The College of Architecture, Design and Construction will host the 2008 Integrated Practice and Architectural Education Symposium on Wednesday, February 20 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Parker/B6 Auditorium, Dudley Commons. The symposium is open to the public, and will feature Marty Doscher from the Los Angeles based design firm, Morphosis Architects; Tom Hysell, AIA, Beth Scarano and Derek Cunz of Mortenson Construction; and Renee Cheng, AIA, Head of the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota. The speakers will discuss the impact of close collaboration between design and construction professionals on project design and construction, and the new technologies driving the evolution of a unified team approach in the industry system. The symposium will also examine how this paradigm of project delivery will influence design and construction education. For more information, contact David Hinson at hinsodw@auburn.edu.

“Harvesting Rainwater with Rain Barrels” can be viewed in the Dudley Hall Gallery Oct. 11-22. Collecting rainwater is an ancient and traditional practice, and dates as far back as 2,000 years ago. With the rising price of municipal water and with drought restrictions now facing many communities, more and more homeowners are turning to the harvesting of rainwater to save money and utilize this precious natural resource. Rain barrels are a simple way homeowners can store rooftop runoff for reuse for landscaping and other non-potable uses. The most common approach involves directing a roof downspout to a 55-gallon rain barrel. A hose is attached to a faucet at the bottom of the barrel and water is distributed by gravity pressure. Rain barrels are based on the Low Impact Development approach that treats rooftop runoff as a resource that should be reused or infiltrated. A drawing will be held Oct. 19 at 4 p.m. to give away the rain barrel on display. Sign-up is free. For more information, contact Charlene LeBleu at 844-0192 or leblecm@auburn.edu.

Students in the College of Architecture’s Foreign Studies Program are presenting maps and drawings of Rome through March 2, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the college’s Dudley Commons Gallery. The students have been researching the histories of 10 sites in Rome, and illustrating the results by layering the maps and drawings they have uncovered in a palimpsest. They have simultaneously been studying preliminary and schematic design proposals for inserting a 21st Century study center and museum of cartography into the context of the Eternal City. These 38 students will be traveling to Rome for the second half of the semester to study the principles of design.