As College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) faculty, students, and staff return to campuses in Ithaca, New York City, and Rome to begin the work of the fall 2024 semester, the weeks ahead will bring myriad opportunities to explore questions and challenges, discuss approaches and share differing perspectives, and celebrate innovative solutions and new knowledge.

New Opportunity and Ongoing Development

The multicollege Department of Design Tech welcomes its inaugural M.S. in Design Technology class. This two-year research and project-based degree, offered jointly by AAP and Cornell Tech, provides students with the opportunity to pursue research in areas that bridge disciplines and generate innovative ideas across science, technology, and design.

The Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities was selected to submit a full proposal to the MacArthur Foundation 100&Change. If successful, a project grant for $100 million will fund Reforming African Cities: Making Housing and Infrastructure Accessible to All, designed in partnership with the University of Manchester's African Cities Research Consortium and Slum Dwellers International. In preparation for the submission and as part of an Einaudi Center seed grant, the center cohosted a workshop in July with colleagues at the University of Ghana in Accra.

The Mellon Foundation has awarded the University of Southern California School of Architecture a $600,000 Humanities in Place grant. The multi-year grant, led by USC faculty as well as Professor of Architecture and Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Engagement Milton S.F. Curry, will support several public-facing initiatives related to the Paul Revere Williams Architecture Archive, including a future exhibition of Williams's work at the USC Fisher Museum, two faculty research fellowships, a new biennial pamphlet publication, an annual memorial lecture series, a symposium, and several community events.

The Circular Construction Lab at AAP, directed by Architecture Assistant Professor Felix Heisel, and their project partners have been selected for a $2.5 million EPA grant to develop a process that combines robust environmental product declarations for salvaged materials with material passporting to support the adoption of material reuse practices by the architecture, engineering, and construction industry at scale.

In Ithaca, the renovation of AAP's historic Sibley Dome is now actively underway. While this revitalization effort to bring additional teaching, study, and meeting space progresses, the college's beloved Green Dragon cafe will have a temporary Dragon Annex outpost in Milstein Hall.

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