AIAS FORUM 2012 Host
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Savannah, GA
The City of Savannah, Georgia was laid out in 1733 by General James Edward Oglethorpe on a high bluff overlooking the Savannah River. Creating a city plan within the majestic old-growth pine forest, the early colonists laid down the framework for a city that would one day become a hallmark of planning and sustainable urban growth. The notable urbanist and author Edmund Bacon described Savannah in his seminal book, Design of Cities (Penguin Books; Revised 1976):
“It is amazing that a colony, struggling against the most elemental problems of survival in a wilderness, should be able to produce a plan so exalted that it remains as one of the finest diagrams of city organization and growth in existence.”
Savannah’s system of twenty-four interconnected public squares centered within compact city wards creates a richly diverse environment, with a fundamental focus on pedestrian friendly, habitable public space. Residents and visitors to Savannah experience this dynamic urban environment under the shade of live oaks that envelop the city and give Savannah it’s epithet “Forest City of the South.” To walk through Savannah is to experience a diverse building tradition that spans three centuries of architectural history. The mile-long walk along Bull Street, from the golden dome of City Hall at the Savannah River, to the recreational heart of the city, Forsyth Park, has been recognized as one of the 10 Best Streets in America by the American Planning Association. This central spine of Savannah organizes the city center and is the walking core of the Savannah experience.
Numerous coffeehouses and restaurants, spanning a spectrum of cuisines, are located throughout the city center. Shops, from clothing to design boutiques to art galleries, can be found on Broughton and River Streets as well as in City Market. Trolleys, horse-drawn carriages, pedicabs, scooters, Segways, and bicycles allow visitors to experience Savannah in numerous ways, but the best way to see the true Savannah is by foot, delving into the tactile qualities of a city that has evolved over 300 years. It presents unexpected moments that can only be found and experienced in this place, in this time, in this city; Savannah.
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SCAD AIAS hopes you enjoy your stay in the heart of our city.
For more information about Savannah, visit savannahvisit.com.
For more information about Savannah’s free transportation options and parking downtown, visit www.connectonthedot.com.
SCAD School of Building Arts
The SCAD School of Building Arts is home to more than 1,000 students, with graduate studies spanning the disciplines of architecture, architectural history, furniture design, historic preservation, interior design and urban design. SCAD students engage in cross-disciplinary opportunities, exploring the building arts within the context of the largest nonprofit art and design university in the United States. Intensive coursework, access to state-of-the-art technology, professional internships, community service and off-campus study opportunities ensure that students have the tools required for successful careers.
Savannah’s National Historic Landmark District is an unparalleled setting for graduate studies in the building arts, including the NAAB accredited professional Master of Architecture degree. The City’s profound urban plan and diverse architecture are revered by architects and planners worldwide. Savannah and the surrounding region provide a living laboratory that informs the SCAD architecture curriculum. The School of Building Arts is housed in multiple historic buildings including the Romanesque Revival Eichberg Hall, constructed in 1887 for the Central of Georgia Railroad and repurposed by SCAD as a cutting-edge facility for the study of the building arts. The Clarence Thomas Center for Historic Preservation, a former convent built in 1908, was reinvented as a state-of-the-art preservation facility by SCAD in 2009.
Professors throughout the School of Building Arts offer a wide range of perspectives and qualifications. Architecture professors include professional practitioners, members of the American Institute of Architects, LEED-accredited professionals, members of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Planning Association. SCAD is an institutional member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and has active student chapters of the American Institute of Architecture Students, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, and the National Organization for Minority Architecture Students.
SCAD is the first university in the South to become an institutional member of the United States Green Building Council, a rating and benchmarking system for the construction, design and operation of high-performance green buildings.
SCAD is the only art and design university to offer such an integrated array of built environment disciplines, set within one of the largest and most renowned National Historic Landmark districts in the United States. Students in the SCAD School of Building Arts dissolve boundaries in the university’s interdisciplinary environment where fresh and imaginative ideas are transformed into innovative proposals and projects. The university’s more than 40 programs of study provide opportunities for collaborative, cross-disciplinary immersion, access to three continents through SCAD’s distinctive locations and guidance from industry leaders in and out of the classroom.
Visit www.scad.edu/building-arts to learn more.
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