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Architecture for Humanity was a US-based
charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ...
that sought
architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...
solutions to
humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...
crises A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
and brought professional
design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...
services to clients (often communities in need). Founded in 1999, it laid off its staff and closed down at the beginning of January 2015. Since then, the 59 US-based architecture for humanity chapters (which were already operating more or less in a self-sufficient manner even before Architecture for Humanity closed down) formed the Open Architecture Collaborative and vowed to continue. It could thus be argued that despite the closing of the main office, the movement that Architecture for Humanity represented has indeed been strengthened, and not weakened, as it has forced the chapters to operate truly self-sufficiently, and cooperate more directly with the other chapters.


History

The organization was founded on April 6, 1999, by
Cameron Sinclair Cameron Sinclair (born 16 November 1973) is a designer, writer and one of the pioneers in socially responsive architecture. He currently serves as pro bono executive director of Armory of Harmony, a US-based organization focused on smelting dow ...
and
Kate Stohr Kate Stohr is an American journalist, data scientist and civic activist based near San Francisco, CA. She was the director of a Data Science initiative at Simon & Schuster. She founded 99 Antennas. In 2016 she covered the U.S. Presidential Elections ...
in response to the need for immediate long-term shelter for returning refugees in Kosovo after the region's bloody conflict. After hosting a series of open design competitions, the organization began taking on a number of build projects, pairing local communities with design professionals to develop a ground-up alternative to development and reconstruction. In 2005 it adopted an "open source" model and became the first organization in the world to utilize Creative Commons licensing system on a physical structure. To date it has worked in 45 countries and over 2.8 million people now live, work, learn, gather and heal in 2,348 places helped by Architecture for Humanity design fellows, chapter members and volunteer design professionals. In 2006 the organization published ''Design Like You Give A Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises'', which chronicles its early history. The second volume, ''DLYGAD: Building Change from the Ground Up'', was published in 2012. In 2007, Architecture for Humanity launched
Open Architecture Network Open Architecture Network was the world's first online open source community dedicated to improving global living conditions through innovative and sustainable design. It was developed by Architecture for Humanity and incorporated Creative Common ...
, allowing architects, designers, innovators and community leaders to share innovative and sustainable ideas, designs and plans. In 2010, Architecture for Humanity acquired
Worldchanging Worldchanging was a nonprofit online publisher that operated from 2003 to 2010. Its strapline was ''A bright green future''. It published newsletters and books about sustainability, bright green environmentalism, futurism and social innovation. ...
. Stohr departed the organization in May 2013 and Sinclair followed in October 2013;. Clark Manus was made interim Executive Director before being replaced by Sam Hartwell. In 2014 former studio director Eric Cesal became Executive Director. The staff was laid off on January 1, 2015, and the organization's San Francisco office was closed down. Among the causes for its closure are its inability to raise adequate funds after the novelty of its mission was no longer appealing. Another factor cited is that humanitarian shelter design was not considered a fundamental human right. After the bankruptcy of Architecture for Humanity in 2015, local chapters have formed a new organization: Open Architecture Collaborative.


Activity


Pro-bono design and construction

The organization provided pro-bono design and construction management services and funding for projects around the world, including developing and building schools in West Africa and
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...
, developing long-term rebuilding efforts in
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
after
Cyclone Nargis Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Nargis ( my, နာဂစ်, ur, نرگس ) was an extremely destructive and deadly tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar during early May 2008. The cyclo ...
, and constructing sports for social change facilities in Africa and South America. Work has also included long-term reconstruction in India and Sri Lanka following the
Indian Ocean tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
, rebuilding initiatives in the United States after
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
, and hosting a number of international design competitions. Architecture for Humanity promoted humanitarian and social design through partnerships, advocacy and education based programs. To that end, they have consulted with government bodies and relief organizations on a number of projects, including
landmine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
clearance programs and
playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...
building in the
Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
; transitional housing for IDPs in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
,
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
and
Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pet ...
; school building in
Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
,
Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
and
Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The ...
; and earthquake reconstruction assistance in
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
,
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
and
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. The organization also sought to foster public appreciation for the many ways that architecture and design can improve lives.


Open Architecture Network

As a result of the TED Prize the organization worked with
Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Sun for short) was an American technology company that sold computers, computer components, software, and information technology services and created the Java programming language, the Solaris operating system, ZFS, t ...
and
Creative Commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...
to develop the
Open Architecture Network Open Architecture Network was the world's first online open source community dedicated to improving global living conditions through innovative and sustainable design. It was developed by Architecture for Humanity and incorporated Creative Common ...
, the first open source system for supporting sustainable and humanitarian design and architecture. This network includes project management, file sharing, a resource database and online collaborative design tools. A beta version of the site launched on March 8, 2007, at the 2007 TED Conference. It has garnered over 27,000 members and 5,000 projects. In late 2010 a version of the network was created as a mobile application that is showcased in the
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...
.


Organization

Architecture for Humanity had more than 60 chapters spanning many countries at its peak assisting many independent charities. The chapters worked primarily in their own regions. In August 2008, members of Architecture for Humanity New York were declared New Yorkers of the Week by cable news network
NY1 NY1 (also officially known as Spectrum News NY1 and spoken as New York One) is an American cable news television channel founded by Time Warner Cable, which itself is owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition in May 2016. The channe ...
for the chapter's first project. After the main office and parent organization closed in January 2015, many of the chapters formed an alliance and vowed to persevere. 59 chapters joined this federation and continued to work on pro bono projects around the world. As of September 2015, there are still 57 active chapters listed on the alliance's website.


Recognition

In 2005 Architecture for Humanity received the Index Award - Design to Improve Life (community category), in 2006 it was awarded the Rave Award for Architecture by ''Wired'' magazine and the Innovation of the Year as part of the Observer Newspapers' Ethical Awards, and in 2007 it won the Center for Architecture Foundation Award. In March 2006 its co-founder
Cameron Sinclair Cameron Sinclair (born 16 November 1973) is a designer, writer and one of the pioneers in socially responsive architecture. He currently serves as pro bono executive director of Armory of Harmony, a US-based organization focused on smelting dow ...
was awarded the 2006
TED Prize TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
, which awards its recipients "One wish to change the world". In May 2008, the
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile. It is one of 19 museums that fall under the wing of the Smithsonian Inst ...
awarded Architecture for Humanity the Design Patron Award, highlighting its commitment to improving communities by providing pro bono, sustainable design services. In June 2008 the organization was profiled on ''
Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...
'' as part of their series of Stories From A Small Planet. That year co-founder Cameron Sinclair was profiled as one of CNN's Principal Voices and on the series ''Iconoclasts'' on the Sundance Channel.


International design competitions

Architecture for Humanity has hosted a series of open international design competitions focused on systemic issues of poverty. These have included including Siyathemba youth sports and outreach facility; Outreach - Design Ideas for Mobile Health Clinic to Combat HIV/
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...
in Sub-Saharan Africa; and Transitional Housing for Kosovo's Returning Refugees. In 2007 the organization began hosting its competitions on the
Open Architecture Network Open Architecture Network was the world's first online open source community dedicated to improving global living conditions through innovative and sustainable design. It was developed by Architecture for Humanity and incorporated Creative Common ...
and every two years hosted its premier design competition, The Open Architecture Challenge. The year of the inaugural competition, the AMD Open Architecture Challenge, sought ideas to develop innovative off the grid technology centers. Clients included a chocolate co-operative in Ecuador, a youth center in Kenya and a medical organization in Nepal. The competition culminated in the construction of a youth community and resource center in Nairobi, Kenya. The 2009 Open Architecture Challenge was launched on January 29 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. With support of more than two dozen organizations it invited architects and designers to partner with schools to design cost effective and sustainable classrooms. An international jury convened in July at the 2009 Aspen Ideas festival and selected eight finalists from the tens of thousands of entries from more than 65 countries.


References


External links


Open Architecture CollaborativeArchitecture for Humanity
(defunct. Link to archive)
Open Architecture Network
(defunct. Link to archive)
Creative Commons interview with Architecture for HumanityBritish Council for School Environments World Learning Conference Keynote: Cameron Sinclair, Design Like you Give a Damn
(Video) {{DEFAULTSORT:Architecture For Humanity Architecture nonprofits in the United States Development charities based in the United States Architecture organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 1999 1999 establishments in California 2015 disestablishments in California