Architecture Department, University of Patras, Rio 26500

fall semester 2014 | [lectures 14|15]

Tuesday 24th March 2015 | 7:00 p.m. ** free entry **

Hansy Better Barraza AIA, LEED AP

Principal, Studio Luz Architects

Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director of Architecture, Rhode Island School of Design - USA

"Work, Life"

Hansy Better Barraza, Associate Professor, is the Graduate Program Director of Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, Barraza received a B. Arch. from Cornell University and an MAUD in Urban Design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She offers an intense focus on design methods that embrace social responsibility. Her research is on making design more accessible and equitable through new forms of practice. She was a recipient of a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts to support her research and book, Where are the Utopian Visionaries? Architecture of Social Exchange recently released by Periscope Publishing Ltd. and distributed worldwide by Prestel Publishing. In 2011, she cofounded BR+A+CE: Building Research + Architecture + Community Exchange, a 501c3 non-profit corporation dedicated to creating new community spaces.

As a practicing architect, Barraza is a Registered Architect and a LEED Accredited Professional. Studio Luz Architects, the Boston firm she cofounded with Anthony Piermarini in 2002, has been widely recognized, receiving international honors including the Architectural Record Design Vanguard Award, a Progressive Architectural Award, four AIA Design Excellence Awards and the prestigious Architectural League of New York's Young Architect's Award.

During spring semester 2015, Hansy Better Barraza together with Demetra Katsota is leading a collaborative studio between RISD and the Department of Architecture, University of Patras http://risdpatrasmuseum.tumblr.com/