2004 Program for North American Mobility in Higher Education
McGill School of Architecture and Dalhousie Faculty of Architecture and Planning are joint partners in an architectural project/exchange involving two schools of architecture in Mexico (Monterrey and UNAM) and two in the USA (Ball State University and University of Texas at Austin). The Federal Government program is funded in Canada by the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).
Summary
The goal of the North American Sustainability, Housing, and Community Consortium (NASHCC) is to advance sustainable housing through community partnership. This four year continental exchange program in architecture will expose 60 students from Mexico, the US, and Canada to urgent problems of urban housing and sustainable development in North American cities. Students will work in hands-on design and problem-solving situations that demand and develop the community-based, multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural and multi-lingual professional skills that are essential for mobility in a North America without borders.
Through improved information-flow and practical application, the NASHCC will enhance the ability of existing degree programs to prepare graduates to lead their professions and communities towards planning and design for sustainable development and dignified housing for all. The consortium will provide advanced theory and application experiences in sustainable planning, design, and housing in diverse and global contexts.
Applicants intending to apply to the NASHCC internship should have strong interests in sustainability, housing issues, and material culture. Housing and community/settlement patterns will be a major focus of the program of study. The internship may involve practical field-work as well as academic study. Those interested in the two Mexican host institutions should have some Spanish language background. A written letter explaining previous study or experience, along with your research and design or planning interests will be a major part of the recruiting process.
Objectives
Specific objectives of the NASHCC are:
- To establish collaborative agreements, including protocols for student mobility among participating universities, as the basis for long term institutional linkages.
- To sponsor 60 students (20 from Mexico, 20 from Canada, 20 from U.S.) over the program’s 4-year period, in semester-long exchanges between the three countries. Between 2005 and 2008, Dalhousie Faculty of Architecture and Planning will send 10 students and receive 10 students, as will McGill School of Architecture.
- To develop common curricula and research endeavors centered around sustainability and housing.
- To facilitate immersion of students in local practical experiences with firms or community organizations.
- To collaboratively disseminate the NASHCC experience through consortium partners to the global business, planning, design, and academic communities that must partner together in order to lead society to a sustainable future that addresses the housing needs of all.
Consortium Members
- Prof. John Motloch, Ball State University
- Prof. Terrance Galvin, Dalhousie University
- Prof. Pedro Pacheco, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM)
- Prof. Vikram Bhatt, McGill University
- Prof. David Covo, McGill University
- Prof. Gustavo Romero, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM)
- Prof. David Gibson, University of Texas at Austin (UT)
Course Curriculum
Sustainable Design
Instructor: Leila Marie Farah
© Leila Marie Farah, 2009
Architects have been contributing to sustainable design mostly by focusing on providing energy efficient solutions. While a necessary step, it represents a compartmentalized and fragmented approximation of the multi-faceted concept of sustainability. This course aims to provide an integrated approach to the topic of sustainable design-one which considers a variety of viewpoints that define, inform and challenge traditional notions of design. It presents sustainable architecture not just as an end product but also as an evolving process, while at the same time raising awareness of its impact.
This graduate seminar will be addressing the above in a multi-disciplinary fashion that approaches sustainable design theoretically, thematically and empirically, with emphasis on the urban context. First, concepts will be introduced and clarified, and their historical antecedents bridged with contemporary issues. Themes will cover a wide range of scales--from micro-green materials, to macro-eco-cities--. In tandem with these themes, case studies from around the world which were undertaken by both design professionals and research units will be presented and assessed in order to provide a more comprehensive picture. Weekly discussions will explore the above through an environmental, socio-cultural and economic prism.
Course Work
Student work completed during the NASCHH exchange can be found here.
Dalhousie - UNAM
Fall 2005 Exchange
The following are Dalhousie students that did their Research Paper on the Mazahua Project during their exchange at UNAM, under the supervision of Prof. Arq. Gustavo Romero.
- Kate Busby, The Mazahua Project: A Participatory Design Application
- Erin Hunt, The Mazahua Participatory Design Project
- Michael Thicke, The Mazahua Housing Design Project
Winter 2007 Exchange
The following is a Dalhousie student that was on exchange at UNAM.
- Jessica B. Dan, Studio projects, reports
Dalhousie - University of Texas at Austin
Winter 2007 - Present
The following Dalhousie student did her Research Paper during the Winter term 2006 exchange at UT of Austin, under the supervision of Prof. David Gibson.
- Sarah Zollinger, Ranchito Los Arcos: La Comunidad y las Viviendas
McGill - UNAM
Winter 2006 Exchange
The following McGill student did her Thesis and NASHCC Research Paper on a Public Montessori School during her exchange at UNAM, under the supervision of Prof. David Covo.
- Sophia Vincent, A Public Montessori School and Teaching Facility for Mexico City
UNAM - McGill
Winter 2006 - Fall 2006 Exchange
The following are UNAM students that did their Research Paper during their exchange at McGill, under the supervision of Prof. Vikram Bhatt.
- María Plancarte Fexas, Post Occupancy Evaluation
- Joana Moreno Rivera, Sustainability in Housing
UNAM - Dalhousie
Winter 2006 Exchange
The following UNAM student did her research during her exchange at Dalhousie, under the supervision of Prof. Terrance Galvin.
- Romelia Hernández, BSI Final Report
Monterrey Tech - Dalhousie
Winter 2007 Exchange
The following is Monterrey Tech student Javier Ortega Chavela's project for an architectural design driven by sustainability, requiring a well-developed strategic integration of building technology. The program outlined a midsized institutional complex providing a center for environmental education and think-tank, sited in an area of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, near the town of Baddeck.
- Javier Ortega Chavelas, Project
Dalhousie International Sustainable Development Course Essays
Instructor: Terrance Galvin
- Melani Pigat, Essay and Case Study
- Javier Ortega Chavelas, Essay
- Kristen Morse, Essay
- Brad Pickard, Essay
- Shimin Wu, Essay
- Morgan Carter , Essay and Case Study
- Sarah Zollinger, Essay