Center for Resilient Design

New Jersey Institute of Technology
Center for Resilient Design
University Heights
Newark, New Jersey 07102

p:  973.642.4860  
f:  973.596.6097  

cbk@njit.edu

Key CRD Personnel

Deane Evans, FAIA
​Executive Director

Christine Liaukus, RA, CPHC
Housing and Community Development Program Manager

Terra Meierdierck, MAT
Outreach Program Manager

Center Director Cited in Star-Ledger

Then Center Director Tom Dallessio was quoted in the June 30, 2014 Star-Ledger, addressing the critical challenges of making bay communities more resilient. Read More.

AIA Foundation Selects NJIT’s Center for Resilient Design for First Resiliency Studio

At the annual convention of the American Institute of Architects, the AIA Foundation announced that NJIT’s Center for Resilient Design would be the first of five design studios across the country to address the challenges and opportunities related to resiliency. Read more.  

News Release

AIA Foundation Announces First Regional Resilient Design Studio; Investment by Benjamin Moore & Co. 

Studio Located in Newark, N.J. Contact:  John Schneidawind 202-626- 7457 johnschneidawind@aia.org http://twitter.com/AIA_Media

Chicago, Ill. – June 26, 2014 – The AIA Foundation (AIAF), a nonprofit philanthropic extension of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), today announced the site of AIAF’s first Regional Resilience Design Studio, funded with an initial $250,000 social impact investment by Benjamin Moore & Co. The studio will be housed at the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Center for Resilient Design, based in Newark, N.J. AIAF President George H. Miller, FAIA, announced the location of the Studio and the Benjamin Moore grant at the AIA’s Annual Convention, the largest gathering of the architecture community in the United States. The Studio is the first to be launched as part of the AIA Foundation’s National Resilience Program, which plans to open a total of five Regional Resilience Design Studios nationwide in collaboration with Architecture for Humanity, and Public Architecture. “We would like to thank Benjamin Moore for seeing the value in this effort and for continuing to be a partner with the AIA Foundation so that we can work with our partners to make communities stronger both before and after disasters,” said AIAF Executive Director Sherry-Lea Bloodworth Botop, CFRE. “Without Benjamin Moore’s leadership and commitment, this initiative wouldn’t be possible.” “We’re thrilled to be the founding corporate partner with the AIA Foundation, Architecture for Humanity, Public Architecture and the greater design community for this landmark initiative,” said Mike Searles, President and CEO of Benjamin Moore & Co. “Building resilient, sustainable communities is core to who we are as a company and is a part of everything we do from our innovative product portfolio to the services and color tools we provide to the broader design community,” Searles said. “We will work with the AIA Foundation to launch the National Resilience Program and provide a fresh, new approach to how architects can learn, engage and create a more resilient future.” "Natural disasters are a real and imminent threat, and we need to find responses that examine not only where we build, but also, if we build, then how,” said Urs P. Gauchat, Dean of NJIT's College of Architecture and Design. “NJIT’s Center for Resilient Design wants to thank the AIA Foundation for this opportunity to help communities in the Northeast anticipate and recover more quickly from natural disasters." Bloodworth Botop joined AIAF in February after serving as Senior Adviser and Director of Strategic Development for Architecture for Humanity and is responsible for all programs and activities related to the AIAF mission. 

About AIA Foundation. The AIA Foundation preserves, honors and advances excellence in design for the benefit of the public. As a nonprofit philanthropic extension of the American Institute of Architects, the AIA Foundation is the preeminent voice and advocate for architecture and design in America. The AIA Foundation is dedicated to the belief that good design is good for all and plays an essential role in transforming lives and building a better world.

About Benjamin Moore & Co. Benjamin Moore & Co., a Berkshire Hathaway company, was founded in 1883. One of North America's leading manufacturers of premium quality residential, commercial and industrial maintenance coatings, Benjamin Moore maintains a relentless commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices and continues to develop the most eco-responsible formulations possible. In 2012, the company's Natura® paint received the Green Good Housekeeping Seal, acknowledging its high degree of sustainability plus rigorously tested performance. Other superior products in the Benjamin Moore Green Promise® portfolio include Aura®, Regal® Select, ben® and Ultra Spec® 500 paint for commercial interiors – all built upon our patented Gennex® platform that has changed the industry and earned the passion and loyalty of homeowners and professional painters by delivering extremely low-VOC and peerless beauty and performance. J.D. Power and Associates 2014 Interior Paint Satisfaction Study ranked Benjamin Moore highest in consumer satisfaction, marking the fourth consecutive year and fourth time the company has earned this rating. Benjamin Moore paints deliver authentic Benjamin Moore colors and are available exclusively from Benjamin Moore's network of paint and decorating dealers.   AIA Media Relations 1735 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC20006-5292 Telephone: 202-626-7467 Facsimile: 202-626-7365 E-mail: media@aia.org          

First Regional Resilience Design Studio Slated For Newark

The AIA Foundation revealed the location for the first of five design studios across the country. The American Institute of Architects Foundation (AIAF) revealed the first location of a new series of design studios on Thursday. AIAF president George Miller, FAIA, and executive director Sherry-Lea Bloodworth Botop announced at AIA Convention 2014 that the first Regional Resilience Design Studio will be at the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Center for Resilient Design, located in Newark, N.J. "The work that we intend to do is already in their DNA," Bloodworth Botop says, speaking to ARCHITECT later Thursday. This Newark location is the first of five studios that will work on localized resilience projects in places across the country. The studios are a collaboration project with Architecture for Humanity, Public Architecture, the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities program, and the Clinton Global Initiative. This first studio will officially launch in July, Bloodworth Botop says. AIAF also announced that this first studio will be funded by a $250,000 grant from Benjamin Moore. Bloodworth Botop says that this grant will fund salaries for a national program director and a chief resilience architect for the Newark studio, as well as additional startup costs. By Sara Johnson   

NJIT To Lead the Nation In Resilient Design

The American Institute of Architects Foundation (AIAF) has selected NJIT to be the site of a Regional Resilience Design Studio, whose mission is to design and build resilient structures and communities across the Northeast. The AIAF, a nonprofit philanthropic extension of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), announced today during its annual convention that the studio will be housed at NJIT’s Center for Resilient Design. The center works to address the critical design and sustainable building challenges across New Jersey, especially those that arose in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The new studio, funded by a $250,000 grant from Benjamin Moore & Co., is the first to be launched as part of the AIA Foundation’s National Resilience Program, which plans to open five Regional Resilience Design Studios in collaboration with Architecture for Humanity and Public Architecture. The studio to be housed at NJIT will cover the Northeast region. Urs P. Gauchat, Dean of NJIT's College of Architecture and Design, said the studio will be a great asset to NJIT’s effort to lead the nation in devising resilient designs. "Natural disasters are a real and imminent threat,” said Gauchat, “and we need to find responses that examine not only where we build, but also if we build, then how. NJIT’s Center for Resilient Design wants to thank the AIA Foundation for this opportunity to help communities in the Northeast anticipate and recover more quickly from natural disasters." Thomas Dallessio, director of the Center for Resilient Design, said the studio will allow researchers to design prototypes for resilient houses and businesses and to then turn those models into thousands of built structures. “We will establish the first AIAF studio at NJIT and it will become the flagship for the other regional studios,” Dallessio said. “We plan to not only design but to build thousands of stronger and more sustainable houses over the next three years.” Much of the rebuilding effort in New Jersey has been crisis-driven, added Dallessio, with homeowners and business owners rushing to restore what they lost. That’s understandable, he added, but the new studio will allow NJIT to take the time needed to create designs and buildings that are innovative. “NJIT, the largest public architecture school in the Northeast, is known for its use of smart technology, smart materials and smart design,” Dallessio said. “And we’ll use all of that to help the region restore what it lost in Sandy and to rebuild in resilient ways that will help communities withstand any future storms or natural disasters.” By Robert Florida  

During the 2014 Spring Semester, NJIT architecture students produced models and drawings that addressed resilient design. Here are some examples of their work. A complete listing of related studios and graphics will be produced shortly.

The Provident Bank and Foundation Recognized For Supporting NJIT 2014 Alternative Spring Break

In recognition of the success of its 2nd annual “Alternative Spring Break” volunteer effort, NJIT hosted an event to thank those who supported and participated in this year’s effort, including The Provident Bank, www.providentnj.com, which supplied volunteers for the program, and The Provident Bank Foundation, which provided grant funding. New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno was also on hand to offer gratitude on behalf of the state. “It’s great to see college students thinking outside the box about how to spend their time off and that they chose to give back to the Garden State,” said Lt. Governor Guadagno. “For me, it is inspiring to see how The Provident Bank and its charitable foundation are so deeply involved in and supportive of worthy efforts that directly help our New Jersey residents.”  See More….

NJ College Students Volunteer at Jersey Shore for 'Alternative Spring Break'

While many of his classmates are spending their spring breaks partying on the sunny beaches of Cancun, Daytona Beach and Jamaica, New Jersey Institute of Technology student Nick Wujek was hard at work today on the chilly Jersey Shore. Wujek, 23, was one of about a dozen NJIT students giving up part of their spring breaks to plant sea grass and build fencing along sand dunes in Sea Bright. They are among hundreds of New Jersey students participating in volunteer activities — called Alternative Spring Break — designed for college students who want to give something back during their vacations. Read More….

Hundreds of NJIT Students Participate in Alternative Spring Break: Rebuilding Communities Devastated by Sandy

During NJIT’s Alternative Spring Break, more than 340 students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends volunteered to work from Little Ferry, Newark and Staten Island, to the Jersey shore, cleaning up devastated areas and helping towns rebuild resiliently following the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy. Students worked on removing debris from beaches and parks, removing floors and wallboard, replacing floors and walls, painting and carpentry, stocking and distributing food and clothing, compiling information on areas affected by Sandy and doing other work to help communities recover and rebuild. With a generous grant from the Provident Bank Foundation and support from the NJIT University Senate, Campus Center, Career Development Services, College of Architecture and Design and the Center for Resilient Design, NJIT organized over a dozen organizations and two dozen projects during the week. Over the last 18 months, NJIT has provided communities with over 1,000 volunteers to help towns rebuild after Sandy.  Read More….

NJIT’s Alternative Spring Break In Action

Over 340 students volunteered over Spring Break, March 15-22, 2014 to help communities in New Jersey and New York recover from Superstorm Sandy and other disasters. Check out the YouTube video of slides from some of the activities during that week.  Click here to watch the video.

NJIT Alternative Spring Break - Dune Restoration at Island Beach State Park 

During NJIT's Alternative Spring Break, more than 300 students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends volunteered their time from Newark to the Jersey shore, cleaning up devastated areas and helping towns rebuild resiliently. Students worked on removing debris from beaches and parks, planting dune grass and constructing fences, removing floors and wallboard, replacing floors and walls, painting and carpentry, stocking and distributing food and clothing, compiling information on areas affected by Sandy and doing other work to help communities recover and rebuild. During this activity, NJIT students planted over 5,700 plugs of dune grass to rebuild the dunes. See some of their work and hear why Center Director Tom Dallessio thinks this program is important for both NJIT and our communities. Click here to watch the video.  

By Tamara Gignac, Calgary Herald

City planners should learn from the Alberta floods, hurricane Katrina and other disasters to better prepare for extreme weather events, according to experts speaking at a University of Calgary flood conference.

Thomas Dallessio has spent the past year advising the New Jersey state government on recovery solutions in the wake of hurricane Sandy, a massive storm that deluged transit systems, electrical infrastructure and washed out homes and businesses in the coastal region last Oct. 29.

Calgary — much like U.S. coastal cities — needs to become “smarter than the storm” by exploring a range of solutions, said Dallessio, who serves as project manager of the Center for Resilient Design at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

One option is to build “amphibious” houses that rise and fall with the level of groundwater. “We need to pay attention to the science and bring researchers together with emergency management personnel, fire chiefs and police to reach a common conclusion and have the courage to make the changes that are necessary,” he said.

Friday’s all-day symposium was organized by the U of C’s faculty of environmental design and the Institute for Public Health. It featured keynote speakers with expertise in architecture, psychology and disaster recovery.

Flooding can actually benefit cities if appropriate safeguards are taken, noted urban planner Donald Watson, author of the book Design for Flooding: Resilience to Climate Change.

Flood-prone communities are exploring a variety of mitigation strategies, including the use of porous asphalt that can store rain water, he said.

Some countries, like Japan, are also putting in place so-called “super levees” to create flood basins where water can be detained.

Flood mitigation is “not just the dream of the future but the action plan of today,” Watson told attendees.

Dr. Michael Trew, the province’s recently appointed chief mental health officer, spoke about Alberta’s efforts to help displaced flood victims cope with the disaster.

It’s one thing to rebuild bridges and roads, but the emotional well-being of those under stress from the worst flooding in provincial history is of equal importance, Trew said.

“There are people who need a little bit of help and others who don’t know how to respond anymore. Some turn to dangerous habits; others struggle to deal with loss,” he said.

Scientists are also investigating the long-term toll natural disasters have on human health.

Dr. David Plante, a developmental psychologist at McGill University, discussed his research into the impact of maternal stress on fetuses during the Quebec ice storm.

He found that pregnant women who suffered higher levels of stress gave birth to children more inclined to obesity and an increased risk of diabetes — an “unexpected” consequence to the 1998 winter disaster that caused 27 deaths and left three million people without electricity for days.

Originally published in the Calgary Herald

Working in communities throughout New Jersey and the metropolitan area, Center Director Deane Evans and colleagues at NJIT engage mayors and other local, county, regional, state, and federal officials, as well as national and international experts, through roundtables, lectures, an interactive website, and community service programs.