Lisa is one of five recipients of this year's Women in Architecture Awards by Architectural Record. According to the award's organizers, "the program recognizes and promotes women who demonstrate a commitment to excellence both in their work and in the world." Read the full press release here.
The article "Buildings as a Global Carbon Sink" has recently been published in Nature Sustainability. A collaboration between Alan Organschi, Andrew Ruff, and researchers at Yale University, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and Tsinghua University, the paper discusses the potential of using bio-based building materials to mitigate the effects of climate change. See this link to a blog post about the article, which is also mentioned in this CBC article. The original paper can be accessed on Nature Sustainabiliy here.
WT/GO Architecture has recently presented its concept design for the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation at the University of Arkansas. The building will serve as the epicentre for the Fay Jones School of Architecture's multiple timber and wood initiatives as well as house the school's design-build program and digital fabrication laboratories. See the project page for more images and information about WT/GO's proposal. The final result of the competition will be announced in May 2020.
Alan will join an international panel of architects to discuss the emerging role of mass timber in architectural design. See this link for more information on the event.
In a newly established partnership with Waugh Thistleton Architects, WT/GO was selected as one of six finalists to design the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation at the University of Arkansas. WT/GO is thrilled that our combined commitment to sustainability as well as material and fabrication innovation was recognized by the campus review committee among almost 70 submissions. See the official press release here.
Image courtesy of Bryan Nash Gill
On this Hive RE:think podcast, Lisa discusses the Ecological Living Module as a model for affordable, secure, comfortable, and sustainable housing.
Alan will present on using mass timber and bio-based building assemblies in the construction of new cityscapes, turning the future city from a source of carbon emissions into a carbon storage system. See this link for more information on the event - we hope to see you on November 26.
Lisa and Alan will present and discuss the office's work at the Liljestrand House as part of the Foundation's Design Conversation Series. See this link for more information on the November 6 event.
The South Shore Little League community recently celebrated the opening of the Joseph A. Verdino Jr. Grandstand in Staten Island, NY. The new stadium, named in honor and memory of a young player in the league, now allows the SSLL to host tournaments in an inspiring and functional new setting. Visit the project page for more information and images.
Gray Organschi Architecture was recently selected to join the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail design team. This linear park will connect Cold Spring to Beacon, NY and feature recreational and educational structures that encourage public engagement with and stewardship of this beautiful landscape.
Painting by Jasper Francis Cropsey, Autumn - On the Hudson River (1860)
Image courtesy of National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gray Organschi Architecture launched its completely new website, designed by mgmt. and built by GrayBits.
With the new interface and updated content, it is now much easier to navigate through our past 20 years of work, including the research and teaching that is critical to our practice. If this is your first time on our new site, welcome!
Gray Organschi Architecture collaborated with the Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture to design, fabricate, and install the Ecological Living Module (ELM) for the United Nations Environment Programme.
The 22-square meter home is constructed from renewable bio-based building materials and fully self-sufficient in terms of energy and water. The first demonstration unit, located in the UN Plaza in New York City, from July 9–August 23, contains features relevant to the local climate and context of New York. Future iterations of the module—including one in Kenya, the home of UN Environment—will respond specifically to local climatic and cultural contexts.
The 2018 USDA Forest Service Wood Innovation Grants have allocated $8 million to 34 projects brought forward by business, university, nonprofit, and tribal organizations in 20 states to stimulate the growth of wood-based technologies and markets. In addition to increasing the health, efficiency, and resilience of US forests, projects were also selected for the use of wood products in innovative ways and promoting economic development in rural communities.
GOA and its partners have received three of these grants.
"Northern Forests to Timber Cities: Linking Urban Construction Demand to Northern Forest Mass Timber and Harvested Wood Products" works with the Northern Forest Center to develop new supply chains and material flows that connect the underutilized supply of New England softwood forests and rural workforce to the region's insatiable demand for dense sustainable urban construction.
"Overbuilds with Mass Timber—Building Preservation, Restoration and Growth" is centered around the Acme Lofts project with Spiritos Development and Acme Timber, LLC, which restores a historic downtaown masonry and increases its intensity of use with a circulation core and two additional storeys made of mass timber.
"Affordable Housing Opportunities with Mass Timber" uses the 340+ Dixwell project with Spirtos Development and Beulah Land Development Corporation as a precedent and catalyst for the use of mass timber structural systems as a way to create high-quality, healthy affordable housing stock in urban centers while empowering a new regional workforce.
Principal Alan Organschi has been named as the 2019 Portman Visiting Critic at Georgia Institute of Technology School of Architecture. As Portman Critic, Alan will participate in the academic life of Georgia Tech as a visiting design studio critic and guest lecturer, as well as chair the jury for the Portman Prize, which recognizes student achievements in integrating technical detail considerations into the larger concepts and process of design. He will also contribute to the curriculum of the School's comprehensive building design workshop, sharing his experience at the intersections of architecture, site, detail, and building technology.