AIArchitect

The AIA national component has been encouraging disaster preparedness for many years. This is an inside-out endeavor initially charged by members acting first in their own communities and sharing their lessons learned about what is needed and when. Charlie Harper, based in Wichita Falls, Tex., is one notable example. Over the past few decades his name has become synonymous with architect-related disaster relief efforts.

Now comes a new wave—literally—of people losing homes and entire communities as flooding hits the Midwest.

"Why would any seminary today want its building to look as if it were designed in the late 19th century?" This question, raised by Patrick Quinn, FAIA, in response to an AIArchitect article about the Columbia Theological Seminary in Georgia, sparked a response by seminary architects Tony Aeck FAIA, LEED-AP, and Joe Greco AIA, LEED-AP, of Lord Aeck and Sargent. Here is their ensuing discussion, to which you are invited.

by Lauren Bostic, Assoc. AIA

Finding diversity at an AIA national convention is not difficult, right? Start out with a few sessions on sustainability, check out the ongoing efforts of the Diversity and Inclusiveness Discussion Group in the Diversity Lounge, sprinkle in some sessions on nurturing emerging professionals, and take advantage of one of the many tours before you leave the city.  But how many of these experiences celebrate and promote diversity within the profession? A number of events during the 2008 AIA Convention moved me on a more personal note.
 

For the Mad Housers of Atlanta, clients don’t pay and developers don’t make any money.

That’s because this all-volunteer non-profit builds shelter for homeless people across the Atlanta metropolitan area on empty municipal land, abandoned lots, and disused, edge-properties.

They specialize in wood-framed huts, 6 x 8 x 10, with a gabled roof, sleeping loft, locking door, and wood burning stove for both heat and cooking. They cost about $400, take a few hours to assemble and require almost no technical building knowledge. The Mad Housers assemble a dozen or so a year. Lately, they’ve been posting the huts’ blueprints and assembly instructions online, along with 3-D models that use Google SketchUp, in the hopes that homelessness advocates elsewhere can use their designs. Not surprisingly, a handful of their core group of 15 or so volunteers are architects. In total, about 100 people volunteer for the Mad Housers.