The AIA has announced the winners of the 2022 Upjohn Research Initiative, an annual grant which awards funding to research projects advancing sustainability in architecture. The 2022 edition sees up to $30,000 awarded to five research projects, with topics ranging from biodegradable structures to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

Each year, the grant recipients are chosen by a seven-member jury comprised of members from the AIA College of Fellows and AIA Board Knowledge Committee. Previous editions have seen projects focusing on envelope retrofit guides, 3D-printed formworks, embodied carbon calculators, and compressed earth blocks.

This year’s five recipients continue the theme of advancing the design profession’s knowledge and practice.

The first project, titled Architects and Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEBs): The Role of the Profession in the Emerging Field of GEBs, seeks to better inform architects about GEBs, helping buildings to adapt and reduce the impacts of climate change. The results will be incorporated into an online educational toolkit designed to help architects understand the practical, real-world implications of GEBs on their practices. The project’s principal investigator is Deane Evans, FAIA (New Jersey Institute of Technology).

The second project, titled From Waste to Biodegradable Structures with Local Fungi Species, capitalizes on a growing interest in the architectural community towards mycelium-based materials. The project will see a collaboration between architecture, mushroom science, and computational design, with the goal of building two large-scale structures using mycelium-based composites as a load-bearing material. The project’s principal investors, all from Penn State, are Benay Gürsoy Toykoç, PhD, John A. Pecchia, PhD, and Ali Ghazvinian, with collaborators Alale Mohseni and Natalie Walter, also from Penn State.

The third project, titled The Future of Green Infrastructure: Measuring and Designing the Built Environment for Pedestrian and Bicycle Activities in Dallas-Fort Worth, seeks to understand how the built environment in Dallas-Fort Worth accommodates pedestrian and cycling activities. The team will develop prototypes and strategies to transform grey-infrastructure into permeable green-infrastructure to envision a more walkable, ecological, and healthier environment. The project’s principal investigators are Hyesun Jeong, PhD, Assoc. AIA (University of Texas at Arlington) and Matthew Ables (Arup), with collaborators Brian Hammersley (Hammersley Architecture), Meghna Tare (University of Texas at Arlington), and Lawrence Agu, Assoc. AIA (City of Dallas).

The fourth project, titled Priority Green for Community Benefit: A Framework for Tailoring Entitlement Benefits to Neighborhood-specific Priorities Around Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation, and Equity, will investigate the potential for local permitting to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Through a series of charrettes, the project will develop a green framework that architects can use with local officials to develop design solutions which respond to the environment, health, and social issues. The project’s principal investigator is Adele Houghton, AIA (Biositu).

The fifth project, titled Synergies between Ultra-Low-Energy Buildings, Microgrids, and Direct Current, will use Milwaukee as a testbed for understanding the benefits of linking passive building design guidelines with a city-block microgrid. The result will be an architect’s guide to analyzing and designing such blocks to manifest a resilient, low-emissions future, and create a template for architects and other design professionals. The principal investigators, both from the Passive House Institute US, are Lisa White and Graham Wright, PhD. The project’s collaborator is Walter Grondzik, PE (Ball State University).