Exterior view of Home for ALICE, a project led by John Foran and Candice Adams.
Faculty at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design have once again been honored by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture in the 2024 Architectural Education Awards Program. John Foran, Dean and Professor of Architecture; Candice Adams, assistant professor of architecture; Emily Baker, assistant professor of architecture, was all part of the team that won her 2024 Collaborative Practice Awards.
The Collaborative Practice Award recognizes ACSA's commitment to community partnerships aimed at addressing issues of social injustice through design, where faculty, students, and neighbors are equally valued.
Foran and Adams won the award for “Home for ALICE.” Mr. Baker was part of an international team that won an award for “Creating a Co-Curriculum: A Design-Build Initiative.”
“The recognition of collaborative pedagogy is important for the Department of Architecture because it demonstrates the relevance of the sensibilities cultivated by faculty across the curriculum,” Professor Foran said. “Preparing students for professional degree programs comes with the responsibility of providing an environment that gives students the opportunity to experience what they will encounter after graduation. The practice of architecture is a fully collaborative effort. These The evaluation shows that our students graduate from this program' with that understanding. ”
In recent years, Fay Jones School faculty have received additional ACSA awards in the areas of Distinguished Teaching Award, Residential Design Education, Collaborative Practice, Faculty Design, Design-Build, Practice and Leadership, and Wood Education, as well as overall It brings honor. From 2014 to 21 years old.
Below is a brief description of the “Home for ALICE” and “Collaborative Curriculum Creation” projects.
alice's house
In the Timberland, Arkansas region, nearly one-quarter of the full-time essential workforce earns minimum wage, placing members of the population below the federal poverty threshold. More than 40% of households are unable to buy daily necessities. This forces impossible choices and dangerous trade-offs. “Home for ALICE” focuses on individuals with limited assets, limited income, and employment (ALICE). That individual could be a cashier, waiter, childcare worker, or a productive contributor to the community. This course aimed to answer several questions: Where does ALICE live? Who is Alice? How can we break the cycle that limits ALICE's prosperity? How can we empower ALICE?
These fundamental considerations influenced the development of an undergraduate seminar at the Fay Jones School focused on the role designers can play in restoring dignity and justice through housing in rural communities in the Timberland Region of Arkansas. I gave it.
The Urban Design Build Studio (UDBS), directed by Foran, adopted a two-part educational framework that leveraged extensive data collection with the goal of reshaping the conversation around economic hardship.
The first element of the work focused on the who and where. Students were challenged to explore the human condition, asset mapping, collaboration opportunities, and context.
Subsequent complementary work elements focused on the what and how. This element required an analysis of existing housing typologies, workforce dynamics, and local housing construction and cultural logistics.
This course was sponsored in part by a grant from the Weyerhaeuser Endowment. Research developed in the course supported the discovery of grassroots applications through design. Students in this course learned about the local culture, community members, and key stakeholders that provide a platform for the development and construction of locally-specific, reproducible housing prototypes in the Timberland region.
The “Home for ALICE” team consisted of Foran and Adams.
“Acoustic Wall” was completed in 2014 in a studio led by Emily Baker, who was teaching at the University of Sharjah. Image courtesy of Emily Baker.
Creating a co-curricular: A design-build initiative
The ongoing Design-Build Initiative (DBI) at the American University of Sharjah, located on the Arabian Peninsula, is an authentic educational initiative that privileges a collective approach to hands-on education woven into all curriculum levels. presents an alternative model of science.
This effort is not for a single project, but rather a comprehensive faculty collaboration and organizational process designed to address the shortcomings of the academic design-build model. This initiative features a diverse and evolving faculty group working together within the framework of a supportive infrastructure. It is designed to overcome the undue stress associated with design-build, where a single faculty member juggles responsibilities for teaching, client engagement, logistics, accounting, construction supervision, and all aspects related to project delivery. Masu.
The DBI experiment is an example of a simpler way to conduct authentic pedagogy. The program worked collaboratively and holistically to solve design-build program problems and challenges. Congressional and executive resistance, equipment and facilities, funding and quality of work are all being addressed.
The new organizational framework emphasizes team-based approaches, curriculum integration, and a fluid educational agenda that precludes individual rights and ownership. Due to the large number of teachers, a platoon system is possible where teachers can take turns. This ensures that the participant can teach her non-DBI courses while also keeping it fresh for everyone.
To date, 12 DBI faculty members have taught practical coursework. The project won him three of his ACSA awards and three publications were published. architectural education journal Winner of the American Institute of Architects Design Award nine times.
In addition to Mr. Baker, the DBI team includes Michael Hughes, William Cernecki, Gregory Spau, Ammar Caro, Patrick Rose, Kenneth Tracy, Juan Roldan, Marcus Farr, George Newlands, and Camilo Cerro of the American University of Sharjah in Sharjah, USA. , which includes Jason Carlow. United Arab Emirates; Daniel Chavez of Scarab Design in New Mexico; and Matt Trimble of Scenic City Nomad in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Mr. Hughes served on the faculty of his Fay Jones School from 2006 until 2010. He then founded the Design He Build He Initiative (DBI) at the American University of Sharjah.
ACSA Awards Program winners were celebrated at the organization's 112th Annual General Meeting held March 14-16 in Vancouver, British Columbia.