BY MYRRIAH GOSSETT
This month the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) awarded SCAD’s architectural program with the NCARB prize for the Building Systems Integration Performance Studio (BSIPS). The award was given to the school based on its work to prepare future architectural professionals for working with engineers to create ideas that will fit in with the highly demanding and environmentally-conscious new generation. There were over 20 colleges and universities considered for the award, but only six were selected.
The NCARB is an establishment of architectural professionals from around the country. Its main goals as an organization are “to [protect] the health, safety, and welfare of the public through effective regulation and exemplary service.” The award was given to SCAD during the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) Annual Meeting Awards Ceremony in March. The ACSA is a non-profit organization based around the idea of enhancing the educational system for architectural schools around the country. It was established with just fewer than 10 schools in 1912, but now has over 250 members, including SCAD. The ACSA also provides educational conferences for professionals and students to learn about the latest innovations in their field.
The BSIPS program was established, along with an interim deal for the School of Building Arts, by architecture professor Emad Afifi. The studio encourages students to go beyond the normal and include innovations in their work such as environmentally-sound solutions to power including wind, hydropower, geothermal and PV solar powers as well. The whole idea is to go green, along with making cutting edge designs. After the award was announced, Dr. Afifi commented, “the NCARB Prize is a great recognition and validation of the BSIP Studio at SCAD. We have creatively addressed systems integration in architectural design studios for years. It is about time for this work to be recognized and disseminated.”
The BSIPS also allows students to get a chance to work with architects, engineers and designers from the professional world who bring more attention to the work being produced. They get a chance at real-world experiences and build on the aspects of working with an entire team to come up with creative solutions to architectural and engineering concepts. Many of the students who work with the school in this program have been able to create professional contacts and gain internships with some of the firms that are involved with the project.
The BSIPS allows a large number of students, firms and professionals to work together to create more eco-friendly projects. The entire list of organizations along with more information on the School of Building arts can be found at scad.edu/architecture.
