The actual need for such a building as the Arab World Institute is wellestablished because Arabs are searching for a solid relationship with Westerners. Growth is possible only through education. The Arab World Institute offers the opportunity for education, information, and entertainment, and serves as a hub of activity where all people-Arabs and otherwise-can meet and share cultural distinctions.The Arab World Institute will have at once:A cultural center for the need of the understanding of Arabic civilization,A museum to show the struggle for development in the Arabic world and to illustrate the cultural impact in a symbol of the city's past development,A library to express the architecture's poetic dimension.The Arab World Institute's buildings do not represent a single and imaginary moment in time, but a place of evolution and change. The Arab World Institute's mission will be:To develop a deeper knowledge and better understanding of Arabic culture, language, and civilization,To improve communication and cultural exchange between nations,To further The United States' relationship with the Arab world in order to contribute to developments in the rest of the world. / Department of Architecture

A call for design proposals for three features for the National Garden was held in October, 1992 by the National Fund for the U.S. Botanic Garden. The competition called for refinement of an existing master plan developed by EDAW, a landscape architectural firm, or the design of a new concept for the National Garden. This creative project chose to develop a new master and to document the research, process, and assumptions that lead to the final design. The research will focus on the examination of the site and it's history (Washington, D.C.) and examination into the history, evolution, and relevance of botanic gardens.The underlying thesis is that the changing roles that botanic gardens have played in society have had an effect on their built form. The current role of botanic garden as a pleasure garden aswell as an educational experiences is the result of hundreds of years of evolution. By the examination of the history and changing roles of botanic gardens, this creative project will design a space that not only meets the needs of the competition, but will meet the needs of the generation at hand. / Department of Landscape Architecture