School of Architecture professor featured in PBS 'green building' documentary

June 28, 2006

AUSTIN, Texas—University of Texas at Austin professor Sergio Palleroni is featured in an episode of the upcoming PBS series “Design: E2” (The Economics of Being Environmentally Conscious) narrated by Brad Pitt. The series has received rave reviews at special showings across the United States, including at Times Square in New York City and at Chicago’s city hall.

The show focuses on the positive impact sustainable architecture has on our economy, our health and the planet. Each segment highlights exceptional green design created by some of the most progressive minds in architecture around the world.

Palleroni’s episode “Green for All” features housing and community projects he is working on in East Austin and in Cuidad Obregón, México. In Austin, Palleroni is working with residents, local leaders, community organizations and state government to build 800 “granny flats” (dwellings adjacent to primary residences) that can generate additional income serving as rental properties. In Mexico, Palleroni and a team of university students have built more than 100 energy-efficient homes for single mothers in the Yaqui Indian tribe, one of the most culturally and geographically isolated groups in México.

Founder of BaSiC Initiative, a collaboration of faculty and students in the School of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin, Palleroni has spent two decades building sustainable communities in marginalized communities. Every project draws upon the relationship of communities to their environment, finding solutions that embrace appropriate technologies while reinforcing local values to spur self-initiated development.

The series will be broadcast multiple times during the month of July on KLRU. It will be shown again in its entirety in September. A listing of local air dates and times can be found at KLRU.

For more information contact: Amy M. Crossette, School of Architecture, 512-573-1078.