American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA)
AIA and ACSA are pleased to announce a partnership dedicated to the intersection of Education, Research, and Practice. The conference is intended to strengthen the intersection between academia and design practice, especially when it comes to research and innovation, focused on climate action and carbon management strategies. Presentations of research and works in progress, including opportunities to network and connect with others, will be the prime focus of this event designed to address this critical problem of carbon.
As we rapidly approach the 30th anniversary of the Hannover Principles, the call for buildings and the greater built environment to be good instead of less bad is more urgent than ever as weather-based natural disasters have doubled, arctic sea ice hits all-time lows, and the demand for urban buildings grows. As architects and educators, we should be continually asking ourselves if current architectural practices and tools are enough to radically reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere associated with buildings. If not, what research is needed to shift the practice of architecture to restore and regenerate the earth's systems that we have so critically impacted. Simply put, what more could we be doing? What knowledge, skills, and tools do we need to develop, and what are the best ways to do so?
As the first in a dedicated series of AIA/ACSA Intersections Conferences, we will examine the role research plays in advancing architectural practice and education around the topic of carbon. In particular, this conference will examine how research - broadly defined - is currently driving architectural design and the built environment. Participants will share how research is generated in practice, at universities, and in partnerships with business, industry , and government. We will explore how to better align incentives and resources to generate practice relevant, impactful research.
For this conference, there will be two main tracks focused on short- and long-term strategies for managing carbon while acknowledging most if not all strategies will have consequences in the short- and long-term.
Topics included under the short-term carbon management strategies include but are not limited to:
building materials and construction
adaptive reuse and deep energy retrofits
embodied carbon accounting and life cycle analysis
commissioning, post-occupancy evaluations and the role of building occupants
Topics included under long term carbon management strategies include but are not limited to:
climate responsive design in a time of shifting and unreliable climates
transition to electricity based systems, on-site renewables and preparing for a decarbonized electrical grid
how to best reduce fossil fuel-based energy use through design
reliability and utility of energy modeling, predicated Energy Use Intensity (pEUI), and energy bench-marking
Full conference registration includes:
Entry to all conference sessions, workshops & networking
Continuing education credits, including HSW
Keynote Presentations & Plenary Sessions
