The 2005 Garrett Lecture on Urban Issues, "Seeking
Sustainable Design: Structures, Communities and Cities,"
with architects Julie E. Gabrielli and Kim Schaefer, will
be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24, in the Carriage House
at
Evergreen House.
Gabrielli and Schaefer, principals of TerraLogos: eco
architecture PC, specialize in "green architecture," a term
used to describe economical, energy-saving, environmentally
friendly, sustainable development. While the green theory
and practice of architecture is still relatively new,
Gabrielli says, the field is growing rapidly as the public
becomes more aware of the long-term negative impact of new
construction and the rising costs and diminishing
availability of certain energy sources.
The Garrett Lecture honors the legacy of former
Evergreen owners John Work Garrett and Alice Warder Garrett
and earlier generations of the Garrett family and their
great interest in civic improvement. In the mid-1940s,
Alice Warder Garrett held an Urban Issues Forum at
Evergreen House that had as its focus urban/city
planning.
This week's lecture is designed to bring together
architects, builders, planners and community members for a
conversation about the role smart design can and should
play in the community.
"We are dedicated to creating sustainable design that
integrates natural systems, fosters community and inspires
positive change," Gabrielli says, adding that she and
Schaefer believe that sustainable design is "the only true
way to build" as it results in higher-quality, longer-term
design.
"Although some people feel this is a radical idea, we
want to move beyond buildings that are merely 'less bad' to
those that are beneficial to the natural world," she says.
"We should not be satisfied with slowing down the
destruction of our environment when we possess the
ingenuity and technology to create buildings that actually
have a positive impact — that can improve the
environment, our economy and our communities."
Examples of this type of positive design and
construction include Terra-Logos' Green Rowhouse Renovation
and the Watershed 263 project, an initiative with
Baltimore's Parks and People Foundation that examines how
water moves through Baltimore and proposes ways to improve
water quality through the creation of green areas on the
city's west side.
In April, the City Council passed a resolution
establishing the Baltimore City Green Building Task Force,
which will study the application of high-performance,
sustainable building guidelines and standards. Task force
members are architects, developers, neighborhood
associations, foundations and representatives of diverse
city departments including Health, Housing, Public Works,
the Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods and Baltimore Heritage.
Admission to the lecture is $8 for JHU students,
faculty and staff; $10 for others. For more information,
call 410-516-0341.
— Abby Lattes