FAU partnership offers climate change insight

Anthony Abbate says studying architecture today is nothing like it used to be.

“Since the seventies, students were learning about how to deal with cases of climate change and how to build sustainably green technologies,” the director of Florida Atlantic University’s School of Architecture said. “Now, the focus is dealing with climate change’s impact and also sea level rise, which is a big issue coastally and particularly in South Florida.”

One of those cities is Fort Lauderdale, which in partnership with FAU has been focusing on a project called Salty Urbanism.

“Salty Urbanism … created a model on how to deal with coastal urbanism using plant materials and alternative approaches to access water,” Abbate, who teaches classes in Davie, said. The grant-based project teams about 20-30 Florida Atlantic students with faculty, city planners, scientists and city agencies to figure out — Anthony Abbate, director School of Architecture

how to work with factors such as sea level rising.

The project recently won an award from the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects, something Abbate said he hopes will show the public that his students mean business.

“One can take steps to reduce their footprint, go solar, reduce the amount of heating, reduce amount of carbon you’d produce, get a fuel-efficient vehicle or an electric car if you can,” he said. of Florida Atlantic University’s

The Florida Atlantic architecture students are involved in case studies from Key West to Delray, figuring out how to deal with sea level rise. “Understanding the impact of climate change and sea level rise is important for students today,” Abbate said. “FAU sees itself as a coastal university and as a state university. We view the community as a field of study but also, as an area we want to serve.”

ebloch@sun-sentinel.com