Workshops

Workshop: October 26-28, 2011 (Washington, DC)
Co-sponsored by: The National Academy for Environmental Design & the National Collaborative for Childhood Obesity Research

More information soon.

Disasters Roundtable

The Disasters Roundtable of the National Academies’ National Research Council and the National Academy of Environmental Design hosted a workshop, “Disaster Resilient Design,” on October 26, 2010. Bringing together thought-leaders and experts in the design and disaster communities, this workshop identified ways to integrate principles of sustainability and disaster resilience in building, site, and community planning and design. Disaster resilient design embodies a broad range of ideas and specifications that can include site planning and building codes, sustainability and green design principles, pre-event plans for risk reduction and mitigation, and post-event retrofit, reconstruction, and resettlement considerations. The workshop drew upon examples from research, planning, and design studio work to address how building, site, and regional plans can mitigate exposure to risk and effects of disasters to:

• Identify areas of intersection between sustainability and disaster resilience
• Identify ways to integrate green design and disaster resilience principles in the United States and in international arenas
• Identify new models for disaster resilient design research and education
• Raise awareness, facilitate dialogue, and create collaboration among experts in the disasters and environmental design communities

The afternoon of the full day workshop was spent in interactive and participatory small group activities to identify actions needed to:

• Integrate green design and disaster resilience into physical design
• Identify new models that integrate disaster resilient design research and education
• Discuss disaster resilient design in international contexts

Symposia

Since the National Academy of Environmental Design’s (NAED) creation in May 2007, the organization has made great strides toward its goals of establishing itself to eventually exist as a parallel structure to the existing National Academies. Very quickly the NAED formed a steering committee, which now comprises more than 20 organizations representing over 500,000 individuals in the environmental design disciplines of architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, planning, and communications design. Together, these experts, in areas of scientific and technological endeavor, have begun devising research programs to address critical issues that affect the flourishing of individuals, communities, and the natural world.

Universities Host First Set of Research Symposia
This past summer, the steering committee met in Washington, D.C., to discuss the NAED’s governance structure and research agenda. As a result, the NAED was able to incorporate in early November and is currently finalizing the bylaws and a governing council to represent the founding organizations. This governing council will eventually create a Research Committee charged with overseeing research directions and reports.

In early spring of 2009, an initial set of research symposiums were held at major universities around the United States, with the purpose of identifying key questions and issues in areas such as water quality, sustainable materials, and sustainable sites. The outcomes of these symposiums are linked below:

• Sustainable Sites Symposium
• Water Symposium
• Sustainable Materials Symposium

NAED Publishes White Paper on Climate Change
"A Rationale for a National Organization to Leverage the Expertise of the Design and Planning Professions and Institutions to Address the Impending Catastrophic Impacts of Climate Change"

Download the white paper (8.5.08)

HIGHLIGHTS

CONTACT