In the natural world, adaptation is a competitive advantage. Yet the built environment is frequently characterized by rigid typologies and inflexible designs. How can buildings keep pace with changing cultures and contexts? In “Adaptation,” the 2016 James Harrison Steedman Fellowship in Architecture call for research proposals, early-career architects are challenged to explore how flexibility and adaptive response might be better incorporated into the design process. The winning research proposal will receive $50,000 to support up to a year of international travel and research.
“The theme is meant as a provocation,” says Steedman Governing Committee member Patty Heyda, LEED AP, assistant professor of architecture in architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts in Washington University in St. Louis, which organizes the fellowship in concert with AIA St. Louis.
