Hello my name is Aidan Syms, I recently graduated from Green Mountain College with a BA in Renewable Energy and Ecological Design (REED), and started a Masters of Architecture at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. As a design student I have worked on two major design/build projects over the course of my undergraduate studies with the REED program. One of which was the first solar garage in the state of Vermont, Olwen Solar Garage, the other a recent product of the program, the OTIS trailer. Both projects have been covered in numerous publications such as treehugger.com, the Boston Globe, and inhabitat.com. On the Olwen project I was a part of the electrical design/installation team, designed the lighting for the building, as well a general member of the construction. For OTIS I was one of three in the electrical design group that created a solar power unit and charging station for the electrical needs of the intended users, as well a heating solution for the space. In the REED program we focus on a diverse collaborative design process that takes the user and the environment into consideration. This allows us to develop authentically sustainable products that are sourced and constructed responsibly allowing the product to meet the needs of the present user while leaving space for future generation to do the same. 

Throughout my undergraduate studies I was fascinated with the urban landscapes and the ecology that exists with in them. I learned the resource needs of various levels of development and how to sustainably satisfy them in a progressive form that could realistically transition the current state of things to a satisfactory future. Although professor Steven Letendre helped me to understand the energy systems in place it was hard for me to focus on the urban environment as I was in rural Vermont. However, as I gained grassroots knowledge of my setting I learned to compare and contrast the two landscapes. It wasn’t until my senior year when I took a class on American environmental history with professor Sarah Mittlefehldt, that I developed a real understanding and passion for finding sustainable solutions to the urban ecology. I’m very excited about my new track as a M. Arch student at Mass Art as this will allow me to further my knowledge of the city hardscape and its sustainable development. I am also interested in the social aspects of this ecological system as they are just as important as the resources that go in and out. Society can drive the urban ecology in a multitude of ways, whether that direction is sustainable or not.

Toward the end of my undergraduate studies I focused on my concentration in art and business in terms of grass roots community development and education, specifically in the realm of digital fabrication. The highly accessible tools offered by public fabrication labs fascinate me along with the results people may produce while using them. I got to dive deeper this summer as a lead volunteer coordinator at the Fab11 conference held at MIT this year. There I met so many amazing people and got to see what they were doing with this creative platform as well as take a peek into the coming future. I really love the cultivation of people’s ideas and businesses. The opportunity to help others develop efficient solutions for tomorrow’s world is a strong passion of mine.  I believe that the democratization of education, design, fabrication, and production will allow humanity to do great things. It allows us to effectively harness more of humanity’s brain power enhancing the problem solving ability of our societies.

As a fresh graduate I’m still growing as a design professional, however I present a demeanor that is eager to learn, develop, and evolve into a successful member of tomorrow’s design community. I love working with diverse collaborative design teams and appreciate the input of others. That being said, I welcome all opportunities to accomplish this goal and will never turn a blind eye to the dedication that follows my love for creation and design.