September 2007
Dear Friends of Public Architecture:
September brings a multitude of Public Architecture activities--so much so that we have opted to issue this slightly abbreviated version of our regular newsletter and issue another mid-month. The latter will announce a series of major changes and improvements to our 1% Solution program, which Architectural Record has already begun to promote.
Read on and stay tuned.
John Peterson
Founder & Chair
Contents:
1. PARK(ing) Day 2007 - Friday, September 21
2. Executive Director Candidates & Recommendations Sought
3. 1% Solution Program Welcomes Seven New Firms
4. First Annual 1% Solution Participant Survey Results
5. McCall Design Group Partners on Secondary Housing Prototype
6. Fall Presentation Schedule
7. What You Can Do to Support Public Architecture
1. PARK(ing) Day2007 – Friday, September 21
Pioneered by REBAR in 2005 and co-organized this year with Public Architecture in association with The Trust for Public Land, "PARK(ing) Day" is a day-long global event centered in San Francisco. As part of the event, people temporarily transform parking spots into "PARK(ing) Spaces"--a temporary repurposing of a metered parking spot into a park, playground, lounge, workspace, etc.).
 Dozens of PARK(ing) Spaces are planned in cities across the country and around the world. Numerous PARK(ing) Spaces are planned throughout San Francisco, including several along Folsom Street, which will involve a "full-scale mockup" of Public Architecture's permanent "Sidewalk Plazas" project. The San Francisco efforts are part of AIA San Francisco's popular "Architecture and the City" festival, taking place throughout the month of September.
The final organizational meeting for San Francisco participants will be held at the offices of Public Architecture on Tuesday, September 11, at 7pm.
Visit www.parkingday.org for more information.
2. Executive Director Candidates & Recommendations Sought
 As announced last month, Public Architecture has initiated a search for its next executive director. With the position comes an array of unmatched opportunities, chief among them the opportunity to impact underserved communities at a scale never seen before through pro bono design. The position also presents the opportunity to interact with many of the nation's top foundations as well as hundreds architecture and firm design firms. One of the foremost responsibilities will be securing a new level of funding to support and sustain Public Architecture's "1% Solution" program as well as our advocacy and design projects.
Click here to view and download the complete position description. Please email recommendations and referrals to jcary@publicarchitecture.org.
3. 1% Solution Program Welcomes Seven New Firms 
Since our August 3 newsletter, Public Architecture has welcomed 7 new firms to our 1% Solution program. Their pledges bring to 173 the total number of firms that have pledged to date. One of the more unique and exciting pledges is AIA Illinois--our first AIA component--whose staff has committed to putting their professional skills to work for the public interest. 450 Architects (San Francisco, CA)
AIA Illinois (Springfield, IL)
ALB Designs (San Raphael, CA)
Burris Associates (Frankfort, KY)
In-Print Communications (Kansas City, MO)
Studio Five Architects (Minneapolis, MN)
[tf] + arch (Long Branch, NJ) Visit www.theonepercent.org for more information or to pledge.
4. First Annual 1% Solution Participant Survey Results
 Public Architecture would like to extend special thanks to the more than 75 firms that participated in our first annual 1% Solution Participant Survey. The survey sample ranged from sole practitioners to some of the largest firms in the country, such as HKS and Perkins Will.
“This is a historic survey,” according to Aaron Hurst, founder and president of the Taproot Foundation, which connects nonprofits with business professionals from a variety of fields on a pro bono basis. “It represents the first time, outside of the legal profession, that a quantifiable standard for pro bono has been put on the table for a specific industry and measured. Most significantly, the survey brings to light the barriers to further investment as well as demonstrated commitment to overcoming them.”
Click here to view a press release and data sheet summarizing key results.
5. McCall Design Group Partners on Secondary Housing Prototype
 1% Solution and 10 for 1 firm McCall Design Group (San Francisco, CA) recently partnered with San Jose State University graduate student Shaun Tai on an award-winning design for affordable and sustainable secondary housing in Northern California. Tai identified McCall Design Group through the 1% Solution program website, and the firm enthusiastically took on the project on a pro bono basis.
Tai's entry was one of three winners in a competition that was co-sponsored by The County of Humboldt, Calif., and The Humboldt Association of Realtors. The competition took into account affordability of both construction and ongoing operation and maintenance of the proposed dwelling, creativity of architectural design, compatibility of the design with the existing residence, green building features and cost efficiency. Following the judging, McCall Design Group stepped up to help produce the necessary construction documents, which are now on-file with The County of Humboldt for purchase by homeowners.
Click here to read the full press release and view images. Click here to read about a similar project, undertaken by Public Architecture and its host firm Peterson Architects for the City of Santa Cruz.
6. Fall Presentation Schedule
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum | New York, NY | September 23, 2007
Design for the Other 90% exhibition closing
Rice Design Alliance | Houston, TX | September 26, 2007
Invited lecturer
DFC Summit on Sustainable Design | Austin, TX | October 14-16, 2007
Panelists & Future Leader Delegates
Contract: Design Forum | Phoenix, AZ | October 19-21, 2007
Keynote speaker
AIA Kansas Conference & Exhibition | Topeka, KS | November 2, 2007
Keynote speaker
Build Boston Tradeshow | Boston, MA | November 13-15, 2007 [Register]
The Community Design in Practice Symposium co-sponsor, Thursday, November 15
Interested in having a Public Architecture representative speak to your firm, school, AIA chapter, or other audience? Email jcary@publicarchitecture.org.
7. 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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