On Friday, four IIT students exited their final exams and hopped into a mid-sized rental car. They arrived in New Orleans yesterday afternoon after driving 1,000 miles, and woke up this morning to tackle a major challenge. In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the city of New Orleans, including physical structures and social infrastructures. More than two years later, many problems remain unresolved. The students, members of Architecture that Matters, are using their IIT education to begin their second major project in the region. They will spend the next few days surveying potential sites for the community health center that they will design and build over the course of the next year. Sincerely, Gerald P. Doyle P.S. Perhaps the most socially-conscious architectural text in recent years, Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises profiles innovative solutions for rebuilding efforts and sustainable development alike. If you're interested in learning how to design a better world, just send me an e-mail and I'll send you the book. |