Washington, D.C. – Jan 20, 2015 – The American Institute of Architects Foundation (AIAF) launches an exciting new exhibit with a public reception on January 21:
“Rebuild by Design” highlights ten innovative solutions to enhance coastal resiliency - ideas created through a government-sponsored design competition in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. In 2014, the Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated $930 million to begin implementation for seven of the ten Rebuild by Design projects in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
The Rebuild by Design process created coalitions of international, interdisciplinary design teams and key neighborhood stakeholders in order to co-create solutions to the challenges of climate change. The competition was initiated by President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, and supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and other private philanthropy.
“This exhibit provides an excellent look at how design professionals can collaborate with government and local communities to confront the results of climate change, and how to achieve solutions through a resilient design approach,” said AIA CEO Robert Ivy, FAIA. “We look forward to hosting this exhibit.”
Resilience is a hallmark of the AIA Foundation’s efforts to help communities recover from and prepare for disasters and other environmental events. As part of its national resiliency initiative – and as a partner in the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Initiative – the AIA Foundation is working to provide distressed communities with architect talent and expertise.
“The extraordinary impact of Hurricane Sandy and other recent disasters demonstrated that we shouldn’t keep building things back in harm’s way,” said Marion Mollegen McFadden, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“We need to form collaborative, cross-sector partnerships and design innovative approaches to disaster recovery that leave communities better prepared for the future,” McFadden said. “When the federal government makes recovery funds available to communities, it’s not just to recover from the last disaster, but to prepare for the next one.
“Rebuild by Design and the National Disaster Resilience Competition, thanks to a strong partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, are two examples of how the federal government and philanthropy can better partner with states and local communities to increase resilience, transforming how we build, not just after disasters but every day,” McFadden added.
What: The Rebuild by Design Exhibit:
Where: American Institute of Architects Headquarters, 1735 New York Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C.
When: January 21, 2015; 5 p.m.
About AIA Foundation
The AIA Foundation preserves, honors and advances excellence in design for the benefit of the public. As a nonprofit philanthropic extension of the American Institute of Architects, the AIA Foundation is the preeminent voice and advocate for architecture and design in America. The AIA Foundation is dedicated to the belief that good design is good for all and plays an essential role in transforming lives and building a better world.
About Rebuild by Design
Launched by the US Federal Government in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Rebuild by Design began as a design competition to bring together the world's greatest talent to tackle regional problems in the northeast US, studying overlapping social and physical vulnerabilities and proposing innovative long-lasting solutions to build forward. Its process has evolved into a powerful tool to help other cities rethink resilience before disaster strikes.
Contact:
John Schneidawind
202-626-7457
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Josh Bisker
Rebuild by Design
212-992-6344
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