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There are currently no future lectures scheduled.

Take a look at our previous lectures listings.

Kiel Moe Wins 2009-10 ROME PRIZE! 17 April 2009

The School of Architecture is delighted to announce that Assistant Professor Kiel Moe has won the Rome Prize in Architecture for the year 2009-10. Moe will spend the entire year as a Fellow at The American Academy in Rome working on his subject, The Thermodynamic Figuration of Rome." This award is among the most prestigious in American Architecture. Only two are given each year. Moe's first book, Integrated Design in Contemporary Architecture (Princeton Architectural Press, 2008), is already a critical text in the burgeoning sustainable architecture field, and his second book, "Thermally Active Surfaces," (forthcoming, Princeton Architectural Press, 2010) promises to bring similar insight to the design for human comfort in an age of scarce energy resources.

NEA Mayor's Institute on City Design 3 April 2009

The School of Architecture will host a regional session of the Mayor's Institute on City Design in September, 2009. The MICD is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and this session will convene design professionals, academics and mayors of medium sized New England cities (under 100,000 pop.) for a two and one half day workshop. Stay tuned here for more information.

Infrastructure Conference 1 April 2009

The School of Architecture will host the conference Infrastructure and the Future: Assessing the Architect's Role in November, 2009. As the United States looks to invest in major new infrastructure projects throughout the country for the first time in decades, the role of architecture in this process is uncertain. Without Europe's strong central planning, different models for laying the framework for the future will be necessary. The conference will bring together prominent architects, historians, government officials, and public intellectuals to help navigate the future of infrastructure in the US, and to better understand its past.

Mark Baranski published in academic journal 10 March 2009

Part-Time Lecturer Mark Baranski, of Overland Capital Group, published a paper in Real Estate Economics based on his graduate thesis titled "100 Years of Commercial Real Estate Prices in Manhattan," w/ co-authors Cesarina Templeton and William C. Wheaton.

This paper is able to put together a data base of 86 repeat sales transactions for office properties in lower and mid town Manhattan spanning the years from 1899 through 1999. Using this very limited data base, decade-interval changes in real property prices are estimated - with varying degrees of precision. Our conclusions are two. First, adjusting for inflation, commercial office property values are 30% lower in 1999 than they were in 1899. Secondly, within any decade values often rise and fall by 20-50% in real terms. With these results, the long term historic return to New York commercial property must be mostly be comprised of yield with capital gains limited to general inflation. Other historical studies consistent with this conclusion are reviewed.

Bill Wheaton is a tenured professor in the Economics Dept at MIT, the founding principal of Torto/Wheaton Research, owned by CBRE. Cesarina Templeton of Overland Capital Group attended MIT and is co-author of the thesis.

Urban Gauge Planning Software Underway 8 January 2009

The School of Architecture is pleased to announce that new planning software to help facilitate the public approvals process is now in development. George Thrush and Research Associate Jie-Eun Hwang have begun to build a tool that will balance the disparate interests of local, regional, and financial players in development projects, and it will do so in "real time." See more at Urban Gauge.

"Ideas" Competition 5 December 2008

The New England Society of Architectural Historians, led by Adjuct Faculty member Milda Richardson, is sponsoring the Woburn Public Library Expansion "Ideas" Competition for this landmark building. The idea competition pertains to the expansion as well as the site itself. Amanda Lawrence, Assistant Professor, will be one of the judges. Following the competition, there will also be an exhibition of select entries at Adjunct Faculty member and pinkcomma director Chris Grimley's pinkcomma Gallery in Boston. More information about the competition can be found here.

David Gamble Earns 2008 Young Architects Award 1 December 2008

Photograph by Christian Phillips Photography

David Gamble, Adjunct Faculty member and Senior Associate at Chan Krieger Sieniewicz, has been awarded the 2008 Young Architects Award by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The honor is given to professionals licensed 10 years or fewer who “have shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to their profession early in their careers”. David was nominated by the local chapter (the Boston Society of Architects). He is one of ten individuals to be selected for the 2008 AIA national award. Young Architect Award recipients were honored at the 2008 AIA National Convention in Boston in May. More information on the award can be found at: www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek08/0125/0125n_ya.cfm

New Faculty Search Announced 13 November 2008

Director George Thrush announced that The School of Architecture has begun an international search for a new Assistant Professor in Studio Architecture. This position is the fifth new spot in four years, and will mark a doubling of the size of the full-time, tenured and tenure-track faculty in that time. Download the position advertisement here

Kiel Moe wins research grant 2 June 2008

The Architecture of Thermally Active Surfaces

Kiel Moe was awarded one of ten 2008 AIA RFP Research Program Grants. The Grant Program provides seed funds for applied research projects that advance professional knowledge and practice. The awards are selected by a national panel of design professionals and academics. Moe's proposal focuses on The Architecture of Thermally Active Surfaces and will support work on a forthcoming book on the topic.

David Stern's project selected for House of the Month 4 March 2008

Franco House

David Stern, AIA, of Stern McCafferty Architecture and Interiors of Boston, and Adjunct Professor of Architecture, has had the Franco House selected by Architectural Record as their House of the Month for February, 2008. This is an online magazine published by the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

The 3500 square foot house was designed for a couple and their grown daughter. The main living spaces and master bedroom suite are on the upper floor to take advantage of water views; a suite of rooms for their daughter were designed on the lower floor and open onto the garden. Formally, the house mediates between a residential area and a waterfront green space; the taut, opaque entry volume (shown here) unfolds into a more freely shaped and open garden structure.

Alumni win design award 6 Feb 2008

Vertical Village

Sayem Khan, Dennis Grudkowski and Eric Vencer received an Honorable Mention for an international competition titled "What if New York City...Design Competition for Post-Disaster Provisional Housing". The proposal uses off-the-shelf scaffolding to build a multi-story tent village. It was deemed the most rapidly deployable high-density system but only for al imited time period and with minimal occupancy standards and communal facilities.

Elizabeth Whittaker's firm wins awards 23 Jan 08

MiniLuxe Project

Part-Time Lecturer Elizabeth Whittaker's firm, Merge Architects, has won several awards. The MiniLuxe project (2007) in Newton Center won both the AIA New England Design Award as well as the AIA/BSA Honor Award. This nail salon offers typical services, as well as a space for an after-hours lounge and private-party venue. The hybrid programming was the inspiration for the large graphic wall panels that operate as an inexpensive branding mechanism. The wall panels are backlit at night to transform the space into the after-hours lounge.

Bakery/Cafe Project

The Bakery/Cafe project (2007) in Belmont won the AIA/BSA Design Award. The program consists of a bakery with a retail shop incorporated into the space. Product display was a critical component of the design. The product display operates as a zoning mechanism for the project. The product shelf/boxes disengage from the side wall and become a boundary screen/wall to provide borrowed light and a division between café and bakery.

Moe Publishes Critical Positions on Sustainability 22 Nov 07

Integrated Design in Contemporary Architecture

Assistant Professor Kiel Moe has just published his first book, Integrated Design in Contemporary Architecture. The book presents 28 case studies that are robust examples of what too often and too easily is described as 'sustainable architecture.' As the book demonstrates, integrated design inevitably means a variety of things to various practices. However, regardless of their impetus, each practice develops productive confluences between energy strategies, construction, and architectural form. Pre-order from Amazon here.

25 June 2009 –Compete for a TA position!

Northeastern Architecture students are invited to apply to become teaching assistants for the fall and/or spring semesters. There will be a limited number of these positions available. Teaching Assistants will be needed for two levels of studio courses. The first, to assist the foundation studio faculty in teaching freshmen, will involve helping faculty members prepare handouts, web updates, and other materials before class, and also to work with faculty to aid students during desk critiques and pin-ups. TAs will also help prepare powerpoint presentations and provide software workshops. There are 3-5 TAs needed for each semester of the freshman year. We will also be considering a couple of advanced TAs to help with administrative matters in the graduate studio. If you are interested in applying for either of these (unpaid) positions, please send you resumé and 3 studio work samples to Chris Genter (for the freshman TA positions), or Amanda Lawrence (for the graduate TA positions) by August 15, 2009.

12 June 2009 –Architecture Student Wins National Competition!

Congratulations to graduating senior Nawaz Kamthewala for receiving one of only two spots at the prestigious Perkins+Will Boston Summer Internship Program. Students from 27 top universities around the nation submitted applications (including Harvard, MIT, Syracuse, Cornell, and RISD). Nawaz will be entering the NU MArch program in the fall.

15 April 2009 –Dealing with Recession

This year's economic recession has hit architecture hard. Many firms are laying off staff, and students graduating face uncertain futures for the near term. But the School of Architecture is committed to helping students through this tough time. So below please find the first of several links for software training, design competitions, and other ways to advance your career even when times are tough. And remember, this too will pass, so the important thing is to come out of this recession stronger than you were when it started. Good luck, and stay tuned.

Archinect
epcompanion
Autodesk
AIA
Design Competitions
AIAS Tools for Post-Grads in Recession

14 April 2009 –Student Architecture Awards!

Student Awards (simulated)

This year's student achievement awards in the School of Architecture have just been announced. Each year, two students are selected from each class to honor their achievement in the classroom and in the design studio. One student receives the honor for the highest overall QPA in the class, while the other is recognized for design accomplishment or promise. Winners are selected by the faculty. Let's congratulate this year's winners!

• Class of 2013– QPA Award: Erika Garfinkel, 3.89 Design Award: John Ho
• Class of 2012– QPA Award: Jennifer Saufley, 3.89 Design Award: Chelsea Edgerton
• Class of 2011– QPA Award: Kathryn Reynolds, 3.90 Design Award: Chris Sledziona & Nicole Fichera
• Class of 2010– QPA Award: Sarah Laliberté, 3.80 Design Award: Julie Janeo
• Class of 2009– QPA Award: Sierra Sharron & Danielle Hoet, tied at 3.79 Design Award: Ben Stracco
• Graduate Program– QPA Award: Joseph Yacobellis, 4.00 Design Award: Aleta Budd

8 April 2009 – Excellence in Social Justice

Urban Church Site in Egypt

Maria Babyak (M.Arch., 09) has been awarded the Excellence in Social Justice Award for her extensive volunteer work and her demonstration of the potential of architecture to contribute to social justice and wellbeing to individuals and communities in need. Maria volunteered at EMI (Engineering Ministries International, a non-profit development organization made up of architects, engineers and design professionals) to build a school in Egypt. In Boston she is serving the residents at the Boston Public Housing for seniors on St. Botolph Street. In her academic studies at Northeastern, Maria researched public policy addressing the needs of homeless in Boston. Her post-graduation plans are to lead a non-profit organization that will address poverty through architectural expertise.

26 March 2009 – Architecture Students Sweep Research Awardsl

George Thrush, Aleta Budd & Tiffany Lin

Ying Xu & Tiffany Lin

Aleta Budd and Ying Xu won the top graduate and undergraduate awards in the Arts and Humanities section of the annualResearch and Scholarship Expo held at the Cabot Cage today. Budd won the graduate honor for her innovative new parking garage/ housing prototype, while Xu won the undergraduate award for his high density housing proposal for a fragmented part of New Bedford, MA. In addition to Budd and Xu, Jason Neves, Chantal Tourigny, Ji Park, and Chris Sledziona were all runners-up. There were only four awards in the Arts and humanities area, and Architecture swept them all. Assistant Professor Tiffany Lin and Lecturer Tom Chung oversaw the student design entries, while Assistant Professor Lucy Maulsby presented her own work on urban design in Milan during the Fascist era. Below are links to the entries themselves:
Ying Xu, Undergraduate Student Winner
Aleta Budd, Graduate Student Winner
1960s Urbanism Undergraduate Runner-up
Re-Connecting Office + City, Graduate Runner-up

9 January 2009 - Graduate Research Publications The fall semester brought the first set of high-quality research publications on contemporary building types from the newly re-designed Masters Research Studio. These extremely useful publications, on hotels, retail, office, and research building types are available for purchase via Lulu.com. Please use the following links:
Office Buildings
Urban Hotels
Parking Garages
Retail

29 November 2008 - Student Wins at BuildBoston

Magdalena Kukulska, a sophomore in architecture, was one of only three winners out of 52 entries for the Women In Design award at this year's BSA/AIA Build Boston event. Of the 52 entries, 47 where from firms and architecture studios, and only 5 were student entries. Her design for a Lake House is shown below. Congratulations, Magda!

5 November 2008 - Three NEW Graduate Seminars for Spring 09

Option 1: Landscape Urbanism
by Matthew Gordy, Landworks Studio
This is a seminar course in the important new field of Landscape Urbanism. Landscape Urbanism offers new tools and strategies for dealing with the large swaths of post-industrial cities that do not expect immediate, high-value, dense real estate development in the near future (this is a large part of urban America). This seminar will explore approaches to "shrinking cities," bio-remediation of toxic land, and the integration of landscape with urban design.

Option 2: Sustainable Architectural Design
by Kiel Moe, Northeastern University
This is a seminar in current strategies and models for sustainable architectural design. This seminar will explore sustainability as an integrated architectural strategy. It will analyze contemporary developments in structural systems, enclosure systems, natural and mechanical ventilation systems, water reclamation, green roofs, double-skin curtain walls, etc.

Option 3: Real Estate Development
by Mark Baranski, Overland Capital Partners
This is a seminar in real estate development. For architects to successfully compete in today’s highly competitive marketplace, it is essential to understand market-driven typologies. Also, increasingly, architects are acting as developers to gain more control of project design and quality. This seminar will explore the basics of valuation, future value, pro-forma, and return on investment.

September 2008 - Lecture Series PosterThe School of Architecture Lecture Series Poster is available for download here: Fall Lecture Poster.

April 2008 - Architecture Party

Betsy Cromley with students

The School of Architecture hosted it's annual end-of-the-year awards celebration. Students took time out from their final projects to enjoy some food and conversation with faculty and members of other departments.

Awards presented

Awards were presented for excellence in the following areas: design, academics, and co-op.

Ponce de Leon New Dean at Michigan Former Northeastern University Professor and designer of the NU Sacred Space Monica Ponce de Leon has been named the new Dean at the Alfred S. Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan, replacing former Dean Douglas F. Kelbaugh, FAIA. Ponce de Leon taught at Northeastern from 1993-1996 and was a founding partner of the internationally recognized Boston firm, Office dA, with Nader Tehrani. Since leaving Northeastern for Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, Ponce de Leon has also taught at Sci-ARC, and Georgia Tech. With Tehrani, Ponce de Leon has won an incredible nine PA Awards in the past fifteen years, and is one of the most accomplished design studio teachers in the country. We wish her the best of luck in her new post!

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5 Jan 09 - Spring Studio Space Assignments: When you move into the Ruggles studio on Monday, January 5, please note that your studio is assigned to a specific area. Please make sure that you are occupying the correct section of the studio. You can download a map of the studio here: Spring Studio Layout.

10 Oct 08 - BSA Student memberships: Students can apply for a discount Student Affiliate Membership from The Boston Society of Architects (BSA), which is the largest chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Join today by downloading the following form: BSA Student Membership.pdf.

Lecture Series Podcasts: Podcasts of our Lecture Series can be found on Apple's iTunes Store. They are available for free download, and can be accessed through Northeastern University's iTunes U quick launch page.