EPN News - Spring 2008

op•por•tu• ni•ty
1 : a favorable juncture of circumstances 2 : a good chance for advancement or progress

Source: Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary

It is my belief that the occasion of the 2008 NAAB Accreditation Review Conference, scheduled for October 22-23 represents one of the most significant opportunities afforded to the architectural profession in a very long time. At its face value the ARC is simply an opportunity for AIA and the other collateral organizations to have a voice in the pending changes to the criteria by which schools of architecture in the US are judged for accreditation. But for those with an open mind and commitment to the betterment of our profession, it can be much more.

a favorable juncture of circumstances - It is my belief that the ARC also offers a favorable juncture of circumstances where the AIA will have the opportunity to not only influence the education of our future colleagues, but to also forge mutually beneficial relationships with the academy. The needed changes in architectural education reflect the exciting and ever accelerating challenges of the world. Global climate change, global economies, technological advancements - these all represent opportunities for the AIA and the academy to work together on research initiatives, tools for practice, and education.

a good chance for advancement or progress - If we (the AIA and the other collateral organizations) approach the ARC in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration, I believe that the chances for advancement and progress are immeasurable. The opportunity for success, for us to advance the value of our profession to the societies we serve, is both exciting and humbling. All it takes is a willingness to work together.
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At the AIA National Convention, the EPN is proud to once again present the Walter Wagner Forum. Marking the return to a format of blind peer-reviewed papers, overall, the submissions represent a very strong response to the subject of The Role of Architecture Schools in Service to Society. We are also delighted to present a new program in cooperation with the Society of Building Science Educators (SBSE) (hopefully the first of several collaborative endeavors) and the AIA Committee on the Environment. The Carbon Neutral Design Charrette toward the goal of zero emissions by 2030 will be offered as a pre-convention workshop Wednesday, May 14. Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to work with this distinguished team of building science educators and practitioners.

~ Randy Byers, AIA, LEED AP, 2008 EPN Chair

Carbon Neutral Design Charrette (WE32) Wed., May 14, 8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.

We are delighted to present this new program in cooperation with the Society of Building Science Educators (SBSE), the AIA Educator/Practitioner Network and the AIA Committee on the Environment. This program will offer participants a means of reducing the building sector's dependence on fossil fuels, thereby significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and working toward the goal of zero emissions by 2030.

The program will include a brief design charrette and peer review, an overview of recent case studies, and a discussion of the barriers to high performance practice. The charrette will provide experience in developing innovative design responses for a carbon-neutral project. Topics to be presented include: prioritizing mitigation, adaptation, and sequestration (Nicholas Rajkovich), designing passive and low energy buildings (Bruce Haglund), utilizing low carbon and renewable energy in designs (Walter Grondzik) and analyzing the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center (D. Michael Utzinger). The design problem will challenge participants to develop an appropriately responsive schematic design for a hypothetical project using resources and guidelines that address carbon neutrality. Following a peer review and critique of design responses, participants are invited to engage in a reflective exercise on “adapting the process to my own practice”.

Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to work with this distinguished team of building science educators and practitioners.

Walter T. Grondzik, P.E. LEED AP, Professor of Architecture, Department of Architecture, Ball State University
Bruce Haglund, Professor, Department of Architecture, University of Idaho
Alison G. Kwok, Ph.D., AIA, LEED AP, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, University of Oregon
Muscoe Martin, AIA, LEED AP, M2 Architecture and University of Pennsylvania
Margot McDonald, AIA, LEED AP, Co-director, Renewable Energy Institute
Professor, Architecture Department, California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo
Nicholas B. Rajkovich, LEED AP, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Pacific Energy Center, San Francisco, CA
D. Michael Utzinger, Associate Professor of Architecture, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Architecture Schools Advancement/Development Forum Wed., May 14, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Also a pre-convention workshop, this forum will feature panel discussions and roundtables on issues facing university development officers. We will examine core fund-raising strategies as well as particular challenges for architecture programs in public and private institutions. This forum is a wonderful opportunity to network with your peers and share insights, successes, and best practices. Bring questions and ideas to share with your development peers.

This forum is listed as a Networking/Business Event in the AIA convention program. Limited to 75 participants, registration for the day including lunch is $100. To register, please go to the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Web site. www.acsa-arch.org

Architectural Education Awards/EPN Reception (TH66) Thursday, May 15, 4:00 -5:30 p.m. Reception (E17) 5:30-6:30 p.m.

The ACSA and the AIA are pleased to announce the second issue of a new joint publication including the ACSA/AIA Topaz Medallion, ACSA awards programs, the AIA Education Honor Awards and others.

Educators are dealing with priorities in education and practice through innovative programs that have the potential to benefit and/or change practice. This year the EPN is proud to recognize six courses that address critical issues of the profession. Sustainability, collaboration, social issues and public engagement, and global practice are addressed in coursework the jury characterized as forward thinking and inspirational. One program took on the challenge of change in the curriculum to better respond to these challenges.

In the convention program entitled Have you been to an Architecture School Lately?, award recipients from The Pennsylvania State University, University of Minnesota, University of Virginia, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, Auburn University, and The University of Tennessee Knoxville will present their outstanding work. Following, will be panel discussion moderated by jury chair Joyce M. Noe, FAIA and a reception in the exhibit space just outside the seminar room. For more detail about the award-winning projects, click here.

ACSA Architecture Schools Exhibit Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture has organized an exhibit, invited each member school to provide a poster highlighting things such as student work, faculty work, curriculum structure, facilities, program activities, international programs, post professional opportunities, and other areas of interest. So far, approximately 45 schools are expected to participate. The exhibit will be in the Southeast Pre-function, Meeting Level 2 of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

Walter Wagner Forum 2008: The Role of Architecture Schools in Service to Society
(FR36) Friday, May 16, 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.

Architecture schools engage in service to society in a variety of ways. They provide opportunities for students to become involved on their campuses and in their communities; they initiate projects and programs that address social, environmental, economic, and humanitarian needs. What roles and responsibilities do architecture schools have in this context? Are they designers, facilitators or contributors to a larger participatory process? What role should the profession play?

In accordance with the convention theme “We the people,” we invited students, educators and practitioners to submit papers addressing one or more of the convention sub-themes: Our Place in The World, Where we Live, Where we Work, How we come Together, and Our Place on the Land. We are delighted to announce three selected papers that will be presented in a session that will be moderated by EPN Chair, Randy Byers. We hope you will join us.

How we come together: The role of architecture schools in mediating between the practical and the possible.
by Ms. Christine Cerqueira Gaspar, Gulf Coast Community Design Studio

Fostering Stewardship: Environmental + Social Action in Architectural Education
by Phoebe Crisman, University of Virginia

Between Language and Building: The Role of Architecture Schools in Service to Society by Lindsay Harkema, Rice University

NAAB Visiting Team Member Training (FR64) Friday, May 16 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

This event is held every year at the annual meetings of the collateral organizations (the AIA, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the American Institute of Architecture Students, and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards) to orient potential visiting team members to the objectives of the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). This session is open to all visiting team nominees and to individuals who are interested in the accreditation process. Bruce Blackmer, FAIA, President and Andrea S. Rutledge, CAE, Executive Director of the National Architectural Accrediting Board will provide an overview of NAAB Conditions and Procedures for accrediting architecture programs, explain roles and responsibilities of visiting team members, and discuss relevant trends in professional accreditation.

Also of interest is a session on Architecture Education Around the World (TH25) Thursday 2:00 p.m. -3:30 p.m. This program will provide a platform to discuss future trends in architecture education from a global point of view-where we are similar, where we differ, and in what direction we are headed. Global practice issues such as mutual recognition agreements and portability of educational credentials will be discussed.

The AIA White Paper for the NAAB 2008 Accreditation Review Conference

Once every five years, the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) reviews requirements for the accreditation of architecture programs. As part of a collaborative review process, the AIA Board of Directors approved the AIA White Paper in December 2007 addressing priorities of the Institute and their implications for architecture education.
The AIA White Paper is part of a broader review process. Read more.

The Cranbrook 07 conference on Integrated Practice and the Twenty-first Century Curriculum was one of the many conferences and forums that informed the AIA White Paper.

Cranbrook 07 Integrated Practice and the Twenty-first Century Curriculum

Cranbrook 07, a special joint session of the ACSA Teachers Seminar and the AIA Educator/Practitioner Network Summer Practice Institute, June 28-July 1, 2007, explored the impact of emerging project delivery methods and the imperative of sustainability on the professional curriculum. The conference included a series of panel presentations on themes related to the central challenge of what changes are needed in architecture education to prepare for changes occurring in practice and in the construction industry. Summaries of presentations on ethics and responsibility, practice and criticism, research and design are included in the proceedings as well as a comparative summary of team presentations and closing responses by Edward Allen, FAIA.

The National Architectural Accrediting Board, Inc. invites nominations and applications for the position of Associate Executive Director. Deadline extended to March 31, 2008

The National Architectural Accrediting Board, Inc. invites nominations and applications for the position of Associate Executive Director.

The associate executive director is responsible for providing advice and counsel to the executive director on the full range of NAAB programs and activities; in addition, the incumbent serves as the principal deputy for the executive director and is responsible for overseeing NAAB operations in the executive director’s absence.

This position has program/ project management responsibility for advising schools interested in pursuing initial candidacy; preparation for future Accreditation Review Conferences; the NAAB’s substantial equivalency program; international consulting; oversight of the NAAB internship program; and the NAAB’s Web presence.

Other duties and special projects may be assigned at the discretion of the executive director.

This is a full-time exempt position requiring weekends and evenings; the ability to travel is required. For additional information please go to www.naab.org for a copy of the position description.

To be considered for the position, please submit a letter of intent, a current vita, a list of up to three references, and a brief, 1-page statement about the role of accreditation in architecture education to Associate Executive Director Search, Attn: Executive Director, NAAB, 1735 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006. Please do not submit materials by email. The position will be available in mid-April. Applications and nominations must be postmarked on or before March 31, 2008.

Reminder: AIA 2008 RFP Research Program, Submissions due April 16, 2008

The AIA seeks proposals for research projects to be completed in a seven-month period
beginning May 2008. The AIA will award up to 10 grants of $7,000 each for selected projects. This grant qualifies recipients to have their findings and outcomes published both electronically in the AIA Soloso online database and in a nationally distributed publication: The American Institute of Architects Report on University Research, Volume 4. Preference will be given to PhD candidates and junior faculty members focusing on completion or distribution of research or on initial explorations of a particular concept.

Click here for an outline of AIA research priorities and for submissions details.

A program of the AIA Board Knowledge Committee, the objective is to provide seed funds for applied research projects that advance professional knowledge and practice.