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Stephanie Johnston, education manager at UK humanitarian group Article 25, will speak at the Syracuse University on Friday, Feb. 18, at 5 p.m. in Slocum Hall Auditorium. Her lecture, “Points of Impact: Rethinking the Disaster Response Cycle,” is the keynote lecture for the (Society of Multicultural Architects and Designers) Disaster Proofing Symposium, and is free and open to the public. The symposium explores the role of pre-disaster architectural design, construction techniques and social and economic systems in post-disaster restoration efforts.

Article 25 is a charity in the UK that designs, builds and manages projects to provide better shelter in distressed and underserved areas around the world. Its mission is to bring experienced, field-appropriate professional skills and academically rigorous research findings to NGOs engaged in building work, and empower local communities to lead long-term recovery and rehabilitation. As a complement to its field-based work, Article 25 also collaborates with practitioners, universities and organizations on research projects targeted toward testing and applying innovative and cost-effective technologies to community-based projects.

Since its inception in 2006, Article 25 has worked on more than 40 assignments worldwide. Some of the current and completed projects include a bridge on the Thai-Burmese border to replace one that was washed away by flood in 2005 (with Whispering Seed, a U.S.-registered NGO), a prototype child-friendly school in Sierra Leone (with Save the Children) and conservation of traditional architecture in Afghanistan (with the Turquoise Mountain Foundation).

Johnston earned her master’s degree in development and planning at London’s Bartlett School. Her work experience ranges from commercial practice in the UK, to slum upgrading in Istanbul, to crime prevention through environmental design. She has worked on several projects in Africa and recently in Haiti. Through her work at Article 25, she strives to build a platform where best practices can be shared and applied across regions, and where professionals can discuss, contribute and share skills, knowledge and new technologies.

SMAD at Syracuse University was created in 2003 to supplement the academic curriculum with multicultural pedagogies in all spatial design majors, with an emphasis on architecture, and to bridge the gap between the design disciplines.