Assistant Professor Brittany Utting and Daniel Jacobs, cofounders of the research and design collaborative HOME-OFFICE, are recipients of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Upjohn Research Initiative grant, which provides funding to support research projects that advance sustainability in architecture through building materials and climate-focused infrastructure for public spaces.
Their project, OPEN-GROUND, studies how public architecture can operate as both climate infrastructure and a space for outdoor leisure. The project adapts Houston’s typologies of urban public space, such as the shaded sport court, into microclimatic engines, exploring the integration of water catchment reservoirs with passive cooling techniques. The grant will fund an integrated design process including physical models, digital simulations, and experimental mock-ups to study the thermodynamic and material properties of the proposal.