Austin J Carf is a student at Miami University in Oxford, OH studying Architecture and Environmental Science. His focus lies not only in environmentally sustainable projects, but socially equitable work. In 2018, he acted as a designer and a craftsman in a design-build project in Ghana, West Africa – erecting a much needed maternity ward in a rural village over the course of four weeks. Presently, he’s doing more design-build work in Cincinnati’s Over-The-Rhine neighborhood, designing and constructing affordable housing in a neighborhood facing heavy displacement. This experience is what made him a valuable member on the winning team of the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon: Elementary School Division. He and 7 other students from Miami University designed a locally sourced, financially viable elementary school up to PHIUS+ 2018 standards. Their passive house elementary school not only integrated sustainable and regenerative systems into the building, but emphasized socially responsible design in a low income community. Upon graduation in December, Austin is looking to take his talents to the West Coast to further practice both environmentally and socially sustainable design.