Future View: Vernacular Technologies Symposium
The New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design (HCAD) will be hosting a symposium, entitled Future View: Vernacular Technologies. Organized by HCAD Professors of Practice Charlie Firestone and Carrie Bobo Gibbs, the Symposium will take place on Friday May 31 and Saturday June 1, 2024.
The symposium will help participants understand the impact of vernacular construction materials and methods on the future of architecture, especially as they relate to the possibility of creating a new sustainable architecture.
On Friday, the Symposium will consist of a series of lectures and conversations held both virtually and in-person on the main NJIT campus in Newark, New Jersey. On Saturday, theory turns into practice with a series of hands-on design/build workshops.
“Attendees will be able to converse with some of the leading scholars, practitioners, and industry professionals in the fields of architecture, construction, and materials science about the future of vernacular architectural technologies,” said Bobo Gibbs.
The keynote speaker will be Lola Ben-Alon, an Assistant Professor at Columbia GSAPP, where she directs the Natural Materials Lab. David Lewis (of LTL and Parsons) and Ronald Rael (of Rael San Fratello and UC Berkeley) will be speaking about their work in translating vernacular materials and technologies into modern frameworks.
With a focus on the need for innovation, the Symposium will help participants engage in conversations to answer questions such as: what are the contemporary technological opportunities of traditional building materials and methods and how can they be applied en masse? And, how might this diverse vernacular knowledge shape a new carbon negative architecture now?
“Hosting this Symposium once again demonstrates HCAD’s commitment to maintaining our position as a comprehensive design school, in a top-tier research university, dedicated to creative design and making in physical and virtual worlds,” said Gabrielle Esperdy, Interim Dean + Professor of Architecture.
The symposium will offer the opportunity to earn up to 12 AIA CEU credits. For more information, please visit https://www.futureviewsymposium.com/ For sponsorship opportunities, please email hello@futureviewsymposium.com.
