AECM Synthesis

Catalog description

This course is designed to apply the diverse knowledge and skills that AECM students have acquired during the program to a critical public interest issue related to Pittsburgh's built environment. This fall we will build upon the research of prior years on deconstruction (2021), circularity (2022), adaptive reuse (2023), AI for Public Interest (2024), and condemned properties (2025) in Pittsburgh. During the first few weeks students will learn about the global, regional, and local impacts of a pressing public interest issue. We will then discuss basic research skills and methods. From this knowledge, students will formulate a coordinated research project by working in teams of three or four. Investigations may include multiple AECM modes of inquiry including, but not limited to, deep case studies, expert interviews, GIS story maps, energy modeling analyses, carbon footprint calculations, life cycle assessments, AR/VR visualizations, LiDAR scanning and photometrics, BIM integration, real estate analyses, feasibility studies, or other modes. Findings will be presented to a panel of stakeholders and distilled into a collective report.