July 2009

Dear Friends of Public Architecture:

In mid-June, Liz Ogbu, John Cary, and I partook in the annual NeoCon tradeshow at the enormous Merchandise Mart in Chicago. We were graciously hosted by our good friends at Contract Magazine, Shaw Contract Group, Steelcase, and others in an array of capacities. Two major new Public Architecture initiatives were announced during NeoCon, both of which have the potential to dramatically increase the impact of our collective efforts.

First and foremost, Shaw Contract Group--a Berkshire Hathaway Company--announced that 1% of sales on its latest and greatest carpet line, Homage, will be donated to Public Architecture. Based on current projections, this represents a major contribution to our work in the coming years. Homage products can help achieve LEED Green Building Rating System™ credits related to recycled content and adhesives and sealants, among others. Homage is also eligible for credit in the Innovation in Design category due to the collection’s Cradle to Cradle Certifications. We are grateful to Shaw, its Vice President of Marketing John Stephens, and the firms and designers who will specify products from the Homage line.

The second initiative was pitched to the broader manufacturing community as an alternative to the typical corporate gift-giving and -getting. Fruitcakes, popcorn, and monogrammed knicknacks are all perfectly well-intentioned gifts, but ones the design community can probably live without. Public Architecture's initial "Public Offering" was conceived to provide a platform for manufacturers to ‘give design instead.’ With the help of our now nearly 600 firms, Public Architecture leverages $25 in pro bono design services for every dollar donated. Conceived by a group of design industry leaders, including seed funding from Teknion, Public Architecture worked with Janine James & Kevin Szell of The Moderns, a New York-based creative agency, on a pro bono basis to bring this initiative to life. Basic information is available online at www.publicoffering.org with additional details to be announced in the coming months.

John Peterson
Founder & President

Contents:

1. Mia Scharphie Wins Fellowship; Operations Associate Search Underway
2. The 1% Program Welcomes 18 Firms and 3 Nonprofits in June
3. Proactive Practice: XChange Architects' PopUP Café Prototype
4. Volunteer Spotlight: Amy Ress
5. Partner Spotlight: Knowledge Architecture
6. Sponsor Spotlight: Humanscale Corporation
7. Upcoming Public Architecture Presentations & Participation

1. Mia Scharphie Wins Fellowship; Operations Associate Search Underway

Public Architecture’s beloved Mia Scharphie--a familiar name to our many contacts, particularly The 1% program participants--will be leaving our staff in mid-July. Mia has won the prestigious Dorot Fellowship, which brings a very select group of emerging leaders together for a year of fellowship and learning in Israel. This is an enormous honor and opportunity for Mia, and is a testament to the enormous potential we saw in her from day one and every day thereafter. Mia has contributed greatly to every aspect of our organization over the past year, sometimes single-handedly building systems that have enabled Public Architecture to more strategically engage volunteers, seek funding, and fulfill our mission. Mia will be greatly missed, but promises to remain involved in an advisory capacity and participate in our growing pro bono project case study development process.

Over just a few days, Public Architecture fielded nearly 100 applications for an Operations Associate position, overseeing just half of Mia’s many roles. That search has yielded a great group of finalists, and we will be introducing Mia’s successor in the coming weeks.

2. The 1% Program Welcomes 18 Firms and 3 Nonprofits in June

The 1% program of Public Architecture experienced steady growth in June, welcoming 18 firms and 3 nonprofits, bringing the total participant roster to 593 firms and 261 nonprofits. Click here for a complete list of these new participants.

Matching activity continues to increase, with both nonprofits and designers creatively taking advantage of constrained times to contribute to innovative projects. Two cross-state partnerships in-progress include:

The Keep On Pushing Foundation of Congers, NY which nourishes the minds, bodies and spirits of K-12 students in underprivileged areas worldwide, has matched with Scott Hughes Architects of Hobe Sound, Fla. Together, they are collaborating on the Drews Avenue Primary School Bakery Company in Kingston, Jamaica--a prototype of a standalone kitchen and food preparation area in an elementary school that will serve as a learning tool for entrepreneurship through food preparation. The kitchen will not only feed students, but also bring cash flow into the school as well as the community. The deliverables includes conceptual drawings and marketing materials, with the ultimate goal of creating an environmentally-sensitive, distinctive structure that is inexpensive and fast to construct.

The sole proprietorship of Richard P. McGrew, Architect of Henderson, Nev., is working with the Berkeley, Calif.-based Multicultural Institute on facility-use planning for two related projects, transitioning to a new office space and expanding programs to better serve youth, families, and immigrant workers.

The 1% program gives these and other social endeavors a venue through which to tap into the collective goodwill of the design community and also provides designers with opportunities to take on projects of interest to them.

Visit www.theonepercent.org for more information.

3. Proactive Practice: XChange Architects' PopUP Café Prototype

Public Architecture grew out of the unorthodox pro bono practice of Peterson Architects, which initiated and proposed an open space strategy for San Francisco’s South of Market Area, the basis of Public Architecture’s Sidewalk Plaza design initiative. XChange Architects, a Brookline, Mass.-based participant in The 1% program, similarly serves as a model of firm-initiated community change. They have undertaken similar pro bono streetscape improvement work for the Allston Village Main Streets Design Committee. Their “PopUP Café” is a versatile, year-round prototype aimed at improving the street life and the spring and summer outdoor café season of Allston Village--a vibrant community in Boston, known for a diverse offering of restaurants and nightlife complemented by an equally diverse population from various area academic institutions. Each PopUP Café is a permanent, year-round steel and wood planter box that unfolds into an extension of the sidewalk. They are intended to add vibrancy on the weekends to the streetscape by serving the various local restaurants located along some of the major streets in the Allston area that lack adequate sidewalk depth to accommodate outdoor seating.

Contact Katie Reed, Executive Director, Allston Village Main Streets, or Derrick Choi, AIA, LEED-AP, Principal, XChange Architects for more information on this project.

4. Volunteer Spotlight: Amy Ress

Public Architecture wishes to highlight the contributions of Amy Ress, who has tirelessly volunteered along with Diana Mangaser on The 1% Program Matching Audit over the past six months. Amy has also tackled a number of other research projects, including a public-interest design curriculum. Starting next month, Amy will expand her service to Public Architecture and the communities we serve as our first Program Advancement Fellow, through the AmeriCorps*VISTA program.

Amy’s interests are centered on the integration of art in public landscapes and community-oriented design. Her many experiences include interning at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy, where she began creating a series of architectural sculptures. Returning to San Francisco, she worked as the Architecture & Design Forum Coordinator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. In addition to volunteering at Public Architecture, she enjoys volunteering at the San Francisco Planning & Urban Research Association, and working as a design and research consultant for firms, including Hood Design and Culvahouse Consulting. As an undergraduate, Amy studied art and photography at San Jose State University, and went on to earn her Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008.

5. Partner Spotlight: Knowledge Architectures

Public Architecture is thrilled to be partnering with Knowledge Architecture, to advance all of our technology, web, and social media strategies. Knowledge Architecture is a leading company that leverages technology to transform business processes and create strategic insights for architects and engineers.

Knowledge Architecture is the brainchild of Christopher Parsons, a leader in the AEC industry since 2002, having served as the Chief Information Officer for Steinberg Architects and the Information Technology Director for SMWM (now Perkins+Will). Chris is a trusted voice in the AEC technology community; in addition to his corporate experience, he is a former board member of the AEC IT Leaders Roundtable and the founder of San Francisco Digital Design (SFDD). Prior to entering the AEC industry, Chris was a consultant with Experio Solutions (now Hitachi Consulting), a strategic technology consulting practice serving Global Fortune 1000 companies. Chris holds degrees in history and political science from Wake Forest University. We really can’t say enough good things about Chris, Knowledge Architecture, and their solutions-finding approach.

Knowledge Architecture can be found online at www.knowledge-architecture.com and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/karchitecture.

6. Sponsor Spotlight: Humanscale Corporation

Public Architecture is grateful for the creative sponsorship of Humanscale Corporation--a leading manufacturer of ergonomic workplace products. A handful of times a year, Humanscale features Public Architecture as part of its "Design Smart Seminar Series" in showrooms across the country (up next are Dallas, New York, and Chicago). Each seminar is coupled with a silent auction of Humanscale products to benefit Public Architecture.

Humanscale has stepped up as the first in what we hope to be a series of manufacturers to make in-kind material donations to the pro bono projects being undertaken through The 1% program and other select nonprofits. High-impact nonprofits benefiting to date have included:

San Francisco School Volunteers, which is in the process of merging with the San Francisco Education Fund, received a donation of 16 Humanscale Liberty Chairs for its space designed by Boor Bridges Architecture through The 1% program.

Taproot Foundation, a crucial partner of Public Architecture, received 42 Humanscale Liberty Chairs between its DC and San Francisco offices, as a first step in a physical facility makeover. The picture at right, resembling a Mac/PC commercial, shows one of Taproot’s old office chairs next to the elegant Liberty Chair.

The Door, a New York-based nonprofit, received 45 Humanscale Cinto stacking chairs for its classroom and meeting spaces, having been referred to us by the Gap Foundation.

In each exchange, we learned a great deal about the transportation and timing issues associated with material donations of this sort. We are in conversation with other manufacturers, so not able to field requests at this time, but we ultimately hope to at least promote reliable sources for materials of this sort, if these transactions are not facilitated directly through TheOnePercent.org website.

Visit www.humanscale.com for details and information about Humanscale’s impressive line of products and solutions.

7. Upcoming Public Architecture Presentations & Participation

July 7-8, 2009 | New Canaan, CT
Philip Johnson Glass House
Invited speaker, "Architects Retreat"

July 13-August 10, 2009 | Bellagio, Italy
Rockefeller Foundation
Public Affairs Practitioner Residency

July 29-31, 2009 | Nashville, TN
AIA Tennessee State Convention
Keynote speaker, "Public Architecture: Broadening Social Impact"

August 13, 2009 | Los Angeles, CA
ASID/LA The Coming Out Party
Invited speaker and video subjects

August 28-29, 2009 | San Francisco, CA
Public Architecture Board Retreat
Evening reception for donors and friends to take place August 28

September 25, 2009 | Salt Lake City, UT
AIA Utah Design Conference
Keynote speaker

September 30-October 2, 2009 | Chicago, IL
DFC Summit on Sustainable Design
Delegate & Chair, Emerging Leaders Scholarship Program

Other Public Architecture presentations this fall are scheduled for Baton Rouge, Chicago, Dallas, Geneva (New York), New York City, Phoenix, and elsewhere.

To request a lecture or presentation, email info@publicarchitecture.org.

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.