In 1994, dissatisfied with the extent to which ecological issues were integrated within their design education at the University of Oregon, a group of graduate students from the Department of Architecture set out to prove that the design arts can influence our perception of community and environment. The original organization of seven has now grown to a core group of 20 students who volunteer their time and energy throughout the year to envision and actualize the H.O.P.E.S. (Holistic Options for Planet Earth Sustainability) conference.Each year the conference spurs discussion on the interconnection of ecology and design and how their integration forms catalysts for creating responsible and sustainable places. For four days participants engage in this dialogue through a series of keynote lectures, panel discussions, exhibitions, workshops and charrette (a timed exercise in designing a proposal). This year we will also sponsor a lecture by actor Woody Harrelson in the EMU amphitheater that is free and open to the public.
The 2001 conference, running April 19 to 22, will address how the design arts help shape our communities and cultural understanding of place. Through the theme “Fostering Environmental Literacy,” we will examine how fellow citizens, designers and visionaries develop their environmental awareness and translate it into design solutions. Danny Strening, one of the conference organizers, feels the conference “gives students and attendees a global picture of how their decisions affect the environment; more specifically, how the design arts can be a medium of expression as well as positive influence on the community and environment.”
The conference has a range of activities and events to satisfy a variety of interests. The conference kicks off Thursday evening with a design charrette focused on the redesign of the courtyard in the School of Architecture and Allied Arts to provoke ecological awareness through all facets of the design arts. This intensive exercise provides a problem for participants to solve in a limited time span. Teams are formed to envision a conceptual solution to the problem.
Friday evening, Pliny Fisk III from the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems will give the first of our five keynote lectures followed by professor Lori Ryker, Steven A. Moore, John Perlin and Buster Simpson throughout the weekend.
In addition to keynote lectures, a series of panels, showcases and workshops will be happening throughout Saturday and Sunday. The workshops range in scale from intimate sessions on fibers, natural dyes and renewable energies to larger endeavors that result in the further understanding of alternative building techniques and technologies. Past building projects include a vaulted straw-bale garden shed, a rammed earth bike shelter and most recently, a bamboo pavilion and cob bench on campus.
Please join us April 19-22 at Lawrence Hall for the H.O.P.E.S. Conference. For more information contact the H.O.P.E.S. office at 346-0719, e-mail us at [email protected] or visit gladstone.uoregon.edu/~hopes for information on the Web. Participants of all ages and backgrounds are invited to participate in this multi-disciplinary event.