American Architectural Foundation and United Technologies Corporation Host Sustainable Cities Design Academy in Chicago

CHICAGO, Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Leaders from three geographically diverse cities will gather in Chicago, November 14–16, for the fifth Sustainable Cities Design Academy (SCDA). Hosted by the American Architectural Foundation (AAF) in partnership with United Technologies Corporation (UTC), SCDA provides expert guidance and sustainability leadership skills to local public-private development teams comprised of government, business, and community leaders. For two-and-a-half days, select project teams from Chula Vista, California; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Denver, Colorado, will work with a team of sustainable design experts to analyze designs, discuss issues, and identify best practices to strengthen their local development projects.

"Now in its second year, the Sustainable Cities Design Academy has engaged more than 15 city project teams and 40 designers and provided them with guidance in sustainable strategy and leadership skills," said Ron Bogle, President and CEO of the American Architectural Foundation. "We look forward to working with the project teams from Chula Vista, Pittsburgh, and Denver."

AAF and UTC teamed up to launch the first Sustainable Cities Design Academy in January 2009. SCDA is now in its fifth session, and this November session marks the third event for 2010. Past sessions of SCDA workshops have taken place in Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, DC; and Seattle, Washington.

"UTC believes everything we do today can be done better tomorrow," said Sandy Diehl, VP for Integrated Building Solutions at UTC. "We're delighted to partner with AAF to help participants benefit from best practices from urban planners, environmental engineers, and other experts in the building industry. We hope that, with SCDA's expertise, these projects will stand as long-term examples for future sustainable cities."

At the Chicago session, the project team from Chula Vista, California, will focus on the E Street Trolley and bus transfer stations, a 20-acre area adjacent to the city's urban core. The plan for this transit-oriented design site aims to lower the city's energy and water use by installing solar energy systems, promoting the use of alternative fuel vehicles onsite, and designing a walkable community. The team hopes to create a model for public/private partnerships and to learn about practical applications and creative methods for energy-efficient design.

The Living City Block project team from Denver, Colorado, will present a four-block site with historic properties that will be retrofitted to serve as a model for an energy- and resource-efficient neighborhood design in Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo) and throughout the U.S. Its redevelopment includes ambitious goals such as becoming a net-zero block by summer 2014. The team will address the tracking and measuring of "livability" elements, the retrofitting of historic buildings, the aggregation of building owners, and the replicability of model buildings.

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, project will focus on the redevelopment of Larimer, a residential neighborhood that community leaders want to transform into a green and equitable center that promotes the social, environmental, and economic goals of its residents. At SCDA, the project team hopes to gain insight into the incorporation of alternative construction techniques and repurposed materials to increase sustainability and economic viability.

For more than 75 years, AAF has sought to awaken the public to the transformative power of design. Through programs such as SCDA, AAF seeks to inspire public-spirited leaders to use design to create better communities, now. For more information, visit www.archfoundation.org.

United Technologies Corporation, based in Hartford, Connecticut, is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries. For more information, visit www.utc.com.

SOURCE American Architectural Foundation