Faculty of Architecture and Manitoba Hydro making Manitoba more livable
New partnership to address critical design issues
The University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Architecture Partners Program has created a new position that will investigate critical design issues facing Manitoba’s built environments.
The new Partner-In-Residence will support and facilitate action and ideas that examine livability and community development challenges facing our region in the coming decades. Mark Pauls, a U of M alumnus, is the inaugural Partner-in-Residence.
“The province of Manitoba is uniquely positioned to be a leader in climatically-responsive design for our built environment. Our climate is among the most challenging in the world, but we have terrific solar and hydroelectric resources that can be leveraged to do more with less. I look forward to partnering with the Faculty of Architecture to generate further momentum for performance-based design,” says Mark Pauls, Partner-in-Residence.
A primary goal of the Partner-In-Residence role is to shape initiatives, which will bridge the interests, needs, and aspirations of students, academics, professional designers, industry and the public.
Ralph Stern, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, says “this is a wonderful opportunity for students to address real-world problems, seeking solutions crucial to the Province and Canada in the areas of sustainable and energy-efficient building design at a time of profound climate change. It underscores a clear commitment on the part of the Faculty, the University and a major industry stakeholder in finding common ground in shaping our future.”
The Partner-In-Residence program is an embodiment of the Mandate and Mission of the Partners Program in our current learning, industry and practice environments, Stern says. “It is an opportunity to link our students to core issues facing our local and global community and to benefit from the freshness of thought and perspective our students bring to these issues.”
“We are proud that an individual as well respected as Mr. Pauls has agreed to serve as the inaugural Partner-In-Residence and advance this important new step for the Partners Program,” says Michael Robertson, Chair of the Partners Program.
Pauls has a Master of Science in Climate Engineering from Danube University Krems in Austria. He was trained in climatically-responsive design and thermal simulation at Transsolar in Stuttgart, Germany, and he currently oversees the design and construction of new facilities at Manitoba Hydro.