ARCHITECTURE

ARCHITECTURE The National Organization of Minority Architects Increases the Number of Minority Architects

By Subcontractors USA News Provider

be given to patrons of the NOMA President’s Circle and members of the AIA Large Firm Roundtable.

In partnership with the AIA Large Firm Roundtable (LFRT), the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) created a fellowship program to help increase the number of minority architects throughout the U.S.

To provide the most flexibility for firms, the NOMA Foundation Fellowship will accommodate both Virtual and In-Person internships for the 2021 program. In addition, the fellowship may be extended to a full-time internship at the discretion of the host firm.

About the Fellowship • Up to 20 fellowships available • 8-week Virtual or In-person Parttime Internship (A limited number of full-time internships may be available) • $2,560 stipend • $1,000 Licensure Stipend if fellows become a licensed architect within 5 years of completing the fellowship Eligibility

Applicants must be (a) currently enrolled in their final 2 years of a 4-year undergraduate program, (b) currently enrolled in their final 3 years of 5-year undergraduate program, or (c) currently enrolled as a graduate student in an M.Arch program. Students graduating at the end of the Spring 2021 semester are encouraged to apply. Students from both NAAB-accredited and non-accredited programs may apply. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States for the entire program. Students from the 7 NAAB Historically Black Colleges and Universities are highly encouraged to participate. All applicants must be current paid members of NOMA and non-members will not be considered. Application

Complete application package will include an unofficial transcript, portfolio of work, resume, one letter of recommendation, and cover letter stating your interest in being a fellow (addressed to NOMA). Finalists may be selected for a virtual interview with host firms and will be matched with firms on a mutual matching basis. Information for Firms

All firms are eligible to be host firms for the NOMA Foundation Fellowship, however, priority will

About the Fellowship Firms will indicate their Firms will indicate their preferences to the following preferences to the options.following options. • Virtual vs. In-person: In order to accommodate the changing needs of firms through the COVID-19 pandemic, firms may opt to commit to a Virtual Only internship, In-Person Only internship, or indicate that they have Eligibility no preference. NFF Staff will provide a list of applicants that match these preferences. • Part-time Option: Fellows may work up to 20 hours/week and will be considered consultants of NOMA. Fellows are fully compensated by NOMA. • Full-time Option: Fellows may work up to 40 hours/week and will be considered employees of the host firm. NOMA will provide a $2,560 stipend to cover 20 hours per Application week. Host firms must provide the remaining compensation of at least $16/hour for 20 hours/week, to be paid directly to the fellow. The host firm should follow standard onboarding and operating procedures for their typical internships.

For application deadline and for more information or general inquiries about the NOMA Foundation Fellowship, please contact nff@noma.net.

Information for Firms Visit NOMA on the web at

www.noma.net.

Source: NOMA

Introducing: Opportunity

Business Equity at Port Houston

Our NEW Business Equity Division provides resources to small, minority- and woman-owned businesses seeking to participate in Port Houston procurements.

Learn more about how we can help support your business at: www.porthouston.com/businessequity

The Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Program at the University of Houston (UH) is committed to promoting the inclusion of HUB vendors in university procurements. The HUB Program ensures compliance with state HUB laws, assists UH departments in locating HUB vendors; as well as offering HUBs assistance to facilitate access and contracting opportunities.

For more information about how to do business with the University of Houston, bid opportunities, or to learn about events, workshops and seminars, visit: www.uh.edu/hub

www.uh.edu/hub

ARCHITECTURE Prairie View A&M University School of Architecture News PVAMU Students Place Second in Statewide Architectural Design Competition

By Andrew Cohen

Prairie View A&M University School of Architecture Contributing Writer

Atrio of Prairie View A&M University architecture students recently took second place in a statewide student architectural design competition last month. Alexis Adjorlolo, Jimena Duran Castellanos and Carlos Manuel Vivero, led by faculty advisors William Batson and Stephen Song, won a cash prize and invaluable exposure during the 16th annual Gulf Coast Green Symposium, which AIA Houston hosted virtually.

With the theme of the conference being Environmental Equity, student teams (three from PVAMU and three from Rice University) were tasked with designing a “Self-Help Hub” for residents of Houston’s Freedmen’s Town neighborhood to use during emergencies. The space would have to be able to house materials “to help residents address their infrastructure-related issues during an emergency, such as sewer backups, hurricane preparedness and response, insulation, backup power, Wi-Fi accessibility, phone access, etc.,” according to the competition guidelines.

As the conference materials pointed out, minority and lower socioeconomic neighborhoods frequently bear the brunt of the impacts of unhealthy, energy inefficient, and disaster vulnerable buildings. These communities have been historically underserved and displaced through policy and lack of representation. These chronic stressors are amplified in times of disaster due to their vulnerable locations and fewer resources for recovery. “How do we

reduce these disparities and create vibrant, equitable places for everyone?” the materials said.

Adjorlolo said this question animated PVAMU’s team to ensure their design be something that could be replicated in a variety of neighborhoods, even if all teams were directed to design to the Self-Help Hub’s proposed site — a 1,525 square foot lot between existing two-story residential units and across from a small park at 1605 Cleveland Street in Houston.

Innovative Resolutions Innovative Resolutions

The team’s solution to the issue of full accessibility to the Self-Help Hub was to place a ramp around the perimeter of the building, something that Castellanos called “one of the most intelligent things we added to the project.” The ramp kept the building’s central portion open and provided storage capability underneath the ramp, a detail that would aid the space’s functionality as it is converted to different uses.

“One of the things the judges thought was unique and doable was our strategy of converting the interior space from a shelter format to more of a registration format,” Adjorlolo said. “In some instances, we could transform the first floor into housing — beds — and the space could also be converted to a small food hall with an open buffet kitchen, mostly by moving furniture around.”

The team worked on their project with last winter’s freeze still fresh in their minds. So, in addition to power generators as part of their design’s infrastructure, Prairie View A&M’s student designers specified external sources, such as miniature vertical windmills (such as those one might see in a strip-mall parking lot, affixed to light poles and powering the outdoor lighting) to make and conserve power for later use during blackouts. Opening the Door to the Future Opening the Door to the Future

The award’s jury panel included community leaders from the Freedmen’s Town Conservancy, as well as design professionals from Kirksey Architecture, Gensler, and Walter P Moore, just a few of the event sponsors from the building trades. Castellanos was the team’s sole representative at a post-competition gathering in Houston, and she felt that the design competition “might open doors” to future jobs. As a graduate student, her entry into the architecture world is imminent.

Adjorlolo, on the other hand, is due to receive her undergraduate degree at the end of this semester and will be looking forward to graduate work. “I feel the design competition was an opportunity to grow our skills in research and design,” she said, “and find what fits in our design and presentation styles.”

Of the team’s eventual design, Castellanos said, “It was a really interesting project to be a part of. I really liked working as part of a team, representing my school, and working on a project where we can feel like we are doing something that is benefiting a historically black community and maybe something that can be done in other communities, also.”

“The really fun thing was that everyone had a completely different design,” added Adjorlolo. “One group had come up with a movable self-help hub, and another had gone back to the older housing style of the neighborhood but made it a more publicly accessible space rather than an actual home. It was interesting to see how everybody interpreted the brief and brought in their perspectives and ideas for it.”

For more information, please visit www.pvamu.edu.