Yestermorrow Design/Build SchoolSemester Program Summary: Started in 2011, the Semester in Sustainable Design/Build has been an ongoing partnership between Yestermorrow Design/Build School (Waitsfield, VT) and UMass Amherst’s Department of Architecture (Amherst, MA). Based in Waitsfield, VT, and operating annually for the Fall Academic Semester, the ‘Semester Program’ takes up to 15 undergraduates and recent graduates through an architectural design process to the substantial completion of a single, high-performance, year-round structure. While completing a 15-credit course load, students receive instruction in design, assembly and detailing, and building performance while exploring group processes, definitions of sustainability, and relevant contexts. This full-immersion, credit-bearing semester in green building and design complements architecture, building science, engineering, and environmental design majors and has wide application in liberal arts curricula.
Job Summary: The Semester Design/Build Faculty is a co-instructor and supervisor for the Semester Program, which runs from mid-August through the first full week of December. The Semester Faculty is responsible for delivering the academic curriculum, assisting the Design/Build Faculty with leading the design/build process, and teaching students how to develop and structure the process collaboratively and constructively for themselves. The Semester Faculty is also responsible for academic evaluation of students.
The Semester Faculty is a temporary exempt salaried position.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
With the Design/Build Faculty
- Plan, develop and refine the curriculum.
- Develop lectures and presentations for Architectural Design & Construction.
- Lead group discussions and decision processes in both the studio and on the construction site.
- Develop and execute engaging and multi-dimensional coursework.
- Foster independent and student-directed work.
- Teach the Semester Program curriculum in the studio, on the job site, and in a classroom setting.
- Provide mentorship and academic evaluation for students.
- Help market and grow the program as appropriate. These efforts may be on a contract basis outside the timeframe of the Semester Program.
- Work with the Client to coordinate site and infrastructure preparation under an appropriate schedule.
Requirements:
- Minimum 5 years experience in design and construction, as an instructor, practitioner, or both. Proficiency in design and construction is required and must include the ability to provide hands-on instruction from concept to completion.
- Experience in sustainable design, methods, and construction (high-performance envelopes, ethical material selection, reduced mechanical loads, renewable infrastructure, low-waste construction, etc.) and familiarity with standards such as LEED, Living Building Challenge, Passive House, etc.
- Proficiency with computers required, including computer-aided design software (SketchUp, AutoCAD), Microsoft Office applications, Google G Suite, and Adobe Suite of graphic design applications.
- Key skills: excellent written and oral communication; demonstrated technical competencies related to the integrated design/build process (schematic design, drafting, construction documents, facilitating group charrettes, developing mockups, etc.) and experience in various types and all stages of construction (including site work, foundations, wall systems, HVAC, finishes, etc.).
Term:
August 21 – December 15, 2023
(this includes one week before students arrive on campus and one week after students depart)
Compensation:
Semester Faculty are paid $210 per day plus 3 meals a day Monday-Friday and housing on the Yestermorrow campus.
To Apply:
Send a cover letter, resume and a work sample or portfolio to anastasia@yestermorrow.org
