Designing for Today and Tomorrow
Naomi Darling, Five College Associate Professor of Sustainable Architecture  

Naomi Darling, associate professor of sustainable architecture at Mount Holyoke and UMass Amherst, will speak about the role of the built environment on climate change and the responsibility of the design professions in designing for a sustainable future at the intersection of culture, climate and materiality. Professor Darling will discuss the role of beauty, sustainability metrics such as the Living Building Challenge, Net Zero projects and the specificity of place in design. Professor Darling will share several ongoing projects from her professional practice, including a park on Main Street in Old Saybrook, CT, and a new bandshell for the Amherst, MA, town green that was part of Olmsted’s original conception of the space.

In her role as an academic in practice, Professor Darling has engaged students in projects at multiple scales, including two projects for the Fimbel Maker and Innovation Lab, with a strong focus on material reuse, structures for the Town of Sunderland Riverside Park and an ongoing collaboration with East Branch Homes to design net-zero affordable housing in Western MA.

Location: Cleveland Hall-L1