Submitted proposals were evaluated by a panel comprised of School of Architecture faculty, students, alumni and community partners and selected based on their quality, clarity and focus on climate justice, capacity for positive short and longer-term impact, and potential for achieving additional funding to support the continuation of the project. Three projects were selected to receive $25K each and will commence research this summer.

“In the Challenge’s request for proposals, climate justice was described as the ‘acknowledgment that climate change can have differing social, economic, public health and other adverse impacts on underprivileged populations’,” said Director of the Center for Design and Associate Professor Anselmo Canfora. “I am very enthusiastic about the depth and range of each of the design research projects selected in the inaugural year of our Climate Futures Challenge.  The three transdisciplinary design research teams not only build on their extensive ongoing research partnerships across Grounds and beyond but have also helped launch a very impressive array of investigations by amalgamating their different disciplines, diverse values, knowledge, know-how and expertise.”

DESIGN | BUILD | REFLECT

Project Team:
Eric Bredder, PhD Student (STEM Education), School of Education and Human Development, UVA
Paul Chirico, Teacher, Fluvanna County High School
Wade Cotton, Owner, Timber Made Company
Allyson Gibson, MLA Student, School of Architecture, UVA; ISA-certified Arborist
Joe Lehnan, Forest Utilization and Lead Marketing Specialist, Virginia Department of Forestry
Andrew Spears, FabLab Technician, School of Architecture, UVA; Co-founder, UVA Sawmilling; PI
Tim Victorio, Lecturer, School of Architecture, UVA

Design | Build | Reflect builds on UVA Sawmilling’s mission to provide research and applied design experiences to students that generate immediate community engagement and positive environmental impacts through the processing of urban trees. It incorporates a long-term visioning of climate, as tree canopy shifts through die-off and species migrations, and addresses questions of justice — who has access to healthy urban canopy and what does this imply about how citizens are equitably exposed and educated to sustainable and healthy environments? 

This research proposal seeks to develop a holistic approach to sustainability, fabrication, design, urban forestry, and community outreach through a two-semester course seeking student perspectives from schools of Architecture, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Education, and others to form an interdisciplinary team. Given the complexity of the problem of climate justice, meaningful conversations and experiences surrounding solutions inherently necessitate collaboration across disciplines (Roser, et al., 2015). The structure of the course seeks to spark this dialogue through hands-on experience, data analytics, empirical analysis and material research design with built-in reflective practices.

Panelists’ reflections (excerpts):

“I appreciate the multi-faceted impact of this proposal, from UVA students to the greater Charlottesville community, and beyond. Through the development of a two-semester course that introduces students to an iterative method of working and thinking in our changing climate, I believe that this project has potential for impact beyond its one-year scope by cultivating the next generation of climate justice scholars and advocates across many disciplines.”

“The educational component of this proposal is well thought out in terms of …introduc[ing]… students [to] thinking about the relationship between fabrication and climate justice issues.”

“This proposal is clear and tangible in its goals, and I appreciate the manageable scope and the fact that it will benefit students through hands-on experience.”