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Emerging Professionals Making an Impact—and Having Fun Along the Way!
11/12/2026
From inspiring students to building professional connections, AIA Potomac Valley’s Emerging Professionals Committee is making a difference across the region.
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Celebrating Krutika Shah: BD+C 40 Under 40 Class of 2026
10/13/2026
Huge congratulations to Krutika Shah, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, SEED, COA on her selection to the prestigious Building Design+Construction (BD+C) 40 Under 40 Class of 2026!
Read More ►UMD Spring 2026 Lecture: AZIZA CHAOUNI: "Designing with Scarcity in Africa"
April 08, 2026
4:00 PM - 5:20 PM
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University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
3835 Campus Drive
College Park, MD 20742
Venue website
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UMD MAPP Spring 2026 Lecture Series
School of Architecture Building, Auditorium
Free
This Craig and Mimi Spangler Lecture is part of the Spring 2026 Architecture Lecture series.
Description:
This lecture explores how scarcity—of materials, infrastructure, energy, and capital—can become a generative force for architectural innovation in Africa. Drawing on built work, research, and post-crisis interventions across the continent, Prof. Aziza Chaouni reframes constraint as a catalyst for climate-responsive design, social equity, and cultural continuity. The talk examines low-carbon construction, bio-sourced materials, adaptive reuse, and participatory processes that leverage local knowledge and crafts. Rather than importing extractive models, the lecture argues for context-driven design methodologies that transform scarcity into resilience, affordability, and long-term environmental stewardship.
Credit:
1 LU/HSW
Learning Objectives:
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Reframe scarcity as a design catalyst by explaining how material, energy, and capital constraints can drive architectural innovation and resilience.
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Analyze context-driven design strategies used in African projects to advance climate responsiveness, social equity, and cultural continuity.
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Evaluate low-carbon and bio-sourced construction approaches, including adaptive reuse and participatory processes that draw on local knowledge and craft.
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Critique extractive design models and articulate how alternative, locally grounded methodologies can transform scarcity into affordability, stewardship, and long-term environmental performance.
Speaker: Aziza Chaouni, Founding Principal, Aziza Chaouni Projects
AIA Provider: AIA Potomac Valley (A183); Course #PV040826
Location:
Architecture Building, Auditorium
University of Maryland
School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
3835 Campus Drive
College Park, MD 20742
