APLA well represented among 2016 Spirit of Sustainability Award Winners

APLA well represented among 2016 Spirit of Sustainability Award Winners School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture faculty and alumni were among those receiving Spirit of Sustainability Awards at the Auburn University Office of Sustainability fourth annual awards ceremony on April 20 at the Pavilion at Ag Heritage Park. Dan Ballard, MLA ’11, was the alumnus recipient, and DESIGNhabitat, created by APLA professors David Hinson and Justin Miller, was recognized in the group initiative category.

The Auburn University Spirit of Sustainability Awards program exists to recognize individuals or groups of Auburn University students, faculty, staff, and alumni that exemplify the Auburn spirit by making significant contributions toward sustainability on campus or in a community. Recipients were chosen for their motivation and commitment to sustainability; impact on behalf of sustainability; and the degree to which others were engaged and involved.

Ballard, who is Watershed Division Manager for the City of Auburn, is also an adjunct professor in the Master of Landscape Architecture graduate program. He teaches “Hydrologies” and uses real world projects to teach students about water quality and how to design for responsible storm water management. He has recently been planning, promoting, and encouraging the development of an innovative Saugahatchee Greenway + Blueway Project that would create more than six miles of trails for hiking, biking, and jogging, and bring opportunities for kayaking to Saugahatchee Creek as an extension of the Alabama Scenic River Trail System. It would provide social connectivity and walkability between neighborhoods, schools, parks, and retail centers, along with increasing public appreciation of our local water resources. For more about Dan Ballard, click here.

The DESIGNhabitat program in an ongoing collaboration between APLA and the Alabama Association of Habitat Affiliates (AAHA). From its inception in 2001, this partnership has been a vehicle for applying the energy and talents of APLA’s faculty and students to the challenge of designing and constructing high-quality, affordable housing. While embedding sustainable design best-practice into the homes built by Habitat for Humanity (HFH) affiliates has been a primary objective of the program, DESIGNhabitat also has provided more than 65 Auburn architecture students with a high-impact learning experience that includes deep immersion in the details of energy-conscious design. As a result of DESIGNhabitat, green building programs (Energy Start, LEED, Green Key and so on) have become normal practices in the home construction within the majority of HFH affiliates in Alabama. For more about DESIGNhabitat, click here.

CADC has been well-represented each year among the Spirit of Sustainability award winners. Ballard and DESIGNHabitat join 2015 recipients Carlie Bullock-Jones (Alumna winner) and Rural Studio (Group Initiative winner); 2014 recipients Michael Hein (Faculty-BSCI) and Judd Langham (Alumnus); and 2013 recipients Dan Bennett (Faculty), Charlene LeBleu (Faculty), and Jacquelyn Overbey Hart (Alumna).