The AIA and Architecture for Humanity are pleased to announce the grant recipients for the 2012 Disaster Response Plan Grant. Awards totaling $10,000 will help each group implement their locally driven preparedness project in the second half of the year.
The Disaster Grant Program is part of the Disaster Resiliency and Recovery Program, which coordinates the organizations’ advocacy, education and training to help architects make effective contributions to communities preparing for, responding to and rebuilding after disaster.
The grant recipients are:
- Architecture for Humanity D.C. Chapter Disaster Response Project
The project aims to engage D.C. architects in preparing the District’s shelters, helping with post-disaster damage assessment, and allowing architects to serve as leaders in all the communities of our nation’s capital. It also aims to engage D.C. architects in documenting and learning lessons from past disasters. - Washington State Disaster Preparedness and Response (DPR)
A new Intrastate Mutual Aid law in the state allows architects, engineers and code officials to receive training and integrate with emergency management, but many of the details are yet to be determined. The DPR will advocate, educate, and train these design professionals to help implement the new law and prepare communities for disaster. - NYC Safety Assessments Trainings
In partnership with AIANY and the NYC Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Architecture for Humanity NY (AFHny) will develop a disaster response network and offer periodic trainings in the post-disaster Safety Assessment Program (SAP). - Disaster Assistance Coordination Network in Maryland
AIA Baltimore, in partnership with the Architecture for Humanity Baltimore chapter, plans to establish an active Disaster Assistance Program for the state of Maryland. This group will liaise between the state emergency management agencies, AIA, and other emergency management professionals in the region to develop plans and programs to address disaster preparedness and recovery. - Illinois Architects’ Emergency Management/Disaster Response Workshop
The workshop will have key leaders of the AIA and Architecture for Humanity work collaboratively to develop an industry-specific comprehensive statewide disaster response plan in an exercise environment working alongside emergency management officials. In addition, develop a post-workshop toolkit for the education of our members in the architect’s role in emergency management in Illinois.
More information will be available soon on the Disaster Resiliency and Recovery Program website, ArchitectsRebuild.org. +
Related Stories
| May 18, 2011
Carnegie Hall vaults into the 21st century with a $200 million renovation
Historic Carnegie Hall in New York City is in the midst of a major $200 million renovation that will bring the building up to contemporary standards, increase educational and backstage space, and target LEED Silver.
| May 17, 2011
Redesigning, redefining the grocery shopping experience
The traditional 40,000- to 60,000-sf grocery store is disappearing and much of the change is happening in the city. Urban infill sites and mixed-use projects offer grocers a rare opportunity to repackage themselves into smaller, more efficient, and more convenient retail outlets. And the AEC community will have a hand in developing how these facilities will look and operate.
| May 17, 2011
Architecture billings index fell in April, hurt by tight financing for projects
The architecture billings index, a leading indicator of U.S. construction activity, fell in April, hurt by tight financing for projects. The architecture billings index fell 2.9 points last month to 47.6, a level that indicates declining demand for architecture services, according to the American Institute of Architects.
| May 17, 2011
Sustainability tops the syllabus at net-zero energy school in Texas
Texas-based firm Corgan designed the 152,200-sf Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas, with the goal of creating the largest net-zero educational facility in the nation, and the first in the state. The facility is expected to use 50% less energy than a standard school.
| May 17, 2011
Gilbane partners with Steel Orca on ultra-green data center
Gilbane, along with Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, has been selected to partner with Steel Orca to design and build a 300,000-sf data center in Bucks County, Pa., that will be powered entirely through renewable energy sources--gas, solar, fuel cells, wind and geo-thermal. Completion is scheduled for 2013.
| May 17, 2011
Should Washington, D.C., allow taller buildings?
Suggestions are being made that Washington revise its restrictions on building heights. Architect Roger Lewis, who raised the topic in the Washington Post a few weeks ago, argues for a modest relaxation of the height limits, and thinks that concerns about ruining the city’s aesthetics are unfounded.
| May 17, 2011
The New Orleans master plan
At an afternoon panel during last week's AIA National Conference in New Orleans, Goody Clancy Principal David Dixon and Manning Principal W. Raymond Manning shared their experiences creating the New Orleans Master Plan, a document that sets a new course for the city, from land use and transportation planning to environmental protection.
| May 17, 2011
Do these buildings look like buffalo to you?
It’s hard to contemplate winter now that we’re mid-spring, but when the seasons change, ice skaters in Winnipeg will be able to keep warm in plywood shelters designed by Patkau Architects. The designers created temporary shelters inspired by animal behavior—specifically, buffalo bracing against the wind. Check them out.
| May 16, 2011
USGBC and AIA unveil report for greening K-12 schools
The U.S. Green Building Council and the American Institute of Architects unveiled "Local Leaders in Sustainability: A Special Report from Sundance," which outlines a five-point national action plan that mayors and local leaders can use as a framework to develop and implement green schools initiatives.
