The American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows has awarded the 2013 Latrobe Prize of $100,000 for the proposal, “The City of 7 Billion.”
The research will study the impact of population growth and resource consumption on the built and natural environment at the scale of the entire world as a single urban entity. An antidote to the fragmentary analyses of current practices, this project will remove arbitrary boundaries and reframe the entire world as a continuous topography of development: the city of 7 billion.
The grant, named for architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, is awarded biennially by the AIA College of Fellows for research leading to significant advances in the architecture profession.
The project team is comprised of Bimal Mendis and Joyce Hsiang of the Yale School of Architecture and Plan B Architecture & Urbanism, LLC.
The investigators will create a holistic geospatial model of the world. They will map, spatialize and integrate multiple sets of data, including demography, finance, geography, infrastructure and resources. By comparing and correlating these different factors with population growth, this research project will analyze patterns of urbanization, determine how resources can be more efficiently allocated and anticipate the pressures and effects of development. The multi-scalar model will allow for a finer-grain analysis of specific sites and regions as part of a global network.
One outcome is to advance the role architects can play in addressing the challenges of global urbanization. The work seeks to increase the scope of the profession by providing techniques and tools for architects to engage in developing solutions to the global crisis of urban growth. The project will: provide practitioners with an open-source comprehensive site analysis of the entire world for use on any project; provide an important and useful reference that will enable practitioners to locate and incorporate global considerations for any given site; and consider the ramifications of a project on global resources. As an interdisciplinary representational tool, the research project will also reveal issues to the public that the scientific and political communities have been unable to effectively communicate; and empower people to act.
The 2013 Latrobe Prize Jury includes; John T. Regan, (jury chair), Texas A&M University; Harold Adams, FAIA, RTKL; Wayne Drummond, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Henry Green, Hon. AIA, National Institute of Building Sciences; Laura Lee, FAIA, Carnegie Mellon University; Monica Ponce de Leon, University of Michigan; Ronald L. Skaggs, FAIA, Chancellor, AIA College of Fellows and William J. Stanley III, FAIA, Vice Chancellor, AIA College of Fellows.
About The American Institute of Architects
Founded in 1857, members of the American Institute of Architects consistently work to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through nearly 300 state and local chapters, the AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public well being. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards. The AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders, and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit www.aia.org <http://www.aia.org> .
Related Stories
Market Data | Dec 15, 2015
AIA: Architecture Billings Index hits another bump
Business conditions show continued strength in South and West regions.
Architects | Dec 14, 2015
New LEGO line lets builders construct iconic skylines
New York City, Berlin, and Venice are featured in the Architecture Skyline Collection.
Architects | Dec 14, 2015
Date named for announcement of 2016 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize
The Laureate will be named the morning of January 13.
Architects | Dec 9, 2015
Architecture firms Cooper Carry and The Johnson Studio merge
The combination is expected to bolster each firm’s hospitality-related services.
Industry Research | Dec 8, 2015
AEC leaders say the 'talent wars' are heating up: BD+C exclusive survey
A new survey from Building Design+Construction shows that U.S. architecture, engineering, and construction firms are being stymied by the shortage of experienced design and construction professionals and project managers.
Architects | Dec 4, 2015
Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi win 2016 AIA Gold Medal Award
The husband and wife architect team—founders of VSBA Architects and Planners—are the award's first joint winners.
Architects | Dec 3, 2015
LMN Architects wins 2016 AIA Architecture Firm Award
The firm is known for projects like Vancouver Convention Centre West and the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.
Greenbuild Report | Dec 1, 2015
Data centers turn to alternative power sources, new heat controls and UPS systems
Data centers account for 2% of the nation’s electricity consumption and about 30% of the power used annually by the economy’s information and communications technology sector, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Greenbuild Report | Nov 30, 2015
10 megatrends shaping the future of green building
Increased competition among green building rating systems, the rise of net-zero buildings, and a sharper focus on existing structures are among the trends that will drive sustainability through 2020, according to author and green building expert Jerry Yudelson.
Contractors | Nov 24, 2015
FMI survey: Millennials in construction get a bad rap, tend to be loyal, hard-working
While the stigma exists that Millennials are entitled, disloyal, and lazy, it appears that this is not true, according to a new report from FMI.
