2008 NCARB Prize Winner:
Savannah College of Art and Design
"BSI+P Studio"

The building systems integration and performance studio, BSI+P has evolved over the past fourteen years in the professional architecture program. The studio focused on bridging the professions of architecture and engineering to create and test new ideas, mostly unprecedented in either profession. The BSI+P studio mission is to educate and prepare the future generation of architects for professional practice in the context of an environmentally conscious society. The studio program provides unique opportunities for engaging the professions of architecture, engineering, and allied disciplines in creative ways that are mutually enriching. The studio is strategically timed during the senior-year of the professional program to open opportunities for transition into matching professional internships.

BSI+P studio ideas include solutions that implement cutting edge renewable energy resources such as PV-solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal. Pushing the envelope of conventional wisdom, studio projects further explore the expressive architectural potential for such technologies in building and site design. As the green building movement grows stronger, the studio has taken a more structured shape with an approach to total building performance. Collaboration with the professional community of architects, engineers, and designers brings a multi-faceted perspective to the BSI+P studio with an eye and a direct connection to practice in the real world. The studio setup and student work also provide opportunities for the professionals to shed their real-world constraints and take a fresh look at creative architecture and engineering solutions. Many students land internship positions and start their IDP program as a direct result of their experience in the program.

The BSI+P studio has proven effective in exploring creative, yet grounded, possibilities in building systems integration, total building performance, and renewable energy applications. As we look ahead, we envision selective opportunities for cross-disciplinary projects, internship development programs, environmental consulting networks, and potential for growth into research and development. While many questions remain to be answered and much more dissemination of outcomes is needed, the BSI+P studio work has a strong potential for opening new windows for practice in architecture, engineering, and environmental design at large.

Project Abstract

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