projectbased demonstration that conveys knowledge without the abstraction found in typical structures teaching.”
-Coleman Coker, Univ. Texas at Austin (BTES Book Award Jury)
“I think that it CAN get us to rethink how we relate building structures to design, and perhaps the teaching of structure concepts in early structures curricula.”
-Dana Gulling, NC State Univ., (BTES Book Award Jury)
Declaration of Responsibility
I have personal knowledge of the nominee’s responsibility for 3.1 Structures by Design and the scope of work described therein.-Krystal Racaniello, Routledge
These examples demonstrate how to generate and evaluate different structural options for building designs using a variety of structural design tools including: the human body, physical models, historical precedents, static diagrams, traditional formulae, and advanced digital analysis. These examples range from introductory lessons of structural fundamentals to advanced techniques and systems.
EXHIBIT 3.1: STRUCTURES BY DESIGN THINKING, MAKING, BREAKING (CONT’D.)
ENDORSEMENTS:
Part 1 Learning to Think, Make, and Break
1.0 Body Structures: The Feel of Things
1.1 Seating Structures: Elemental Design
1.2 Building Structures: Effective, Efficient, and Expressive
Introducing principles of forces, loads, materials and structural typologies; Connecting what we “feel” and are trying to know with structural design processes.
Part 2 Resistance & Form
2.0 Structures of Compression and Tension
2.1 Arches: Past the Breaking Point
2.2 Suspended Structures: Design for Tension
Fundamental design principles are presented which connect the design options of structural form with compressive and tension forces.
Part 3 Resistance & Section-Resistant
3.0 Beams, Slabs, and Columns
3.1 Stacking and Spanning Timber: Fundamental Framing and Analysis
3.2 Better Beams and Slabs: Formal Experiments in Efficiency
Framing design and analysis options for beams, columns, and foundations. Options for improved performance and alternative materials.
“Structures by Design is an empowering text that provides straightforward techniques for structural design solutions...Engaging for both students and faculty, Rob Whitehead has written a timely contribution to the discourse of Integrated Design that surpasses abstract complexity for visualizing structures that are essential to the design process, and based in history.”
-Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, E Fay Jones Distinguished Professor, Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design, University of Arkansas
“Structures by Design: Thinking, Making, Breaking is a robust introduction to architectural structures that emphasizes structural design as a creative activity and the understanding of structural concepts through active modeling. Drawing from his innovative teaching in architectural design studios, Rob Whitehead guides us through hands on exercises that develop the intuitive and analytical understandings that underlie structural design thinking...Whitehead’s approach is unique in its premise that understanding modeling theory and the assumptions and limitations inherent in modeled systems is as important as the concepts the models are designed to teach. “
-Christine Theodoropoulos, AIA, PE, Dean, College of Environmental Design, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
EXHIBIT 3.1: STRUCTURES BY DESIGN THINKING,
MAKING, BREAKING (CONT’D.)
Part 4 Resistance & Vectors
4.0 Trusses and Triangulated Planar Assemblies
4.1 Planar and Spatial Trusses: Long Span Solutions
Building upon the framing and analytical skills from Part 3, this section introduces truss design and analysis. Parametric modeling and performance-based evaluation is presented.
Part 5 Resistance & Surfaces
5.0 Structural Art, Utility, and Assemblies of Shells
5.1 Spanning Surfaces and Shapes: Vaults & Plates
Advanced long span structural design scenarios using surface-resistant structures (domes, shells, hypars, folded plates, etc.). Most advanced analysis methods (finite element simulations) are introduced.
Part 6 Resistance & Frames
6.0 Strategies for Stability
6.1 High-Rises: Taller, Thinner, and Smarter The design principles for stability transcend all typologies and inform unique opportunities for design. High-rise design fundamentals are ways of visualizing the performance-based principles described throughout the book.
ADOPTIONS / ABRIDGED (2022*)
U.S.
California St. Polytechnic Univ., Pomona
Iowa State University
Kansas State University
Kennesaw State University
Morgan State University
Northeastern University
Temple University
Texas State University
University of Arkansas
University of Colorado Denver
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of South Florida
University of Texas at Austin
UK:
Institute of Technology Carlow
Leeds Beckett University
Nottingham Trent University
University of Brighton
University of Plymouth
EU: Universidad de Sevilla
AUSTRALIA:
University of Sydney
*Based on Routledge Publishing adoption report, Sept. ‘19- Sept. ‘22.
EXHIBIT 3.2: DESIGN-TECH BUILDING SCIENCE FOR ARCHITECTS
Role of Nominee:
Co-Author with Profs. Jason Alread, AIA and Tom Leslie, FAIA
I have personal knowledge of the nominee’s responsibility for 3.2 Design-Tech and the scope of work described therein.
-Tom Leslie, FAIA, Co-Author, Iowa State University
Challenge:
Most building technology textbooks fit the predominant siloed-based approach to building technology pedagogy--yet this misses the most formative role for technology, namely its capacity to support integrative design efforts.
The challenge for Design-Tech: Building Science for Architects, 2nd Ed. was to write a book that integrated various building technology topics together both holistically and accessibly. These are broad topics with massive amounts of specialized information. The writing challenge was to distill the “mustknow” concepts, principles, and historical precedents of the technology topics.
The book was based on the integrated building technology sequence SCI-TECH of the Graduate Program at Iowa State University. This program has been recognized with awards and funding from the American Institute of Architects, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the National Council of Architectural Registration.
Results:
In this expanded edition, the structures topics explain topics from first principles in easy-toreference formats, utilizing numerous casestudies to demonstrate design implications. By focusing on practical structural information needed for future discussions with engineers, contractors, and consultants, the book is an essential resource for technology conscious designers.
ENDORSEMENTS
“With Design Tech we finally have the book that effectively extends building technology (teaching) into design studios and professional practice. A must have for students and young professionals.”
-Andrzej Zarzycki, Associate Professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology (2014)
“Design-Tech is how I wish I had learned first principles of building technology: integrated, intuitive, and imaginatively illustrated.“
-Ryan E. Smith, Director ITAC, University of Utah (2014)
“It provides the exact right amount of building technology information, clearly and concisely delivered, for architecture students.”
-Donna Kacmar, Associate Professor, University of Houston
“[It] provides a comprehensive overview about the nuts and bolts of design in a single reference. The authors have distilled the most relevant information, making it ideal for those interested in architectural design.”
-Kevin Dong, Professor at California Polytechnic State University
EXHIBIT 3.2: DESIGN-TECH BUILDING SCIENCE FOR
ARCHITECTS (CONT’D.)
Section 4: Structures
4.1 Forces, Loads, & Equilibrium
Foundational principles of structural behavior and terminology. Basic demonstrations of types of loads and load transfer.
4.2 Stress & Strain
Types of stress (compression, tension, etc.) and their affects on materials (strain) are demonstrated and calculated.
4.3 Shear & Bending
Bending stress within beams is explained. Basic mapping of internal beam stresses in shear / moment diagrams is demonstrated.
4.4 Beams: Shape & Strength
“Better beam” concepts of cross-sectional shape; calculations for beam sizing including deflection is included.
4.5 Slabs: Behavior & Assemblies
Introduction to concepts and assemblies of framing systems using beams and slabs.
4.6 Column Design
Basic information and calculations / sizing for columns related to length, buckling, and connections.
4.7 Foundations: Substructures & Soil
Critical information about the types of foundations and applications; soil types, behavior and bearing capacity are explained.
4.8 Frames & Connections
Concepts of structural stability and connection types.
4.9 Long Spans
Special conditions of structural spanning and novel shapes / types of structural options.
THIRD EDITION (Under Contract), 2023-24 anticipated publication .
Description of new edition:
“Since the second edition was released, architectural education has undergone significant changes. Most critically, the need for a fully integrative performancebased approach to design has been recognized and encouraged. DesignTech will be restructured to serve as a reference and guide for these integrated courses.
Its new organization tracks the development of an advanced studio projects, guiding students and young designers through pre-design research, program and site analysis, circulation studies and structural planning, systems development and climate response, and cladding and detailing. The new edition can be used as a ‘scaffold’ to plan studio courses, dividing the process into readily achievable benchmarks and focused investigations while maintaining the content that has made it consistently valuable in technology coursework.”
Overall Sequence: The format for the undergraduate building technology sequence was a collective effort of Iowa State, Dept. of Arch building tech faculty in 2009 (Bassler, Passe, Leslie, and Whitehead).
Declaration of Responsibility
I have personal knowledge of the nominee’s responsibility for exhibit 3.3 Structures Pedagogy and the scope of work described therein.
-Deborah Hauptmann, Chair, ISU, Dept. of Architecture
Challenge:
Traditional architectural education models of building technology have been separated into separate course silos with specialized information for decades, with little curricular overlap with studio. Accreditation, and good design, requires a more integrated approach.
Whitehead and his fellow instructors set out to change the traditional model. The goal was create a course sequence that critically integrated all building technology topics together and aligns with studio development.
Results:
The teaching team dramatically reconfigured the undergraduate technology courses for architecture students into a single “integrated” fivecourse sequence.
The format is uniquely integrated: all courses are equally divided into three modules Structures, Materials / Assembly, & Environmental Systems each with a particular topical emphasis; targeted integrated course activities that involve all three technology topics are implemented every semester. Lectures are immediately followed with labs for just-in-time learning.
Impact:
Whitehead has presented information this sequence at international conferences for architects and engineers and has been invited to consult with multiple peer institutions during their development of similarly integrated technology sequences including: University of Utah and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
AWARDS / COURSE SEQUENCE
NCARB Grant for the Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy, 2009, T.Leslie, PI, R.Whitehead, Co-PI
Excellence in Green Building Education Awards, 2009, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Honorable Mention; w/ T.Leslie & J.Alread
Miller Faculty Fellowship, 2015, ISU Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) Rob Whitehead (PI.), with U. Passe, A. Wheeler, and K. Nelson (Co-PIs).
ENDORSEMENT
“The current collaborative teaching model for the undergraduate technology sequence has made a positive improvement in the education of the students over the last several years…the proposed methods move “technology” out of the seminar room and into the hands-on creative environment of design where it is found in practice.”
-Rod Kruse, FAIA, BNIM, NCARB Prize endorsement letter
Univ.,
EXHIBIT 3.3: STRUCTURES PEDAGOGY STRUCTURES
BY DESIGN SEQUENCE
Role of Nominee:
Whitehead is primarily responsible for developing, delivering, and refining course content for the 5 courses of structural design from the inception (2009); Prof. Leslie assisted with development and instruction. Scope includes: 50+ lectures, 40+ labs, 12+ integrated exercises. 1,200+ students have taken the sequence.
Challenge, Innovating Structural Pedagogy: Effectively teaching structural design to architecture students is an important, but complicated endeavor. Deficiencies in technical knowledge have been regularly listed atop the complaints from NCARB annual reports. One cause is the unnecessary separation between structural acumen and design.
Whitehead developed, implemented, and taught an award-winning five-course structural design sequence (known as Structures by Design (SxD) ) as part of the integrated building technology sequence at Iowa State’s Department of Architecture to undergraduate and graduate students.
Results:
The courses reject the traditional primacy of formula-laden structural pedagogy and instead presents structural design as an integral part of an architectural exploration. The lecture topics become the basis for design-centric lab “problems” that the students set out to solve—typically through the design and construction of a structural solution.
These creations are tested, often to failure as a means of effectively assessing their respective limits of behavior. Various tools and modeling methods are presented to demonstrate the connection between making and testing as way to optimize performance and acumen.
Impact: COURSE AWARD
Creative Achievement Award, Assoc. of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, 2013 “This program is exemplary for its strength, integration, and accessibility to students. The creative teaching modules focuses heavily on physical, hands-on experimentation and ideation, which prompts students to connect technical courses with design practices. This program truly engages students and offers exposure to a set of valuable learning experiences.”
-ACSA Creative Achievement Awards Jury
TEACHING AWARDS, WHITEHEAD Emerging Faculty Award, Building Technology Educators Society (BTES), 2011
30 Most Admired Educators for 2015, Design Intelligence Magazine, Volume 20, Number 6
ISU Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching, Iowa State University, 2020
AIA Iowa Educator Award, American Institute of Architects, Iowa Chapter, 2014
Rob Whitehead Iowa State University
EXHIBIT 3.3: STRUCTURES PEDAGOGY SCHOLARSHIP OF STRUCTURAL TEACHING & LEARNING
Role of Nominee:
Challenge:
Structural Design, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL):
Whitehead developed an internationally recognized realm of scholarship related to pedagogical improvements to structural design education. His work applied scientific research methods towards the exploration and integration of effective teaching methods for structural design.
PUBLICATIONS, Peer-Reviewed (Abridged):
Lectures, panel discussions, workshop coordinator, conference co-host, peer-reviewer (books and journals), and conference moderator.
Conference co-chair, Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES) 2017 (with T. Leslie and S. Doyle)
“Supporting Students: Using Anthropomorphic Structures to Enhance Early Structures Education,” Nat’l Conf. on the Beginning Design Student, 2016 & AEI & ASCE, 2013
The research looked at how physical modeling and haptic-engagement with materials could lead to more effective understanding of physical and mathematical principles associated structural design. More broadly the research looked at the effect of introducing “inquiry-based” and “problem-based” creative activities.
Results:
“Comprehensive and Creative Conclusions: Enhancing Structural Design Education,” Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2015
Whitehead has served as the primary investigator (PI) for most of the published Scholarship of Teaching & Learning work. Miller Faculty Fellowship grant (2015) was part of larger collaborative research cohort.
The findings revealed that a variety of different learning methods were most effective, particular when applied to the same challenge. The findings can be applied to many STEM-dominant courses across disciplines.
Impact, Scholarly Influence:
As a result of the scholarly publications, Whitehead has been consulted about this sequence by: Clemson University, Univ. of Arkansas, Univ. of Florida, Univ. Texas at Austin, & Kansas St. University, & University of Utah.
“Building a Framework: Rethinking Structural Design in an Architectural Curriculum” Structures Congress 2015, Str. Eng. Inst. (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2015
“Breaking (A)way: The Role of Productive Failures in a New Structural Design Pedagogy” Assoc. Collegiate Schools of Arch (ACSA) 2013
EXHIBIT 3.4: CONSTRUCTION HISTORY EXPERIMENTAL
STRUCTURES, SAARINEN
Role of Nominee:
Whitehead was primary investigator for the work. Research assistance granted by Eero Saarinen Archives, Yale University & Kevin Roche (Roche Dinkeloo Architects).
Challenge:
Learning From Innovative Structures and Failures
This larger body of work looks at the ways that structural designers learn to develop, evaluate, and innovate experimental structures by learning from failures and iterations.
Lessons about the nature of experimentation and innovation in the design and construction process are extracted from the case-studies and used to illuminate contemporary practice and educational challenges.
The most edifying examples come from experimental structures developed during pre-computational practice in which models, calculations, and new tools were developed to solve these problems--as such it serves as a microcosm to larger discussion about practice models and the tools of practice.
Result:
Saarinen’s Shells: Kresge Auditorium, TWA Terminal, and Dulles Airport
One primary focus is Saarinen’s most structurally experimental portion of his career (1955-61); including the design of four shells and spatial structures (Kresge, Ingalls, TWA, and Dulles). These projects were innovative, but they didn’t perform fully as intended. The first two shells required significant adjustments by the engineers to accommodate Saarinen’s often misplaced structural expressions, but each iteration evolved and improved leading to Dulles’ directly responsive structural form.
and his structural engineering consultants as it involves larger questions about practice, design/analysis tools, and the limits of the construction industry of the 1950-60s, particularly related to structural shells. Because these designs were truly anomalous in technical complexity and form at the time, the project teams devised ways to work collaboratively to address the particular challenges. Initially this process resulted in more compromises than collaborations, but each successive design demonstrated how proactive engagement in structural, material, and construction considerations could better benefit the overall design.
Impact:
Book Chapter, “Saarinen’s Shells: The evolved influence of engineering and construction,” by R. Whitehead, Constructing Building Enclosures, Ed. C. Fordham, 2020.
Scholarship presentations: Int’l. Assoc. Shells & Spatial Str. (IASS), Structural Membranes (IACM), Int’l. Conf. on Constr. History (ICCH), Constr. History Society (CSA), Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES), and Assoc. for Collegiate Schools of Arch. (ACSA).
Content solicited by Director Peter Rosen for PBS documentary, “Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future.”
Online Work Distribution: 800+ downloaded papers worldwide related to Saarinen Shells (ISU Digital Collection), 6,000+ page views on blog (Think, Make, Break). *Based on Sept. 2022 data.
Declaration of Responsibility
I have personal knowledge of the nominee’s responsibility for Exhibit 3.4 Construction History and the scope of work described therein.
-Deborah Hauptmann, Chair, ISU, Dept. of Architecture
The scholarly emphasis is the previously unpublished relationship between Saarinen
EXHIBIT 3.4: CONSTRUCTION HISTORY EXPERIMENTAL STRUCTURES, OTTO
Role of Nominee:
Whitehead was primary investigator for the work. Research assistance granted by ILEK, University of Stuttgart, Germany & Frei Otto Archives, Univ. of Karlsruhe, Germany
Funding Supported by:
Center for Excellence in the Arts & Humanities, Iowa State University, 2022
Challenge:
Pre-Computational Modeling for Experimental Structures
This body of work looks at the various means by which designers envisioned, developed, and tested their work on experimental structures before the integration of computational capacity. Form-finding and testing frequently relied on physical modeling, which in turn led to insights in the engineering and construction phases.
Result:
This research was manifest in an article selected by TAD Journal* for publication. The article discusses the Munich Olympic Stadium roof’s experimental structural conditions which compelled formative changes in how the project was designed and led to the development of innovative models responsive to those conditions.
The article explores how the team’s complimentary expertise and corresponding tools for generative, confirmative and optimized modeling reformulated the techniques used to create lightweight structures and invented tools that are in use today.
The experimental nature of the project’s form is well known; less known is the simultaneous important advancements in design and modeling that allowed the project to be built. The experimental nature of the building forms exceeded the ability for conventional analytical modeling typically used required to define the formal geometry and to calculate structural performance.
The project’s conflicts, and eventual advancements, were related to the various types of modeling (e.g., representative, generative, confirmative, and optimizing) that were developed during the project’s duration by differing sets of project participants (e.g. architects and engineers). These conditions led to the first development of two separate digital parametric modeling and analysis tools from which other contemporary tools are descended.
Impact:
Journal Article, “Evolution of Modeling for Lightweight Structures: Creating the Munich Olympic Stadium Roof (196772)” by R. Whitehead, TAD Journal, 6:2, Engineering, 2022
*TAD Journal is a peer-reviewed international journal dedicated to the advancement of scholarship in the field of building technology and its translation, integration, and impact on architecture and design. It is distributed to all instructor members of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA).
ACSA members include all of the accredited professional degree programs in the United States and Canada, as well as international schools and 2- and 4-year programs. Together ACSA schools represent some 7,000 faculty educating more than 40,000 students.
EXHIBIT 3.4: CONSTRUCTION HISTORY EXPERIMENTAL STRUCTURES (CONTINUED)
Result:
Role of Nominee:
“Frei Otto’s Pneumatic Experiments for Humanitarian Design,” Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES), 2021, R. Whitehead
The paper explores the intersection of building technology and humanitarian design research by looking at Otto’s pnuematic experiments. Constraining the investigation to Otto’s work, particularly his relatively unknown early work with pneus, provides a useful exploration of designscience approach that connect design and technology—an approach that is useful to understand for contemporary pedagogical applications. The findings contextualizes contemporary demands for humanitarian work by reflecting upon Otto’s ambitious design ideology and his ability to leverage technical acumen.
“Revisiting the Arctic City: 50-years of Pneumatic Progress and Perspective,” Structural Membranes, 2021, International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE), R. Whitehead
The paper revisits one of Otto’s earliest design and research efforts intended to provide shelter in extreme conditions--the Arctic City. This paper looks at the technical aspects of the proposal for a 2km freespanning pneumatic structures and contextualizes the proposal with structural and material advancements from the ensuing decades. This paper reflects on Otto’s larger body of work which leveraged experimental structures for humanitarian efforts .
“Pneumatics for Humanitarian Design: The ideology and technology of lightness and adaptability.” International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures, “Form and Forces” conference, 2019, R. Whitehead
The paper explores the complicated manner by which Otto’s research contributed towards humanitarian design (or not), both in process and content. Although Otto’s desire to “build light and keep mobile” can be applicable for relief structures, he intended it more broadly. His operational ideology for lightweight structures sought to connect design, nature, and humanity; but his design-research work was intentionally acontextual.
Whitehead was primary investigator for the work. Research assistance granted by ILEK, University of Stuttgart, Germany & Frei Otto Archives, Univ. of Karlsruhe, Germany
Impact:
Online Work Distribution: 400+ downloaded papers worldwide related to scholarship of Otto (ISU Digital Collection)
EXHIBIT 3.5: DESIGN-RESEARCH
DISASTER RELIEF AND RESILIENCY PROTOTYPES
Research team: Funded by Iowa Economic Development Authority with Iowa National Guard (client) Ivener (Sun Crate), Stieler (Solar Film), Kimber (ISU), Hu (ISU), Passe (ISU), & Whitehead (ISU). 2019-2021.
Role of Nominee: Whitehead and Passe collaborated on architectural design, detailing, and environmental performance data. Whitehead was primary designer and illustrator of operational options for Crate 2.
Declaration of Responsibility
I have personal knowledge of the nominee’s responsibility for Exhibit 3.5, Mobile Micro-Grid and the scope of work described therein.
-Deborah Hauptmann, Chair, ISU, Dept. of Architecture
Challenge:
The research team designed two mobile units retrofitted from existing steel shipping containers to be used in disaster relief operations by the Iowa National Guard and the Army Core of Engineers. Crate #1, the mobile energy generator, was built. For Crate #2, iterations were designed, modeled and tested to optimize comfort levels of a modified shipping container.
Description of Research Goals:
The practical connection between humanitarian-based design-science research and building structures is obvious: Solutions must be lightweight, deployable, with demonstrated efficiencies in material utilization and fabrication. Prototyping and development of physical artifacts to be tested for performance are central tenets of the work. The work is highly collaborative and multi-disciplinary including structural engineers, electrical engineers, environmental researchers, builders, and private corporations.
Result:
Mobile Micro-Grid Disaster Relief Crate began with a progressive idea that designing for energy independence is an essential part of disaster relief scenarios for those receiving and giving relief. In our proposal, existing steel shipping containers were modified using a kit-of-part matrix to meet an array of functional and environmental needs for disaster relief operations.
This project was funded by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). The overall IEDA research project includes two shipping containers: Crate #1 has been designed and fabricated to generate, store, and convert solar power to meet a diversity of operational power needs without reliance on a mobile generator. The primary focus of Whitehead’s contribution was Crate #2, which is intended to serve as an energy-independent microgrid that supports a diverse range of human activities in disaster relief operations.
Community Impact:
Crate #1 was completed in 2021 and has been under-going testing by the Iowa National Guard for potential deployment. The mobility of the crate has allowed it to been used in training and transported across the state. The status of Crate #2’s development and potential construction is still unresolved but the “kit of parts” submission would allow the Iowa National Guard to design and construct Crate #2 without additional research or consultation.
EXHIBIT 3.5: DESIGN-RESEARCH
STRUCTURES IN SERVICE / HUMANITARIAN PROTOTYPES
Role of Nominee:
Description of Course:
Structures in Service: Design for Relief and Resiliency, DSN 546
In this interdisciplinary, design-build, option studio students design places, objects, and experiential operations in service of on-going disaster relief and/or resiliency measures. The course is an inspiring and often times sobering look at the power and limits of design.
Challenge:
Whitehead designed, developed, and taught this capstone interdisciplinary design-build studio at Iowa State University (DSN 546) in 2015, 2017, 2018, & 2022. Course activities have varied from semester to semester depending on course themes and available research partnerships.
Research collaborators: Students develop research and design partners with interdisciplinary professionals and educator (e.g., Civil engineers, material engineers, etc.) and/or NGO organizations (e.g., Engineers Without Borders, Sphere Project, etc.) and/or product manufacturers (e.g. Solar Film).
Simply put, how to teach a research-based design-build course focused on humanitarian relief efforts and design without immersing students in potential dangerous conditions? Clearly not all useful humanitarian work occurs in the field and design often occurs “offsite.” Relief operations rely upon the availability and usefulness of objects and structures that SHOULD BE critically designed, but often aren’t. In fact, operational manuals, such as the Sphere Project, used by most non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have very little, if any, information about the actual design of spaces.
Result:
Students create proposals based on actual on-going programs related to food, water, education, power, and economic and social issues; they look for successful programs that would benefit from specific design enhancements. Students teams create proposals that ”join a conversation.” If possible, they collaborate with experts in these fields.
The course’s activities are based on two central premises. First, that relief and resiliency efforts can be meaningfully improved by a dedicated group of integrated designers willing to engage in vexing problems with creative efforts and technical acumen. Second, that design-build activities create learning opportunities for human-centered research and design inquiries.
Impact:
The course satisfies a portion of our land-grant university’s objectives for high-impact educational practice and outreach.
2- AIA Iowa ”Impact Awards” (Waterwall and Store Floor)
Finalist, University Innovation “Pitch-Off” competition (Retrobrick)
Related Scholarship:
Declaration of Responsibility
I have personal knowledge of the nominee’s responsibility for Exhibit 3.5 Structures in Services courses and the various projects and scope of work described therein.
-Deborah Hauptmann, Chair, ISU, Dept. of Architecture
“Structures for Relief & Resiliency: Enhancing Creative Applications of Technical Acumen through Constrained Conditions” Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES), 2019
“(RE)Covering Shelter: Enhancing Structural Design Pedagogy by Designing for Disaster Relief,” Assoc. for Collegiate Schools of Architectures (ACSA ), 2013
EXHIBIT 3.5: DESIGN-RESEARCH STRUCTURES IN SERVICE /
HUMANITARIAN PROTOTYPES (CONT’D.)
Description of Work: “Waterwall,” Dsn 546, 2018 Team: L. Keeble, J. Hiestand, S. He T his project was a partnership with the local Engineers Without Borders student group for a village in Ullo, Ghana. Design students envisioned new options for the community water station. For many, water access, safety, and the daily toil of collecting it is of paramount concern. The most conventional solution, an isolated pump handle, does little to address the multi-faceted nature of social and physical interactions that surround a water station.
Result: To improve upon the existing system, this design proposed that the water would be secured in a cistern (reducing time to access water) and enclosed within a shell-like casing that is formed to include places to rest, socialize, wash, and nurture livestock. Double-curved surfaces like this are typically cumbersome to cast BUT they created a method for forming and casting a post-tensioned shell on-site using only the spoils from well drilling for earth-forms and local concrete to cast each piece.
Award:
AIA Iowa, Impact Award, Merit Award of Excellence, 2020
Impact:
Submitted drawings to Engineering w/ Out Borders student group and on-going community engagement studios at ISU.
Description of Work: “Store Floor,” Dsn 546, 2017 Team: E. Johnson, A. Knepper, M. Engel, N. Becker
Challenge: There are currently 3.5 million people living in tent shelters worldwide. Tents are inexpensive solutions that can be transported, distributed, and assembled efficiently. However, they don’t include any “floor”—this becomes highly problematic when emergency housing solutions become long-term solutions (the average person spends 16-20 hours a day inside) on the floor. Living on the bare earth causes higher risk for serious illness.
Store Floor is an adjustable elevated floor that doubles as a storage space within the floor itself. The modular system is adaptable to tent size and is easy to assemble. It is fabricated out of recycled structural plastic to ensure a stable and supportive surface. The floor depth is a secure space for storing personal belongings while also providing a comfortable surface for standing, sitting, and sleeping. The simple solution provides profound impact.
Award:
AIA Iowa, Impact Award, Merit Award of Excellence, 2020
Submitted patent drawings and application to ISU Research Foundation, Inc. for review, 2017.
EXHIBIT 3.5: DESIGN-RESEARCH STRUCTURES IN SERVICE / HUMANITARIAN PROTOTYPES (CONT’D.)
Role of Nominee: Course instructor.
Description of Course (DSN 546, Sp. 2022)
The Future of Food, Sustainable Sustenance Challenge: Food systems are linked to broader issues of resources and energy, yet how we grow, distribute, and consume food has become so routine that we fail to see the hidden impact of these decisions. This studio used design-build process to explore these issues from a design perspective.
Corn-Stove & Mycelium, Food-Based Material Explorations
This project explored the potential to re-imagine and reuse food waste –namely corn stover—for resilient and sustainable building materials. This group developed a system to reclaim the wasted parts of corn plants and active mycelium harvesting to create low-carbon building materials. They prototyped using stover as an alternative reinforcing material in concrete blocks, used mycelium as a building material.
Design teams featured (Top): Benton, Fritz, & Gray, (Bottom): Nordmeyer & Gibbs
Research collaborators:
(Top): Material scientists (Mycelium and corn stover), (Bottom): Iowa State Food Service and campus greenhouse facilities.
Harnessing Under-Utilized Spaces, The Future of Campus Food Systems
Nationwide, thousands of college students face dramatic food-insecurity concerns; campuses have an abundance of under-utilized interior spaces that have the capability to house a growing system that can feed these students. This group retrofitted a vertical farming system within the existing building’s spatial volume—their scheme didn’t require any major modifications. Applying these growing systems to existing educational buildings allows a student to become enveloped in the relationship between their education and food. Education becomes a catalyst for exposing students to food insecurity issues on campus and the relationship to prospective design solutions. The educational component supports a student’s understanding for the impact of spatial design for developing sustainable food systems.
EXHIBIT 3.6: DESIGN-BUILD WORK COMMUNITY-ENGAGED COURSEWORK
Role of Nominee: Whitehead was course instructors and project designer for Story County Conservation Parks work (Whitehead Design Workshop was Architect of Record). Instructor solicited and maintain partnerships with non-profits and manage fundraising and budgeting.
Declaration of Responsibility
I have personal knowledge of the nominee’s responsibility for Exhibit 3.6, Design-Build and various projects and scope of work described therein.
-Deborah Hauptmann, Chair, ISU, Dept. of Architecture
Description of Course:
Service Learning (Design-Build), ARCH 581 (Grad), 2012-2016
This course uses a design-build method of project delivery as a mode of Service Learning / Community Engagement. The course objectives emphasize the importance of material exploration and detailing. The compressed course duration (8 weeks) demands that the instructor establish contact with a community, develop a project scope, and negotiate a budget before work begins.
Challenge of Course:
For beginning architectural students, the design and construction any project (no matter how modestly sized) is profound; more so with a compressed timeline. During the course, students develop and refine designs, present to a client group, meet with consultants (as required), research available materials and costs, and develop permitted construction documents that match a given budget (usually a very meager budget under $5,000). During construction, students participate in all phases of work on-site whenever possible.
Result: Arch 581, Summer 2013-14, Story County Conservation Parks, “Sighted Shelter, & Fishing Docks #1 & 2” Total Combined Budgets: $7,500
These projects developed through a partnership with a local non-profit, the Story County Conservation Parks. They desired a unique sustainable shelter for a remote site within the park adjacent to a somewhat isolated pedestrian path and two floating fishing docks.
The shelter was placed on a small open outcropping of land. Because this location was far away from the park entry, it had to have a visually striking presence and it had to be built out of nominally-sized pieces that could be transported to the remote site. The class constructed rammed-earth benches to create three separate “rooms” on the site (one facing inward under the roof with others facing out to the unique views offered of the park). Custom screens for bench backrests and a translucent roof material created a unique environment for park patrons. A custom fixed table was placed in the middle of the shelter, instantly announcing its purpose to passing pedestrians.
Students designed one fishing dock that enhances multiple activities: a boat dock along the open L-shaped edge, a continuous bench for sunbathing and relaxing, and dedicated “Fishing Stations” at the front of the dock with places for tackle boxes, supplies, and a built-in pole holder. A second dock was designed and built right next to the Sighted Shelter from 2013.
Impact:
Thousands of users every year visit the lake. Before these projects there were no formal shelters or places for focused activity.
EXHIBIT 3.6 DESIGN-BUILD WORK COMMUNITY ENGAGED
COURSEWORK (CONT’D.)
Description of Work: “Bishop Family Shelter,” 2016, Project Design by R. Whitehead, S. Doyle, & Arch 581 Students. (Whitehead Design Workshop, Arch of Record). Budget: $70,000.
Challenge & Result: The Bishop Family Shelter is the first structure built in the Dunlap Park Arboretum in Urbandale, Iowa. The covered park shelter accommodates both community, recreational, and educational activities. The location, form, and refined level of detail in the benches, shelves, and tables reflects a purposeful approach to design that sees elegance in the interplay of these basic and profound elements.
Impact: The shelter is located in a vibrant public park with hundreds of daily visitors. The shelter is regularly booked for events.
Role of Nominee: Whitehead (and co-instructors Doyle and/or Rogers as noted) were course instructors and project designers (Whitehead Design Workshop was Architect of Record). Instructors would solicit and maintain partnerships with non-profits and manage fundraising and budgeting. Teaching activities were equitably shared.
Arch 581, Summer 2015, “DMSC Stage,” Design by R. Whitehead, C. Rogers, & Arch 581 Students. (Whitehead Design Workshop, Arch of Record). Budget: $4,500.
Challenge & Result: The project came from Prof. Rogers’ work with the Community Design Lab at ISU, a local non-profit, the Des Moines Social Club (DMSC). They needed an outdoor performance venue and gathering space in their existing parking lot. Students development and refined a design, presented to a client, met with consultants, researched materials and costs, developed permitted construction documents, and constructed the entire project.
Impact: The Social club’s courtyard is an open public space so the stage has been used nearly daily by tens of thousands of downtown Des Moines residents and visitors. The stage has provided a performance venue for regularly scheduled outdoor events and other festival activities.
EXHIBIT 3.6 DESIGN-BUILD WORK
DESIGN-BUILD SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING & LEARNING
Role of Nominee: Whitehead shared duties as investigator and author of the scholarly work credited co-authors.
Challenge: Design-Build Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Design-build work is exciting and challenging but when unexamined can be fraught with potential issues in academia. This body of scholarly work looks at the distinct pedagogical challenges and opportunities when students participate in community engagement / service learning projects.
Result / Description of Work: Excerpt from “The Lore of Building Experience: Deconstructing Design-Build” (S. Doyle and R.Whitehead), Nat’l. Conf. for Beginning Design Students, 2017
“A lore has developed about how design-build activities can simultaneously serve students, the community, and be an effective panacea for teaching ‘real-world’ lessons to beginning architecture students. Although hands-on learning has proven educational benefits for retention and visualization under certain circumstances, edification doesn’t inevitably follow every act of construction. Simply favoring the act of ‘building’ as a uniquely educational experience in its own right, and accepting the amorphous manner of lessons contained within these acts risk allowing certain undesirable educational circumstances to fester: design-build lore or myths.”
MYTH #1: Learning by Building is Enough
MYTH #2: Design-Build Pedagogy is Well-defined
MYTH #3: Design-Build is a Good Match for Service Learning
MYTH #4: Design-Build Tactics Scale Up
MYTH #5: Design-Build is Student Led
MYTH #6: Design-build is Practice-Lite
Related Scholarship, Design-Build:
R. Whitehead & S. Doyle, “The Lessons, and Limits of Building Experience.” Presentation and discussion. Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES), Integration + Innovation 2019
“All Hands on Deck: Instructors as Collaborators and the Modified Dynamics of Design Build Instruction,” with C. Rogers, NCBDS, 2016
“Brick by Brick: Improved Outcomes Through Linked Learning Objectives in Beginning Technology Labs” w/ K. Nelson, NCBDS, 2014
“Service-Learning: Teaching & Learning Community Engagement and Servicelearning,” workshop series, w/ M. Myers, CELT, Iowa State University, 2019
EXHIBIT 3.7: PROJECT-BASED PEDAGOGY: FELLOW FOR HIGH IMPACT PRACTICES
Role of Nominee:
Challenge:
Faculty Fellow for High-Impact Practices at the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), (Fall 2019-Spring 2021). Activities include:
University-Wide Faculty Development: “Innovation by Design: Project-Based Learning” and “Engaged Faculty for Community Based Learning” courses.
International Training: Project-based learning training for Trans-Atlantic Virtual Exchange involving five institutions (U.S. and Germany).
Whitehead’s selection was challenged with developing project-based and community-based faculty development course work and information based on his experience as a recognized instructor for project-based and communitybased educational experiences in architecture.
Result:
Over the course of two years of part-time work as Faculty Fellow for High-Impact practices
Whitehead developed teacher training related and course content related to: ProjectBased Learning (PBL) & Community-Engaged coursework (Service Learning)
Funded Awards During Fellowship: International Virtual Academic Collaboration, German Academic Exchange Service. “Virtual Exchange+”.
Impact and Influence:
Whitehead’s courses were attended by 50+ instructors from nearly all colleges at Iowa State University. Whitehead’s instruction and consultation contributed to:
Declaration of Responsibility
I have personal knowledge of the nominee’s responsibility for Exhibit 3.7, Project-Based Pedagogy and the scope of work described therein.
-Dr. Sara Marcketti, Director, ISU Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
Whitehead was able to translate the inquirybased method of architectural education into a course focused on project-based learning (PBL); PBL is the cornerstone of high-impact education practices. Although many STEM-based majors deal with design challenges, few courses are explicitly targeted to enhance the designqualities of their education using this method.
Integration of a project-based learning module into English 150/250 courses, affecting thousands of students every year. (Prof. Abrams attended IXD: PBL courses).
ISU University Honors program initiated a new “Great Problems” collaborative project-based learning program. The program will affect hundreds of students that participate in the Honors program. (Director Law attended IXD: PBL courses.)
EXHIBIT 3.8:
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE & AIA SERVICE
Declaration of Responsibility
I have personal knowledge of the nominee’s responsibility for Exhibit 3.8 and the scope of work described therein.
-Rod Kruse, FAIA, Partner, HLKB Architecture
Description: Professional Practice Experience (Abridged)
Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture, Des Moines, IA
2001 National AIA Firm Award
Architect & Senior Architect (1998-2008)
McLeod Basketball Arena and Hall of Fame Museum
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA: Project Architect & Manager
Awards: 2008 AIA Iowa Honor Award, 2010 Central States Design Award
Pappajohn Higher Education
Gateway Park, Des Moines, IA: Project Design Team
Awards: 2005 AIA Iowa Honor Award
University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame Museum
Athletic Recreation fields, Iowa City, IA: Project Architect & Manager
Awards: 2003 AIA Iowa Honor Award, 2003 Central States Design Award
Professional Licensure / Certifications:
Licensed Architect, State of Iowa, No. 04002 (1998-present)
AIA Member, (1993-95, 1998-Present)
LEED Accredited Professional, (2006-present)
Disaster Safety Assessment Program (SAP) Certified, (2020-present)
AIA / Professional Service & Development:
National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB), Architectural Experience Advisor (AXP), Selected Position, 2016-present
American Institute of Architectural Students (AIAS) Faculty advisor (2010-16)
National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB), Dept of Architecture Accreditation Team, ISU, (2022)
Design Awards Juror, Iowa Architectural Foundation (2019-22)
Chair, AIA Iowa Diversity Task Force, (2008)
AIA Michigan Design Awards Jury, (1994)
Editorial board (Iowa Architect (1993-95)
AIA Iowa and Texas Society of Architects convention committees (1993-1997)
AIA Iowa convention presenter, panel member, and session moderator (various dates)
