YAF CONNECTION 16.02

CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF

THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

HABITAT This issue addresses topics related to the UN Habitat III New Urban Agenda. We will share how architects and emerging professionals are leading conversations across the country, creating better urban and rural communities.

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CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

CONNECTION EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Editor-In-Chief Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA Senior Editor Beth R. Mosenthal, AIA Senior Editor Ian Merker, AIA Senior Editor, International Correspondent Vikki Lew, AIA Senior Graphics Editor Nicholas Banks, AIA Contributing Journalist Gabriela Baierle-Atwood, AIA Contributing Journalist Kate Thuesen, AIA Contributing Journalist Jessica N. Deaver, Assoc. AIA Contributing Journalist Sharon Turek, AIAS Contributing Journalist Jason Adams, Assoc. AIA Contributing Journalist John Clark, AIA

2018 YAF ADVISORY COMMITTEE Chair Lawrence Fabbroni, AIA Vice Chair Lora Teagarden, AIA Past Chair Evelyn Lee, AIA Advocacy Director Stephen Parker, AIA Communications Director Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA Community Director Abigail R. Brown, AIA Knowledge Director Ryan McEnroe, AIA Public Relations Director A.J. Sustaita, AIA

AIA National Strategic Council Representative College of Fellows Representative AIA Staff Liaison

Jack Morgan, AIA John Castellana, FAIA Milan Jordan, Assoc. AIA

THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS 1735 New York Ave, NW Washington, DC 20006-5292

P 800-AIA-3837

www.aia.org

CONNECTION is a the official quarterly publication of the Young Architects Forum of the AIA. This publication is created through the volunteer efforts of dedicated Young Architect Forum members.

Copyright 2018 by The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.

Views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and not those of the American Institute of Architects. Copyright © of individual articles belongs to the Author. All image permissions are obtained by or copyright of the Author.

ON THE COVER: BIHOME

by Nico Marques/Photekt for Kevin Daly Architects

INNOVATION: PROGRESS OR DISRUPTION?

Carl Elefante, FAIA

STRATEGIC COUNCIL NEWS

Jack Morgan, AIA

HABITAT

Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA

AIA SF NEXT CONFERENCE A’18 RECAP HIGHLIGHTS FROM A'18 CONFERENCE

Graciela Carrillo, AIA

ARCHITECTS IN ACTION

Matt Toddy, AIA

SESSION TH403 - ARCHITECTURE AS A PLATFORM FOR THE NUA Kimon Onuma, FAIA

SESSION SA412 - IMPLIMENTING THE NUA Ceara O'Leary, AIA

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See more in this issue's feature on this project starting on page 32

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THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT HOUSING AS INTERVENTION

Karen Kubey

DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT

Beth R. Mosenthal, AIA

THE 20K INITIATIVE

Rusty Smith

BART

Tian Feng, FAIA

WELCOME TO YOUR WORLD

John Clark, AIA

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SUSTAINABIITY AND RESILIENCY 2018 AIA YOUNG ARCHITECTS AWARD WINNER SPOTLIGHT

Ryan McEnroe, AIA

BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WHILE LEARNING FROM THE PAST

Illya Azaroff, AIA

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INTERNATIONAL TWO IMPERATIVES FOR ARCHITECTS TODAY

Tom Vonier, FAIA

WITNESSING URBANIZATION

Vikki Lew, AIA

MEASURING HANDPRINT

Vikki Lew, AIA

NEW DIMENSIONS FOR HIGH-DENSITY URBAN MIXED-USE

Ping Jiang, AIA

#YAFchat #YAspotlight EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SPOTLIGHT

Bastiaan Bouma

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HABITAT - CONTRIBUTORS EDITORIAL TEAM

YU-NGOK LO, AIA

is the principal of YNL Architects, Inc. He is the communication director of the Young Architects Forum National advisory committee of the AIA and the editor-in-chief of the YAF publication CONNECTION. Lo is a recipient of the 2016 AIA Young Architects Award.

IAN MERKER, AIA

is an architect at Rainforth Grau Architects in Sacramento, CA, specializing in the education sector. He is the film curator for AIA Central Valley and a former YAF regional director.

NICHOLAS BANKS, AIA

is an architect for the education studio of Corgan in Houston, TX. He is the chair of the intern and associate network for AIA Houston, where he encourages local associates along the path to licensure. He has been a contributor to YAF CONNECTION for over four years

KATE THUESEN, AIA

is an architect and associate at DLR, Des Moines, IA with vast experience in both the K-12 and higher education industries. She holds a BArch from Iowa State University.

Thuesen is currently serving as the YARD representing the central states regions.

JASON R. ADAMS, ASSOC. AIA

is a principal and partner of [STRANG] Design, LLC. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder and an active member of the AIA, IALD and the Urban Land Institute. Adams currently serves on the AIA Fort Lauderdale board of directors and the AIA Florida/ Caribbean board of directors as the regional associate director.

BETH R. MOSENTHAL, AIA

works with corporate, public, and nonprofit clients and is passionate about creating designs that bridge art, urbanism, storytelling, and sustainability. She advocates for equity and accessibility, facilitating dialogue between architects and the citizens they serve. Prior to working at Anderson Mason Dale Architects, she studied and practiced architecture in Shanghai, New York, and Chicago.

VIKKI LEW, AIA

began her architectural career in San Francisco and started practicing internationally in 2006. Her diverse portfolio includes healthcare, university, residential, financial institute, retail, mixed-use, super-highrise, and master planning. She served on the AIA Hong Kong board of directors as the secretary from 2016-17.

GABRIELA BAIERLE ATWOOD, AIA

is an architect with Arrowstreet in Boston, MA. She is currently serving as architect licensing advisor for both the AIA Massachusetts and NCARB. Atwood continues her involvement by being a member of the Boston Society of Architects and their Emerging Professionals Network, BosNOMA and MakeTANK committees.

JESSICA N. DEAVER, ASSOC. AIA

is a recent graduate of the University of Houston Graduate School of Architecture and Design and holds a bachelor of science in Radio-TV-Film from UT Austin. She has worked in the film and television industry writing, shooting and directing in both Texas and New York. Deaver has been recently published in the literary journal The New Engagement

SHARON TUREK , AIAS

is a fourth year student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo working toward a bachelor of architecture. In addition to her involvement with her local AIAS chapter, she is the student and California Coast representative for the AIACC communications advisory committee. She is currently closing off the 2017-18 school year with a co-op internship with ZGF Architects in Los Angeles, California.

JOHN CLARK, AIA

is an architect with RMKM Architecture in Albuquerque, NM. A graduate of the University of New Mexico, Clark serves as the Young Architect representative on the AIA Albuquerque Board of Directors.

SPECIAL THANKS GRACIELA CARRILLO, AIA

has committed almost a decade of volunteer leadership service to the AIA. She has been involved at the local, state, and national levels, currently serving as president-elect as well as EP and WIA co-chair of the AIA Long Island Chapter.

On the national and state levels in 2017, Graciela was appointed as N.Y. regional director for the Young Architects Forum and sits on the AIA New York State Board of Directors.

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MATT TODDY, AIA

joined Columbus’ Design Collective and leads integrated project teams in a variety of project types. He is entering his second year on the board of directors of the AIA Columbus component. Toddy also serves as the Young Architect regional director for the Ohio Valley region.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

ARCHITECTURE'S URBAN AGENDA “In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.

The first is freedom of speech and expression – everywhere in the world.

The second is freedom of every person to worship god in his own way – everywhere in the world.

The third is freedom from want – everywhere in the world.

The fourth is freedom from fear – anywhere in the world.

That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt, January 6, 1941 It took 70 years to realize Louis I. Kahn’s memorial to Roosevelt’s powerful words. Four Freedoms Park occupies the southern tip of the island bearing the 32nd president’s name, a conspicuous site in clear view of the United Nations complex perched on the adjacent bank of the East River. While no direct references to Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms appear in its text, the principles underpinning the New Urban Agenda are clearly indebted to Roosevelt’s vision.

The New Urban Agenda was adopted in October 2016, the key outcome of Habitat III, the U.N. Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development conducted in Quito, Ecuador.

Held at 20-year intervals, U.N. Habitat conferences culminate years of research and discourse on the state of human settlements worldwide. Tens of thousands of participants and stakeholders work to sketch a comprehensive global picture of current conditions and emerging challenges.

Habitat III and the New Urban Agenda reflect the global realities of the 21st century. First and foremost, over the 20 years since Habitat II, humans became an urban species, the majority of people worldwide now living in urban settlements. By the end of the century, the U.N. predicts, nearly 9 in ten 10 will. Humanity’s destiny is urban. Human wants, needs, and hopes will be satisfied through the buildings, towns, and cities that architects shape. By shaping the built environment, architects shape lives.

In the United States, we have a uniquely American response to the prospect of an urban future. What about our cars, lawns, and fences? Actually, the New Urban Agenda is agnostic about urban form, bridging urban, “peri-urban,” and rural settlements.

Americans have a hard time appreciating that regardless of where on the urban transect you reside, you are part of a connected urban network that you depend on for, well, everything. The New Urban Agenda acknowledges that our common future demands that human settlements everywhere contribute their share to sustainable development globally, particularly in the context of rapid population growth and climate change challenges.

The U.S. participated fully in the Paris climate change summit (COP21) and Habitat III during the Obama administration. Their priorities included equity and affordability issues, investing in people through education and workforce development, fair housing and community development, supporting neighborhoods as social infrastructure and climate change resilience, mitigation, and adaptation. But today, America is one of a handful of nations that is not actively implementing the New Urban Agenda through

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federal policy. Participation by the current administration was all but nonexistent in the World Urban Forum that I attended in February 2018 as head of the AIA delegation.

Why should architects care? While there are many answers, in my view, the most compelling ones fall into two buckets: 1. the importance of issues addressed in the New Urban Agenda to our clients and communities and 2. opportunities for renewed relevance for the architectural profession.

As I have traveled across the country for AIA over the past two years, I have become increasingly aware of the near-universality of the most difficult issues facing our cities and towns, whether bustling metropolis or peaceful village. Housing affordability rises to the top of the list in almost every community. Homelessness is a challenge even in places where you would least expect it. Although traffic is a nightmare everywhere, transit systems struggle to stay in operation. The cost of education stretches both household and municipal budgets to the breaking point. Health care providers appear woefully ill-prepared to confront the avalanche of elderly coming their way.

The New Urban Agenda follows the premise that social challenges like these must be addressed by engaging the community, strengthening institutions, investing in planning and design, and building sustainable, resilient, and equitable cities and towns. The New Urban Agenda lays a foundation of social, economic, and environmental purposes to guide the evolution of cities and towns in developed, developing, and undeveloped places.

For architects, the New Urban Agenda announces an era of profound relevance. Every challenge is funneled through the necessity of building strong communities, both human communities built on trust and mutual interests and urban communities built with bricks and mortar. It calls for our profession to reach beyond its traditional service role, to engage proactively in socially relevant challenges, and to work collaboratively to forge solutions for a peaceful, prosperous, and equitable tomorrow.

It is easy to get lost in the complexity of the New Urban Agenda and lose sight of its relevance to your own community and your own architectural practice. When I feel lost, I imagine sitting in the U.N. tower gazing onto Kahn’s magnificent memorial to Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms, and I reconnect with the important work the 21st century demands of the architectural profession. ■

Carl Elefante, FAIA

serves as principal for Quinn Evans Architects in Washington, D.C. He has been an active member of the AIA at the local, state, and national levels. Elefante represented the Middle Atlantic region on the AIA Board of Directors and the Strategic Council, and he has worked closely with the AIA Committee on the Environment, the Historic Resources Committee, and the Sustainability Scan Advisory Group. Elefante is the 2018 president of the AIA. Q3 -2018

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STRATEGIC COUNCIL NEWS

CAPNUA

COMMUNICATION, ADVOCACY, AND POLICY OF THE NEW URBAN AGENDA

The AIA’s Strategic Council works to advance the profession by identifying its important opportunities and threats. After studying the issues and developing strategic planning initiatives, the council informs the Board of Directors and others throughout the institute so that appropriate actions can be planned and taken. Following the AIA’s attendance and participation in the 2016 Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador, it was obvious that the AIA needed to take up the challenges identified in the New Urban Agenda and formulate plans and strategies to best inform and engage the membership on this important work and the impact members can have by leading their communities as trusted advisers.

In 2017, the Strategic Council formed a work group called Communication, Advocacy, and Policy of the New Urban Agenda.

Realizing the need to shorten the title, members became known as the CAPNUA group. This group took the initiatives described in the Habitat III documents and created strategies focused on engaging the membership as leaders on relevant locally focused conversations in their communities.

In the fall of 2017, CAPNUA members created and hosted prototype events in Indianapolis; San Diego; Miami; Columbus, Ohio; and Layton, Utah. Each event focused on addressing a local concern. In San Diego, they conducted a neighborhood charrette.

In Indianapolis, members engaged with elected leaders as a component of their regional conference. Miami’s event built upon a program that targets how architects can design communities to promote health. Columbus held a neighborhood symposium and took it to the next level with a creative video documenting their event.

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At each location, the participants recognized the event’s importance and value for developing AIA members as trusted advocates and leaders of their communities. The results of the prototype events were shared with the Strategic Council and the Board of Directors.

Based in part on the work of the CAPNUA group, the Board of Directors established the Blueprint for Better Communities initiative in 2018, which is tied thematically to the ongoing public relations campaign. The AIA’s website describes the initiative as being “intended to increase architects’ engagement with their communities around pressing issues like climate change, housing, and public health.” A key facet of this program is the identification of “champions” from across the entire body of the institute who would be interested in developing and executing a Blueprint for Better Communities program with their components. In July, the champions met in Madison, Wis., where they received focused training to help them organize their events and creatively share their programs’ outcomes.

A committee comprised of former CAPNUA members, both current Strategic Council members and former councilors (Bethune Fellows), reviewed the 2018 grant applications. According to Tim Hawk, FAIA, Ohio Valley Regional Representative, “the applications came from all over the AIA, representing both large cities and smaller communities. Each application addresses a local condition under the umbrella theme of the New Urban Agenda and will have the potential to be programs which tip the scale in our favor as facilitators of community engagement.”

Upon hearing of the Blueprint for Better Communities initiative, Laura Lesniewski, AIA, Central States regional representative, commented, “This is a perfect example of the AIA being relevant, not just saying that we are relevant. This is the best kind of advocacy for the profession and a way to tackle relevancy.”

As a member of the Strategic Council, it is exciting to see one of our work products elevate from a prototype to a national-level program that is scalable and repeatable for members across the institute. This collection of stories about architects working in their communities will provide all members with materials they can use to shape positive outcomes where they live, work, and play.

If you would like to read more about the New Urban Agenda, please see the following link: http://habitat3.org/the-new-urban-agenda/ If you are interested in being a part of the Strategic Council conversations on this topic or others it studies, please reach out to your regional representative or me. We are always looking to add additional voices to broaden our study group discussions.■

Tim adds, “Our collective efforts are driving our membership to engage on topics of local concern, providing value on various scales.”

Jack Morgan AIA

is the architecture department manager for Guernsey in Oklahoma City. He served on the board directors of his local chapter, AIA Central Oklahoma Chapter and was the chapter president in 2014. Morgan also served on the state chapter's board of directors, AIA Oklahoma for a number of years and served as the chapter's 2017 treasurer. He is also the Strategic Council's liaison to the YAF.

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EDITOR'S NOTE

HABITAT

THE NEW URBAN AGENDA

Welcome to the Q3 2018 issue of CONNECTION! What is the New Urban Agenda? I asked this myself when I first encountered the term at a Strategic Council meeting in 2017. This topic has become a major talking point in our profession, and our editorial team would like to dedicate this issue to exploring some of the New Urban Agenda conversations that are relevant to our emerging-professional readers. I believe that besides serving our clients and paying our bills, we as architects have the moral responsibility to build a better world by designing socially responsible and sustainable cities that can be accessed by all communities.

Lastly, I would like to welcome John Clark, AIA, to our team. John is an architect and a writer in Albuquerque, N.M. He also serves as the Young Architects representative on the AIA Albuquerque Board of Directors. His first review of the book “Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives” and conversation with the author offers an interesting perspective on the topic. I am excited to have him on board and look forward to his contributions in the future!

Thank you for your support, and I hope the stories we curated will inspire you. Enjoy! ■

We are hoping to explore this multifaceted topic from many perspectives. The stories we curated are merely the tip of an iceberg. We hope our stories will spark awareness on this issue, and we encourage all emerging professionals to dive into the conversation and be part of this movement. Architects need to stand at the forefront and show the world how architecture can be the solution to some of our most pressing issues, such as housing, sustainability, resiliency, etc.

As part of the CONNECTION tradition, we also highlighted a couple of sessions at A’18 that align with our issue’s theme. They are TH403 – Architecture as a Platform for the New Urban Agenda and SA412 – Implementing the New Urban Agenda: Lessons for Equitable Housing and Policy Design, organized by Kimon Onuma, FAIA, and Ceara O’Leary, respectively. These sessions offer great examples of how architects are leading the New Urban Agenda and how architecture is slowly affecting communities in positive ways. We also invited Graciela Carrillo, AIA, one of our Young Architects regional directors, to share her conference experience.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our new 20192020 Young Architects Forum communications director, Beth Mosenthal, AIA. Beth has been a member of the CONNECTION editorial team since 2014. I look forward to seeing her elevate the publication to the next level. As always, I would also like to thank the editorial team for their work. This issue couldn’t have been made possible without their dedication and love for architecture.

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Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA is the principal of YNL Architects, Inc. He is the communication director of the Young Architects Forum national advisory committee of the AIA and the editorin-chief of the YAF official publication CONNECTION. Lo is a recipient of the 2016 AIA Young Architects Award.

REDEFINING PURPOSE

YAF RESOURCE GUIDE The YAF CONNECTION team is looking for team members to join the editorial committee. While we welcome skill sets of all stripes, our current need is for a Contributing Journalist. The position description is as follows: Contributing Journalist: Contribute a minimum of (3) articles per issue. Coordinate with outside contributors for contents and make sure they adhere to the established deadlines. Must be able to work in a remote setting with the ability to balance publication deadlines with employment. Ability to attend quarterly kick-off conference calls with the potential for intermediate update calls.

Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and Google products required. Applicants’ access to Adobe CC is preferred. Please provide a sample page or link of prior work.

This position has immediate availability with a commitment of one year and the remaining two issues of YAF CONNECTION in 2018 Position will be reevaluated at year's end based on need and performance.

If interested, please contact the YAF Communications Director (YAF CONNECTION Editor-in-Chief / Creative Director), Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA at yungoklo@hotmail.com for more information.

AIA’s Young Architects Forum YAF's official website YAF KnowledgeNet A knowledge resource for awards, announcements, podcasts, blogs, YAF Connection, and other valuable YAF legacy content ... this resource has it all!

AIA College of Fellows Check out the College of Fellows's reciprocal newsletter to find out more about what's going on.

Know Someone Who’s Not Getting YAF Connection?

Don’t let them be out of the loop any longer. It’s easy for AIA members to sign up. Update your AIA member profile and add the Young Architects Forum under “Your Knowledge Communities.”

• Sign in to your AIA account • Click on the blue “Add a Knowledge Community” button • Select Young Architects Forum from the drop down and SAVE! Call for News, Reviews, Events Do you have newsworthy content that you’d like to share with our readers? Contact the editor, Yu-Ngok Lo, on Twitter @yungoklo.

Call for CONNECTION Articles, Projects, Photography Would you like to submit content for inclusion in an upcoming issue? Contact the editor, Yu-Ngok Lo, at yungoklo@hotmail.com

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FEATURE

AIA SF NEXT CONFERENCE

IMPLEMENTING THE NEW URBAN AGENDA

BY YU-NGOK LO

Rosa Sheng, FAIA

is a Principal and Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion at SmithGroup. She is also AIASF 2018 President and Founder of Equity by Design. Sheng has led a variety of award-winning and internationally acclaimed projects throughout her career as well launching a national movement for equitable practice and just design outcomes in Architecture. Equity by Design [EQxD] surveys, programs and outreach have received national press including Architect Magazine, Architectural Record, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, TEDxPhiladelphia and KQED/NPR.

San Francisco and the Bay Area in California is infamously known for its skyrocketing home prices and unaffordable rents. What can architects do to implement the New Urban Agenda and to ensure a city’s sustainable development future? The third annual AIA San Francisco Next Conference invited experts from across the profession to dive deep into these important issues. Our CONNECTION team reached out to the 2018 president, Rosa Sheng, FAIA, to highlight some of the things discussed at the event.

Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): Tell us about the annual AIA SF NEXT Conference. Why did the chapter pick the New Urban Agenda as the them this year? What’s the goal of the conference?

Rosa Sheng (RS): The 2018 AIASF NEXT Conference theme sought to expand dialogue and engagement around the United Nation's New Urban Agenda – a bold roadmap to promote sustainable, regenerative, and equitable growth in our cities. In tandem, AIA National Conference on Architecture in New York City also chose to focus around the international initiative. The AIASF NEXT Conference was focused on amplifying on this discussion by taking a proactive stance to prepare a blueprint to address the challenges that cities face in terms of just and equitable affordable housing, transportation, and sustainable measures to protect essential resources related to climate and water by 2030.

YL: How do you see the United Nation’s New Urban Agenda” as relevant to the issues in the Bay Area? What are the sub-topics the conference focused on?

RS: Presentations focused on how the Bay Area can advance upon NUA's outlined standards and principles for the planning, construction, development, management, and improvement of urban areas along its five main pillars of implementation: urban policies, urban legislation and regulations, urban planning and design, local economy and municipal finance, and local implementation. The conference topics were extremely relevant to the Bay Area's top urban challenges - affordable housing and access to transportation systems and essential resources.

YL: Tell us about the speaker-selection process. Could you show us some examples of how architects leverage the New Urban Agenda for success and relevance at a local level?

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RS: Charisma Acey was selected as the conference day keynote speaker based on her local expertise and direct experience/ involvement in the New Urban Agenda and related areas of urban research focus. Her presentation discussed the New Urban Agenda as a holistic approach to urban development, one that marries urban planning disciplines with social justice, equitable frameworks and sustainability. Traditionally, these topics have been tackled as exclusive pursuits – Dr. Acey proposes that the New Urban Agenda brings emphasis to all these considerations for providing solutions with better potential for success.

The supporting breakouts and panelists were selected through a call for submissions under this framework. AIASF President-elect 2019 Stan Lew, AIA, led a group of New Urban agenda champions to curate the content that best aligned with the core topics.

Charisma's research in the U.S. focuses on healthy food access and equitable development, while ongoing projects in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda investigate ways to improve household access to clean water, safe sanitation, alternative-energy solutions, and approaches to public participation using geographic information systems (GIS). She has over 18 years of experience working with communities, local governments, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions on international development, humanitarian relief, poverty reduction, and infrastructure planning.

She is the founder of Outreach by Design, an emerging initiative that helps organizations and businesses realign their mission to impact social and environmental outcomes for a more equitable society. Currently, Charisma is a member of the Researchers and Academics Partner Constituency Group in the General Assembly of Partners for U.N. Habitat III YL: San Francisco has one of the worst housing crises in the nation; what are some of the highlighted discussions (solutions?) at the Housing Symposium?

RS: It should come as no surprise to anyone that skyrocketing costs of housing in the Bay Area has ripple effects beyond the issues of homelessness and affordable housing. Cost-prohibitive pricing for rentals and home mortgages also affects labor shortages for civil servants and essential workers that keep our cities functioning.

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Cost prohibitive pricing for rentals and home mortgages also affects labor shortages for civil servants and essential workers that keep our cities functioning.

These shortages also drive up construction costs because of available workers who can afford to live in the area as well.

many lower-income communities plan and execute new housing, neighborhood plans, and community facilities.

This year’s Housing Symposium examined the housing crisis as it relates to three basic principles: public needs and desires for affordable housing, policy rules and incentives, and professional responses to these forces. The event started with an inspirational keynote by Michael Pyatok, who has been an architect and professor of architectural design for 50 years and has designed over 40,000 units of housing for lower-income households, students, seniors and market-rate renters and owners, in the U.S. and abroad. He shared on his development of participatory design methods to facilitate the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders in the process, helping

The three panel sessions following the keynote included public advocacy, political action and professional synthesis PANEL DISCUSSION: PUBLIC ADVOCACY • (Moderator) Mimi Sullivan, AIA, principal, Saida + Sullivan Design Partners • Todd David, executive director, San Francisco Housing Action Coalition

ABOVE: AIASF NEXT CONFERENCE KEYNOTE PANEL Courtesy of Rosa Sheng

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FEATURE

• Sam Moss, executive director, Mission Housing Development Corporation • Debra Sanderson, planning manager, City of Berkeley • RuthTodd, FAIA, LEED AP, AICP, principal, Page & Turnbull PANEL DISCUSSION: POLITICAL ACTION • (Moderator) Neal Schwartz, AIA, principal, Schwartz + Architecture • Daniel Adams, deputy director of Housing, San Francisco Mayor's Office of Housing + Community Development (MOHCD) • Mark Macy, principal, Macy Architecture • Maia Small, urban designer / architect, San Francisco Planning Department

• Kristy Wang, community planning policy director, SPUR PANEL DISCUSSION: PROFESSIONAL SYNTHESIS • (Moderator) Sarah Willmer, owner, Studio Sarah Wllmer Architecture • Patrick Kennedy, owner, Panoramic Interests • Riki Nishimura, AIA, RIBA, MRAIC, LEED AP bd+c, director of urban strategies, Gensler • Cynthia A. Parker, president & ceo, Bridge Housing • Anne Torney, AIA, LEED AP bd+c, partner, Mithun Alternatives beyond what is currently thought possible were also part of the discussion, given the existing conditions of public pressures and policy structure. ■

ABOVE: PANEL DISCUSSION - Courtesy of Rosa Sheng

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InThis year's Housing Symposium examined the housing crisis as it relates to three basic principals: public needs and desires for

ABOVE: EVENT BANNER - Courtesy of Rosa Sheng

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AIA Conference on Architecture 2018

RECAP

HIGHLIGHTS FROM A'18 CONFERENCE Graciela Carrillo, AIA ARCHITECT IN ACTION Matt Toddy SESSION TH403 - ARCHITECTURE AS A PLATFORM FOR THE NEW URBAN AGENDA Kimon Onuma SESSION SA412 - IMPLIMENTING THE NEW URBAN AGENDA Ceara O'Leary

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM A'18 CONFERENCE BY: GRACIELA CARRILLO

This past June, New York City welcomed more than 26,000 architects to the A’18 Conference. AIA NY organized dozens of open studios, which offered attendees a close look inside some of the local architectural firms. Tours of dozens of iconic buildings and neighborhoods were organized and led by bike, boat, and foot. Attendees experienced firsthand what it takes to commute in the Big Apple, moving from the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to The New School to Rockefeller Center for keynotes.

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KEYNOTES AND AWARDS The keynote speakers communicated a clear message to the audience: Architects must tackle social issues. Throughout the entire conference, diversity and inclusion were topics discussed by everyone, including keynote speakers Sir David Adjaye and Maini Søgaard, CEO of BIG, who delivered this very useful advice: “If you are good at something, never do it for free.” Awards took place at Rockefeller Center, too.

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POP- UPS, FLASH MOB & MORE The Center for Emerging Professionals hosted a pop-up event by the Hudson River that gathered many young architects to enjoy drinks, delicious food, and networking. A flash mob happened outside the Javits Center, where the leaders of Voices of Plurality gathered women in architecture to promote diversity and inclusion in the practice. Cofounders of JAMB Collective Christian Jordan, AIA, PA YARD, and Katie Miller Johnson, AIA, LEED AP, received the Charrette Venture Group Award for winning its annual architectural business plan competition. JAMB was also the winner of the 2017 Practice Innovation Lab, by the YAF group. Congrats, JAMB!

TOURS

Hudson Yards Tour

Bike Tour

Photo by Center of Architecture

EXPO HALL More than 800 companies exhibited their products during the two-day expo. It was a great time for more networking and researching products and case studies.

Boat Tour

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EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS There were hundreds of educational sessions to choose from, including those organized by the AIA Young Architects Forum. Harassment in the Workplace Part 1 focused on compliance and legal issues, and Part 2 – Community and Resources was an open forum to discuss accounts of harassment, many of which have been collected through a survey.

Also, the YAF group organized the successful “Commitment Wall,” an interactive element at the Expo Hall where architects committed to anti-harassement policies. Commit to lead!

THE PARTIES The Center of Emerging Professionals packed the deck and floors of Stage48. The night was a perfect network-ing opportunity for emerging professionals.

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THE PARTIES The Center for Emerging Professionals packed the deck and floors of Stage48, and the night was a perfect networking opportunity.

Can’t wait for A19 in Vegas for another great experience!

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ARCHITECTS IN ACTION

CASE STUDIES OF THE NEW URBAN AGENDA AT WORK

BY MATT TODDY

The concept of the citizen architect is a familiar one that has seen wide distribution and discourse. It’s been a decade since the AIA Board of Directors released the “Citizen Architect Handbook”, but it is now, perhaps more than ever, that architects are looking for ways to improve, invest in, and advocate for their communities.

United Nations’ Habitat III and the resulting New Urban Agenda, to paraphrase Tim Hawk, FAIA, Chere Leclair, AIA, and Derek Washam, is a call to action for all architects to increase that investment and advocacy at the local, regional, and national level1.

What follows are two accounts of architects in various modes of practice exercising their ability to contribute to their communities in a meaningful, sustainable way.

A’18 DAY OF SERVICE

INTERVIEW WITH KAVITHA MATHEW, AIA & WAYNE BROADFIELD, AIA

Kavitha Mathew, AIA

strives to enhance engagement opportunities for AIA New York members, with a focus on developing leadership and community service initiatives. She is a registered architect with over twenty years of experience in the field, and is dedicated to elevating the practice to be more inclusive and equitable. Mathew was formerly director of corporate architectural services at Ralph Lauren, and has also worked as project architect at firms including Ted Moudis Associates, Spacesmith, and KPF.

Wayne Broadfield, III, AIA

is Paralyzed Veterans of America’s associate director of architecture & facilities. He has been involved with local AIA component leadership as past-president of the Potomac Valley chapter in 2016 and currently sits on the board of directors of the AIA Maryland. He also is the current Mid-Atlantic regional director of the Young Architects Forum.

The A’18 Day of Service aimed to expand the reach of the annual AEC Cares event organized around the AIA Conference on Architecture. The event, which brings architects, contractors, and other industry professionals together to benefit a local community organization, partnered with AIA New York to address the needs of six local non-profit groups across two boroughs. AIANY partnered with six local firms to lead the projects, and volunteers from across the country showed up to help execute the work on the final day of the Conference. The event underscored the conference’s “Blueprint for Better” theme and the growing interest architects are taking in giving back to their communities.

Matt Toddy (MT): AIA New York played a significant role in getting the event off the ground. How did AIANY get involved?

Kavitha Mathew (KM): In prior years Construct Connect organized one large event during the AIA annual conference through their AEC Cares service division. They had planned to do this for the A’18 conference and quickly realized that their model was not suited for New York City. The prior AEC Cares event typically took place the day before conference and would involve a pro-bono design firm and a single non-profit organization. The event volunteers were mostly from the construction industry. The idea in NYC was to hold multiple smaller projects and work with different firms and beneficiary organizations on each one. I began my role with AIANY leadership and engagement initiatives in January 2018. At that point, AIA New York had already signed on to coordinate service projects in conjunction with the A’18 conference in NYC and asked me to spearhead the effort. AIA New York was an ideal partner to ABOVE : A'18 DAY OF SERVICE - volunteers work on updates to a public school garden in east Harlem - courtesy of Jake Frisbie

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reach out to local firms and organize the events. By holding the event on the last day of A’18, more architects attending conference were able to volunteer.

Wayne Broadfield (WB): Under Kavitha’s leadership, the AIANY had great success in expanding its outreach to the general public and the profession has benefited greatly. Its unique location, professional relationships, and ties to the community, made AIANY a natural partner for the Day of Service.

MT: Can you describe the process of getting non-profit organizations signed on to benefit from the Day of Service? What were the requirements? The vetting process?

KM: We initially asked the interested firms to suggest their potential partners. Some had existing relationships with non-profits. If they could not identify any, or if the timing did not work for the organizations that they had worked with, they either did their own research or we helped to match them with a non-profit. There are so many non-profits in the city serving a variety of functions and populations, and it quickly became apparent that we would be able to impact a variety of organizations and projects. We kept the requirements fairly open to provide opportunities to team up with different types of organizations. All of the non-profits that we worked with were well-established, with a history of helping underserved communities or groups. It was especially satisfying that the final project selections were located in multiple boroughs of NYC, served at-risk youth, homeless, abused and underserved populations throughout our community.

MT: How did you get local firms engaged with the Day of Service vision?

KM: We hosted information sessions for interested firms at the Center for Architecture. Getting local firms to sign up was not an issue, they were excited to help with the Day of Service. The vision was to provide an opportunity to connect architects with communities and organizations that they would otherwise not be exposed to. We tried to provide enough structure and guidance to make the projects manageable yet impactful, and also allow the firms to define the design vision in conjunction with their probono partners. The firms were responsible for providing a team dedicated to planning the project, including communicating with the beneficiary organization, preparing design & construction drawings, and in some cases identifying and procuring materials.

WB: Our project at ‘I Have A Dream’ was well staffed and the majority of the prep work, including wall and flooring prep, was completed by a great group of subcontractors. This proved very helpful, and they even took time at the start to demonstrate trade techniques to help us become efficient and make the most of our limited time at the site. Local firm members were also on-site, and it was clear in how they interacted with the foundation leaders that this was a relationship that they wanted to establish for the longterm.

MT: Funding can make or break an event like this – how did you rally sponsors and funding for the event?

KM: We were very lucky that the pilot event was sponsored

by Construct Connect. Their funding helped to provide food, transportation, t-shirts and an evening reception for the volunteers.

The design firms and other partners were able to reach out to vendors for donations of materials and construction experts. I was astounded by the generosity of our sponsors and found that many construction companies and vendors have existing service and donation components. I tracked the needs for each project in terms of project teams, materials, volunteers, preliminary work, scope of work on the actual day, etc. and was able to tap into my skills as a registered architect and project management experience.

ABOVE LEFT: A'18 DAY OF SERVICE - volunteer paints the multipurpose room at the church of St. Paul and St. Andrew - courtesy of James Wagman Architect ABOVE RIGHT: A'18 DAY OF SERVICE - volunteer teams distribute 1,100 pounds of fresh produce to NYC Housing Authority residents - courtesy of Benjamin Prosky

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MT: It’s been two months since the Day of Service. What’s next?

How have you been able to harness the momentum from the event?

KM: The A’18 Day of Service was so successful that AIANY hopes to offer this as an annual event. I followed up with all of the project teams, sponsors and volunteers to get feedback to use towards improving future events. We had some ‘day two’ work at one of the sites, which was also well-attended. I already have ideas and feedback about potential projects now that we have tested the model. We received great coverage from AIA national and our local component which helps to spread the word.

WB: AIANY has been very informative and helpful with weekly updates to the volunteer teams since the project wrapped up. We’re looking forward to watching the professional and social relationships formed through the Day of Service develop into additional service opportunities.

MT: Any advice for someone looking to spearhead a similar event in their local component?

KM: Yes, one of the goals of this event is to spread the word and inspire other architects and AIA components to hold similar events in their cities and communities. There are more logistics to these events than I have mentioned here. Construct Connect was very helpful in providing all of their documentation and planning.

There are legal components to any event like this, so waivers and media releases are important. Make sure that the planned event can be completed in the allocated time, so that you can leave the organization with a finished product. Document the work with photos and video, these can be used to promote the next event and to get funding. Treat each project as you would any architectural project, track timelines, budgets, scope and responsibility. If you plan your event(s) during a temperate time of year, encourage work outside with a contingency plan for inclement weather. Involve the organization and end-user input as well as the expertise of the volunteers. We had a couple of projects that had design charrettes as a component. Keep an open mind about the projects- you might be pleasantly surprised with the results!

Matthew Szymanski, AIA

has served the AIA at the state, regional, and national levels and is currently President-Elect of his local chapter.

Early on, he took a leading role in reaching out to partner organizations to maximize the visibility, participation, and impact of AIA initiatives in the Raleigh-Durham area. Broadfield has launched multiple programs to equip Emerging Professionals for their careers and has demonstrated the importance of successful design and planning through interactive public outreaches.

SCALEUP – K-12 EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH

INTERVIEW WITH MATTHEW SZYMANSKI, AIA

ScaleUP, a North Carolina-based grassroots program designed to educate young students about architecture, is receiving national recognition for its success in engaging elementary through high school age students in the design process. The interactive workshop utilizes kits of PVC pipes and fittings to teach students what architects do, starting with creation of a sketch model, which gets documented into “construction documents” on gridded paper.

Students then team up to “scale up” their designs to a full-size version using the PVC kits. The program curriculum is flexible by design, so it can be adapted to different age groups as required.

Matt Szymanski and his team at AIA Triangle have grown the program, which was first implemented at a local farmer’s market, into a statewide initiative focused on educating students about the importance of architecture.

Matt Toddy (MT): What does a ScaleUP workshop look like?

Matthew Szymanski (MS): At first glance, it looks like organized chaos because we want students to unlock their creative energy.

You can’t harness excitement if you haven’t generated any.

Typically, teams of chatty students gather around tables building small structures out of ½” PVC pipe around a paper scale figure they have sketched. The kids struggle not to talk over each other, as they frantically dig through the bags of fittings. Occasionally, you'll hear something collapse, which is part of the fun. AIA volunteers walk around and ask strategic questions, complement innovative designs, and encourage teamwork. In the background, you see other students working on the floor, assembling 2'6" lengths of 2 1/4" bright AIA red PVC into full-scale versions of the shelters they modeled earlier. If phones are allowed, participants usually take selfies through the process. Things do not really get quiet until the end, when we wrap up with a discussion time.

ABOVE: A'18 DAY OF SERVICE - volunteer at brooklyn's center against domestic violence - courtesy of Jake Frisbie

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MT: Can you provide a little insight into how you got started with ScaleUP? How did your grow the idea into the full-fledged program?

MS: ScaleUP was developed by our local Young Architects Forum (YAF) leadership team. It started as a way to give associate members the confidence to go into local schools and explain what architects do. When our team participated in career fairs and classroom talks, they noticed our experienced architects told great stories but had difficulty relating to the students. Our associate members, on the other hand, easily related to the students but did not feel that they had enough experience to contribute to the conversations even though the students wanted to hear from the younger generation. As young architects, we were in the middle, witnessing the issues from a unique perspective which ultimately led to our solution. We asked ourselves, “What would aspiring architects feel confident in teaching students about?� Because architecture school focuses on the principals and processes of design, we thought our younger members would be great at pulling those concepts into the practical discussions of the day to day work of architects.

Everyone agreed it would be more impactful to get students to use those concepts instead of just listening to us talk about them. So we asked ourselves, "How can we show students what architects do rather than tell them?" ScaleUP is the answer to that question.

We launched ScaleUP informally at an arts festival and worked out the kinks before we began partnering with our local AIA K-12 Task Force. Early on, in the development of the program, we reached out beyond our YAF group to partner with other AIA committees to ensure that we were not duplicating efforts or reinventing the wheel. Emmie Tyson, AIA, Director of AIA Triangle K-12 Education Outreach Task Force, helped us bring the workshop into classrooms. She developed the worksheets that help walk participants through the initial brief and launch them into their project. She and I are also working on an introductory video to gear participants up for the project. Ideally, with clear worksheets, architect-facilitators, and the video demonstration, we will have one introduction that equally prepares visual, auditory and kinetic learners for the team-based design exercise.

This level of thoughtful preparation was only possible because we used our AIA network to find members who knew what we did not.

MT: Through ScaleUP, you are able to satisfy unmet needs for this type of programming in your community. How did you identify those needs?

MS: I can say that we were purposeful in making ScaleUP fun and memorable. We never identified certain needs within our community, we just put the program in front of a lot of people and relied on educators seeing our program, getting excited about it, and figuring out how to fit us in.

ABOVE: SCALEUP WORKSHOP - students working on scale models - courtesy of Matthew Szymanski

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Our ScaleUP team has become amazing at telling the story of the vital role that architects play in planning and building our communities. It happens at every workshop we give. But I will admit that we are rarely invited to come in and explain why what architects do is important. We get requests like: "Can this help me explain fractions?" or "I only have two hours, start to finish. Will that work?" or "That looks cool, can I do it in my classroom?" We do get students excited about what architects do. That is our primary objective, but it does not have to be the primary objective of those we partner with. We learned that lesson early on.

When we first started, no one really took us seriously. Our team was young and ScaleUP was unproven, so invitations were scarce.

Some of our first workshops were held at open-air festivals and farmers markets. We would bring the kits, set them up, and try to get students to go through the process. Often, small kids and toddlers would overrun the workshop and turn things into a freefor-all. While this was not our initial intent, it did attract a lot of attention! Parents stood around and read AIA brochures while their kids played. Teachers and other educators began to leave us business cards with invitations to bring ScaleUP into their classrooms. People had to see the program in action before they would buy in.

MT: Can you describe the partnerships you forged between your local YAF program and other groups?

MS: Eventually, we realized that we could reach more people if we partnered with other industry groups that were already successfully reaching large groups of students. We reached out to programs such as ACE (Architects, Contractors & Engineers), the local STEM initiative, homeschool cooperatives, as well as afterschool programs. At first, we would call up the volunteer coordinators and launch into an explanation of ScaleUP, but we soon learned to ask what they needed and then explain how we could use the ScaleUP workshop to accomplish their existing program goals.

ABOVE TOP: A'18 DAY OF SERVICE - volunteer team worked on improvements at the church of St. Paul and St. Andrew - courtesy of James Wagman Architect ABOVE BOTTOM: SCALEUP WORKSHOP - student showing scale model next to full-scale version - courtesy of Matthew Szymanski

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We had to figure out how to hold a workshop with huge groups. It was a challenge but our volunteers gained experience working with students of a variety of ages.

Currently, AIA North Carolina Foundation is purchasing ScaleUP kits for other chapters to expand the program into Charlotte, Ashville, and more rural districts.

MT: Now that ScaleUP is receiving regional and national acclaim, what is next?

MT: How have you been able to adapt and cater the program to fit different audiences?

MS: We have adapted the ScaleUP program in various ways. For instance, we have the younger kids design a doghouse instead of a bus shelter because they tend to love dogs and they are shorter so the horizontal forms are easier for them to build. When working with college or high school students, we sometimes ask them to build the full-size structure from just the drawings they did. This drives home the importance of clear construction documents and adds to the challenge. When we partnered with a group of contractors to plan a community college event, we had the students trade off and try to build other students designs based on just the "construction drawings" done from the initial models. This simulated the bidbuild process and was a great lesson in the importance of clear communication.

MS: Early on, we learned to keep things flexible and uncomplicated.

ScaleUP works well because its core idea is simple and strong enough to stand up to adaptation into many different scenarios. So you’ll probably see creative adaptations of the same workshop in more and more settings. We are thrilled to share the program and see how architects in other chapters adapt it.

MT: What advice would you have for an architect looking to make a difference in their local community?

MS: I would say to start off by watching and listening. I think too many young architects sit around in their own world and make plans. We should spend more time going out and observing. That humble action will carry forward and impact how we implement our plans and, thus, how the community responds to them. The old adage that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care proves true. ■

ScaleUP has been around for a few years now and we keep getting requests to take it into different situations. Anytime ScaleUP is introduced into a new setting, we try to bring our veteran facilitators so they can help customize the program based on the circumstances.

MT: Funding is critical to starting and maintaining a new program.

How were you able to secure funding for ScaleUP? MS: When I served on the National Associates Committee, I learned a great deal about the resources AIA National makes available to young members. We secured a College of Fellows Emerging Professionals grant to buy the initial materials we needed to launch the program.

Later, we secured an Armstrong Foundation Grant to create an after-school architecture program in partnership with Neighbor2Neighbor, an anti-gang initiative in South Raleigh. The ScaleUP workshop introduced participants to the design process.

ABOVE: A'18 DAY OF SERVICE - the "I Have A Dream" Foundation benefitted from new flooring, carpet, and paint courtesy of Jake Frisbie

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A'18 CONFERENCE ON ARCHITECTURE SESSION HIGHLIGHT

TH403 - ARCHITECTURE AS A PLATFORM FOR THE NEW URBAN AGENDA

BY YU-NGOK LO

Kimon Onuma, FAIA leads a unique team of architects and computer scientists at the 1988 company he founded, Onuma Inc. Onuma presented domestically and internationally at over 400 industry events. He authored numerous industry journals, like the 2006 AIA Report on Integrated Practice titled "The 21st Century Practitioner.” Onuma is chair of the Thought Leadership Subcommittee of the buildingSMART Alliance and served as the 2013 AIA TAP chair.

It is our tradition to recap what happened at the annual Conference on Architecture and bring back stories that are relevant to our readers.

Our editorial team decided to highlight a couple of sessions that aligns with our Q3 issue’s theme. One of the sessions, “Architecture as a Platform for the New Urban Agenda,” focused on how to use data for human-centered and experimental design processes. We reached out to the organizer, Kimon Onuma, FAIA, to find out more about the session.

YL: How can architecture support the New Urban Agenda?

Kimon Onuma (KO): Architects design buildings that make up the city. Better design and a collective understanding of what challenges we face in the design and construction of buildings and cities can help solve the challenges outlined in the New Urban Agenda. As architects, we know that the design decisions we make have a direct impact on the quality of buildings and a city. My responses will focus on the increasing complexity and goals outlined in the New Urban Agenda and the technology angle of how architects can be a linchpin to achieve these goals. I am not advocating for technology over architecture or architecture over technology. Too often, this falls into a binary discussion. I believe it is both together and a huge opportunity for architecture to address the New Urban Agenda.

The New Urban Agenda, as published by the United Nations, says: "Cities can be the source of solutions to, rather than the cause of, the challenges that our world is facing today. If well-planned and well-managed, urbanization can be a powerful tool for sustainable development” "Take ownership of our shared urban future: one policy, law, plan, design, or project at a time. At this critical juncture in human history, rethinking the way we plan, build, and manage our urban spaces is not an option but an imperative.”

Architecture coupled with modern tools and processes can be the solution for the Urban Agenda. This will not happen without embracing technology and looking at ways that data, algorithms, and AI can enhance rather than be a perceived competitor to great

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architecture. Architecture must be the platform for the physical and digital world, and we must drive that conversation.

YL: How can Architecture impact cities, regions, and the world?

Can you elaborate on what you mean by “synthesize data while creating design solutions”?

KO: Everything is interconnected. Architects have known this long before data and modern technology came around.

A decision we make at any scale has the butterfly effect of impacting the larger ecosystem. For example, the design decision on the exterior cladding of a building has an impact on energy use for that building. The material that is chosen and where it is sourced impacts the carbon footprint of the building.

With the increased complexity of buildings, cities, and building systems, there are millions of decisions that must come together.

It is not humanly possible to process this amount of data with the tools that we are using, even when using BIM. The more data we have access to, the less time we have to spend looking for it, the more time we have to be creative. There is no value in processing data. Machines are better at that than us. Architects must embrace automating the mundane tasks of processing and synthesizing data and even automating the more mundane tasks driven by data. As architects we have been trained to look at the past and synthesize design solutions. With the technologies we have today, it is possible to draw from our past experience and from the wealth of data that is available.

Relying on empirical knowledge is not enough.

YL: Could you show us some examples of how to analyze and understand design access solutions and respond to site issues that come with critical building systems, materials methods, and design and construction processes.

KO: I would say we have been doing that as architects for a long time. Design charrettes are a great example of bringing many different subject-matter experts together to rapidly evaluate

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design solutions that involve many factors. We are trained to be analytical in our approach to design and then to layer in creative solutions that address the objectives. Combining good data, subject-matter experts, communication, and exploration to a charrette leads to better outcomes. To expand the horizon on what is possible, we started BIMStorms 10 years ago, which are online charrettes to test ideas and to encourage participation from thousands of people. Our latest BIMStorm explores how to use Blockchain technologies with BIM and the design, construction, and operation of buildings and cities. Some of the challenges that are being addressed are how to openly share information, decisions, and data and at the same time protect intellectual property. Both are possible side by side when using the right technology. You can see more at BIMStorm.com/ blockchain.html.

YL: How are innovations in technology impacting the global environment?

KO: If we ignore architecture for a minute and just look at the innovation that is sitting in our pocket. The mobile phone has changed everything about the world and how we interact with our environment. Information and tools are at our fingertips. We can call up a ride, find our way around, search for the best restaurant,

find a seat on a plane, and on and on. Communication through this device has brought us together and torn us apart.

As architects, we know that communication, connection to place, and buildings and cities have an impact on civilization. Now we need to insert ourselves into that conversation. We are not there yet as architects. We tend to wait for the technology to come our way. To impact the global environment, we must actively insert our domain expertise into the technology.

YL: Why is DATA at the center of creating an efficient, accurate, cost-effective strategy for creating or managing buildings?

KO: Data is the foundation driving decisions . Data alone cannot answer everything, but it is the building block. Buildings are full of data. The actual data of the geometry, building products, design decisions, design intent, energy, and many other things.

During the life cycle and management of buildings, new data is generated. Having access to all this data allows the facility manager to know how to run the building and to save energy. At a larger scale, a city full of buildings can use the data to evaluate how designs are really performing against their original design intent. Imagine if we had real-time access to data from existing buildings that could help us fine-tune their performance or be

ABOVE: ARCHITECTURE AS A PLATFORM - classical greece built a civilization on a technology platform of architecture, arts, humanities, and politics that supported and changed society forever - by Leo Von Klenze

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BELOW TOP: ARCHITECTURE - the knowledge and value that architects generate in the design of buildings and cities can be a platform that connects to owners, contractors, operations of buildings, cities and assets to support the new urban agenda. the technologies already exist today to make this happen - courtesy of Kimo Onuma BELOW BOTTOM: ARCHITECTURAL TOOLS - the tools that architects used to capture design decisions evolved from paper, mylar, cad and into bim. architecture as a platform can generate value and create new opportunity - courtesy of Kimo Onuma

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about automating design, algorithms, artificial intelligence, and systems that will potentially automate part of us out of existence.

I am not saying that everything should be automated, but the less we are part of the conversation, the more that will be automated.

Even design decisions that should not be will be, which will result in lower-quality decisions that will then impact the environment.

If we embrace automation and work with it to positively impact buildings and cities, it will impact architecture and the future of the world. If we resist the change or wait and see what will happen, our relevance as architects will rapidly diminish.

used to refine future designs. Right now, almost all of the data embedded in completed buildings, even recently completed buildings with BIM, is lost or not accessible. Data that is not accessible is not valuable. Architects can help to change this and increase the value of what we provide to include the physical structure as well as the digital data that goes into our buildings and cities.

YL: How to increase the value of the built environment in terms of safety, occupant comfort, and well-being by using data feedback for human-centered and experimental design processes.

KO: The built environment is turning into the user interface for the digital world. As technologies such as AR and wearable devices start to become more common, it will only accelerate what has already started with our mobile devices. Our mobile devices already let us interact with the world around us, so it is not much of a stretch to imagine that everyone will be able to “favorite� objects in the physical world or tag things that are not working.

This is already happening with systems that allow us to report problems in buildings. Location, geometry, data, systems that we design and build as the AEC community are already perfectly positioned to support these interactions. In my work, we had so many requests from clients to build apps to interact with BIM data that we created our own system, BIM-genie.com, to do this. It does not have to be overly complex. The feedback loop from humans interacting with the built environment back to new projects or renovations will accelerate that ability to positively impact the design process.

I present at a lot of conferences worldwide across many industries. What has concerned me the most is that the architectural conferences seem to be the least progressive in terms of embracing technology. The dialogue is just not at the same level as I have seen elsewhere. That concerns me as an architect. We cannot be observers of the digital transformation that is already well underway. We must be part of it. â–

Data is the foundation driving decisions . Data alone cannot answer everything, but it is the building block. Buildings are full of data. The actual data of the geometry, building products, design decisions, design intent, energy, and many other things.

YL: Anything else you would like to add?

KO: Architects are not part of the conversations that are going on ABOVE: PLATFORM ECOSYSTEMS - platform ecosystems will enable architects to be the connector between the complex needs of owners and cities and the solutions architects provide - courtesy of Kimo Onuma

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A'18 CONFERENCE ON ARCHITECTURE SESSION HIGHLIGHT

SA412 - IMPLEMENTING THE NEW URBAN AGENDA LESSONS FOR EQUITABLE HOUSING POLICY & DESIGN

BY YU-NGOK LO

Ceara O'Leary, AIA is a senior designer and project director at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center. She joined the DCDC in January 2012 as an Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow. O'Leary is the vice chair of the AIA Housing and Community Development Knowledge Community Advisory Group, recently completed a fellowship with the ULI Larson Center for Leadership, and was named a “Top Urban Innovator” by Next City Vanguard. She is also the associate director of the master of community development program at the University of Detroit Mercy and teaches public interest design and community development courses as an adjunct professor in the School of Architecture.

In addition to the TH403 session, the “Implementing the New Urban Agenda: Lessons for Equitable Housing Policy & Design” on Saturday also caught our attention. This session explores the things that help create more equitable housing and communities.

This topic is very relevant, considering the housing crisis we are facing today. We spent some time with the organizer, Ceara O’Leary, senior designer and project director at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center, to talk about her session.

YL: Tell us about some of the aspects of NUA your session focused on.

Ceara O’Leary (CO): The session at this year’s national AIA convention focused on illustrating how New Urban Agenda Sustainable Development Goals can be implemented on the ground. The session focused on opportunities for policy and design that support NUA goals at the local level. Our amazing speakers – Marion McFadden, vice president for public policy at Enterprise Community Partners, Harriet Tregoning, former principal deputy assistant secretary of HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development, and Jamie Blosser, executive director of the Santa Fe Art Institute and founder of the Sustainable Native Communities Collaborative – shared how their current work forwards sustainable development goals in the face of current urban and rural challenges.

In particular, speakers unpacked how accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and designing for community resilience can lead to more equitable housing and community development. ADUs offer a solution to affordable-housing shortages, simultaneously increasing density, offering an efficient building model, and benefiting homeowners. At a larger scale, planning for resiliency, as in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, can lead to cross-sector projects that create stronger physical and social infrastructure and meet a range of needs from housing and recreation to storm protection and biodiversity. Both examples showcase how proactive planning leads to more sustainable development.

YL: What’s the role of architects in creating housing that fulfills the promise of some aspects of the NUA you mentioned above?

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CO: Architects have the opportunity to bring design solutions to the table that meet multiple needs and situate housing within a larger urban ecosystem. Designers are well-positioned to partner across disciplines and tackle the complex and multifaceted challenges anticipated with future and current conditions posed by climate change. Architects can further contribute to the design of housing that meets broader community development goals and addresses urban issues through inclusive engagement, policy, and transdisciplinary approaches. From the speakers’ perspective, architecture has the potential to do more, and creating affordable, beautiful, and quality housing is essential to the New Urban Agenda.

YL: How can inclusive community engagement impact housing design and development?

CO: Community engagement leads to housing design and development decisions that are more responsive to local contexts and better suited to sustainably and effectively meet community needs. One related issue that came up during the session was the critical need for social cohesion and human connection in the wake of disasters, which can be isolating. Designing civic spaces that support social infrastructure contributes to more resilient communities, as demonstrated by post-Sandy resiliency planning. Community engagement can contribute to the definition of these spaces and respond to larger socio-economic concerns that ensure accessible, inclusive, and well-used housing and neighborhoods.

YL: How can architects further advocate for policies that support the NUA? CO: Innovative policy change is essential to implementing the New Urban Agenda. Architects can play a role as advocates for policy that promotes sustainable housing development – such as zoning that enables accessory units and inclusionary zoning, both of which were highlighted in our session. We can go further still by participating in local government, sitting on planning commissions and contributing to decision-making that impacts sustainable housing and development opportunities.

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....architecture has the potential to do more, and creating affordable, beautiful, and quality housing is essential to the New Urban Agenda. and should apply the NUA Sustainable Development Goals broadly, with a recognition that the goals can be applied in both urban and rural contexts. Architects have the capacity to fold NUA principles into their practice, working toward a more equitable built environment and ensuring the right to healthy housing.

H III

YL: Anything you would like to add?

CO: This session was sponsored by the AIA Housing and Community Development Knowledge Community (HCDKC) and built upon lessons learned from AIA delegations who participated in both Habitat III and the World Urban Forum. To read more about those experiences and to learn about other opportunities aligned with the NUA, visit https://network.aia.org/ hkc/home. The HCDKC will continue to shepherd opportunities for architects to support sustainable urban development goals and align with AIA’s Blueprint for Better Communities. â–

THE AIA AT HABITAT III

QUITO, EQUADOR | OCTOBER 17-21, 2016

For further documentation: https://issuu.com/aiaknowledgecommunities/docs/2018_aia_ wuf_report_issuu https://issuu.com/aiaknowledgecommunities/docs/aia_habitat_ iii_report_-_final-sm Institutional coordination is key for the effective implementation of NUA principles that promote creative, and coordinated urban development solutions. Architects can play an instrumental role in this field, particularly those in untraditional roles impacting policy decisions. Education is another key component of policy change, accompanied by an understanding of the issues impacting our cities, from flood plains to density.

YL: What are the next steps for architects to implement the NUA? CO: In addition to working toward transdisciplinary solutions, community engagement, and affordable-housing policy, architects can continue to act as advocates for inclusive housing and community development, modeling best practices. Architects can ABOVE: THE "AIA AT HABITAT III" BOOK COVER - the book documenting the experiences of the aia delegation at Habitat III and opportunities to align the values of the New Urban Agenda with the AIA - design by Anna Mkhikian, courtesy of AIA

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HOUSING AS INTERVENTION

AN INTERVIEW WITH KAREN KUBEY

BY YU-NGOK LO

Karen Kubey

is an urbanist and architectural educator specializing in housing and health.

She is the guest-editor of Housing as Intervention: Architecture towards Social Equity (Architectural Design). Kubey co-founded the Architecture for Humanity New York chapter and New Housing New York, and was the first executive director of the Institute for Public Architecture. She is a visiting associate professor at the Pratt Institute School of Design.

We decided to reach out to one of the panelists who presented at the AIASF NEXT conference for a deep dive into the affordablehousing issue. Thanks to Rosa Sheng, FAIA, the 2019 president of AIASF, we were able to connect with Karen Kubey, one of the panelists. She is also the editor of the book Housing as Intervention.

We spent some with her to talk about the housing issues that the world is facing.

Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): How’s the U.S.’s housing crisis different from that of the rest of the world?

ABOVE: BACKYARD HOME MAPPING - the City of Los Angeles, shown in blue in this cityLAB drawing, contains various types of suburban patterns, each with the potential for backyard infill by secondary rental units - image by Per-Johan Dahl for cityLAB-UCLA

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Karen Kubey (KK): In putting together this book, I was struck by how similar many housing issues are across borders. I hope that architects and others are able to pull useful strategies from the projects featured in our book, beyond those from their own countries. Globalization and the financialization of housing are at the heart of today's extreme levels of housing insecurity and economic inequality worldwide. In the United States, architects must address housing concerns compounded by a history of spatial segregation by race and class. Much of the work that architects can do in America must focus on undoing aspects of the built environment that have contributed to the inequities we see today.

YL: Tell us some examples of how architects are partnering with other stakeholders to tackle the housing issue.

ABOVE: HOUSING AS INTERVENTION: ARCHITECTURE TOWARDS SOCIAL EQUITY (ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN) - © John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

KK: One example from Housing as Intervention that I find especially compelling comes from ISA-Interface Studio Architects, who have partnered with Rupal Sanghvi, MPH of HealthxDesign, to explore how housing design can contribute to reducing health disparities. In New York, for instance, residents of the affluent Upper East Side live nine years longer, on average, than their neighbors directly to the north in East Harlem. Research shows that our built environment plays a huge part in determining our life expectancies and overall health. What I love about ISA's essay – "Designing for Impact: Tools for Reducing Disparities in Health" – is that the firm discusses the possibilities for architecture and housing to contribute to positive health outcomes, along with the challenges of implementing their ideas in built projects, and what it might take

ABOVE TOP: HEALTHY URBANISM - a series of diagrams by ISA- Interface Studio Architects indicate how design decisions might impact health equity outcomes, Brooklyn, New York, 2013 - © ISA ABOVE BOTTOM: SKETCH FOR TOWER NEIGHBORHOOD - sketch by ERA Architects from a neighborhood visioning illustrates proposed changes, Toronto, 2011- © ERA Architects

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While individual homeownership has been held up as an American ideal and supported by government policies, in New York, for instance, only 17 percent of households comprise nuclear families. to realize the full potential of the role of design vis a vis health disparities.

YL: How do you see architects being leaders in advocating for changes in housing policies?

YL: Take Skid Row, for example, the homelessness cannot be solved by simply providing more housing. The solution has to be a comprehensive package that also includes rehabilitation facilities, short/long-term medical care facilities, counseling facilities, etc.

Give us an example of how architects go beyond their traditional practice (only designing/building) and tackle these social issues utilizing their unique design and problem-solving skills.

KK: Matthew Gordon Lasner has an incredible essay in the book "Architecture's Progressive Imperative: Housing Betterment in the 19th and 20th Centuries," which argues that architects have long acted as catalysts for leaps forward in housing provision. Beyond his historical essay, the book shares a range of ways that architects have contributed to housing policy changes recently. For example, ERA Architects in Toronto successfully advocated for a tower neighborhood rezoning that allows for the first time critical housing amenities like playgrounds and market stalls. And Dana Cuff, with UCLA's cityLAB, has led a decade-long research project on backyard homes that culminated with her co-authoring California legislation that paved the way for the creation of accessory dwelling units statewide.

KK: Housing is a partial, yet critical part of the fight against systemic inequities and issues like homelessness. In the book, we explore the work of the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC), whose Healthy Neighborhoods framework aligns the development organization with local hospitals, nonprofits, and other groups in Oakland, all striving for shared goals, such as reducing incidents of high blood pressure. The architects working with EBALDC, such as PYATOK architecture + urban design, collaborate closely with residents and contribute to creative programming models to produce housing that meets resident needs and supports the Healthy Neighborhoods agenda.

YL: We have heard some of the new trends of housing models overseas, for example, dormitory living for adults, the Baugruppen idea in Germany, etc. Why aren’t these new housing typologies implemented in the U.S. yet? Is the traditional image of a large house with big front and back yard still heavily imprinted in American society?

YL: Tell us why equity is a centerpiece of the global housing crisis.

KK: As I say in the book, housing's primary position in our lives, economies, and the built environment makes it a natural site of intervention in the complex fight against systemic injustices. The privatization and commodification of housing have helped to drive massive gaps in income and health outcomes, providing fertile ground for alternative approaches to its design and delivery.

Through work in housing, architects have the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to greater economic, social, and health equity in their communities and worldwide.■

KK: I am encouraged by a rise in new and revived forms of coliving taking hold in the United States, including the San Francisco examples profiled in Neeraj Bhatia and Antje Steinmuller’s essay in the book, "Communes, Co-living and Cooperatives: Spatial Models for the Domestic Commons." While individual homeownership has been held up as an American ideal and supported by government policies, in New York, for instance, only 17 percent of households comprise nuclear families. More people are living alone or in shared housing arrangements, providing opportunities for architects to design for and help shape emerging, more cooperative ways of living. Community land trusts and similar models have gained support around the country, and we can learn from Baugruppen, or self-organizing associations of residents, in places like Germany and Austria.

OPPOSITE: BIHOME - an eco-friendly ADU prototype designed

by Kevin Daly Architects, cityLAB and the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design, Los Angeles, 2015 - © Nico Marques/Photekt for Kevin Daly Architects

ABOVE: POWERHOUSE - thirty-one housing units by ISAInterface Studio Architects meet the street with a series of "super stroops" in this project sited on an urban block in Francisville, Philadelphia, 2014 - © Sam Oberter Photography

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DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR A MULTIGENERATIONAL NEW URBAN AGENDA

BY BETH R. MOSENTHAL

In 2016, the third gathering of the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Development took place (i.e. “Habitat III”). The aim of the conference was to garner attention and a recommitment to sustainable urbanization worldwide. As a follow-up, Sandra Zettersten’s article “Engaging Architects in the New Urban Agenda” identified issues that architects might be instrumental in addressing, including “the need for creative solutions to urban challenges of growth, sustainability and resilience.”

While more gradual in complexion than the rapid urbanization one might witness in China or India, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 80 percent of people in the United States live in urban areas, with a 7 percent increase projected by 2050. Looking ahead, cities will continue to grow, as will the age distribution of their residents.

In a 2016 article in The Atlantic, Derek Thompson summarizes this shift: “In the 1950s, at the height of the U.S. manufacturing supremacy, less than 10 percent of the country was older than 65. That share will double to 20 percent by 2050. The greying of America will touch every station of economic and political life: the size of the labor force, the jobs the economy will require, the ethnic makeup of the country, and the productivity of the workforce. In short, aging affects everything.”

While Thompson’s article explores the economic implications of a society that is getting older, urban development (and the architects who help create these environments) must also follow suit, exploring design strategies and advocating for policies that may be implemented in the present while accommodating a fastapproaching future.

From designing the public realm in a more inclusive manner to creating urban developments that celebrate the benefits of

multigenerational communities and aging in place, what are some initial areas the A&D industry and partners might focus on to improve our experience in the built environment as we all get older?

A good starting point is at home and in our urban residential fabric.

According to a Pew Research Center study, as of August 2016, a record 60.6 million Americans live in multigenerational households, despite a favorable economy and the last recession still comfortably in the rearview mirror. Designing residences to accommodate aging in place supports multigenerational households and mixed-generation neighborhoods, both of which help maximize opportunities for older adults to contribute to the community while being able to care for themselves.

According to AARP’s “Aging in Place Toolkit,” mixed-generation neighborhoods facilitate the notion that “there are valuable links to be made between the needs and skills of different age groups.

Young mothers often need child care while older adults need transportation to the doctor or store. Teenagers need after school employment while older adults need help with small chores around the house.”

As cities continue to grow and densify, many are exploring additional opportunities to create density within existing residential areas while aiming to respect scale and context. Accessory dwelling units, nicknamed “Granny Flats,” provide an important opportunity to create individual living spaces shared with a larger “family house,” promoting multigenerational living and more affordable-housing options in often desirable neighborhoods.

Co-housing, a model in which homes and apartments share common spaces, continues to gain popularity. Unlike the 1960s “commune” model, co-housing provides people with an option of living in a purchased residence, but with built-in access to common spaces such as a yard, gardens, recreation spaces, dining spaces, and a kitchen that can accommodate group meals or gatherings.

According to AARP, “The point of cohousing is community and being able to live independently without living entirely alone.

Cohousing setups are typically intergenerational and don’t involve staff-provided services, but they can be age-specific. A few ‘senior cohousing communities’ have been built, and some allow residents to hire household and care services as needed.”

Another byproduct of inclusive design for people as they get older is the notion that residential design solutions become inherently more livable and accessible for all. Regardless of age or stage of life, design features such as single-floor living or multi-family

ABOVE - ACCESSIBLE SIGNAGE - courtesy of Beth R. Mosenthal

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housing accessible via elevator, building entries and shower/ bath floors without steps or curbs, shelving and storage solutions within arm’s reach of seated height, and a strong indoor/outdoor connection provide people of all ages and physical abilities with a more seamless manner of living in a home environment.

Designing and planning new buildings and city services with inclusive design principles allows everyone, regardless of age and ability, to navigate their city and obtain resources more seamlessly and enjoyably.

When applied to a larger scale, anticipating the necessity of being able to navigate a city with ease at any age and life stage informs design solutions that speak to connection rather than isolation and ease rather than exacerbate obstacles.

An example that illustrates this dates back to my childhood. I grew up in the suburbs of Upstate New York, and I still vividly remember when my mother explained to me that a dear family friend had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. As time passed, our friend was transitioned from walking to the use of a wheelchair. An active physician with a brilliant mind, he made the decision to move his family to New York City – where a seamless network of sidewalks, high-rise buildings equipped with elevators, an extensive network of accessible public transportation options, and a diverse offering of street-level retail enabled him to navigate his surroundings and accomplish his day-to-day tasks more efficiently and enjoyably than had he stayed in a heavily car-dependent, suburban environment.

As we continue to design infrastructure and urban environments that will either help or hinder residents, how might urban designers and architects continue to create transportation options and pedestrianfriendly environments? How might we provide opportunities for people of any age or physical condition to navigate easily and quickly from their homes to places that provide industry, food, health care, culture, access to nature, and community?

In light of the AIA’s adoption of the ambitious New Urban Agenda, the architecture community must continue to explore design solutions in the public and private realms that not only create attainable housing options while promoting social equity, but also consider the realities of our shifting demographics. As birthrates decline and the global population continues to age, how do we create cities that accommodate people throughout the duration of their lives in our growing urban centers? While the only constant in the design of cities is change, the United States’ shifting demographics will be a huge catalyst that will impact cities’ economic and built landscapes.■

The immediate answer is to continue to explore urban-design solutions and neighborhood development that encourages the principles of “livable cities,” including walkability, proximity to public transportation, affordable-housing options, and easy access to community, necessities, and resources. What’s different about designing for our shifting demographics is a need for a renewed focus on inclusive design that considers architectural projects within the context of accommodating someone within the span of a lifetime.

ABOVE - TOKYO SUBWAY - courtesy of Beth R. Mosenthal

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THE 20K INITIATIVE

STUDENT DRIVEN MODEL FOR HOUSING FINANCE

BY IAN MERKER

Rusty Smith

is currently Auburn University's Gresham Professor, Associate Chair of the Architecture Program and Associate Director of the Rural Studio. He also has taught and lectured as a Distinguished Visiting Artist at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture and Designed Objects. He is a nationally recognized teacher and scholar.

Rusty’s honors related to teaching excellence include the receipt of the 2005 American Institute of Architects National Teaching Honor Award (along with Professors Bruce Lindsey and Rebecca O'Neal Dagg), and the 2003 American Institute of Architecture Students National Teaching Honor Award. Rusty is a regular invited lecturer speaking about design education at both educational institutions as well as to design professionals.

Auburn University’s 20k Initiative is reframing the way we pay for home construction

mortgage capacity in underserved areas, and sees the 20k Initiative as a means to provide that housing.

Auburn University’s Rural Studio has evolved from a "blueprint for better" model by not just designing and building affordable and functional structures. The very foundation for how these projects are funded has shifted. Student designed low cost housing prototypes are the precedent for a greater effort by Auburn students to research how these homes can be a truly affordable ownership opportunity for all.

Although the $20,000 model for building these homes is more of a target than a goal, the idea that these homes are significantly lower price points makes traditional funding complicated. That’s what makes the delivery system so vital.

There are currently 18 prototype plans, some of which are 2-bedroom homes, but most that are closer to the $20,000 cost are 1-bedroom. Some are partially accessible, and all are climate specific to Alabama. The housing models that Rural Studio has developed have gained momentum beyond rural Alabama. “We have 50 percent interest from urban environments” says Rusty Smith, director of Auburn University’s Rural Studio. Which is why this model has potential on a national scale.

Under the leadership of the Auburn University students, research partnerships were formed with USDA, HUD, DOE, and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. The Insurance Institute in particular has had an influence on how homes are valued in the market by adopting the FORTIFIED standard. This resilient construction standard applies extreme weather protection system upgrades that have been proven to extend the life of a building by withstanding hazards. Building with the FORTIFIED standard has reduced the cost of insurance premiums up to 50 percent.

New partnerships are being formed to expand the program. “We

The lifetime cost of a house is what’s important. The typical Habitat for Humanity house, for example, is a conventionally built, 3-bedroom, 2-bath house. “That model doesn’t fit every user. It also doesn’t take into account long term maintenance or energy costs for the occupant,” Says Smith. “The true barrier to home affordability is not the first cost of the house, it’s the ability to keep it up over time.”

“Think about it in terms of monthly earnings in leveraging a conventional mortgage. Saving $25 is good, but that’s even better when you look at it as $5,000 in additional budget for the building,” he says. The primary lender becomes informed on that true value through connecting key stakeholders in the housing market.

Fannie Mae is partnering with the 20k Initiative because their mission as a lending institution has changed to focus on building outcomes. Under it’s ‘Duty to Serve’ plan, Fannie Mae is increasing

ABOVE: RURAL STUDIO - courtesy of Auburn University

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are exploring the developer-builder and procurement side” says Smith. A partnership with Youthbuild International is seen by Smith as a stepping stone from partnering with the non-profit sector to the production builder. Youthbuild provides on the job education and training for construction skills and job placement, while running their operation as a construction and development company. “We have a 3 year goal to develop products with our current and planned strategic partners” says Smith. Auburn University plans to go public with their new building partnerships by the end of January 2019.

Students of Auburn University are impacted by the unique nature of their research and hands-on building in the public interest.

Graduates move on to work in the public interest, starting B Corporations and Non-profits. Next year is the first cohort of a new graduate program for public interest architecture. Smith says “In a recent survey of US architecture graduates asking where they want to practice, 29% of Auburn students selected non-profit/public sector. The next greatest number was Tulane with 7%.”■

New partnerships are being formed to expand the program.

"We are exploring the developerbuilder and procurement side"

ABOVE: RURAL STUDIO IN CONSTRUCTION - by Timothy Hursley, courtesy of Auburn Univesrity

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BART

REVITALIZING A CITY WITH THE FOCUS ON PLACE-MAKING

BY YU-NGOK LO

Tian Feng, FAIA

was an architectural adviser on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Advisory Committee. Appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown, Feng is vice president of the California State Architects Board. Feng is also the district architect of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. He initiated climate change adaptation efforts by partnering with the Federal Transit Administration and developed systems resiliency strategies at BART. He is the founder and chief editor of the Transit Sustainability Guidelines, a project sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation and published by the American Public Transportation Association. He chairs the APTA’s standards development group in developing its Transit Universal Design Guidelines.

When our CONNECTION team set out to work on the Q3 issue, we encountered many great stories about how architecture plays an important role in the New Urban Agenda equation. One thing we also want to look at is how mass-transit systems shape communities and offer affordable access to the city’s services. We reached out to Tian Feng, FAIA, the district architect for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to talk about how mass transit contributes greatly in creating a livable and sustainable future.

Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): How can public transportation transform a community?

Tian Feng (TF): It provides mobility for all sectors of society to opportunities of employment, health care, education and cultural amenities. It does so with minimal footprint of greenhouse gas emission and land use. Public transportation also encourages

more modes of transportation that are healthier such as walking and biking. All these enhance livability and safety of a community, by activating streets and enlivening commerce.

YL: Tell us a bit about some of the projects you are working on that transform the city’s urban environment?

TF: We have been working on many projects. I like to talk about Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza because this project is most relevant to the theme of “the New Urban Agenda.” It is a catalytic project to revitalize downtown Berkeley with focus on place making, in this instance place-remaking. The project is to transform the dilapidated urban space into a transparent and energetic public piazza. Benefiting from the massing of transit riders arriving, departing, and crossing the plaza day and night, it will be a safer and more friendly transit hub and lively meeting point. With the

ABOVE: BERKELEY PLAZA IN CONSTRUCTION

- courtesy of Tian Feng

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Public transit, especially rail transit, has more impact on land use and provides mobility needed for lowincome communities. It also supports higher-density housing.

UC Berkeley campus blocks away and a high-rise new hotel to be open, people of all walks of life can gather, eat, play, and shop.

YL: As the district architect for BART, what’s your role? How do you collaborate with city officials or architects to facilitate the urban projects you mentioned above?

TF: I am the project director and the architect of record. The City of Berkeley is our partner and client and they embody culture, art, and design excellence. We had a robust public process during the planning, design, and construction process. We worked closely with city’s multiple departments, more than a dozen committees, and hundreds of members of the public, businesses, design professionals, and residents.

YL: BART exists in big cities (the Bay Area) where population is relatively concentrated. How do you see rapid transit potentially being utilized in small, suburban cities?

TF: BART is a regional rapid-transit system providing services to both suburban cities and downtown cores of San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley, now extending to San Jose. The majority of riders from suburban cities use BART to commute to the downtown cores for employment, as well as evenings and weekends for entertainment.

YL: Do you think rapid transit (coupled with housing) can resolve the homelessness issue in California?

TF: Public transit, especially rail transit, has more impact on land use and provides mobility needed for low-income communities. It also supports higher-density housing. When urban redevelopment integrates transit, affordable housing and mixed-use, it affords more opportunities for nonprofit organizations and local government to work with developers in creating housing or shelters for no-income communities.

YL: Anything else you would like to add?

TF: Our urban design approach is to let people’s activity enliven the plaza, not hardscape and site furniture designed with more subjective aesthetics. The way we achieve this is to introduce streetscape and surrounding buildings as visual interests. Plazas are open and transparent to accommodate necessary functional elements: one vent structure that will be used as a stage backdrop, two entrances to BART stations underground, two larger-size bus stop canopies to form a transit hub with the BART station, and four bio-filtering wells for low-impact storm-drain treatment. The space is also defined by a series of light poles that support lights and speakers. These lights and speakers are equipped with programmable control designed for lighting and sounds performances. The open space is to be managed by the business district for various programs, including outdoor seating, mobile cafe, farmers market, concerts, and public arts. We hope this dignified civic space will be a living, evolving, and delighting place for all people to enjoy at all time.■

ABOVE: BERKELEY PLAZA CONCEPT RENDERING

- courtesy of Tian Feng

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WELCOME TO YOUR WORLD

A BOOK REVIEW - WELCOME TO YOUR WORLD: HOW THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT SHAPES OUR LIVES BY SARAH WILLIAMS GOLDHAGEN

BY JOHN J. CLARK

Sarah Williams Goldhagen

lectures, and consults on all the things that constitute the built environment.

She recently joined the core team of Turf Advisory (www.turfadvisory.com) as Managing Director. Goldhagen is a contributing editor at Art in America and Architectural Record; for many years, she was the New Republic’s architecture critic, and taught for a decade at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. Goldhagen has been an invited guest lecturer at numerous universities and colleges in the US and Europe, and her award-winning essays appear regularly in professional and general-interest publications.

We are familiar with far too many unnourishing buildings, spaces, and even entire communities that are constructed only with efficiencies of economy, function, and time in mind. We hold starchitecture in high regard for its meticulously coordinated aesthetics designed for Instagram, magazines, or other two-dimensional representations.

Sarah Williams Goldhagen’s Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives indiscriminately challenges these short-term, narrow-minded views of design by promoting a perspective from a growing body of knowledge that encompasses the fields of cognitive neuroscience and design.

An architectural critic and former professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, Goldhagen encourages designers working in all scales to gain a deeper understanding and awareness of the human experience, in order to promote physical and emotional health and cognitive development. The field presents another opportunity for the architectural profession to demonstrate value by grounding future work not only in art and aesthetics, but also in research, science, and objectivity.

Nearly every minute of our lives is spent in or around something designed and built by humans, and by 2030, half of the American building stock will have been built after 2006. As much of this new environment is constructed without input from trained designers, little if any attention is paid to the human experience. While our minds and bodies can choose whether or not to engage with most other art, our conscious decisions and subconscious cognitions are actively engaged in and affected by this constructed world.

Our memories are inseparable from these spatial experiences, and our individual identities are informed by the places we have encountered. Goldhagen outlines the undesirable effects of banal parks, uninspiring buildings, and monotonous communities, as well as the benefits of those that are cognitively challenging and engaging. After reading her analysis, it is clear which should be the goal.

The strength of Welcome to Your World is its use of conventional analogies and experiences to build a comfortable foundation in the neuroscience realm before journeying to familiar buildings and spaces to teach an architectural lesson. By walking the reader through a routine trip to the grocery store, Goldhagen introduces concepts including cognitions, schemas, primes, and affordances.

We learn why experiencing Chicago’s Cloud Gate is so memorable and impactful and why OMA’s Seattle Public Library fails at a similar street level. As an understanding of neuroscience’s concepts and its relationship to design grows from each page, the mind instantly begins to question the environments it is engaged in and seeks out solutions for improvement.

Goldhagen simply and powerfully notes that good design “conveys to each of us that our human presence is valued.” How best to demonstrate appreciation for humanity than by growing an understanding of the human experience and integrating this knowledge into our design process. Architects will always acknowledge budget, code, aesthetics, and other short-term pressures on the design process, but Goldhagen’s research and agenda begins to shift the conversation and perspective of design in every aspect, from details to policy decisions. For architects and designers interested in adopting this human-centered approach, “Welcome to Your World” serves as a stimulating and nourishing introduction.

John Clark (JC): Only several decades ago research and discussion about the built environment’s relationship to the natural environment was in an early, introductory stage. Do you see any parallels between the development of the environmental movement and the growth of the perspective explored in your book? What is needed for this emerging line of thinking to become more mainstream?

Sarah Williams Goldhagen (SWG): Absolutely there are parallels – indeed, I have a presentation entitled “The Next Environmental Revolution” that makes this very point. What we now know and ABOVE: COVER OF THE BOOK WELCOME TO THE WORLD - courtesy of Sarah Williams Goldhagen

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Only 2 percent of residential dwellings in the Unitied States are designed by architects! A lot has to change, but it starts with public education. continue to learn about the built environment’s impact on people’s emotions, physical health, wellness, and social connectivity makes it clear that the same kind of paradigm shift in thinking, approach, and policy that happened in the 1960s about the natural environment must now expand to include the built environment.

I have started calling this movement Human-Centered Design.

That’s a term drawn from product design and so-called design thinking, which I have adopted quite simply because we need a term to hang this movement on, and we need to develop, refine, and promote the use of systems of analysis, the research base, and the strategies to help clients and practitioners imagine and more consistently create places where people thrive.

JC: A unique concept explored in the book is the idea that our built environment should be “cognitively challenging.” Can you briefly explain characteristics of a cognitively engaging and challenging environment and why this quality is essential to our experience in the built world?

SWG: Obviously, people need a full range of experiences from their environments, and not every person needs the same thing. Still, for every designed environment, we need a way to think systematically about what would be the appropriate level or range of cognitive stimulation and how to attain it. It’s fine for some places to be cognitively challenging, but not others. Still, every place should offer a range of appropriate levels of multisensory cognitive engagement because these are the places that are much more likely to become sticky spaces, spaces that people will remember, will want to return to again and again. They will become an enriching part of that person’s place-based internal world.

Another dimension of this point is that boring places are quite simply bad for us. Colin Ellard, Jia Wei Zhang, Paul Piff , and others have shown that people dislike ugly, boring places and prefer aesthetically pleasing ones. Boring places enervate people.

JC: How do you envision architectural programs adjusting to better accommodate the teaching of design’s effects on cognition, health, emotions, memory and other concepts explored in the book? Is architectural education adequate to prepare new generations for the social and environmental challenges that lie ahead?

SWG: Currently, only a handful of architectural programs in the United States introduce students to this material. It’s surprisingly few. There is a movement in the academy focused around socalled neuroarchitecture, but it remains pretty much on the fringes,

and it’s not as expansive as Human-Centered Design because it’s so narrowly focused on the research coming out of cognitive neuroscience.

A full-bodied, Human-Centered Design approach is nearly completely absent in the curricula of the so-called top-tier schools.

Why is a story for another day. But in my experience, architectural education programs can transform themselves very quickly when they come to see that the best applicants are demanding it. That’s what happened with sustainability, and that’s what will happen with Human-Centered Design. One first step would be for schools of architecture to routinely hire environmental psychologists. The University of Virginia is the only place I know of that currently has an environmental psychologist, Jenny Roe, on the faculty.

JC: The book can also become the foundation of a new value proposition for architects and their knowledge, training, and skill set. How can the profession ensure that design does not become a luxury for the few under economic, regulatory, and other market pressures?

SWG: Well, it already is that luxury, don’t you think? Mostly, anyway.

After all, only 2 percent of residential dwellings in the United States are designed by architects! A lot has to change, but it starts with public education. If the people who undertake construction come to appreciate how crucial good design is to wellness and quality of life, they will start to demand it more consistently. Restructuring demand will produce different market behavior, which will in turn be supported by changes in policy. That’s what happened in the environmental revolution (which is still ongoing, by the way), and that’s what needs to happen with our constructed spaces and buildings, too.

JC: For young professionals who are drawn to these concepts, your book is an inspiring introduction. What would you recommend for young architects to continue to grow in this field and begin to incorporate this knowledge into their work?

SWG: Currently, it’s a pretty disaggregated field, but they could start by joining and/or following the organizations that promote this agenda: the Academy for Neuroscience and Architecture, the Neuroscience Applied to Architecture program in Venice, and the Environmental Design Research Association come to mind.

And read! There’s an astonishing amount of material out there if you begin to look. It’s really exciting.■

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2018 AIA YOUNG ARCHITECTS AWARD WINNER PROFILE AN INTERVIEW WITH RYAN MCENROE, AIA

BY YU-NGOK LO

Ryan McEnroe, AIA

As a licensed architect and landscape architect who grew up on an organic farm, Ryan has a unique understanding of sustainability practices. He has spoken and written extensively about Responsible Ecological Agricultural Land Design© and how agriculture can serve as an amenity at local symposiums and regional conferences. Ryan is the co-founder and a past chair of the AIA|DC Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program and has served the AIA YAF as the Mid-Atlantic regional director. He currently serves as the Knowledge Director and will serve as the 2019 vice chair / 2020 chair. He has been recognized with the AIA|DC Emerging Architect Award (2014), AIA Young Architects Award, ENR Mid-Atlantic Top Professionals Award, BD+C 40 Under 40, and the AIAS Emerging Professional Honor Award (all in 2018).

In March 2018, the AIA announced the 18 recipients of its annual Young Architects Awards. The winners met the criteria of being “practicing architects licensed for no more than 10 years and who have made significant strides in the profession, both in terms of leadership and contributions.”

I’ve known Ryan for almost two years now, and I was surprised to learn that his family has a strong organic-farming background. That family history drives his passion for sustainable architecture and his will to advocate for others as well. There are a few other surprises I found out by simply talking to him.

Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): Do you think your family background in organic farming affects your practice as an architect?

Ryan McEnroe (RM): My family background in organic farming has had a profound impact in shaping me into the individual I am today.

It's one thing to talk about sustainability within the architecture profession, it's another to have lived a very resilient, resourceful, environmentally focused childhood. Understanding the principals of organic farming go hand in hand with understanding the framework of sustainable design. Successful farming practices are integrated within a complete system; in my family- farming- practice case, the plants feed the animals, the animals feed the soil, and the soil feeds the plants. If you remove one of these items from the system, the cycle crumbles. In a similar vein, architects need to look at how materials are being harvested/manufactured, installed/constructed, and maintained over the length of the building before being reused/recycled back into the manufacturing process. Each of these cycles is dependent upon the entire system working together.

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YL: You are an architect with a landscape-architecture background.

What are some of the overlaps between the two professions? Do you see your landscape-architecture education helping your career in architecture (or vice versa)?

RM: As both a licensed architect and landscape architect, I often find myself wearing many “hats” at the table. The most common overlap I have observed between the two professions is that we both design spaces and have a general care for the public's wellbeing. In building architecture, we have the floor, walls, and roof. In landscape architecture, we have the ground plane, shrub layer, and canopy. Both of these define space. Landscape architecture has absolutely positively impacted my career in architecture. As one “zooms” into a project site, the first conversations revolve around the site characteristics and attributes. Once on site, I have a great understanding of how the environment has been molded over the years and have impacted the natural site design. I understand geology, grading, soils, fauna, and vegetation to a much greater depth than most of my building architecture peers. Site analysis is something I almost find comes second nature to me. For dense urban sites, this hasn't been as important, but with projects that sit within a larger landscape, my insight has proven to be quite helpful, in particular during the early phases of design. Further through the design process, as spaces are encouraged to overlap between the inside and outside, having the design feel more cohesive and integrated is something I am able to contribute towards.

YL: Sustainable architecture is something you are very passionate about. How do you see sustainable architecture fitting into the New Urban Agenda? Tell us about your work with “building-integrated agriculture."

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RM: I have been and will continue to remain very passionate about sustainable architecture. This notion really goes back to my first internship at Fox & Fowle Architects (now FX Collaborative) in NYC. Bob Fox handed me the book "Cradle to Cradle" by William McDonough, and I never looked back. I sincerely believe that as architects, we have the skill, knowledge, and mindset to change the world for the better through good design. Our designs can positively impact the way society interacts with one another while also supporting the ecology and environment of the site. When all team members and design disciplines are working together to achieve the project goals, we can observe a successful integration

of sustainable features. Building integrated photovoltaics are a great example. Architects need to install a window or a roof; why not also integrate an energy provider and design aesthetic simultaneously.

Building integrated agriculture is a similar approach, instead of providing building energy, it’s providing occupant energy in the source of sustainable harvested food. Double building skins, rooftops, and building terraces are a great opportunity to integrate edible landscapes within the building design while also providing an added amenity space.

ABOVE: STUDIO MB - RIGHT PROPER BREWERY - by Paul Burk, courtesy of Ryan McEnroe

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YL: One of the most sustainable ways of development is adaptive reuse; is this part of the reason you got into historic conservation?

RM: Yes, adaptive reuse is the very reason I gained interest in historic preservation. I vividly remember a professor of mine at UVA (Daniel Bluestone) lecturing about "the greenest building, is one that is already built." This comment really made an impact on how I saw the larger sustainability impact as part to our profession. Older buildings, especially prior to mechanical and electrical systems being integrated, work much better from a passive-design-strategy standpoint. I find the history of a site can often lead to an important design move, sharing the previous use and story, while integrating a new design intervention.

YL: You are also an advocate for young architects to develop essential leadership skills. Why is it important to you personally?

RM: Leadership skills are an important part of one’s growth within the profession. We spend a significant amount of time educating ourselves on design and how to protect the public's health, safety, and welfare. However, as architects, we fail at business/firm management, mentoring future generations, and advocating for our profession within the community. Like any effort we want to improve our knowledge base on, we need to educate ourselves. If we follow our predecessors, we will be 20+ years into our careers before we will have a basic understanding of why leadership skills mater and how to impact our colleagues in a positive manner. The Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program provides a great framework for emerging professionals to learn firm, Institute, and community-leadership skills. The program is now established within seven different AIA components throughout the country.â–

ABOVE: QEA - NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK - bird house rendering - courtesy of Quinn Evans Architects

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I vividly remember a professor of mine at UVA (Daniel Bluestone) lecturing about "the greenest building, is one that is already built."

ABOVE: OCULUS - South Carlyle Plaza rendering - courtesy of Oculus

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BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WHILE LEARNING FROM THE PAST

BY ILLYA AZAROFF

Illya Azaroff, AIA

is the principal of +LAB Architect PLLC. & associate professor at NYCCT (CUNY). He holds an MArch & BArch from Pratt Institute and a BS in Geography & BSAS in Architecture from University of Nebraska Lincoln. In 2014, he received the AIANYS Presidents Citation and the AIA National Young Architects Award.

The United Nations adopted the New Urban Agenda at the Habitat III conference in October 2016. The document identifies a wide array of goals that nations across the globe are working on to meet the needs of the ever growing population and improve living conditions.

In essence, the foundation of the document is the idea that we are all the same, with a common set of desires, to prosper and live. To firmly restate and define our moral compass and its direction, not just as architects or civic leaders, but as fellow human beings and citizens, with a shared hope for our communities to thrive.

Governments around the world have signed on, pledging their participation in achieving the New Urban Agenda. In identifying who could lead these efforts, architects find themselves in the center of these conversations, in which our skills match the needs of communities that desire a road to a better future. It is our code of ethics and our moral compass that drives us to lead communities and advocate for them.

One such place among the many around the globe is the island of Dominica – specifically a very small piece of it – where the first people of the Caribbean, the Kalinago, have lived for thousands of years. The Kalinago Territory is 3,700 acres across the most rugged part of the island, consisting of eight villages – Sineku, Mahaut River, Gaulette River, Salybia, Crayfish River, Bataka, Atkinson, and part of Concord. The approximately 3,000 inhabitants are among the poorest people in the Western hemisphere, with a long history of oppression and marginalization. Yet they are indeed resilient against all of these forces, surviving changes of government, foreign occupation, displacement from their own lands, and economic depression that comes so often when you do not have a voice. Even with such forces, they have managed to keep their culture intact and somehow continue to survive, maintaining community on their island known as Wai’tukubli, which translates to "the mountain as tall as her body."

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In 2017, these incredibly proud and resilient people were devastated

by Hurricane Maria, like so many throughout the Caribbean. In fact, the entire island nation of Dominica was evacuated (some 100,000 people) and for the first time in hundreds of years, not a single human occupied the island. Upon their return, the devastation was complete. Forests once rich with life were vacant, entire towns were destroyed, and the once thick rain forest and farms were all gone.

In the face of such devastation, it is difficult to understand how these communities move forward and put their lives back together.

Yet it is within this idea, the idea that we must, that the New Urban Agenda applies.

Since Maria, many architects such as myself have begun to work with communities across the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Lesser Antilles, all the way to Florida. Each in our own way is taking on the responsibility of not just bouncing back, but bouncing forward, recognizing that to simply rebuild is not enough. Dominica has pledged to become the first 100 percent green, sustainable nation in the world, understanding that simply recovering and rebuilding is not enough given the challenges we face due to climate change, such as resource stress, population growth, and so many other issues that have been present for decades on the island.

Throughout the region, poverty and subsistence farming belies a proud historic culture.

In examining the building practice and traditional vernacular of this population, my team has discovered the DNA of resilient practices derived from traditional building technology, materials, site selection and orientation. Historically, the community practiced permaculture, planting root crops such as cassava, that naturally survive high winds and storms. Archaeological locations of towns align with rock formations at sea, where fishing grounds

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ABOVE TOP: WAI'TUKUBLI - field recovery conditions ABOVE LEFT: TABOUI - traditional Taboui at Buana Aute ABOVE RIGHT: MWENA - Mwena or "house" at Buana Aute - courtesy of Illya Azaroff

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sustained the population. The village-to-fishing-grounds pattern has been observed in some 70 archaeological sites around the island, according to Chouboutouiba Couzier Fredrick, a historian and local leader. Rediscovering these threads of resilience has been key to developing new plans and is the foundation for a shared circular economy, with assets including community farms, robust agroforestry, and water-management practices that will be augmented by intelligently distributed microgrids, community shelters, housing, and other essential structures that can and will raise these communities out of poverty.

Koudme The need is great, yet the consequences of inaction may be devastating. After centuries enduring a constant assault that eroded their autonomy and cultural traditions, the Kalinago still survived climate disturbances until this latest shock from Hurricane Maria, which could precipitate a downward spiral. They have lasted so long because of the high carrying capacity of the island and the Kalinago’s sustainable practices. Those very traditions are proving to be the foundation for achieving not only our goals, but the nation’s as well. I say “our” goals because we are working together with the community through a concept called koudme, meaning in the native tongue that we all pull together.

Communities across the Kalinago I am part of a team, the Kalinago Resilience Initiative, led by Dr. Michael McDonald and Nichie Louis Patrick Hill, that is working to secure grants and technical support, train crews on the island to rebuild, and leverage indigenous innovation while we build a multimodal infrastructure spanning a wide array of structures, from community centers/shelters to sustainable housing. Specifically, my role is integrating multimodal community shelters into the planning process with the DNA of the karbet, or taboui, a kind of large hut that used to be located in the center of a Carib village, with contemporary storm-shelter performance standards and the mythology of the island. Sound interesting? It is indeed a rich palette, allowing us to relearn how we must align to the earth, its rhythms, and what we have forgotten.

One of many, and countless to come In my mind, we are only in the first chapter of a long, allencompassing story, regarding the need to elevate communities across the globe to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Engaging with communities to build a brighter future is our ethical charge as architects and the imperative of our time as globalminded citizens. To take a note from my Kalinago friends, we must practice koudme: We all pull together for success.

ABOVE: TRADITIONAL MASKS OF MYTHOLOGY AND TRIBAL IMPORTANCE - courtesy of Illya Azaroff

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ABOVE TOP: COMMUNITY MEETING - meeting tribal elders and chief Fredrick ABOVE BOTTOM: KEEPER OF HISTORY - meeting Miranda keeper of history and mythology - courtesy of Illya Azaroff

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TWO IMPERATIVES FOR ARCHITECTS TODAY

NOT NEW, BUT URBAN... AND DEFINITELY ON THE AGENDA

BY THOMAS VONIER

Thomas Vonier, FAIA is president of the International Union of Architects, based in Paris.

Established in 1948, the UIA is the only global organization representing the world’s architects, now some 3.2 million in all. The UIA has three basic goals: unify architects worldwide, influence public policies, and advance architecture to improve human lives.

Architecture faces two great challenges today, each tied directly to our gravest global problems — environmental degradation and human poverty. If architects have sometimes served as the handmaidens of these ills, as some assert, can we now help to reverse actions that have destroyed heritage, degraded habitat, squandered resources, and perpetuated socioeconomic imbalances?

“Isn’t it ironic?” the mayor of Rio de Janeiro asked me recently. He spent 10 years in Africa before returning to Brazil to run for office.

“Many cities with the greatest levels of poverty and decay also have excellent infrastructure in place, right in the center, ready to use with just a little reinvestment.”

First, the wasteland.

Architects must show how architecture can help to meet the staggering global scale of human need and poverty, much of it now concentrated in huge slums that are part of large cities, and often in their very centers, in the slumurbs.

We must stop the indiscriminate destruction of natural landscapes and valuable agricultural land. Every year, thousands of precious acres are lost, to become undifferentiated, automobile-dependent exurban sprawl.

Tedious, unwalkable new “communities” surround not only North American cities, but they are also now adjacent to cities almost everywhere in the world.

Masquerading as engines of progress, growth, and development, the wastelands actually serve a very narrow set of economic interests. They are numbingly similar non-places, with almost identical commercial franchises, “pad sites,” malls, “townhomes,” “estate homes,” and generous, highly engineered road systems.

One such “neighborhood” is almost indistinguishable from another: Atlanta, Houston, Nairobi, Phoenix, San Diego, Mexico City, Paris . . . it barely matters.

We know their enormous costs — social, environmental, health, and economic — yet these exurban wastelands continue to grow; even as some cities regenerate, often wonderfully, anti-urban growth continues nearly unabated, eating away at the farmlands and forests on their distant edges.

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Second, the slumurbs.

At least 1 billion people on our planet live in slums. That is 4,000 times the estimated population of Kibera — the largest slum in Africa and quite possibly the world. In Nairobi alone, as many as 2.5 million people — 60 percent of that city’s growing population — live in insalubrious shanties.

U.N. Habitat’s annual report, the Slum Almanac, calls them “a dominant and distinct type of settlement, especially for developing nations.” All across Africa, the Indian subcontinent, South and Central America, and parts of East Asia, slums become “home” to thousands of newcomers every day.

Squatters, slum-dwellers, homeless, refugees, internally displaced persons, beggars, transients, vagabonds, tramps, drifters, hobos, travelers, bums . . . some of these terms are pejorative, and none of them means quite the same thing, but one fact remains: Almost everywhere in the world, thousands of people live on the margins, in shelters they have built by themselves, using whatever places and materials come to hand.

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Architects have sometimes amplified the challenges of indiscriminate development and galloping urban poverty. Sprawling exurban expansion results from plans and designs architects furnish to developers — along with renderings of winding, tree-lined boulevards and leafy shopping centers filled with people.

We have been complicit in displacing the poor from city centers, in appropriating rural land, and in pressing for new projects that seek “higher and better use” of urban and exurban sites. When cities make efforts to ameliorate conditions for their poorest, they often move public housing to the distant urban periphery because center-city land is too valuable for social housing. The poor thus become even farther removed — now physically — from the jobs and opportunities in the city. Whence the phrase “equitable urban mobility.”

Despite paying attention to “carbon neutrality,” conservation, environmental stewardship, and even equitable development, our profession is not beyond reproach — and this may explain why architects have so firmly embraced U.N. Habitat’s New Urban Agenda and the U.N.’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The unexceptionable aims of the New Urban Agenda are essentially these: •

Provide basic services for all citizens, including housing, safe drinking water, sanitation, nutritious food, health care, education, culture, and access to communications.

•

Ensure equal opportunity, taking into account the needs of women, youths, and children, people with disabilities, marginalized groups, older people, indigenous people, and others.

•

Promote cleaner cities by tackling urban air pollution, using renewable energy, deploying “green” public transport systems, and caring for natural resources.

•

Strengthen cities against disasters through better planning, stronger infrastructure, and faster, more effective response systems.

ABOVE: UNITED NATIONS SUSTINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS - image by UNHabitat

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•

•

Accommodate refugees, migrants, and internally displaced persons, recognizing that migration poses challenges but also brings contributions.

GOAL 4: Quality education

Promote safe and accessible public spaces, increasing sidewalks, cycling lanes, gardens, squares, and parks.

GOAL 6: Clean water and sanitation

A genuine idealist’s wish list, the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals, which elaborate on the New Urban Agenda, are listed here (verbatim): GOAL 1: No poverty GOAL 2: Zero hunger GOAL 3: Good health and well-being

ABOVE: KIBERA - one of the world’s largest slums in Nairobi, Kenya - image by Steffan Jensen

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GOAL 5: Gender equality

GOAL 7: Affordable and clean eEnergy GOAL 8: Decent work and economic growth GOAL 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure GOAL 10: Reduced inequality GOAL 11: Sustainable cities and communities GOAL 12: Responsible consumption and production

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GOAL 13: Climate action

demands, while ameliorating the dangers threatening our planet.

GOAL 14: Life below water

Judging from what one sees in social media, at least, younger architects are inclined to identify and seek redress for inequities and imbalances in society and our profession. Such attention is essential and welcome, yet one wonders: Could criticisms be sharper? Could actions have greater impact?

GOAL 15: Life on land GOAL 16: Peace and justice, strong institutions GOAL 17: Partnerships More than 100 nations signed on to these 17 goals, now embraced also by many “civil society organizations” — including our own American Institute of Architects.

Setting such goals may reflect the fact — which seems increasingly apparent — that even great wealth and high station in life can offer little escape from the dire consequences of profligate development and gross socioeconomic inequalities. Extreme weather and climate change touch everyone and affect all species; congestion and pollution strike a wide swath, as can crime and pestilence; social unrest can reach both rich and poor alike, although rarely in equal measure.

What are we to do? Urgently, we need effective solutions. We need designs that improve all lives, new approaches to architecture and development that upend the damaging patterns of the present.

We can create and reinforce truly urban communities, well served by mass transit, adapted to the new realities of climate and energy resources. We can use our skills as architects to assist the poorest among us to build better housing, in the manner of Alejandro Aravena, Diebedo Francis Kéré and others who have shown the way.

Their projects show an understanding of the fact that many people in the world must build for themselves and will continue to do so. By employing native and low-cost materials and by providing solid infrastructure as points of departure, their work answers questions about how architecture can help. A project by Wang Shu, unveiled at the Venice Biennale this year, shows how simple, basic interventions in the messy milieu of self-built housing can add great value in dense, largely unregulated urban settings.

And this is just what we need: projects to demonstrate clearly how architecture can help to meet enormous human and material

Take the widespread disdain shown for McMansions. Gifted bloggers analyze, lament, and joke about matters of style, appearance, and taste — that is fine, as far as it goes, but the most egregious offenses are far more serious. They are social and environmental.

What truly matters is where people are building these places and at what social costs. These criticisms must be more political, more pointed in attacking the factors that make such places possible in the first place.

Critiques must go beyond the obvious and the easy, to challenge thornier policy issues dealing with community resources and social good. This is the province of architects just entering practice and positions of professional influence: How can we build better places and cities, to the benefit of all people, while doing less damage to our resources?

Another mayor — this one from a large city in the United States — spoke bluntly to the crowd gathered at the U.N.’s World Urban Forum 9 in Kuala Lumpur: “Please, don’t tell me again that we have a climate problem — I know that. Please, don’t tell me again that we need to do something, or that we all have to work together. I know all that, too. Show me what you are doing. Show me solutions that work; show me things we can use.”

Along with many other public and private organizations, the International Union of Architects has endorsed the New Urban Agenda and established an international commission to work on implementing the sustainable-development goals.

We posed these questions to our new group: What can architects do to build upon what others are already doing? How can we advance the role of architecture in meeting our most pressing global needs? How can we halt and recover from unsustainable exurban development? How can we help to improve the lives of the poorest among us? In sum: How can architecture help to make the sustainable-development goals a reality? ■

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WITNESSING URBANIZATION

AIA SHANGHAI ARCHITECTURE & CITY PROGRAM

BY VIKKI LEW

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Since its charter in 2014, AIA Shanghai is the first chapter that serves all of mainland China. At present, the chapter is over a hundred architect members strong and growing. 2014 Institute President Helene Dreilling spoke of its significance in a press release, “Opening this office in Shanghai is an important step in serving our China-based architects and cultivating and expanding partnerships between AIA and China. Having a permanent presence through the AIA Shanghai office will expand AIA’s engagement in the Chinese market and send a strong signal about our commitment to China.”

Tall Buildings & Technologies No other country has built as many tall buildings as China. The building type has proliferated in the country's quickly urbanizing landscape. According to the Council of Tall Building & Urban Habitat, over half of the world’s 100 tallest towers are located in China. Over 600 towers over 200 meters are being planned, under construction, or completed in the country. These projects occur not only in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, or Shenzhen, but also in other urbanizing cities off of the coastal areas.

History In recognition the importance of the context we live in and architect’s role in shaping the larger environment beyond individual buildings, the program of AIA Shanghai features series of neighborhood tours, looking at history and urban fabric of the city. In June, the chapter led a tour of the art deco buildings in the Former French Concession area, focusing a series of Art Deco Buildings and their histories. In the following month, the chapter led a historical tour of the Bund, lined with historical buildings from 1930s-1960s. Both tours were sold out quickly and were well-received by members and friends.

Recurring tours are planned in the fall with cooler weather.

Shanghai has no lack of tall buildings, offering the new frontier of emerging materials and technologies. Four years ago, the chapter visited the 630-meter Shanghai Tower. In 2016, Silas Chiow, AIA, and Eric Tomich, FAIA, of SOM led a tour of White Magnolia Plaza. In another tour, the group toured the Shimao Quarry Hotel, designed by Quarry Associates and built in an abandoned quarry in Songjiang, south of Shanghai. Design architect Martin Jochman personally led the tour and talked about the design development process from concept to detailed design. Walking members through the construction site, he explained how various technical challenges, presented by such an unusual location have been overcome and innovatively resolved.

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Urbanization & Social Fabric In addition to the glimmering high-rises, AIA Shanghai has also organized a program around public buildings that support society’s wellness. Earlier this year, the group visited the Artemed Hospital, by Gresham Smith and Partners. The hospital, located in Shanghai’s Pilot Free-Trade Zone, is the first wholly foreign-owned hospital in China. It includes an emergency department, out-patient clinics, and medical imaging and diagnostics departments equipped with high-end equipment, 200 patient beds, and training and research and development centers staffed by foreign and Chinese doctors.

An upcoming summer tour will visit the Hongqiao Transportation Hub, a new strategic central business development, which takes advantage of special transportation and economic links to provide a truly unique center of commerce to the Hongqiao area that serves as a link to Shanghai’s second airport.

Master Series Celebrating the power of architecture, AIA Shanghai also hosts a master series every year. Last year, in conjunction with Tongji University, the Chapter hosted Fumihiko Maki, Hon. FAIA from Tokyo. Last year, AIA Shanghai invited Fumihiko Maki, FAIA, and AIA Gold Medalist 2012 from Tokyo to Shanghai. The soldout lecture was held at Tongi University. At present, the chapter

is launching its first design excellence award program. Held in conjunction with Tongji University, the lecture was broadcast live from Shanghai, with hundreds of participates viewing the master speak in real-time.

Parallel to this content-filled program, the chapter also hosts a monthly happy hour, with short design talks in a relaxed environment. The social events help build a community of architects and our supporters. Integrating discussions, seminars, and tours, the program of AIA Shanghai reflects the New Urban Agenda in a fast-urbanizing global city.

References: Massie, Caroline. (2014). AIA Establishes an International Chapter in Shanghai. Architect Magazine. Accessed July 2018 at http://www. architectmagazine.com/design/aia-establishes-an-internationalchapter-in-shanghai_o AIA Shanghai. (2018). www.aiarchitectsh.org

ABOVE AND OPPOSITE: AIA SHANGHAI PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT - images by AIA Shanghai

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MEASURING HANDPRINT

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF POSITIVE IMPACT IN SUSTAINABILITY

BY VIKKI LEW

Architects are among those professionals with the specific technical skills necessary to create a positive environmental impact by increasing the energy efficiency and environmental performance of their buildings. The profession has championed the third-party sustainable-building certification program Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Although LEED originated in the U.S., its application has gained global traction, and China has emerged as one of the major overseas market for LEED. Table 1 compares the number of LEED-registered and -certified buildings around the world, in the U.S. and in China. As U.S. architects are increasingly involved in building projects in Asia, there is an opportunity for positive impact in sustainable design and construction abroad.

In architecture, as in other industries, maintaining international standards when practicing abroad is challenging. While cost often plays a key role, there exist other barriers, such as an industry standard accustomed to the local market. A different professional context, including regulations, procurement customs, ethics, and copyright protection, could pose a challenge (Ivy 2012). Second, the perception of environmental accountability in overseas markets may be different from that in the U.S. Life-Cycle Assessment This article presents independent research to quantify the potential handprint – the net positive impact – if overseas projects are delivered up to international standards of sustainable buildings.

The study’s conclusion is reached through break-even analysis of the footprint and handprint data in each category of impact. The scope of the analysis is based on projects I worked on as design architect over three months in 2012. The projects are in China's economic zones that are undergoing rapid urbanization. My work entailed building design, facade detailing, and master planning.

Building types include office, hotel, and residential. The floor area totals 2 million sqare feet.

None of these projects was pursuing LEED certification, but we on the design team took into account sustainable-building strategies such as optimizing building form and orientation. The handprint scenario assumes that these buildings meet the minimum energy performance specified in LEED. Energy performance is chosen as the functional unit because it is a prime requirement of sustainable buildings, and it provides a fair, quantifiable comparison between projects.

The projects are developer-driven, core-and-shell commercial development in urbanizing Chinese cities. Total floor area by

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building types comprised 1 million square feet of office, 800,000 square feet of hotel, and 200,000 square feet of closed-air retail mall. The energy intensity of these building types is sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s energy-use data by building type. Using the energy-intensity data, footprint and handprint are tabulated based on the building areas I worked on. The energy footprint is 15,608,000 kilowatt hours per year.

Assuming 10 percent energy efficiency, per the LEED prerequisite, the energy handprint is 1,560,800 kilowatt hours per year.

Climate Change & Fossil Fuel Impact For climate change impact, the handprint breaks even at 6.61, meaning it takes almost seven times the floor area that I work on to compensate for the carbon footprint in the total project floor area.

The footprint of the energy use on climate change is 1.19208E7 kilograms of CO2-Eq, while the handprint is 1.80688E6 kilograms CO2-Eq. Coal is the major source of impact. The handprint of fossil fuel depletion breaks even at 8.86. The fossil fuel footprint is 3.35285E6 kilograms oil-Eq and occurs mainly at sources of extraction. More than half the impact originates from hard coal at mines. The electricity generation in China of hard coal constitutes more than 90 percent of fossil fuel depletion at 3.66446E5 kilograms oil-Eq. Crude oil at onshore and offshore production sites contributes 1.50 percent and 1.26 percent, respectively.

Personal Handprint This study demonstrates that achieving 10% building energy efficiency above U.S. industry standard takes less than ten handprints to break even the footprints of climate change and fossil fuel depletion while we as international architects practicing in overseas projects. While the research results focus on the abvoe two types of impact, there are other environmental imacts that are simply beyond the scope of this study. These impacts include air pollution, measured in particulate matters, and natural land transformation, which is key to urbanizing environment. Although this study used Chinese projects, the implications are applicable to the broader context of emerging market. The handprint analysis illustrates that impact of building energy use in the China projects is primarily related to coal. Current technology is available to reduce, if not eliminate, the impact of a major processes of electricity generation. In the broader context, catching up building projects with international standards in the developing region is challenging. But the goal is achievable and within the sphere of influence of architects as individual practitioners. The research results indicated that there are personal steps I could undertake as an architect to bridge the gap between our carbon footprint and

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ABOVE LEFT: LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT - input and output data of the life cycle assessment using OpenLCA software ABOVE RIGHT: LEED TRAINING CLASS - in-house training for non-U.S. architects about LEED certificationduring early years of LEED overseas - courtesy of Vikki Lew

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handprint. Individually, I tired in include more data-driven design processes in our daily practice. Less experienced designers could assist on simple analysis like orientation or shadow study.

Replicating Positive Influence In parallel, I would conduct more advanced simulations about daylighting, solar radiation, or energy use assessment. Often, these studies are not required in the projects but add tremendous values our designs. Concurrently to my personal steps to increase my own handprint, I also expanded my influence by sharing sustainability knowledge. Shown here are slides from a LEED introduction training I gave within the company I worked at in Hong Kong in 2014. It was

the early year of LEED introduced in Asia. Many architects and building professionals regarded it as too difficult or too irrelevant.

So the class was to make transparent what the certification system is. By using publicly available info from USGBC, I expanded the content to make it relevant to the class participants in terms of building types, certification levels, and environmental impacts. One of the major barriers is the confusion about different certification systems from different countries, particularly the local system. So a key message is how one evaluates the validity of a green building system.

ABOVE: SOLAR HEAT GAIN & ENERGY USE SIMULATION independent buidling performance analysis using software Ecotect and COMFEN - courtesy of Vikki Lew

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Research Limitations Several limitations were identified in this study. First, future study of building life-cycle impacts could expand from energy use to account for materials. Empirical research by Fernadez (2007) shows construction in emerging markets may differ from construction in developed countries in resource consumption. In the case of China, concrete is the dominant material for infrastructure and external wall, rather than metal-stud walls commonly used in the United States. Second, future studies could sample longitudinally to explore the diversity of projects a practitioner may encounter over an extended period.

Implications for Archtiects The implication, however, is quite positive. Energy saving is a conservative estimate because a LEED-certified project achieves above-average environmental performance in non-energy measures such as daylighting and indoor air quality. Tremendous potential exists to deliver sustainable projects up to industry standards such as LEED. Pursuing the opportunity means the difference between measuring what we are doing wrong – our “environmental footprint” – and measuring what we are doing right – our “handprint.”■

ABOVE: DAYLIGHTING SIMULATION - an independent buidling performance analysis using software IES - courtesy of Vikki Lew

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NEW DIMENSIONS FOR HIGH-DENSITY URBAN MIXED-USE AN INTERVIEW WITH EID ARCHITECTURE

BY YU-NGOK LO

Ping Jiang, AIA

is the founding principal of EID Architecture, based in Shanghai and Hong Kong. An Illinois-licensed architect, he has worked extensively in the United States, Europe and Asia. Prior to EID Architecture, Jiang was a principal partner at MAD and studio head with SOM Chicago. Jiang received various design honors including awards from AIA Chicago, and AIA Dallas, and AIA Hong Kong.

To conclude our issue on the New Urban Agenda, we reached out to an emerging firm that has done work all over the world, including Europe, the Middle East, China, Hong Kong, and here in the U.S. We spent some time with Ping Jiang, founder of EID Architecture, to share his experience working on urban design projects overseas and discuss how architecture can affect the urban fabric of a city.

Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): Tell us a bit about your firm.

Ping Jiang (PJ): EID Architecture is a design practice based in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Since its inception in 2015, the firm has experienced some rapid growth; currently, EID Arch has two studios with total staff of about 50 professionals. The firm is founded on the belief that design can transform life. We are deeply committed to design excellence, innovation, and sustainability, with vast experience in a wide range of building types, ranging from the small scale of a chapel to the large scale of urban design. We are very happy to see the firm has received some recognitions from our clients, peers, and media.

YL: One of your firm’s missions is to provide architecture that reflects a rich mix of cultural connections. Can you elaborate on what you mean by that?

PJ: The practice consists of multinational design professionals; the diversity of our team reflects a rich mix of cultural connections and exchanges of this global age. It is our goal to provide smart and creative design solutions to our projects, especially being sensitive to the culture of the place, the context, and tectonics.

YL: How can architecture support the New Urban Agenda?

PJ: As architecture defines the essential component of urban fabric, it can support the New Urban Agenda in many aspects. In some of our projects, we have always been interested in creating

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ABOVE: OCT XI'AN INTERNATIONAL CULTURE CENTER - courtesy of EID Architectue

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open space that is inclusive and accessible. This can be extremely challenging when we are designing projects in the context of highdensity Asian urban developments. One of our recent projects, which is under construction, Shimao Hangzhou Wisdom Towers, centers around an open green space. We tried to maximize the public space by freeing up the site more and minimizing the commercial use on the ground level. Another example is a newly completed project, ZJCD Innovation Park. We worked closely with the client and planning department to improve the master planning of this sustainable campus for technology companies; it fosters a strong sense of community and enhances a park-like workplace environment.

YL: Your firm has done many urban design projects. What is your definition of a good urban-design project?

PJ: We have completed quite a few urban-design projects lately, and we are also known for designing the large-scale urban mixeduse developments in China. This type of development is essentially “a city within a city.” For us, a good urban-design project needs to address the urban issues holistically, including sound financial positioning, integration of infrastructure and transportation, strengthening and improving urban planning framework, promoting sustainable building and community, etc. Ultimately, it really comes down to creating adaptive and resilient designs for healthier buildings and cities.

Currently, I’m working on OCT Xi’an International Culture Center (XICC ), a 4-million-square-foot, mixed-use urban development in the city of Xi’an. XICC is intended as an exploration of vertical urbanism and offers a new solution for high-density urban mixed-

ABOVE LEFT: OCT XI’AN INTERNATIONAL CULTURE CENTER - reimagining high-density Asian urban development.

ABOVE RIGHT: OCT XI'AN INTERNATIONAL CULTURE CENTER - an urban oasis both

sensitive and culturally significant to the city.

- courtesy of EID Architectue

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A good urban-design project needs to address the urban issues holistically........promoting sustainable building and community....

use in Asia. With its unique mix of programs, combining retail, office, residential, museum, theater, hotel, and entertainment venues, XICC creates an urban oasis both sensitive and culturally significant to the city. The project consists of a 318-meter-tall tower for offices and a Rosewood Hotel, a 200-meter-tall apartment tower, multiple museums, and a 12-floor podium full of retail and entertainment spaces. Conceived as an icon and cultural landmark, the design is strategically organized horizontally and vertically to create a vibrant, permeable urban center. Integration with an adjacent park is achieved via the ascending terraces of outdoor cultural and retail spaces, ensuring pedestrians are engaged with the building and that the building relates to the surrounding streetscape. The landscape is integrated as a part of the vertical community via green terraces and roof gardens.

YL: You have done work both here in the states and internationally.

How are some of the urban issues you see overseas different from here in the U.S.?

PJ: Prior to establishing EID Arch, I had worked in Chicago for about 10 years on some domestic and international projects, but mostly in Europe and Middle East. The urban issues we are dealing with most oversea now have to do with the extreme high density and rapid growth pattern. We see many large-scale transit-oriented developments ongoing, and new district under developing at a remarkable fast pace. â–

ABOVE LEFT- ZJCD INNOVATION PARK - enhances a park-like workplace environment ABOVE RIGHT: SHIMAO HANGZHOU WISDOM TOWERS - centers around an open green space - courtesy of EID Architectue

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#YAFchat @AIAYAF Moderated by the 2018-2019 AIA YAF Public Relations Director, AJ Sustaita and hosted by the AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF). The yafchat for the month of July focused on #ArchitectureEducation

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A.J. Sustaita @ajsustaita Architect and LEED AP | Director, Board of Directors, AIA Houston | Young Architect Forum Public Relations Director|

4,713 Twitter Followers AIA YAF Monthly Tweet-up March 21, 2-3:00pm Eastern Time Theme: #FirmCulture Hashtag: #YAFChat

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#YAFchat #YAspotlight @AIAYAF

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@aiayaf is kicking off a new series spotlighting Young Architects from around the country. Meet Kelly Wassum, AIA, recent recipient of a College of Fellows grant for a Starting Your Own Firm program, and Douglas Crawford, AIA.

831 Instagram Followers Young Archtiects Spotlight Hashtag: #YAspotlight

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SPOTLIGHT AN INTERVIEW WITH BASTIAAN BOUMA

BY YU-NGOK LO Bastiaan Bouma has been the executive vice president/CEO of the American Institute of Architects, San Diego chapter since 2012 and executive director of AIA, Palomar chapter since 2015. Prior to joing AIA San Diego, Bouma was the managing director for Open House Chicago and the vice president of marketing, tours, retail operation and volunteers of the Chicago Architecture Foundation, director of global affairs of the Soceity of Exploration Geophysicsts and the senior trade commissioner at the Departmet of Doreign Affairs and International Trade of the Canada government.

Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): Tell us about yourself: Why did you decided to serve on a nonprofit organiztion such as AIA San Diego?

Bastiaan Bouma (BB): I have a professional background in law and nonprofit management and have been involved with government agencies, as well as 501(c)3s and 6s, for the past three decades. Immediately prior to moving to AIA San Diego in 2012, I was with the Chicago Architecture Foundation, a leading public-education institution in the domains of architecture and design, so I’m well familiar with the sector.

I grew up in the West, so when the opportunity came up to manage one of Carlifornia’s larger AIA chapter offices, I felt it was a good fit. Nothing over the past six years has changed my mind!

YL: Tell us about your experience working at the Chicago Architecture Foundation prior to becoming the ED of AIA San Diego?

BB: I spent a total of 10 years at the CAF, primarily in the areas of public engagement and marketing/communications, including the CAF’s ambitious program of public interpretive experiences (architecture tours). These experiences, led by nearly 500 volunteer “docents” whose training and inperson connection with tour participants distinguished the organization, serves more than 350 thousand individuals annually and connected the CAF to its mission of bringing architecture to life for public audiences, by illuminating Chicago’s world-class historic and contemporary builtenvironment. (“The City is Our Museum” was the tagline.) A great experience.

YL: You have also worked for the Canadian government; what’s the difference between working overseas and here in the U.S.?

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BB: Over my career, the world has changed (and improved) dramatically – particularly in the areas of technology, business, and human well-being. In many respects, the U.S. and other leading economies remain at the forefront of organizing technology and creativity for economic benefit and wider prosperity, but working abroad, it was easy to see that emerging economies are striving to prepare their populations to adapt and be fluent in the latest advances, often leapfrogging intermediate developmental steps. We can no longer take for granted the advantages that led to the success of our economy and our standing in the world. Unprecedented forces are reshaping many countries. The emergence of globalization and consumer-focused economies, rooted in technological advances, trade and interconnected supply chains, enhanced food security, infrastructure investments, and public health and education gains have led to the rise of urbanized populations and a vigorous middle class in large parts of the world. As a result, there’s less and less difference between working in the U.S. and the developed world and in emerging economies.

The future of America is likely rooted in an accelerating urbanization and shaping built environments that foster the marriage of technology with creativity while empowering a remarkably diverse and aspiring population to meet the challenges of preserving our prosperity, supporting thriving and interconnected communities, and demonstrating the virtues of openness. Architects will play a critical role in designing that future, and the AIA San Diego Chapter is dedicated to supporting its members in their pursuit of professional excellence through a wide range of services and benefits.

YL: Tell us about the “Housing the Next 1 Million” initiative.

How do you see this initiative potentially leading a big component (housing) of the New Urban Agenda conversation nationwide?

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BB: HN1M was conceived as a broad-based communityengagement initiative aimed at identifying locally endorsed, “bottom-up” solutions to the challenge of meeting the region’s need for “workforce” housing. The effort included considering “new urbanism” ideas such as densification of existing neighborhoods, effective transportation planning and investment, mixed-use projects and form-based codes, sustainable design goals, and reducing the administrative barriers and fees that thwart residential design and development. The exercise was informed by emerging architects, professionals who brought fresh and innovative ideas to the conversation with local planning groups, designers in other disciplines, activists, government officials, and the professional planning community.

YL: How do you personally or your chapter as a whole work with the local government on local or state housing policy reform?

BB: We support multifaceted efforts to mitigate the challenge of homelessness in our community and in the state. We coordinate with other chapters in the state in terms of policy and communications. We recognize that homelessness is a complex challenge. We believe the solutions to homelessness are connected to a deep regard for human dignity and respect.

We consider homelessness to be a structural challenge – the inability of our society/economy to come to grips with the fundamental inequities that lead to homelessness, such as poverty, lack of class mobility, and the lack of affordable housing, among other important social factors. In San Diego County, the unsheltered homeless population accounts for about 0.2 percent of the total population – a relatively small number and arguably well within the capacity of the community to address in a meaningful way. On a positive note, the city of San Diego has recently made significant and noticeable progress addressing the unsheltered homeless challenge.■

BB: We engage, on behalf of our members, with local and state governments regarding the necessity for additional dwellingunit development, with an emphasis on middle-income/ workforce housing. We belong to umbrella organizations representing a cross-section of local entities that have housing affordability at the core (or at least a significant part) of their missions. We initiated our own public consultation/ planning exercise on the topic of workforce housing (Housing the Next 1 Million – a year-long effort in 2017/early 2018). We describe housing as an infrastructure challenge, in the same category as roads, transportation, water/sewer, energy, and other critical public amenities.

YL: Do you (or your chapter) work with other AIA components or organizations to address the homelessness issue?

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2018 EDITORIAL CALENDAR

CALL FOR QUARTERLY SUBMISSIONS

JUNE

REDEFINING PURPOSE This issue focuses on innovative practice models. We will report on the Practice Innovation Lab hosted by the YAF in 2017 and follow the conversations sparked by that event. We will also bring stories of how emerging professionals are innovating in the practice of architecture.

CONNECTION welcomes the submission of ARTICLES, PROJECTS, PHOTOGRAPHY and other design content. Submitted materials are subject to editorial review and selected for publication in eMagazine format based on relevance to the theme of a particular issue.

CONNECTION content will also appear on AIA.org and submissions will be considered on a rolling basis.

CONTENT DUE 5/01 PUBLICATION Q1 / Q2 2018

SEPTEMBER

DECEMBER

This issue addresses topics related to the UN Habitat II New Urban Agenda. We will share how architects and emerging professionals are leading conversations across the country, creating better urban and rural communities.

This issue focuses on the future of the profession. We will look at some of the things architects are doing to push the boundaries of practice. We will also follow up on ways that the Practice Innovation Lab has made an impact on emerging professionals.

CONTENT DUE 8/01 PUBLICATION Q3 2018

CONTENT DUE 11/01 PUBLICATION Q4 2018

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WE ARE CURRENTLY SOLICITING CONTENT

BUILD BEYOND

If you are interested in contributing to CONNECTION, please contact the EditorIn-Chief at yungoklo@hotmail.com

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CONNECTION

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS All submissions are required to have the attachments noted below.

Text Submit the body of your text in a single, separate Word document with a total word count between1000 - 2000 words.

Format the file name as such: [yourlastname_article title.doc] Images Submit all images in JPEG format at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi RGB mode. Include captions to all images in the body of your e-mail transmittal.

All images must be authentic to the person submitting. Do not submit images with which you do not hold the rights.

Format the file name(s), sequentially, as such: [yourlastname_image1.jpg] Author Bio Submit a brief, two-sentence bio in the following format: [ yourlastname ] [ AIA or Associate AIA or RA ] is a [ your title ] at [ your company ] in [ city, state ]. [ yourlastname ] is also [ one sentence describing primary credentials or recent accomplishments].

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WHAT IS THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM? The Young Architects Forum is the voice of architects in the early stages of their career and the catalyst for change within the profession and our communities. Working closely with the AIA College of Fellows and the American Institute of Architects as a whole, the YAF is leading the future of the profession with a focus on architects licensed less than 10 years. The national YAF Advisory Committee is charged with encouraging the development of national and regional programs of interest to young architects and supporting the creation of YAF groups within local chapters. Approximately 23,000 AIA members are represented by the YAF. YAF programs, activities, and resources serve young architects by providing information and leadership; promoting excellence through fellowship with other professionals; and encouraging mentoring to enhance individual, community, and professional development.

GOALS OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM To encourage professional growth and leadership development among recently licensed architects through interaction and collaboration within the AIA and allied groups.

To build a national network and serve as a collective voice for young architects by working to ensure that issues of particular relevance to young architects are appropriately addressed by the Institute.

To make AIA membership valuable to young architects and to develop the future leadership of the profession.

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Visit aia.org to learn more about how you can leverage all that we have to offer and become a member.

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CELEBRATING 27 YEARS OF ADVANCING THE CAREERS OF YOUNG ARCHITECTS