School of Architecture to Co-Host ACSA Annual Meeting, March 3-6
By Meghan Dufresne, News Editor
The School of Architecture of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be co-hosting the 93rd Annual Meeting of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) next week in Chicago. The event begins Thursday, March 3, and runs through Sunday. Related national meetings for architecture librarians and information technology managers are scheduled to precede the Annual Meeting. The 93rd Annual Meeting is being co-hosted with the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Keynote Address: Guy Nordenson
All three host schools are sponsoring special events for attendees; the School of Architecture is sponsoring a keynote address by Guy Nordenson, a noted designer and structural engineer and professor at Princeton University, through the Max Abramovitz Distinguished Lectures fund. The lecture will be presented at 5:00pm, Friday, March 4, in the Arthur Rubloff Auditorium at the Art Institute of Chicago. The lecture is free and open to individuals not attending the conference; guests should enter the Art Institute via the east (Columbus Drive) entrance.
Steel Tube Institute Student Design Charrette
For the first time, a Student Design Charrette is being organized in conjunction with the ACSA Annual Meeting. This year’s charrette is being sponsored by the Steel Tube Institute of North America. The idea for a national student charrette was developed by Steven Leathers, a graduate student in the School of Architecture. Leathers worked with Professor Joy Malnar and ACSA staff to write the program and coordinate the event. Student teams representing 12 ACSA member schools, including the University of Illinois, will have 24 hours to develop a design proposal for a site near Frank Gehry’s recent Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park. All designs must use steel in an innovative and attractive manner. The winning team will be selected by a distinguished jury, including Guy Nordenson, and awarded $2,000.
Conference Events
The theme of the 93rd Annual Meeting is “The Art of Architecture; The Science of Architecture.” Paper presentations by faculty members from ACSA member schools will focus on the ways that the disciplines of art and science influence the profession of architecture. The presenters will explore the boundaries and definitions of each field. Each day, the theme will be further explored through keynote presentations by distinguished speakers such as Edward Allen, Martha Schwartz, Jeanne Gang, Doug Garofalo, and Charlie Lazor. Attendees will have the chance to explore the rich architecture of Chicago and its environs through tours offered in conjunction with the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Walking tours will introduce visitors to Chicago’s Loop and near-north side; an optional bus tour on Sunday will allow meeting attendees to visit Mies Van der Rohe’s singular Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois.
School of Architecture Professor Kathryn Anthony will be speaking as part of a panel discussion on the role of design juries in architectural education on Friday morning. Professor Anthony is a nationally recognized for her work on the subject; her books, Design Juries on Trial, and Designing for Diversity, are considered primary instigators in the current national discussion on reforming studio culture.
About the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) is a non-profit, membership-based association, founded in 1912 to enhance the quality of architectural education. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was among the 10 charter members of the organization. Today, the organization includes all accredited architecture programs in the United States and Canada as full members. Schools seeking accreditation, affiliated programs, programs outside North America, and related companies and organizations hold associate and supporting member status. The Association’s Annual Meeting is considered the premiere event for the dissemination of scholarly work in the fields of architecture and design.
Additional Information
Chicago's Millennium Park 