September 2008
“Good design can drive social justice. It's a message that borrows elements from progressive design movements of the past. But what Public Architecture and groups like it are after is also distinctly new. They are challenging their entire profession to take the high design standards usually reserved for elite clients and systematically deliver them to society's most vulnerable…” --The Boston Globe
Dear Friends of Public Architecture:
 The excerpt above is from “A Blueprint for Good,” one of the most comprehensive articles about Public Architecture published to date, appearing in a recent Sunday edition of The Boston Globe newspaper.
The story of Public Architecture began with the vision of a single architect--that he, his firm, and the profession have a role to play in affecting social change. That vision is based on a belief that designers have the unique ability to identify problems as opportunities, and that it is our responsibility to use our skills and expertise to advance the public good.
For more than six years, our visionary founder, John Peterson, has been balancing his private practice with the many demands and opportunities associated with building Public Architecture. Although he will continue to maintain a very select private practice, we are excited to report that John will be transitioning into a role on the Public Architecture staff starting part-time this month in his new role as Founder & President.
Please join me in welcoming John Peterson to the staff of Public Architecture.
John Cary
Executive Director
Contents:
1. President Bush, New Research Highlight Pro Bono Service
2. Presidential Candidates Forum & ServiceNation Summit
3. Second Annual Survey of The 1% Firm Participants Completed
4. 13 Firms and 14 Nonprofits Join The 1% in August
5. Upcoming Presentations & Participation
6. Public Architecture Board & Staff Developments
7. Support Public Architecture
1. President Bush, New Research Highlight Pro Bono Service
 On Monday, President Bush issued his “Remarks on Volunteering” during a special ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, attended by Executive Director John Cary. The event kicked off a week of major announcements and events centered around the broad theme of service.
Monday’s events included the unveiling of a groundbreaking report, Capitalizing on Volunteers’ Skills: Volunteering by Occupation in America. The survey was based on three years of volunteering data from the U.S. Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It concludes that although most volunteers don’t use their professional skills, those who do are more satisfied more likely to continue serving year to year. This statistic has become the basis for a new program, called “A Billion + Change: Great talent for the greater good,” challenging corporate America to undertake $1 billion in pro bono service over the next three years.
Visit www.abillionandchange.org for more information.
2. Presidential Candidates Forum & ServiceNation Summit
 Tomorrow evening, both major party candidates, Sens. McCain and Obama, will participate in a first-ever Presidential Candidates Forum on Service. The event, part of the ServiceNation Summit, of which Public Architecture is a coalition member, begins at 8:00pm EDT, on Thursday, September 11. Taking place in New York, the forum will provide both candidates with a national stage to discuss their views on service and civic engagement in post-9/11 America. The forum will be open to all broadcast networks, and will take place before a live audience of September 11 family members, military veterans, thought leaders, and Columbia University students.
The forum will be followed on Friday by a daylong “summit,” uniting 500 leaders of all ages and from every sector of American life to celebrate the power and potential of citizen service. Together, the participants will lay out a bold policy blueprint for addressing America’s greatest social challenges through expanded opportunities for volunteer and national service.
Visit www.servicenation.org for more information.
3. Second Annual Survey of The 1% Firm Participants Completed
 Architects throughout the country are increasingly putting their skills to work for the public good, according to a recent survey of 350 firms by Public Architecture.
In an effort to measure trends, the 2008 firm survey was nearly identical to the one that Public Architecture administered a year ago.
Key 2008 findings:
- virtually every firm reported exceeding the goal of 1%;
- more than two-thirds of firm respondents devoted 2% or more of their time to pro bono service over the past year;
- 68% named “social relevance” as the most important variable in choosing pro bono projects;
- 73% cited “community benefit” as having the highest impact on pro bono work; and
- “financial constraints” and “available staff time” remain the greatest obstacles to engaging in more pro bono work.
Click here to read the full press release and download the survey data sheet.
4. Thirteen Firms and 14 Nonprofits Join The 1% in August
 August was a month of steady growth for The 1%, with 13 firm and 14 nonprofits registrations. As usual, this month’s firm registrants came to the program with a strong pro bono ethos, citing diverse past pro bono endeavors. In the words of David Porter, who registered his Florida-based practice, Porter Architects his firm’s pro bono commitment allows him to “give back to the community where we live and work, with the experience, knowledge, and expertise we have.”
Public Architecture also wishes to extend a special welcome to HOK, one of The 1%’s 10 for 1 firm sponsors, which officially registered its pledge. HOK has a history of pro bono involvement as profiled in The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s recent article. HOK has pledged 1% of the billable hours of its 2,600 employees worldwide, an astounding 52,000 hours committed to pro bono service annually.
Visit www.theonepercent.org to register or learn more.
5. Upcoming Presentations & Participation
DFC Summit on Sustainable Design | Vancouver, BC | Sept. 22-24, 2008
Senior Fellowship Juror & Emerging Leaders Delegation Chair
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | September 25, 2008
Invited speaker, Design Economies symposium
AIA Georgia | Atlanta, GA | October 1-4, 2008
Invited panelist, "Pro Bono Design as a Tool for Improving Practice”
AIA Large Firm Roundtable | Vail, CO | October 2-3, 2008
Invited speaker
NOMA Annual Meeting | Washington, DC | October 2-4, 2008
Invited panelist
Bowdoin College | Brunswick, ME | October 6, 2008
Invited speaker
Click here for a complete list of upcoming presentations.
6. Public Architecture Board & Staff Developments
This past Friday and Saturday, the Public Architecture board of directors convened for its annual meeting, kicked off by a special reception for donors and partners of the organization. Tim Culvahouse was elected Chair of the Public Architecture board of directors, succeeding Founder John Peterson.
John Peterson will remain on the board, in an ex-officio capacity in his new staff position as Founder & President, as noted above.
Larry Fried was elected Treasurer, and David Meckel was reelected as Vice Chair.
John Cary completed his Rome Prize fellowship, and resumed his service as Executive Director.
Milton Marks completed his service as Acting Executive Director.
Mia Scharphie has been promoted from Administrative Assistant to Campaign & Operations Associate. Additional Public Architecture board and staff developments will be announced in the coming months.
7. 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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