ArchitectureThomas Jefferson created the University of Virginia to uphold a democratic culture, and the School of Architecture perpetuates that legacy. Just as a democratic culture requires cooperation and the free exchange of ideas among individual citizens, design in the public realm requires collaboration and dialogue among individual disciplines. By integrating well-defined programs in architecture, landscape architecture, the history of architecture, and urban and environmental planning, and by linking these programs to the core academic strengths of a great university, the School of Architecture will bring vast intellectual and technological resources to bear on the critical issues of the twenty-first century. The School of Architecture at the University of Virginia will apply the power of its people and programs to meet the design challenges of our time and to prepare talented women and men to meet the design challenges of the future. It will advance the architecture of democracy. As it fulfills this mission, the school and its faculty affirm that all designers, planners, and historians work in the public realm. Even when serving private entities, the school and its faculty are aware that their work affects society ecologically, economically, and aesthetically. The environments they create and preserve must be functional, sustainable, and enrich the lives of those who use them. The School of Architecture relies predominantly on state dollars and tuition revenues, but must achieve greater self-sufficiency to fulfill its mission. Only through the generosity of alumni, parents, friends, and organizations can the school address critical global issues in planning and design, historical inquiry, technological innovation, and environmental sustainability. As part of the Campaign for the University of Virginia, the school is seeking $25 million for the expansion of Campbell Hall and other priorities. To support the school with other funding needs—student fellowships and assistantships, new faculty, and unrestricted dollars for operating support—go to http://www.arch.virginia.edu/alumni/giving/opportunities/. |
Student Leadership in Environmental Design
Danielle Willkens Architecture '08
When most people think of the environment, they imagine a pristine mountain stream or a meadow blanketed in wildflowers—anything but the heavily industrialized Elizabeth River in southeast Virginia. Yet it is precisely because the hand of man rests so heavily on this estuary of the Chesapeake Bay that Phoebe Crisman, an associate professor of architecture, chose it as the site for the Learning Barge. This floating field station, designed and being built by architecture and engineering students in collaboration with local partners, will give schoolchildren a better understanding of natural processes and the contributions they can make to a healthy environment.
Danielle Willkens, a graduate student in architecture, is one of two student leaders for the Learning Barge. She has assumed a number of responsibilities in addition to teaching. Ms. Willkens is part of the team researching green technology incorporated in the barge’s design. As a demonstration project, the barge’s electrical systems will be powered by solar panels and wind turbines, and it features a rainwater collection system as well as a water-filtration system using beds of marsh grasses on its deck.
Ms. Willkens’s connection with environmental design and education will continue beyond graduation. She intends to use her experience with the Learning Barge to foster the development of environmental field stations in other areas of the country. “I want to take the idea behind the Learning Barge and find new and appropriate ways to express it in other environments besides the Elizabeth River,” Ms. Willkens said.