For Immediate Release
AIA College of Fellows Awards 2015 Latrobe Prize to
Woodbury University Arid Lands Institute
for ‘Drylands Resilience Initiative’
$100,000 Award Will Fund Development and Testing of Proprietary Design Tool that
Supports Water-Challenged Communities to Capture Stormwater Resources
BURBANK, Calif. (March 31, 2015) –The American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of
Fellows has awarded the 2015 Latrobe Prize to a team led by Woodbury University's Arid
Lands Institute for its “Drylands Resilience Initiative: Digital Tools for Sustainable Urban
Design in Arid and Semi-Arid Urban Centers,” the university announced today.
Arid Lands Institute co-directors Peter Arnold and Hadley Arnold lead a team that includes
Rowan Roderick-Jones, CSci, ENV SP, Associate, Water Systems Group, ARUP, San
Francisco; Deborah Weintraub, AIA, LEED AP, Chief Deputy City Engineer, Bureau of
Engineering, Department of Public Works, City of Los Angeles; Leigh Christy, AIA, LEED AP
BD+C, Associate Principal, Perkins+Will, Los Angeles; and John Haymaker, AIA, Ph.D., LEED
AP, Director of Research, Perkins+Will, Atlanta.
The Latrobe Prize, named for architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, is awarded biennially by
the AIA College of Fellows for a two-year program of research leading to significant
advances in the architecture profession. The $100,000award will enable the Arid Lands
Institute (ALI) and its cross-disciplinary partners to further develop and test a proprietary
digital design tool, known as “Hazel,” that eventually will enable arid communities
anywhere to design and build the infrastructure needed to capture, retain and distribute
stormwater runoff. The technology builds on previous public- and private sector-funded
research to maximize low-carbon localized water supply; shape water-smart urban
planning, zoning and building policy; identify key sites for public and private investment;
develop pilot projects that are scalable and replicable; build water-conversant design
professions and support water-sensitive design education.
“The Drylands Resilience Initiative will test a tool which should enable engineers and
architects to make more thoughtful decisions on the integration of stormwater capture and
reuse in their projects. This aligns perfectly with the Bureau of Engineering’s goal of
making Los Angeles the most livable city in the world through the use of sustainable design
practices,” said Weintraub, AIA, City of Los Angeles Chief Deputy City Engineer.
“Latrobe Prize funding comes at a crucial stage in the tool’s development, as we continue to
build it out and test it. Ultimately, the Drylands Resilience Initiative will result in a fully
automated tool that supports communities and design teams developing distributed
infrastructures, absorptive landscapes, innovative building systems and water-smart public
policy for drylands urbanism,” said Peter Arnold, Principal Investigator and Director of
Research for the Arid Lands Institute, affiliated with Woodbury University’s School of
Architecture. “The tools and systems developed and tested in Los Angeles will have
potential applications in drylands globally.”
The Drylands Resilience Initiative was selected by a jury of AIA Fellows following a
presentation of research programs by finalists.
“The critical global issue of securing low-carbon and sustainable urban water supplies
within arid urban centers affects billions of people around the world,” said David Cronrath,
AIA, Dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at the University of
Maryland and chair of the 2015 Latrobe Award Jury. “We were impressed with the overall
research plan, the working partnerships that were part of the proposal, and the social
justice that was at the center of the research. The Arid Lands Institute and its Drylands
Resilience Initiative model a new way for design professions to partner with scientific and
public policy communities to catalyze public imagination and action in the face of growing
climate challenges.”
“We are extremely proud of the important work being done by the Arid Lands Institute and
its partners and are grateful for the recognition and financial support provided by the AIA
College of Fellows through the Latrobe Prize,” said Norman Millar, AIA, Dean of the School
of Architecture at Woodbury. “It’s a tool that takes complex issues and puts smart decisionmaking frameworks into the hands of communities and designers. It’s the kind of tool we
need in the design profession and schools to be effective change agents in the public realm.”
Founded in 1952, the College of Fellows is comprised of AIA members who are elected to
Fellowship by a jury of their peers. Elevation to Fellowship recognizes individual
achievements of the architect but also elevates before the public and the profession those
architects who have made significant contributions to architecture and to society.
In addition to Conrath, members of the 2015 Latrobe Prize jury included: Stephen T. Ayers,
FAIA, Architect of the Capitol; Angela Brooks, FAIA, Brooks+Scarpa; Albert W. Rubeling,
FAIA, Chancellor, AIA College of Fellows; Roger Schluntz, FAIA, University of New Mexico;
Katherine Schwennsen, FAIA, Clemson University; John R. Sorrenti, FAIA, Vice Chancellor,
AIA College of Fellows; and Lawrence Speck, FAIA, University of Texas.
About The American Institute of Architects
Founded in 1857, members of the American Institute of Architects consistently work to create more
valuable, healthy, secure and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods and communities. Through
nearly 300 state and local chapters, the AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic
vitality and public well-being. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest
professional standards. The AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their
careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders and the public to find
solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit
www.aia.org.
About Woodbury University
Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education
in Southern California. Woodbury offers bachelor's degrees from the School of Architecture, School
of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and College of Transdisciplinarity, along with a
Master of Arts (MA) in Media for Social Justice, Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Interior
Architecture (MIA), Master of Science in Architecture (MSArch), and Master of Leadership. The San
Diego campus offers Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees, as well as an
MSArch degree with concentrations in Real Estate Development and Landscape + Urbanism.
Woodbury ranks 15th among the nation’s “25 Colleges That Add the Most Value,” according to
Money Magazine. Visit www.woodbury.edu for more information.
Media Contact:
Ken Greenberg
Edge Communications, Inc.
(323) 469-3397
ken@edgecommunicationsinc.com