August 2008
Dear Friends of Public Architecture: 
It is with no small amount of pride that I relay a promising development in the world of pro bono design. This past Friday, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) issued a draft of its forthcoming “Pro Bono Guidelines,” the first substantive statement on the subject in the organization’s 150-year history. Although still in draft form and awaiting adoption by the AIA Board of Directors this fall, the guidelines are a major step forward for the AIA and the profession. It is also a sign that this culture of pro bono we have been working to build since the launch of Public Architecture and The 1% program is taking hold.
Public Architecture will be submitting detailed recommendations for improving this document to best reflect the ways that the AIA and its individual members can advance a profession-wide pro bono agenda. We ask you to join us in encouraging the AIA at this crucial moment. Additional details on the AIA’s public comment period follow below.
In closing, I would like to recognize a bright young woman who Public Architecture was fortunate to host as a “Summer Associate” for the past eight weeks. Virginia Alexander was one of two-dozen excellent applicants who applied to work at Public Architecture this summer. She contributed greatly to our myriad efforts, particularly with the development of our forthcoming pro bono project case studies. This fall, Virginia will enter her third year of a three and a half year Master of Architecture program at North Carolina State University, whose dean, Marvin Malecha, is a friend of Public Architecture as well as the AIA President-elect. We wish Virginia all the best and thank her for her service.
John Peterson
Founder & Chair
Contents:
1. AIA Announces Public Comment Period for “Pro Bono Guidelines”
2. The 1% Program Update & Manager Search Reminder
3. Article: “Architecture firms find happiness in pro bono”
4. Day Labor Station Travels with Design for the Other 90% Exhibition
5. Slow Food Nation Festival Coming to San Francisco Labor Day Weekend
6. Architecture and the City Festival & Opening Party
7. Upcoming Presentations and Participation
8. Thank You to Our Supporters and Ways to Contribute
1. AIA Announces Public Comment Period for “Pro Bono Guidelines”
 Between now and August 20, the AIA is soliciting comments on a draft of its new "Pro Bono Guidelines." The 15-page document is broken up into nine major sections, covering a range of topics. The stated intent of the guidelines is to provide “encouragement, guidance, and recommendations for the management of the provision of pro bono services by members of the Institute, firms, and AIA components who are presently, or contemplating becoming, engaged in providing such services.”
AIA members are invited to comment on the draft in a members-only section of the AIA.org website. Public Architecture will be hosting an open online discussion forum on the AIA guidelines. The forum will be part of the Pro Bono Junkie's Blog maintained by Aaron Hurst, president of the Taproot Foundation and a proud member of our board of directors. We encourage you to participate in this important discussion and we will use your comments to shape our response to the AIA.
Click here to download a PDF of the 15-page report.
Click here to directly access the Pro Bono Design forum of the Pro Bono Junkie's Blog.
2. The 1% Program Update & Manager Search Reminder
 During the month of July, Public Architecture welcomed 11 new firms into The 1% program, increasing the number of firms to almost 400. The 1% also continues to grow in nonprofit participants; 19 nonprofits registered their facility needs with the program in July, bringing the total number of nonprofits seeking design assistance to nearly 150.
Public Architecture would like to thank the many firms that have responded to the second annual firm survey. This year's survey will close on Wednesday, August 6th; if your firm has not yet completed the survey, this is your last opportunity to do so.
Two direct outcomes of last year’s survey are our forthcoming Project Case Study Database as well as our new Green Resource lists. We are constantly seeking exemplary projects to serve as case studies; if you are interested in sharing information about your project, please complete our Case Study Questionnaire and return it to info@theonepercent.org with “Case Study” in the subject line. A member of The 1% program staff will contact you shortly.
Click here to access the Case Study Questionnaire for Architecture and Design firms.
Click here to access the Case Study Questionnaire for Non-Profit Organizations.
Reminder: As announced previously, Public Architecture is in the midst of a search for a new program manager for The 1%. The 1% Program Manager oversees all aspects of this unique national initiative, including architecture firm and nonprofit recruitment, project scoping and matching, as well as development of related resources.
Click here for the full description and application instructions for this position.
3. Article: “Architecture firms find happiness in pro bono”
 A recent St. Louis Post-Dispatch article published this month confirmed Public Architecture’s convictions regarding the benefits that pro bono endeavors offer to firms. The article references The 1% program of Public Architecture along with one of our “10 for 1” firm sponsors, HOK, and also highlights St. Louis-based architects engaged in pro bono service, showcasing the tremendous dedication of these architects to pro bono work.
Click here to read the article.
4. Day Labor Station Travels with Design for the Other 90% Exhibition
 After a successful debut at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, the Design for the Other 90% exhibition has begun traveling to other locations in the U.S. and Canada. The exhibition, which profiled innovative design work that addresses the vast majority of the world’s population who normally do not have access to professional design services, included one of our design campaigns, the Day Labor Station, among the more than 35 projects featured. Due to logistical constraints, the full scale section of the Day Labor Station that was on view at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum last summer was unable to travel. However, images of the built section along with other images of the project are featured on a Day Labor Station-dedicated board now traveling with the exhibition. The exhibition is presently scheduled to open in the following locations over the next year:
Walker Art Center | Minneapolis, MN
May 19, 2008 through September 7, 2008
Ontario College of Art & Design | Toronto, ON
October 4, 2008 through January 23, 2009
Global Health Odyssey Museum | Atlanta, GA
February 20, 2009 through May 31, 2009
The exhibition catalog can now be purchased through the Cooper-Hewitt, the Walker Art Center, or Amazon.
Click here to visit the Design for the Other 90% exhibition website for more information.
5. Slow Food Nation Festival Coming to San Francisco Labor Day Weekend
 This coming Labor Day Weekend, San Francisco will host the first annual Slow Food Nation Festival. Slow Food Nation is the nonprofit arm of Slow Food USA and part of the international Slow Food movement. The organization seeks to create a framework for a deeper environmental connection to our food and aims to inspire and empower Americans to build a food system that is sustainable, healthy and delicious. This first annual festival is billed to be the largest celebration of food in America.
As part of the festival activities, architects and designers from the San Francisco Bay Area have teamed up with food curators to create a series of pavilions and installations through which people can “come to the table” to celebrate, learn, and act on creating a sustainable and just food system. Public Architecture has partnered with San Francisco-based policy nonprofit Roots of Change to stage an installation around a petition launch for a new vision for agriculture and food policy for the 21st century. The petition and accompanying vision statement will be a call to action for future food and agriculture policies to benefit all Americans.
The petition launch is free to the public and will occur on Thursday, August 28 from 5-6pm in the Rotunda of San Francisco City Hall. Other Slow Food Nation Festival events will occur in and around San Francisco that weekend (August 28 - September 1).
Visit the Slow Food Nation website for more information.
6. Architecture and the City Festival & Opening Party 
Featuring exhibitions, films, green programming, lectures, tours, and more, the month-long Architecture and the City festival celebrates San Francisco's unique built environment and design community. This year's theme, “Design for Community,” aims to draw attention to the way in which buildings impact our streets and neighborhoods, and more importantly, how they help to shape our communities into more livable places. Additionally, this year’s Architecture and the City, for the first time ever, offers architectural programming for the whole family, tours of evolving San Francisco neighborhoods, and dining by design, a unique opportunity to dine with architects and chefs.
The opening night party, hosted at Room & Board in San Francisco on August 29th will salute the participating organizations, sponsors, and design enthusiasts who make Architecture and the City possible. Public Architecture, along with Architecture for Humanity, also will be featured at the event, sharing their perspectives on what it means to design for community. The event is free, but registration is required.
Visit the AIA San Francisco website for more information.
7. Upcoming Presentations and Participation
Public Architecture, The 1% Program | AIA East Bay | Oakland, CA | August 27, 2008
Invited Speaker
Public Architecture Board Retreat | San Francisco, CA | September 5-6, 2008
Evening reception for donors and supporters to take place Friday, September 5
DFC Summit on Sustainable Design | Vancouver, BC | September 22-24, 2008
Moderator and Emerging Leaders Delegation Chair
Design Economies | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | September 25, 2008
Invited speaker
Click here for a complete list of upcoming presentations.
8. Thank You to Our Supporters and Ways to Contribute 
We would like to start by thanking those generous individuals and organizations that have responded to our second annual mid-year appeal for donations. This year’s appeal focused on past donors. Their continued support enables us to carry out our work. To join them in making a donation, contact Public Architecture at 415/861-8200 or to make an online donation, click here.
Click here for 10 other ways to contribute to our work.
Established in 2002, Public Architecture identifies and solves practical problems of human interaction in the built environment and acts as a catalyst for public discourse through education, advocacy, and the design of public spaces and amenities. Visit www.publicarchitecture.org for more information.
|
|
