There are three group tracks that you can choose in the registration form that will dictate which tours, panel discussions and workshops that you are in. These tracks will focus on Redefining Housing + Design, Reflecting on Urbanism or Reinventing the Profession.
REDEFINE// Housing + DesignThis section will confront the always‐prevalent issues of housing within the urban context. In any city, providing sufficient housing for its inhabitants is continually an issue. Boston as a city presents its own unique set of housing issues, some of which are unique and others that apply to many other metropolitan cities around the globe. This workshop will discuss how designs of the past have dealt with some of the issues both successfully and unsuccessfully. Arguments will also be presented concerning the cities need to design new typologies of varied scales to satisfy the requirements of a modern city.
This workshop will include a lecture showcasing projects by architects that have uniquely addressed the problems facing housing in both urban and suburban Boston. A panel discussion including architects, real estate experts and neighborhood development professionals will present innovative design solutions relevant to housing in today’s urban environment. A tour will be included to illustrate many of these issues and how architects in the past and present have dealt with these topics in the city of Boston as well as outlying areas such as Cambridge.
REFLECT// Urbanism + PreservationThis section will be focusing on the city of Boston and its distinct urban patterns. Boston has a unique character different from many other cities because of its historically significant past. This workshop will grapple with the questions of how best to preserve the city’s history while still allowing the urban character to evolve into the future.
This workshop will include a panel discussion focusing on the urban characteristics of Boston and the problems that it has been presented with as both a historic and modern city. Tours will also be conducted throughout Boston showcasing both historic monuments as well as adaptive strategies that have allowed Boston to further accelerate its disposition as a city of the 21st century.
The workshop will conclude with a meeting at the Top of the Prudential Center viewing to further instill the lessons and ideas of the day about the amalgamation of old and new within the urban fabric.
REINVENT// The ProfessionThis section will focus on the profession of architecture as a whole. It will focus on a variety of issues facing architects as professionals such as strategies for finding a job in today’s market as well as the growth and evolution of the profession throughout the years. It will discuss strategies for not only working as an architect but also how the discipline has developed to include things such as installation artwork and technological innovation as well as building design. This workshop will include a panel discussion focusing on the architect’s emerging role in design, technology and construction.
A portfolio workshop will be conducted involving architects and human resource professionals providing students with helpful insight into their portfolios and work samples. Included will also be a firm crawl where students will travel around the city to visit various different architectural offices to provide the students with a chance to experience the different studio cultures, office environments and design philosophies.