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FOR RELEASE: Thursday, November 10, 2005
Conference Dedicated to Finding Answers For Rebuilding New Orleans Should we rebuild New Orleans? When - and how - do we start? Architects, landscape architects, and engineers from across the country will gather at the University of Arkansas School of Architecture Dec. 10-11 to discuss these and other questions raised by Hurricane Katrina's devastation. Project Locus, a national organization that fosters service by design professionals, and Re:Vision, an interdisciplinary group of UA students dedicated to community outreach, are organizing the conference. FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Should we rebuild New Orleans? When – and how – do we start? Architects, landscape architects, and engineers from across the country will gather at the University of Arkansas School of Architecture Dec. 10-11 to discuss these and other questions raised by Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. Project Locus, a national organization that fosters service by design professionals, and Re:Vision, an interdisciplinary group of UA students dedicated to community outreach, are organizing the conference. "What we’re really trying to do is get people together in one room and figure out how to use our collective energy," said Patrick Rhodes, founder and executive director of Project Locus. "The conference is open to all people who are ready to get their hands dirty."
In Fayetteville, discussion will focus on understanding the disaster, formulating a response, and looking beyond New Orleans. "We want to develop a think tank, much like they do in the scientific community, so that we can anticipate and plan responses to global disasters rather than react to them," Rhodes said. Confirmed speakers for the Arkansas Summit include the following:
Ultimately, conference organizers hope to generate action. "Going down to New Orleans to improve a bad situation – that’s exciting, and a far cry from sitting at a desk, " said Jared Hueter, a fourth-year architecture student who serves as president of Re:Vision. "In its simplest form, architecture is about serving people, and my goal is to understand how that works in the real world." Several national design organizations are planning a response to Katrina, but the Arkansas Summit stands out for its inclusive, hands-on approach to the disaster. "It’s such a complex issue," Rhodes said. "We’ve got to think about historic preservation, engineering problems, sustainability, and the cultural fabric of New Orleans. The more people you have working on a problem, the better the solution you come up with." Representatives from Design Corps, Architecture for Humanity, CityWorks Los Angeles and Archinect will join Project Locus and Re:Vision at the Arkansas conference. Participating academic institutions include the University of Arkansas, Tulane University, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Kansas State University, and the University of Southern California, among others. The UA School of Architecture and the Fayetteville Convention and Visitors Bureau have provided funding and organizational support. To learn more about the conference and Project Locus, visit http://www.projectlocus.org/ To learn more about Re:Vision, visit http://www.projectlocus.org/revision.htm
### Contact:Jared Hueter, architecture student, School of Architecture Patrick Rhodes, executive director, Project Locus Kendall Curlee, director of communications, School of Architecture |
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