Space Industries Michael Caton on Inclusion architectmagazine.

com
Moody Nolan Understanding the Equal Pay Act The Journal of The American
BKL Architecture The New Jamaican Houses of Parliament Institute of Architects
Comparing Climate Action Plans

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4 ARCHITECT, The Journal of The American Institute of Architects, August 2020

Contents
Volume 109, number 08. August 2020.
On the cover: 2019 NOMA Pittsburgh Project Pipeline camp; photo by Volcy Photography.
Below: 2018 NOMA Louisiana Project Pipeline camp; photo by Chris Daemmrich. 2020 NOMA Foundation Fellow Barbara Nasila; photo by Dawit N.M.

Tech + Practice AIA Architect

15 The Rules: Equal Pay Act 59 It’s Time to Listen
16 Opinion: Architecture Needs a Culture Shift 60 Safety First
18 CarbonPositive: Finally, Congress’ Climate 62 The Housing Problem
Action Plan 67 Politics for a Pivotal Year
21 Next Progressives: Space Industries 68 Healthy, Safe, and Equitable
24 Residential: Columbus Legacy House,
by Moody Nolan Editorial
29 Typology: Whitney M. Young Jr. Branch 88 Building a Legacy
Library, by BKL Architecture by Katie Gerfen
32 On the Boards: Jamaican Houses of
Parliament, by Design Collaborative and
Hines Architecture + Design

What Does Real Action Look Like?

70 Dismantling systemic racism in
architecture will require time,
hard work, and commitment.
ARCHITECT spoke with
practitioners, educators, young
professionals, industry leaders,
and diversity, equity, and
inclusion experts to see what
real change can look like and to
identify actions that every firm
can take.

Volume 109, number 08. August 2020. architect® (ISSN 1935-7001; USPS 009-880) is published monthly by Hanley Wood, 1152 15th Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20005. Copyright 2020 by Hanley Wood. Opinions expressed are
those of the authors or persons quoted and not necessarily those of The American Institute of Architects. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited without written authorization. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. Periodicals postage
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 Architect and Engineer: Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC
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Mario
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 ARCHITECT, The Journal of The American Institute of Architects, August 2020 15

The Rules:
Equal Pay Act

text by terrI Peters

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 requires why your jobs are substantially similar, The amount women made for
“equal pay for substantially equal work explain how you know men are being every $1 earned by men in
in jobs requiring equal skill, effort, paid more, and provide documents the same occupation, in 2019
and responsibility,” yet women in that support your understanding.
architecture and engineering make Be organized, have a chronology of Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides $0.95
84 cents for every dollar men earn, events, and be prepared to explain your Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media $0.87
according to 2019 data from the U.S. perspective.” The prospect of attorney Lawyers $0.85
Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s fees can be a deterrent, but Harrison Architecture and engineering $0.84
$13,000 less per year for the median says women can hire legal counsel “on a Chief executives $0.80
earner in these professions. contingency basis, if they want to bring Construction managers $0.80
The EPA was a step toward pay a case, or on an hourly basis.” She finds Physicians and surgeons $0.75
parity for women, but it clearly was not that two to three hours of consulting is Real estate brokers and sales agents $0.66
enough. Its wording requires the work typically enough to “resolve many issues
performed by men or women to be for women who want to keep their jobs.” including penalizing employers for
virtually identical. As a result, employers Some state-specific regulations offer retaliating against workers who discuss
have attempted to avoid liability by employees greater protection, such salaries and placing the burden of
(bAsed oN the 2019 medIAN weekLy eArNINgs of fuLL-tIme sALAry workers)

arguing that jobs are not substantially as the California Fair Pay Act, which justifying pay differentials on the
equal, explains Los Angeles–based broadens the comparator class to be employer. However, the bill has yet to
source: NArrowthegAP.co ANd the u.s. bureAu of LAbor stAtIstIcs

workplace discrimination lawyer Genie men who engage in “substantially similar pass despite numerous attempts, the
Harrison: “Employers point to minutiae work, when viewed as a composite most recent of which was in 2019.
in the work responsibilities—assignment of skill, effort, and responsibility and Another significant shortcoming
to different departments, handling performed under similar working of the EPA is that pay inequity is not
different accounts, or small differences conditions,” Harrison says. This act also limited to gender: A racial wage gap
in number of direct reports—to justify prohibits employers from preventing also persists. More data is needed to
pay differentials.” Additionally, anyone their employees from sharing wage calculate its exact impact in architecture.
bringing an EPA claim must prove information with each other, while “I would love to have access to statistics
that she was paid less than her male mandating that employers “retain on the percent of women of color in
counterparts because of her sex. records of wages, pay rates, and job architecture and how the obstacles
A worker suspecting pay classifications for three years.” they face are muddled by race,” says
discrimination should first notify their Nationwide, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Kendall Nicholson, Assoc. AIA, director
human resources department—in Pay Act of 2009 eliminated the statute of of research and information at the
writing. “Verbal reporting is not advised,” limitations of 180 days after receiving a Association of Collegiate Schools of
Harrison says. “Reporting in writing discriminatory paycheck. Individuals can Architecture.
should trigger an investigation, which now file a claim regardless of when they Collecting and offering access to
is usually required under the law.” She discover their pay differential, even if the right salary data are a good start
recommends hiring independent legal they are no longer with the employer. but, as the numbers indicate, pay parity
counsel with expertise in employment The Paycheck Fairness Act, first remains a distant goal. This should
law. “Be prepared to explain your job, introduced in the U.S. Senate in 1997, concern the entire profession if it wishes
identify your male counterparts, explain would have added employee protections, to attract—and retain—the best talent.

> To read more of The Rules, a monthly series covering important regulations in a clear manner, visit bit.ly/ARTheRules.
16

Opinion:
Architecture Needs a Culture Shift

text by Michael caton, aia

but that should not dampen anyone’s of organizations. Do employees of

newfound social justice warrior spirit. all backgrounds and identities truly
Being on the right side of history is seldom feel safe, welcomed, celebrated, and
comfortable nor overwhelmingly popular. cherished—in that order? Insofar
Rooting out the systems that fortify as employees do not feel this way,
institutional racism is multigenerational organizations miss the critical
Among my most prized possessions is work. I don’t pretend to have all the perspective necessary to address
a handwritten note that a studio mate answers. However, one area that every vulnerable blind spots and, further, to
left on my desk atop a stack of blue person and organization that believes capitalize on innovative possibilities.
foam during my first year of architecture in this work should urgently focus As organizations publicly align
school: “Hey, Mike, here is some foam. on is inclusivity infrastructure. They themselves with calls for social justice,
Do what you need to do. You can pay me must establish foundational systems, expecting employees—particularly
back when you have it.” checkpoints, metrics, and behaviors to employees of color—to call out profound
I was struggling mightily in that undergird the iterative work of building internal challenges at the potential
design studio and being pressed to more inclusive and equitable operations. expense of their professional growth
produce more study models. I was also Though the conversation is taking place and mobility is wholly unreasonable.
struggling to stay afloat, disoriented nationally, this work must be hyperlocal. Demonstrating that candid feedback
by the financial and cultural currents of The steps toward progress will be vastly on sensitive issues is welcomed—and
architecture school. My margins were different across regions and sectors. that dissenting voices are celebrated
razor thin in an environment where Nevertheless, at least two components and cherished—is incumbent upon the
iteration with costly materials was will be universal to this work. The first is organizations.
gospel. The note’s author and I were measurement: Across the operational The path to the formation of specific
the only Black students in the studio, spectrum, organizations must provide solutions to combat organizational
and among a jarringly minuscule Black the opportunity for self-identification in biases runs through organizational
population in the architecture program. data collection. Data must exist in order cultures of candor and trust—held
In this moment of national reckoning to evaluate progress and to investigate accountable by data. Amid the sweeping
with racial inequity, that tiny, two- causation and correlation. Without awakening to the insidiousness of racial
decade-old piece of paper exemplifies data, accountability is unlikely. Without caste in America, organizational inaction
the virtues that organizations looking accountability, sustained commitment is complicity in sustaining systems of
to lean in must possess: compassion, to the causes of inclusion is unlikely. inequity. I hope that we, as a discipline,
meaningful action, and, most important, Organizations must treat their inclusivity can muster sufficient compassion and
the grace to see someone fully. performance with the same rigor they fortitude to take meaningful action—and
This is also a moment when societal treat any critical aspect of their business. summon the grace necessary to see the
empathy has stunningly reversed— The fact that this isn’t standard practice entirety of our professional community
swinging from the plausible deniability should be both profoundly sobering and fully in pursuit of a genuinely inclusive
Zeinab Shirani

of institutional racism’s very existence a catalyst for action. future.

to a stampede of well-meaning allies The second component is a culture
eager to solve challenges four centuries of candor and trust. This warrants deep, Michael Caton, AIA, is an architect, design strategist,
in the making. This shift is not universal, unvarnished introspection on the part and educator based in New York City.

> To read more opinion pieces by thought leaders in the design community, visit bit.ly/AROpinion. Interested in writing? Submit pitches to [email protected].
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18

CarbonPositive:
Finally, Congress’ Climate Action Plan

text by edward Mazria, Faia, and natasha balwit

On June 30, the House Select Committee Key elements of the Plan include: justice a focus and provide tangible
on the Climate Crisis released a report . Achieving net-zero emissions from benefits for marginalized communities
titled “Solving the Climate Crisis: power generation by 2040. that often suffer the worst effects of
The Congressional Action Plan for a . Incentivizing jurisdictions to pollution and climate change.
Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, immediately adopt a net-zero- Common to both climate plans is
emission code based on the Zero
Resilient, and Just America.” The more reaching U.S. net-zero CO₂ emissions
Code Renewable Energy Appendix of
than 500-page document provides a the 2021 IECC (which was developed as soon as possible—and no later than
detailed policy and strategy framework by Architecture 2030 and submitted 2050. The 2050 phase-out target date
to the IECC by AIA), and mandating
as a guide for federal action addressing has been cited by governments and
adoption by all jurisdictions no later
greenhouse gas emissions reductions. than 2030. industry worldwide ever since the Paris
Architecture 2030 and The American . Increasing funding for the U.S. Forest Climate Agreement was signed in 2015.
Institute of Architects (among many Service’s Wood Innovation Program However, according to the more
other organizations) were consulted to further promote use of mass recent 2018 IPCC “Special Report:
timber in commercial buildings.
on the policies and actions needed Global Warming of 1.5°C” (IPCC SR15),
. Highlighting strategies that can be
for the built environment to meet the to ensure a 67% chance of limiting the
used to reduce embodied carbon
Paris Agreement target of limiting emissions in the building sector, average global temperature rise to
global average temperature to a 1.5ºC including reusing existing materials, 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, we
increase above pre-industrial levels. The using less-emissions-intensive must act faster. In 2020, the remaining
materials, and using tools such as the
Select Committee’s plan provides a Embodied Carbon in Construction
carbon budget of global emissions
framework, not legislation, but is likely to Calculator (EC3). permissible while still meeting those
guide federal climate action in the next . Calling for the expansion of tax goals is approximately 340 GtCO₂. To
administration. credits for the reuse and rehabilitation keep within this budget, we must reduce
of existing and historic structures. emissions by 50% to 65% by 2030, and
. Extending tax credits for residential completely phase out fossil fuel CO₂
and commercial solar energy
While the legislative generation, and deductions
emissions by 2040 (and not 2050). Put
simply, immediate action is required.
for commercial building energy
priorities outlined efficiency improvements. While the legislative priorities outlined

in either climate plan . Emphasizing the importance of state,

local, and tribal climate emissions
in either climate plan would, if enacted,
translate into bold action and real shifts in
would, if enacted, reduction targets.
architectural and construction practice,

translate into bold Similarly, on July 8, former Vice

President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie
we need to accelerate them—now.
Learning how to design, plan, and
action and real shifts in Sanders’ Unity Task Force released build for a 1.5°C carbon budget and

architectural and its climate goals calling for net-zero

emissions of new buildings by 2030,
world is critical. The CarbonPositive
Reset! 1.5°C Global Teach-In this
construction practice, and eliminating CO₂ emissions from September is an opportunity to commit

we need to accelerate the power sector by 2035. These are

the most ambitious U.S. climate plans
to the immediate and practicable
actions for a high probability at limiting
them—now. to date. They also make environmental warming to 1.5°C.

> For more information on Architecture 2030’s CarbonPositive Reset! 1.5°C Global Teach-In event, visit carbon-positive.org.
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Hanley Wood congratulates and thanks ASI Group for

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 21

Next Progressives:
Space Industries

Location: design disciplines. We are currently

San Francisco collaborating as part of the Design
Bay Area and As Protest Collective to expand its
Los Angeles usefulness and reach.

Year Another important project and why:

founded: One of our first projects was a pro-
2018 bono project for a Bay Area social and
racial justice nonprofit undergoing an
Firm size: eviction process. We conducted multiple
Four walk-throughs through potential new
office spaces, produced as-builts, and
provided schematic design drawings
and diagrams to assist in conversations
Firm leadership: Costco club members, Virgos, highly they were having about how to reshuffle
Kevin Bernard Moultrie Daye, assoc. aIa, F. Jason sensitive to color, photographers, their staffing, events, and community
Campbell, Celeste Martore, Brenda (BZ) Zhang, assoc. aIa Jamaican patty taste-testers, musicians, support programming. For a discipline
Craigslist furniture scavengers, that is so thoroughly gatekept and siloed,
How the founders met: songwriters, capoeira students, tactile many of our less glamorous skills and
At the University of California at Berkeley, Luddites dependent on the Adobe suite. tools make a tangible difference in the
where BZ, Campbell, and Moultrie Daye But most of all, we are tricksters. We are challenges faced by, and conversations
earned their M.Arch. degrees, Martore what we need to be, when we need to be. led by, our communities.
her BA, and where Campbell teaches
design studios. One important project and why: Design trend that should be
The Anti-racism Design Resources left behind:
Firm mission: document (bit.ly/anti-racist-design). Using the “default” white gaze in design
We are less interested in what architecture While we each are navigating the present to describe a world that, in the words
is and more interested in what it can do. moment of historic civil rights uprising of James Baldwin, “is not white; it never
For us, architecture is a tool set that we as individuals, we also had several ideas was white, cannot be white.”
use to give form (built or unbuilt) to our for how we could participate in movement-
inquiries into society and culture. A way building as a collective. Our conversations Biggest challenge facing
courtesy space IndustrIes

to provoke change in ways both superlative with each other, and our networks, quickly architects today:
and subtle. An exercise in translation. culminated in this document, which is We believe that the organizations that
updated regularly. It is intended to uplift architects have set up to assist us in
Personality of your practice: Black design communities and serve our disciplinary duty to serve have
We are activists, Sampha superfans, as a resource both for communities actually further severed the ties between
painters, millennials who won’t get a in need of pro bono design as well architectural workers and the public.
TikTok, soccer players, (rarely) tardy as for non-Black and white people to As a discipline, our biggest challenge
meeting attendees, book clubbers, deepen our anti-racism work within may be ourselves.

> For more about the firm visit bit.ly/SpaceIndustries

22

Next Progressives: 1 2
Space Industries
> bit.ly/anti-racist-design
This document is intended to uplift Black
design communities, serve as a resource
for communities in need of pro bono
design services, and serve as a resource
to non-Black and white people to deepen
our anti-racism work within design
disciplines. If you haven’t engaged in
anti-racism work in the past, start now.
Feel free to circulate this document
on social media and with your friends,
family, and colleagues ...

31 3 Examples of pro bono services you and/or

your firm/practice/collective can offer:
This is a working list of potential pro bono

1: Celeste Martore/spaCe IndustrIes; 3: Brenda (Bz) zhang/spaCe IndustrIes; 4: F. Jason CaMpBell/spaCe IndustrIes
services that can be offered by architectural/
design professionals in solidarity with the
Movement for Black Lives and in defense of
Black Life.

Graphic Design/Visualization: Visualizing

data; generating images for signage,
social media posts, etc.; and visualizing
relationships between objects, bodies,
space, urban form, etc.
3
Spatial/Site Analysis: Organizing; utilizing
GIS data; producing floor plans, maps,
routes for demonstrations; identifying
dimensions, distances, square footage;
zoning, diagramming spaces for
demonstrations; assessing outdoor spaces
and plans for accessibility (wheelchairs,
strollers); and producing grading plans
(landforms)

Reparative Construction Guidance:

Initial consultation, walk-throughs; permit
preparation/support; construction/technical
drawings; design/re-design drawings; and
material sourcing and guidance.
3 4

Project Management:
Coordinating work among design
collaborators (e.g., builder and engineer);
and draft and/or review project proposals,
invoices, etc.
 23

6 5 5
5: Kevin Bernard Moultrie daye/Space induStrieS; 6: Beth laBerge

6
1. “Inked Baby,” a performance piece written by Christina Anderson and installed in
San Francisco, relies on a design of two overlaid grids in a neighborhood afflicted with
toxic soil to tell the story of the intergenerational suffering of a Black family in the Midwest.
2. An excerpt from the Anti-racism Design Resources document, which is updated regularly
with new links and resources to help inspire meaningful action. 3. “Elsewhere, or Else
Where?”, an “architectural fever dream” about the Bay Area, considers how society’s current
conceptions of home and elsewhere are flawed, and how architecture can help create a new
understanding. 4. The Roots and Branches project, curated by ELL, a Campbell-led arts
initiative, turned a storefront space into a record shop, exploring the transaction of culture.
5. Moultrie Daye’s thesis project, “A Critique of Pure Violence,” overlays the quarries that
enabled San Francisco’s construction onto the city itself, demonstrating how the act of
taking up space can be a violent one. 6. “This Will Be The End Of You,” an exhibition that
was mounted at Gray Area/Grand Theater in San Francisco. According to Space Industries,
it “raised questions about environmental racism in Hunters Point, intentionally positioned
Black and non-white cultural objects and references within a Western archive typology,
and most pressingly, directly challenged Western hegemonic ideas of personhood, which
historically were used as weapons to subjugate people by denying their humanity.”
24

Residential:
Columbus Legacy House
Columbus, Ohio
Moody Nolan

text By KAtIe GerFen

There is more to the smart-looking

but unassuming house completed last
summer in Columbus, Ohio’s Linden
neighborhood than meets the eye. With
its warm-toned siding, canted roof,
and neat walkways, it is a welcoming,
comfortable single-family home; but it is
also a life-changing opportunity and the
first step in a larger plan for change.
It is the first Legacy House, a new
prototype for housing conceived of and
designed, built, and donated by local
firm Moody Nolan—mortgage free—to
a family that had been experiencing
homelessness. The firm plans 12 such
houses in all—one in each metropolitan
region in which it has an office.
The program started three years ago,
when the firm totaled up its charitable
giving at the end of the fiscal year.
“We asked: ‘Can anyone tell us who it
helped?’” says cofounder and chairman
of the board Curtis Moody, FAIA. When
The Columbus Legacy House—the first of 12 such residences—has three bedrooms and a covered porch.
the firm couldn’t answer that question,
it decided to use a year’s worth of
donations to perform an act of radical homelessness are down to one missed trying to design something that looked
architecture: to design a house and paycheck or rent—with a little help, they like it was for a person that is in need,”
give it, for free, to a family in need. “We would be able to get back on their feet.” Curtis Moody says.
wanted to do something where we could The three-bedroom, two-bath Moody Nolan reached out to local
say: ‘We built that and helped somebody Columbus Legacy House sits on a lot partners who donated everything from
who really needed it,’” he says. donated by the Columbus Metropolitan building materials to construction

SAm Brown/moody nolAn

The firm partnered with Southeast Housing Authority, and is sized to services, but it was also a firm-wide
Healthcare and the YMCA of Central meet the needs of a family, yet remain effort: “We didn’t push the staff to do
Ohio to help identify a family. “We affordable for them to maintain, in scale, something, but on their own, they took
learned that the majority of people in materials, and systems. It was also up the mantle,” Curtis Moody says. They
shelters in Columbus are single mothers designed to appeal to a mass market. volunteered time on site, offering to
with kids, so [the house] needed to “We wanted to design this in a way that paint the walls, and, unbeknownst to the
respond to that,” says CEO Jonathan any of our own young professionals Moodys, even raised and individually
Moody, AIA. “A lot of challenges around would be happy to live there—we weren’t donated money to furnish the childrens’

> For more images of this project, visit bit.ly/ColumbusLegacyHouse.

26

Residential: rooms and stock them with toys and as something that other architectural
Moody Nolan clothes, and furnish other areas. firms might want to do—either individually
When the keys were handed over, the or as a group of firms that come together
house became the property of its new to design and build a house and gift it to
family—without a mortgage and without some needy family,” Curt Moody says.
any strings: When the owner chooses, “There’s an ebb and flow to architectural
they can sell it to finance their next move, businesses—there’s years where firms
providing security and opportunity. are doing really great, and they can use
Access to affordable housing those resources for things other than
is a critical issue, not just from the profits for partners.” To make lasting
perspective of scarcity, but also because, change in your community, he says,
Curtis Moody says, “if you’re in a shelter, follow a simple formula: “Do what you
you have no ability to borrow funds. Even can, when you can, with what you’ve got,
if you have a job, you can’t come up while you’ve got it.”
Section A–A1 with the equity, so at some level, those
people can’t afford what is considered
affordable housing. We felt we could
address that one by one. We’re going
to give them this house and that is the
equity for them to take the next step.”
The firm likens the Legacy House
program’s effect to “a drop in the
ocean that can begin to create waves,”
Jonathan Moody says. “This started
as a conversation of one house, in one
neighborhood, or even 12 houses in
Second-Floor Plan
12 neighborhoods, but the hope is that
a lot of people right now are asking:
‘What can they do? What can they
contribute?’ Everyone should be entered
in the conversation about how to make
an impact, to criticize yourself, and to
measure yourself to constantly improve.”
The second Legacy House is set to
break ground in Nashville in September,
and despite a delay for COVID-19, the
firm is on schedule to complete 12 houses
in 12 years. And it hopes to serve as an
inspiration to others: “We’re pushing this The first floor has an open-plan living area.
First-Floor Plan
A1

Project Credits
Project: Columbus Legacy House, Columbus, Ohio
Client/Owner: Confidential
Architect: Moody Nolan, Columbus . Jay Boone, AIA (partner-in-charge); Kyle Glass, AIA (project architect)
Interior Designer: Moody Nolan, Columbus . Eileen Goodman (partner-in-charge of interior design)

Sam Brown/moody nolan

Sustainability Designer: Allen Schaffer, AIA
ME Engineer: Dynamix Engineering
Structural Engineer: Jezerinac Geers & Associates
Civil Engineer: Moody Engineering
Construction Manager: Paul Pryor, AIA (construction administration)
General Contractor: Simco Construction
Landscape Architect: Edge
Lighting Designer: Moody Nolan in collaboration with Dynamix Engineering
n Size: 815 gross square feet
0 5 10 Cost: Withheld
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Advertisement

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Responsibility is the
watchword for architecture in
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Hanley Wood congratulates and thanks the National Ready

Mixed Concrete Association for its ongoing commitment to
sustainable design, material innovation, and social purpose.
 29

Typology:
Whitney M. Young Jr. Branch Library
Chicago
BKL Architecture

TexT by KaTie Gerfen

A new addition (at left) brings daylight to the existing

branch library (at right) in Chicago’s Chatham
neighborhood.

In 2017, the Whitney M. Young Jr. Branch design—with its entry on a residential
Library in the Chatham neighborhood street, and opaque brick walls and low
of Chicago was bursting at the seams: ceilings constraining the space—meant
Its midcentury modern building was a that the building wasn’t as connected
hub for so many community activities, to the streetscape as residents would
education programs, and social like. “It was important for this to be
engagements that “I’d say it was over- an engaging space—one that didn’t
utilized,” says Danielle Tillman, aia, the turn its back on to the neighborhood,”
managing director of local firm BKL Tillman says. “This is an extremely
Architecture. “It needed to be rethought historic community—we wanted to make
to allow for the users to really be able to sure that this library represented the
enjoy it.” neighborhood and celebrated it.”
Tillman led the renovation and The team learned that residents
Project Credits
expansion of the library, but before a were very interested in furthering the
Project: Whitney M. Young Jr. Branch Library, Chicago
single line was drawn, the team first library’s role as a community center Client: Public Building Commission of Chicago
engaged with the building users: “It and social hub. To that end, a new main Owner: Chicago Public Library
Design Architect/Interior Designer: BKL Architecture,
is inherent to a design to understand entry anchors a 2,500-square-foot
Chicago . Danielle Tillman, AIA, Michael Karlovitz, AIA
the needs of the community and the glazed expansion that completely re- (project team)
context,” Tillman says. Community imagines the eastern end of the existing Architect of Record: Johnson & Lee Architects/Planners
Structural Engineer: Larson Engineering
meetings held by the Public Building structure. The entry better connects
MEP Engineer: dbHMS
Commission allowed the team to interact the building to the parking lot, while the Civil/Landscape Engineer: Terra Engineering
Tom rossiTer

with residents and “just listen,” she says. addition holds a large community room, General Contractor: F.H. Paschen Contractors
Part of what the team heard was that a children’s reading area, and a glass- Environmental Engineer: Terracon Consultants
Size: 11,000 square feet (renovation);
while the existing library was constantly walled courtyard that can be used for 2,500 square feet (addition)
active, its less than ideal siting and community events. Cost: $4.5 million

> For more photos and a video about the design of this project, visit bit.ly/WhitneyYoungJrBranchLibrary.
30

Typology: leaving the old behind: “We wanted that Tillman wonders if another
BKL Architecture to honor the fact that this building did expansion may be necessary down
so much,” Tillman says. “Instead of the line. “I really do think that these
abandoning it, we decided to celebrate kinds of projects are really at the
the pieces of it that we could highlight.” heart of what architecture can do for
They kept the exposed waffle-slab communities,” she says. “And, to be
ceilings, but removed interior partitions honest, as an African American woman
to create an open reading room, which and an architect who was able to work
is now flooded with daylight from in an African American community and
existing glazing and the addition. “It was provide something that, I hope, the
important for it to be much more open community can enjoy and use to create
to allow for people to feel comfortable innovation—it was a joy to work on
within the space,” Tillman says. “The the project, and with the people of the
glass allows a connection between the neighborhood, to get it done.”

Top: The glazed addition Floor Plan

reconnects the library to
the streetscape. 8
2
7 6
Left: Original details, like 4
the waffle-slab ceiling, 1
remain in the renovated
and reorganized interior.

5 3

The new courtyard replaces a smaller streetscape, the city, and the people
and disused one on-site. “Residents using it. That relationship between the
have jazz nights and wine and cheese building, its users, and the neighborhood
nights,” Tillman says. “We wanted to give was really important.”
them the ability to have indoor/outdoor Also important was technology. The 1. Courtyard
space, and highlight the functions they team added more computer terminals, 2. Children’s area
celebrate within the neighborhood.” as well as a maker space, a recording 3. Community room
While the addition is the most visible studio, and a multimedia area, which 4. Reading room
aspect of the project, it makes up only a have been popular creative outlets for 5. Staff area
tom rossiter

small part: The library’s 11,000-square- teenage visitors. “It’s engaging for every 6. Maker lab
foot interior was renovated and level of the community,” Tillman says. 7. Recording studio
reorganized to provide a more efficient, The library opened last year, and was 8. Media lab n
21st-century space. But that didn’t mean immediately filled with activity—so much 0 20 40
iS your Studio FirSt claSS?
The Studio Prize is an annual design awards program that recognizes innovative, thoughtful, and ethical studio courses at
accredited architecture schools. The prize is designed to celebrate the creativity of studio course curricula and projects—
and, this year, the resilience of faculty and students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The exclusive sponsor, Sloan, has
generously made $20,000 available for student prizes. The jury will also confer the $5,000 Sloan Award to students in a
winning studio or studios that address sustainability, specifically water conservation.

5th ANNUAL

Call for entries

ELIGIBILITY RECOGNITION
All full-time, part-time, and visiting faculty and administrators may submit studio course curricula, Winners will be featured in the November
and the resulting student work, for consideration. All studio courses must have occurred in the issue of ARCHITECT with expanded coverage
context of an accredited Bachelor of Architecture or Master of Architecture program, or their online at architectmagazine.com.
equivalents, and all must have been concluded within the 2019–2020 academic year. Summer 2019
studios are also eligible. For full eligibility requirements, visit studioprize.com.

HOW TO ENTER DEADLINES FEES

Submit your work at regular September 2, 2020 adminiStrative Fee $45
> studioprize.com late September 9, 2020 late Fee $25 (for entries submitted after September 2)
32

On the Boards:
Jamaican Houses of Parliament
Kingston, Jamaica
Design Collaborative and Hines Architecture + Design

text by MADeleIne D’Angelo

In 2018, the Government of Jamaica Situated on an 11.4-acre parcel within for the surrounding park features local,
and the country’s Urban Development Heroes Park, the design centers around drought-resistant plants.
Corp. launched a design competition a roughly 160,000-square-foot circular Using models, renderings, and
for a new Houses of Parliament building structure—embodying equity within virtual reality, the team shared the initial
in Kingston’s National Heroes Park, Jamaica’s Commonwealth government. plans with stakeholders, incorporating
which garnered submissions from 24 “For visitors, developers, and citizens, feedback and making changes—to
international teams. After a two-stage, this building should have no front, no column scale and outdoor programming,
18-month-long deliberation, the jury and side, no back,” Hines says. A ring of for example—based on their, and the
the people’s choice vote selected “Out X-shaped columns wraps the building’s community’s, input. “Design is objective
of Many, One People”; the winning team 300-foot perimeter—a dynamic spatial when there are enough voices at the
presented the final design development representation of both the Jamaican table to provide inputs to make any
this past January. flag and the bond between the nation’s design approach stronger,” Hines says.
Led by architect Evan Williams, voters and their elected officials. With Williams and his firm Design
founder of Kingston-based Design “Figuratively and literally, I wanted [those] Collaborative leading the construction
Collaborative, the team includes design to be the pillars of the building,” Hines, phase, the project is slated to break
architect Daimian Hines, AIA, founder who grew up in Jamaica’s St. Mary ground in 2021. And despite building
of Hines Architecture + Design; project Parish, says. constraints during the COVID-19
manager Christopher Bent, Assoc. AIA; In addition to chambers for pandemic, “this is one of those projects
and technical consultant Gregory Lake, the Senate and the House of that we must continue,” Hines says. “It’s

courtesy DesIgn collAborAtIve AnD HInes ArcHItecture + DesIgn

AIA. Hines, Bent, and Lake are all based Representatives, the structure includes vital to the identity of the country and the
in Houston. atria and galleries. The landscape design direction Jamaica wants to go.”

Project Credits
Project: Jamaican Houses of
Parliament, Kingston, Jamaica
Design Architect: Hines
Architecture + Design
Executive Architect: Design
Collaborative
Landscape Architect:
OJB Landscape Architecture
Structural Engineer: Buro
Happold
Civil Engineer: Vogt
Engineering
MEP Engineer: DBR
Engineering Consultants

> For more renderings of the Jamaican Houses of Parliament, visit bit.ly/JamaicanHousesofParliamentProject.
CONT IN UI NG E D U CAT I ON

Sensory Design and

Eliciting Emotion Presented By:

THEORIES OF HOME, LIVING, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO EXPERIENCE A SPACE

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Analyze the spatial philosophies of Heidegger and Bachelard, and the ways in
which their theories have influenced modern residential design and architecture.
2. Discover the ways in which pared down design, at first seemingly simplistic,
creates opportunity for depth and meaning by bridging the boundaries
between exterior and interior, eliciting emotion, and helping to establish a
sense of home in any location.
3. Consider design, the timelessness of a space, and the importance of form and
materials when creating the emotional space.
4. Examine ways to create spaces dedicated to wellbeing, comfort, and privacy
even within the busiest cities.

CONTINUING EDUCATION
AIA CREDIT: 1 LU/HSW
IDCEC CREDIT: 0.1 CEU HSW
Use the learning objectives to focus your study as you read this article. To earn
credit and obtain a certificate of completion, visit http://go.hw.net/AR082020-4
to view the entire CEU and complete the quiz. If you are new to Hanley Wood
University, CEU courses are free of charge once you create a new learner account;
returning users log in as usual.

Projects such as Faulkner’s Martis Camp House follow a well-established design tradition
that places a high value on pastoral quietude. But how should we think about more urban
accomplishments in sensory experience? Martis Camp House | Lake Tahoe. Photo Courtesy of:
Faulkner Architects

PEOPLE, LAND, AND SPACE: AN Footpaths winding through the forest, clemency and inclemency of the weather, the
INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURAL said to be some of the first established in drifting clouds and blue depth of the ether,”
PHILOSOPHIES the world, in addition to ancient castles and as he considered the relationship between
At the source of the Danube, tucked in the the varied, magical landscape, are rumored human beings and the land.2
southwest corner of Germany near the to have inspired the Brothers Grimm to
Swiss and French borders, lies Germany’s write such fairy tales as Hansel and Gretel, Heidegger’s Hut: At Home in the Black Forest
Black Forest. Deep, river-carved valleys Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty.1 Home for centuries to farmers, followed
meet glacial lakes and woodlands of fir The Black Forest also lends itself to poetic by loggers, woodworkers, and eventually
and pine as they rise to rounded hills ruminations by German philosopher Martin metalworkers, the Black Forest also inspired
and granite summits. The conifers are so Heidegger: “The sky is the vaulting path of Heidegger to contemplate buildings and
numerous and dense their canopy can the sun, the course of the changing moon, what it means to create a home. Heidegger
block out sunlight, leading early German the wandering glitter of the stars, the year’s examined dwellings, constructed in the 1700s
inhabitants to dub the region, Schwarzwald, seasons and their changes, the light and by Black Forest peasants, that were built
or Black Forest. dusk of day, the gloom and glow of night, the into the land. He believed it was an innate

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connection between people and nature that he pleaded that the immediacies of human GLOSSARY
inspired the farmhouses to be placed “on experience shouldn’t be forgotten. According Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture
the wind-sheltered mountain slope looking to him, people make sense first through their (ANFA)—seeks to promote the understanding of the
south, among the meadows close to the inhabitation of their surroundings, and the link between neuroscience and human responses to
spring. It gave it the wide overhanging shingle emotional responses to them. Only then do the built environment, and is composed of scientists
roof whose proper slope bears up under the they attempt to quantify their attitudes and and architects
burden of snow, and which, reaching deep actions through science and technology.”4
down, shields the chambers against the Heidegger espouses theories of Aida or Aidagara—notion of relatedness; “refers
storms of the long winter nights.”3 experience—where science and technology to space or place in which people are located
The structure and style of the farmhouses, come second to emotion—and questions and in which the various crossroads of relational
for Heidegger, sprang from the connection not necessarily how to build, but how to interconnection are established”
between people and the specific, unique meaningfully occupy or create space in the
natural landscapes that surrounded them. The built environment. He contends “the primary Bachelard, Gaston (1884–-1962)—French
farmhouses were nestled into the mountain trade of architects is arguably in human philosopher who contributed to architectural theory,
slope, protected from the elements yet inspired experience,” and for Heidegger, experience poetics and literary criticism, space, the philosophy
by them and built with them in mind. Heidegger was rooted to time, place, and emotion.5 of science, dreams, and the imagination
himself lived in the Black Forest for a period of Some scholars believe, “Architecture can
time, where the pastoral landscape influenced and has been conceived as an intrinsically Black Forest—region in southwest Germany; known
some of his thinking and writing. Known as philosophical enterprise—grounded in for inspiring Brothers Grimm and others; tourist
“Heidegger’s Hut,” his home can be discovered aesthetics and ethics (including theories of destination for its landscapes and hiking trails
today by taking one of the ancient footpaths human nature)—and also in elements of social
through the forest. Much like the farmhouses he and political philosophy. Architects, landscape Electroencephalogram (EEG) Headsets—measure
writes about, Heidegger’s Hut is in a meadow architects, and designers are responsible for brain activity relating to mental states and mood
surrounded by trees, where its pitched roof creating spaces and fashioning the world
nearly meets the slope of a hillside. (materially and ideationally) in which people live Heidegger, Martin (1889-1976)—German philosopher
and interact. In so doing they promote as well whose work contributed to architectural theory,
Heidegger’s Influence on Architecture as undermine certain values, understandings, phenomenology, existentialism, contemporary
While Heidegger’s politics and biography are and ways of living.”6 Intertwined with European philosophy, literary criticism,
steeped in controversy and uncertainty, his architecture and design are theories of how to psychotherapy, and cognitive science
philosophies have “influenced more than one live well in the built environment, including at
generation of architects.” Writing in the early- home, as well as how the built environment can Late Modernism—reductive and functionalist;
to mid-1900s, Heidegger’s work, particularly his both exemplify and create different values. typically characterized by harsh, abstract, or
essay “Building Dwelling Thinking,” challenged geometric design, as well as a lack of ornamentation
“the procedures and protocols of professional Dreamy Living: Bachelard’s Spatial and a use of industrial materials
practice, his standpoint on architecture part of Theories of Dwelling
a broader critique of the technocratic Western As well as having influenced architects, Peras—Greek for boundary; place from which
world. In a post-war era when Westerners Heidegger’s writings relate to other something begins its presencing
seemed to justify their actions with increasing philosophies on living and dwelling. For
reference to economic and technical statistics, instance, French philosopher Gaston Tetsurō, Watsuji (1889–1960)—Japanese philosopher
who wrote on aesthetics, Japanese ethics,
relationships, and existing Eastern and Western
“I spent a lot of time as a child observing in a woodworking shop across the philosophies

street from the house where I grew up. I became interested in trying to make Yūgen—“wherein the ineffable presence of living
shapes out of wood. With young eyes and sensitivities, I watched how trees nature is sensed trough such things as a faint
drizzle or a sudden unexpected breeze, the onset of
grew, altered by how the sun hit them, changing the qualities of the lumber twilight or the promotion of dawn”; characterized
produced. I came to understand the absolute balance between a form and by a “subdued, serene beauty” where “refinement
and loftiness” are often combined with “simplicity
the material from which it is made. I experienced the inner struggle inherent and austerity.” These traits go hand-in-hand with a
in the human act of applying will to give birth to a form.”37 calm, “emotional subtlety” that signifies “not lack of
emotion but quiet depth”
— Tadao Ando

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152 Elizabeth Street | New York City. Photo Courtesy of: Gabellini Sheppard Associates Martis Camp House | Lake Tahoe. Photo Courtesy of: Faulkner Architects

Bachelard, who lived and wrote in the same What Happens in Nature…Can Happen simultaneously creating spaces that elicit
time period as Heidegger, also contemplates in the City? emotion and provide occupants with an
space. Harvard Design Magazine notes, Broadly speaking and for the purposes of escape from the outside.
“Although Bachelard was specifically this course, the common links between
concerned with the psychodynamics of Bachelard and Heidegger are their idealistic COUNTRY AND CITY COMMONALITIES
the literary image, architects saw in his interpretations of space and home, as well as To Heidegger, the homes in the Black Forest
excavation of the spatial imaginary a counter their influences on contemporary architecture inspiringly mattered because they permitted
to both technoscientific positivism and and design. Heidegger’s discussions of spaces, inhabitants to occupy spaces meaningfully
abstract formalism, as well as an alternative particularly houses, are often nostalgic and and harmoniously with the surrounding
to the schematicism of the other emerging rooted in timelessness, and he thinks of home landscape. Bachelard too equates living
intellectual tendency of the day, structuralism.”7 as being integrated with nature. Nostalgia well with living in nature, maintaining, “A
Bachelard’s theories are, in part, a reaction is also present in Bachelard’s writing, but house in a big city lacks cosmicity. For here,
to late modernism. Rejecting seemingly harsh, he further focuses on consciousness. Both where houses are no longer set in natural
abstract, or geometric design or tangible theorists considered the connection between surroundings, the relationship between
objects, Bachelard prefers to create parallels people and nature, the emotions that can be house and space becomes an artificial one.
between literary and spatial forms, embracing elicited from a space, and what it means to Everything about it is mechanical and,
surrealism. He believes “space is the abode inhabit the built environment—specifically on every side, intimate living flees.”9 Both
of human consciousness” and studies how home. Many architects, ranging from Le theorists reject modernist trends toward
space can accommodate consciousness. For Corbusier to Frank Gehry and Tadao Ando, urbanization and believe that living well and
Bachelard, consciousness is reverie—or a half- have intentionally incorporated or rejected living with purpose in the built environment
dreaming state of being. As Harvard Design elements of Bachelard’s and Heidegger’s can occur only in the country. The city is
Magazine summarizes, “Bachelard would viewpoints in their work. antithetical to their vision. The upcoming
undoubtedly argue that almost everything While both Heidegger and Bachelard section illustrates the ways in which different
we know about architecture as a historical romanticize the countryside and the perceived homes, the Martis Camp House near Lake
discipline stands in the way of everything manner of living and dwelling it provides, Tahoe and the residences at 152 Elizabeth in
we can know about the poetics of dwelling.” contemporary architects and designers are New York City, simultaneously illustrate and
Bachelard’s romanticized view of living in the proving that the philosophers’ theories are refute Heidegger’s and Bachelard’s thoughts.
built environment encompasses nature and also applicable in the city. Material selection, A modern-day home that illustrates and
culminates in a vision of the ideal as “‘a house as well as the use of elements such as light, elevates some of Heidegger’s and Bachelard’s
that comes forth from the earth, that lives air, water, and sound, can help to create idyllic thoughts about dwelling is Greg Faulkner’s
rooted in its black earth.’” Intertwined with homes in the center of a city. In this course, Martis Camp House. In some ways similar
such pastoral images is the idea of space as architects designing residences in both the to ideas Heidegger espouses about the
“‘felicitous.’” Half-conscious dreaming, nature, city and the country, specifically Tadao Ando, Black Forest homes, the Martis Camp House
and emotion form major components of Michael Gabellini, and Greg Faulkner, will be is tucked into a forested mountainside,
Bachelard’s views on meaningful spaces.8 shown to incorporate nature in their work, sheltering its occupants from extreme

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weather. At the same time, it does not disrupt QUIZ

the landscape. North-facing and steeply
1. Which philosopher, referenced throughout this course, used inspiration from Germany’s Black Forest
sloped, the home is vertically situated in a
to contemplate buildings and their use to create a home?
very small directional envelope on a ski run
a. Bachelard b. Watsuji
on the mountain. Because of the site and
c. Heidegger d. Hume
specific location, when Faulkner considered
form, he “thought about the space first and 2. Which thinker, referenced throughout this course, preferred to create parallels between literary and
mirrored the clearing through the woods up spatial forms, embracing surrealism and believing that “space is the abode of human consciousness”?
the slope like the ski run.” He then created a. Bachelard b. Watsuji
“an access through the heart of the house, c. Heidegger d. Hume
and then developed territories with varying
3. In 2003, the San Diego Chapter of the AIA founded the non-profit Academy of Neuroscience for
degrees of privacy along the way—amounts
Architecture (ANFA), which seeks to promote the understanding of the link between neuroscience
of closure or openness depending on the use.”
and ______________ to the built environment, and is composed of scientists and architects.
Faulkner maintains, “The house is very much
a. Evolution b. Neuroscience
buried into the slope.”10 The design of the
c. Human Response d. Energy
Martis Camp House takes its inspiration from
the unique, immediate natural environment, 4. A researcher who studies the psychological impact of design has found that people are particularly

and the house ultimately becomes part of impacted by _________. There is a tendency of people to hurry past mass-produced, blank, cold

the landscape. The “relationship between spaces while slowing down for convivial spaces.

house and space,” as Bachelard says, is here a. Buildings with water b. Building façades

seamlessly celebrated. c. Building elevators d. Buildings with corporate logos

5. According to the course materials, architects and scientists studying neuroscience and the built

Ä
This article continues on environment have the goal of:

http://go.hw.net/AR082020-4. a. Creating a space where people treat each other kindly

Go online to read the rest of the CEU course, b. Creating a space where people feel good

complete the corresponding quiz for credit, c. Creating a sense of connectedness through spatial relation

and receive your certificate of completion. d. All of the above

6. In the 152 Elizabeth project, Ando primarily uses ________ to create enclosed spaces.
We would like to extend special thanks to Michael a. Wood panels b. Curtain walls
Gabellini of Gabellini Sheppard Associates and c. Thick concrete walls d. Steel
Greg Faulkner of Faulkner Architects for their
7. For Faulkner, _____ design provides the opportunity stop focusing on the ocular view of the project,
contributions and insight in the creation of this
continuing education course. and start focusing on the experience.
a. Contemporary b. Modernist
c. Minimalist d. Renaissance
SPONSOR INFORMATION
8. At 152 Elizabeth, Gabellini uses which of the following to guide the design concept to both create
and blur boundaries between inside and outside?
a. Light b. Air
c. Sound d. Water
Gaggenau is a manufacturer of high-quality home e. All of the above
appliances and acknowledged as an innovation
9. In Faulkner’s Martis Camp House, _______ was used to transition from outdoors to indoors and
leader in design and technology “Made in
provide continuity between the built place and the site overall.
Germany”. The company, with a history dating
a. Basalt flooring b. Wood paneling
back to 1683, has revolutionized the domestic
c. Concrete d. Steel beams
kitchen with its internationally acclaimed products.
Gaggenau’s success is founded on technological 10. As referenced in the course materials, Watsuji describes _______ as the all-important concept that
innovation and a clear design language combined one inhabits an entire interconnected network of influences that together create an entire people’s
with high functionality. Gaggenau has been attitudes and value.
a subsidiary of BSH Hausgeräte GmbH in a. Science b. Air
Munich since 1995 and is currently represented c. Water d. Climate
in more than 50 countries with 24 flagship
showrooms in major cities around the world.

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CONT I N UI N G ED U C AT I O N

Addressing the Pains of Increased

Presented By:

Disinfection Protocols on Architectural

Wall Coatings in Healthcare:
A Prescription for Success
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Examine the risk that healthcare acquired
infections (HAIs) pose to patients and the
disinfection protocols used to mitigate them.
2. Understand how disinfection and sterilization
protocols can affect architectural wall coatings
in healthcare facilities.
3. Explore testing that compared several paints and
coatings in rigorous hospital environments and
how they performed based on odor, durability,
and cleanability.
4. Describe how two component waterborne
polyurethane wall coatings combine high
performance with aesthetics to meet both the
needs of healthcare administrators and designers.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

AIA CREDITS: 1 LU|HSW

IDCEC CREDITS: 0.1 CEU HSW
Use the learning objectives to focus your study as you
read this article. To earn credit and obtain a certificate
of completion, visit http://go.hw.net/AR082020-3
By Steven Reinstadtler, Infrastructure Marketing Manager—Coatings at Covestro LLC to view the entire CEU and complete the quiz. If you
are new to Hanley Wood University, CEU courses are
NOVEL VIRUS LEADS TO AN INCREASE IN already existing chronic condition in which a free of charge once you create a new learner account;
HEALTHCARE ACQUIRED INFECTIONS host of microorganisms such as viruses (i.e. returning users log in as usual.
In 2020, we were exposed to the reality of influenza and noroviruses), bacteria (i.e. E.
the COVID-19 disease pandemic, brought coli, C. difficile, MRSA) and other microbial
on by the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus pathogens cause such significant risks to strict guidelines for addressing healthcare
across the world. Being a novel coronavirus, patient health that healthcare organizations associated infections in healthcare facilities.
it causes major concern because the have dedicated personnel, procedures, and These detailed protocols have been extremely
human immune system globally hasn’t been budgets specifically targeted at controlling effective in controlling infections over
exposed to it before and therefore does or eradicating healthcare associated the years and hospital personnel such as
not have any resistance or antibodies ready infections (HAIs), also known as hospital doctors, nurses, environmental services,
to help fight the infection. The COVID-19 acquired infections. and facility maintenance daily apply the
disease, like others caused by viruses, Because this is an ongoing battle, protocols diligently while performing their
present their own set of challenges and pains national healthcare organizations such as the jobs. However, some of these guidelines,
for hospital and healthcare professionals Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which include personal hygiene practices,
because of their ability to be spread on (CDC), The Joint Commission (TJC), and sterilization of medical devices, and
surfaces in healthcare facilities. However, this the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency disinfection of architectural surfaces with
recent acute issue serves to aggravate an (EPA) have developed and routinely update harsh chemicals and techniques, exact

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a toll on some areas of the healthcare medical attention and the ongoing resistance GLOSSARY
infrastructure. One observation of these of certain microbes to traditional antibiotics. Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI)—Also known
heightened actions is the accelerated For example, in American hospitals alone, the as nosocomial infections, HAIs are infections that
degradation of painted wall surfaces in rooms Centers for Disease Control tabulate HAIs patients get while receiving treatment for medical
of healthcare facilities that are considered yearly based on required data collected by or surgical conditions; they occur in all settings
higher risk due to the activities that are hospitals and estimate that HAIs account for of care, including hospitals, surgical centers,
performed in the area and the need for higher 1.7 million infections and 99,000 associated ambulatory clinics, and long-term care facilities such
hygiene precautions. deaths each year. Patients who acquire as nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities
Hospital administrators, facility managers, infections from surgery spend, on average, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)—A respiratory
and the architectural community are an additional 6.5 days in the hospital, are illness that can spread from person to person that
concerned with meeting these current five times more likely to be readmitted after causes mild upper-respiratory tract illnesses; COVID-19
CDC and TJC guidelines, as well as newer discharge, and are twice as likely to die. is a new disease, caused by a novel (or new) coronavi-
heightened COVID-19 precautions in the Moreover, surgical patients who develop rus that has not previously been seen in humans
EPA’s Emerging Viral Pathogen Policy, infections are 60 percent more likely to Centers for Disease Control (CDC)—A United States
without sacrificing aesthetics and durability. require admission to a hospital’s intensive federal agency, under the Department of Health
Fortunately, there are architectural coating care unit. Surgical infections are believed to and Human Services, that is tasked with protecting
technologies specifically formulated account for up to $10 billion dollars annually America from health, safety, and security threats,
for targeted hospital environments that in healthcare expenditures.1 both foreign and in the U.S. CDC conducts critical
require a higher frequency of cleaning with science and provides health information that pro-
harsher disinfectants. These novel coating CDC’s Guideline for Disinfection and tects our nation against expensive and dangerous
technologies offer improved durability and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities health threats, and responds when these arise
resistance to harsh cleaners and disinfectants More recently the global COVID-19 The Joint Commission (TJC)—A United States-
without sacrificing appearance. But first, pandemic has only increased the need and based nonprofit tax-exempt 501 organization
we must better understand the enemy by frequency for stringent disinfection. Hospital that accredits more than 22,000 US health care
understanding the symptoms of current administrators have come under increasing organizations and programs
and newer disinfection requirements and pressure from health organizations such List N—List of products that meet the EPA’s criteria
the chemicals and procedures involved, the as The Joint Commission, the Centers for for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes
magnitude and spread of the problem, the Disease Control and Prevention, and the COVID-19; List N defines the products containing
diagnosis process, and the deleterious effects Environmental Protection Agency to change the specific disinfectant chemicals and contact
of not treating the problem. Only then can we or update standard facility disinfection and times to control the virus
review and compare the possible prescriptive sterilization guidelines. In 2008, the CDC Surface disinfection treatment by airless spray
treatments, benchmark testing methods and revised the protocols for the safe operation application—Spray units used to apply a film
results, and infrastructure ‘recovery’ examples of a healthcare facility. These protocols are of EPA List N chemicals on walls, furniture, bed
related to this topic. Hopefully, this learning referred to as the Guideline for Disinfection components, and other equipment as prescribed by
unit will serve to educate the architectural and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities and the relevant guidelines
reader but also be a reference document are periodically revised to reflect the results Vaporized hydrogen peroxide—An automated
going forward that the reader can consult for of the latest evidence-based studies. Some system that fogs or mists the room and all the
specific healthcare infrastructure disinfection of the changes affected the way critical areas contents with a predetermined concentration of a
guidelines, methods, and materials. such as emergency, operating, and procedure product such as hydrogen peroxide
rooms are disinfected between each patient Ozone mist system—Automated ozone generating
OBSERVING THE SYMPTOMS AND use as well as during terminal cleaning.2 system that bathes the room with anti-microbial
AGGRAVATING CONDITIONS mist that kills microorganisms on vertical and
Healthcare associated infections, also known EPA’s Emerging Viral Pathogen Policy horizontal surfaces
as nosocomial infections, are infections that The EPA’s Emerging Viral Pathogen Policy 2K waterborne polyurethane-based coating—A
patients get while receiving treatment for was issued to provide specific guidance water-based, breathable, aliphatic polyurethane wall
medical or surgical conditions. HAIs occur related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The EPA coating that offers a variety of superb benefits to
in all settings of care, including hospitals, recently released a new list of disinfectants commercial projects such as excellent disinfectant
surgical centers, ambulatory clinics, and long- that can be used against the virus that and stain resistance, very low VOCs and odor, and
term care facilities such as nursing homes and causes the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease. desired aesthetics
rehabilitation facilities. Healthcare associated All of these disinfectant products qualified Crosslinking—Entanglement and reaction of long
infection has become a major threat to for a streamlined pesticide approval process polymer chains that increases physical strength
human life over the past several decades with under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and chemical resistance in 2K waterborne
an increased volume of patients requiring and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) through the polyurethane coatings

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agency’s Emerging Viral Pathogen program. sodium hypochlorite (bleach) solution. The However, abrasion is not the only
This list only covers surface disinfectants as repeated process of wiping the wall surface aggravating condition of wall paint failure.
hand sanitizers are regulated by the U.S. Food with a fibrous disposable material along with The regulations on the types of disinfecting
and Drug Administration (FDA). the strong concentration of bleach can cause chemicals and cleaners and their strength
a traditional wall paint to break down and have challenged the chemical resistance
AGGRAVATING CONDITIONS wear away over time. This poses a hygiene inherent in traditional architectural coatings.
For a variety of past reasons and new issue since the loss of the continuous paint More recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
challenges, there are three primary film exposes the porous drywall surface hospitals and healthcare facilities, outpatient
aggravating conditions that traditional wall which can allow absorption of biological and urgent care facilities, and nursing homes
paints face in the healthcare environment: contaminants and make the disinfection have instituted even more aggressive cleaning
• Abrasion from existing disinfection process more difficult. regimens on vertical wall and horizontal
guidelines floor areas. Recently, the U.S. EPA addressed
• Paint surface degradation from Paint Surface Degradation Due to current COVID-19 disease disinfection concerns
disinfection chemicals Disinfecting Chemicals by creating List N. All products on this list
• Newer disinfection methods and devices An additional aggravating condition can meet the EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-
be the use of a lower sheen wall paint that CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. List N
Abrasion from Disinfecting Guidelines was selected for aesthetic reasons. The defines the products containing the specific
By cleaning horizontal and vertical surfaces architectural design community has long disinfectant chemicals and contact times to
more often, the existing wall paint is subjected recognized the benefits of certain colors and control the virus. The contact time, which is the
to increased abrasion which it may not have sheens in the healthcare sector to facilitate amount of time the surface should be visibly
been exposed to in the past. This increased a warmer and welcoming environment for wet, must be considered since these times vary
abrasion can be caused by several scenarios. patients in a stressful situation. These types by product and chemistry. This point is often
First, more frequent use of the area and the of finishes typically do not resist scrubbing overlooked in considerations since most people
wear-and-tear from bumps and scuffs from and abrasion as well as their high gloss equate cleaning surfaces as similar to wiping
the increased movement and placement counterparts. This can accelerate the wear their kitchen table off after a meal. However, in
of auxiliary equipment in the room such as on the painted surface, further exacerbating the healthcare sector, hospital personnel are
carts, operating tables, beds, and tray holders the problem. In order to compensate, hospital well-trained in the need to have the correct
can affect the durability of the wall coating. facility managers and the architects who contact or dwell time on the surface in order
However, observations have found that certain specify these paints have been forced to limit to achieve adequate and thorough disinfection.
areas of the walls near tray tables and other their design palette of acrylic latex paints to The following is an abbreviated, generic list of
auxiliary equipment are routinely cleaned by gloss or semi-gloss finishes in critical areas active ingredients and contact times from List
hospital environmental services personnel as an attempt to marginally extend longevity. N to give the reader a sense of the types of
when biological contaminants may have Other more durable coating options such as disinfectants that are being used.
transferred due to touch or splatter. epoxy have had limited success due to the It is important to note that many of
These areas can be cleaned using unacceptable odor during application as well the products prescribed to be effective
commonly available pre-treated disposable as possible color shift over time. for destroying the SARS-CoV-2 virus are
wipes, which are often wetted with a 1:10 a mixture of several different chemicals

TABLE 1: LIST N ACTIVE INGREDIENTS AND CONTACT TIMES

Active Ingredient(s) Common Concentration Contact Time
Sodium hypochlorite 0.65% (1:10 dilution in water) 1–3 min.
Hydrogen peroxide 3–6% 3–15 min.
Ethanol 60–70% 5 min.
Isopropyl alcohol 60–70% 5 min.
Quaternary Ammonium salt 1.5% 10 min.
Citric acid varies by type 5–10 min.
Glutaraldehyde 2% in aqueous pH 8 solution 10 min.
Peracetic or Peroxyacetic acid 35% 1–5 min.
Phenolics varies by type 5–10 min.
The repeated process of wiping the wall surface with a fibrous disposable material along with Potassium peroxymonosulfate 1% 5–10 min.
the strong concentration of bleach can cause a traditional wall paint to break down and wear
away over time.
Povidone-iodine 7.5% 5 min.

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to increase their efficacy. For example, QUIZ

peroxyacetic acid is often blended together 1. Healthcare associated infections which occur while receiving treatment for medical or surgical conditions
with hydrogen peroxide in disinfection is the definition of which term?
products for a more active combination. a. Nosocomial b. Infection-based virus
These mixtures can be even more challenging c. Pathogenic spread d. Bacteria
when considering the chemical resistance of a
2. According to the CDC, healthcare associated infections account for 1.7 million infections and ________
wall paint or coating.
associated deaths each year.
a. 25,000 b. 50,000
New Methods for Disinfecting and Sterilizing
c. 75,000 d. 99,000
Critical Areas
Finally, a third aggravating condition for 3. Which of the following is an aggravating condition for the long-term performance of architectural wall

the long-term performance of architectural paints in healthcare environments?

wall paints is the advent of several newer a. Abrasion from existing disinfection guidelines

methods and technologies for disinfecting b. Paint surface degradation from disinfection chemicals

and sterilizing critical areas of the healthcare c. Newer disinfection methods and devices

environment. The two methods that are d. All of the above

particularly relevant in this situation are: 4. Before 2K waterborne polyurethane paint became an option, which finish did architects have to specify
in critical areas as an attempt to marginally extend the longevity of wall paint?
a. Acrylic b. Matte

Ä
This article continues on c. Flat d. Epoxy
http://go.hw.net/AR082020-3. e. Gloss
Go online to read the rest of the CEU course,
5. Which new method for disinfecting critical areas requires applying a film of EPA List N chemicals on walls,
complete the corresponding quiz for credit,
furniture, bed components, and other equipment?
and receive your certificate of completion.
a. Surface disinfection treatment by airless spray application
b. Automated vaporized hydrogen peroxide
c. Automated UV-C light units

SPONSOR INFORMATION d. Cleaning with pre-treated disposable wipes

6. Which of the following describes a water-based, breathable, aliphatic coating that is available in low
or high gloss sheen, clear, and/or pigmented?
a. 1K waterborne acrylic latex, zero VOC b. 1K waterborne acrylic epoxy
c. 2K waterborne polyurethane d. 2K waterborne epoxy

7. _____ , created by the EPA to address current COVID-19 disease disinfectants, is a list of products
As an innovation leader in the development of
containing the specific disinfectant chemicals and contact times to control the virus.
high performance coating and sealant raw material
a. List A b. List N
technologies, Covestro, LLC enables architects,
c. List C d. List V
designers and building owners by providing real
8. For the purpose of the testing discussed, the 2K waterborne polyurethane with _____ gloss was used
world solutions for built environment challenges.
since it represented the aesthetic desires of the architectural and healthcare design community as well
Covestro, LLC develops coating and sealant solutions
as the worst-case scenario in regards to durability for the facility owner.
for flooring, interior and exterior walls and trim, and
a. Low b. Medium
roofing and waterproofing with high performance
c. High d. Semi
and sustainability in mind.
9. In independent odor testing, which paint or coating had the highest odor intensity at 4 hours?
a. 1K waterborne acrylic latex, zero VOC b. 1K waterborne acrylic epoxy
c. 2K waterborne polyurethane d. 2K waterborne epoxy

10. The testing results showed that the 2K waterborne polyurethane wall coating technology provides the
best overall properties for combatting which major pain points of concern for hospital administrators?
a. Odor b. Durability
c. Cleanability d. All of the above

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Designing the Outdoor Oasis Presented By:

ENSURING CLIENT SATISFACTION THROUGH EFFECTIVE

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Understand outdoor design trends and approaches
and how outdoor spaces can increase home value.
2. Identify the role of project management in
architecture and how architects can transition to
project management roles using existing skillsets.
3. Discover best practices and challenges in outdoor
space design, such as safety, moisture, and sustain-
ability concerns, and how to enhance project value.
4. Evaluate the features and benefits of outdoor com-
posite and PVC decking, metal deck framing and
railing solutions, and outdoor LED lighting and how
specifying the appropriate materials and products
enhances client satisfaction and project success.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

AIA CREDIT: 1 LU/HSW

Use the learning objectives to focus your study as you

read this article. To earn credit and obtain a certificate
of completion, visit http://go.hw.net/AR082020-1 to
view the entire CEU and complete the quiz. If you
The home has always been a source all part of what can transform a common are new to Hanley Wood University, CEU courses are
of comfort. It’s a sanctuary from the backyard into a retreat. Biophilic design, or the free of charge once you create a new learner account;
sometimes stressful and fast-paced lives art of designing with nature, is another way returning users log in as usual.
that we lead. As homeowners come to that designers can change otherwise ordinary
expect more from their home in terms of decks and patios into an at-home oasis.1
functionality and design, architects have an Demand for outdoor spaces is on the rise.
opportunity to deliver solutions that enhance It used to be that home offices were the most
how homeowners interact with the built popular choice for homeowners who wanted
environment around them. to add a special function room to their house.
While home offices remain in the top three
TRENDS IN OUTDOOR DESIGN in-demand choices, outdoor spaces have
Homeowners’ desire to bring the indoors dominated the top spot consistently since
out is increasing the demand for modern, 2017. An AIA survey in 2017 reported that 38
sophisticated outdoor design solutions. They percent of architects saw outdoor spaces
want the comfort of the indoor environment as the number one special function room,
integrated into an outdoor space, as if the compared to just 23 percent for mudrooms
rooms flow effortlessly from one space to the and 16 percent for home offices. Between
other. Elements like outdoor kitchens, TVs, 2012 and 2017, demand for outdoor spaces
lighting design, and comfortable seating are increased by 72 percent. Part of this rise can

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be attributed to an increase in discretionary Especially in urban or suburban timeless look that fits into any outdoor living
spending and homeowners continuing to want environments, incorporating plenty of green space. The surfaces we walk on are no longer
to make the most out of existing spaces.2 space into an outdoor oasis is a must. Whether being seen as afterthoughts. Instead, decking
And since the onset of the coronavirus it’s thoughtful landscaping, hanging plants, materials that create stylish surfaces and subtle
pandemic in early 2020, staying home has living walls, or more artistic inclusions like patterns give homeowners more flexibility to
been a requirement. It’s likely that as more natural-looking materials can help to achieve incorporate design elements into the flooring.
people stayed home and avoided public a look that is integrated with nature and Landscape lighting is gaining traction as well.
places, they have noticed areas of their home sustainable at the same time. Color schemes It’s a necessary functional element for safety,
they want to improve. After the recession in featuring warm tones and soft shades are being but strategically placed outdoor lighting
2008-09, the housing market saw a higher used alongside pops of color in accessories like can do more than provide illumination; it
demand for smaller homes and lower demand decorative lighting, rugs, furniture, and more. can highlight other architectural and design
for extra features. Now, post-coronavirus, for Beyond the color schemes and design elements in the space.5
homeowners who have been able to work aesthetic, decking and railing are getting
from home and continue making money, the more attention, too. Aluminum railings are BEST PRACTICES FOR OUTDOOR DESIGN
temporary boost in discretionary income— becoming more popular for their durable, low- When architects are designing outdoor
due to factors like not driving to work, maintenance characteristics combined with a spaces for homeowners, they need to be
shopping, or eating out—is considered to be
a driving force behind a future uptick in home
renovation projects.3
Already, DIYers have been hard at work.
Since mid-March 2020, home renovation proj-
ects like painting and improvements to outdoor
living have experienced the biggest upticks.4
These early indicators support a continued
investment in outdoor spaces as households
recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

What Do Homeowners Want from Their

Outdoor Spaces?
Pre-pandemic, a few design trends emerged
that architects could use to create stunning
outdoor spaces for their clients. Sustainability,
entertainment, multi-functional spaces, and
integrating the outdoors with the interior are
all dominating homeowner preferences.

GLOSSARY
Biophilic Design: The art of designing with nature; Project Management: The practice of leading a team Softscaping: Living elements of landscaping, such as
derived from “biophilia,” which translates literally to to achieve a certain outcome within a specified flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees, as well as grading,
‘love of nature.’ period of time; four main project phases are planting, digging, and anything else required for the
Composite Decking: New options of composite and planning, build-up, implementation, and closeout. maintenance of horticultural elements.
PVC decking eliminate early challenges of moisture Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES): A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): A project
absorption and slippage; made to resemble natural comprehensive rating system used by landscape management tool that aids in determining scope
wood and is up to 45% lighter and two times architects, designers, and others to align land and project tasks by breaking project components
stronger than earlier composite choices. development and management with innovative down into smaller tasks.
Hardscaping: Non-living elements of landscaping, such sustainable design. Administered by Green Business Xeriscaping: Also called “desert landscaping,” it’s
as decking, railing, walls, and other built structures. Certification Inc. (GBCI). the process of utilizing hardscaping or gardening
POE (Post Occupancy Evaluation): A study at various Site Planning: Involves reviewing the site’s terrain, that reduces or eliminates the need for extra water
intervals after the design project is completed; the any current structures, environmental factors, and to maintain the space.
purpose is to understand how users actually interact local area, such as local vegetation and existing
with the space and evaluate various elements. architectural elements.

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thinking about how the space can be utilized Another consideration is where the • Backyard Patio: 55.2% cost recouped and
and what the homeowner intends to do in outdoor space is. It doesn’t have to be in the $31,430 resale value
it. Multi-functional spaces increase the ways back yard. Side yards and front patios have There are multiple measurements and
that occupants can interact with the space, become more popular, especially among indexes that rank different outdoor design
whether it’s to relax, entertain, or play. To that homeowners with little useable space for a projects. Smaller scale patio projects
end, finding out the family’s vision will help back yard. Side and front configurations can can actually increase resale value, and
designers create a space that is functional, also help increase a home’s curb appeal.7 another report estimates that a 14x18
beautiful, and creative, and exceeds the deck with railing, stair treads, and sealer
homeowners’ expectations. HOW OUTDOOR SPACES INCREASE can recover about 80 percent of the
A few ways to maximize the use of outdoor HOME VALUE project cost at resale. A new patio is one
spaces include lighting, umbrellas or movable Homeowners’ desire to upgrade their outdoor of the outdoor remodeling projects that
shade walls/screens, outdoor fireplaces, built-in spaces varies widely. A new homeowner give homeowners the greatest desire to
seating, vertical planters, and more. is more likely to want to add outdoor stay at home, in addition to landscape
Because outdoor spaces are an extension landscaping and hardscaping to ‘frame’ the upgrades, according to the National
of the indoor home, the best place to start house and up its curb appeal. Homeowners Association of Realtors and NALP.10 And
when designing a project that will exceed trying to sell are looking to increase home good landscape design can add 5 to 11
homeowners’ expectations is to understand value. Design sophistication has been percent of perceived value to a home.11
the buyer and the budget. To the points considered the most important landscaping Outdoor kitchens, irrigation systems, and
above, creating a multi-functional space starts factor and has been shown to increase home water features are popular among luxury
with an understanding of the client’s lifestyle, value the most (compared to simple landscape homes. Hardscaping projects can be found in
as well as current and future needs. For designs), allowing architects to step in and any price range but are much more common
example, perhaps a young couple is planning create stunning outdoor spaces for clients.8 in high-end outdoor spaces. Sustainable
on starting a family soon, so their outdoor During the beginning stages of a new hardscaping elements like permeable pavers
space would need to incorporate areas for outdoor design project, it’s helpful for and low-maintenance landscapes create
play as well as safety features, along with architects to remind homebuyers that outdoor more value for homeowners. Hardscaping
space to entertain. Whatever the client wants spaces increase a home’s value. According and landscaping add the most value when
to do with the space, design accordingly. to 2019 national averages for remodeling used together. Used in combination, they
Maximize the features in relation to the entire projects, the following outdoor design allow homeowners to imagine more uses for
home, and don’t over clutter with lots of projects can expect to recoup the following the outdoor space. Just as hardscaping cuts
furniture or accessories. amounts and resale value.9 down on lawn maintenance, certain types
It’s also important to design for seasonality • Wood Deck Replacement: 75.6% cost of landscaping provide privacy, protection
and activity. For example, positioning an recouped and $10,083 resale value from the wind, and shade in the summer. The
outdoor TV or grilling center to the south for • Composite Deck Replacement: 69.1% cost value of both elements is needed for a truly
better sunlight, and also consider whether recouped and $13,232 resale value standout space.
coverings will be needed. Design features
that tie into an activity will help homeowners
utilize the space better, too. It is in this area
that elements like furniture, materials, flooring,
and fabrics can really shine.
When designing outdoor spaces,
incorporate seamless transitions from the
indoors out, and vice versa. The space needs to
be convenient, comfortable, and accessible for
homeowners. ADA requirements still need to be
followed for residential outdoor design projects,
as well as any other local building codes.
Landscaping and site planning work together
to tie the outdoors to the built environment
as well as the exterior surroundings. Take care
to evaluate the site and take advantage of
available views and daylights, and work with
a civil engineer when necessary to develop
appropriate grading and drainage.6

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Another type of outdoor design is more QUIZ

prevalent in dry climates. Xeriscaping is similar 1. According to the course, how much has the demand for outdoor spaces increased in recent years?
to hardscaping, except that it focuses on A. 70 percent B. 72 percent
using less water and native plants. Xeriscaping C. 75 percent D. 80 percent
can save a home’s water use by up to 60
2. Approximately how much can a 14x18 deck with railing, stair treads, and sealer recover at resale?
percent, according to some sources, and in
A. 80 percent B. 75 percent
some states it can even offer homebuyers
C. 78 percent D. 65 percent
a rebate program that pays them a certain
amount per square foot when grass is 3. In the four phases of project management, what is the second phase?
replaced by “desert landscaping.” A. Planning B. Strategy
In general, landscaping allows a C. Build-Out D. Build-Up
homeowner to recoup nearly 100 percent
4. Time, cost, and _______ are three variables that can impact the outcome of a project.
in project costs. Plus, landscaping increases
A. Team members B. Availability of materials
the privacy of an outdoor space, which
C. Quality D. Client feedback
is helpful in urban environments. Fire pits
are an in-demand feature, but local code 5. When considering the four most common problems that can arise that threaten an entire project,
restrictions might dictate where—and if—a which one does NOT belong?
fire pit can be installed.12 A. Budget B. Time slippage
When it comes to choosing the right C. Quality issues D. People problems
kind of outdoor design for a specific home,
6. According to the course, how many square feet are recommended per person in an outdoor space?
a good strategy is to match the landscaping
A. 4 square feet without furniture, 12 square feet with furniture
and hardscaping to the home’s architectural
B. 5–6 square feet without furniture, 10 square feet with furniture
style. Homeowners can expect to spend
C. 5–6 square feet without furniture, 12 square feet with furniture
about 10 percent of their home’s value on
D. 6–8 square feet without furniture, 12-14 square feet with furniture
outdoor living spaces; if this number isn’t
feasible, simply adding color and edging with 7. Two primary ways to avoid a “design fail” are to design with the user in mind and _________.
landscaping along with maintaining the lawn A. Talk to the customer
will provide a quick, inexpensive fix.13 B. Consult the Post Occupancy Evaluations for similar projects
In considering ways to add home value C. Finish on time and within budget
and homeowner enjoyment, maintenance- D. Give the customer more than they asked for
free materials are a must. Wood decking may
8. Problems with wood decking can include:
recoup more project costs than composite
A. Slippage B. Warping
decking, on average, but quality composite
C. Erosion D All of the above
decking is much easier to maintain. There
is no sealing, sanding, staining, or painting 9. According to the course, how much lighter is new composite and PVC decking compared to first
required. It is scratch- and fade-resistant generation composite?
and comes in a variety of price points. A. 45 percent B. 40 percent
Newer composite decking materials are C. 50 percent D. 35 percent
co-extruded to resemble the look of wood
10. Two options for outdoor LED lighting to save energy and extend useful life include a ______ and ______.
without any of the upkeep, and it comes in
A. Wireless remote and timer B. Photocell and timer
several colors and finishes to complement
C. Touch controls and photocell D. Premium transformer and touch controls
any outdoor design project.14

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and receive your certificate of completion. Fortress Building Products delivers a total solution for almost any application. Our products all work together
or can stand alone. By continually pushing the boundaries, we forged a family of refined, resilient decking,
railing, fencing, framing, fasteners, and lighting. It’s smarter innovation. It’s the Fortress way.

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BY OUTSIDERS.
DECKING | RAILING | FENCING | FRAMING | LIGHTING | FASTENERS

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THE WORLD NEEDS REBELS.
Those willing to push the boundaries to challenge
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Presented By:

The Top 10 Ways to Reduce

Concrete’s Carbon Footprint
INTRODUCTION
Concrete is unique among building materials. Its formulation is highly
influenced by its application. Design professionals and contractors
have a greater influence on concrete formulation than they do with
other building products. Concrete can be made stronger, lighter,
more flowable, stiffer, less permeable, and even weaker depending on
performance needs. All these formulations can be made at the same
factory, within minutes of one another. No other building material is
that versatile. Concrete does not rot, rust, or burn. It can be exposed
to the elements or exposed for architectural reasons. Concrete is
economical, available nearly everywhere, and made from the most
abundant materials on the planet, usually from local sources.
Concrete is used for the tallest buildings, the longest bridges, the
largest buildings, the busiest airports, the most efficient rapid transit
systems, roadways, theaters, stadiums, schools, apartment buildings,
and houses. Drinking water is transported in concrete pipes and
reservoirs, and waste is treated in wastewater treatment plants made
of concrete. Concrete is used in nearly every structure where people
live, work, learn, and play. It is part of the infrastructure that connects
us. It’s the material that helped build modern society and will likely be
part of improving modern society for some time.
According to UN Environment, Global Status Report 2017, the
world is projected to add 320 billion m2 (3.4 trillion ft2) of buildings by

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Understand the basics of embodied carbon of concrete.
2. Evaluate the immediate steps that can be taken to reduce carbon footprint
when specifying concrete.
3. Prioritize design strategies to get the greatest reductions in carbon footprint
using current technologies and design tools.
4. Explore how innovative technologies will result in zero carbon concrete
in the future.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

AIA CREDIT: 1.5 LU/HSW

Use the learning objectives to focus your study as you read this article. To earn
credit and obtain a certificate of completion, visit http://go.hw.net/AR082020-2
to view the entire CEU and complete the quiz. If you are new to Hanley Wood
960 W. 7th Street, Los Angeles. The design and construction team implemented several University, CEU courses are free of charge once you create a new learner account;
Top 10 strategies to reduce the embodied carbon of concrete for this new residential tower returning users log in as usual.
in Los Angeles. Photo: Courtesy of Brookfield Properties.

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CONT IN UI NG E D U CAT I ON

GLOSSARY
2060. That’s an area equal to 1.4 times the Therefore, sustainability goals should be
entire current global building stock. The UN communicated to product manufacturers. This Blended cements—combine ordinary portland
report urges building designers and owners not only applies to concrete but to the majority cement (OPC) with other materials; the most
to design disaster-resilient buildings for of building products. common is portland limestone cement (PLC).
the future, with zero-energy consumption. Most product manufacturers bid on a Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)—an
Because of its thermal mass, concrete has project armed with a set of drawings and independently verified and registered document
long been the material of choice for energy are often only provided the section of that communicates transparent and comparable
efficiency, and because of its strength and the specification affecting their work. For information about the life-cycle environmental
durability, it has been the material of choice concrete, that is section 03300. However, impact of products.
for disaster resilience. However, the UN report in many instances the sustainability related Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)—compilation and
also urges the building industry to reduce the requirements are placed in section 01000. evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential
embodied impacts of building materials. If a concrete contractor and product environmental impacts of a product system
This article will discuss how design and manufacturer do not see Section 1 of the throughout its life cycle.
construction teams can implement ten specification, then they will be unaware of any Portland-Limestone Cement—blended cement
simple strategies to reduce concrete’s carbon carbon reduction goals regarding concrete. combines up to 15% limestone interground with OPC
footprint today. The recommendations are to make a cement with a carbon footprint that is
listed broadly in order of priority, but not in Recommendations up to 10% lower than OPC with performance that is
order of impact reduction. All are important Collaborate identical to—and in some cases better than—OPC.
and should be implemented. In addition, Collaborate with concrete producers and Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs)—can
the strategies are meant to achieve a lower contractors. Invite them in for a meeting or be used for improved concrete performance in its
carbon footprint without impacting other charrette with your design team. Understand fresh and hardened state. They are primarily used
traditional performance criteria for concrete. what technologies and concrete ingredients for improved workability, durability, and strength.
are available locally. Just because a product These materials allow the concrete producer to
THE TOP 10 LIST (slag cement for example) isn’t generally used design and modify the concrete mixture to suit the
1. Communicate carbon reduction goals in a market, it doesn’t mean you should not desired application.
2. Ensure good quality control and assurance specify or prohibit its use. Generally, the reason Sustainable Development—meeting the needs of
3. Optimize concrete volume a product is not used is because there is no the present without compromising the needs of
4. Use alternative cements demand for it. You need to create the demand future generations
5. Use supplementary cementitious materials by permitting and encouraging its use. Type IL (X)—portland-limestone cement where “X”
6. Use admixtures can be between 5 and 15% limestone.
7. Don’t limit ingredients Specification Type IS (X)—portland-slag cement where “X” can be
8. Set targets for carbon footprint SECTION 03300—CAST-IN-PLACE CONCRETE up to 70% slag.
9. Sequester carbon dioxide in concrete PART 1—GENERAL Type IP (X)—portland-pozzolan cement where
10. Encourage innovation 1.1 SUSTAINABILITY GOALS “X” can e up to 40% pozzolan (fly ash is the most
A. This project has a goal of reducing the common).
embodied carbon footprint over a typical Type IT (X) (X)—ternary blended cement where
IMPLEMENTING THE TOP 10 CARBON project by 20%*. To accomplish this “X” can be up to 70% of pozzolan +limestone +
REDUCTION STRATEGIES goal, we are targeting a carbon footprint slag, with pozzolan being no more than 40% and
reduction for concrete of 35%* over limestone no more than 15%.
1. COMMUNICATE CARBON benchmark established in the concrete
REDUCTION GOALS industry’s Cradle-to-Gate Life Cycle
One of the basic tenets of achieving a goal Assessment Version 3.1 Specific targets Pre-bid Meeting
is to effectively communicate that goal to for Global Warming Potential (GWP) It is also important to communicate carbon
everyone on the team. For concrete, that is are provided in Section 2, CONCRETE reduction goals in other ways. Most projects
especially important because there are so MIXTURES. To accomplish this goal, we have pre-bid meetings, which can be
many parameters and criteria for concrete are encouraging the use of innovative opportunities to communicate carbon reduction
mixtures that the goal of reducing embodied products and processes for manufactured goals for all products to all potential bidders.
carbon may get lost in the clutter. concrete and will consider proposals for
Drawings and specifications are the mix designs that can demonstrate they 2. ENSURE GOOD QUALITY CONTROL
primary means through which project goals are meet all performance criteria for strength, AND ASSURANCE
communicated to the owner, contractor, and durability, constructability, and cost in This is important for all products, but it’s
product suppliers. When it comes to embodied addition to reducing carbon footprint. especially critical for concrete. Concrete is
carbon, product manufacturing is paramount. * These values are for demonstration purposes only. made from local materials and its performance

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CONT IN UI NG E D U CAT I ON

can be affected by weather conditions, quantity of cementitious materials—usually relatively small, say 400 to 600 psi for 4,000
variability of materials, delivery, placing, a combination of portland cement and psi concrete. But if quality control is poor, or
handling, and testing. Although the materials supplementary cementitious materials— there is no history of test results, then the
used to make concrete meet rigorous to achieve the required compressive overdesign can be much higher: 1,200 psi or
standards, the variability can be quite high. strength, which is higher than the specified higher for 4,000 psi concrete.
compressive strength. The “overdesign” Lower overdesign means lower
Quality Control (the difference between the actual average cementitious materials content. For example,
Almost all concrete has compressive strength compressive strength and the specified going from 1,200 psi to 600 psi overdesign
as one performance criterion. Concrete compressive strength) is based on well- would likely require 60 lbs less cementitious
producers design concrete mixtures to established statistical methods described in material, potentially an 8% decrease in
meet the needs of the contractor in terms the codes and standards for concrete. If a embodied CO2. The key here is to minimize
of workability (flowability, pumpability, concrete producer has a good quality control the overdesign through good quality
finishability, etc.) based on their local process and a history of consistent test results control. Having manufacturing equipment
aggregates, and then using sufficient for a mix design, the overdesign can be in good working order, using proven quality

CASE STUDY: 960 W. 7TH STREET, LOS ANGELES

Developer: Brookfield Properties
Design Architect: Marmol Radziner
Executive Architect: Large Architecture
Structural Engineer: MKA
Contractor: Webcor
Concrete Supplier: National Ready Mixed
Concrete Company
Photo: Courtesy of Brookfield Properties

Background
960 W. 7th Street is a distinctive multifamily high-
rise development located in the heart of downtown unobstructed views at the building perimeter. The more reliable is a big key to the credibility of what
Los Angeles. This 64-story tower has 780 residential firm’s optimization also included Performance we then report.”
units totaling 807,000 square feet. Based Seismic Design, and 80 ksi rebar wherever it Engagement with the contractor and concrete
led to a material reduction. supplier early on also helped “tighten-up” the mix
Challenges They also developed a low carbon performance- designs, where the single change of the aggregate
Projects of this magnitude have challenges when it based specification and procurement strategy being used, moving to imported and higher quality
comes to balancing cost, long term value, energy with the architect and developer, which worked aggregates, improved quality control and variation
efficiency, occupant comfort and sustainability. The closely with the use of the new Embodied Carbon in the mix performance, allowing the same specified
design team, developer, contractor and product Construction Calculator (EC3) tool. They used BIM compressive strength reliability to be achieved with
suppliers need to have the same goals in mind to quantify material quantities and to estimate the a lower quantity of cementitious materials. They
when it comes to reducing environmental impact, embodied carbon of those materials, which were worked with the contractor to determine where
including carbon footprint. measured using industry average EPDs during faster strength gain was really needed and adjusted
design, and product specific EPDs whenever testing age accordingly to accommodate higher
Sustainable Solutions possible after product suppliers became known. volumes of SCMs.
Structural engineers play a key role in selecting “After you know your quantities, the math for “We reduced 24% of the total project embodied
the structural system for most buildings, especially performance oriented like material comparisons carbon footprint, at no cost add, that’s after
for a high-rise in a high seismic zone. In working is simple,” states Don Davies, president of the accounting for the carbon from barging rock from
with the design team to best meet project goals, engineering firm. “It’s as straight forward as the Pacific NW down to LA,” says Davies. “On
the engineering firm proposed cast-in-place post- multiplying material quantities by their carbon the PT slab mixes alone, we reduced the carbon
tensioned slabs, with a centralized buttressed footprint from comparable EPDs and adding it up. footprint of that mix by 47%.”
concrete core that tapered with height. This This is becoming increasingly easier for concrete, “Asking targeted questions and measuring the
system optimized floor to floor heights, eliminated where today there are over 23,000 EPDs within the carbon data at the time of procurement can have
transfers, and worked with unit and public spaces EC3 tool database. That the EC3 tool assesses the significant impacts,” adds Davies. “Just remember
to optimize net/gross floor ratios while preserving variability of those EPDs to make like comparisons you can’t manage what you don’t measure.”

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CONT IN UI NG E D U CAT I ON

management principles, and qualified QUIZ

personnel who can design, manage, and 1. According to UN Environment, Global Status Report 2017, the world is projected to add 320 billion m2
manufacture quality concrete consistently (3.4 trillion ft2) of buildings by_____. That’s an area equal to 1.4 times the entire current global building stock.
equate to good quality control. a. 2060 b. 2070
c. 2080 d. 2090
Quality Assurance
Testing concrete is not an exact science. 2. According to the course material, which of the following is part of the Top 10 List in the course?

Every project has specifications that a. Communicate carbon reduction goals b. Don’t limit ingredients

require independent testing laboratories to c. Encourage innovation d. All of the above

ensure that concrete meets the specified 3. In the case study that examines 960 W. 7th Street in Los Angeles, ____of the total project embodied
performance criteria. Placing concrete carbon footprint was reduced through the use of SCMs.
is a dynamic process and thus sampling a. 10% b. 12%
concrete for testing can be challenging. c. 19% d. 24%
There are well established procedures for
taking concrete samples, preparing test 4. Type IL cement, portland-limestone cement, can be between 5 and ____ limestone.
specimens, storing them on site, transporting a. 15% b. 25%
them to a laboratory, and finally testing c. 35% d. 50%
them in a compression testing machine or
5. Type IL blended portland-limestone cement with _____ limestone was used on the North Torrey Pines
other apparatus. If sampled and prepared
Living and Learning Neighborhood project.
incorrectly, stored incorrectly, transported
a. 5% b. 10%
incorrectly, and tested incorrectly, the
c. 13% d. 15%
results are meaningless. This also impacts
the perceived variability that impacts the 6. Which of the following is the most commonly used supplementary cementitious material?
overdesign the producer is permitted for a. Slag cement b. Fly ash
future projects. c. Silica fume d. None of the above

7. A 10% increase in cementitious materials content for 4000 psi air entrained concrete compared to non
air-entrained concrete of the same strength would roughly translate to a _____ increase in carbon

Ä
This article continues on
footprint for the concrete.
http://go.hw.net/AR082020-2.
a. 8% b. 9%
Go online to read the rest of the CEU course,
c. 10% d. 11%
complete the corresponding quiz for credit,
and receive your certificate of completion. 8. In the Oracle case study, the project reduced Global Warming Potential by _____ from baseline.
a. 9% b. 10%
c. 11% d. 12%

9. Research conducted by Possan, et al., indicates that during its lifetime, concrete can uptake anywhere
from 40 to 90% of CO2 emitted in its manufacturing process. In some cases, considering a structure’s
SPONSOR INFORMATION demolition (leaving crushed concrete exposed to air), its uptake can approach _____.
a. 95% b. 96%
c. 98% d. 100%

10. The rates of CO2 uptake in concrete is greatest when:

a. Concrete is painted b. Concrete is crushed and exposed to air
c. Concrete is sprayed with water d. Concrete is post-tensioned
Build with Strength, a coalition of the National
11. The term, ____, is defined as a naturally occurring process which CO2 penetrates the surface of hardened
Ready Mixed Concrete Association NRMCA,
concrete and chemically reacts with cement hydration products to form carbonates.
educates the building and design communities
a. Carbonation b. Oxygenation
and policymakers on the benefits of ready mixed
c. Deterioration d. Fenestration
concrete, and encourages its use as the building
material of choice. No other material can replicate 12. According to the course’s Top Ten Ways, which is cited by the author as the most difficult?
concrete’s advantages in terms of strength, a. 2—Ensure good quality control and assurance b. 5—Use supplementary cementitious materials
durability, safety and ease of use. c. 9—Sequester carbon dioxide in concrete d. 10—Encourage innovation

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GET EVEN BETTER?

CONCRETE IS THE ANSWER.

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Backed by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Build With

Strength is a diverse coalition that educates the building and design
communities on the benefits of concrete. Join us at buildwithstrength.com.
CONTINUING EDUCATION

WOOD AND EVOLVING CODES: THE 2018

IBC AND EMERGING WOOD TECHNOLOGIES Presented by:

BUILDING CODES ARE EVOLVING TO SUPPORT NEW TECHNOLOGICAL

DEVELOPMENTS FOR ONE OF OUR OLDEST BUILDING MATERIALS
By Andrew A. Hunt

Increasingly, designers, builders, and building owners are turning to

one of our oldest building materials: wood. Valued for its versatility,
low carbon footprint, and aesthetic qualities, not to mention its cost
performance, wood has long been a preferred choice for constructing
durable structures that are resilient in the face of hazardous conditions.
However, in modern times, structural wood has been largely confined
to residential and low-rise commercial construction, despite its proven
structural performance and ability to endure seismic and wind events.
Recent innovations and subsequent code changes are expanding the use
of structural wood beyond these established sectors.
Using wood in nonresidential buildings is not a completely new idea, but
rather a revival. Innovative new construction techniques are expanding
the use of lumber; these techniques utilize engineered wood products
such as cross-laminated timber (CLT), nail-laminated timber (NLT),
dowel-laminated timber (DLT), and structural glued-laminated timber
(glulam). These “mass timber” products have great structural capability
and inherent fire resistance, and interest in mid-and even high-rise
wood buildings that incorporate these technologies is growing rapidly in
Canada and the United States. Testing and validation of these products,
in addition to many new examples coming online, is driving increasing
confidence from both the public and local code authorities. Recent code
changes reflect the growing body of research that validates these systems
for structural performance and for contribution to life safety during
extreme events, such as fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes.

THE CODE UPDATE PROCESS

Designers are taking advantage of innovative wood products that showcase the natural beauty of wood. When the International Building Code (IBC) was introduced in 2000,
Photo: Jeremy Bitterman, courtesy of LEVER Architecture it consolidated three regional model building codes into one uniform
code that has since been adopted by most jurisdictions. It increased the
LEARNING OBJECTIVES possibilities for wood construction by (among other things) recognizing
After this reading this article, you should be able to: additional fire protection techniques, consolidating the maximum allowable
1. Discuss provisions in the International Building Code (IBC) intended to areas and heights from the three legacy codes into one (thus increasing
ensure that wood buildings provide an acceptable level of safety. what’s allowable in some jurisdictions), and allowing the use of wood in
2. Evaluate techniques that make it safe for designers to increase heights and a wider range of building types. In subsequent versions of the IBC, even
areas of building projects beyond IBC base limits. more opportunities have been created where additional fire protection
3. Identify the advantages of wood-frame and mass timber structures during features are used. Even so, the pioneering nature of building design is
hazardous events. such that there are always architects and engineers seeking to innovate,
4. Explain how advances in wood products and building systems are and it is common for project teams to request (and be granted) variances
influencing the evolution of building codes. for designs not covered by the code that nonetheless meet its intent and
provide accepted levels of safety. Given the code’s three-year amendment
CONTINUING EDUCATION cycle, this performance pathway is necessary to keep pace with
AIA CREDIT: 1.5 LU/HSW advancements in building systems, materials, and construction practices.
AIA COURSE NUMBER: THINKWOOD.2
The 2018 IBC was recently published, and states and local jurisdictions
Use the learning objectives above to focus your study as you read this article. To earn will soon begin adopting it; however, the code landscape is uneven,
credit and obtain a certificate of completion, visit http://go.hw.net/ThinkWood-2 and
and many states and jurisdictions are following IBC 2015, 2012, or even
complete the quiz for free as you read this article. If you are new to Hanley Wood
University, create a free learner account; returning users log in as usual. older versions of the code. The 2018 IBC references newer versions of

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CONTINUING EDUCATION

sharing resources and research to support this code changes for tall mass timber buildings.
burgeoning interest in mass timber building Since its formation, the Committee on Tall
design, including the use of wood in taller Wood Buildings has reviewed extensive
buildings. The Think Wood Research Library, literature on tall wood buildings, including the
an online database that includes nearly 1,000 results of domestic and international testing.
research documents, can help architects, The committee has proposed 14 code changes
engineers, and other industry professionals for the 2021 IBC cycle.2 (A summary of these
design and build safe, high-performing wood proposed changes can be viewed at www.awc.
structures. The research contained in the org/tallmasstimber)
database covers seismic, fire safety, and other
performance aspects of wood members and FIRE PROTECTION
Nail-laminated timber, which consists of dimension lumber stacked on systems. The library also includes reports To understand the building codes’ fire
edge and nailed together, is one of several engineered wood products and research papers on other design topics, protection provisions, it’s important to
being used in today’s buildings. Image courtesy of Think Wood including acoustics and vibrations, energy and remember that codes divide construction into
environment, and building codes and cost. five types:
important standards. One of these is ANSI/AWC
NDS-2018: National Design Specification for Another specific resource for designers seeking • Type I and II: All building elements must
Wood Construction. Produced by the American to design code-compliant wood structures is the be noncombustible.
Wood Council (AWC), this resource was first 2015 Code-Conforming Wood Design (CCWD). • Type III: Exterior walls must be of non-
issued in 1944. Today, it includes requirements Produced in partnership with the ICC, the combustible materials.
for design of a full range of wood products AWC developed this document to demonstrate
based on up-to-date research and testing, and that modern building codes allow large, • Type IV (Heavy Timber): Exterior walls
it is used to guide design of wood structures multistory wood buildings in many common must be of noncombustible materials, and
around the world. occupancy uses with nothing more than a basic interior building elements are of solid or
understanding of key code provisions required. laminated wood without any concealed
NDS 2018 itself references ASCE 7-16: spaces.
Minimum Design Loads and Associated CCWD summarizes the most common
• Type V: Exterior walls, interior walls, and
Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures. requirements for wood construction in
structural members may be of any material
This important resource, published by the commercial buildings according to the 2015
permitted by code.
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), IBC. A new version of CCWD based on the
describes the means for determining dead, live, 2018 IBC is currently in development. The IBC and ICC require all building
soil, flood, tsunami, snow, rain, atmospheric components within a particular type of
In this quickly evolving industry, a number of
ice, earthquake, and wind loads, and their construction to provide the same level of
individuals and entities, including engineering
combinations for general structural design. It is fire protection regardless of materials used.
firms, academic institutions, standards
widely referenced by building codes. As a starting point, the IBC specifies a basic
organizations such as the National Fire
allowable area based on a single story, the type
While the IBC is updated on a three-year cycle, Protection Association (NFPA), and government
of construction, and occupancy classification.
the ASCE 7 is typically on a six-year cycle. research organizations such as the U.S. Forest
It then permits increases to allowable areas
The NDS is updated at least every six years, Service Forest Products Laboratory, have
based on features of the building, including the
but sometimes more often to address new been driving innovation with testing that
addition of an automatic sprinkler system, side
load provisions developed by ASCE 7 or new demonstrates and improves upon the structural,
yard open space, fire walls, augmented exiting,
products such as CLT. seismic, wind, and fire safety performance of
and additional stories.
mass timber. These efforts have led to a great
Advocating for Change deal of new information in a short period For example, the code allows low-rise, two-
Although the International Code Council (ICC) of time, and these groups are committed to story business and mercantile buildings of wood
and the building industry in general have long sharing this information in order to drive best construction to be of unlimited area when
recognized the benefits of wood as a building practices in this emerging field. they are equipped with an automatic sprinkler
material, emerging technologies such as CLT are system throughout and have 60 feet of fire-
To promote and facilitate code changes based
still new to many people, and until the 2015 separation distance between the building and
on the building science of taller wood buildings,
IBC, they were not explicitly introduced into all property lines. Residential wood buildings
the ICC approved the creation of the Ad Hoc
building codes.1 with sprinklers and exterior walls made from
Committee on Tall Wood Buildings in 2016. This
fire-retardant-treated wood (FRTW) can be up
It’s important to understand that mass timber balanced group includes building officials, fire
to five stories in height and have additional
systems and technologies such as CLT have officials, architects, fire protection engineers,
“levels” when mezzanines are included. Under
been fully tested and verified and are allowed and industry experts. “Tall wood” is an industry
the 2018 IBC, mezzanines are permitted to
under current codes. Fortunately, architects, term that refers to the use of wood products
have a floor area up to one-third of the floor
engineers, developers, building owners, and in buildings greater than six stories; hence, the
area below and considered part of that story,
others are championing CLT and other new committee was charged with investigating the
and under certain conditions in dwelling units
uses of wood, including light frame, and feasibility of and taking action on developing
can be up to one-half of the floor area of the

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CONTINUING EDUCATION

CHANGES FOR WOOD DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN THE 2018 IBC

As a construction material, wood provides numerous advantages over other
Three Main Categories:
materials, ranging from lower cost, improved energy efficiency, and better
environmental footprint to unique design options. Unfortunately, many designers 1. Noncombustible (Types I and II)
and builders consider the codes and standards for using wood to be too complex,
2. Light-Frame (Types III and V)
and that means they opt for other materials. The AWC has partnered with the
International ICC to make those codes and standards more accessible. Here, we 3. Mass Timber (Type IV)
will discuss changes concerning wood in the 2018 IBC in regards to fire protection, IBC TABLE 601
heavy timber and mass timber, and construction type information.
BUILDING TYPE I TYPE II TYPE III TYPE IV TYPE V
Types of wood construction: Wood can be used in traditional structural
ELEMENT A B A B A B A B C HT A B
applications such as roof, floor, and wall framing but also other components such
as foundations, doors and windows, exterior and interior finishes, trim, siding,
In Table 601, the IBC outlines the required fire-resistance rating of building elements based on the type
roofing, and decking. The three predominate types of construction where wood of construction.
construction is permitted by the code include Types III, IV, and V. Types I and II
permit wood in certain limited circumstances.
roof, and wall assemblies because its 1-hour fire-resistance rating is cost
• Type III is used primarily for multifamily residential buildings, and the
effective, and there are no special restrictions on materials used in exterior
code requires that exterior wood walls have a 2-hour fire rating (or less
walls. Type VB, however, is the most flexible in terms of wood-frame
if combined with noncombustible wall coverings). Type IIIA must include
structures, but that’s because it doesn’t have any required fire-resistance
1-hour fire-resistance-rated floors and roofs, while Type IIIB can have
ratings. That said, points of egress will have fire-resistance requirements.
unrated floors and roofs.
Fire protection: As for fire resistance, the IBC outlines, in Table 601, the required
• Type IV construction, also known as “heavy timber construction,” is
fire resistance of building elements, such as structural frames, floors, walls, and
becoming increasingly popular in part because of its inherent fire-perfor-
roofs, all based on construction type. The hourly fire-resistance rating increases
mance characteristics. The 2015 IBC was the first edition to recognize a new
for taller buildings.
mass timber product called cross-laminated timber, or CLT, which consists of
three, five, or seven layers of solid dimension lumber that are stacked cross- Fire testing for wood-frame building assemblies is established in ASTM E 119:
wise and glued together. The inclusion of CLT has helped builders become Standard Test Methods for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials or
more aware of the product’s benefits, including its performance in a variety the corresponding UL standard.
of buildings. The economic, environmental, structural, and fire-resistance Chapter 16 of the NDS outlines methods for calculating up to 2 hours of fire
benefits are a winning combination for Type IV construction. resistance for commonly used timber and engineered wood projects, such as
• Type V construction permits wood or other approved materials for glulam, structural composite lumber (SCL), and CLT. Another resource is AWC
structural elements, with two subcategories: Type VA, which requires 1-hour Technical Report (TR) 10: Calculating the Fire Resistance of Exposed Wood
fire-resistance-rated structural members and assemblies, and Type VB, which Members; this resource has background and example calculations for designing
has no required fire-resistance rating. Type VA is a practical option for floor, exposed wood members per the NDS.

room below. The code also permits the use of construction throughout the building, fire- 2. Prescriptive designs of fire-resistance-rated
wood for many features in buildings required retardant-treated lumber for exterior walls, or building elements, components, or
to be of a noncombustible construction type, heavy timber construction. assemblies as prescribed in Section 721.
often even whole roof structures, based on 3. Calculations in accordance with Section 722.
Rated Assemblies
other safety features.
There are several types of fire-resistive assemblies Approved sources include documents such
Under the 2018 IBC, designers can use fire as AWC’s Design for Code Acceptance (DCA)
and components within a building. These include
walls to create separate building portions that series. DCA 3: Fire-Resistance-Rated Wood Floor
vertical assemblies (walls), horizontal assemblies
do not exceed the height and area limits set and Wall Assemblies describes how interior
(floors and roofs), and structural frame members
by code. This option can be exercised when and exterior wood-frame walls and wood
(columns and beams). In most cases, these
sprinklers either aren’t an option or don’t afford I-joist floors can be used to meet building code
components and assemblies are required to
the necessary increases for the project’s use
have either a 1- or 2-hour fire-resistive rating.
and site characteristics. In Type V Construction,
Fire-resistive construction is typically designated
fire walls are permitted to be of wood-frame
as the number of hours a representative test
construction, allowing designers to divide the
assembly or component will resist a standardized
structure into separate buildings for purposes
fire exposure when tested in a laboratory. One of
of size, each subject to its own height and area
the standards used for measuring fire resistance
limits.3 Therefore, the size of a building can
of building assemblies is ASTM E 119.
theoretically be doubled while maintaining the
same construction type. IBC Section 703.3 provides several methods for
determining fire resistance of building elements,
In addition to sprinkler and open frontage
including but not limited to the following:
increases, a designer’s options also include
increasing to a higher type of construction, 1. Fire-resistance designs documented in
which might include the use of fire-resistive approved sources. Fire tests show that CLT chars slowly at predictable rates. Photo
courtesy of FPInnovations

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CONTINUING EDUCATION

QUIZ

1. The IBC allows designers to increase allowable floor area and building height of wood-frame structures if what?
a. they specify the use of preservative treated wood b. the height of each floor does not exceed 10 feet
c. they add an addition of an automatic sprinkler system d. the connections are properly detailed

2. In a Type V building, the use of wood-frame fire walls can do what?

a. increases fire resistance by eliminating concealed spaces
b. allows designers to divide the structure into separate buildings
The American Wood Council provides details for fire-resistance-rated c. eliminates the need for sprinklers
wood-frame wall and floor/ceiling assemblies, such as the 2-hour d. Increase flame spread by 10%
assembly pictured here. Image courtesy of the AWC DCA3:
Fire-Resistance-Rated Wood Floor and Wall Assemblies
3. The fire resistance in heavy timber typically comes from what?
a. Surface char b. Specialty coatings
requirements for fire-resistance-rated assemblies
c. Stringent harvesting methods d. Sanded surfaces
(see Figure 4).
IBC Section 721 provides prescriptive fire- 4. Which of the following is not included as a minimum safety precaution for fire during construction in Chapter 33
of the IBC?
resistance-rated wall and roof/ceiling assemblies
a. Fire extinguishers b. Standpipes
for both traditional and engineered wood-
c. Means of egress d. Proper scheduling of subcontractors
frame assemblies.
The fire resistance of wood assemblies may also 5. Shake table tests are showing multi-story buildings made with what type of material perform very well in
earthquake situations?
be calculated using the provisions of Section
a. Ground laden trusses b. Cross Laminated Timber
722.6 of the IBC, which is based on the known
c. Light timber posts d. Additional polymer anchor points
fire resistance of many tested assemblies and
assembly components. The calculation approach
6. What is one of the most common reasons behind the loss in roofing materials during a hurricane?
in this section is limited to 1 hour and is helpful
a. Out of code lumber materials b. Poor shingling
in retrofit situations. The IBC also references
c. Moisture barrier failure d. Inadequate fastening
Chapter 16 of the NDS, which has a broader
application for calculating fire resistance of 7. For floor separating dwelling units in residential buildings, the IBC requires a Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating and Impact
exposed wood members up to two hours. Insulation Class (IIC) rating of what, unless the “Authority Having Jurisdiction” has its own more stringent requirement?
a. 0‚the IBC does not require STC or ICC ratings b. 50
By designing a building to meet the provisions
c. 100 d. 150
of Type III Construction rather than Type V, the
designer is able to take advantage of greater 8. Mass timber refers to a family of products which includes cross-laminated timber, nail-laminated timber, glue-laminated
allowable heights and areas. For example, timber, and what final product?
fire-retardant-treated wood (referenced in a. Pressed-in-place laminated timber b. Partial-laminated timber
IBC Section 2303.2) is permitted in different c. Dowel-laminated timber d. Extracted-laminated timber
locations in different types of construction, as
noted in Sections 602.3 and 602.4. In Type III 9. CLT typically consists of three, five, or seven layers of what type of lumber?

and Type IV Construction, this includes exterior a. Multi-state b. Solid dimension

walls and interior walls and partitions. In Type I c. Partially pressed d. Particleboard

and Type II Construction, fire-retardant-treated

10. True or false. CLT that meets the standards set out in the ANSI/APA PRRG 320-2018 will not delaminate during a fire.
wood is allowed in nonbearing partitions,
a. True b. False
nonbearing exterior walls where a fire-resistive
rating is not required, and portions of the roof
construction. In Type I Construction, heavy
timber roofs are permitted without fire- SPONSOR INFORMATION
retardant treatment.

Ä This article continues on

http://go.hw.net/ThinkWood-2. Go online
to read the rest of the article and complete
Think Wood is a leading education provider on the advantages of using softwood lumber in commercial,
the corresponding quiz for credit.
community, and multifamily building applications. We introduce innovators in the field to our community of
architects, engineers, designers, and developers. For support or resources, contact us at [email protected].

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 August 2020 AIANow 60 AIAFeature 62 AIAFuture 67 AIAPerspective 68

AIA Architect
AIAVoices
CREDIT: JOE SZURSZEWSKI

It’s Time to Listen

Johnson: We have to get over this idea that can do is formulate the right questions, invite
architecture alone can fix anything. We can the right people to the table, and create the
create a lens through which the world can right conditions to have the conversations
Architects don’t have all the answers on be observed, but it’s not our job as designers from which we can obtain the right answers.
systemic inequality, but they can seek to fix things. It’s our job to participate in the Community members are experts in what
them out. conversation and provide a place for reflection, makes them happy, in what frustrates them,
but in regard to architecture’s capacity to fix in what they wish for future generations.
James Garrett Jr., aia, and Nathan Johnson, systemic issues, I don’t see how it happens. That is real, actionable information that we
aia, are residents of the Twin Cities who What we can do is create a framework to start can take back to the lab and use to formulate
cofounded the St. Paul, Minn.–based firm real conversations and help bring back the culture architectural operations.
4RM+ULA because they wanted to improve of communities that have been historically
local neighborhoods like theirs. Since 2002, disenfranchised. We have a role to play, but it’s Johnson: Going forward, we need to make
they’ve been doing just that, building trust in not the role we often see ourselves in. a distinction between community projects
communities and embarking on projects that and projects in communities that have
aim to benefit the underserved. They’re also Garrett: There’s an element of humility that experienced trauma. A lot of our projects
aware of architecture’s limitations, especially is needed as well. During my eight years are among the latter; we are very intentional
as the George Floyd protests and the Black of architecture school, humility was not about the work we do, and many of our
Lives Matter movement shine a light on something that was taught or emphasized. But projects are those that fill unique needs within
inequity in the Twin Cities and beyond. “It’s it’s something I learned the hard way, working communities of color.
not just that we don’t have all the answers,” in specific communities that have been Yes, we have the capacity to produce great
Johnson says, “sometimes we don’t even have traumatized, that have been underserved, and buildings and great spaces, but do they have to
all the tools. And if we don’t have them, how do that have had a lack of resources over long grow out of what we learn in school, or can they
we get them?” periods of time. come from the community? As we spend more
Architects need to accept that we don’t time listening to the communities around us, it
As told to Steve Cimino necessarily have all the answers, but what we should change the way we practice. AIA
59
 AIA Architect AUGUST 2020 AIA NOW

AIANow
1. Re-Enter Your Workspace

Safety First This credit helps create a management and operations plan for
reoccupancy that includes, at a minimum, two of the following
New LEED credits outline ways to categories: building or place preparation; workforce preparation;
keep building occupants safe from access control; social distancing; green cleaning; touch point
viral spread. reduction; and communication. The USGBC offers sample
questions for management and occupants to answer and submit
By Amanda Koellner as part of obtaining the credit ( e.g., “Did you feel safe today?”
“Did others follow the rules today?”).
With much of the country planning to reopen
after shutdowns due to the COVID-19
pandemic, the U.S. Green Building Council has
released a new set of guidelines for sustainable
best practices to take precautions against
the virus’s spread, as part of a larger strategy
moving forward. They come in the form of
four new LEED credits—the Safety First Pilot
Credits—which now accompany the USGBC’s
Healthy Economy strategy, created in response
to the pandemic. The credits, released in May,
outline how LEED will support recovery efforts
as businesses and communities prepare for
post-pandemic life. The USGBC says it will
refine the Safety Credit recommendations
as needed and, in the meantime, is also
welcoming feedback.

2. Clean and Disinfect Your Space

Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this
credit addresses the procurement and use of cleaning supplies and
disinfectants for use in a shared or public space, as well as procedures
and training for cleaning personnel and occupancy control. On
the USGBC’s website, you can find a list of approved disinfectants,
chemical cleaning products, hand soaps and sanitizers, and more. The
credit also requires the use of PPE by cleaning personnel—including eye
protection, masks, and gloves.

60
AIA NOW AUGUST 2020 AIA Architect

3. Manage Indoor Air Quality During COVID-19

To minimize airborne spread of the virus, this credit builds on the indoor air
quality prerequisites and credits in LEED and largely takes cues from the

CREDIT: HENRY FORDING EDDINS

CDC’s recommendations, including increasing the percentage of outdoor air,
increasing the total air flow, and using natural ventilation. The USGBC notes
that, of course, all of the provided information is precautionary and cannot
guarantee the prevention of illness, while also noting that because buildings
vary so greatly, best judgment must be used to make sure a recommendation
makes sense for a specific building, location, and season.

4. Build Water System Recommissioning

Many buildings are coming out of a monthslong period without most, if

not all, of their occupants—a lull that could mean the presence of stagnant
water that’s unsafe to drink or use. This credit also looks to the EPA and CDC
for guidance and requires building owners and managers to test the water,
develop a water management plan, work with local water and public health
authorities, and communicate with occupants about the status of the water.
It also requires ongoing maintenance of the building water system after
testing and flushing are complete. If there were issues, building owners must
make sure that pathogen growth stays minimized by regularly checking water
quality parameters like temperature, pH, and disinfectant levels.

61
 AIA Architect AUGUST 2020 AIA FEATURE

AIAFeature

CREDIT: 4RM+ULA

4RM+ULA, a St. Paul-based architecture firm, felt the squeeze of a small fee and budget for the Great River Landing supportive housing project in Minneapolis.
62
AIA FEATURE AUGUST 2020 AIA Architect

The Housing
Problem
How housing became a privilege rather than a right, and how architects today are working to change that.

By Katherine Flynn

The legacy of inequality in public and affordable housing in the United States is
far from invisible if you know where to look. Today, the National Low Income
Housing Coalition estimates that for every 100 extremely low-income households
in the United States, there are just 37 available rental homes on the market—and
Native American, Black, and Hispanic renters are more likely than white renters to
have the type of extremely low incomes that make housing costs a severe burden.

Affordable housing in America has its While the New Deal upheld the idea that Administration) to indicate where it was
roots in the “municipal housing” movement all citizens have a right to safe and stable safe to insure mortgages, further limited the
championed by New York social workers and housing and that the federal government had ability of African Americans and other racial
others as early as the 1920s. These advocates an obligation to provide shelter to Americans minorities to become homeowners—one
had the goal of providing safe and sanitary facing economic hardship, Richard Rothstein, of the surest paths to the middle class in
homes for people flocking to America’s major in his book The Color of Law (Liveright, May America.
cities in search of industrial jobs, but the stock 2017), equates the housing programs that In August 1967, Democratic congressman
market crash of 1929 and subsequent Great started under the New Deal as a “state- Wright Patman wrote to President Lyndon B.
Depression stymied the emerging movement. sponsored system of segregation.” Johnson that “bad housing is one of the major
Starting in June 1933, the New Deal To compound the issue, urban renewal causes of the social unrest and discontent,”
prioritized federally funded housing to policies implemented in American cities referring to the upheaval following the
those in need through the Public Works following both world wars were seen as deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and John F.
Administration. However, the first public successful in eliminating blight, but they did Kennedy. “This is a time when we should be
housing community built under the Roosevelt not prioritize the construction of new housing accelerating our housing programs to serve
administration, Techwood Homes in Atlanta, to replace what had been intentionally lower income families,” he said.
permitted only white residents. In 1937, destroyed—leaving many African-American While the 1968 Fair Housing Act
Congress established the United States residents displaced. Policies of redlining, or prohibited discrimination concerning the
Housing Authority as a permanent entity, the use of color-coded maps by the Home sale, rental, and financing of housing based
which eventually evolved into the Department Owners’ Loan Corp. (and later the Federal on religion, national origin, or sex, in practice,
of Housing and Urban Development in 1965. Housing Administration and Veterans housing remained segregated in many areas
63
 AIA Architect AUGUST 2020 AIA FEATURE

AIAFeature
CONTINUED

of the United States in the years that followed. today. Currently, federal funding for public “We end up having a
Section 235 of the act shifted aid away from nonprofit housing development is weak, despite
local housing authorities for building public high demand that will most likely only be mismatch between
housing and funneled it into providing exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis.
direct supply-side subsidies to the private “Social and financial security are the architect and the
sector. Findings indicate that the housing intrinsically linked, and empathetic architecture
subsidy program allowed a vast majority is the scaffold for building a healthy, equitable community they’re trying
of participating white families to purchase and just society,” says William Bates, faia, 2019
new housing in suburban areas, while most AIA President. “Providing stable housing is one to serve.”
participating African American families of the most basic ways we can begin to address
bought existing homes in racially transitional systemic racial inequalities,” Bates says.
neighborhoods in the inner city. Under present-day federal housing interested in looking at all of the buildings
At the time, policy makers saw private policies, nonprofit developers can receive together, now, as an ongoing project.”
companies as the country’s best bet for solving financing through low-income housing tax The Skid Row Housing Trust was founded
the “urban crisis.” “The corporate boom of credits (in addition to mortgage loans) for new in 1989 and is well-resourced, but not every
the 1960s inspired hope that business would construction and remodels. However, subsidies organization has the institutional knowledge
serve as an engine of social change,” research can be hard to come by, and without them, it to navigate the often-tricky affordable housing
fellow Alexander von Hoffman wrote in a 2012 is virtually impossible for developers to build financing process. James Garrett Jr., aia, a
paper for Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing homes that are affordable to low- or extremely Twin Cities–based architect and principal of
Studies. low-income families. Lenders generally lend 4RM+ULA, has firsthand knowledge of the
A decade later, the housing voucher money for housing development based on a looming challenges that architects who work
system—established in 1974 during the Nixon property’s expected income, and when rents on these types of projects face—and why it is
administration—reflected a major shift toward are set to affordable levels, there is currently a vitally necessary to pursue them.
more market-based housing subsidies, taking gap between the amount of money needed to “I think it’s important for architects that
more of the responsibility for fair housing build and the amount that lenders and investors look like me to work in communities and on
for American citizens out of the hands of provide. It’s not uncommon for developers to projects that serve people who look like me.
government. The Nixon administration rely on upward of 20 financing sources as they That is something that architecture typically
also saw vouchers as a way to break up try to fill that gap. falls short on,” Garrett, who is African
concentrations of poverty and foster racial Architects working within the constraints American, says. “We have a tendency to serve
and economic integration. of the system as it currently stands are doing entire populations of people, and culturally,
Direct rental assistance gained even more the best they can to innovate and to work with historically, we don’t understand the reality of
traction under President Ronald Reagan. nonprofit developers to help provide equitable their lives. It doesn’t lead to good engagement
Members of the Reagan administration, housing opportunities. work, quite frankly. We end up having a
unlike Nixon officials—who had been Michael Maltzan, aia, has designed four mismatch between the architect and the
sympathetic to the idea of building some housing developments for the Skid Row community they’re trying to serve.”
low-income housing—were serious about Housing Trust in Los Angeles, including 4RM+ULA’s Great River Landing project,
shutting down direct government-subsidized the Star Apartments. The model for the Star located in St. Paul, Minn.’s North Loop
production programs. Apartments was hailed as innovative for its neighborhood and completed in the summer
“The Reagan administration’s positions— on-site medical clinic, 15,000-square-foot of 2019, provides single-room occupancy
which included support for drastic cuts Health and Wellness Center, and the on-site and efficiency apartments for up to 72 adults
in social programs—only deepened many headquarters of the L.A. County Department who have been homeless or unemployed due
housing advocates’ long-standing suspicion of of Health and Human Services’ Housing to incarceration. Garrett says that budget
voucher programs,” von Hoffman writes. for Health Division—as well as its 102 was an issue, as it is for many projects of this
From 1950 to 1980, the total Black apartments for formerly homeless individuals. kind: “We usually have small fees on projects
population in America’s urban centers Constructed out of prefabricated modules that dealing with folks who need a lot of support,”
increased from 6.1 million to 15.3 million. were lifted into place over an existing podium, he says. “So, we need to fight for that. These
During this same 30-year span, white the Star Apartments became the first housing projects need higher fees than standard
Americans steadily moved out of the cities project to employ this construction method in market-rate housing.”
into the suburbs, taking employment Los Angeles. One of the biggest challenges in the Great
opportunities into communities where Black Maltzan says that part of the intention of River Landing project was securing funding
Americans were not welcome to live. the project was to build long-term community for a rooftop solar array, which powers the
instead of fostering transience: “If we are building and allows it to operate off the grid.
Present-Day Challenges going to continue to create and evolve our “We were able to add amenities and things
cities to be more just, more equitable, more that add tremendous value to the project
With a 30% gap between the homeownership accessible, economically viable, and more because of our careful stewardship over the
rates of white and Black households and a sustainable, culturally and socially—housing budget,” he says. “There’s a rooftop solar
10-to-one disparity between the net worth of has to be a big part of it,” he says. “These array on a building that some people just sort
white families and Black families, housing in projects, for me, have continued to be a way to of deride as a ‘homeless shelter.’ But that’s not
the United States remains far from equitable create new forms of living in the city. I’m most how we approach it.” AIA
64
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Real projects start with
the industry standard
Throughout design and construction, Bell Architecture used
an AIA contract to construct the Mandeville Residence,
influenced by estate homes in France.
AIA documents used: B101-Owner/Architect Agreement
Learn more about the Mandeville project at aiacontracts.org/architectmag-mandeville

©Sean Calamia
 AIA FUTURE AUGUST 2020 AIA Architect

AIAFuture
century profession squarely in the 19th century
are urgently felt from first-year studio students
to AIA Fellows. Racism’s reckoning is based in
realities that are as pervasive as they are deeply
rooted, affecting the outlooks and opportunities
of tens of millions of Americans. This extends
to the 30% gap between the homeownership
rates of white and Black households, to the
10-to-one disparity between the net worths
of white families and Black families, and to
the broken promise of economic mobility and
opportunity in the United States.
As GAC chair Hawk points out, these
realities demand new and uncompromising
ethics of decency and equity when you put
them all together. Alone, these realities need
CREDIT: RACHEL KAPISAK JONES

to be addressed in specific ways by architects

working within their communities and with
their elected leaders.
Emily Roush-Elliott, AIA, also serves on
the GAC, and advocated for strong affordable
housing policies within the Policy Platform.
Affordable housing is something her eight-
person firm, Housing and Community

Politics for a
Jane Frederick, FAIA. “If we don’t fix climate Development based in Greenwood, Miss.,
health and structural racism, we will fail.” knows a lot about.

Pivotal Year
This month, AIA’s Government Advocacy “The reason my firm exists is because
Committee published the Policy Platform of racial inequities. Every family whose
ahead of this month’s Democratic National home we’re working on right now has to
As the November election approaches, Committee and Republican National double-up or triple-up to save money because
a lot is at stake for architects and their Committee conventions to create clear of the economic crisis,” she reports. “In
clients. guidance for the next administration in some cases, the structures they occupy are
three areas. First, the economy: to prioritize physically unsafe, and in other cases, they are
By William Richards job creation and equitable access to work spectacularly inefficient and their utility bills
opportunities, leverage private investment, are $400 a month. So, I am an architect, but my
Nationwide protests to end racism, police and adopt business-friendly tax policies. job here in the Mississippi Delta is also about
brutality, and calcified structural inequities; Second, climate: to rejoin the Paris Accord, helping people be safer in ways that are very
fraught economic forecasts; atrophied state transform how we use energy (and the sources personal and specific.”
budgets for public education and infrastructure; we develop), address the disproportionate
an ongoing pandemic; a polarized electorate in a impact of climate change on communities of Political Will and the Public Good
polarized election; polar ice sheets losing mass; color, and to commit to zero-carbon building
and CO2 at the highest levels in 650,000 years. practices. Third, healthy communities: to Buildings are responsible for 40% of the
You don’t need 20/20 vision to see why invest in housing and infrastructure, confront world’s total CO2 emissions, and deferred
2020 is a pivotal year, to say the least, but will ongoing discrimination, reinvest in public maintenance or bioremediation has made
November be a pivotal election? It’s often said places and preservation, and strengthen many of them dangerous and toxic. Buildings
that “this election will be the most important resilience in the aftermath of increasingly that define the most disenfranchised
in our lifetimes.” With all of these challenges more severe weather events. neighborhoods rob people of their health and
looming, perhaps 2020 will be the year that “The platform we’ve defined helps us align leave them vulnerable to the unpredictability of
rings true. with current conversations that are happening a changing environment—from weather events,
What does that mean for architects? on both sides of the political aisle, as our to infestations, to mold. Yet, architects work at
Without endorsing a candidate or picking a side, society grapples with these issues: safety, the leading edge of a $1 trillion construction
how do we ensure that our profession’s priorities poverty, systemic racism, injustice, and climate industry that determines many aspects of
and concerns are addressed by the candidate change,” says Timothy Hawk, FAIA, chair of our lives. Architects are therefore in an ideal
that wins in November? It starts with setting a the Government Advocacy Committee (GAC). position to advocate for changes.
clear vision on what those priorities are. “We have a responsibility to explain the gray Investing in the public good is a question
“Mindy Fullilove talks about a just and areas to leaders, and this is broader than an of design as much as it is a question of political
moral world, and if you can imagine climate election cycle pinned to November.” will, Frederick says.
action, healthy communities, and equitable AIA’s broader responsibilities to speak out “The ‘public good’ is about what is
communities in a Venn diagram, at the center against deleterious racism (both overt and sometimes called the ‘third place,’” she says.
is the architect’s role,” says 2020 AIA President covert) and reproach inequities that keep a 21st “Not home, school, or work, but the in-between
67
 AIA Architect AUGUST
JUNE2020
2015 AIA PERSPECTIVE
AIA DESIGN

AIAFuture
CONTINUED
AIAPerspective
places where we walk our dogs, sit and have AIA is committed to the fight to permanently
coffee, or ride the bus. The streetscape, dismantle this country’s centuries-old system
the park, the restaurant. Those places are of racial injustice and violence. We expect to
meaningful and should be cultivated, protected, be and welcome being held accountable in the

CREDIT: J CARRIER
and made sustainable through zoning, coming months and years to ensure that our
community initiatives, and basic civility.” deeds match our words.
To see this vision become a reality, Following the decision by the Board of
architects must be recognized as a powerful Directors to prioritize racial justice as an
political force. That means voting in organization-wide focus in the same way

Healthy, Safe, and

November for whomever you choose. climate leadership is a fundamental mission,
Since 2019, AIA has maintained a series of it’s been a summer of listening and action.

Equitable
presidential profiles on all those running—an Colleagues within our membership, as well
even-keeled chronicle of an otherwise as CACE, NOMA, and other essential voices,
wildly uneven field, which has been whittled are generously sharing their insights, creating
down to two. In the profiles, AIA maps their Accountability ensures that our deeds an ongoing dialogue to inform steps for
respective positions to issues relevant to the will match our words. translating our ideals into meaningful progress.
AIA’s “Where We Stand” statements and As we continue to build a list of short- and
its Directory of Public Policies and Position This month, AIA is hosting a major one-day long-term actions, we are implementing some
Statements. The AIA has policy priorities in virtual learning event, “Architecture in immediate steps to focus on AIA itself—as
climate action, housing, student debt, school Turbulent Times.” It’s designed to help an employer and a professional membership
safety, tax on business, and resilience. So do architects face the challenges posed by association.
the candidates, though they disagree with the simultaneous crises of climate change, To that end, AIA will participate in the
each other on many of the details. COVID-19, and systemic racial injustice. NAACP 2020 Diversity & Opportunity
It also means direct advocacy. Most It’s one more way we’re adapting to this Report Card for the Sustainable Building
architecture firms meet the federal unprecedented and challenging year. If you’d Sector. Slated for release in 2021, the audit
government’s definition of small business, told me in 2019 that we’d shift practically will evaluate equitable practices within
and for the firm leaders who run them, time overnight to holding online meetings and AIA, including staffing (composition and
is their most precious asset. In response, AIA conferences as a matter of routine, I’d have perceptions), programs and services,
has created the Architect Action Center on its been proud of our leadership in adopting procurement, and governance. Part of the
core issues, with prepopulated email templates greener practices. Indeed—although we never NAACP’s Centering Equity in the Sustainable
that allow you to contact your federal and would have chosen these circumstances—the Building Sector (CESBS) Initiative, the
state legislators. There’s one for the student capacity we’ve collectively demonstrated to program will examine the building sector
loan crisis, one for affordable housing, one quickly implement positive change is a source along four categories: design firms, contractors,
for sustainability and resilience, and one for of encouragement in challenging times. This nonprofits/professional organizations,
the INVEST in America Act to create jobs for ability to transition to greener alternatives on and higher education institutions. The
architects, spur projects for firms to secure, and a large scale is exactly the kind of progress we NAACP Report Card will set a transparent,
improve communities through infrastructure need in order to build a more sustainable world. comprehensive marker to measure against.
and transit investment, among other measures. Yet I never could have imagined just what Additionally, we are developing a series of
November is also significant as it marks “taking stands” would mean for our profession guided discussions organized around chapters
the final month of Frederick’s tenure as AIA in 2020. Our mission to protect public health, and developed through the Guides for Equitable
President. In December, Chicago architect safety, and welfare has never been more Practice. Formulated over the last two years in
Peter Exley, FAIA, takes over to advance the relevant. And I’ve never seen greater motivation partnership with Renée Cheng, FAIA, dean of
Policy Platform. in our profession to fully live our values. the University of Washington’s College of Built
“The most successful architecture projects Our urgent, methodical work to lend a Environments, and her teams at the University
embrace the public good,” says Exley, “but hand in the COVID-19 pandemic—first in of Minnesota and University of Washington,
we must be much stronger and insistent in adapting buildings into health facilities, then the guides include case studies and tactical
advocating for the public good and articulating in providing guidance to safely reopen public advice to, as Cheng says, “convert intentions
the evidence of its power to improve lives. spaces—has remained critical throughout a into actions.” They are a valuable tool as we
That means evidence-based design and codes, summer marked by progress in some areas and dismantle our implicit and explicit biases.
of course, but it also means talking about the dangerous surges in others. And our expertise Central to that effort is ensuring greater
value we bring to our clients, to job sites, to and commitment to creating spaces that are diversity when it comes to who we recognize
developers, and especially to end users and healthy, safe, and equitable will remain just as for professional achievements, and to whose
elected officials.” vital as we head into an uncertain autumn. voices we feature in our editorial content in
In doing so, both Frederick and Exley see “Healthy, safe, and equitable.” These print and online. Who we honor today inspires
both the current public health crisis and the are principles our profession has long been tomorrow’s pioneers and innovators, and who
crisis of conscience that racial justice demands committed to, but they’ve taken on added we feature motivates the next generation of
as catalysts for architects to demonstrate the weight as communities across the nation have leaders. AIA
ethical core that distinguishes their work as taken a stand in new ways for racial justice.
individuals and collectively as a profession. AIA We are taking a stand in new ways, too. Jane Frederick, faia, 2020 AIA President
68
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Representation matters. Diversity, equity, and inclusion matter. And to achieve these goals for the building industry, real action
and real change must happen. Dismantling the systemic racism that pervades our society—and with it, architecture and the built
environment—will take time and a sustained commitment. And we must approach the difficult and necessary work ahead with
humility, urgency, and collective action. In her AIA Perspective column (page 68), AIA President Jane Frederick, FAIA, outlines
the Institute’s commitment to fighting racial injustice, as well as some next steps. And in the following pages, emerging and
established professionals, DEI experts, educators, and industry leaders share their visions and ideas for achieving a more
inclusive profession—not only to increase representation for Black architects and other architects of color, but also to create
an industry that celebrates them. A more equitable world depends on it.
 71

S A M A N T H A J O S A P H AT In response to the
recent, sustained calls to
principal, Studio 397 Architecture; president, nycoba|NOMA
improve diversity, equity,
New York City
and inclusion in the

1 When I start seeing positive results from actions, not

statements, I’ll start to believe change is happening.
AEC sector, ARCHITECT
asked 12 thought leaders 1 2
Our industry thrives on lofty words. If it can figure out from across the country
how to translate lines into buildings, it is capable of to weigh in on what
figuring out how to translate equal rights for all humans meaningful, actionable
into actions. If change is what we want, we can figure it change can look like for
out—we just have to practice at it. Leading by example the profession.
is key.
3 4

T E R I C A N A D A , AIA

co-founder and managing principal, Evoke Studio Architecture

Durham, N.C. 5 6

2 Architecture firms need to train and promote African

Americans, other people of color, and women
to leadership positions. We should not only be
designated as diversity leaders but also as principals
and directors of design, architecture, and management.
I am not suggesting to promote individuals without 7 8
the correct qualifications, but to actively help them
achieve the necessary training for these positions.
Architecture firms also need to “feed the pipeline”
and develop initiatives that expose young children
to the architecture and design fields. By the time
many children in underserved areas find out about
9 10
architecture, it is too late to develop the portfolio
required to enter an accredited architectural school.
By feeding the pipeline, we are able to get more
African Americans and other POCs into architectural
programs and give firms a more diverse talent pool.

11 12

K AT H Y D I X O N , FAIA

principal, K. Dixon Architecture

Washington, D.C.

3 We need to put on different lenses to see the change

WHAT WILL CONVINCE

that is happening, as well as the change that is not
happening as quickly as we would like. Over my

YOU THAT THIS CALL

nearly 30 years of experience, I’ve watched change
occur at a slow but steady pace; diversity within senior

FOR CHANGE IS
management at large national firms has gone from
nonexistent to somewhat more regular, accepted, and
Dawit N.M.

DIFFERENT?
desirable. Decades ago, African American architects
had few options but to strike out on their own when
no firms would hire them. Now they are being hired
by the major firms, and a few are even promoted to
executive levels. This is encouraging, although many
regional and mid-sized firms still lack any diversity in
senior management or among their design studio staff.
72

M E L I S S A R . D A N I E L , As s o c . AIA A LV I N H U A N G , AIA

architectural designer, AMAR Group LLC; design advocate principal, Synthesis Design; associate professor and director
Washington, D.C. of graduate and post-professional architecture,

4
University of Southern California School of Architecture
Systemic racism cannot be solved by forming a
Los Angeles
committee, workshop, or webinar. This process takes
years, likely decades, as well as commitment and
7 A parallel exists between how we think about diversity,

Previous Page: 1: Jarrod anderson; 2, 10: evoKe studio architecture; 3: K. dixon architecture; 4: MaxMilian Franz; 5: ernest sisson; 6: ryan Pagelow;
humility. The BIPOC community seeks serious change; equity, and inclusion in the profession and the way we
the current calls to action are buzzwords that were view the role of sustainability in the built environment.
wordsmithed together without including tangible The best sustainable designs are integrative rather
change. To convince me that the AEC profession than additive: They consider the building as an

7: courtesy usc school oF architecture; 8: Michael a. hernandez; 9: stevie rotella; 11: courtesy Quilian riano; 12: volcy PhotograPhy
is serious about improving diversity, equity, and ecosystem of design decisions and opportunities that
inclusion, there must first be identification of and perform synthetically. Sustainable design decisions
work toward eliminating microaggressions resting shouldn’t just improve a building’s environmental
in firm culture. Firm leaders must foster challenging, performance; they should improve the overall design.
uncomfortable conversations among themselves and Similarly, DEI cannot be thought of as additive—
their firms to address these microaggressions head-on. like sprinkles or icing on top of a cupcake. Rather, they
Identifying these expressions will be difficult because need to be thought of as both transformative and
firm culture often perceives them as “joking around” or integrative. How can we alter the DNA of our
labels those who speak up as “sensitive people.” I am profession to benefit everyone rather than just
no expert in DEI methods and practices; however, the sprinkling a little bit of diversity on top? These ideals
AEC profession is screaming out for resolution. cannot be compartmentalized into issues of human
resources purely for the sake of representation. We
need to do the homework to recognize the failures of
the current systems of power in this country—and in
R A I N Y H A M I LT O N , FAIA our profession—so we can address them systematically.

founder and principal, HamiltonAnderson

Detroit
SUMMER SUTTON
5 I have been in the profession for 41 years. I will need to
see and experience majority individuals and companies Ph.D. candidate and co-founder of Indigenous Scholars of
extending an open hand and invitation to African Architecture, Planning and Design, Yale University School of
American architects to become part of the larger Architecture
network of business opportunities. Opportunities New Haven, Conn.
to design projects in leadership roles must be made
available to African American architects for them to 8 Firms and institutions can make a statement of
commitment and responsibility to enact change, but
advance and build wealth. We must go far beyond the
individual members of the organization’s leadership
tokenism of offering a small percentage of a project
should also personally deliver a statement to increase
to architects of color while majority firms control the
the sense of accountability.
project direction and compensation.
Publicly highlighting employees with experience
and knowledge of working with Indigenous clients or
partnering with Indigenous-led firms and institutions
are examples of how to value diverse perspectives. This
M AYA B I R D - M U R P H Y, As s o c . AIA can also reveal gaps in representation within a firm.
Doing so in a public manner holds the company and
founder and executive director, Chicago Mobile Makers
the employee responsible for continuing to foster those
Chicago
knowledges through their career development.

6 Improving diversity, equity, and inclusion has

finally become “mainstream.” I’ve seen statements
Giving your time to develop and foster meaningful
relationships with communities that have been
of solidarity from many AEC companies, but these historically underrepresented in the AEC professions
statements must be backed up by action steps. I won’t will have long-term benefits. Community development
be convinced that real change is happening until firms requires a commitment to engage in a mutually
have DEI action steps written into their business plans beneficial way with partners who can vouch for your
and have employee-led committees that have the power commitment to respectful collaborations.
to keep firm leadership accountable. AIA and other Statements should be made to highlight the steps
national organizations should be putting pressure on that have been taken. Doing—and not just saying—
firms to create such action steps. these things is when we will know there is real change.
 73

R I C O Q U I R I N D O N G O , AIA QUILIAN RIANO

principal, DLR Group founder and principal, DSGN AGNC; associate director,
Seattle Kent State University College of Architecture and Environmental

9
Design’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (views are my own)
Meaningful change can only begin by looking inward,
Shaker Heights, Ohio
taking stock of our current position, and accepting
and owning the data uncovered in that exploration.
Some firms have begun using the Intercultural
11 Seeing and participating in the collective organizing
and production of work in social/racial justice groups
Development Inventory to assess their practices’ led by BIPOC designers like Design as Protest has
cultural competency, to identify where they fall on the brought me hope. It demonstrates what is possible
continuum from denial to adaptation, and to begin to when designers work together in a democratic model
create diversity, equity, and inclusion frameworks that to discuss, debate, and propose complex demands,
support strategies for reform, investment, and growth. ideas, and direct actions to confront complex and
All firms need to do this work. The Memorandum of entrenched problems. I urge leaders in practice and
Understanding between AIA and NOMA needs to be academia to listen and adopt the demands coming out
adopted and understood by all of our member firms. of these groups and collective processes.
They should also be required to invest in education Outside of design, I’ve been interested in emerging
that introduces architecture to students at the K–12 explicitly anti-racist economic models that emphasize
and college levels and to support a BIPOC community community wealth-building, collective ownership, and
of young leaders to move and grow into leadership democratic decision-making. For example, Cleveland
positions across the AEC professions. Owns is a radical incubator that equips groups to build
wealth and power through collective ownership. The
Democracy Collaborative is another leading group
forming employee-owned cooperatives and pushing
what it terms the Democratic Economy with a stated
goal of confronting racial inequity.
I am interested to see how these collective efforts
may provide openings for architectural practice to
fundamentally change financial and organizational

WHAT ACTIONS
models—and potentially change the kinds of projects
and communities it works for.

HAVE EFFECTED
REAL CHANGE? A L I C I A V O L C Y, As s o c . AIA

owner and founder, Studio Volcy Design + Development

Pittsburgh

12 I’d like to see the design community mentor

professionals the way the sports industry mentors
professional and collegiate athletes. Many of the
world’s greatest athletes are trained by professionals
from different racial and ethnic backgrounds: They
nurture the athletes to ensure that they reach their
E D W I N H A R R I S , AIA peak performance. Race doesn’t seem to matter.
In the architecture community, leaders typically
co-founder and design principal, Evoke Studio Architecture
mentor those who look like them. When less than 2%
Durham, N.C.
of the entire profession looks like you, where exactly

10 Because of our own experiences as African American

architects, we have been intentional as firm owners to
does that leave you? Of course, having the urge to
mentor someone who reminds you of yourself isn’t
raise awareness of the profession to those who may not intentionally racist. But that’s the point that we keep
otherwise be aware. We consistently visit elementary, missing: You don’t need to have racist intentions to
middle, and high schools for career days and talks. end up with a racist outcome. And here we are.
We host events for students at our office. We also teach I do worry that encouraging black youth to pursue
on the collegiate level. Our mission is not only to be architecture is setting them up to enter a profession
present, but also to engage students to become excited that will only mistreat them and oppress them further.
about the profession, which I hope will shift the But, this topic would probably require a four-part
landscape of our profession. docuseries.

> To read more responses from these thought leaders, visit bit.ly/AR2020DEI
What Are First Steps
Toward a More
Inclusive Workplace?
ACHIEVING A DIVERSE,
EQUITABLE, AND INCLUSIVE
FIRM WILL TAKE TIME.
THE PROCESS, SAY THREE
DEI EXPERTS, BEGINS WITH
EXAMINING YOUR CULTURE.

LEARN THROUGH
LISTENING
SHARON STEED

founder, Communilogue
Pittsburgh

Many organizations, leaders, and managers are way affect their employment. Ask them: Do they feel
understandably feeling overwhelmed at the moment. included? Heard? Like they belong? Listen to their
We all finally see how painful life can be for certain stories without judgment, and try to internalize
segments of the population. Several of my clients have their struggle.
expressed their hesitation, even fear, in confronting Make the most of what you learn by implementing
these topics: What if they say the wrong thing? changes to your hiring processes to increase diversity;
What if they hurt someone? What if it isn’t enough? using inclusive language to ensure everyone in the
The issues we are facing, however, don’t have to office can join every conversation; and elevating
be intimidating nonstarters: They are opportunities to existing voices in your ranks who may feel like they
foster connection and drive inclusion, and architects have, or have actually, been silenced.
are exceptionally equipped to tackle this challenging These conversations can be challenging and
time in our history within the ranks of their firms. daunting. Bringing in outside help at the beginning
Architects not only understand their clients’ physical of this process is OK. Consultants can facilitate these
needs and wants, but also what is possible for a site, tough discussions as well as create a safe space for
and what needs to happen in order to get it there. these conversations to flourish and guide your firm in
Use this same approach to create an inclusive long-term diversity, equity, and inclusion planning.
and equitable culture at your firm. The first step is The rawness of the world right now requires those
learning through listening: Leaders need to initiate open lines of communication. When you begin to
one-on-one conversations with employees about their listen as an action, you will confront the brutal truth
experiences in their firm. Make sure each individual that your worldview has been very narrow to date.
understands that their opinions matter and will in no That’s OK: You are learning through listening.
 75

QUESTION SUSTAIN YOUR CULTURE

EVERYTHING TRANSFORMATION
L I LY Z H E N G S H I R L E Y D AV I S

diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant, Lily Zheng Consulting president and CEO, SDS Global Enterprises
San Francisco Tampa Bay, Fla.

Corporate culture is the implied and unspoken values, Culture transformation has become a focus for firms that
beliefs, and behaviors that represent a company’s recognize it can make or break their brand reputation
identity and inform how employees should interact among customers and top talent. Culture can be elusive
with each other and clients. Culture is embedded and invisible, yet it affects the productivity, engagement,
within office policies, processes, and expectations. creativity, and retention of employees, many of whom
Where does DEI come into this? Most firm cultures are demanding that our workplaces create a sense of
are designed, intentionally or unintentionally, to belonging, be free from harassment, and—at the very
be most comfortable for their leaders, who are least—be more inclusive and equitable. It can also affect
overwhelmingly cisgender, heterosexual, college- bottom-line profits.
educated white men. But changing culture is not easy, nor is it a quick fix,
Fostering a culture of inclusion that welcomes which explains why most efforts either fail or stall. What
women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, working- is the secret to transforming culture in your firm in a way
class people, and other underrepresented minorities that results in sustained success?
requires reimagination from the ground up. Here are From my experience, I can attest that the clients
the steps your firm must take, and the introspective who have succeeded at culture transformation all
questions you must ask all employees: understood two things: First, you must implement a
comprehensive and robust strategy rather than taking
1 (RE)DETERMINE YOUR COMPANY VALUES,
a short-term approach; and, second, you must make it
IDENTITY, AND ETHOS.
every leader’s responsibility. Here are five steps to get
“Who” is your company? Who belongs inside it?
started:
One powerful way to begin this exercise is
to ask: “Who are we not?” Aim high. Should 1 Start with a culture audit to identify the current
your company be a place for underrepresented state of issues, challenges, and strengths, as well
minorities to work? Buy from? Why and how as opportunities and deficiencies both inside and
should it earn that reputation? outside of your firm.

2 UNPACK THE ASSUMPTIONS AT THE CORE OF 2 Integrate and align inclusive behaviors into your
YOUR COMPANY AND INDUSTRY. values, policies, and strategic plan to reflect the
In design, for example, what stylistic approaches changing demographics in your talent pool,
are accepted to be best? What is considered customer segments, and communities.
“normal” or “standard” within mainstream
3 Replace archaic belief systems that breed power
architecture education? What are the unspoken
structures through homogeneity, conformity, and
expectations for architects interacting with each
hierarchy.
other and their clients?
4 Provide education and development for leaders and
3 IDENTIFY HOW THESE ASSUMPTIONS EMBED
staff on how to work more inclusively and effectively
THEMSELVES IN COMMON PRACTICES.
across differences.
Do white men primarily interface with clients,
even if they’re less experienced than other team 5 Institute accountability systems that reward
members? Does your firm interact with certain inclusive behaviors and reinforce your firm’s values.
clients more than others or pursue certain types
Use these steps to begin the journey to transforming
of work? What holidays does your firm recognize?
your firm’s culture. The process is not a sprint, but a
What amount of unpaid labor is expected from
marathon, and yet it must be approached with a real
employees?
sense of urgency in order to achieve sustained success.
Dawit N.M.

4 EXPLICITLY REWORK ASSUMPTIONS AND

COMMON PRACTICES TO ALIGN WITH YOUR
IDEAL COMPANY IDENTITY.
What do design processes, expectations, and
policies that support people of all races, genders,
incomes, and social identities look like? How can
you normalize these new aspects of culture?
76

TexT And InTervIews by

AlIcIA OlushOlA AjAyI
zOOm POrTrAITs by dAwIT n.m.

How Do We Elevate
the Next Generation of
Architects of Color?
 77

Licensure

In these uncertain times, architecture firms and schools are facing severe,
though hardly new, indictments sparked by global outcries against racial
inequality. Today, the profession is being forced to reckon with allegations
of upholding white supremacist cultures and practices—the dismal lack of
diversity among architecture firms and student bodies being just one glaring
metric. The National Organization of Minority Architects, founded in 1971, has
responded by building a pipeline to increase the number of architects of color.
NOMA With programs that include Project Pipeline, the National Organization
of Minority Architect Students, and the NOMA Foundation Fellowship, the
organization is supporting students of color at crucial milestones to becoming
an architect. Project Pipeline aims to give students exposure to architecture at
an early age—a significant determinant in their choosing to pursue the profession.
Since its inception in 2005, the program has served more than 10,000 middle
school to high school students in more than 25 cities around the country, offering
summer camps, career days, and workshops that teach design justice. The project
gives students new insight into the built environment in their communities, while
spotlighting architecture as a viable profession.
NOMA
Foundation The NFF is NOMA’s most recent push to add to the pipeline life cycle. Unveiled
Fellowship this summer, the fellowship placed 30 NOMAS students in eight-week paid
internships at prominent firms across the country. The new initiative, largely supported
by a partnership with the AIA Large Firm Roundtable, aims to provide access to
graduates of color, while inspiring the profession to see the untapped talent that has
been too long neglected.
I spoke with five NFF fellows—all smart, passionate, energetic, and eager for their
work to help the communities that need it most. I also had a Zoom call with four leading
NOMA advocates who are helping to build the pipeline: Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, the
organization’s national president and a principal at HOK Chicago; Bryan C. Lee Jr.,
NOMAS co-chair of Project Pipeline and founder/director of New Orleans–based Colloqate Design;
Richie Hands, Assoc. AIA, co-chair of Project Pipeline and an associate at Lamar Johnson
Collaborative in Chicago; and Dr. Kwesi Daniels, head of Tuskegee University’s Department
Project of Architecture in Tuskegee, Ala. They discussed the challenges—financial, social, and
Pipeline
otherwise—that students of color face. They also unpacked the real purpose of the pipeline:
ushering in a new generation of architects who can think critically about fighting systems of
oppression through design and who will create a more equitable profession.

FOUNDATION FELLOW
This fellowship is a really great thing. It’s an opportunity to get into these big name firms. It’s really going to open
doors for incoming graduates. It’s also going to start making firms think, “Hey, let’s start looking at these schools.”
In my personal experience, some firms just recruit from certain schools—very particular name schools. I know I
have won competitions against these top-name schools, but still firms look at them. So it’s really creating that new
pipeline from college to professionalism.
I was the only African American in my graduating class at Illinois. Seeing what firms are posting, seeing what a lot
of people in our industry are posting, I feel like it’s trending right now. But I do respect them, firms acknowledging
themselves. We need to diversify, we need to do more, but then we have to also respond. I think with firms
acknowledging the current political moment, it helps influence the younger generation: “Hey, we can do this as well.”

AARON DEROUX
M.Arch. 2020, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

@
HED
Chicago
78

I’m working with Jha D Williams at

MASS Design. She’s a NOMA member.

ADVOCATES
So far I have been doing a little bit
of research and a little bit of design
work. I’m visibly Muslim and I’m an
K I M B E R LY D O W D E L L For stepping stone going forward. We took a
Asian woman, and so for some people
the first portion of my term as NOMA shot at redeveloping the curriculum so that
that is hard for them to understand.
president I have been really focused on within the camp, depending on how many
In high school, I looked online for
my platform, which is called ALL in for years you’ve been, you’re experiencing
different resources of how I could
NOMA, standing for access, leadership, and something new. You’re looking at something
understand what architecture was
legacy. A big portion of what we’re talking through a different lens. And it allows the
or how I could get involved. That’s
about today is access, which is focusing on students to return and learn something
when I stumbled upon the ACE Mentor
K–12, our college and graduate students, new, and build upon their skill sets from
Program, which connects high school
those who are on the pipeline to licensure. previous years.
students with professionals in the
Most recently we created the NOMA
architecture, construction, and
Foundation Fellowship, which is designed A L I C I A A J AY I We hear this over
engineering fields. That’s where I
to help graduates connect with firms to get and over again, that a lot of people in
found mentors involved in NOMA, like
them access to opportunities right after our communities of color, they don’t see
Richie Hands. And they introduced me
graduation. We’re giving those fellows a architects or maybe they don’t get exposure
to the Project Pipeline summer camp.
stipend. And at the end of the fellowship, to the profession. I’m wondering how
Getting involved with ACE and NOMA
should the firm that they’re with have Project Pipeline responds to that problem.
as a high school student, that was
the bandwidth, hopefully they would
such a turning point. If I hadn’t done
get hired and that would evolve into a L E E Yeah, that’s huge. We have spent
that, I wouldn’t be in architecture.
full-time position. many years developing a course that tries to
It’s important for firms to realize
So, you know, is it a silver bullet? No, create connections. So, high school students
that we’re so much more than our
but we have to take the resources that we having connections with recent graduates
identity, but also I do want them to
have available and try to multiply them as who are college students creates a strong
see my identity because that’s where
much as we can to get as many minorities bond in that space. What’s really great is
I am. So while I think it’s important
into the profession as possible. Then the mentorship that cascades up or down
to make space for people of color
there’s Project Pipeline, which is one of our and allows for parents to see their children
and Black people, you should also be
signature programs and something we’re move up the spectrum. What we found in
hiring us because we deserve to be
super focused on, particularly this summer our camps is that students’ ability to find
there versus to fill a space or fill a
as we transition it from physical camps to themselves in that space prevents them
number. The fellowship’s role in this
virtual camps throughout the country. from having to try to jump forward and see
has been super important because
they’ve given us the foot in the door
B R YA N C . L E E J R . What we’ve
into these amazing firms and created
tried to do with Project Pipeline is create
this partnership program. And then
a camp, a program, that doesn’t just seek
these firms can see that we have so
diversity as its outcome but recognizes that
much to give.
diversity is a byproduct of justice and equity.
And so we’re using a curriculum
that really starts to acknowledge that we NIMAH MOHIUDDIN
have a process that has to equal service to M.Arch. 2022, Illinois Institute of Technology
our communities.
If we are not in service of our @
communities, we will never create spaces
MASS DESIGN GROUP
or create the profession that can retain
Boston
people. We’ve tried to create a camp that
makes sure that we build out the community
of students who are engaged from middle
school to high school. And makes sure the
pipeline doesn’t stop there.

R I C H I E H A N D S The biggest thing

that got me into it was that I wanted to help
with the curriculum, help make everything
standardized, and help make this pipeline
work, both within the camp but also as a big

FOUNDATION FELLOW
 79

For the fellowship, they send your resumes and then they match you with the firm.
When I got the email from Ennead, I was so shocked. The work that they do is fantastic.
What I’m working on now is an e-Lab. Most of it starts with heavy, heavy research and
community engagement. I really want to open my own design-build firm that focuses
on developing affordable housing in New Orleans. The work that Ennead does, it’s on a
larger scale—New Orleans is very-small scale—and so what I’m learning with them is so
valuable. If not for this fellowship, I don’t know whether I would have had an opportunity
to work in a firm like this right off the bat. So it’s a real blessing.
If I look back, I personally didn’t feel like there was necessarily a place for me in
architecture. There was no one who looked like me. It was really through NOMA that
I was able to see that there is a different type of design practice, of just being able to
acknowledge what tools you need to create the space that you want to see in the world.
If not for NOMA, I probably wouldn’t have made it through architecture school.

K E R I S T E N E D WA R D S
M.Arch. 2020, Tulane University

@
ENNEAD ARCHITECTS
New York

FOUNDATION FELLOW
themselves immediately as professionals. to learn about another aspect of spatial students who haven’t even heard of the
If they only see the 40-year-old white dude awareness that they didn’t known about. word portfolio, but when you go through a
who wants to give back to the community, camp that has exposed you to architecture,
there’s no tangible connection between D O W D E L L I have had the experience, you get exposed to the lexicon. If you’re
point A and point Z. at least a handful of times, where we ask the a student who’s interested, you also are
young people to raise their hand if they’re prepared to apply to schools of architecture
H A N D S One of the strongest things that interested in architecture. And out of a room because there are barriers to getting in, from
has happened within the Chicago camp of 30 kids, it’s one or two. Which hurts a portfolios to understanding the necessity for
is that we have a number of students that little bit, but I get it. It’s still a new concept, an accredited program. These are the kinds
repeatedly come back to volunteer. Our and I think the kids still enjoy learning of conversations that will be brokered with
camp focuses on middle school students, about their cities and drawing and hearing them before they arrive, and by the time
so seeing the new or younger high school from the mentors. they see us, they will have had that training.
students now mentoring middle school I think what’s really positive is that even
students, and the older high school if they don’t go into architecture, all of a L E E Our first camp, I was extremely
students mentoring the younger high sudden there are all these people who have nervous and didn’t know how it was going
school students, and building with the knowledge of what architecture is, which to go. We had this young student Mahala
college students as well since we have some will ultimately make them better users of who had no interest in what we were doing.
strong NOMAS chapters locally, there’s just the built environments, better clients. I Zero interest. But she was drawing all of
an immediate pipeline of students that are think that early exposure helps to make the these trees in her notebook—that was what
within eight years of each other. They can profession more widely appreciated. she was doing. So the second day in we
see an immediate pathway, and if they’re said, “OK, Mahala, you’re going to be the
genuinely interested in architecture, be like, K W E S I D A N I E L S Particularly when landscape architect.” So she became the
“OK, that’s where Richie is right now. That’s you’re talking about a program like ours landscape architect for this entire cityscape.
where I’m going to be in two years.” at Tuskegee—unlike a lot of schools of Mahala went on to go into psychology
I think that helps keep them energized architecture, where to come in you have to in college but came back every year as a
going forward. bring a portfolio—we tell students: “Come mentor.
on board. We’ll teach you what you need A few months back before the virus hit,
A J AY I The goal of the project is to get over the first two years, and if you still want she said, “I think I’m ready.” I’m like, “OK,
more people into the profession. But I’m it, then we’ll see where you are and you’ll cool, let’s do it.” She wanted to come work
also wondering about the kids who don’t keep learning.” with us. We couldn’t do it at this moment,
enter the pipeline necessarily. It still seems Unfortunately that portfolio is also a but I think people take their own path to
so valuable to be able to go to these camps barrier to access. We come across so many understand how the physical environment
80

FOUNDATION The meaning of the fellowship—and

the meaning of NOMA—is to build a
FELLOW community and to give opportunities
to build each other up. We have to work
together and we have to fight for each
relates to the larger things that they care
other and advocate for each other.
about in this world. And our job is to give
Especially the new generation coming
them that opportunity to go at their pace,
up, there are a lot of powerful voices,
understand the relationships between
especially toward the sustainability
themselves and the physical environment,
sector. It’s not just lowering
and how to manifest that space.
emissions, but on the social level, it
impacts people of color the most. As
D A N I E L S I find this at the collegiate
temperatures rise, those effects are
level: A lot of students don’t understand
going to become harsher and harsher.
the transferable skills they can get from
Think of people in favelas in Brazil,
collateral spaces. And those collateral
Having a fellowship that basically slums in India, these people who have
spaces can actually make you a dope
puts a group of students of color lower incomes and who can’t afford
architect. Because you understand, in her
or Black students in the face of the proper air-conditioning systems.
case, psychology. I understand how people
architecture field and tells them, I’m not going to say which firm
think. That means I understand how to
“You wanted the talent, here is the and call them out. But at one of the
address this community when we speak
talent,” I think is really important. [previous] firms I worked in, we had to
about social justice issues, whether it’s
Especially for Black designers, Black take a group picture. There were a lot
communities of color or other marginalized
female designers, who are very rare of interns and they were very diverse,
communities. If you have an understanding
in the field. It’s important for me to and I knew that’s specifically why they
of peripheral elements, you can bring them
be a representation of the kind of were doing it. Then the VPs came and
into architecture and it’s a great fit. One of
power that Black women designers literally every single one was a white
the things I like most is when I see students
can have, for firms to see, OK, I can male. If you really want to make true
who come in and they’re shy. We’re all like,
actually hire a Black woman and she’s change, then at the top levels, that’s
“Ah, you’re not going to be shy too much
actually going to commit and she’s where you need to change the people.
longer.”
going to produce really good work. The people who are in charge of these
Their parents are like, “They’re reserved,
So I find the fellowship to be an businesses and political leaders, that’s
they don’t really like to stand up in front
amazing opportunity. It can create where diversity is most important
of people.” I’m like: “That’s cool. Just stick
networks that I did not have. A lot of because they’re the ones who are able
with us long enough.” So there’s these
these students come in and they have to take accountability.
elements that really help round the student
that experience. They say, “Yeah, my
out. The earlier that you can tackle that
uncle is a designer,” or “Yeah, my
and expose students to spatial thinking, H I M E S H PAT E L , AIAS
dad is a designer,” or “My dad is an
the better. B.Arch. 2020, New York Institute of
architect,” or “My father owns a firm.”
Technology
I think this fellowship is perfect as a
A J AY I There’s also the dollars and cents
part of an education. If we’re going to
prototype for more than just NOMA,
to say, OK, we actually need to work
@
talk equity, we gotta talk dollars and cents. AY E R S S A I N T G R O S S
directly with schools, we need to work
I’m wondering how these programs are Baltimore
directly with institutions that are
contributing to that conversation.
interacting with young designers in
order to find this group of students
D O W D E L L It’s a real challenge to look
of color that is constantly struggling
at architecture and see at face value why
to make it in this design field for
you would do it if you don’t come from
multiple reasons. Reasons that are
an independently wealthy background.
definitely systemic, that are definitely
Unfortunately, if you’re a person of color,
entrenched in a history that is all
it’s highly likely that you have fewer
about inequality against Black people
resources than others. That often translates
and people of color.
into young people of color looking for
opportunities that they have a passion for,
but that will also help them pay the bills BARBARA NASILA
for people in their family. When you look at B.Arch. 2020, University of California,
architecture, you’re looking at a five-, six-, or Berkeley
seven-year education at the very least.
@
CUNINGHAM GROUP
FOUNDATION
Minneapolis FELLOW
 81

It’s fairly expensive because you have to to solve issues of justice, because they’re problem. And you can’t say we’ve got to
have top-notch technology to handle all only looking at an end result. They’re only hire every student, because we have fewer
the computer modeling required now. And looking at ways to get the students, or the students than most predominantly white
then on top of that, you look at the starting professionals who are challenging them, out institutions. The pool of highly qualified
salary of an architect. When I went to career of their way. It’s a way to get back to capital. applicants is not huge, and even as you
services at my school and looked it up, So it’s been really nice to see the vocal build it up, it’s still not as great as what
feeling excited, I saw it was $35,000. I was nature of the individuals who are pushing you’re going to find at PWIs. That’s just a
like, “Wait, what? Why didn’t anyone tell me?” our larger profession. dynamic that we’re negotiating right now,
I think that there’s some work to be and if we figure it out while the interest is
done in architecture in general to make sure H A N D S I’m curious to see, and time will still there, we’ll make great headway.
that we’re being compensated for the value tell, what happens going forward. Right This country is rooted in these issues.
that we create. If as a profession we’re able now it’s a lot of talk, and there’s some action, It’s part of our foundation. People of
to generate more fees because our clients but it’s not everywhere, and not every color built the built environment. And so
understand the value, then that translates firm that has put out a statement has been injustice, inequality, because it’s rooted in
into higher starting salaries and a more pushing it forward right away. There’s also that, is not going to be extracted overnight.
attractive profession for people to whom social media that’s blown up highlighting The fact that we’re having conversations
money actually does matter. Which is most stuff that’s been going on, stuff that we all about the same stuff that we marched for
of the people who look like us. talk about amongst ourselves, but now that 60 years ago means that there’s still a lot
Part of the approach of Project Pipeline it has a microscope on it, I think there’s of work to do.
is to provide that early exposure not just to a greater chance that things will change. But I do believe that we can find ways
the classroom, but to people who are in the Black at SOM, Black at Gensler, Black at to push the needle, to carve out new spaces,
profession who students can look up to and AIA, ARCH so White: those Instagram and put that sensitivity there. You have
see that it is possible. It may not be easy, accounts highlight daily experiences that a diverse environment, you get a greater
but it is possible. And then we’re working I can say, “Oh, yeah, I experienced that product. You have a monoculture, you get a
with many firms that have expressed an when I was there.” Having it highlighted, horrible product. A diverse environment is
interest in not just supporting Project everyone can see it, and there’s just greater able to withstand calamities. A monoculture
Pipeline, but to some extent supporting pressure for firms to address it. Or else it gets wiped out really fast. The more we’re
scholarships. So we’re trying to really becomes known that these big companies able to push this idea of inclusion and
ramp up that activity and work with AIA, haven’t done anything about it and will what that truly means, and equity and
specifically the Architects Foundation, on continue to keep rolling as if nothing is what that truly means, beyond just a policy
getting scholarships to NOMA students. wrong. Now there’s so much focus on it, and that checks it off, the more that it actually
because the initial response was so lacking, becomes part of the culture. That we believe
A J AY I I’m wondering what everyone’s I think the added pressure is going to force in going out and getting diverse bodies of
pulse has been around how the profession the industry to change. people from all the schools, not just from
has responded to the bold demands that a ones we’re comfortable with. When we
lot of student organizations have placed on D A N I E L S How do you answer the make that part of our standard operating
their programs. Even faculty members are issues related to social justice? How procedure, then, yes, as Richie said, I think
speaking out. What’s your interpretation of do you answer issues related to equity we can definitely see a huge change. But I
how architecture has responded? within the built environment? There is an encourage us not to take our eyes off the
inherent component that says as NOMA, ball, because I think we did. And 60 years
L E E We are so proud of the students who an organization that is full of minority later, society is still at the same place.
have put themselves on the line to speak architects, we have a strong sensitivity to
truth to power. It’s been amazing to see it what that thing looks like. There is a desire D O W D E L L I am actually borrowing
happen across so many campuses around to do good. From the administrative side, this from Tonya Allen, president and
the country. And I would say the response from the academic side, to the Large Firm CEO of the Skillman Foundation out of
from universities, organizations, firms is Roundtable, there’s been an outpouring Detroit. She once said that diversity is about
lacking, in part because they don’t have of interest: How do we support students counting the people, and inclusion is about
the language, they don’t have the capacity. of color? How do we support programs of making the people count. More and more,
And they’re trying to solve a problem today, color around the country? this profession needs to ensure that the
as opposed to recognizing that this is not What has been lacking for so long is people who are shaping the future of the
just a process, it is a change of process in that level of engagement, that on both sides built environment for all of us really count,
perpetuity. In a large part, the profession it’s like, “We’re not quite sure how to do and that they really are representative of the
has failed and will continue to fail at trying this.” You can’t just throw money at every society that we’re serving.

> Interviews have been edited and condensed. To read more, go to bit.ly/NOMAPipeline
82

Will You Join Us?

text by Kimberly DowDell, AiA

The American
Institute of
Architects is
. founded . . . .
1840 1860 1880 1900 1920
 83

Moon
landing

essentially moved from zero to 2% of all licensed

architects in the United States since architecture
organized as a profession in 1857.
When architecture emerged as a profession in the
THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., slavery was still legal. Let that sink in.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF MINORITY Presently, Blacks represent approximately 13% of

the U.S. population. Out of approximately 116,000
ARCHITECTS CHALLENGES THE licensed architects, 478 women and 1,847 men are in
PROFESSION TO COMMIT TO INCREASING the Directory of African American Architects.
Yes, that still equates to just 2% of the profession.
REPRESENTATION FOR BLACK ARCHITECTS. In 2020. There’s a gap here.
Why does this matter? I’m glad you ask. It matters
because representation matters when it comes to
protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the entire
On Sept. 12, 1962, before an audience of more than public. For far too long, Blacks and other racial and
40,000 people on the campus of Rice University, ethnic minorities have suffered under the cruel hands
President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech that of injustice in this country, including land theft,
would define the 1960s in America. He said: “We bondage, internment camps, Jim Crow, and redlining,
choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the all of which have evolved into what we know today as
other things, not because they are easy, but because systemic racism or institutional oppression. The time to
they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize end these atrocities is now.
and measure the best of our energies and skills, As a profession, architecture can set an example
because that challenge is one that we are willing to for industries nationwide. This is the moment when
accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we demand a new frontier for architecture as we seek
which we intend to win.” to design a stronger and more just America. United
This bold statement was made more than two We Stand.
decades before I was born, but it resonates with me In my capacity as NOMA National President, I have
today more than ever. We were determined to make been working very closely with myriad industry partners
it to the moon, and we did. Now, in this decade, one to essentially build bridges between NOMA and
of the greatest challenges that we must tackle with other organizations also committed to diversifying the
the same might is systemic racial injustice. Until all profession of architecture. One such organization is
Americans are availed of the same opportunities and AIA’s Large Firm Roundtable, which represents the
protections, we are all threatened by the insidious harm 60 largest architecture firms in North America. The
caused by racism and prejudice. This may not seem CEOs of these firms, led by LFRT chair and Shepley
relevant to everyone, but please note that within two Bulfinch CEO Carole Wedge, FAIA, have rallied around
generations from now, the racial demographics of the this issue over the past 18 months and co-authored with
United States will be different from what we see today: NOMA the 2030 Diversity Challenge for Architecture.
According to the Brookings Institute, the majority The task is straightforward: Double the percentage
of people in the U.S. will be people of color by 2045. of African American architects from 2% to 4% by 2030.
If we don’t resolve our current issues with racial That would roughly equate to 5,000—or more—Black
disharmony, we stand to jeopardize our collective future. registered architects in the U.S. in this decade. This is
Racial healing and harmony are relevant to us as probably as ambitious as sending a person to the moon
DAwit N.M.; OrigiNAl cOurtesy HOK

Americans, and to those of us who have chosen the in 1962.

noble profession of architecture. Our duty is to protect Today, I say to you, we must choose to double the
the health, safety, and welfare of the public—the entire number of African American architects in this decade,
public. The buildings that we design are meant to and in Kennedy’s words “not because [it is] easy, but
shelter everyone safely and, to the extent possible, to because [it is] hard, because that goal will serve to
create delight. In the American context, architecture organize and measure the best of our energies and
has historically been a profession of privilege: a skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing
formidable field of endeavor, reserved primarily for to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one
white men of means. Only in recent decades have we which we intend to win.”
seen a significant uptick in the registration of women This is our challenge as a profession.
architects. For Black architects, their numbers have Will you join us?
Moonshot 2,325 Goal: 5,000
speech Black Black
architects architects
. . . ( 2% ) ( 4% ) .
1960 1980 2000 2020 2040
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88 ARCHITECT, The Journal of The American Institute of Architects, August 2020

Editorial:
Building a Legacy

text by Katie Gerfen

It’s hard not to have legacy on the brain after learning dismantling systemic racism is urgent work, it will
about a project like Moody Nolan’s Legacy House take time. In the feature well of this issue, we talk
initiative, which will see the firm design and build 12 to architects, DEI experts, young professionals, and
houses—one in every market in which it has an office— thought leaders to identify actions that individuals or
over 12 years, and donate each to a family in need (you companies can take to begin the process of enacting
can see the first completed house on page 24). It is, in change. It is a discussion far too large for one issue,
the purest form, an example of architects giving back and one that we will continue to bring to these pages
to their communities with architecture. And it speaks going forward. What is clear is this: If the design
to the power of design to make positive change in community—every individual, school, firm, and
people’s lives. organization—works together with humility and a
The houses contribute to not only the legacy of sustained commitment to action, incremental change
the firm but also that of the owners, each of whom is can, and will, turn to waves of progress.
receiving much more than shelter when they accept NOMA President Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, knows
the keys. For a family experiencing homelessness, the that it will take the whole community to enact radical
sense of security in having a permanent residence can and necessary change in the profession, which is why
change the direction of their lives. But the Legacy in her essay “Will You Join Us?” (page 84), she sets
House offers something that most affordable housing a moonshot goal to double the percentage of Black
does not: equity. In a country with a long history of licensed architects in the profession from the current
discriminatory housing practices built upon systemic 2% to 4% by 2030. This will require commitment to
racism, the ability to obtain a home loan is cruelly out change, accessibility, and inclusivity at every step, and
of reach for the low-income families and communities by every institution, on the road to licensure—yet, this
of color that need it most. The equity a mortgage-free will still fall far short of the 13% of the current U.S.
house provides is a stepping stone—one that can population represented by Black people. But it is
catalyze change for an individual, and through them, progress. After all, the best legacy an industry can have
a community. is proof of change for the better. We need to answer
While giving away a house is out of reach for Dowdell’s call and be ALL in, together.
many firms, finding inventive ways to give back to
communities through design can contribute to creating
more equitable communities around the country.
It might seem futile to focus on making the world
a better place one intervention at a time, but those
actions, says CEO Jonathan Moody, AIA, are like
“a drop in the ocean that can begin to create waves.”
Whether it’s physically building a legacy of houses
or metaphorically building one of social change, the
Stephen VoSS

status quo systems in place are clearly not enough. The

recent calls to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion
in our society and in the field of architecture and [email protected]
design are no longer possible to ignore. And while
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