11:00 faculty break room

11:00 faculty break room

December 29, 2005 – January 1, 2006
Cincinnati, Ohio USA

Register for FORUM 2005 and you will be entered in the drawing to win an iPod nano. See the details on the “Registration” page.

For ages, social, economic and natural disasters have provided the human race with unique problems and opportunities. Whether the sacking of Rome, the burning of London, the Great Depression, the race riots of Los Angeles or the most recent tragedies from terrorism and natural disasters, humans have always responded to each crisis with an unparalleled level of passion and creativity. In our cities, we can see that the healing process that follows disaster often brings great change to both societal paradigm and the built environment.

Our host city Cincinnati has seen racial tension explode into violent and destructive rioting followed by an extended, economically distressing boycott of city businesses. In the years after the riots, many attempts have been made to mend the city’s social problems. Most of the new architecture and urban revitalization projects have either come as a response to the riots or referenced them. This is a city that is building from its crises.

FORUM 2005: Building from Crisis will be an analysis and in-depth discussion of the social response and ethical responsibility of architecture to disasters of all kinds. From Cincinnati’s new Underground Railroad Freedom Center to Habitat for Humanity; to the new World Trade Center; the post-war reconstruction in Kosovo, Somalia and Iraq; and the rebuilding within the Gulf States, the built world has provided a unique way of viewing the social realm that we inhabit.

To find out more About the AIAS Forum visit www.aias.org/forum/.