AIAS TALKS: Julia Mollner Useful Waste Initiative – Re-purposing construction mock-ups into tiny homes

About the event

“Useful Waste” is a Portland State University Center for Public Interest Design led initiative that aims to reframe the industry’s view on construction waste and encourage material diversion and reuse. The intent of this initiative is to utilize an overlooked material resource – stand-alone construction mock-ups – by repurposing the material and responding to pressing social needs, such as the local housing emergency in Portland, OR. This presentation will focus on how the Useful Waste Initiative was started, how the team managed the project as volunteers while balancing time and passion with a full-time job, and why houseless villages are critical to build housing diversity and personal stability.

Julia is a Registered Architect in Oregon at Carleton Hart Architecture with a background in architecture and art history. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor and a Fellow of Practice at the Center for Public Interest Design (CPID) at Portland State University. Julia’s passion lies at the intersection of community, health, and a collaborative design process that fosters socially responsible, holistic development. Her focus on human-oriented design creates long-lasting relationships with people, and manifests in her affordable housing work. Julia received a BS in Architecture Studies from Washington State University. She attended the University of Cape Town, South Africa and earned her Masters of Architecture from Portland State University. In 2016, she was named a Woman of Vision by the Oregon Journal of Commerce.