Around the globe, groundbreaking work is being done by small teams of outstanding professionals who are helping people recover from disaster and rebuild homes, infrastructure, and communities, and bridging the gap that separates short-term emergency needs from long-term sustainable recovery. On February 22, Paris based Marie Aquilino will discuss her new book Beyond Shelter: Architecture and Human Dignity. The book features 25 reports from the field by leaders of architecture, engineering firms, non-profits, research centers, and international agencies that are working to provide disaster prevention and sustainable recovery efforts in a wide range of urban and rural locales, including Manila, New Orleans, Gujarat, São Paulo, Sudan, Vietnam, Kashmir, Sierra Leone, Kansas, and Haiti.

Marie J. Aquilino is a professor of architectural history at the École Spéciale d'Architecture (ESA) in Paris and a specialist in contemporary urban redevelopment. At the ESA she is creating a program to train architecture students to work in contexts of extreme need and crisis in the developing world. In addition, she serves as associate program director of the BaSiC Initiative; is collaborating with the International Federation of the Red Cross to set up a working group on the reconstruction of Haiti; and is a founding partner in OpenJapan, a worldwide design collaborative that devises integrated systems of risk mitigation.

Following the talk, copies of Beyond Shelter will be available for purchase. A book signing and reception will be held in the library.

This event is co-sponsored by Archeworks and by the National Public Housing Museum.