Message from the Dean:

Welcome to the start of the Spring 2024 semester. This semester promises to ripe with opportunity and change, from ongoing global elections to shifts in patterns of weather and climate. Given the substantial impact of the practices of the School of Constructed Environments on our environment (estimated at 40% of Co2 emissions connected to products, buildings, interiors, and lighting) I share the work by the Stockholm Resilience Centre which maps 9 Planetary Boundaries, providing a holistic measure for understanding where we stand. Expanding beyond the issue of global warming, the Planetary Boundaries diagram, shown above, offers an integrated measure and reflection on the impacts, intended and unintended, of our inhabitation.

By combining diverse parameters, the 9 Planetary Boundaries provides a compelling frame for the evaluation of the practices of the School of Constructed Environments, of which your work as faculty, students, and staff is gathered. I encourage all to take advantage of this framework as it is also a benchmark for creative thinking, assessment, and inspiration. As a school united by material-based design practices, the choices we make in regard to the full life cycle of materials offers ample opportunities for change, innovation, and transformation. It is our role as a school in the heart of New York City to provide leadership in how we construct our environment, challenging our respective disciplines to embrace regenerative futures.

Respectfully,

David J. Lewis

Dean, Parsons School of Constructed Environments
lewisd@newschool.edu