As we get ready to celebrate our 12th year, March was a month of groundbreakings and celebrations of completed projects. Our Haiti team opened a five-classroom school in Ceverine with Save the Children and The Stiller Foundation. This week we break ground on another school in Haiti. Bolivian Design Fellow Diego Collazos was on hand with representatives from ING Latin America and Happy Hearts Fund to open the Francisco Perez Anampa School on which he led the construction administration. Then he leapt into action to start work on Maria Auxiliadora School and Divino Jesus School, both in Ica, Peru.
Natural building technologies continued to take center stage as dozens of self-built homes are being completed in Pakistan as well as a series of elder housing projects for multiple tribal groups on the Native American Reservations. This week we begin a collaboration to train agri-tecture technologies to women cooperatives in rural Mexico.
Then a 9.0 earthquake hit off the coast of Japan.
Within the first days we began fielding requests for help from our colleagues and chapters in Japan. We established an advisory board and, thanks to the support of KDa and Atelier Hitoshi Abe, have opened small offices in Sendai and Tokyo. Architect Tohru Horiguchi will be our representative in Sendai as we grow our team and Sendai transitions to the reconstruction phase. Read below for an update on the work ahead and to learn how you can get involved.
Cheers,
The Architecture for Humanity Team
San Francisco, USA | Port au Prince, Haiti | Cape Town, South Africa | Sendai, Japan
On Twitter:
The Org. @archforhumanity | The Eternal Optimist @casinclair
This Issue:
Project Updates | Chapter News | Design Opportunities, Jobs | Comings and Goings + Other News | Upcoming Events + Thanks
Sendai Reconstruction Update
Over the past two weeks we have been developing and refining a localized rebuilding plan, setting up offices in Sendai and Tokyo, supporting our local chapters and forming an advisory board which includes Hitoshi Abe, Mark Dytham, Astrid Klein, Yutaka Takiura, Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Ryo Yamazaki.
We have been inundated with people wanting to get involved either by hosting a fund raiser and helping to rebuild. Outside of Japan a number of designers have put their skills to work through creating t-shirts to lanterns. Thousands of kids around the world are making paper cranes to help raise funds through students rebuild. To find out more on what we are doing, we strongly urge you to read our latest Sendai Reconstruction Update.
Haiti: Building A Strong Future
Ceverine school has been completed and re-opened to a rush of ecstatic children. Photos of finished construction are up now on the Open Architecture Network. Big thanks to Darren and everyone involved in bringing the project to successful completion! Dignite is finishing bid negotiations and is scheduled to enter construction April 1st. Bills of quantities are being developed for Montrouis and Pele. Students Rebuild is supporting school construction, welcoming dozens of new teams since the beginning of the year. Many of those have joined in the last few weeks, since the launch of their paper cranes for Japan initiative. Registration is open for student-to-student interactive video conferences in May.
Alexandra Football for Hope Center
The 10th centre of the Football for Hope movement in the Alexandra township of Johannesburg, South Africa hosted project kick-off meetings. The Football for Hope team celebrated with a rooftop brie (bbq), bringing together the many partners of the program. A film made by six Khayelitsha residents about their life and environment was screened. It’s the product of a Sony-funded program called the Siyakhona Project, which uses space at the Khayelitsha Football for Hope Centre. See the film about Alexandra.
Global: Sports Micro-Venture Fund
Architecture for Humanity and Nike are excited to announce an additional two Gamechangers grant recipients.
1. We’re supporting Habitat for Humanity China’s work in Ganhaizi — a district with one of the largest Miao minority ethnic populations in China. The micro-grant, awarded to Games in Lost Heavens, will build a basketball court and spectator seating, providing a community hub for a range of activities including the favorite of Ganhaizi’s children and parents alike: basketball.
2. Architecture for Humanity and Nike do Brasil are partnering with Associação de Moradores da Cohab Adventista 1 to design and construct a new community resource and recreation center in Capão Redondo, São Paulo. The new center will host a program where women and children develop leadership through sport.
Last month we’ve also handed out design grants to projects in Guatemala, India and the United States. Additionally hundreds of teams registered for the Copa Arquitectura and next Monday we will announce the finalists.
Native American Housing
Our resident nomadic architect Nathaniel Corum just got back from Navajo where he’s been working with communities to build homes, including off-the-grid straw-bale structures for tribal elders. Many are traditional octagonal ‘hogans’ and more than ten miles from the nearest pavement/power line. Also, project partner Enterprise Community Partners and Nathaniel met with staff from three Southwestern tribal housing authorities for the launch of Sustainable Native Communities Collaborative: an Architecture for Humanity collaboration supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
At the SXSW festival Building Hope, a film featuring three Architecture for Humanity projects from 2010, won the Lone Star Audience Award. The world premiere will be in Austin on April 6th.
Charity Navigator recently named us as one of the top 10 fastest growing organizations in America in 2010 (#9). Continuing on with that trend we have now a dozen positions available [see below] – send your resume our way. We are also recruiting a whole host of volunteers. Have free time and want a peek inside HQ? Email us. Read on for more ways to get involved, project updates, job opportunities and more.
Recent Press: Co-founder Cameron Sinclair in The Atlantic
Arquitetura para a humanidade
The San Francisco chapter expresses a big thank you to all the volunteers who came out (even in the rain) to help the 30 Project at Hayes Valley Farm. In partnership with GOOD magazine, 30 Project, One Pot and C-Lab, the San Francisco chapter worked to complete construction of a greenhouse, benches, and a table for the first 30 Project dinner.
Our Auckland chapter is in high gear, responding to the Christchurch earthquake. To raise funds and awareness, three concerts took place in Wellington, Auckland and Austin to support the chapter’s rebuilding efforts. They are focusing their attention on the rebuilding of the Unlimited School as well as supporting a number of displaced organizations. The chapter is most grateful to all those who have extended support, offering design assistance and donations. Want to help?
The Vancouver chapter has partnered with Canada Place, the mega culture and tourism center located in the heart of Vancouver. The structure’s iconic 90-foot "sails" were recently replaced. Rather than discarding the old material, the chapter will seek the design solutions from professionals and students to re-purpose the Teflon-coated material. With a visit from Canada’s Prime Minister, the chapter has launched this project, calling it Re-Fab and garnering press coverage.
Finally a special recognition to our Osaka and Kyoto chapters for taking a lead in coordinating rebuilding efforts after the March 11th earthquake in Japan.
Architecture for Humanity HQ, San Francisco, USA
Director of International Programs
Editorial Director, Online Platforms
Construction Contracts Manager
Senior Construction Program Manager
Program Manager
Volunteer: Chinese Translator (Mandarin)
Volunteer: Haiti Team Stateside Support
Volunteer: Design Like You Give a Damn Writer
Volunteer: Students Rebuild Haiti
Tokyo and Sendai, Japan
Design Fellow: 日本
Port au Prince, Haiti
Project Coordinator (Urban Planner)
Directeur, Planification et conception
Construction Manager
Design Fellow: Urban Planner [stipend]
Design Fellow: Structural Engineer [stipend]
Volunteer
São Paulo, Brazil
Design Fellow [stipend]
China (exact location TBD)
Design Fellow [stipend]
India
Design Fellow [stipend]
New York City, USA
Design Fellow [stipend]
Sierra Leone
Design Volunteer
Comings and Goings + Other News
Alix Ogilvie, who has volunteered and more recently served as a Design Fellow on the Nike GameChanger program, is now a full-time Program Coordinator. She’ll be taking on the 2011 Open Architecture Challenge among other assignments. Daily push-ups at the office?!?
A warm welcome to Elizabeth Han, our New Program Development Manager, who will be working to develop proposals and manage the pursuits process for new initiatives.
Also adding fresh vigor to HQ are our new volunteers Ken Smith, Nancy Fee, Bo Wongkalasin and Christian Gabriel.
In Haiti, we’re pleased to announce that Martine Theodore is joining the Haiti Team as Director of Economic Development. She’s served as Director at Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miami, Inc. (Haitian Women of Miami). Also joining us at the Rebuilding Center are Design Fellows Kate Evarts, sponsored by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Jean Rene Lafontant.
Finally, it’s with great sadness that we bid so-long to Michael Jones, Program Manager extraordinaire, whose warmth and good cheer is already missed.
Five years after the initial publication of Worldchanging, the landscape of environmentalism and sustainability has changed dramatically. This 2nd edition of the bestselling book is extensively revised with more than 160 new entries on the latest trends, technologies, and solutions in sustainable living.
Note: Please read Sendai Update Page for All Related Fundraisers
Architecture for Humanity Design Open Mic
Who: You + Architecture for Humanity | When: Every Wednesday, 12-1pm | Where: 848 Folsom Street, San Francisco, California
All for Japan Challenge
Who: You and Nike + | When: Today – 30 days | Where: Global
SportAccord Conventions/2011 City Forum in London
Who: H.E. Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Inaki Alvarez, Jerry Anderson, Cameron Sinclair and Spyros Capralos,
When: April 5th | Where: Debating Chamber, County Hall, London, UK
Live4Sendai Benefit Concert (tbc)
Who: Imogen Heap, Cameron Sinclair and others
When: April 5th or 6th | Where: London, UK
Summit at Sea
Who: Cameron Sinclair
When: April 8th – 11th | Where: Miami, FL
Pecha Kucha for Japan
When: April 16th | Where: Tokyo
Marin Modern Home Tour
When: April 29-May 1, 2011 | Where: Marin, California *Volunteers needed* Email us
Newark Peace Summit
Who: The Dalai Lama, Mayor Cory Booker, Majora Carter, Wade Davis, Dr. Drew Katz and Cameron Sinclair
When: May 13-15 | Where: Newark, New Jersey
Sustainable Operations Summit
Who: Robert F Kennedy Jr, David Suzuki and Cameron Sinclair
When: May 15-16 | Where: Pasadena, California
We are hugely grateful to the organizations and individuals who have given of their time, talent and resources to make all our work possible. This month, a special thank you goes to the Bezos Family Foundation, Students Rebuild, Nike, Nvidia, Novica, Do Something, Autodesk, PayPal, Global Giving, Viz Media and Heath Ceramics for supporting our reconstruction efforts in the affected regions of Japan. Cheers to volunteers Yuya Fukada and Satoko Nielson who have helped with Japanese translations. We’d like to also recognize Benetton Group for contributing to our SIDAREC project and all the individuals who supported our Kickstarter for agri-tecture training in Rural Mexico. To all, thank you!
staff@architectureforhumanity.org • Architecture for Humanity