Public Architecture - October

home

about

people

the 1%

design

outreach

support

blog

October 2010

Dear Friends of Public Architecture:

This is a banner month for the development of our design resources with two publications released and two more in development. Launched this month is The Power of Pro Bono: 40 Stories about Design for the Public Good by Architects and Their Clients, a first-of-its-kind book on the growing pro bono movement in architecture. There are a number of people to thank: first and foremost, our former executive director, John Cary, who catalyzed and edited the book, along with our staff, and dedicated volunteers. This project would not have been possible without the support of SHAW Contract Group, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Nathan Cummings Foundation.

Published by Metropolis Books, the book explores 40 pro bono projects from across the country at a variety of scales, from a community garden to the Boston Food Bank. Firms range from boutique design offices, such as SHoP Architects and Studio Gang, to the country’s largest firms, Gensler and Perkins+Will.

The first of our launch events will happen tonight in San Francisco at the Autodesk Gallery from 6-9pm. A big thank you to the Holcim Foundation for sponsoring the event and to Autodesk for donating the space. Please email us to be added to the guest list.

We would also like to take this opportunity to announce the successful release of the Design for Reuse Primer. Funded by a USGBC Research Fund grant, this free e-book looks at the untapped potential of material reuse through the perspectives of the architects, contractors, and clients in the field. With projects ranging from a school for children with learning differences in Seaside, CA to a center for neighborhood revitalization in New Orleans, this electronic publication offers insight on how to design for (and with) reuse, whether you are a builder, architect or simply curious. This project was directed by Associate Design Director Liz Ogbu, greatly assisted by Project Associate Brad Leibin, and our volunteers and partners, spotlighted later in this newsletter. Check out this free resource and pass it on.

John Peterson, AIA
Founder & President

Contents:

1.Exhibition at MoMA: Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement
2.Vote on the Pro Bono Role Model of the Year
3.The 1% Nonprofit Featured Service Request
4. Volunteer Spotlight: Design for Reuse Volunteers
5. Partner Spotlight: Metropolis Books and Distributed Art Publishers
6. Interesting Reads This Month
7. Featured Publication: The Tennessee Valley Authority: Design and Persuasion
8. Upcoming Public Architecture Presentations & Participation

1. Exhibition at MoMA: Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement

Last week, Associate Design Director Liz Ogbu and John Peterson headed to New York for the opening of Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement. Among the 11 built projects, 3 multimedia installations, and a great room of people, the energy was contagious. Featuring projects from around the world, we were thrilled to see our long-time friends from the States, Teddy Cruz, Rural Studio, and Architecture for Humanity, also represented.

Working with photographer, Elena Dorfman, Public Architecture presented a video for the Exhibition, titled The 1% project. The film is a call to action for architects and a call for action from nonprofits. Presented on dual screens, the film looks to engage the viewer from the perspective of the two key players in any pro bono design project: the architect and the client. We encourage anyone in or around New York to check out all the great projects in the show.

2. Vote on the Pro Bono Role Model of the Year

Brought to you by our friends at Taproot Foundation, an organization that that engages the nation’s millions of business professionals in pro bono services, we are happy to announce a new competition: the Pro Bono Role Model of the Year.

Do you know a mom or dad who is a professional superhero? They get the kids dressed and out of the door, are rock stars at work and, in between, get everyone motivated to make a difference faster than a train, plane or automobile? Great! Submit a nominee and tell Taproot how they are contributing their skills pro bono to influence social change. Nominate an individual (or yourself) between October 1 and November 4, 2010 who you feel best fits the previously mentioned description. The winner will receive the title of Taproot Foundation’s first-ever Pro Bono Role Model of the Year and represent us at the 2011 National Conference on Volunteering and Service from June 6 – 8 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

3. The 1% Nonprofit Featured Service Request

American Lung Association in Greater Chicago
Service Request: Facilities Needs Assessment, Capital Campaign Materials, Interior Design & Brand Integration

American Lung Association’s (ALA) mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. A few years ago, the ALA Greater Chicago had the good fortune to move to a downtown Chicago facility. Gorgeous views aside, the walls today remain bare and glaring white, and do not reflect the good work ALA does for so many others.

Through their project, Operation Blank Canvas, ALA Greater Chicago seeks the help of an interior designer or architect to design a vibrant workplace for the eleven staff, numerous volunteers, as well as to create a convivial hub for visiting community groups and countless clients. The office is a typical layout, consisting of a front reception area, eight offices, ten cubicles, and a glassed-in conference room dubbed ‘the fish bowl’ for obvious reasons. More and more people are starting to come to the office for smoking cessations classes. ALA hopes to use their walls to tell the story of their work and a welcoming message.

The 1% continues to grow with 841 firms and 416 nonprofits. To see a list of new 1% participants since August, including ALA Greater Chicago, click here.

Visit www.theonepercent.org for more information.

4. Volunteer Spotlight: Design for Reuse Volunteers

This month, we’re acknowledging the collective effort of a team of volunteers who supported the Design for Reuse Primer research project over the course of its two-year duration. Grant Alexander, Virginia Alexander, Mary Casper, Roselle Curwen, Taj Hanson, Julia Howe, Annie Koo, Shanti Levy, Nicole Melas, Tammy Ng, Ashley Turner, and Liz Westbrook all volunteered long hours and energy to researching hundreds of material reuse projects and developing the case studies.

The investment of each and every one of these volunteers made this book a reality and we really cannot thank you enough. We are also extremely grateful to our extraordinary communications consultant, Barbara Franzoia, for coordinating outreach for the release of the Primer. Special thanks to Alex Lin of Studio Lin designed the layout and editor Jennifer Roberts who played a significant role in establishing the tone of the book. The Design for Reuse Primer simply would not have been possible without the contributions of these incredibly generous individuals.

5. Partner Spotlight: Metropolis Books and Distributed Art Publishers

An organization cannot publish a book without a publisher and we are greatly indebted to ours, Diana Murphy of Metropolis Books. Working with us from initial conception to the marketing, Diana has been there at every step. We would also like to thank our distributor, Distributed Art Publishers (D.A.P.) and the herculean efforts of Todd Bradway in getting this book from the press in China to the hands of pro bono advocates across the country.

Metropolis Books is committed to publishing timely, thought provoking, useful, and beautiful books that explore how design shapes culture. At the center of their operation is the belief that design can make the world a better place. They have published many of the most influential design books of the past ten years, including Architecture for Humanity’s Design Like You Give a Damn, Bryan Bell and Katie Wakefield’s Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism as well as the recent bestseller, Design Revolution: 100 Products that Empower People by Project H’s Emily Pilloton.

Distributed Art Publishers is America’s premier source for books on twentieth century art, photography, design, architecture and visual culture. D.A.P. is the exclusive North American representative of many of the country’s top museums including, the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, and The Museum of Modern Art, New York, among many others.

6. Interesting Reads and Events This Month

Dwell Magazine | “Beyond Thunderdome: Future of Architecture”
Liz Ogbu weighs in on the next 10, 20, 100 years in architecture.

Change Observer | “Stoop, Balcony, Pilot House: Making It Right in the Lower Ninth Ward”
Tim Culvahouse looks at Make It Right and vernacular housing typologies in NOLA.

Architectural Record | “Can Design Help Prevent Obesity?”
AIANY at the intersection between public health and the built environment.

GOOD Magazine | “Vancouver Creates Continous Network of Bike Lanes”
Canada schools us in how to create a bike friendly city.

DesignPhiladelphia | “DesignPhiladelphia 2010: October 7-17”
Week-long, city-wide celebration of design and its public potential.

CMCBD | “24 Days of Central Market Arts”
Check out the myriad free dance performances before the program closes on October 17.

7. Publication Spotlight: The Tennessee Valley Authority: Design and Persuasion

The Tennessee Valley Authority: Design and Persuasion is a study of the most profound and wide-reaching public infrastructure project in the nation's history. Authored by Tim Culvahouse, a board member and devoted friend of Public Architecture, this book provides the most in-depth examination of the TVA ever assembled, includes essays by experts in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, graphic design, industrial design, and the fine arts. Featuring photography by Richard Barnes, The Tennessee Valley Authority interweaves technical, political, aesthetic, and cultural concerns to complete a missing chapter in the study of modern American architecture and design.

Also, check out Tim’s article in the “Interesting Reads” section on Make It Right’s work in the Lower 9^th Ward.

8. Upcoming Public Architecture Presentations & Participation

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.

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

Public Architecture publishes a monthly HTML email newsletter in an effort to keep our board, donors, sponsors, volunteers, peer organizations, and other friends abreast of our efforts.

Past issues:

October 2010