NJIT architect's New Orleans design efforts featured in book on roles in disaster recovery

The post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans planning and design work of James Dart, AIA, university lecturer and director of the Siena Urban Design Studio at NJIT's College of Architecture and Design (COAD) is featured in a new book that examines the roles and responsibilities of architects in disaster recovery. Edited by Marie J. Aquilino, Beyond Shelter: Architecture + Human Dignity (Metropolis Books, New York, NY) features 20 generously illustrated reports from the field written by the founders of some of the world's most provocative architecture and engineering firms and studios; accomplished nonprofits and research centers; and leaders of such prominent organizations as the Red Cross, UN-Habitat and the World Wildlife Fund who are on the frontlines of disaster prevention and recovery.

Dart is principal of the New York-based design firm DARCH. In 2005-2007, he participated in a community-based planning and design project for New Orleans East funded by HUD with the Pratt Institute in partnership with the Association for Community Design and COAD.

Along with Associate Professor of Architecture Darius Sollohub and many dedicated NJIT architecture students, Dart, a New Orleans native, was active in planning and design efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. With collaborator Deborah Gans, he placed third in the High Density on the High Ground international competition sponsored by Architectural Record and Tulane University.

DARCH has won numerous local and national awards including a 2002 Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects. Current work includes multiyear projects at Bartram's Garden in Philadelphia, the nation's oldest botanical garden; the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum, Brooklyn, New York; master planning for Temple University's Ambler, Pennsylvania, campus; new facilities for the Paul Taylor Dance Company in New York; and private residences throughout the United States.

Provided by New Jersey Institute of Technology