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September 2010
Message from the Dean
In The
University in Ruins, Bill Readings argues that the contemporary American
university has lost its traditional cultural function. He envisions a new scene of teaching that
“opens up a space [where it is] possible to think the notion of community
otherwise, without recourse to notions of unity, consensus, and communication. At this point,” Readings argues, “the
University becomes no longer a model of the ideal society but rather a place
where the impossibility of such models can be thought—practically thought,
rather than thought under ideal conditions. Here the University loses its privileged
status as the model of society and does not regain it by becoming the model of
the absence of models. Rather, the
University becomes one site among others where
the question of being-together is raised....”[1]
As an alliance of design-driven vocabularies,
the departments and degree programs of the University of Washington’s College
of Built Environments—architecture, construction management, landscape
architecture, urban design and planning, and real estate—are particularly well
suited to engage the question of how society acquires its shape and identity. Like the communities that surround us, our
college formation draws heavily from place,
and the Pacific Northwest offers a singularly vivid setting for teaching,
research, and design inquiry. By 2040
planners predict 900,000 new households in the Puget Sound region, which frames
a pressing global question: if the professions we represent seek to lead the
dynamic communities of owners, citizens, and policymakers who finally decide
what, where, and when to build, we have little to lose and much to gain by
asking how well current pedagogies equip students for changing conditions and
requirements of practice.
Our college name embodies new ways of being
together structured by our shared responsibility for complex ‘grand challenge’
problems—environment, energy, information, urbanization, and health. What follows is ample evidence that among all
our departments and programs we aim to mobilize integrative curricula that more
effectively imagine and project new forms of community. By such efforts you can expect CBE to
intensify interdisciplinary discourse,
stimulate design ingenuity, and create new opportunities for both cultural and
economic leadership.
Daniel
S. Friedman, Ph.D., FAIA
Dean
[1]
Bill Readings,
The University in Ruins (Cambridge,
Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1996), 20 (Readings’ italics).
In the Spotlight
IDL Receives $1.2 Million DOE Grant
In June, Sen. Maria Cantwell announced that researchers in the Department of Architecture’s Integrated Design Lab, along with the architectural firm NBBJ, will receive a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to extend nationally a model that reduces hospital energy use by 60 percent. More about this grant...
LArch Faculty Garner Great Places Awards
 Associate Professor Daniel Winterbottom and students in the Department of Landscape Architecture Design/Build Program received a Great Places Design Award for their “Garbage to Gardens” project in Guatemala City. Associate Professor and Chair Jeff Hou and Associate Professor Julie Johnson also earned a Great Places Award for their book Greening Cities, Growing Communities: Learning from Seattle’s Urban Community Gardens.
More about this year’s Great Places Awards...
More about “Garbage to Gardens”...
Alumni News
 Minnery’s Rain Garden at Adams Elementary
Two years of work culminated in the unveiling of a “rain garden” at Seattle’s Adams Elementary School in the Ballard neighborhood. David Minnery (MLA ’08), one of two landscape architects involved in the design/build project, worked with the school’s first-grade students to create the rain garden’s initial design. Seattle’s KING-5 television featured Minnery and others connected to the project in a special segment for the local morning show New Day Northwest that aired on April 30.
 Taylor Receives 2010 President’s Medal
Professor Jennifer Taylor (MArch ’69) received the 2010 inaugural National President’s Prize from the Australian Institute of Architects. The prize is given in recognition of Taylor’s prodigious lifelong achievements and contributions to research, to architectural debate and discourse, and to the advancement of architecture and the built environment. Taylor is an adjunct professor of Architecture with the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.
Trulson Profiled in New York Observer
The New York Observer profiled Derek Trulson (BS ’89), currently international director of Jones Lang LaSalle’s New York Corporate Services Business. Contrary to what the article states, Trulson received his bachelor’s degree from the UW in construction management.
Plus:
CBE in the Media
 GFL Tests Green Roof on UW Campus
CBE’s Green Futures Lab collaborates with multiple departments to show the campus community what green roof technology is all about. More...
Seattle Sketcher: CBE in Seattle
The Seattle Times’ Seattle Sketcher highlights the work of CBE students in documenting pedestrian activity in downtown Seattle, and also takes a walk through Seattle’s architectural history with Professor Jeffrey Ochsner.
Miller Opines on EMP
The Seattle Times asks Architecture Chair David Miller his thoughts on the Gehry building as it turns 10. More...
Robertson Advocates for Open Space
Associate Professor Iain Robertson was quoted in a Seattle Times article on future plans for a five-acre parcel at Seattle Center. More...
Moudon Connects Health and Highways
Prof. Anne Vernez Moudon co-authored a Seattle Times Op Ed piece on the link between better health and better transportation planning. More...
KPLU Interviews Underemployed Architects
Jake LaBarr (MArch ’09), Claire Gear (MArch ’09), and Associate Chair Alex Anderson are interviewed on the challenges recent graduates face in today’s job market. More...
College News
Sawyer Seminar on “Now Urbanism” Launches in October
Hosted by the Simpson Center for the Humanities, this seminar, co-led by faculty in the College of Built Environments and the College of Arts & Sciences, will engage University faculty and professionals in the Seattle region to examine cities in terms of social justice, environmental urbanism, ecological design, activism, social networks, leisure and culture, and the role of the university in resilient urbanism. More...
CBE Participates in Developing New Window Technology
Christopher Meek, a research assistant professor in the Department of Architecture’s Integrated Design Lab, is serving as a co-principal investigator on a project aimed at developing new energy-efficient and energy-generating windows. More...
 CBE Students Win at 2010 Chair Affair
Once again, students in the CBE Furniture Studio took several of the top prizes at the annual Chair Affair furniture design competition sponsored by the Interior Designers of Idaho. Rebecca Wilcox won Best Craftsmanship, Pornwhipha Lertcochalug won Best Functional Design, Dinah Dimalanta won Best Student Design and Kela Martinez received an Honorable Mention.
More...
“Designing for Urban Food” Conference
On April 15 and 16, CBE hosted an interdisciplinary panel and all-day ideas charrette to consider key questions around the role of the planning and design professions in the urban food movement. Inspired to contribute to Seattle’s “Year of Urban Agriculture,” students led the charge by asking: How will we participate meaningfully in the work of building a vibrant, resilient, and just local and regional food system? More...
 BE Build: CBE Partners with Habitat for Humanity
Over two Saturdays in April, members of the CBE community participated in a CBE + Habitat for Humanity build in Seattle’s High Point neighborhood, helping to construct affordable homes for low-income families. Nearly 100 CBE students, faculty, and staff donned hard hats on the job site and dismantled over 500 feet of scaffolding, framed 1.5 stories, caulked walls, insulated ductwork, and more. According to Marty Kooistra, CEO of Habitat King County, one day of CBE’s efforts alone saved the organization $4,500 in labor. CBE plans to continue to offer BE Build opportunities in the future.
Plus:
Faculty News
2010 AIA Seattle Medal of Honor Awarded to Miller and Hull
David Miller, chair of the Department of Architecture and founding principal of The Miller|Hull Partnership, and his partner, founding principal Bob Hull, were awarded the 2010 AIA Seattle Medal of Honor for their service to the architectural profession, the community, and the arts. This is the first time two partners from the same firm have received this award, which was presented to Miller and Hull at the AIA Seattle Honors Dinner on June 19. More...
 Schaufelberger Receives Multiple Honors
The Mechanical Contractors Association of America, Inc. (MCAA) presented its 2009 Educator of the Year Award to Construction Management Chair John Schaufelberger at its Awards of Excellence Breakfast on March 31 at MCAA’s annual convention in San Francisco. Schaufelberger was also named an Honorary Member of the Construction Industry Hall of Fame at the Hall of Fame banquet in June, a surprise award that was announced that evening. More...
Jones Elevated to AIA College of Fellows
Susan Jones, an affiliate associate professor in the Department of Architecture and leader of her own architectural practice, atelierjones, was elected to the AIA College of Fellows. Election to the College of Fellows recognizes achievements of national significance in advancing the architectural profession. More...
Plus:
In Memoriam
Alumnus Robert A. Chervenak FAIA (BArch ’51), who taught as an associate professor of architecture at the UW from 1960 to 1974, died May 14 at the age of 86. More...
Save the Date
BE Involved: CBE Events & Lectures
Please join us for the BE Lecture Series, colloquia, industry speakers and more. Check our Events page to keep up to date on the latest happenings.
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