Anselmo Gianluca Canfora
Associate Professor
Office location and address
Education
M.Arch., University of Michigan
Biography
Anselmo Canfora founded Initiative reCOVER at the University of Virginia in 2007. Initiative reCOVER is a research project established to assist underserved populations through partnerships with humanitarian, community-based organizations, professional firms, and manufacturers. In the classroom and in the field reCOVER promotes a collaborative entrepreneurial interdisciplinary spirit in service of hands-on, design-build learning experiences, and the advancement of building technologies, methods, and materials. Based on a fundamental philosophy that design and building processes are dialectically interdependent, a building – or the act of building – is not simply considered a result, outcome, or even a product of design, but instead it is promoted as a collaborative effort well informed by thoughtful research, substantive interdisciplinary exchanges, and direct community involvement. Canfora’s research and teaching center on two recurring themes in the architecture discipline: The tools and craft of building, and the people for whom buildings are made.
Through his teaching and research, Canfora explores emerging fabrication technologies and processes of construction to create domestic and international disaster recovery housing for a broader audience than the profession has traditionally engaged. Canfora’s teaching focuses on the preparation of students thorough foundational knowledge and skill sets in architecture while anticipating the potential new roles they will face as members of an evolving discipline, one with the most direct influence on the built environment.
Publications
Sponsored Awards
Courses
Honors
“Kay e Sante nan Ayiti” International Design Competition, ARCHIVE Institute, 1st Place: Initiative reCOVER, “Breathe House” (Competition included 400 registered teams, 200 eligible entries, 147 design teams, 20 finalists, top 5 designs selected for construction)
Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, Collaborative Practice Award, March 2011, “Initiative reCOVER: Primary School, Uganda;" Canfora, A.; Elzey, D; J. Kaliisa; Smith, E; Srour, G.
American Institute of Architects, Education Honor Award, March 2010
Initiative reCOVER: Primary School in Gita, Uganda, PI: Canfora, A Co-PI: Elzey, D. Graduate Research Assistant: Ponitz, J.
Design Ignites Change: Implementation Award, August 2010 ($6,000)
“Initiative reCOVER: Disaster recovery Housing Prototype,” PI: Canfora, A. Student Team: Bulla-Richards, A.; Harper, S.; Lee, S.; Parker, N.; Thompson, L.
Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture,
Faculty Design/Research Award, March 2004
“Mies In Michigan: Making Image Material,” Canfora, A.; Comazzi, J.; Wilkins, G.
Virginia Tobacco Commission, Research and Development Grant
“Partnership for Design and Manufacture of Affordable, Energy-efficient Housing Systems,” (Total Project Budget: $6,006,570; Tobacco Commission: $2,445,000; reCOVER: $1,006,378)
PI: Parrish, P.; Office of the Vice President for Research; Co-PIs: Canfora, A; Quale, J, SARC
National Science Foundation: EFRI: SEED Grant, August 2010
“Occupant-oriented Heating and Cooling” ($1,998,000; reCOVER: $133,398),
PI: Whitehouse; Co-PIs: Canfora, A.; Guerlain, S.; Haj-Hariri, H; Stankovic, J. (Award No. 1038271)
Environmental Protection Agency: P3 Student Design Competition for Sustainability Grant, July 2010, “Initiative reCOVER Disaster Recovery Shelter Prototype Project,” ($10,000) Canfora, Student Team: Bulla-Richards, A.; Harper, S.; Lee, S.; Parker, N.; Thompson, L. (Award No. SU 834731)