Visiting associate professor in the School of Architecture, Sergio Palleroni, has been recognized for his work with communities in need of quick and efficient building by the Smithsonian Institution and the White House since he began teaching at the University.
In New Orleans, Palleroni said that he and his project committee have been looking for ways to use the waste accumulated after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
"We have around 20 million tons of waste to work with, and instead of disposing of all of it, we are looking into reusing some of it," Palleroni said.
Palleroni said he collaborated with an architecture center in Pasadena, Calif., to create the Katrina Furniture Project, a fundraiser that will create more jobs and alternative uses for waste in New Orleans.
Steven Moore, co-director for the University's Center for Sustainable Development, hand-picked Palleroni to teach at UT.
"Of all the people out there in architecture in environmental stability, he is the most well-known, and he has the best track record," Moore said.
The project involves social aspects of design and is the main project for the center, Moore said.
One of the main projects involves building pews for New Orleans' churches out of refuse from the hurricane.
"With Katrina, came the destruction of thousands of churches, which are vital to New Orleans culture. When the churches were destroyed, part of the community was destroyed," he said.
The project will use the waste to make new pieces of furniture to sell across the country, Palleroni said.
"The project will create new jobs and more income for New Orleans," he said. "Here we are 13 months later, and the government just began to rebuild, and they're estimating that about half the town's population won't return. So we're looking into expediting the community-building process."
Palleroni, who currently resides in Austin with his wife and four children, said he uses real-world applications to teach his students.
"I'm just teaching students to be citizens who can go out into the field and say, 'Look, this community is facing this problem, how do we fix it?'" Palleroni said.
His programs, including the building of clinics in South Africa, have attracted students with diverse majors, such as pre-med and journalism.
"There are many aspects to the development of the project, and then we can use all students to build the clinics," Palleroni said.
Palleroni has been instrumental in redefining architectural design, Moore said.
"While many believe architecture to be about appealing designs, the definition we use is 'the transformation of existing conditions into preferred ones,'" Moore said.
The associate professor is on a long term visit, coming from previous teaching positions at the University of Washington and the University of Oregon.
"He is remarkably popular among students. In reviewing graduate applications, a good 10 percent specifically mention their desire to work with him. He has become a major asset," Moore said.
Be the first to comment on this article!