 June 2008 
Dear Friends of Public Architecture:
Over the past few years we have all watched as the environmental agenda has seemingly impacted every aspect of our lives. From household products to real estate development, green is the new black. Even though this movement has brought around its fair share of commercial greenwashing, the environmental movement is clearly encouraging people to take steps in the right direction. However, more recently we are seeing the conversation around sustainability begin to turn to issues beyond environmentalism. If “sustainability” is to be successful and meaningful it must include social justice, economic well-being, politics, and beauty. This has been a significant part of the conversation that Public Architecture has been promoting for the last six years and we continue to find an ever expanding web of like-minded supporters in new places.
Last Wednesday, I was a presenter on a webcast panel for the Cascadia Region Green Building Council (GBC). The focus of the panel was the role of “meaning” in design. It would not surprise anyone to know that the Cascadia GBC has historically concentrated on a purely environmental agenda. However, being the thoughtful organization that it is, lately, they have been expanding their view of what is required to be sustainable. It is the maturing of a movement, adopting a more comprehensive and inclusive view of the variety of backgrounds of those who need to be invited to the table.
We are also witnessing similar progress within design firms. Perkins & Will, for instance, has found success with integrating broad environmental goals into their corporate culture and is now turning their attention to a similar expectation of social and cultural responsibility. They are not alone; we hear stories about this kind of interest and investment everywhere we go.
This is an exciting time of transition. With your support Public Architecture will continue to play an important role in placing designers at the nexus of this conversation.
John Peterson
Founder & Chair
Contents:
1. The 1% Program Continues Momentum and Grows Geographically
2. Lifecycle Building Challenge 2 Opens for Registration
3. ScrapHouse and the Day Labor Station featured at Econnovation
4. Upcoming Presentations and Participation
5. Spring Appeal
1. The 1% Program Continues Momentum and Grows Geographically
 For those of you who are missing out on our monthly news updates on The 1% website, the team here at Public Architecture thought we would take this quick opportunity to deliver it straight to you in the Public Architecture monthly newsletter. May saw an impressive growth in the number of firms, adding 24 new participants and two new states to the growing geographic coverage of The 1% program. Both Nevada and Rhode Island are now on the map with new participants from each state, namely with Tate Snyder Kimsey and Thurlow Small Architecture respectively. Despite our recent flurry of travel, we have yet to make it out to Rhode Island and so we are extremely happy to see that word-of-mouth continues to be invaluable to the continued growth of The 1%.
Starting this month, we are beginning new efforts to reach out to our 1% participants on a more regular basis, starting with our first 150 firms. If you haven’t received a call already, expect one soon. We continue to look for additional ways to keep in touch with our participants, trying to ensure that we’re promoting all the good work being done by our firms and helping our nonprofits find greater success within the matching process.
Finally, with the completion of both the firm and nonprofit matching surveys, we are kicking our development of case studies and best practices into high gear. If you have a project that has a compelling or unique story to tell and is well documented, please let us know. We’ll help you pull together a story and make sure it’s shared on our website as an available resource to our firm and nonprofit participants. Email your interest to our info account at info@theonepercent.org with CASESTUDY in the subject and a member of the staff will connect with you.
2. Lifecycle Building Challenge 2 Opens for Registration
 ScrapHouse has left an indelible impression on many of you. The innovative, creatively-designed demonstration home illustrated the possibilities—as well as the challenges—of green building, recycling, and reuse. For those interested in the potential suggested by such a project, the Lifecycle Building Challenge, a competition organized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Institute of Architects, represents one avenue to continue to explore opportunities around the integration of material life cycle in the building process.
Lifecycle building reduces construction waste and conserves the embodied energy of buildings. Construction waste totals more than 100 million tons per year, and the embodied energy of building materials accounts for 12% or more of the total energy used in a building. The Lifecycle Building Challenge 2 is a free national competition that challenges creative minds to develop lifecycle building strategies to facilitate deconstruction, building material reuse, and greenhouse gas emission reductions.
Student and professional contestants can submit entries in 2 categories: Building and Innovation. The Innovation category can include component, policy, tool, and education entries.
New to the competition this year, outstanding achievement awards will be given to Best Greenhouse Gas Reduction, Best Residential, and Best School entries.
For more information, visit www.lifecyclebuilding.org.
3. ScrapHouse and The Day Labor Station Featured at Econnovation
 Both ScrapHouse and the Day Labor Station are currently featured in the Econnovation design show. Econnovation, an equation for ecological economical innovation, is a green design show based in the San Francisco Bay Area that is a multidisciplinary showcase of new, "econnovative" solutions pioneered locally. The show, which features an exhibition and a series of interactive workshops and events, is sponsored by Knoend, Scully Design, and Design Guild SF. The exhibition will be on display through June 20. The workshops and events are running concurrently.
As part of the exhibit, images of both ScrapHouse and the Day Labor Station are on display. Additionally, the three-quarter scale model of the Station, which was built last summer by UC Berkeley architecture student Nathan Brown, is on view.
For more information on Econnovation, click here.
4. Upcoming Presentations and Participation
AIA Chicago YAF Speaker Series | Chicago, IL | July 9, 2008
Invited speaker
AIA Illinois Leadership Institute | Chicago, IL | July 10, 2008
Invited speaker
DFC Summit on Sustainable Design | Vancouver, BC | September 22-24, 2008
Moderator and Emerigng Leaders Delegation Chair
 6. Spring Appeal
As with any 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Public Architecture depends on the generosity of our diverse group of supporters and friends to enable us to have the resources to meet our mission. While the majority of our financial needs are met by large grants from the NEA, the AIA, and private foundations, we also look for donations from architecture firms, groups, and individuals. We have just launched our spring donor appeal, and are accepting donations both in the mail and online.
In the coming months, we are working hard to achieve significant goals, including production of resource materials – many addressing legal and insurance issues – to help guide The 1% projects to successful completion as well as construction of the first official Sidewalk Plaza in San Francisco. Every dollar can make adifference to these and other efforts. We are continually grateful to those who support our ongoing efforts. And to those who have never given before, we hope that you will consider making a contribution towards serving the public good.
Click here to make your fully tax deductible donation today.
Thank you!
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.
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