Great Spaces, Great Places
Among the silver linings of the worldwide Coronavirus epidemic and associated shutdowns are the drastic improvements to urban air quality, remarkable examples of community building and random kindness, and the opportunity to consider new possibilities for the spaces in which we live, work and play. Here are just a few quick reads on how some …
Continue reading “Rethinking Architecture in the Pandemic Era”
Discussions about how to battle future pandemics through better buildings are becoming commonplace, and the goal of improved interior environments is one aspect that dovetails with sustainability issues championed by the AIA Committee on the Environment. Architects continue to raise the bar on performance, design and flexibility. This ongoing dedication to improving the built environment …
The following article is reposted from Fast Company, by author Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, LEEP AP BD+C Police brutality and the coronavirus pandemic are two health crises that disproportionately impact black Americans. Architects, who take an oath to protect the “health, safety, and welfare” of the public, must be part of the solution. I …
Continue reading “Racism is built into U.S. cities. Here’s how architects can fight back”
By Tim Hawk, FAIA2019-2021 At-large Director, AIA National Board of Directors Members of the American Institute of Architects have stepped forward with unprecedented energy to help peers and communities’ weather the COVID-19 pandemic. As a professor of architectural history, I believe that we respond in part because of our knowledge of history, and our awareness …
Continue reading “June 2020 AIA National Board Outreach Network Report”
The AIA National has added a new feature to their website. The organization reviews K-12 architecture resources and activities and posts them on their website. There are activities, videos, interactive programs, and career information. My favorite is #askanarchitect that directs you to youtube and features several interviews.
This is the inaugural post of series in which we ask community leaders about the community they live in and share their answers with you. We hear what their favorite spaces are in the city and why and what issues their city faces from their point of view. Our goal is to get a sense of South Dakota and the cities that make it up. We hope to have a variety of cities and perspectives of the same cities. By engaging community leaders, designers and communities can see the spaces in a city from a different perspective: the people that are making decisions.
Nearly four months ago I concluded my architectural internship at Tesla: a time I consider an absolute pleasure and a great start to my professional career. I want to note that I did not seek out this internship as a car enthusiast, but due to my interest in the role that vehicles take in shaping the fabric of the urban design. In a holistic sense, I do not view Tesla as an automotive company, but rather a clean energy company that aims to change the world using sustainable sources. Nevertheless, they do have arguably one of the greatest cars on the market as one of their lines of product.
In a profession that has multiple answers for every problem, having a means to use analytical data in your design almost seems like a cheat code to success. Film has benefited from the same the concept that this idea rests so firmly on; human curiosity. My interest in how our environment influences our attentiveness turned me towards videography. What if your environment is a screen in front of you? Publishing websites like YouTube and Vimeo both have integrated analytics that break down things like “average user watch time” and “retention rate.” While these terms seem outlandish when put into juxtaposition with the design of our built environment, they are used in the same way serial vision is implemented in architecture. Every videographer’s goal is to create something that holds the viewers’ attention through the ending. Most of us know what it’s like to watch the first 30 seconds of a video only to stop watching because it didn’t interest us.
Architecture can be found in every area of the globe, from your house in Brookings, South Dakota, to the Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. Traveling can enhance your perspective of a place and become a learning experience… I realized that we can learn from architecture anywhere; whether it be from a building down the street or across the world.
A South Dakota architect in Yankton, Sarah Mannes Homstad is conducting a study during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is in response to the evolving needs of our communities and questions about what it means, architecturally-speaking, to inhabit our world today. Mannes Homstad asked herself the following questions: What is changing about the way we …
Continue reading “Input Needed : SD Architect Collects Data About Architecture & Social Distancing”