Contents:

1. The 1% Program Welcomes 20 Firms and 10 Nonprofits in September
2. October 21st—Free Online Screening of ScrapHouse Documentary
3. Connect with Public Architecture on Facebook and Twitter
4. Volunteer Spotlight: Lakshmi Ramarajan
5. Partner Spotlight: Elena Dorfman Photography
6. Upcoming Public Architecture Presentations & Participation

1. The 1% Program Welcomes 20 Firms and 10 Nonprofits in September

Since our September newsletter, The 1% program has grown by 20 firms and 10 nonprofits, with new firms reporting in from the nation's capitol all the way to Logan, Utah, and a diverse group of nonprofits focused on pet rescue, conservation, and music. This brings the program to a total of 646 firm and 295 nonprofit participants--more than doubling nonprofit participation this time last year. Click here for a complete list of new participants.

Public Architecture encourages firms to contribute their completed pro bono projects to The 1% Project Gallery--including pro bono work generated outside The 1% program. In addition to increasing the visibility of The 1% firms and nonprofits, we use the project gallery as a source for future case studies. This month, we are featuring two pro bono projects aimed at helping children in need. Both were generated outside The 1%.

A number of years ago, Jova/Daniels/Busby of Atlanta, Ga., offered pro bono design services to Genesis Shelter, a nonprofit that enables homeless newborns to grow and develop in healthy surroundings. The firm renovated a 22,000 sf facility to accommodate 18 families. The project included the design of a child development center, administrative offices, and an expansion space that will house up to six additional families. Jova/Daniels/Busby took on this project due to their belief that "good design is powerful. It enhances life. It elevates the human experience. It improves the quality of interaction between people and their surroundings."

Paulsen Architects donated its time to The Miracle League of Minnesota to design Fallenstein Field at Caswell Park in Mankato. The firm executed the first barrier-free, handicapped and wheelchair accessible softball/baseball field in Minnesota, prompting a second to be built in Minneapolis. The mission of the Miracle League is to give "every child an opportunity to play baseball" and this project is truly a step forward for the organization. The field is built in accordance with National Wheelchair Softball Association specifications and provides opportunities for children and adults with all types of disabilities to actively participate in softball and baseball. The project also bolstered Paulsen Architects' commitment to emphasize, evaluate, and reward employee efforts that give back to the community.

Visit www.theonepercent.org for more information.

2. October 21st—Free Online Screening of ScrapHouse Documentary

For 24 hours, on Wednesday, October 21, Green Planet Films is offering free, online screenings of the 2006 documentary, ScrapHouse: San Francisco. The film originally aired on the National Geographic Channel and the DVD is now being distributed by Green Planet Films. Conceived by filmmaker Anna Fitch and showman Chicken John, Public Architecture's “ScrapHouse” project was a six-week blitz build of a single-family home built entirely out of salvaged material. ScrapHouse was constructed on Civic Center Plaza in front of San Francisco's City Hall as the centerpiece of World Environment Day 2005. ScrapHouse the film tracks the development and implementation of the project, all the way from conceptual design down to the last nail.

The DVD is currently available for sale on the Green Planet Films website for universities and will be released to the general public on October 21. Green Planet Films will be hosting an online trivia contest for those of you who tune in, with prizes like a soil-producing composter from their green-minded sponsors.

Visit the ScrapHouse site (www.scraphouse.org) and Public Architecture’s main site (www.publicarchitecture.org) for more information on the screening of the film as the date approaches.

3. Connect with Public Architecture on Facebook and Twitter

For those of you privy to social media, Public Architecture recently transitioned our Facebook "Group" into a "Page," which you can visit by clicking here. The Page now allows us to share our projects in a medium that actively engages viewers. In the past week, we have created a gallery of our projects to peruse online, including 3D photos of the ScrapHouse project so dust off your 3D shades from 1986.

As always, we welcome comment and critique of our designs and ideas. On our Facebook discussion board, you will find the first of many weekly questions aimed at generating conversation on pro bono design. This week we will be ruminating about the past: What is your earliest memory of acting as a designer? How has your process changed? Whether you are currently a member of our Group, haven’t yet joined up or are new to Facebook, we welcome you to add yourselves as fans of our Page and join the discussion. Check our status for updates.

Public Architecture also recently launched a Twitter feed that we pepper with news and experiences in real time. Visit Public Architecture on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pubarch.

4. Volunteer Spotlight: Lakshmi Ramarajan

A year ago, Public Architecture had the great fortune of meeting Lakshmi Ramarajan, PhD. Lakshmi's interest in Public Architecture and The 1% program led to a partnership with Harvard Business School that has greatly increased our outreach efforts.

As a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School, Lakshmi's research examines identities, group boundaries and intergroup relations in organizations. Lakshmi's has provided invaluable critical analysis and organizational support as Public Architecture works to refine The 1% matching process, developing metrics to better manage The 1% program. In addition, she led our effort to launch The 1% Firm Survey as well as our forthcoming survey of The 1% nonprofit participants, helping us coordinate and advance both efforts.

At HBS, Lakshmi's research examines how people can work fruitfully across social divides, with a particular emphasis on identities, group boundaries and intergroup relations. Her research asks two broad questions related to bridging differences across multiple identities and group boundaries: 1) What are the effects of managing multiple identities on interpersonal and intergroup relations? and 2) How do organizational and intergroup boundaries influence individuals' multiple identities and intergroup relationships? In recent work she examines how individuals' manage their organizational, ethnic, religious and national identities, and how these identities interact to influence interpersonal problem solving and pro-social attitudes and behavior.

5. Partner Spotlight: Elena Dorfman Photography

Public Architecture would like to recognize the artistic contributions and extraordinary efforts of our long-time partner, Elena Dorfman of Elena Dorfman Photography. Elena has been a vital partner in our effort to photograph and interview day laborers as part of our Day Labor Station design initiative.

Dorfman's 2007 series, Fandomania: Characters & Cosplay, explored the world of costume play—a pop-cultural phenomenon exported from Japan, now exploding in the U.S. The subjects in this series are extreme fans who frequent conventions worldwide, who dress up and live as characters from video games, Japanese manga and anime. A book of the same title has been published by Aperture.

Still Lovers, the photographic series that preceeded Fandomania, examined the intimate and domestic lives of men and women who live with life-sized silicone dolls. Still Lovers, the monograph, was published by Channel Photographics. Both series were the subject of solo shows at both the Edwynn Houk Gallery in New York, and multiple cities worldwide.

6. Upcoming Public Architecture Presentations & Participation

AIA Montana | Bozeman, MT | October 9, 2009
Invited speaker

Hobart & William Smith Colleges | Geneva, NY | October 21, 2009
Invited lecturer

GreenBuild | Phoenix, AZ | November 11-13, 2009
Invited panelist, "The Design of Resource Use in Place(s)"

Contract Design Forum | Austin, TX | November 5-7, 2009
Invited participant

Click here for a complete list of upcoming presentations.

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.