Resilience continued: 2022 Case Studies
The very first AIA Continental Europe Virtual Conference of 2021 explored the theme of resilience, through three lenses: space, education, and technology. Ilya Azaroff FAIA outlined ways individual offices have initiated strategies to the unprecedented shocks and stresses affecting architecture and urbanism. Dean Martha Thorne of IE University Madrid presented the inventive ways students developed modest solutions improving our lives. And Stanford University’s Dr. Martin Fischer stressed the importance of working with the right tools to optimizing technologies to unlock the potential of a project.
The objective was to take “resilience” from an abstract term to one that has meaning and has impact in daily practice.
Short case study presentations addressed issues that touch upon resilience, including inclusivity, building renovation and preservation. And examples presented by our Corporate Partner ABB brought life to actual problems, prompting our chapter to propose new series of case studies extending the theme of resilience.
Dr. Karen Scrivener, PhD, Professor at EPFL in Lausanne, has kicked off 2022, with a presentation about LC3 cement, an innovative technology that employs calcined clay rather than limestone to reduce carbon emissions by 40% without compromising material strength. Dr. Scrivener is a material scientist who emphasizes the need to think holistically about materials and their role in overall emissions. AIA CE members Sheila Farouk AIA, Bari Wetmore AIA and Sandra Zettersten AIA were instrumental in organizing Dr. Scrivener’s presentation, securing over 57 enrolled registrants.
The next presentation will focus on the projects for the Solar Decathlon from three universities in three different countries: Bosphorus University in Turkey, Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, and Virginia Tech Architecture and Urban Planning. Architect Sandra Zettersten AIA, a graduate of Virginia Tech will be sharing details of the presentation shortly.
Lastly, we expect to present the renovation of the Müze Gazhane, the Gasworks buildings powering Istanbul again located in the Asian side of the city, reconverted as a place for arts and culture. It will be filmed in the summer to demonstrate its immense popularity as a popular and outstanding example of a revitalized historic building. Former Easter Section Director Alexis Sanal AIA will be taking the lead.
We value the commitment to excellence of our AIA members as we continue to develop the dialogue surrounding this important theme.
Sophia Gruzdys,
2022 AIA CE President
