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Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

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Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation

The Boston Society of Architects (BSA) is committed to professional development for its members, advocacy on behalf of great design, and sharing an appreciation for the built environment with the public at large. Established in 1867, the BSA today consists of more than 3,500 members and produces a diverse array of programs and publications, including the annual tradeshow and conference, ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX) and ArchitectureBoston magazine. A chapter of the American Institute of Architects, The BSA is a nonprofit, professional-service organization. ~ The BSA Foundation seeks to enhance public understanding of the built environment and the processes that shape it. With understanding, our communities will be better equipped to enrich and preserve our physical and natural surroundings. Established in 1984, the BSA Foundation supports activities that illuminate the ways that design improves the quality of our lives. Foundation programs reach Boston’s children and families, residents and community groups, as well as policy makers, urban planners, students, and visitors. The BSA Foundation’s vision is to build a better Boston by engaging communities, inspiring vision, and provoking positive change. >>Watch this video to learn more. ~ Both organizations are located at BSA Space at 290 Congress Street at Boston's Ft. Point Channel. BSA Space, which is free and open to the public, features more than 5,000 square feet of gallery space for creative explorations of the potential of design to inspire, create community and transform the world we inhabit.

http://www.architects.org/

  • The Town of Brookline took a bold step towards curbing carbon emissions when its Town Meeting members voted to ban fossil fuel combustion in new construction and gut renovations. While Brookline is the first municipality on the East Coast to adopt such a measure, similar initiatives are gaining momentum in other Massachusetts communities, and already design and development professionals are demonstrating that such regulations are possible and practical with energy efficient, all-electric buildings. The Boston Society for Architecture, Green Ribbon Commission and Massachusetts Climate Action Network host a discussion with Town Meeting members who voted for the Brookline petition. Learn how they got to a yes vote on the bylaw and what should be considered for all-electric building aspirations and regulations. Image: Federico Beccari/[Unsplash](http://unsplash.com/photos/ahi73ZN5P0Y)
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • The Boston Society for Architecture, Green Ribbon Commission and Massachusetts Climate Action Network host presentations from designers, architects, engineers and leading practitioners and firms who share their “know how” in planning and constructing electric projects, passive houses and net zero buildings. Hear the lessons learned in these practical solutions grown from past projects. Image: [Unsplash ](http://unsplash.com/photos/ImcUkZ72oUs)
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • The [@IGBoston community](https://igboston.tumblr.com/membership) met to see the new IGBoston Snapshot photo gallery at BSA Space and discussed photography with three established New England photographers. Learn about their experiences and discuss the rise of social media and its impact on photography as a profession and creative outlet. This discussion complements BSA Space's temporary exhibition, IGBoston Snapshot. The exhibition is a visual narrative of the IGBoston community, captured moment by moment. Designed as an Instagram feed, the exhibition illustrates how social media inspires the artists that contribute to it. Image: Pexels.com
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • The Green Ribbon Commission (GRC) released Carbon Free Boston in 2019, setting forth an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Because two-thirds of GHG emissions come from buildings, and because the majority of the 2050 building stock was built before 1950, the AEC professions have a large role to play in reaching this goal. Learn more about the report and the role that building design plays in helping Boston reach its goals.
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • Drones are a disruptive, democratizing technology, allowing us to investigate space, architecture, and separation between communities in a radically empowering way. Johnny Miller’s project Unequal Scenes does just that; removing the personal and subjective gaze and forcing the viewer to confront systematic disenfranchisement from above. By putting this power into everyone’s hands, drone technology allows everyone to explore and examine their own neighborhood without needing intermediaries and gatekeepers. This is a fundamental shift in how we, as citizens, can understand the hidden networks, infrastructure, and systems in which our society is shaped, and which our lived experiences reflect. Miller is the photographer behind Unequal Scenes, and also africanDRONE, a NPO dedicated to empowering Africans to use drones for good. In this interactive discussion, Miller will explain why he believes drones, photography, and various forms of emerging media should be actively championed as enabling technologies of democracy, of positive, community-building practices, and explain how they can support educational initiatives to empower us all. Image: [Boston Society of Architects](https://www.architects.org/programs-and-events/disruptive-media—drone-technology-empowerment "Boston Society of Architects")
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • The Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation consider the shifting landscape of public remembrance, specifically as Boston considers a new memorial on the Boston Common to commemorate Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King. What role do memorials play in contemporary society? How do we decide what to commemorate? What are the design considerations for this work of public art and how it relates to its site and to the history of race in Boston? Photo: Herman Hiller / New York World-Telegram & Sun [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • Communities around the world are working on solutions to make our buildings, streets and infrastructure resilient to more frequent storms and sea level rise associated with climate change. Very few, however, want to talk about the sensitive topic of managed retreat (commonly known as climate migration). How do you even begin talking about uprooting entire communities? Who will pay for it? Who makes these decisions? The BSA Foundation hosts a conversation that starts to address these questions. Hear from planning, economic development and community engagement leaders that have begun the task. Don’t miss the special remote appearance from the Center for Planning Excellence in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where they are actively working with residents from Isle de Jean Charles on relocating an entire community from their sinking island. Image: [www.pexels.com](https://www.pexels.com/ "pexels")
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • Presenters from the architecture profession use case studies to talk about best practices for site specific interventions that work well with neighborhood-wide plans. The panel focuses on district-wide approaches to climate adaptation that are relevant throughout the Greater Boston area where sea levels rise and flooding increases due to climate change that are forcing us to think, design and plan better. Image: [BSA](https://www.architects.org/programs-and-events/designing-climate-resilience-forum "BSA")
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • Join Boston Harbor Now and public, private, and nonprofit partners for a symposium on how to realize our greatest opportunities for great waterfront public spaces, successful water transportation, a strong working port, and long-term climate resilience. Learn about the unique challenges and considerations behind waterfront projects in Boston discussed in this moderated panel. Photo: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_View_from_Piers_Park_(19806799856).jpg "Wikimedia Commons")
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • Join Boston Harbor Now and public, private, and nonprofit partners for a symposium on how to realize our greatest opportunities for great waterfront public spaces, successful water transportation, a strong working port, and long-term climate resilience. Learn about creating and maintaining open spaces in this moderated panel discussion.
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation