Photographer: James Ewing Photography | ArchDaily

How University Construction Projects Offer Opportunities to Reform Architecture Education

Vladimir Gintoff — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 09:30:00 +0000

There is a dichotomy to the business of educating architects. While the real world profession is a collaborative field, one in which projects of even the largest and most publicly-acclaimed offices are team-led initiatives, the study of architecture is often insular, myopic, and devoid of such partnerships. Certainly there is a benefit to this style of teaching - it builds confidence for one thing - but it is troubling to think that in a socially-oriented and practically-minded field like architecture, there can be such major disconnects between the process of designing and the act of building. As many critics of current architectural education have pointed out, incorporating design-build projects into school curriculums is a pragmatic solution oriented towards correcting such imbalances.

The Forum / Studio 804

Cristian Aguilar — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 10:00:00 +0000

The Forum, located in the Architecture department of University of Kansas, was designed and built by students to meet the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standard, LEED v2009 NC Platinum. This is the most stringent new-construction certification for sustainable-design that was in use by the USGBC during the building construction. It marked Studio804's seventh consecutive LEED Platinum building with several other outstanding architectural features. It includes a unique positive displacement ventilation system. On mild days during the year, the natural ventilation mode shuts down both the primary and outdoor air system, and cross ventilation is used to draw in fresh air through the space.

2015 AIA Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture

Holly Giermann — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 01:00:00 +0000

Celebrating the most innovative spaces in the realm of interior design, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected this year's recipients for the prestigious Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture. These eight projects will be recognized for their exceptional design at the AIA 2015 National Convention and Design Exposition in Atlanta.