Architecture for Humanity - SF
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Juan snuck one of me the other night at the Prison Design Boycott Poster Competition discussion. (via)
Thursday, September 22, 2005
new STAND: 'Architecture For Humanity' Chicago competition
Healthy streetscapes are a critical element of the Chicago urban fabric. The daily ritual for many includes the human interface between reader and news vendor. While media evolves with the pace of technology, the tangible object we interact with continues to deteriorate. The utilitarian nature of the newsstand does little to realize its full potential as a design installation.
Entrants for this competition are called upon to submit newsstand designs that address:
a) making a small-scale architectural impact on the streetscape
b) the positive effects of community business on residents
c) the decline of demand for print media
The registration deadline is October 1, 2005, and the submission deadline is November 1, 2005. Finalists will be announced on February 1, 2006. The fee to enter is $35 for professionals; $15 for students. The jury is yet to be determined.
AFH Chicago is the Chicago chapter of Architecture for Humanity, an organization that promotes architectural and design solutions to global, social and humanitarian crises. AFH Chicago is community-based and works on a specifically local level. Their mission is to promote social responsibility and awareness through volunteerism that directly aids in community growth and sustainability.
For more information and a full competition brief, please e-mail afhchicago@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Check out this forthcoming book, and the exhibit in NYC:
Safe: Design Takes on Risk
Edited and with Introduction by Paola Antonelli.~Essays by Phil Patton, Marie O'Mahony and Cameron Sinclair.
"Safety is an instinctive need that has guided human choices throughout history. Now more than ever, it has become not only a focus, but almost an obsession. Designers are trained to mediate between disruptive change and normalcy and can soothe people’s anxiety. When scientific revolutions happen, they translate them into objects that people can understand and use. Good design provides protection and security without sacrificing the need to innovate and invent. ~This book and the exhibition that it accompanies document the unique objects that designers have created to answer people’s needs, both physical and psychological. Physical objects include shelters for victims of disasters and homeless people, hideaway furniture, and personal armor and protective gear, while psychological objects include those that thwart identity theft, offer self-defense, and provide comforting reassurance.
The objects presented here reflect how good design goes hand-in-hand with personal needs. ~This book includes an introductory essay by Paola Antonelli, Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at The Museum of Modern Art in New York; an essay by Phil Patton on cars; another by Marie O’Mahony on materials and technologies; and a third by Cameron Sinclair on design for refugees and third-world facilities. The issues addressed by each of these authors will find resonance in people’s minds and souls." From Artbook.com
Monday, September 12, 2005
Prison Design Boycott: Poster Competition Announcement & Press Conference
09.15.05 6:00 pm
San Francisco, CA— Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) will present the winning entries in its Poster Design Competition for the Prison Design Boycott campaign Sept 15. The open competition, which has already attracted entries from across the country, is for a poster that describes why architects and others should refuse to design prisons. The winning entries will be both emotionally and graphically powerful. ADPSR will also present the first book from its publishing arm, New Village Press, A Beginner’s Guide to Community-Based Art. Among its profiles the book documents community art projects that challenge the prison system. A reception with light refreshments will begin at 6 PM, and a discussion with the selection panel will being at 6:30. The public is invited to attend.Time: Thursday, September 15, 6-8 PM Location: Main Nave rear, California College of the Arts (CCA), 1111 Eighth Street, on the corner of Eighth and Irwin, San Francisco. http://www.cca.edu/about/directions.php The selection panel for the competition includes:
• Ray Beldner, Artist & Teacher • Rose Braz, Director, Critical Resistance
• Lisa Findley, Professor of Architecture, CCA
• Michael Marcum, Deputy Sheriff (retired), San Francisco Sheriff’s Department
• Raphael Sperry, Architect, President of ADPSR
• Jennifer Sterling, Professor of Graphic Design, CCA
• Donna Willmott, Family Advocacy Coordinator, Legal Services for
Prisoners with Children
To learn about the Prison Design Boycott, visit: www.adpsr.org/prisons and sign our pledge online.
Poster competition information: www.adpsr.org/prisons/poster
More information about ADPSR:
Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility is a national non-profit founded in 1983 dedicated to the involvement of achitects, designers, and plannes in issues of peace and social justice. www.adpsr.org
http://www.adpsr.org/prisons/ADPSR_prison_PosterAnnoun.pdf
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
The San Francisco Green Party Housing and Land Use Working Group Presents:
Isn't It About Time For Green Design?
Monday, September 12th, 7 - 9 pm
First Baptist Church
7 Octavia Blvd, at Market St.
(accessible entrance on Waller St.)
The green in green design is a debatable term. Green design could describe the use of recycled building materials, natural lighting and ventilation, or the incorporation of advanced technology. Often it is criticized as prohibitively expensive.
At this seminar our panelists will discuss the meaning of green design, its affordability, and existing certifications/standards, while considering what other cities are doing, what San Francisco's recent projects are and it's plans to build greener buildings.
With:
Raphael Sperry is an architect at 450 Architects in San Francisco and current President of Architects / Designers / Planners for Social Responsibility. He designs residential and school projects, and leads ADPSR's Prison Design Boycott campaign. In 2005 he was appointed as the public member of the City of San Francisco's municipal Green Building Task Force. In 2004 He was the lead author of the San Mateo County Guide to Sustainable Buildings. As the Project Manager for Berkeley's Best Builders, the City of Berkeley's first green building program, Raphael developed a network of expert consultants in fields including energy efficiency, green materials, solar power, etc. While earning his masters degree from the Yale School of Architecture he assisted with the creation and teaching of green building classes.
Erin Carson is Senior Project Manager of the Public Initiatives Development Corporation, a non-profit public benefit housing development corporation and a subsidiary of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. Erin has nearly 15 years of experience in housing development both in affordable and market rate housing and has a particular interest in green and sustainable design and development. Erin is currently working on a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) registered multi-family affordable housing development in San Francisco. Erin is a LEED Accredited Professional and member of the United States Green Building Council and its Northern California Chapter.
Mark Palmer is San Francisco's Municipal Green Building Coordinator. During his thirty years in the construction industry, he has directed environmental design for a major homebuilder, initiated a renewable energy portfolio for utilities, and founded an innovative green building consultancy. Mark develops city policy for sustainable design and construction--LEED Silver is now the standard for all municipal construction projects in San Francisco. Mark also administers a training program for city design professionals, and oversees a growing number of municipal construction projects including the new California Academy of Sciences slated for a LEED Platinum certification and the redevelopment of Treasure Island, a mixed-use pedestrian and transit-oriented community.
About the Housing and Land Use Seminar Series:
This is the tenth seminar in an ongoing series on housing and land use issues hosted by the San Francisco Green Party, currently being held on the second Monday of the month at First Baptist Church, organized by the Green Party Housing and Land Use working group. These workshops are a great opportunity to educate yourself, share your thoughts and get involved with local advocacy groups trying to create a better San Francisco.
For more information about the Green Party Housing and Land Use working group, go to the SF Green Party website (www.sfgreenparty.org) and choose the Working Groups link.
Contact: HLU Co-chairs Jennifer Donlon at junipers_hill(at)yahoo.com or David Wilbur at drwsf(at)yahoo.com for additional seminar details.
The seminars are free and open to the public.
