Architecture for Humanity is raising funds to support reconstruction efforts after this weekend's devastating cyclone in Myanmar. Please help communities rebuild.

Often media attention focuses on relief efforts. Months later, after the cameras have left, communities face the difficult task of rebuilding with little support. Architecture for Humanity offers technical expertise when it is needed most during the reconstruction phase.

The group's work will focus on rebuilding sustainable clinics, schools, community centers, and other critical infrastructure as well as housing. Past experience has shown that these buildings serve as critical anchors in helping communities rebuild and families restart their lives.

If you are interested in getting involved, contact volunteers@architectureforhumanity.org. To support sustainable
reconstruction, make a donation today.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 01:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Saint Paul Board of Colleges (SPBOC) has revived the Little Red Oil Can Award, first awarded in 1916 and given every year until it was retired in 1975 (the award was briefly revived from 1995-2000).

One award, recognizing an outstanding contribution to the enhancement of Saint Paul campus life, will be given in the categories of student, staff, faculty, organization, and alumni.

The deadline for nominations is 4:30 p.m., Thursday, May 1, 2008.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University's Children, Youth and Family Consortium is convening a meeting to explore multidisciplinary research opportunities about the physical, social/emotional, cognitive, and family attachment outcomes of connecting children and families to nature and natural spaces.

The meeting will take place on Monday, May 5, 2008, 9:00-10:30 a.m., in the Ski-U-Mah Room at the McNamara Alumni Center.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 01:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Earth Day, April 22, the College of Design will host Eco Expo, a green fair, that features Twin Cities vendors who sell eco-friendly products and services. The event is free and open to the public. Its purpose is to attract the attention of students, staff, and faculty across the University to the environmentally-friendly products available today.

The event will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Rapson courtyard.

Vendors have been selected to represent alternatives to current college purchasing habits. These vendors will be influencing the habits of faculty, staff, and students.

This is an interactive event in which the University can become involved in the efforts of the vendors attending. There will be three educational/conversational workshops presented throughout the day (times and descriptions below).

A donation has been made from By the Yard of a green bench, etched with "University of Minnesota Earth Day 2008, for the University in honor of Earth Day.

Each vendor is required to bring their own reusable table cloth as a design opportunity as well as a representation of their ecological values.

Continue reading "Eco Expo on Earth Day" »

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Draft versions of the College of Design constitution and bylaws are now available for comment.

• College of Design constitution (.pdf; 204Kb)


• College of Design bylaws (.pdf; 124Kb)

Extended comment documents

• Bob Sykes (Landscape Architecture) comments (.pdf; 116Kb)

Posted by Michael Fraase at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In January 2008, 24 University students, many of them from the College of Design, traveled to India for a course led by Virajita Singh (Center for Sustainable Building Research), entitled Sacred India: Architecture, Environment, Spirit. The students did substantial hands-on work there with two non-profits in the town of Vrindavan, Northern India.

Rupa Raghunath Das, who leads one of the non-profits -- Food for Life, Vrindavan -- will talk about the humanitarian and service work the group is doing in rural and small town India. The lecture takes place on Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 12-1 p.m., in 225 Rapson Hall.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 17-23, 2008

Monday through Wednesday
Rapson Hall lab open 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Thursday through Sunday
Lab closed

McNeal Hall lab closed during spring break

Spring semester hours resume on March 24, 2008

Posted by Michael Fraase at 02:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Digital Design Consortium, a unit of the College of Design, is featured in the Institute for New Media Studies' Emerging Digerati Week 2008. The event runs from March 31 through April 4 and is free and open to the public.

The Digital Design Consortium opens its lab to the public on Thursday, April 3, 5:30-7:30 p.m., on the first floor of Walter Library. "Flex your creative muscles immersed in virtual reality environments that offer architects a new way of designing."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jack Dangermond, founder of one of the world's largest geographic information systems (GIS) companies and College of Design alumnus from 1968 who studied landscape architecture and city design, will be on campus Wednesday, April 2.

Dangermond will be a part of a conversation, "Inside GIS," at 303 Coffman Union from 1:30-2:30 p.m. This will be an informal conversation with students, who will have a chance to find out what's next in GIS and design.

From 4:30-5:40 p.m. he will lecture in conjunction with his receiving an honorary degree from the University. The free lecture is open to the public and takes place at McNamara Alumni Center, and is followed by a public reception.

Jack's company, ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute), is focused on developing and using computerized mapping to make better land-use decisions. The tools developed by ESRI are important to the design community, enabling synthesis and overlays of information to reveal relationships and patterns. In a commencement speech at the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in 1993, Dangermond said that his ideas about combining mapping and graphics together came to him first as a student at the U of M, where Roger Martin and John Borchert were mentors. Studying landscape architecture, Dangermond says, gave him the understanding that "the study of the landscape and land processes and systems and the interpretation of those could be used to guide decision-making." Today, his company employs 4,000 staff and has users in more than 200 countries. The pioneering research and technology developed by ESRI has been used in such diverse areas as marketing, surveying, vehicle routing, economic development, cancer risk analysis, timberland management, and hurricane response management.

• University News Service media release on Jack Dangermond honorary degree


• Video of Jack Dangermond's lecture (RealPlayer required)

Posted by Michael Fraase at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sat., Mar. 15, 12-5 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 16, 12-5 p.m.
Mon., Mar. 17, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Tue., Mar. 18, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 19, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Thu., Mar. 20, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 21, Closed
Sat., Mar. 22, Closed
Sun., Mar. 23, Closed

Should this schedule causes irreconcilable schedule conflicts for legitimate, pressing academic work, please contact Kevin Groenke (director, W.L. Hall Workshop; archshop@umn.edu) as soon as possible so that we can make adjustments to the schedule.

Note: Many small, removable items are missing from the workshop. Please take a moment before the end of break to check your work area for any workshop supplies/equipment and return them so that they are available for anybody who may need them.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Close to 100 College of Design students, faculty, and staff viewed on March 3 "mood boards" that visually express general design directions for the college's new visual identity.

Jeff Johnson, owner and creative director of Spunk Design Machine of Minneapolis, said research conducted by his firm indicates that the college's niche is students who, rather than wanting to be design "rock stars," are motivated to seek out problems to solve in order to make the world a better place.

Johnson presented a design vision where "simplicity is our ally," combined with the use of compelling stories of the people and activities that make up the college.

Posted by Laura Weber at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A search is in progress for a founding director of the Institute on the Environment. The institute invites interested parties to participate in the interview activities for this important, system-wide leadership position.

Each candidate will present a research seminar and participate in a public forum. The finalists will be on the Twin Cities campus for two days of interviews and they will spend a third day at the Duluth campus.

The interview days are as follows:

March 3-4 (Twin Cities) and 5 (Duluth): Deborah L. Swackhamer
interim director, Institute on the Environment and professor, environmental health sciences (University of Minnesota)

March 10-11 (Twin Cities) and 12 (Duluth): Malcolm K. Hughes
regents' professor of dendrochronology and of watershed management (University of Arizona)

March 24-25 (Twin Cities) and 26 (Duluth): George M. Hornberger
Ernest H. Ern professor of environmental sciences (University of Virginia)

The research seminars and public forums can also be viewed online at

Information on the candidate visits can also be found on the Institute's web site.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is hosting a conference, "Adapting community infrastructure to climate change: Solutions for stormwater management and community forests," that brings together experts in stormwater management, forestry, urban planning, and environmental leadership.

The conference takes place on Thursday, March 13, 2008 from 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. in the MacMillan Auditorium at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The collection of the Goldstein Museum of Design will be preserved for future generations with help from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Connecting to Collections Bookshelf is a core set of conservation books, DVDs, and online resources donated by IMLS, the primary source of federal funding of the nation's museums and libraries.

IMLS with cooperation from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), chose the Goldstein as one of the first to receive this essential set of resources based on an application describing the needs and plans for care of its collections.

"We are so thrilled to receive the bookshelf and valuable resources as we have a large and diverse collection that actively contributes in our mission of teaching, research, and exhibition of design," said Lin Nelson Mayson, director of the Goldstein Museum. "We are continually looking for ways to maintain and enhance our collection -- the core of our institution."

• University News Service media release (3/10/08)

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The College of Design is one of the sponsors of Project Homeless Connect, a Minneapolis- and Hennepin County-based one-stop shop model for homeless services. Multiple resources -- housing providers, benefits specialists, eye care, transportation assistance, food, clothing, even haircuts -- are brought to one location where people can come to find the services they need.

Almost 800 volunteers participated in the October event at the Minneapolis Convention Center, providing services to 1,780 individuals (a 46% increase in the number of guests from the previous event). The range of services provided included:

• 801 housing services


• 136 health assessments followed by onsite heathcare services


• 60 dental care services


• 475 shoe vouchers


• 142 adults and children enrolled in Minneapolis public schools educational programs


• 211 legal services


• 177 employment services


• 155 received help with benefits from veterans' services, Social Security, and community action agencies


• 115 children and families referrals


• Almost 300 haircuts

1,000 volunteers are needed for the Monday, April 28 event at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Training is required for all first-time volunteers and six training sessions are available. More information and sign-up is available at the Project Homeless Connect Web site.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Solar Decathlon student group kick-off meeting will be held Thursday, February 7, 4-6 p.m., in the Rapson Hall Courtyard.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The College of Design award guidelines are available and outline the purpose, eligibility, and evaluation criteria for the full complement of awards:

• Outstanding teaching award


• Outstanding research award


• Outstanding outreach award


• Outstanding P&A award


• Outstanding CS/BU award


• Outstanding student award

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) and Places Journal along with Metropolis magazine are collaborating on the 2008 EDRA/Places awards to recognize professional and scholarly excellence in environmental design. Entries "represent the full breadth of environmental design and related social science activity, including architecture, landscape architecture, planning, urban design, interior design, public art, lighting design, graphic design, environmental psychology, sociology, anthropology and geography."

The awards recognize design, planning, research, and recently published books. The call for entries deadline is February 7.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 21st annual search for shelter charrette will be held the weekend of February 15-17 in Rapson Hall. This is a great opportunity for students, architects, and landscape architects to work together to benefit local non-profit organizations that focus on affordable housing and homelessness. Volunteers are needed. For more information and to register for the charrette, please visit the AIA MN Web site by Friday, February 8.
 
The weekend will kick-off with an opening reception, sponsored by the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund and AIA Minnesota, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on Friday, February 15th. Complimentary food and beverages will be provided. Speakers will include Thomas DeAngelo, AIA MN president, Katie Swenson from the Rose Fellowship Foundation, and Warren Hanson from the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund. Swenson and Hanson will present two Rose Fellowship opportunities for architectural designers.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that the University of Minnesota has been selected as one of 20 teams to compete in the 2009 Solar Decathlon. Students and faculty representing the Institute of Technology and the College of Design will lead the University's effort. The Solar Decathlon is an international student competition to design, build, and operate highly energy-efficient, completely solar-powered houses.

Dean Tom Fisher is quoted in a University news release as saying the Solar Decathlon "provides an unparalleled opportunity for students to showcase their depth of abilities in sustainable design and construction on an international stage."

The total cost of the project is expected to be $1 million. In addition to the Department of Energy $100,000 grant and a $100,000 match from the University's Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment, the University will seek an additional $800,000 in funding and in-kind gifts from businesses and alumni. If you are interested in making a financial contribution to this project, you can do so online. To designate your gift, enter fund #2558 (Solar Decathlon Fund) in the text box marked "Special instructions for your gift."

Related links

• U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon Web site


• University of Minnesota's Solar Decathlon student group


• Institute of Technology information page


• U of M Moment (podcast) on Solar Decathlon


• University Relations 90-second radio feature on Solar Decathlon


• "U.S. Department of Energy asks students to compete" (Minnesota Daily article)


• WCCO-TV anchor Don Shelby's "In the Know" segment on Solar Decathlon

Posted by Michael Fraase at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

College of Design partner, The Institute on the Environment, will hold its next roundtable, Savannas Forever: The Intersection of Lion Conservation and Public Health in Tanzania, on February 8 from 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in 105 Cargill Building. Craig Packer and Brian Atwood will explore the scientific and social challenges of conserving natural resources while improving public health and reducing poverty in rural East Africa.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Great Idea! exchange event will be held during the evening of March 27 at Bean Scene I on West Broadway in North Minneapolis. The event is part of the College of Design's collaboration with Juxtaposition Arts and will showcase several youth- and arts-based grassroots organizations serving the Northside. A new collaborative initiative will be launched based on the results of voting for the best Great Idea!

For more information contact Carrie Fathman: fathm002@umn.edu or 314-495-0602.

• University News Service media release about the event

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Architecture, Interior Design and Landscape Architecture career fair
Monday, March 3, 2008
Coffman Great Hall, Ground Floor
Coffman Memorial Union
More information is available.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Architecture 2030, a New Mexico-based non-profit research organization will host a national webcast, called Face It, focusing on what it claims is a "silver bullet" solution to global warming. During the webcast, the organization will announce two competitions featuring the solution with $20,000 in prize money.

The webcast will originate from the Architecture 2030 Web site at 9 a.m. EST on January 30. A separate discussion event, Focus the Nation, will take place on January 31.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Hennepin County Energy Recovery Center produces enough energy annually to power 25,000 homes. The waste-to-energy facility also separates recyclables from solid waste, saving 11,000 tons of ferrous metals annually.

With new development including the new Twins ballpark and lightrail, the area adjacent to the energy recovery center will likely become a new public pedestrian destination.

The College of Design and the Hennepin County Energy Recovery Center, through the college's greenlight student group, have initiated a collaborative design workshop to involve local designers in envisioning a more sustainable image for the county's Energy Recovery Center.

The charrette is free but pre-registration is required. RSVP to grnlight@umn.edu by January 29 with your full name and contact information, experience level, and any food preferences.

Friday, February 1:
Introduction of project background and scope, team preferences and divisions, reception to follow.

Saturday, February 2:
8-9 a.m. Breakfast
9 a.m.-12 p.m. Work in subgroups
12-1 p.m. Lunch
1-4 p.m. Prepare presentations
4-5 p.m. Presentations to faculty and county, reception to follow

Posted by Michael Fraase at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Katherine E. Nash Gallery is presenting two exhibitions focusing on the art of drawing: The Practice of Drawing: Selections from the Weisman Art Museum and Joyce Lyon and Alexis Kuhr: Recent Drawings. These exhibitions open on January 22 and run through February 20, 2008. A public reception is scheduled for Friday, January 25 from 6-8:30 p.m. All events at the Nash are free and open to the public.

A panel discussion will take place on Monday, February 11 at 7 p.m. in the IN-FLUX Auditorium, Regis Center for Art. Participants will be Alexis Kuhr and Joyce Lyon, Lyndel King, Director of the Weisman Art Museum, and Diane Mullin, curator at the Weisman. The Regis Center for Art is located at 405 21st Avenue South on the west bank campus. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Parking is available in the 21st Avenue Ramp.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Friday, January 18, the Goldstein Museum of Design is removing 185 pieces from its costume collection which were duplicates or never accessioned into the collection. The pieces are being donated to the College of St. Catherine's Fashion Merchandising and Fashion Apparel collection, where they will be utilized in the manner for which they were originally donated, the study of apparel design and construction. The Goldstein's donation will more than double the College of St. Catherine's collection.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Al Lathrop (Library Manuscripts) reports that the Andersen Library has acquired the collection of Don Harley, a graduate of the University. After resigning from Brown & Bigelow in the early 1950s, Harley ran an industrial design company in the Twin Cities for the next four decades.

The company created an amazing array of products, Lathrop writes, "including thermostats, ashtrays, toys, ballpoint pens, computer cases, clock cases, desk calendars, glassware, key cases, the toilet facility for the first space station, a helmet for the army, and a host of other things." Harley documented his projects with stunning colored-pencil renderings and working drawings that are almost all dated. Approximately 90% of the renderings have been photographed and exist on 35mm slides.

Lathrop said he was interested in acquiring the collection "because it would support the work of students and faculty in industrial and product design, interior design, architecture (marginally), as well as historians or artists who are interested in seeing how styles changed over a period of about 4 decades. It is truly an amazing collection."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Focus the Nation, a student-coordinated initiative, is organizing a national teach-in on global warming solutions. On Thursday, January 31, more than 1,000 institutions, millions of students, and hundreds of politicians will be participating in the teach-in to learn about and to work on solutions to global warming.

Focus the Nation invites all University faculty to participate in order to make the initiative a success. Professors are asked to dedicate 20-30 minutes of their classes on January 31 to a discussion of a topic related to both their field and to global warming.

For more information contact Brook Jacobson, jaco0796@umn.edu.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 04:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The School of Architecture, located within a multidisciplinary College of Design, is at the academic hub of vibrant professional and research communities. Committed to a culturally sensitive, ecologically responsible and technologically rich vision of design, the school has a strong reputation in the area of sustainable design. Understanding the potential of each area to stimulate innovation in the others, we seek multi-faceted individuals capable of working collaboratively in this setting. We are also seeking candidates with the commitment and energy to participate in the intellectual life of the school and college and readiness to teach both graduate and undergraduate required and elective courses and research-based architectural design studios.

Position one: Assistant professor, tenure track.
Position two: Rank to be determined based on the experience and qualifications of the candidate.

Download the complete position announcement (.pdf; 88Kb)

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Metropolitan Design Center, a design, research, and public engagement unit in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota, invites applications and nominations for the position of Director and Dayton Hudson Endowed Chair in Urban Design. The appointment will also hold a faculty title of associate or full professor, to begin June 9, 2008 or as soon thereafter as possible. Download the complete position announcement (.pdf; 92Kb)

Posted by Michael Fraase at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Information about the new MS in Architecture, Heritage Preservation and Conservation degree program is posted on the School of Architecture Web site.

Students are currently being recruited and applications are being accepted for Fall 2008. If you have questions about the program please feel free to contact Nancy Miller, nmiller@umn.edu.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Graphic Design Club will be selling their screen printed holiday
cards and gift tags December 3-6. Stop by Coffman Union on Monday or Tuesday -- or the Saint Paul Student Center on Wednesday or Thursday -- from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Applications for equity and diversity "IDEA grants" (innovation, diversity, equity, and achievement) are invited by the Office for Equity and Diversity. The program funds projects, programming, events, and research that support historically underrepresented students, faculty, staff, and communities. All academic and administrative units across the University's campuses are eligible to apply; grants are awarded quarterly. The next deadline for applications is Monday, December 31.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Journal of Architectural Education (JAE) has issued an open call for submission of previously unpublished design work for blind peer-review. This work may be the product of an academic studio, or created directly by the submitting author(s). Work will be judged primarily on how it extends architectural inquiry, particularly in relation to image and text. Submission requirements and the review process are outlined on the
JAE Web site (.pdf; 328Kb).

The deadline for submissions is March 7, 2008. Inquiries should be directed to George Dodds, executive editor, gdodds@utk.edu.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 1, 2008 is the deadline for Learning Abroad Center faculty-led custom abroad programs taught over winter break 2009. More information is available on the Learning Abroad Center Web site.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The mayors of Minneapolis and Saint Paul are committed to increasing the sustainability of their cities. They've undertaken a variety of green initiatives with a new-found spirit of cooperation, matched by a healthy sense of competition. Get the inside view as the two mayors discuss efforts to green their cities and beyond.

The College of Design is partnering with the U.S. Green Building Council, Mississippi Headwaters Chapter to present a forum on local green initiatives on November 27, 3:45-6:00 p.m. in the Rapson Hall Auditorium. Registration is required and the cost to attend is $15 in advance for chapter members; $20 in advance for non-members; free for students with a valid ID.

• Download forum podcast (.mp3; 25.3Mb)

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:32 AM | Permal