The MITarchA Committee on Design proposes an exciting new initiative to the Department of Architecture alumni: a request for dialogue to acknowledge and share our collective thoughts on how we design. The initiative will elicit responses on the present and future State of MIT Design: how MIT Course 4 alumni are especially equipped to answer the emergent challenges of this century in our work, in our lives, in our teaching and in our unique approach to the design professions. Our initiative seeks alumni to respond to leading issues in design which will focus not only on how unique MIT education is in the field of design, but how we see the role of design for an interrelated future and the evolution of a changing world. Please share your thoughts with us by responding to one or more of the following three design topics in essays of no more than 200 words per topic by September 7, 2023 September 21, 2023 DEADLINE EXTENDED!
Essays received will be presented to students and alumni during the annual MIT Alumni Leadership Conference starting on September 28th. Over pizza and drinks we look forward to an informal dialogue among students and alumni about the critical role of design today, including what students hope to learn from alumni and MIT led design from around the world.
Our in-person event will be held on Thursday September 28 at 5:00 PM ET in Room 09-451 on the MIT campus in Cambridge. We encourage students attending the conference to join this design focused event. Alumni are also welcome to join in-person or virtually. More information will become available for virtual attendance.
Following the ALC event, we will continue our dialogue on the State of MIT Design with a series of roundtable sessions planned in 2024, at which both MIT architects and design thought-leaders will be invited to participate. More information on the 2024 Roundtables will become available this fall.
Please review below topics for essay submissions to the State of MIT Design. Thank you!
TOPICS + TRAJECTORY
Three major topics are presented below with critical sub-topics to further delineate the focus of the essay responses. Although the topics noted are derived from a variety of issues that conjure “how we design”, certain themes evolved through committee discussion and analysis. We invite you to continue this discourse within the three Topics and have added a fourth “Open Topic” if this is preferred.
1. ENVIRONMENT
Global – Climate and Resilience Design
Regional and City Constructs / Urban Design
Real Space / Virtual Space Contexts
2 IDEATION
Interdisciplinary Design Constructs
Educational Arenas
Inquiry + Research Platforms
3 PRACTICE AND TECHNOLOGY
Inclusion and Equity
Business + Design Value
AI and Design Technology
4. OPEN TOPIC
ACTION:
Format: 200-word maximum essay submitted in PDF format.
Inclusions: MIT Class Year and Degree Program; 1 Image maximum of your work or an image that reflects design in JPEG format.
Timeframe: Essays are to be emailed to mitdesign.mitarcha23 [at] gmail.com by 11:59PM ET September 21, 2023
QUESTIONS? Please contact MITArchA Committee on Design.