Tag: College of Design (2)

Women In Architecture

WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE STUDENT ORGANIZATION | EXHIBITION OPENING The Women in Architecture Student Organization (WIASO) was formed in the fall of 2017 by a group of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Minnesota. WIASO’s primary goals are to work to counteract unconscious cultural bias that permeates through academia and the profession, and to engage issues within the field of architecture related to diversity and the advancement of gender equity. The group recently completed an exhibition in partnership with the Goldstein Museum of Design titled Gendering Architecture, Architecting Gender, that showcases historic and contemporary female architects. The exhibition is located in the HGA Gallery of Rapson Hall at the University of Minnesota and will be on display until February 3, 2019. Below is an excerpt from an interview with WIASO published on the UMN’s College of Design website: What inspired WIASO to create this exhibition? We are interested in learning about female figures in the architectural profession and publicizing work of women in the field. During our initial kick-off event, we profiled several female architects, displayed statistics describing the lack of equity in the field, and shared architecture books written by women. We received feedback about the group’s goals and aspirations and Assistant Professor Daniela Sandler (Architecture) suggested we expand this idea into an exhibition showcasing this information in Rapson. Why do you think it is important for people to see this exhibition? We want students, faculty, and professionals to acknowledge the contributions of female architects who have been dismissed, belittled, or denied credit for their work. By looking at architectural movements from a critical feminist perspective, one is able to reimagine history around marginalized identities and redefine what it means to be an architect. The exhibition is a glimpse of a shared history among female architects at the […]

Search for Shelter

SEARCH FOR SHELTER Last weekend, Kyle and I enjoyed participating in the Search for Shelter Charrette.  Search for Shelter is an AIA sponsored even for non-profit organizations in need of ideas to help further their missions and goals. Design professional volunteer for a single weekend charrette, using design to solve a problem. This particular design weekend has been active for 31 years. Non-profits across the state of Minnesota submit projects for 7 or so volunteer teams to take on. We drove over to the University of Minnesota after work to join one of 7 teams for collaborative design.  Saturday morning we each visited our non-profit’s site and immersed ourselves in the challenges we had been asked to address.  We spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday morning creating what you see below: This year my team explored potential projects for the Midtown Greenway. This 5.5 mile bike path sits in a former railroad trench. We were asked to look at one of the 46 bridges and create a transit and affordable housing connection along the Greenway.  17 neighborhoods participate in the Greenway Coalition.  They desire people and developments to see the Greenway as the “front porch” and orient their businesses to this unique bike trail.  This adds a level of perceived security and safety. We presented renderings of our design to the Midtown Greenway Coalition on Sunday. The affordable housing included a sub-level that opened up to a patio at the Greenway level. Paths and patios were designed to activate the space below one of the 46 bridges along this well known bike path. Kyle’s team explored options to develop affordable housing near a vacant industrial space, part of the Upper Harbor Terminal revitalization by the City of Minneapolis. The non-profit asked the team to seamlessly integrate sustainability into the […]