NCARB GRANT PROGRAM AWARDS GRANTS
TO THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS AND NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY

Washington DC—The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards has awarded the first NCARB Prize Grants to the University of Kansas and North Dakota State University to provide seed money for two forwardthinking projects that involve sustainability and building information modeling, respectively.

The NCARB Prize Grant builds upon the NCARB Prize for Creative Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy, now in its sixth year. As a separate funding venture, NCARB Grants assist in the creation and implementation of new ideas and methods of integrating practice and education. The objective is to support and encourage concepts that may be more risk-taking than a school can initially afford on its own.

The University of Kansas was awarded a Grant of $6,000 for their proposal “Sustainability Immersion.” The initiative will bring the concepts of sustainability into each level of the cognitive learning model. Students will learn sustainability concepts in introductory courses and then put them to use in later studios and in the development of case studies while working with building industry professionals. The long term goal is to change the thinking of sustainable or green architecture as a technical “add-on” to a key component of everyday design.

North Dakota State University was awarded a Grant of $4,000 and will use it to implement building information modeling (BIM) in local architecture firms through design studios. Students will analyze the operations and production environment of a local firm and then create BIM components that will be tested by the firm. Students will then study the effectiveness of the software in the firm. The long term goal of the initiative is to help firms convert to the BIM paradigm by creating a bank of students who will be readily employable and also strengthen the local professional environment.

Schools applying for NCARB Grants are encouraged

• to explore different venues or innovative curricular methods/programs to increase the practice/education link or
• to support efforts that, for a variety of reasons, have not materialized into for-credit curricular activities and, therefore, have not been submitted to the NCARB Prize program.

Under current guidelines, an NCARB Grant may not be used for university indirect costs or overhead, salary for adjuncts to teach the proposed class, or expenses for existing courses. NCARB does not place additional restrictions other than to suggest that the grants are to be used for work that results in interaction between students andpractitioners. Grants are not intended for individual faculty enhancement activities. Budget items may include, but are not limited to, items such as:

• faculty release time to create the program (The studio/class will need to be part of their teaching load when initiated.)
• cost of new technology providing long-distance interconnectivity with architectural or other appropriate offices
• cost of materials
• travel costs for students

Each academic year, the Council awards up to a total of $10,000 through one, two, or three grants to a NAABaccredited school(s) to support the creation of a new curricular initiative(s) at the institution(s). NCARB reserves the right not to make any awards, based on the quality of proposals received. Members of the Council’s Practice Education Committee will review all proposals, which will comprise an application form, a narrative no longer than five pages, a supporting letter of commitment, an itemized budget, and a letter from the dean authorizing the project. Written notification of the Committee’s decisions will be mailed at the beginning of December so that project(s) can start in January with the implementation of the studio/class being offered in the Fall at the latest. The selected institution(s) will receive a check and an award letter that outlines specific terms and conditions for the grant including a project report after the project is completed that will be published by NCARB.

For more information about the NCARB Prize Grant program, visit the NCARB Prize section of our web site for a downloadable application and detailed instructions. NCARB Prize Grant submissions for the 2007-2008 academic year are due in the NCARB offices, on or before 5:00 PM EST, on Tuesday, October 16, 2007.

Click here for the 2007 Grant Application.