Frank Harmon to Present "Architecture with a Conscience" at AIA/Georgia Design Conference

Raleigh, NC, June 17, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Raleigh, NC-based architect Frank Harmon, FAIA, principal of Frank Harmon Architect, will present a seminar entitled, “Architecture with a Conscience: Designing Contemporary Regional Architecture,” during a design conference sponsored by the Georgia chapter of the American Institute of Architect (AIA/GA), to be held in Savannah October 3-6.

The seminar will illustrate the importance of place and region to innovative, appropriate, and sustainable, or “green,” design in contemporary architecture, according to Harmon.

“Buildings with a ‘conscience’ have existed in Southern farmhouses and barns for as long as farmers have erected them,” he said. “These are simple structures built of wholesome, vernacular materials, perched on stone piers so rainwater flows under them. They nestle lightly into the hillsides without disturbing the land. They are rooted in their region and inherently embody the principles of sustainability. And they speak of the Southern culture as eloquently as bluegrass music or clay pots.”

According to Harmon, his seminar will look at certain elements and themes that run through regional architecture, including: landscape; materials and construction (“the ‘sticks and stones’ of a place, he said); weather and climate; roof forms that shelter or collect; and clients. Using examples of his own work, along with that of Glenn Murcutt, Brian MacKay-Lyons, and Rick Joy, he intends to illustrate the importance of regionalism today to the process of creating innovative, sustainable, and appropriate contemporary design that is regionally based.

As with past seminars on this subject, Harmon hopes attending designers will gain a greater understanding of new techniques and methods for designing and building “green” architecture in the Southeast and beyond.

The AIA/GA conference will be held at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center.

Frank Harmon is also an associate professor or architecture at the N.C. State University College of Design, and he is a frequent speaker at architectural events and conferences, including the 2007 American Institute of Architects’ National Convention, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas, in May.

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