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Darcy Stebbins Wins Bruce Norelius Architecture Award

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Darcy Stebbins, winner of the 2015 Bruce Norellius Award
Darcy Stebbins, winner of the 2015 Bruce Norellius Award

Three years ago, the Bruce Norelius Studio, a socially conscious architecture firm based in Los Angeles and coastal Maine, set a goal of giving two percent of its income to support organizations doing inspirational work to address challenges of designing housing for the “vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens in our world community.” As one step in meeting that goal, the firm established relationships with Keene State College and the University of Southern California, both of which have vigorous programs that encourage their architecture students to take on such design challenges.

Each year, the studio presents an award to a Keene State student and a University of Southern California student. Last year, the Keene State award went to Ethan Seaman ’14 for his work designing a vocational school in Haiti.

This year’s Keene State winner is Darcy Stebbins, who, besides her work as part of the Communicorps team designing a health clinic in Rwanda, spent two months this spring at the Auroville Earth Institute in India, learning simple green-construction techniques that are appropriate for developing countries. “She studied and participated in compressed-earth block, bamboo, and cob construction techniques,” notes Associate Professor of Architecture Peter Temple. “This experience also changed her attitudes about the world and her career plans, and she plans to return to the same place in India next winter, and continue to work in this area of the profession.

Since Stebbins’ return to the US, she’s been working with Prof. Temple to recruit 10 to 15 students to travel to Auroville and take sustainable-building seminars. “Essentially, we would like to set up a study abroad program for Keene State students,” says the environmental studies minor. “I believe Auroville and its ideals are something everyone should know about and experience. As an environmentalist, sustainable building materials/practices have always been an interest of mine. To be able to introduce others to these ideas makes me feel like I am doing something good for the world.”

Stebbins seems a perfect fit for the Norelius award. “I hope to continue to learn other sustainable practices, pair them with my architectural design skills, and be able to go to countries in need of housing options,” she says. “I want to supply these people with knowledge and experience on how to be able to build their own dwellings for themselves, and their community.

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