1. Postcards from the Edge
After four years of construction and 1.2 million rivets, the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937. To mark 75 years, AIA San Francisco is launching “Postcards from the Edge,” an exhibition of postcard views from around the Bay Area (including the iconic stretch of California State Route 1). The exhibition runs Aug. 1–Oct. 1. And be sure to congratulate the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, which celebrated its 75th anniversary last year.
Learn more at aiasf.org.
2. Urban Studies
Prior to flipping our calendars to 2100, India’s population will surpass China’s, cities will grow larger, new energy strategies will emerge, potable water will become more precious, and sea levels will rise. Architecture’s localized and thoughtful response to these developments will be critical, and it’s the subject of the iCities: International Forum on Innovative Planning Education and Studio Exhibition organized by the College of Planning and Design at Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University in conjunction with the International Forum on Urbanism, Aug. 20–24.
Learn more at up.ncku.edu.tw/2012icities.
3. Oregon Trail
If you live in Eugene, Ore., you’d have to travel about 5,000 miles to attend the Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture in London. But during a brief window this summer, the AA comes to the University of Oregon to run a short course on biodiversity in the woodlands. “Marking the Forest” will explore ecosystems and what course organizers call “the commodification of the tree.” The course will run Aug. 11–20.
Learn more at eugene.aaschool.ac.uk.
4. Crafting a Legacy
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto, Hon. AIA, has a university, a prestigious architecture award, and at least three streets in Finland named after him. He’s also appeared on a Finnish stamp and the 50 markka note—until 2002 when Finland adopted the euro. So it’s not surprising to come across an Alvar Aalto symposium. This year’s 12th International Alvar Aalto Symposium, “Crafted: The Ingredients of Architecture,” will be held Aug. 10–12 at the University of Jyväskylä, in Jyväskylä, Finland.
Learn more at alvaraaltosymposium.fi.
5. Best Practices
Design/build, asa delivery method, has gained more ground in the last decade, owing in part to its greater curricular exposure in schools of architecture. Recognizing that reality, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) launched the Design-Build Award this year, which honors best practices in school-based design/build initiatives. The program is open to faculty primarily engaged in teaching at an ACSA member school, and the deadline for submissions is Sept. 19.
Learn more at acsa-arch.org/programs-events/awards.
6. Grand Opening
This month, Morgan State University—Baltimore, Md.’s largest historically black university—is home to the new $59 million Center for the Built Environment and Infrastructure Studies. The building, by Baltimore’s Hord Coplan Macht and Durham, N.C.’s Freelon Group, brings together under one roof the School of Architecture and Planning as well as programs in construction management and landscape architecture.
Learn more at morgan.edu and freelon.com.
7. Last Call
Improving public health by reversing obesity, reducing heart disease, and treating depression may be a Herculean task, but good design can certainly help. Entries are due at the end of this month for an ideas competition, Active Lifestyles for Better Health, cosponsored by the AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF) and the AIA Committee on Design (COD), which asks entrants to employ architecture to boost public education about health and wellness. Deadline for submissions is Aug. 31.
Learn more at aia.org/ideascompetition.
