by: Martta Sareva
The Center for Architecture and AIA New York Chapter are pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 Arnold W. Brunner Grant. The Brunner Grant is awarded annually to an advanced study in any area of architectural investigation that will effectively contribute to the knowledge, teaching, or practice of the art and science of architecture.
The Scholarship Committee selected three recipients for 2015: Peggy Deamer, Ph.D., Mary McLeod, Ph.D., and Ruth-Claire Weintraub. Deamer’s project, “Architecture and the Sherman Antitrust Act,” investigates the history of the Sherman Antitrust Act and how it is deployed to advocate for the profession of architecture. McLeod will explore Le Corbusier’s response to World War II by focusing on his little-known proposal for refugee housing in her project, “Le Corbusier’s Response to World War II: His Proposals for Refugee Housing.” Weintraub has developed a pilot study, “Exposure, Explanation, Evolution: the Professional and the Personal in Architectural Education,” which examines builders’ experiences at Paolo Soleri’s Arcosanti.
Deamer is a practicing architect and founding member of the Architecture Lobby, a group that advocates for better practices and rewards in the profession. Her research for the Brunner Grant will explore alternative readings of the Sherman Antitrust Act, compare ways in which the act is applied across various professions, and investigate ways to work around the act. Deamer, who is also a professor and the assistant dean at Yale, will complete the project while on sabbatical.
McLeod, Professor of Architecture at Columbia University, has written extensively on LeCorbusier. With the Brunner Grant, she is planning to examine the Maisons “Murondins” – temporary shelters meant to be constructed by local residents using easily accessible materials. Her research will contribute to an article, which will be included in her forthcoming book about Le Corbusier’s architecture and politics from 1925 to 1945.
Weintraub is an independent researcher and Ph.D. candidate. Her project on Arcosanti will combine recorded interviews, a projective test, and photo portraits. Her aim is to develop what is known about the effect of hands-on learning experiences in architectural education.
The next grant deadline, for the Douglass Haskell Award for Student Journals, is 05.01.15. Founded to encourage student journalism on architecture, planning, and related subjects, and to foster regard for intelligent criticism among future professionals, the Haskell Award is intended to support the ongoing publication of student-edited journals. For further information, please visit: http://www.cfafoundation.org/scholarships.