Connection
Dedicated to sustainability When does this begin?
During a discussion between young architects, the question arose as to when sustainable design practices and methods are introduced. Does the concept of sustainable design for our future begin during the professional practice mindset, at the elementary learning level, or undergraduate teachings at university? At what stage in a career do sustainable design methods become the standard practice and no longer need to be a separate category? Schools, universities, and professionals around the world work to modify the traditional mold and find ways to implement more environmentally friendly solutions in our daily lives. K-12: Some elementary schools are starting children early on the paperless track with portable electronic means of learning and connectivity to around the globe. Environmental awareness is one thing that teachers are implementing inside and outside of their classrooms. 1. Environmental awareness projects (NatGeo) 2. School gardens 3. Recycling 4. Natural Disaster prep 5. Water consumption
Above Scott Cornelius, AIAS national president
College: Where, with the more digital life of an architecture student, are PDFs taking over the “mark-up” industry, or are expensive sheets of plotter paper still making their way into studio critiques? Even miniscule methods implemented campuswide in recycling and textbook purchasing formats can make a significant impact on awareness of the climate crisis. Professional: In the professional world, many have adapted to a work-fromhome production method and have taken social distancing to a new level with adapted square footage amounts in office spaces, or removing the office space altogether.
Scott Cornelius (SC): AIAS conferences and programming typically feature sustainably focused sessions; we want to ensure that students have the knowledge to incorporate sustainable practices into their chapters, their schools, and their projects. We also offer a couple of resources dedicated to making our chapters and the AIAS as a whole more sustainable. Our 2019-2020 Sustainability & Resiliency Best Practices Guide, which focuses on school-wide efforts to increase sustainability and tools to integrate sustainable technologies and design practices and studio projects. This year, our Technology and Sustainability Committee is currently working on the AIAS Green Guide, which will focus on the sustainable tools and practices at the local and national levels.
AIAS Discussion During a discussion with AIAS national president, Scott Cornelius, an Oklahoma State University graduate of 2021, we learned ways that current architecture students are making a difference. Cornelius focuses on programs and guides to be
We’re excited for the impact this research will have on our chapters and the national organization, and our hope is that as more students learn about these practices and get interested in sustainability, schools and universities will also adopt these practices.
26
shared within all AIAS chapters in the hope of having a more mainstream outcome from their hard work. Read some of the interview below: Meghann Gregory (MG): In AIAS, what types of strategies are in place to encourage sustainable practices in chapters? How can AIAS add more sustainable practices to their local chapters and universities?
