The Architects Foundation, along with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), launched a nationwide request for partnership to add three more members to its National Resilience Initiative (NRI). The initiative is a network of resilient design studios that help communities become more resilient to natural disasters and climate change.
Founded in 2013 as a Clinton Global Initiative commitment, the NRI network will gather existing university-based design centers that work planning, facilitation and project implementation within their communities. The NRI’s goal is to pass along resilience design ideas and planning approaches that can be shared with local communities.
Currently, there are three existing NRI studios - Mississippi State (Gulf Coast / Southern Region), The University of Arkansas (Lower Mid-West Region), and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (East Coast Region). The Foundation recently issued its first annual report on what the NRI studios have achieved, and a map of the network and the risks being addressed by each studio can be found here.
In issuing its first request for partnerships, the Foundation searching for three university-led, multi-disciplinary teams to implement the second phase of the NRI. In this phase, the Foundation is looking to find the next three studios for the Mid-Atlantic, Upper Mid-West and Pacific Northwest regions.
“These new studios — along with the three existing NRI studios — will represent the six regional areas of need for resilience planning within the ten federal regions designated as disaster-prone areas by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),” said Architects Foundation Executive Director Sherry-Lea Bloodworth Botop. “These six members will form a strong resilient studio network backbone right where it’s needed most.”
Applications are now being accepted through January 7, 2016. A selection announcement is expected by mid-February. The first annual convening of all six NRI charter members will take place in early May at Architects Foundation headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Related Stories
Cladding and Facade Systems | Apr 5, 2023
Façade innovation: University of Stuttgart tests a ‘saturated building skin’ for lessening heat islands
HydroSKIN is a façade made with textiles that stores rainwater and uses it later to cool hot building exteriors. The façade innovation consists of an external, multilayered 3D textile that acts as a water collector and evaporator.
Market Data | Apr 4, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending up 0.4% in February 2023
National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.4% in February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $982.2 billion for the month, up 16.8% from the previous year.
Sustainability | Apr 4, 2023
ASHRAE releases Building Performance Standards Guide
Building Performance Standards (BPS): A Technical Resource Guide was created to provide a technical basis for policymakers, building owners, practitioners and other stakeholders interested in developing and implementing a BPS policy. The publication is the first in a series of seven guidebooks by ASHRAE on building decarbonization.
Sustainability | Apr 4, 2023
NIBS report: Decarbonizing the U.S. building sector will require massive, coordinated effort
Decarbonizing the building sector will require a massive, strategic, and coordinated effort by the public and private sectors, according to a report by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS).
Education Facilities | Apr 3, 2023
Oklahoma’s Francis Tuttle Technology Center opens academic center for affordable education and training
Oklahoma’s Francis Tuttle Technology Center, which provides career-specific training to adults and high school students, has completed its Francis Tuttle Danforth Campus—a two-story, 155,000-sf academic building. The project aims to fill the growing community’s rising demand for affordable education and training.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 30, 2023
New University of St. Thomas sports arena will support school's move to Division I athletics
The University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn., last year became the first Division III institution in the modern NCAA to transition directly to Division I. Plans for a new multipurpose sports arena on campus will support that move.
Warehouses | Mar 29, 2023
Construction completed on Canada’s first multi-story distribution center
Construction was recently completed on Canada’s first major multi-story industrial project, a distribution center in Burnaby, British Columbia. The project provides infrastructure for last-mile delivery in a world where consumers have come to expect next-day and same-day delivery, according to Ware Malcomb, the project's architect of record.
AEC Innovators | Mar 27, 2023
Leading architecture, engineering firm HED appoints new co-CEOs
As children of immigrant families, Van Herle and Suarez will bring a diverse perspective into a historically underrepresented industry and advance the firm’s mission of creating a positive impact for clients, communities, and the world.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 26, 2023
UC Davis Health opens new eye institute building for eye care, research, and training
UC Davis Health recently marked the opening of the new Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building and the expansion of the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC). Located in Sacramento, Calif., the Eye Center provides eye care, vision research, and training for specialists and investigators. With the new building, the Eye Center’s vision scientists can increase capacity for clinical trials by 50%.
Libraries | Mar 26, 2023
An abandoned T.J. Maxx is transformed into a new public library in Cincinnati
What was once an abandoned T.J. Maxx store in a shopping center is now a vibrant, inviting public library. The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) has transformed the ghost store into the new Deer Park Library, designed by GBBN.