Sustainable Design/Build Program: A Yestermorrow and UMass Collaboration
April 1, 2013 ' 12-1pm ET ' 9-10am PT ' Earn 1.0 AIA HSW LU
In the fall of 2011 and 2012, Yestermorrow Design Build School and UMass Amherst Architecture+Design Program ran their new Sustainable Design'Build Semester program in rural Vermont. Open to undergraduate students from any discipline and school, the program addresses far-reaching sustainability topics through the lenses of small scale architecture and collaborative design/build. Over the course of two respective single fall semesters, students have designed and built two small houses. While referencing other national design'build models, this program distinguishes itself for four unique parameters: an interdisciplinary design approach, a sustainable design agenda, a consensus model of decision-making, and an immersion "study away" campus experience.
With that in mind, presenter,José Galarza, in conjunction with Carey Clouse, AIA, defines the basic methods for running effective design/build studios. This presentation covers the first two projects completed: two semesters of design'build with two different groups. The work covered will discuss sustainable systems, design, and strategies, and explain of techniques used to address building safety and user comfort in the context of a very small building. The course provides an introduction to the design and construction of very small spaces, along with an overview of teaching considerations for this unique classroom alternative. Learn more » Autism and Design
May 6, 2013 ' 12-1pm ET ' 9-10am PT ' Earn 1.0 AIA HSW LU
Over the past thirty years the incidence of autism has climbed from 1 in 10,000 children in the 1970s to the present rate of 1 in 88 (CDC). With the spike in numbers of children with autism, a spike in the number of adults with autism will follow causing parents, social workers, health care providers, service providers and others to wrestle with how best to support this rapidly growing segment of our population. Recently, attention has begun to focus on developing supportive residential environments that address the specific needs of post-school-age autistic adults: over the past year a series of national town hall meetings conducted by a consortium of autism groups, housing agencies, developers, service providers and parents of adults with autism have identified housing as a primary concern. This webinar provides instruction in evidence-based design for residential environments for adults with autism and other cognitive disabilities. Learn more » -------------------------------------------
Tamzin Howerton
Manager, Knowledge Communities
The American Institute of Architects
Washington DC
-------------------------------------------