MIT Lecture: Building Technologies for Environmental and Social Equity

MIT Architecture Lecture Series Spring 2021

“The built environment needs to be rethought in the 21st century in a systemic way. As architects, we’re good at systems and understand how to use them. But joy is a radical idea. We need an open design process that gives people agency over their environment. We must arrive at net-positive solutions for all projects we do. We need an army of architects working on this.”

–Christiana Moss

With these opening remarks, Christiana Moss presented the work of Studio Ma to the MIT School of Architecture + Planning. The talk was part of a Spring 2021 lecture series held by MIT’s Building Technology Group. Research has been foundational to Studio Ma’s practice, and we have partnered with MIT to test new technologies for designing energy-efficient buildings. Christiana’s lecture revealed how the practice of research has shaped the process of Studio Ma’s design and specific sources the firm has used. Each commission points to a new area of investigation. Over time, the research has expanded from bioclimatic sustainability and ecological regeneration to include social issues.

“ We have an arsenal of tools to advance social and environmental equity in the future. I hope it will inspire you. It’s the modern design issue of time. It’s the only design issue that matters.”

—
Christiana Moss, FAIA
Studio Ma Co-founder & Principal

The retrospective reviewed the seminal planning and architecture commissions and concomitant research that have shaped Studio Ma’s evolution, starting with the Salt River Project, a sustainability study for a Phoenix electrical utility that set net-zero energy as a design standard for the firm. Christiana presented other commissions that represent the firm’s growth in social equity within the building environment and advancing an “architecture for everyone”. Christiana concluded with a call to action. “We have an arsenal of tools to advance social and environmental equity in the future. I hope it will inspire you. It’s the modern design issue of time. It’s the only design issue that matters.”

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