 | | | | | | | | | Dear Friends of Public Architecture:
As many of you may already know, April 16th marked the departure of our esteemed Executive Director, John Cary. Over the past six and a half years, John made an indelible mark on our organization and we are forever grateful for his talent, passion, and energy. His set of exceptional skills has been a seemingly endless gift to Public. In his last several months here, John led the development of our forthcoming book, The Power of Pro Bono, and he will continue to be involved with our organization in promoting the book’s message and outreach. We wish him luck with his next big adventure; we know he’ll continue to be a force in whatever he tackles.
With the support of our marvelous current staff and some future additions, I look forward to leading Public Architecture toward its ambitious goals. Just around the corner we will be announcing exciting new partnerships and projects, along with expansive plans for The 1% program. May the spring season bring you new hope and opportunities.
John Peterson, AIA
Founder & President
Contents:
1. The 1% Welcomes 7 Firms and 9 Nonprofits in April
2. 17th and Castro Plaza Celebrates Its One Year Anniversary
3. Volunteer Spotlight: Michelle Nermon
4. Partner Spotlight: NDLON
5. Upcoming Public Architecture Presentations & Participation
1. The 1% Welcomes 7 Firms and 9 Nonprofits in April
 7 new firms and 9 new nonprofits bring program participation to 364 nonprofits and 760 firms. Click here for a complete list of new participants. April also saw the closing of The 1% Nonprofit Survey, which received a 30% response from a pool of 350 nonprofits across the country.
Trash for Teaching (T4T) was drawn as the winner of Steelcase’s Think Chair. The Los Angeles-based nonprofit collects clean and safe cast-off material from the manufacturing process and repurposes them as educational resources. T4T Founder, Steve Stanton, “is thrilled to be the recipient of the grandest of prizes. Not only did we get a dynamic new warehouse renovation through The 1% program, but now we can sit and THINK in the comfort and beauty in our new Steelcase chair.”
T4T recently renovated a warehouse to act as their headquarters, thanks to the pro bon o design services rendered by the Los Angeles office of HLW International. The collaborative project converted 3,500 square feet of storage space into an educational workshop and display area for repurposed materials. The designers worked many late evenings with volunteers to assemble signage and create a 65 ft long sliding fabric wall sewn from reclaimed denim scraps. Artists Daniel Lehrer and Travis Frankel also designed an artful yellow tube array and canopy of suspended cups. HLW International’s work for T4T continues out of the designers’ passion, with chairs recently constructed from cardboard tubes and scrap vinyl banners.
Visit www.theonepercent.org for more information.
2. 17th and Castro Plaza Celebrates Its One Year Anniversary
 As Mayor Newsom’s Pavement to Parks initiative approaches the one year mark, the 17th and Castro Plaza is transitioning into a more permanent feature in the neighborhood. Public Architecture designed the plaza last spring as a six week trial, serving as the initiative’s pilot project. Since then, the City has extended the timeline for the plaza twice, largely due to positive feedback from Castro business owners and residents. With an eye towards a more permanent fix, the City is implementing permanent planters to act as traffic blocks and is looking into sturdier seating.
Set to be unveiled on May 22nd in honor of Harvey Milk Day, the City will replace the Sonotube bollards with concrete planters, designed by sculptor Paul Cesewski. Flora Grubb Nursery outfitted the plaza with Mediterranean Fan Palms and bottle trees sold at a steep discount. With 12 more Pavement to Parks projects forecasted for 2010, the program is clearly a success. Public Architecture is proud to have been a part of the initial installation of this innovative initiative, and currently is moving forward on other efforts that re-imagine open space and the public realm. Stay tuned for updates in future newsletters.
3. Volunteer Spotlight: Michelle Nermon
 Michelle Nermon has volunteered with Public Architecture since the fall of 2009. She currently works on the pro bono case studies, researching potential projects, conducting interviews, and editing content. For our forthcoming book, The Power of Pro Bono, Michelle transcribed a number of interviews, greatly increasing our capacity. We thank her for her work ethic and cheery disposition.
Michelle received BA’s in Architecture and Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008. Since graduating, Michelle has interned for Morphosis Architects in Los Angeles and GLS Landscape Architecture in San Francisco. Her avid curiosity in people and places has led her to travel extensively in Western Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and this summer, India and Sri Lanka. Michelle will embark on another exploration this fall when she relocates to Pittsburgh, PA. Currently, she is a Fieldwork Supervisor for the US Census in the North Beach and Chinatown neighborhoods in San Francisco.
4. Partner Spotlight: National Day Laborer Organizing Network
 Since 2008, Public Architecture has been working with The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) in connection with our Day Labor Station Design Initiative, and more recently on implementation efforts for the first Station (Los Angeles). NDLON is a leading national organization that works to better the lives of day laborers in the United States. By strengthening member organizations, NDLON advocates for the civil, labor, and human rights of day laborers. The organization develops leadership among workers to increase mobilization as well as establishes safe environments for workers to earn a living and promotes the integration of day laborers into the community.
One of the states in which NDLON has been actively working is Arizona, where the plight of day laborers and their hiring sites have been steadily worsening in recent years. The workers’ situation there received a new blow with the recent signing into law of Arizona Senate Bill 1070, a law that significantly impacts the basic human rights of immigrants living in the state. Among other things, the law mandates that police acquire the immigration status of a person if they have reasonable suspicion that they are illegal and have been stopped for another offense. It also criminalizes day labor hiring sites. As a result of the new legislation, NDLON has redoubled their efforts in Arizona and is one of several leading organizations actively fighting against this unjust law.
5. Upcoming Public Architecture Presentations & Participation
US Green Building Council Federal Summit | Washington, DC | May 18, 2010
Invited panelist, "Building Material Reuse"
AIA National Convention | Miami, FL | June 10-12, 2010
Invited panelist, "Design for the Next Decade"
IIDA MN Northland Chapter | Minneapolis, MN | October 4, 2010
Invited panelist, “Activism within the Profession”
DFC Summit on Sustainable Design | Atlanta, GA | October 5-7, 2010
Co-chair
Click here for more information.
 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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