Summary: |
In 1998, thanks to the support of the Program to Enhance Scholarly and Creative Activities of Texas A&M University, the author was able to establish a digital research network that promotes and coordinates collaborative research and development projects at inter-continental level. The original objective was to establish a network of 5 schools of Architecture. This objective was largely surpassed. At the time of editing this paper, the Las Américas Digital Research Network brings together 17 schools of Architecture (from Canada to Argentina). See http://taz.tamu.edu/~americas/ In this collaborative framework, we have been able to identify a number of research and development opportunities. This paper reports on some of the on-going initiatives of the network, namely: a) The Las Americas Virtual Design Studio, b) The Las Americas Virtual Gallery of Visual Arts, c) The Las Americas Research Journal "Archi-Forum" and, d) The Las Americas Curriculum Harmonization Initiative. In addition to a report on current activities, this paper aims to promote new initiatives and identify potential sources of research & development funding. The paper ends with conclusions and a call for widespread participation. |