How can architects contribute to the creation of a more just and sustainable built environment? The Ecological Practices Graduate Research Group studio often takes on issues of sustainability, climate resiliency, and green building practices. This studio challenged students to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom to current climate change crises, racial oppression, and a lack of mutual care.

The basis of the studio was the collaborative effort with the nonprofit organization People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH Buffalo) to promote equitable development and climate justice in Buffalo’s West Side. The goal was to develop and deliver a cooperative training program focusing on passive house, residential weatherization, and commercial building audits.

To become experts in these fields, students prepared for and took the two-part Certified Passive Housing Consultant (CPHC) exam in the first part of the semester. In the second part, students used their new knowledge to develop intervention strategies on several existing homes owned by PUSH.

In this phase, students formed project teams and documented typical conditions, building details, and environmental systems of vacant homes in need of rehabilitation, such as 199 West Delavan. Visiting the buildings undergoing rehabilitation provided insights into the type of work local organizations are engaged in. While students took a closer look at 199 West Delavan over the semester, an additional five abandoned homes were analyzed to present comparative cases. By cataloging the property and site context, students identified where passive retrofits could most effectively fill gaps left by years of neglect.

An in-depth look into material properties and assembly methods yielded a total of 47 spider diagrams. These graphics broke down possiblesolutions and visualized qualitative data graphically. Cost, moisture and fire resistance, toxicity, and embodied carbon were a few of the elements studied within these matrices. Students used these comparative studies to inform material decisions for their full-scale mock-up demonstrating the complexities and nuances of passive house construction.

The studio also delved into environmental control systems to develop specification guidelines for Climate Zone 5A, which includes PUSH’s focus area. PUSH can use these tools to select HVAC systems based on cost, energy efficiency, and occupant-determined factors. Reviewing the precedents served as a guide for HVAC systems to be considered in the retrofits to achieve potential passive building designation by PHIUS, the Passive House Institute of the United States.

This studio was the first of two studios to be taught sequentially in the Ecological Practices Graduate Research Group. Efforts from the Fall 2022 semester will be brought forward and built on to continue to engage residents, expand opportunities, and aid in the retrofit of vacant properties in Buffalo’s West Side.

Students: Luke Dole, Briana Egan, Caterina Gnecco, Bethany Greenaway, Cameron Hausfelder, Raymond Jacobson, Patrick Ma, Cindy Mierzwa, Michael Napier, Krima Patel, Catie Shadic, Juan Romero Vazquez, Gabriella Zayas

Faculty: Nicholas Rajkovich, Laura Lubniewski

Term: Fall 2022

Course: ARC605, Ecological Practices Graduate Research Group

Program: MArch