On November 17, the GSD hosted the annual fall get together of the four accredited planning programs in Massachusetts, featuring a lecture by Susan Fainstein (senior research fellow), “The Argument for Just Outcomes.”
In August, Jeffrey Mansfield (MArch) was in the Brazilian Amazon with the Portable Light Project, when he realized that the remote areas are increasingly covered by 3G networks. Mansfield was inspired to develop “Taking Charge,” a project to provide tools and training to jungle residents to expand cell phone use and crowdsource knowledge for farming, fishing, trade, weather, banking, health and more. Read about his grand scheme in “Taking Charge with cellphones” in the Harvard Gazette.
The Boston Foundation for Architecture recently announced the 2012 grantees, which include Danish Kurani (MAUD '13) and the Classroom Co-Creators Project. The project involves a participatory design process with Blackstone Elementary School in South Boston to engage students and teachers in the creation of their learning environment.
Aliki Economides (PhD candidate ‘14) presented her paper “Constructing Home, Constructing Self: The Maison Cormier and its ‘Architecte & Ingénieur-Constructeur Client’” at the ArchTheo’12 conference in Istanbul, Turkey.
This year the GSD inaugurated a competition for the school’s first Pavilion Program. The jury has ruled, and “Simulated Panorama” was selected for installation in spring 2013 under the Gund Hall portico.
Common Frameworks: Rethinking the Developmental City, a studio taught by Chris Lee of Serie Architects, is part of a three-year research project to rethink the development of the megaplot through understanding what a city holds common: its housing.
GSD alums Hans Baumann (MLA ’11) and Aidan Acker (MLA ’11) have been working on a project, Tracing the Digital/Physical, that has now been featured at the Prix Ars Electronica [the next idea].
Recent GSD alum Molly Turner (MUP ’11), has put what she learned about disaster planning to innovative use. She has worked with her employer, Airbnb, to respond to the devastation that Hurricane Sandy caused over parts of the northeast by creating an online platform for people to host Sandy victims for free.
For 40 years Gund Hall has reigned as an architectural icon of the 20th century: great bones, proudly displayed. But changes in contemporary architectural practice and education, along with the need for increased energy efficiency have argued for updating. The GSD is rising to the challenge.
Dean Mohsen Mostafavi has published 5 books in the past two years. In his writing as well as his leadership of the GSD, he is tireless in fostering engagement: between mentors and students, people in communities, the design professions with each other, and the GSD with the world. He’ll sleep later. Read Spencer Bailey’s interview with the dean for Surface.