Corey Saft, a professor and practicing architect noted for sustainable, economical design and construction, will speak at the Å·ÃÀÈý¼¶Æ¬â€™s 2017 Summer Commencement ceremony on Friday.
He is the Contractors Educational Trust/LEQSF Endowed Professor in the School of Architecture and Design at UL Lafayette. He received the Å·ÃÀÈý¼¶Æ¬â€™s Distinguished Professor Award in 2017 and its Research Excellence Award last year.
The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. in the Cajundome Convention Center exhibit hall adjacent to the Cajundome.
Saft is director of the Å·ÃÀÈý¼¶Æ¬â€™s Sustainable Development Lab, a research and practice laboratory focused on housing, civic space and cultural resource development. Among other projects, the lab is working with the Å·ÃÀÈý¼¶Æ¬ to redevelop underutilized property.
He was a design and energy consultant for the city’s UptownLofts, a mixed-use, multifamily Low-Income Housing Tax Credit development. The team that worked on the federal affordable housing project earned honorable mention in the Green Housing category for the Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Awards.
Saft is also engaged in environmental initiatives to shore up Louisiana’s coastline, projects to design classrooms that are responsive to the needs of students and teachers, and to develop apps that teach green energy concepts to elementary-age children.
His work has been featured in many national publications, including Scientific American, USA Today, and Architectural Record.
Saft was Gulf Region director of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture national board of directors, the discipline’s governing board, and a member of its executive committee.
He is a board member of the Global Passive Building Council, an international organization that focuses on sustainable, energy-efficient design and construction practices.
Saft earned a master’s degree in architecture from the Å·ÃÀÈý¼¶Æ¬ of Oregon, a bachelor’s degree in religion from the Å·ÃÀÈý¼¶Æ¬ of Rochester and a certificate in real estate development from the Urban Land Institute.