AYAC @ Shigeru Ban Lecture at MIT

Last Thursday 2/28/14, AYAC Boston hosted young alumni for the Shigeru Ban lecture at MIT followed by drinks/appetizers at Middlesex Lounge. The lecture was fantastic and covered not only Ban’s more iconic work, but also his humanitarian design initiatives in disaster relief. Afterwards, we (14 in all) all met up outside the lecture hall and walked over to Middlesex Lounge for drinks and appetizers. The evening was a great success and we think everyone had a wonderful time!

Stay tuned for our next event, candlepin bowling at Sacco's in Davis on Thursday, 13 March! 

Externship Happy Hour!

On Thursday 9 January, Boston AYAC was excited to host the group of UVA externs who were in town for the week. We met at First Printer at Harvard Square [see the sign above our heads?], and shared some food, drink, and lots of conversation about living and working in Boston. While we can't always vouch for the weather [hello, polar vortex...] those of us who live and work in Boston love it - and we're always excited to share our knowledge with fellow 'Hoos. One of the big themes of the evening was strategies for securing a job out of undergrad or grad school - what works, who to talk to, and lessons learned. When I first moved to Boston, not knowing anyone, I wish I would have had some kind of network like AYAC - which is why I'm happy to be a part of it now!

We're already starting to plan our next event, candlepin bowling - so stay tuned!

-Marilyn.

Service Day 2013

Each spring, the AYAC regions organize an annual service day. This year the Boston crew met at the United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury Community Garden for some much needed spring cleaning. The group cleared two new garden plots, reorganized furniture and tools, and then headed to Parish Cafe to re-hydrate!

Relocated and planted furniture

Lauren and Elizabeth in the weeds!

Bernard and Elizabeth cleaned the fencing

Ned's daughter sneaks a snack

Henry helping to move fresh compost!

Bobby and Nataka, UNLR members and urban farmers

half the team at the end of the day!

Emily Williamson's ZONGO Water Project!

The ZONGO Water Project began as Emily Williamson's graduate architecture thesis while at UVA. Since then, she has continued to work with the community and implemented phase 1 last year called "community engagement". This year, Emily will build upon these on-the-ground efforts by continuing the installation of rain water collection systems, executing a pilot project that has economic and social benefit, and creating a long-term planning document with the community. To learn more this summer's goals and how you can help, visit Emily's website at www.obdl.org.

Brief Project Summary:

The ZONGO Water Project is about using water as a way to improve the quality of life for the Zongo Community, a minority Islamic settlement located in Cape Coast, Ghana. Even though this migrant community has lived and traded in the city of Cape Coast for over a century, the residents are still treated as outsiders and most of the buildings don’t have access to the city’s public infrastructure. While the problems of flood and drought, sanitation, hygiene, and erosion are germane to the entirety of Ghana’s Central region, these issues are of particular concern for the visibly impoverished Zongo community. Rather than developing a master plan to be executed by the government, this human-centered approach creates a sustainable, long-term, community-based strategy for a new water infrastructure through the processes of engagement, education, empowerment, and sustainability. 

Marilyn Moedinger Lecture: BAC, Oct. 17 @ 6pm

Hi Everyone, 

We're thrilled to announce that our very own AYAC council member Marilyn Moedinger will be delivering her SOM Prize lecture at the Boston Architecture College on October 17th at 6pm!

[75W-103E] ADVENTURES IN THE VERNACULAR: INVESTIGATIVE OBSERVATIONS OF RESIDENTIAL CLIMATE MEDIATION'

Marilyn is researching climate mediation strategies in vernacular residential architecture in an effort to discern the tipping point between climate and culture, in a series of interconnected sites along a line of longitude. Her work employs both quantitative and qualitative analysis, ultimately hybridizing the two into multi-layered, graphical evidence of field investigation and post-field processing, presenting tangible evidence, and a re-imagined understanding, of the architectural inquiry process. During her travels, she visited 5 continents, and will discuss observations of her analysis in Mongolia, Vietnam, Peru, Australia, Malaysia, Switzerland, and Jamaica. This research was generously funded by the 2010 SOM Prize in Architecture, Design, and Urban Design.

The BAC will be taking Marilyn to dinner at Sonsie (just across the street afterwards) at 7 pm and our AYAC crew will be at the bar as well. Mark your calendars - we're hoping to see you for the lecture and afterwards!

Thanks, Ed!

UVA Young Alums hanging out with Ed in Boston.

We had a blast going to Ed Ford's lecture at the Boston Society of Architecture, on his latest book, The Architectural Detail. Many in the audience were alums, and we all enjoyed reminiscing about Ed's classes, studios, etc. We even convinced him to come out and have a drink afterwards, and shared updates and stories. It was a great way to reconnect to the A-School, and to each other.

Hope you can join us for our next event!

Ed Ford, 6pm Tuesday Night at the BSA!

Hope you're considering attending. If so, email us at ayac.botson.com to let us know. Here's the link to the blurb on the BSA site - don't forget to RSVP.

We'll be heading to Drink afterwards, so see you down at the 'Channel' whenever you can make it!