TOPIC 1

Diane Hays is a licensed Architect in the State of Texas and an Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at San Antonio's Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design where she merges professional practice with architecture, interior design, and construction. In her discussion, Diane will narrate on Mississippi Territorial History and the Forks of the Road Slave Market. Through academic research and student study the presentation will highlight the challenges of the Market site today, the decades of harm and fragmentation, and her passion project to restore this land as sacred ground by preserving it with a memorial and interpretive center.

TOPIC 1 & 2

Fred McGhee is a historical maritime archaeologist, an author, an urban and environmental anthropologist, and the President of the Montopolis Community Development Center. Dr. McGhee will kick off the Symposium with a presentation on the life and legacy of John S. Chase, the first licensed black Architect in Texas. In his second presentation with Maanasa Nathan, Dr. McGhee will unpack the goals of the Passivhaus initiatives and standards for a Passive House ADU Prototype in the Montopolis neighborhood. Dr. McGhee’s emphasis on community control and training a locally based work force in the construction and development of this high quality structures tackles the goal of future replication and community uplift.

TOPIC 2

Leslie is the Founder of Perch Projects, a highly collaborative and human-centered consultancy group that provides expertise for mission-driven capital projects. Perch Projects clients include multiple non-profits, design and architecture firms serving at- risk populations. Leslie will be engaging the NOMA community to consider an approach to designing projects for some of our most at-risk neighbors: the unhoused. We’ll cover an overview of societal and other factors that place people at risk of becoming homeless, the advocacy role architects play in promoting empathetic solutions and approaching the built environment for people experiencing homelessness through a framework of “Housing as Healthcare”.

TOPIC 2

Maanasa Nathan is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Architecture and an aspiring architect/project manager at Furman + Keil Architects. As an Austin native, Maanasa hopes to serve the community that inspired her to pursue a career in design. Along with Dr. McGhee, Maanasa will unpack the goals of the Passivhaus initiatives and standards for a Passive House ADU Prototype in the Montopolis neighborhood. The project tackles not only questions of sustainable building, but also explores an alternate approach to mitigating gentrification & displacement with an emphasis on community control and training a local, community-based work force in the construction and development of quality, high performing structures that can be replicated.

TOPIC 3

Gregory is a Licensed Architect at Overland Partners Architecture in San Antonio, Texas and the Founding President of NOMA of Central Texas. In his work, Gregory leads design and multidisciplinary teams on projects ranging from small non-profit office and headquarters to large academic and civic buildings. At all scales, Gregory seeks to build identity and ensure that the project design is conceptualized and executed in alignment with the aspirations of broad stakeholder groups and the larger enterprise goals. In his discussion, Gregory will use the conceptual design of the new SAAACAM Cultural Center in San Antonio, TX to discuss the importance of archives in preserving history, the role of the Architect as interpreter of dreams and aspirations, and the multilayered and essential nature of a community based design process.

TOPIC 3

Malii Watts Witten is the founding principal of EngageBetween, a consultancy that works with companies globally to help them effectively incorporate and manage the complexities and opportunities of culturally diverse environments. Malii will be facilitating an interactive workshop with the goal that attendees will gain meaningful insight into themselves and a deeper capacity to have people-centered impact. The content of this workshop will be accessible to those with any degree of exposure to architecture, and will not offer industry-specific subject matter expertise.

TOPIC 3

Viviana is a graduate of Harvard University, a Chilean Architect, and a Design Performance Specialist at Overland Partners Architecture where she leads sustainable design solutions utilizing building performance simulations and life cycle assessments to reduce carbon footprints and energy consumption. In Climate Change and The Spirit of Times, Viviana will refer to how the current moment in history shapes society's expectations around sustainability in architecture and must address technical, social, and ethical dimensions. This topic will explore the future of architecture and also serve as a call to action. How can we lead transformative change, integrate technical expertise with sustainability and social responsibility while also adapting to the unique challenges of each region?