Bio:

The great designer, Josh joined MASS Design Group in Kigali, Rwanda as a Global Health Corps Fellow. He has since joined the design team to implement an agricultural university in the Eastern Province with a mission of training the next generation of leaders in conservation agriculture. As a native to the Arizona desert, Josh loved the opportunity to utilize earth construction in a different context, and tracking its impact on the project's overall embodied carbon. He has recently decided to return to the United States in order to pursue his graduate studies at the Yale School of Architecture.

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How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?

As a kid I visited Arcosanti, where attitudes of ecology, architecture, and art were combined to create “arcology”. This distinct feeling of the built environment intertwining with the desert landscape was intriguing and encouraged deeper study.

 

What do you do?

After three years at MASS, I have currently re- turned to the United States as a graduate student in the Yale School of Architecture. Here I investigate various ways that architecture can advocate for and compliment racial and environmental justice.

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What excites you in the work you do?

We meet the coolest people doing what we do. Our partners bring such energy, commitment, and radical optimism to our conversations investigating justice.

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Who or what inspires you professionally?

I always like to return to Arcosanti every few years, to be inspired by the built work and hand drawings of Paolo Soleri.

 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?

Having the opportunity to work on advocacy and impact tracking with the African Design Center throughout their fellowship. There are some brilliant and talented designers from across the continent, that you will definitely be hearing about shortly.

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Featured Project Name: 

Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture

 

Featured Project Location: 

Bugesera, Rwanda

 

Featured Project Completion Date: 

2023

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Role in Featured Project: 

Designer

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Featured Project Description:

The curriculum and campus design at RICA are informed by Conservation Agriculture and One Health Principles, both of which emphasize the interlinking of ecological, animal, and human health. The campus and curriculum seek to reinforce these principles by taking an experiential approach to learning, with a campus that promotes biodiversity, ecological conservation, and community participation. RICA will soon be a world leader in experiential education, research, and conservation agriculture

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Photography Credit:

Josh Greene