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CONTACT: Dorie Baker 203-432-1345 dorie.baker@yale.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 22, 2009
 

MEDIA ADVISORY

Dedication Scheduled for  House Built by Yale School of Architecture Students

New Haven, Conn. — A dedication of the house that first-year students at Yale School of Architecture designed and built themselves will take place at the building site, 16 King Place (between Washington Avenue and Truman Street), on September 24 at 5:30 p.m.
 
Since it was initiated in 1967 by then-chair of the Yale architecture department Charles Moore, the First-Year Building Project has provided graduate students in architecture with the opportunity to design and build a structure as an integral part of their education. Unique among architecture schools, this program is mandatory for first-year students at Yale School of Architecture, and students frequently cite it as their reason for applying to Yale.  In 2008 the Building Project was named the Vlock Building Project, in honor of James Vlock, who had a long-time connection to the School of Architecture and the program and a deep involvement with the local community.
 
>From its inception, the building project has also been an opportunity for students to take positive social action while developing skills in design in a collaborative process.
 
The Vlock Building Project design competition begins with first-year students forming teams based on common design interests. Each team of about 10 students designs, develops, and documents a proposal for a house of a specific area in a designated site. The budget for the project is always less than actual construction costs, and the builders-in-training seek supplementary donations, most in the form of construction materials.
 
While the goal of creating low-cost housing for single families has remained the same, the particulars of the project have evolved over the years.  Students have worked with various affordable housing agencies as clients, including Habitat for Humanity and Neighborhood Housing Services.
 
In 2007 students began to work with Common Ground Community, a nonprofit developer, and the Veterans Affairs Office to cater to the particular residential needs of disabled female war veterans. Rather than a single-family structure of 1600 square feet, the students were charged with designing a two-family residence that featured a wheelchair-accessible, three-bedroom, 1600-square-foot apartment for the owner and her family, and a rental unit of 500 square feet to help the owner finance the home purchase.
 
Owing to the purchase by Common Ground last year of a single property with three contiguous lots, Yale architecture students are a particularly strong presence on a small street. The cedar-clad house to be dedicated on Thursday stands between last year’s Vlock Building Project and the house that incoming first-year students have only begun to imagine.

Another major development for the Vlock Project was its launch into the blogosphere. From May through August, Yale School of Architecture students kept online readers of Metropolis magazine apprised of the progress of the project with a weekly blog. The updates included both images and commentary, from the selection of the winning design throughout the construction process. The link to the series may be found at www.metropolismag.com/pov/category/the-yale-building-project.

Links:
Yale School of Architecture    http://www.architecture.yale.edu/
First Year Building Project    http://www.architecture.yale.edu/drupal/student_work/building_project
Last year's Vlock Building Project    http://www.architecture.yale.edu/sites/BuildingProject/bp08/home.html

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