Principal | Craig Brandt Architecture
Craig Brandt is an architect and educator based in Chicago and Chair of Programs for the AIA Committee on Design. He has guided the design and execution of collaborative public projects with a focus on sensitive adaptation and sustainability, and has participated as design critic, lecturer, and moderator internationally. His various activities promote a wide gamut of design excellence and preservation with leadership roles in the American Institute of Architects and Docomomo US. He is a member of the Society of Fellows at the American Academy of Rome, a General Services Administration (GSA) National Peer, and serves as adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame and University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.
Courses
Collaborative Models for Achieving Resilient and Thriving Communities
The Collaborative Achievement Award recognizes and encourages collaboration among design professionals, clients, organizations, knowledge communities and others that have had a beneficial influence on or advanced the architectural profession. This year’s presenters will increase your understanding of the role of architecture in society, promoting what constitutes urban and community design excellence. Each attendee will gain inspirational insights to assist them in the evolution of their own practice. Hosted by Committee on Design (COD) an AIA Knowledge Community.
Course expires 06/11/2025
Models of the Framework: At the Intersection of Sustainability and Beauty
Both COTE® award and the Architecture Awards programs celebrate exemplary models of contemporary architecture which highlight parameters of AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. From the extensive list of projects, one can discern those that define the intersection between sustainable principles and design achievement, including within them a unique sense of place, use of materials, and other more formal qualities that exist within a well-defined environmental approach. Through exploring three projects, learn innovations of sustainable design integration and come away with a greater understanding of the built environment’s role in communities. Hosted by Committee on Design (COD).
Course expires 03/27/2026
Design Across Boundaries: Synthesis of Process and Place in China
Wednesday, December 13, 2023 | 1pm ET
This course, as part of the AIA Committee on Design’s “Design Across Boundaries” series, explores the work of ArchiUnion across multiple localities in China. The work of ArchiUnion investigates how design, materiality, and construction relate to one’s place, suggesting a nonlocal image view that integrates global theories and technologies into local tradition, redefining and even upgrading the production process of traditional rural construction. The studio has taken advantage of a parametric design process including robotic fabrication and has embraced machines into practice as a collaborative partner to enhance both efficiency and craft.
Design Across Boundaries: Materiality and Place in Brazil and Beyond
Dive into the work of UNA Barbara e Valentim—a São Paulo-based studio focused on enhancing public and private spaces for better collective and individual life. Discover the diverse cultural and environmental issues in the Global South and how São Paulo's architects, planners, and iconic projects have helped shape the modern architecture movement globally.
Explore and be inspired by designs that exemplify refined materiality, climate adaptation, contemporary construction methods, and a respectful relationship with natural surroundings, with projects ranging from residential buildings to large facilities and public spaces. You’ll learn how architects in different contexts address current habitation issues and how regional design approaches are interpreted at various scales—enriching your understanding and perspective on global architecture and design.
This session was recorded live on September 18, 2024.