A third meeting was scheduled for the end of September at the University of Louisiana–Lafayette, but the impact of the Gulf hurricanes brought countless faculty and students to the region for more exigent work.
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The 2005 Administrators Conference focused on “Surveying the Landscape of Leadership.” It was a landmark moment for ACSA, as the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture joined as a co-sponsor for the conference. The addition of a cochair from the landscape architecture discipline added more energy and a broader perspective on the work that program administrators do throughout the year.
A highlight for the organization each year is the announcement of winners of our competitive Awards Program. The ACSA/AIA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education was awarded to William McMinn, a longtime educator and noted architect with a passion for developing programs to their highest capabilities. The Topaz Medallion is the highest award given by the ACSA, in partnership with
The Journal of Architectural Education published its 59th volume, with theme issues on recycling, ephemeral architecture, and the legacies of the last 40 years. , as well as nearly two dozen other articles, commentaries, and book reviews. With a grant from the Graham Foundation JAE also published additional color signatures to highlight design.
the American Institute of Architects. Other awards given include the ACSA Distinguished Professor, the high competitive Faculty Design Awards, Collaborative Practice Awards, the ACSA/AIAS New Faculty Teaching Award, and the Best Article and Best Design Article in the Journal of Architectural Education.
A fourth competition responded to contemporary issues by asking students to address security issues in a medium sized airport. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Airport. Security. Circulation” gathered submissions from around the world offering innovative solutions to achieving openness in an airport terminal while addressing key security issues.
The 94th Annual Meeting in March 2006 brought educators to Salt Lake City, Utah, for four days of discussion and exploration. “Getting Real: Design Ethos Now” was the theme and was intended to stir participants’ own sense of where the discipline stands in light of unprecedented changes in technology and the built environment. Two architects of world renown whose work reflects the profession’s best intentions to serve the public spoke in Salt Lake City: Shigeru Ban and Cameron Sinclair. The 2006 ACSA/AIA Teachers Seminar focused similarly on core issues this time in the design studio. “Time Matters” was the title of the conference, and participants came to the Cranbrook Academy of Art to discuss how preservation values can inform design and how the values of design can stimulate new ways for historic resources to relate to a changing environment.
ACSA’s member newsletter, ACSA News, continued to cover issues in architectural education. Published monthly from September through May, ACSA News provided nearly 400 pages to our members.
ADVOCACY
In 2005-06 ACSA held three major meetings in North America, plus two smaller meetings at schools across the United States. In fall 2005 ACSA’s fall conferences were hosted by Clemson University and jointly by University of Detroit Mercy and Lawrence Technological Institute. These smaller gatherings are intended to provide peer-reviewed presentation opportunities for faculty along with intimate dialogue and close networking opportunities.
AWARDS
CONFERENCES
The Portland Cement Association sponsored “Concrete Thinking for a Sustainable World,” in which students investigated innovative uses of portland cement-based material to achieve sustainable design objectives.
Breaking new ground for ACSA was the organization’s first digital design competition, “ Hospitality Transformed: Resort Hotels in 2055.” Sponsored by the multinational firm Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo, students speculated on the architecture of resorts 50 years in the future.
PUBLICATIONS
COMPETITIONS
ACSA ACTIVITIES
Long a tradition in the architecture profession, design competitions are a key part of work for students in ACSA member schools. In 2005-06 ACSA held four student design competitions, offering faculty and students a wide range of opportunities to showcase their work. The competition sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction challenged students to design a community aquatic center or to submit work for an “open” category.
ACSA works with the five collateral organizations on issues such as strengthening the integration of architectural education and practice, promoting international exchange among architects and architecture students. ACSA members serve as representatives to boards, committees, and task forces for collateral organizations, as well as for organizations in affiliiated disciplines such as planning and landscape architecture.
ACSA
ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGIATE SCHOOLS OF ARCHITECTURE
ANNUAL REPORT 2005–2006