November 2007
Dear Friend of Public Architecture:
 October was a month of major advances for Public Architecture, particularly related to "The 1%" program. On October 23, we publicly announced Phase II of The 1% program, comprised of our new print publication on pro bono design and the next generation of TheOnePercent.org website.
The new publication and website have already attracted 20 firms who have pledged more than 10,000 hours, bringing to 207 the number of firms that have pledged to complete more than 65,000 hours of pro bono service annually. Of equal significance, TheOnePercent.org website now enables nonprofits seeking design assistance to register their needs, and more than a dozen have done so in the past two weeks, including ones such as Home Aid and Family Connections, which have multiple chapters.
Read on to find out more about what The 1% program has to offer and how you can help.
John Peterson
Founder & Chair
Contents:
1. Introducing TheOnePercent.org, Version 2.0
2. The 1% User's Guide Now Online
3. Record 20 New Firms Join The 1% Program in October
4. The 1% Program Welcomes 15 Nonprofits Seeking Assistance
5. Comments from Nonprofit Leaders
6. ArchitectureBoston Profiles Public Architecture and The 1% Participants
7. Supporters of The 1% Program
8. Upcoming Presentations
9. What You Can Do to Support Public Architecture
1. Introducing TheOnePercent.org, Version 2.0
 The new website of The 1% program was directly informed by a survey of the first 150 firms to join the program as well as extensive inquiries fielded from nonprofit organizations seeking design assistance. Among many others, Version 2.0 of TheOnePercent.org website includes the following new features and functions: - Nonprofit organization and project registration capabilities
- Enhanced firm and nonprofit participant profiles
- Specific pro bono service offerings and descriptions
- Interactive national map of the cities that host 1% firms and nonprofits
- Enlarged project gallery and more detailed project profiles
- Interactive Flash version and downloadable PDFs of The 1% User's Guide
- Interviews with the architect and nonprofit leaders associated with exemplary pro bono design projects
- Dedicated "My 1%" portal for firms and nonprofits to manage their profiles and projects
- Email notifications of pro bono project opportunities
The website was developed in partnership with RedClay, and made possible by the support of our 10 for 1 firm partners and grants from The American Institute of Architects and National Endowment for the Arts.
2. The 1% User's Guide Now Online
 Public Architecture's newly-released print publication on pro bono design, The 1% User's Guide, is an inspirational, introductory resource for architecture and design firms as well as nonprofit organizations interested in undertaking pro bono design projects. The publication is two-sided and includes interviews with both firm and nonprofit leaders, benefits and strategies for engaging in a pro bono relationship, and how-to advice.
The publication was created in partnership with MendeDesign and made possible by a grant from the "Ideas that Matter" program of Sappi Limited. Over 3,000 copies of the publication are en route to firm and nonprofit leaders' mailboxes, thanks to distribution assistance from The Greenway Group and the Taproot Foundation. Additional hardcopies may be purchased from Public Architecture, and an interactive Flash version of the publication is now online, along with downloadable PDFs.
Click here to access The 1% User's Guide.
3. Record 20 New Firms Join The 1% Program in October
Since our October 2007 newsletter, Public Architecture has welcomed 20 new firms to The 1% program, including our first from Montana, first from Canada, and a handful of interior design firms. Arrowstreet (Somerville, MA)
Cozy Comfort Interior Design (Brandywine, MD)
DJS Interiors (Mount Laurel, NJ)
Dowling Sandholm Architects (Helena, MT)
En'terior Designs (Sugar Land, TX)
Feldman Architecture (San Francisco, CA)
Grace Street R.D.S. (Richmond, VA)
MASS Architecture and Design (Los Angeles, CA)
Mancini Duffy (New York, NY)
Mayers Architecture (Oakland, CA)
Pinnacle DB (San Francisco, CA)
Renaissance Architects (Springfield, IL)
Shelter Architecture (Minneapolis, MN)
SRG Partnership (Portland, OR / San Francisco, CA / Seattle, WA)
STUDIO 8 (New Haven, CT)
Sweeny Sterling Finlayson & Co Architects (Toronto, Canada)
T+G Studio (Albuquerque, NM)
Urban Studio Architects (Tampa, FL)
WINGS (Rancho Santa Fe, CA)
4. The 1% Program Welcomes 15 Nonprofits Seeking Assistance
In its first two weeks of operation, TheOnePercent.org has attracted 15 nonprofits, including the following:
Bill Wilson Center (Santa Clara, CA)
Christ House (Washington, DC)
Excelsior Family Connections (San Francisco, CA)
First United Methodist Church (Texarkana, AR)
Growth & Learning Opportunities (San Francisco, CA)
HomeAid America (Newport Beach, CA)
HomeAid San Diego (San Diego, CA)
Interfaith Worker Justice (Chicago, IL)
International Leadership Academy of Ethiopia (Renton, WA)
Leap Learning Systems (Chicago, IL)
Mount Hope Housing Company (Bronx, NY)
NextStep Fitness (Hermosa Beach, CA)
New Traditions Elementary School (San Francisco, CA)
Portola Family Connections (San Francisco, CA)
St. John's Educational Thresholds Center (San Francisco, CA)
5. Comments from Nonprofit Leaders
"HomeAid San Diego builds housing for temporarily homeless families and individuals by partnering with members of the building industry who donate construction materials and skilled labor. We build for existing community based nonprofit agencies that have demonstrated success with programs and support services designed to return their homeless clients to stable living situations. Your program appears to be the perfect match for us."
--Sara Thomas, HomeAid San Diego
"The timing of your mailing was absolutely perfect. We're looking to create a window display and interior design that reflects our new identity and vision and communicates to the thousands of people that pass by our 'storefront' window space each day. This is a critical component to our rebranding project that is currently underway. The physical design of our space is the missing piece!"
--Jeff Feinman, St. John's Educational Thresholds Center
"We have a garage space that we would like to turn into program and office space but barely know how to begin. The timing is perfect for this type of design consultation and collaboration." --MaryAnne Fleming, Portola Family Connections
6. ArchitectureBoston Profiles Public Architecture and The 1% Participants
 The newly-released November/December 2007 issue of ArchitectureBoston magazine features a two-page profile of Public Architecture. In addition to a number of project profiles from TheOnePercent.org website, two firm leaders earned mentions and quotes in the article: Phil Harrison, CEO of Perkins + Will, and Craig Curtis of The Miller|Hull Partnership.
Click here to download a PDF (5mb) of the article.
7. Supporters of The 1% Program
 The 1% program was originally launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as our 10 for 1 firm partners such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green & Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, Peckham & Wright Architects (PWA), and Perkins + Will. The 1% program would not exist without their crucial support.
Click here for more information on our important sponsors and supporters. Donations can be made via any of Public Architecture's websites and sponsorship opportunities can be discussed with John Cary, executive director, at 415/861-8200 or email at jcary@publicarchitecture.org.
8. Upcoming Presentations
AIA Kansas | Topeka, KS | November 3, 2007
Keynote speaker, AIA Kansas Conference & Exhibition
Build Boston Tradeshow | Boston, MA | November 15, 2007
Co-sponsor, Community Design in Practice Symposium [Register]
Looking ahead to 2008, Public Architecture leaders have already accepted invitations to speak at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Design Forum, and the Sarasota Design Conference as well as participate in the Pro Bono Summit.
9. What You Can Do to Support Public Architecture
Click here for 10 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.
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