Energy Futures: Tools for Designers in Changing Climates And Uncertain Futures

How does one design buildings, cities, and landscapes in increasingly uncertain times? Jamie Vanucchi, associate professor at Cornell University in the Department of Landscape Architecture, will discuss approaches to managing the unknown (engineering, science) and working with and through uncertainty (design) using an array of tools, such as scenario and disturbance tests, future imaging, and others. Tools discussed are compiled from Jamie's teaching at Cornell and SUNY-ESF, and from a group of contributors to an upcoming book titled Design Research for Uncertain Futures (ORO, 2024), co-edited with Dr. Ozayr Saloojee and Dr. Sarah Dooling. 

Jamie Vanucchi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cornell University whose teaching and research test the capacity of design and design research to address our most pressing 21st-century problems. She is interested in “strong sites”, landscapes driven by change in the form of powerful constructive and destructive processes, and design that intentionally intersects with those processes and unfolds in time. Current projects include the study of floodplains as unique, disturbance-driven landscapes and potential community assets, designed forests for climate mitigation, and framing design research as a distinct mode of knowledge production that is complementary to science and especially needed now due to the novelty and uncertainty of climate-changed futures. Her research is funded by the Graham Foundation, NIFA, Cornell’s Atkinson’s Center for Sustainability, The Landscape Architecture Foundation, and Cornell Council of the Arts. Jamie is a partner with the Great Lakes Design Labs and LoDo Lab at CU Denver. 

If you require any accessibility accommodation, such as live captioning, audio description, or a sign language interpreter, please email news@design.upenn.edu. Please note, we require at least five (5) business days’ notice.

LA CES Credit

Landscape Architecture professionals may receive one professional development hour of LA CES continuing education credits by registration at this event. LA CES credit is only available for event attendees.  More information about the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System is available here.