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American Institute of Architecture Students

University of Kentucky Chapter

Design represents the first signal of human intention; it is the first indication that we understand our surroundings and wish to place our mark upon them. In his book Cradle to Cradle, William McDonough says, “ ... I think as designers we realize that design is a signal of intention but it also has to occur within a world... we have to understand that world in order to imbue our designs with inherent intelligence...”

We are at a turning point in the realm of design, where creatively driven high design is beginning to receive criticism for its lack of social awareness. Today, design aesthetics are giving way to ecological sustainability, but we have to understand that these two ideas (aesthetics and sustainability) are not mutually exclusive. As humans we don’t want to reside in beautiful buildings at the cost of the environment, nor do we want to inhabit sustainable boxes. There must be a balance struck between these two factors and our intention as designers must be to find that balance.

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Every Spring and Fall, an AIAS chapter within each quad hosts a conference over various architectural themes. The conference provides opportunities for architecture students within their region to meet and communicate with one another outside of the classroom.

Aaron Betsky is the eighth director of the Cincinnati Art Museum. Most recently he directed the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam, the world’s largest architecture museum, and prior to that post he served as Curator of Architecture, Design and Digital Projects at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He was the Director of the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale, September 2008. Mr. Betsky was born in Missoula, Montana and raised in the Netherlands.

A prolific writer and editor, Mr. Betsky has authored over a dozen books and is currently writing a major volume on modernism in architecture and design. He has been published in many newspapers and magazines, ranging from The New York Times to Metropolitan Home, Betsky has served as a visiting professor at major universities across the U.S. and in Europe and has received honors from the British Institute of Architects and the American Institute of Architects. He holds a B.A. in History, the Arts and Letters, and a master’s degree in architecture from Yale University, with a doctoral degree expected from the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands. Aaron Betsky will be our Keynote Speaker and a participant in our panel discussion.

We would like to thank the AIA Kentucky for its incredible support of this event:

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