Robin Dripps in the News

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

"Old School, New School: University of Virginia" - Architect Magazine

Source: ARCHITECT Magazine Publication date: November 1, 2008 By Vernon Mays When Karen Van Lengen arrived at the University of Virginia (U.Va.) in 1999, the School of Architecture she joined as dean was full of talented people and fresh ideas. But the building it occupied, Campbell Hall, was sorely lacking in space for reviews, classes, and staff. The four-story concrete-and-brick facility, which was designed by Pietro Belluschi and opened in 1970, had been criticized by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. "There was a huge accreditation issue," Van Lengen says. "I had to do something about it immediately." Even perceptually, the physical environment was lifeless. So, launching an initiative called "Campbell Constructions," Van Lengen seized the opportunity to upgrade the building. Instead of hiring a name-brand outsider, her stratagem was to provide design opportunities for the U.Va. faculty. Starting with a rather modest gallery renovation, Van Lengen quickly moved on to bigger projects. A feasibility study by Bushman Dreyfus Architects, of Charlottesville, set the stage for three larger-scale projects?two additions and a new landscape plan. [for complete article, follow link to Architect Magazine]

Friday, January 28, 2005

Three Professors Contribute to New Book About Site

A new compendium of essays on the definition and significance of site, Site Matters: Design Concepts, Histories, and Strategies (Eds. Carol J. Braun and Andrea Kahn; Routledge: 2005), includes entries by Professor of Architecture Robin Dripps, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Elizabeth Meyer and Associate Professor of Architecture and Chair of the Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, William Sherman. Dripps' essay, "Groundwork," seeks to establish a literal and metaphoric foundation for the discussion of site. Meyer's piece, "Site Citations: The Grounds of Modern Landscape Architecture," discusses the history of site in landscape architectural design. Sherman's afterword, "Engaging the Field," describes the many ways in which the fields of architecture and landscape architecture are finding new paths of collaboration through a shared exploration of site.

Professor Dolores Hayden of Yale University has said of the book, "At last, an excellent book about sites that should be on the desk of every architecture, landscape architecture, and planning student in the U.S.A. Carol Burns and Andrea Kahn have gathered a distinguished group of authors to discuss the political, poetic, and visual dimensions of sites."

A booksigning will be held on February 21, 2005 at the Van Alen Institute in New York, NY.

	Home > Faculty > Architecture > Robin Dripps in the News Tuesday, December 2, 2008 "Old School, New School: University of Virginia" - Architect Magazine Source: ARCHITECT Magazine Publication date: November 1, 2008 By Vernon Mays When Karen Van Lengen arrived at the University of Virginia (U.Va.) in 1999, the School of Architecture she joined as dean was full of talented people and fresh ideas. But the building it occupied, Campbell Hall, was sorely lacking in space for reviews, classes, and staff. The four-story concrete-and-brick facility, which was designed by Pietro Belluschi and opened in 1970, had been criticized by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. "There was a huge accreditation issue," Van Lengen says. "I had to do something about it immediately." Even perceptually, the physical environment was lifeless. So, launching an initiative called "Campbell Constructions," Van Lengen seized the opportunity to upgrade the building. Instead of hiring a name-brand outsider, her stratagem was to provide design opportunities for the U.Va. faculty. Starting with a rather modest gallery renovation, Van Lengen quickly moved on to bigger projects. A feasibility study by Bushman Dreyfus Architects, of Charlottesville, set the stage for three larger-scale projects?two additions and a new landscape plan. [for complete article, follow link to Architect Magazine] Friday, January 28, 2005 Three Professors Contribute to New Book About Site A new compendium of essays on the definition and significance of site, Site Matters: Design Concepts, Histories, and Strategies (Eds. Carol J. Braun and Andrea Kahn; Routledge: 2005), includes entries by Professor of Architecture Robin Dripps, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Elizabeth Meyer and Associate Professor of Architecture and Chair of the Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, William Sherman. Dripps' essay, "Groundwork," seeks to establish a literal and metaphoric foundation for the discussion of site. Meyer's piece, "Site Citations: The Grounds of Modern Landscape Architecture," discusses the history of site in landscape architectural design. Sherman's afterword, "Engaging the Field," describes the many ways in which the fields of architecture and landscape architecture are finding new paths of collaboration through a shared exploration of site. Professor Dolores Hayden of Yale University has said of the book, "At last, an excellent book about sites that should be on the desk of every architecture, landscape architecture, and planning student in the U.S.A. Carol Burns and Andrea Kahn have gathered a distinguished group of authors to discuss the political, poetic, and visual dimensions of sites." A booksigning will be held on February 21, 2005 at the Van Alen Institute in New York, NY.	Profile Courses Publications In the News Contact Water cannon and shade cloth roof; Robin Dripps & Lucia Phinney. View More: This Image · Robin Dripps & Lucia Phinney's Gallery · Faculty Portfolio Gallery
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