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Brad Zuger, AIAS, a student at the University of Southern
California's Graduate School of Architecture, was the recipient of
the AIAS/AIA COTE 2008 Fellowship. He had this to say about his
experience as the 2008 Fellow:
I worked with Dan Williams, FAIA, and Alexis Karolides,
AIA, both of the Rocky Mountain Institute, who have been
incredible mentors to me. The project entails investigating water
sustainability and specifically looking at the COTE Top Ten
projects and their water metrics. We usually had weekly conference
calls to discuss the work being produced, and I
cannot express how much I learned from our conversations. Both
Dan and Alexis are not only very knowledgeable about this work, but
also very passionate. Beyond this educational experience, I
continue to grow more excited about this work, dealing with the
global water crisis and how it is possible for architecture
to align itself with the water ecology and local
environment. This experience and the knowledge gained from it will
always stay at the forefront of my future investigations.
If there is one major point that I became aware of through this
project, it is that there is not a global solution to the water
crisis. Water is dependent on regional conditions and, in most
areas of the world, is not located in urban areas. As we continue
to use more water, architecture will play a significant
role in conserving and reusing water.
I am very grateful to the AIA for providing such a valuable
experience for me to expand my knowledge and mind, and especially
to Dan and Alexis for giving me so much of their time and wisdom. I
hope the AIA continues to provide these opportunities to other
students to explore urgent urban conditions beyond the academic
environment. I think an aspect that made this experience so
meaningful is that I spoke with a variety of professionals working
on these issues in the field through the scope of built
projects.
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