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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
New Faculty Member Brings Island-Style Architectural Innovation to COB
By The College Of The Bahamas Office Of Communication
Sep 25, 2015 - 5:16:40 AM
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College of The Bahamas Visiting Associate Professor Dr. Marga Jann in the School of Mathematics, Physics and Technology.
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Nassau, Bahamas - Architectural research involves “getting out and about” and being a good “tourist”—exploring and documenting both the built and natural environments upon which innovative, sustainable tropical design solutions can be informed and to which they must respond, according to College of The Bahamas visiting Associate Professor Dr. Marga Jann, who says that traveling around the islands is a practical necessity of which she is most fond.
Dr. Jann is one of a raft of new hires at The College, the majority of whom have terminal degrees, and are conducting research in various academic disciplines, and sees writing, research, and critical thinking skills as integral parts of creating well-informed citizens. She began her faculty appointment at The College this Fall, teaching architecture in the School of Mathematics, Physics and Technology.
An experienced architect with a lengthy list of credits and teaching posts in different locales, Dr. Jann is already considering the potential for her research on a small island developing state like The Bahamas.
“At present I am particularly interested in Junkanoo as a high art form, its cultural/sociological implications, its impact on Caribbean-style architecture, and the preservation and sustainability thereof; the remarkable Junkanoo phenomenon with its outstanding creative traditions could only be explored in depth here as it is peculiar to The Bahamas.
“Having taught, lived, worked and done research in other island nations or regions (Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Hawaii, and South Korea—effectively cut off geographically from its neighbor to the north), I also hope to link and contrast these experiences with my environmental findings here, particularly in relation to sustainable architecture and indigenous design,” she said.
And given the recent passage of new regulations governing renewable energy self-generation (RESG) and the thrust toward green energy, Dr. Jann’s interest in furthering solar plants, recreational solar parks and shaded solar parking lots as an alternative form of energy affording cost-effective AC and power to the peoples of these typically hot, somewhat isolated regions is vital. This is even more so in the light of the transition to University.
“I hope to see the University become a key center of learning for the Caribbean at large, and, given its stunning location, attract students and faculty alike at the broader international level. It is also my hope to see the architecture program grow into a fully accredited 5-year professional B.Arch. program, particularly since there is so much design, planning and development work to be done in the region and so few local designers. With time it would be great to see interior design and planning programs develop as well.
“As an architect, I look forward to the new buildings, gardens, campuses and renovation work, and possibly a more varied color palette with Bahamian detailing so we can all find our various schools and departments more readily. Above all, I hope that the handsome, expanded university will do much for the Bahamian sense of national pride and identity and its extraordinarily kind, creative and welcoming people, to whom I am most grateful for the opportunity and privilege to serve here,” the assistant professor said.
Touching on some of the projects she is most proud of, Dr. Jann said it was rewarding to see her first building get built in her own right: a small office building designed for Moscow, which she pointed out was not an easy arena to navigate back then.
“Also, it was extremely rewarding to spend a year teaching and doing research in Sri Lanka and South Asia as a Fulbright professor after the tsunami there. My focus was on disaster-relief housing,” she said.
© Copyright 2015 by thebahamasweekly.com
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