Archive for April, 2009

Cameron Sinclair in london, celebrate 10 years of AFH at The Lamb, 94 Lamb’s Conduit St, April 10, 2009 @ 6pm

Monday, April 6th, 2009

April 10, 2009 @ 6pm
10 Years of Beers London – The Lamb, 94 Lamb’s Conduit St, London, UK
In honor of William Lamb, who brought clean water to the area in 1577!

Fellow Advocate,

Today marks the 10th anniversary of Architecture for Humanity. You read that right; it has been ten years since we first invited building professionals to design like they give a damn.

These days when I look at the diversity and range of work on the Architecture for Humanity project board, it can feel overwhelming. But it only takes a moment to be reminded why we do this work – a thankful hug from a client, an ingenious detail that allows clean drinking water or a project that galvanized a community. Design truly has the power to bring people together.

Today, Architecture for Humanity is a truly global organization. Our network includes 40,000 professionals and 70 chapters in 28 countries. Collectively more than 700,000 people are living, teaching, healing and gathering in buildings designed by Architecture for Humanity design fellows, chapter members and volunteers.

I am truly inspired by all the design professionals who come forward to dedicate their time and expertise where they are most urgently needed. Whether rebuilding after disaster in Myanmar, empowering community members in Kenya to become community developers, or tackling systemic issues through our Open Architecture Challenge, each project we undertake reaffirms my belief in the power of design to create a more sustainable future.

I am especially proud of our work to encourage knowledge sharing and innovation. More than 17,000+ professionals now share thousands of projects on the Open Architecture Network. In a time of great need, solutions are needed more urgently than ever. Two-thirds of the world lives in sub-standard living conditions without access to clean water or sanitation. This requires new thinking. Local solutions that can be adapted and shared globally. Let’s turn this network into a conduit for action.

As we enter into our second decade we are embarking on our first ever capacity building campaign and intend to double both our budget and impact. Your support to this campaign will help us to expand our network, develop stronger online tools, better support our chapters, respond quicker in times of great need and reach out to local builders. If you’d like to support us though a gift, you can donate here, and if you’d like to get involved you can start here.

Design is the ultimate renewable resource. Together, we can continue to build a better future.

Cheers,

Cameron Sinclair
Co-Founder and Eternal Optimist
cameron@architectureforhumanity.org

 

Ethics in Architecture: The Corbusian Legacy – Debate at the Barbican

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

The Barbican Debate
9 April 2009
Barbican Hall
Time:7.30pm

http://barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=8675

Line-up of internationally acclaimed architects announced as panel for The Barbican Debate

The panel of major international figures explore the vital questions of ethics in architecture today. They are: the globally acclaimed Massimiliano Fuksas; Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning Zaha Hadid; celebrated landscape-architect, Corb scholar and commentator, Charles Jencks; founding partner of the leading architectural practice MVRDV, Winy Maas; the visionary co-founder of Architecture for Humanity, Cameron Sinclair.

The discussion is inspired by Le Corbusier’s famous manifesto for modernism, his ‘Five Points of a New Architecture’. The panel will address five key areas in relation to their own practice: Politics and the Ethics of Globalisation; Affordable Housing and Humanitarian Projects; Clients; Urban Planning; and Environment and Sustainability.

How are today’s leading architects navigating the ethical dilemmas of building during a time of increasing economic inequality, and diminishing resources? When is it acceptable for architects to build for repressive regimes? Do architects have a responsibility to take on humanitarian projects? Has the economic downturn produced a shift in ethical issues for architects? Do architects have a moral obligation to design for changing environmental conditions?