My Home Improvement MayJune 2019

Collegiate creativity

As a premier school for art and design,

The Savannah College of Art and Design is often

praised for being ahead of the curve. The school’s

interior design programs achieved a No. 1 ranking

in 2018 from DesignIntelligence’s list of “America’s

Best Architecture & Design Schools,” and is often

looked to for its innovative perspective.

The college has

several programs

that help prepare

students for

postgraduate

careers in home

improvement. One such initiative is its SCADpad

microhousing experiment, a community of three

135-square-foot residences situated on the fourth

floor of the SCAD Atlanta parking deck. Exclusively

designed by students, alumni, and faculty, pupils

learn key sustainable, actionable solutions for real-

world design scenarios.

“Every design decision needs to be framed under

the principles of improving the quality of life for

everyone,” says Victor Ermoli, IDSA, MEDes, dean

of the School of Design, The Savannah College

of Art and Design. “Sustainability principles are

essential to ensure that the build solutions minimize

the consumption of resources (reduce pollution),

maximize the economic returns from the projects,

and enhance the quality of life in the individual

and community basis. All these principles are the

reasons why we do projects such as the SCADPad.

Students gain hands-on experience in realizing their

innovative design concepts and apply the theories

and principles

learned in

the classroom

to real-life

situations,

which is a

crucial aspect of

educating the next generation of creative designers.”

SCAD.edu

Other four-year institutions such as the

University of Georgia allow students to get their

hands dirty thanks to its Landscape Architecture

program. "Our students have numerous ways to

get involved with hands-on design projects to

help shape their communities," says Rose Tahash,

coordinator of undergraduate services in the

College of Environment + Design at the

University of Georgia.

“

Students gain hands-on experience ... and

apply the theories and principles learned in

the classroom to real-life situations.

”

—Victor Ermoli

THIS SCADPAD IS INTENDED TO REFLECT THE CULTURE AND AESTHETIC OF SCAD'S HONG KONG LOCATION. HERE, SCAD ATLANTA STUDENT ROSS FISH (ABOVE)

SITS AMONG KOI FISH PAPER CUTOUTS AND NETTING, WHICH ADORNS THE INTERIOR WALLS.

Photo courtesy of SCAD.

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May/June 2019 My Home Improvement AtlantaHomeImprovement.com

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