http://www.theonepercent.org A better world. 1% at a time. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:51:11 PST en-us Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:00:00 PST Architects throughout the country are increasingly putting their skills to work for the public good, according to a recent survey of 350 firms by nonprofit Public Architecture.For the second year in a row, the survey queried architecture and design firms that have pledged a minimum of 1% of their billable hours to pro bono service via Public Architectures flagship program, The 1%. Public Architectures goal is to direct at least 1% of every firms time to pro bono service. With the support of firm recruitment partners such as the American Institute of Architects, weve assembled a critical mass of firms, says John Cary, Executive Director of Public Architecture. The range of work being undertaken by these firms is a testament to the need for and power of design.The firms surveyed this year ranged from sole practitioners to some of the largest firms in the country, such as HKS and Perkins+Will. To date, Public Architecture has recruited nearly 400 firms, of which 350 had signed on by the time the survey was issued. The most recent major addition to The 1% firm roster is HOK, a 2,600-person firm based in St. Louis with nearly two dozen offices worldwide, including 15 in the U.S.If every architecture professional in the country were to pledge just 1% of their time to pro bono service, it would be the equivalent of a massive firm like HOK working fulltime for the public good, says architect John Peterson, founder of Public Architecture. One need only look at the sheer productive capacity of large firms like HOK and Perkins+Will to understand what a commitment of this scale from the profession as a whole could mean for our communities and country.In an effort to measure trends, the 2008 firm survey was nearly identical to the one that Public Architecture administered a year ago. Key 2008 Findings:-virtually every firm reported exceeding the goal of 1%;-more than two-thirds of firm respondents devoted 2% or more of their time to pro bono service over the past year;-68% named social relevance as the most important variable in choosing pro bono projects;-73% cited community benefit as having the highest impact on pro bono work; and-financial constraints and available staff time remain the greatest obstacles to engaging in more pro bono work.Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the survey was the long list of projects that respondent firms noted taking part in or completing over the previous year. The greatest percentage of firms undertook projects related to education and schools in under-served or under-resourced communitiesandmdash;building additions, classroom and library renovations, and athletic facility design. The firm of William McDonough + Partners described its environmental strategy work for Brad Pitts Make It Right Foundation, centered in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Other firms worked with established nonprofits, such as Habitat for Humanity to advance actual projects as well as broader changes to individual Habitat chapters green and sustainable design efforts. Sustainable design was also a common thread in many firms community work with local AIA components via the national organizations Sustainable Design Assistance Teams. In all, these projects represent the many applications of design, the power of pro bono service, as well as the range of needs to be addressed in communities across the country, adds Peterson. Much work remains, but one can only be encouraged and inspired by the joint efforts undertaken by firm participants of The 1% program.Click here to read the press release and view the survey data.The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=48 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:00:00 PST Public Architecture extends a welcome to the 10 firms that joined The 1% in July. Hailing from diverse locales across the country, these firms have become part of the network of architects providing quality design services to those who normally do not have access to them.These firms are joining The 1% at a historic moment for pro bono design. On August 1st, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) issued its first official substantive statement on pro bono work within the field of architecture. Their Pro Bono Guidelines, currently in draft form, encourage AIA members to engage in pro bono work as part of their contributions to the highest aspirations of the architecture profession, demonstrating that the pro bono ethos that Public Architecture and The 1% have sought to foster is gaining ground. Join the discussion on this issue at Pro Bono Junkies Blog hosted by the Taproot Foundation.AB Design Studio, Inc. (Santa Barbara, CA) Architecture Design + (Sunnyvale, CA) Chatham Hill Residential Design and Build (Boston, MA) Crutcher Studio, Inc. (Farmington, MI) douglasKarchitecture (Dallas, TX) Emergency Picnic (Chicago, IL)FYK Architecture PLLC (Nashville, TN) LifeCare Design Studio (Lincolnshire, IL) Till Creative (Chicago, IL) Y.A. Studio (San Francisco, CA)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=46 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:00:00 PST Five years ago, Penny Malina learned from a friend and fellow animal lover that the St. Louis animal shelter needed a larger facility.Since then, Malina, information technology director for St. Louis-based Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, and at least four architects and designers from the firm, have spent about 4,000 hours of unpaid time working on the plans.HOK encourages its employees to donate time to worthy community projects. And it isnand#39;t the only local architecture company to do so. Pro bono work, normally associated with the law profession, is growing among architecture firms, say local professionals.As architects we have a social responsibility to better the situation as we see it, said Art Bond, a principal in Clayton-based Bond Wolfe Architects Inc.The increase in pro bono architecture work stems from a sense of social responsibility, he said.An indicator of that is the growing number of companies signing up for the 1 percent initiative by San Francisco-based, nonprofit Public Architecture, formed in 2002.Three years ago Public Architecture launched an initiative to get every firm in the country to donate 1 percent of its hours to pro bono projects, said David Meckel, vice president of the organization.Since then, 390 architecture firms have signed up. This year, they will donate 107,000 hours to pro bono work.If every architecture company in the country signed up, it would equal 5 million pro bono hours each year andmdash; the equivalent of a 2,500-person firm, Meckel said.It would be like the largest firm in the world working pro bono, he said.Recent architecture graduates are the driving force behind the pro bono movement, Meckel said.They have a greater sense of responsibility to the environment and social justice. Those qualities were not as present in the generations before, he said.HOW IT GETS STARTEDAn architecture firmand#39;s involvement in such projects most commonly begins with an individual employee, said Jarrett Cooper, principal in St. Louis-based Rosemann and Associates.They (employees) bring us a project because they feel strongly about it and want to work on it, and we encourage them to do it, Cooper said. We allow them time during regular work hours or maybe build a team in the office to help them.Rosemann donated architectural services to the 14th Street Mall andmdash; a residential and commercial development in a run-down north city neighborhood andmdash; and the farmerand#39;s market in the Ville neighborhood.Other projects begin as a firm effort, said Andy Trivers, president of Trivers Associates, based in St. Louis. Company principals and clients hear of worthy causes through boards and organizations they are involved in and bring them to the firm.Most projects are for non-profit organizations. While younger employees may get the ball rolling, they are not the only ones to participate. Company higher-ups, like Tim Rowbottom, a principal with St. Louis-based Lawrence Group, often get involved, too.Rowbottom designed the interior for the Downtown Childrenand#39;s Center in St. Louis on his first day at work and has been donating time to the project for four years.REWARDING WORKPro bono work tends to make employees more productive overall, Bond said.Bond Wolfe recently helped Voices for Children, an organization that provides legal counsel to abused children and those in foster care, find a new location and design the interior.It (pro bono work) makes (the firmand#39;s employees) feel good about their contribution to society, he said. That makes them more effective.And a satisfied employee is more likely to stay at the company longer, Meckel said.Nonetheless, most companies have to balance their employeesand#39; pro bono ambitions with profitability.While strengthening the companyand#39;s ties with the community are important, Cooper said, you have to weigh the pros and cons of what you are getting into.Most of the time, the decision depends on the companyand#39;s size and workload.A lot of it has to do with how busy we are at any particular moment, Trivers said. We have a commitment to our (paid) andshy;clients, and if we are very busy, we have to pass on the pro bono project.It also depends on how much work is entailed. A pro bono project can be anything from a one-time consultation to thousands of hours over several years.Several architects and designers at the Lawrence Group got involved in the childrenand#39;s center and over the years have donated the equivalent of $90,000 in billable hours to the project, Rowbottom said.The 285 professional employees in HOKand#39;s St. Louis office donate about 2,000 hours to pro bono work every year andmdash; the equivalent of one full-time person. Bond Wolfe employees contribute 150 to 300 hours andmdash; roughly 5 percent of total billable hours, according to Bond.PERSONAL CONNECTIONPro bono works give architects more opportunities to be creative.Itand#39;s not that you donand#39;t care about the work when you have a paid client, but when you are doing it pro bono, you are sharing something special and unique, said Jen Stauber an architecture and urban designer for Trivers.Sheand#39;s working on the renovation of a four-story former furniture store for the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton.Horvath can make design decisions on his own, experiment with different tools and designs and when a project is done, feel like he had a personal connection to its success.He designed the new animal shelter to be a green building, included spaces for prospective pet owners to interact with the animals and created a separate space for ill animals to be quarantined.By contrast, one of the paid projects he was recently working on was a multibillion-dollar, 6.5-million-square-foot university campus in Saudi Arabia, which at its peak required 250 to 300 people from 10 different HOK offices.When you do that you are part of a huge team. It is like collaborative design andmdash; every decision has to get passed through a whole team, Horvath said. That doesnand#39;t need to happen in a smaller (pro bono) project.With a paying client, Horvath said, each design decision has to go through a series of approvals.In the end, the charity work benefits the firms by building goodwill.In that way, it (pro bono work) is not totally selfless. It helps us network within the community, Bond said. It helps us get more business.Riddhi Trivedi St. Clair for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch 07.18.08Read the article on STLToday.com http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=45 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:00:00 PST In June, Public Architecture welcomed 8 nonprofits into The 1% Program. These organizations seek to form collaborative partnerships with architects and designers, and to use design strategies as a means to achieve their goals. It is this ethos that Public Architecture seeks to support through the development of case studies of successful pro bono design. If you have a project that has a compelling or unique story to tell, hereand#39;s your opportunity to help us continue to promote your achievements in pro bono design. Featured case studies will be displayed on the website and may even be included in the online slide library for upcoming presentations. If you are interested in sharing information about your project, please complete our Case Study Questionnaire and return it to info@theonepercent.org with Case Study in the subject line. A member of The 1% staff will contact you shortly.Click here to access the Case Study Questionnaire for Architecture and Design firms.Click here to access the Case Study Questionnaire for Nonprofit Organizations.ACCION (New York, NY)American Institute of Architecture Students (Washington, DC)Blue Gargoyle Community Services (Chicago, IL)East Bay Leadership Foundation (Oakland, CA)Hawaii Habitat for Humanaity, Assoc. (Honolulu, HI)Mercy Center (Bronx, NY)Penny Harris Foundation Inc. (Wilbraham, MA)United Way of the Bay Area (San Francisco, CA)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=44 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:00:00 PST The 1% Program experienced its fourth consecutive month of geographic expansion as it welcomed 15 new firms including Theodore + Theodore Architects, The 1%s first firm from Maine. These firms have collectively pledged more than 1900 hours annually to pro bono service; their contributions will undoubtedly help build the capacity of the nonprofits they serve, and assist nonprofits in reaching their goals. Anthony Abbate Architect PA (Fort Lauderdale, FL)Architecture for Humanity Miami (Miami, FL)Barry Wilson Architecture (Shady Grove, FL)DSDG, Inc. (Sarasota, FL)GLS Landscape / Architecture (San Francisco, CA)Hyphae Design Laboratory (Oakland, CA)INBAR DESIGN AIA PA (Sarasota, FL)Lance Stone (San Diego, CA)Loci Architecture PC (New York, NY)NC-Office (Miami, FL)Scott Hughes Architects (Hobe Sound, FL)Stuebben Architecture, Inc. (Jacksonville, FL)The Architectural Group (Lake Worth, FL)Theodore + Theodore Architects (Bath, ME)UrbanWorks, Ltd. (Chicago, IL)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=43 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:00:00 PST In May the number of nonprofits seeking assistance from design professionals grew with the addition of 12 new nonprofits to The 1% Program. Nonprofits who joined this month asked for the involvement of designers in a wide range of projects. From service providers looking to ensure that their spaces are welcoming to their clients, to nonprofits looking to collaborate with architects on model projects that support their program objectives, The 1% continues to connect nonprofits with architects who can help them to achieve their goals. 91.7 KALW Local Public Radio (San Francisco, CA) Alameda Point Collaborative (Alameda, CA)Colllege Prep and Architectural Academy (Oakland, CA)Delaware Kenya Association (Wilmington, DE)Design Response (San Jose, CA) Dixie Schoolhouse Foundation (San Rafael, CA)Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island, Inc. (Brooklyn, NY)MH Tobias Elementary School (Daly, CA)Pet Being (Brooklyn, NY)Saint Teresa Community Outreach and Empowerment (Lake City, SC) The Womenand#39;s Collective (Washington DC)Urban Creeks Council (Berkeley, CA)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=42 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:00:00 PST May was a successful month for The 1% Program with 24 new firms signing up to pledge at least 1% of their time to pro bono efforts. This month also brought an expansion of the geographic range of The 1%. The program staff offers a special welcome to Tate Snyder Kimsey, our first firm from Nevada, and Thurlow Small Architecture, the first to join the program from Rhode Island. We look forward to future growth of the program in these areas and around the country. AB Architekten (New York, NY)Architect Patrick Onishi (Honolulu, HI)Bartizan Group Architects and Project Managers, PSC (San Juan, PR)Brandt Design Group (Seattle, WA)Demetri Sarantitis Architects (New York, NY) Donahue Architecture, Inc. (Ocala, FL)Donner and Sorcinelli Architetti (Silea, Italy) EDennie (Brooklyn, NY)Front Studio (New York, NY)Heller Manus Architects (San Francisco, CA)Jaime Canaves, FAIA, IIDA (Miami, FL)James Joyce Architect (Long Beach, NY)Locus Architecture Inc. (Coral Gables, FL)Mustudio (Brooklyn, NY)Marilys R. Nepomechie Architect (Coconut Grove, FL) Michael J Altschuler, AIA Architect (New York, NY)MPA Architects, Inc. (West Palm Beach, FL)PAE Consulting Engineers (Portland, OR) Peterson Architecture and Associates, LLC (Scottsdale, AZ) RATIO Architects, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN)Studio Schiff LLC (Hollywood, FL) Tate Snyder Kimsey (Henderson, NV) Thurlow Small Architecture (Pawtucket, RI) WPA, Inc. (Seattle, WA) The 1% Program of Public Architecture www.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=41 Thu, 15 May 2008 12:00:00 PST April brought 10 new nonprofits into Public Architectureand#39;s 1% program. From providing artists with affordable gallery space, to running programs for at-risk youth, these organizations perform a diverse array of services and are looking to design professionals for assistance in achieving their goals.Chashama, Inc (New York, NY) Concern of Durham, Inc. (Durham, NC) Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (New York, NY) Friends of Neighborhood Playgarden (San Francisco, CA) Harvey Brooks Motivation and Development Foundation (Joliet, IL) Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Inc. (Greenfield, MA)Pacific Lifeline (Upland, CA) St. Albans Congregational Church, United Church of Christ (St. Albans, NY) The Trust for Public Land (San Francisco, CA) Unity Care Group, Inc. (San Jose, CA)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=40 Fri, 09 May 2008 12:00:00 PST Shamed by the fact that law firms on average contributed 2 percent of their income in pro bono services while A/E lagged far behind, San Francisco architect John Peterson in 2002 founded Public Architecture, an organization committed to making the benefits of building, one of the most expensive of pastimes, affordable to nonprofit organizations, which could not otherwise afford the architects fee.Institute of Management and Administration http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=38 Fri, 02 May 2008 12:00:00 PST Todayand#39;s graduates from accredited architecture schools have a growing stream of opportunity to leave the traditional path practicing architecture for an occupation that seemingly offers better work-life balance and a higher salary than most interns working in an architecture firm. Having completed the intern development program and worked for firms designing everywhere from high-end residential, big box retail, k-12 educational, and government buildings, it did not take long for me to start looking for a chance to do something I felt could be more fulfilling than dealing with building departments, rotating boards, and multi-client projects. The search prompted me to make a move from Orange County to San Francisco, California in a result that led to more work, a little less pay, and oddly enough, an even greater appreciation for those still towing the traditional path. In July 2007 I joined Public Architectureand#39;s small staff of two as the first Program Manager to their 1% program .A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Public Architecture strives to put the resources of architecture in service of the public interest through their advocacy design campaigns and The 1% program. Established in 2003, Public Architecture is probably best known for their Scraphouse project a six week blitz design-build project that resulted in a house built entirely of scrap on San Franciscos capital lawn in conjunction with World Environment day in 2005. The project resulted in a National Geographic Documentary by Award winning filmmaker Anna Fitch. More recently Public Architecture has been getting attention for their Day Labor Station which was recently featured in the Cooper-Hewitts exhibition, Design for the Other 90% and The 1% program, that currently has over 300 firm participants pledging to close to 100,000 hours of design service (roughly $10 million services) pro bono on an annual basis.The 1% program asks architecture firms for 1%, or more specifically 1% of billable hours from every firm employee, roughly 20 hours per employee per year. Although the program is not asking for much, the potential is enormous If every architecture professional in the U.S. committed 1% of their time to pro bono service, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours annually the equivalent of 2,500-person firm, working for the public good.This past October, in order to facilitate the pledges of The 1% firm participants, Public Architecture added a nonprofit matching component to the release of V2.0 of The 1% website. The response has been exceptional and there are currently over 100 nonprofits in need of design assistance. The AIA has been one of the largest contributors to The 1% program, with over $100,000 in funds coming from local and national components. Additionally the AIA has built a case for pro bono work within the profession by expanding the Ethical Standard 2.2, Public Interest Services in their Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct by adding explicit references to pro bono services, rendered without expecting compensation, including those rendered for indigent persons, after disasters, or in other emergencies. The Institutes AIA 150andmdash;Blueprint for America initiative and the growth of Public Architectures 1% Program are but two instances that have prompted both AIA components and architecture firms to make a formal commitment to providing pro bono services to those sectors of our society that have not historically been well served by the profession. ~Anthony Tony J. Costello, FAIA and co-chair of a subcommittee on pro bono.Although a small amount of time, the past 8 months in my new position as Public Architectures program manager to The 1% Program has put me in touch with architects across the country making great contributions, of a variety sizes, within their local communities. We have Large firms represented such as Perkins + Will, notable firms such as William McDonough + Partners, and many sole proprietors giving more than their fair share of 1% back to the public. The work done by our 1% participating firms are an inspiration. The 1% is more than a program, it is a movement - bringing value back to the profession of architecture and giving everyone a chance to experience well designed environments. I am all too happy to tell their story and share the success of others.Evelyn Lee for AIA.org http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=37 Thu, 01 May 2008 12:00:00 PST The 1% Program continues to grow with the addition of 12 new firms. The program staff extends an additional welcome to Costello + Associates, as the first firm to join us from Indiana. The 1% program continues to grow primarily through the word-of-mouth of our participating 1% firms. Thanks to all those whoand#39;s ongoing efforts continue to support the work of The 1% program and share the good work they are doing. B2 Structural Engineers (Kenmore, WA) Costello + Associates (Muncie, IN)Da-Zyners Studio (Hazlewood, MO)DNM Architect (San Francisco, CA)Donadio and Associates Architects P.A. (Vero Beach, FL)GBH Partners (El Dorado Hills, CA)George Architecture, LLC (Denver, CO) Hollenbeck Architects, Inc. (Houston, TX)Paul Welschmeyer Architects (Niles, CA)Royal Park Studio, LLC (Vero Beach, FL) Seibert Architects (Sarasota, FL)Studio for Civil Architecture (New York, NY) The 1% Program of Public Architecture www.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=36 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:00:00 PST Thanks to the addition of Architects Hawaii out of Honolulu, The 1% program now has strong representation in the islands and showed continuous growth throughout the month of March with the addition of 20 more firms. Angelea Keesee Architect (Bozeman, MT)ArchiChord (Woodbridge, CT)Architects Hawaii (Honolulu, HI)Architects Without Borders Seattle (Seattle, WA)Austin + Mergold LLC (Ithaca, NY)Brian Cavanaugh Architecture (Seattle, WA)C.T. Hsu + Associates, P.A. (Orlando, FL)DE Biasse and Seminara Architects, PC (Martinsville, NJ)DJR Architecture (Minneapolis, MN)EnCompass Architecture (Ann Arbor, MI)FB Design Build (Berkley, CA)Guiding Graphics (Hoboken, NJ)Hulburd Design (San Francisco, CA)Jonathan Sinagub (New York, NY)Platform for Architecture + Research (Los Angeles, CA)Reset Studios (Phoenix, AZ)Scarano Architect PLLC (Brooklyn, NY)SRG Partnership (Seattle, WA)Washington Architecture Foundation (Washington, DC)Yost Grube Hall Architecture (Portland, OR) The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=35 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:00:00 PST More than a handful of the 15 new nonprofits registering with The 1% program this month site internet searches as their referral to the program, which continues to gain interest outside of major metropolitan areas. With interest in The 1% gaining continual momentum, we are constantly seeking out architecture firms to help with the growing number of nonprofit inquires. Abundant Live United Holy Church of America (Alexandria, VA)Architects Without Borders Seattle (Seattle, WA)Breathe California, GGPHP (Daly City, CA)Best Little Rabbit, Rodent and Ferret House (Seattle, WA)Healthy Schools Campaign (Chicago, IL)India Basin Neighborhood Association (San Francisco, CA)Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (Indianapolis, IN)Louisiana Institute for Building Technology and Safety (Baton Rouge, LA)Monument Futures (Concord, CA)Northpoint Resources, Inc. (Zion, IL)Nu Alexander Mason Endowment (San Bruno, CA)Street-Level Youth Media (Chicago, IL)The Marthannie School (Houston, TX)Tri-city Homeless Coalition (Freemont, CA)Wild Gardens Zoological Park, Inc (Gainesville, FL)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=34 Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:00:00 PST There are lots of ways the AandD community can make a difference through design, ranging from pro bono work for organizations in need of new space to a fully mobilized design response to humanitarian crisisandmdash;these days all too common occurrences in the headlines. Last October, the Contract: Design Forum included guest speakers from two San Francisco organizations that, despite their geographic proximity, take a very different approach to socially responsible design. One, Public Architecture, founded by John Peterson in 2002, focuses its efforts on encouraging designers to identify social problems and provide design solutions within their own communities, reinforcing the notion that we each have an obligation to care for our own. The other was the high-profile Architecture for Humanity, founded by Cameron Sinclair in 1999 to focus on applying practical design solutions to large-scale man-made or natural disasters anywhere in the world.John Cary, executive director of Public Architecture (now on leave until August to attend the American Academy in Rome, as a recipient of the Rome Prize) talked about John Petersonand#39;s motivation for founding the organization: Peterson Architects, like many boutique design firms, does a great deal of high-end residential and a fair amount of commercial work. And when youand#39;re doing $5.5-million homes along with $200,000 bathrooms, thereand#39;s a lot of work that youand#39;re not doing. There are a lot of people that youand#39;re not serving. And that, actually, is not intended to shame anyone. Itand#39;s just intended to recognize that thereand#39;s a real disparity between the people who can afford our services and the people who canand#39;t. So how do we remedy that? Peterson Architects went through this process of looking at how they could do something more. They went out into their own backyard, in their own neighborhood in South of Market, and began to look for an opportunity. This is not something new, but it was enough of a different take on that type of architectural activismandmdash;as we like to call itandmdash;that it sparked Public Architecture.That first socially responsible project Peterson Architects undertook recently secured a grant from the City of San Francisco, and involved the design of sidewalk plazas that would help create outdoor urban amenities to improve the sense of community in the troubled South of Market neighborhood. A second project followed involving accessory dwelling units for single-family homes that would help create multi-generational, affordable housing. A third project, which has since become the subject of the National Geographic documentary film Scraphouse, featured a house made of 100 percent scrap and salvage materials. And a fourth project, a proposed day-laborer station, was highlighted in last yearand#39;s Cooper Hewitt exhibit, Design for the Other 90%.From these promising beginnings, Peterson also developed the desire to spread the message of what good can be accomplished when design solutions are focused on social challenges. We really believe that architecture and design firms of all kinds, of all sizes, have the opportunity to make a significant contribution, and in fact, far more significant than small nonprofits like ours are able to do, said Cary. Thus the second but equal mission of Public Architecture was conceived in 2005: The 1% Solution seeks to put the resources of the entire design field to work in the public interest.Under the program, which extracts a commitment from architecture and interior design firms to contribute one percent of their billable hours annually to socially responsible initiatives, a growing network of design firms are mobilizing their professional staffs to undertake this kind of service. Currently, 290 firms in 35 states have pledged to take part. Thereand#39;s a great desire among architects to do work thatand#39;s socially relevant, said Peterson in a recent edition of the San Francisco Chronicle. Weand#39;re talking about improving public life for everybody. To facilitate the process and connect need to services, Public Architecture also maintains a database of nonprofit organizations with specific design needs, from architecture to interior design.The AIA recently awarded Public Architecture a $115,000 grant to expand its 1% Solution program, but the real growth and impact will come from within the AandD community itself, and its willingness to tackle one local need or challenge at a time. If youand#39;re interested in learning more about giving back under the model of Public Architecture and the 1% Solution, visit www.publicarchitecture.org or www.theonepercent.org.Jennifer Thiele Busch for Contract http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=39 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:00 PST Public Architecture Initiative Professionalizes Pro Bono Design SAN FRANCISCO, March 31, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Seeking to institutionalize pro bono design within the architecture profession, Public Architecture, a national nonprofit, has brought The 1% program, an initiative through which architects pledge a minimum of 1 percent of their billable hours annually to pro bono service, to the milestone of 300 participating firms in just three years. This represents a commitment of over 90,000 hours in design services worth an estimated $9 million annually. This sizable contribution harnesses the energy and creativity of firms in the service of the public good while increasing the capacity of nonprofits, http://www.theonepercent.org/. Cambridge Seven Associates marks the 300th architecture firm to pledge their commitment to providing pro bono design services. This represents a growth of 100% since the re-launch of The 1% website last October, says Public Architecture founder John Peterson. The rapid growth is fueled in part by a new matching system through which architecture firms and nonprofits can seek out partnerships online. Starting last fall, nonprofits were invited to register their needs with The 1% program to find architecture firms interested in partnering on pro bono projects. Over 100 nonprofits across the country have already signed up, demonstrating a real demand for firms engaging in pro bono work. As architects whose projects are inherently public, we know how important design is for enabling people to interact and work with each other, says Peter Kuttner, FAIA, president of Cambridge Seven Associates. The 1% program of Public Architecture represents the first profession-wide pro bono movement in architecture. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture on March 31, 2005, with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Along with renewed support from the NEA, The 1% is supported by several groups, including The American Institute of Architects, Boston Society of Architects, corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects, HOK, HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. In addition to The 1% program, Public Architecture sponsors a series of design campaigns, including ScrapHouse and the Day Labor Station. Through prototypical design projects linked with comprehensive advocacy initiatives, design campaigns develop new design solutions to provocative social issues. For more information about Public Architecture, visit http://www.publicarchitecture.org/. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=33 Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:00:00 PST Summary: The AIAs ethical code has been amended more than 30 times since first adopted 99 years ago under the name Principles of Professional Practice and the Canons of Ethics. Now called the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, these standards were most recently amended last December by the AIA Board. The 2007 additions reflect the Boards support for positive action by Institute members in two areas: pro bono services and sustainable design and practice.Pro bono servicesThe AIA National Board expanded Ethical Standard 2.2, Public Interest Services, to add explicit references to pro bono services, which are those rendered without expecting compensation, including those rendered for indigent persons, after disasters, or in other emergencies. This revision grew out of groundwork laid by the Boards Community Committee during 2007 to encourage members to provide pro bono services for worthy projects that may not otherwise be able to benefit from architectural services.This revision grew out of groundwork laid by the Boards Community Committee during 2007 to encourage members to provide pro bono services for worthy projects that may not otherwise be able to benefit from architectural servicesThe committees efforts were undertaken through a subcommittee on pro bono services, which drafted a Position Paper on Establishing Guidelines for Pro Bono Work. The position paper, which will soon be made available in its final form, provides an historical perspective on architectural pro bono services as well as information about current pro bono activities and organizations. The committee believed that the AIAs Code of Ethics, although encouraging members to provide public interest professional services, did not sufficiently reflect the value that the Institute and many members place on the particular types of public interest services that are called pro bono.The impetus for preparing the position paper was the substantial increase in the involvement in pro bono services by AIA members. As explained by Anthony (Tony) J. Costello, FAIA, a member of the pro bono subcommittee: The Institutes AIA 150andmdash;Blueprint for America initiative and the growth of Public Architectures 1% Program are but two instances that have prompted both AIA components and architecture firms to make a formal commitment to providing pro bono services to those sectors of our society that have not historically been well served by the profession.Sustainable design, sustainable development, and sustainable practicesThe Board also expanded the Code of Ethics by adding an entirely new Canon VI, Obligations to the Environment, which encompasses all aspects of sustainability. The Board believed that the importance of this issue warrants a separate canon rather than merely expanding Ethical Standard 1.3, which states that members should strive to improve the environment.The Board believed that the importance of sustainability warrants a separate canon rather than merely expanding the existing Ethical StandardCanon VI implements in the Code of Ethics the existing public policy of the Institute regarding sustainability: The creation and operation of the built environment require an investment of the earths resources. Architects must be environmentally responsible and advocate for the sustainable use of those resources.This policy is supported by the following position statements:42. Energy and the Built Environment: The AIA supports governmental policies, programs, and incentives to encourage energy conservation as it relates to the built environment as well as aggressive development of renewable energy sources. Architects must strive for energy efficiency and waste reduction in the built environment, encourage energy-conscious design and technology, and support a national program for more efficient use of nonrenewable resources and the development of renewable energy sources.43. Sustainable Buildings: The AIA supports governmental and private sector policy programs and incentives to encourage all buildings to exemplify the advantages of sustainable architecture.44. Sustainable Architectural Practice: The AIA recognizes a growing body of evidence that demonstrates current planning, design, construction, and real estate practices contribute to patterns of resource consumption that seriously jeopardize the future of the Earths population. Architects need to accept responsibility for their role in creating the built environment and, consequently, believe we must alter our professions actions and encourage our clients and the entire design and construction industry to join with us to change the course of the planets future.45. Sustainable Rating Systems: The AIA supports the development and use of rating systems and standards that promote the design and construction of communities and buildings that contribute to a sustainable future. The creation and operation of the built environment require an investment of the earths resources. Architects must be environmentally responsible and advocate for the sustainable use of those resources.As noted in a January 11 AIArchitect article, the addition of Canon VI to the Code of Ethics coincides with the new provisions on environmentally responsible design in the 2007 edition of AIA Contract Documentsandreg; owner/architect agreements. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=30 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:00:00 PST A month before its three year anniversary, The 1% program welcomed its 300th firm, Cambridge Seven Associates out of Cambridge, Massachusetts in February along with a number of firms from Florida, thanks to the AIA Florida Executive Committees support of The 1% program adding more than 20 firms in February. AIA Florida is the second AIA component to commit to pledge to The 1% program, and we look forward to bringing their member firms added benefits and promotion of their pro bono work through the program. As the 300th firm to join The 1%, Cambridge Seven Associates prove that pro bono work is not new to its firms vocabulary. Current and past pro bono efforts include work with the Pentecostal Tabernacle Church in Central Square, Cambridge and the Ohrenberger Elementary School in West Roxbury. Cambridge seven supported both organizations through a variety of discussions, looking at existing programs and possible options, exploring room for program growth, and fundraising. Anthony Cosentino Architect, Inc. (Boca Raton, FL)Arkin Tilt Architects (Berkeley, CA)Bullock Tice Associates (Pensacola, FL)Cambridge Seven Associates (Cambridge, MA)Dana Somsel (San Clemente, CA)Hood Thomas Architects (San Francisco, CA)Jeni Webber Landscape Architect (Berkeley, CA)Jerome Leslie Eben (West Orange, NJ)JLC Architecture (San Diego, CA)Kurhn Riddle Architect (Amherst, MA)Levon Porter Associates (Dayton, OH)Mahlum Architects (Portland, OR)Michael A. Byrd, Architect (Jacksonville, FL)Nancy Perez Miller Architect, Inc. (Islamorada, FL)Robert Hanselman AIA Architect, PA (Gainsville, FL)Smith Architects, PA (Sarasota, FL)Stanley, Love Stanley PC (Atlanta, GA)Steven M. Asaro, Architect (Yonkers, NY)Tate Architecture, PLLC (Kernersville, NC)Thomas Bracy Architects (Concord, NH)Tinguely Development (Kailua-Kona, HI)Touzet Studio (Miami, FL)Triad Architects (Columbus, OH)V2 Design (Bozeman, MT)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=31 Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:00:00 PST 17 Nonprofits join The 1% program in February seeking assistance from 1% participating firms. Since allowing nonprofits to register in October, the growth in the number of nonprofits has been astounding, proving that there is definitely a desire and need to interact with design professionals in order to improve their organizations. Berkeley Path Wanderers Association (Berkeley, CA)Biodiversity Conservation Alliance (Laramie, WY)Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (Berkeley, CA) Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (Chicago, IL)Community Youth Center (San Francisco, CA)Corporation for Supportive Housing (Chicago, IL)The Flea Theater (New York, NY)First Family Church (Overland Park, KS)Generation Y.E.S Youth Excellence Services (Biscoe, NC)Have Dreams (Park Ridge, IL)Job Work Development, Inc (Oakland, CA)Marin Agricultural Institute Framers Market (San Rafael, CA)Parent Trust for Washington Children (Seattle, WA)San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (San Francisco, CA)San Francisco School Alliance (San Francisco, CA)South Bronx Food Cooperative/Urban Fare (Bronx, NY)Unity Parenting and Counseling, Inc (Chicago, IL)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 300 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=32 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:00:00 PST Public Architecture has five employees. The spacious loft it shares with four other businesses is upstairs from a fetish-gear boutique.But if the firmand#39;s size and location are humble, its ideas are big - and one of them is beginning to transform the architectural profession.Thereand#39;s a great desire among architects to do work thatand#39;s socially relevant, says John Peterson. Weand#39;re talking about improving public life for everybody.Peterson is founder of Public Architecture, a 5-year-old nonprofit in San Francisco best known for its Scraphouse - an inhabitable structure that stood for four days in 2005 across from City Hall and included walls made of computer keyboards and old telephone books. But the firmand#39;s larger impact involves a different sort of vision: to turn the concept of pro bono work into an industry norm.Begun in 2005, the program dubbed the 1% Solution aims at getting architectural firms to contribute 1 percent of their billable hours annually to socially responsible initiatives. In other words, making it standard practice to allocate time and staff to do the right thing.Yes, architects have embraced worthy causes in the past. But 1% Solutionand#39;s blueprint for ongoing commitment is more in line with the legal industry, where the American Bar Association for decades has emphasized the importance of pro bono efforts.The results so far are heartening. As of January, 290 firms in 35 states have pledged to take part. And Public Architecture isnand#39;t just trying to guilt-trip its peers. The firm also has assembled a database of nonprofit organizations with specific needs that a design firm can address, whether itand#39;s a full building renovation or focused interior design.The brilliant component of this was the linkage - a systematic network to match experience with need, says R.K. Stewart. An associate principal in the San Francisco office of Perkins + Will, Stewart last year was president of the American Institute of Architects. The AIA recently awarded Public Architecture a $115,000 grant to expand its 1 percent effort.We started fishing around for organizations that do things like this (in architecture) and couldnand#39;t find any, Peterson recalls. I have sporadic sleep habits, and one time when I was up in the middle of the night I thought, and#39;This is worth taking on.and#39; If methodical pro bono work does become part of the architectural persona - along with hip eyeglasses and a tendency toward words like porosity - then Peterson is an unlikely instigator.Peterson, 44, arrived here in 1991 with his better half, landscape architect Carol Souza: She was ready to get out of Cambridge (Massachusetts), I said sure, and we drove west looking for a place to light. They arrived in the Bay Area, liked it and found a way to stay.Peterson set up Peterson Architects, specializing in private homes. But when he designed a project across from the Glen Park BART station with housing, a library, supermarket and sleek contemporary design, neighbors balked at the modern look. The project ended up in another office that rolled out the more traditional building that opened last year.Instead of making Peterson bitter, the fuss lit a spark.I found it engaging ... it broadened our thinking about who our and#39;clientand#39; was, Peterson recalls. I was exposed to my own limitations at how I present my architectural ideas, but we also started thinking about all these people we never meet.So Petersonand#39;s staff looked for ways to connect with everyday people and found a cause close at hand. Their office is on a stretch of Folsom Street that offers six lanes of asphalt but precious little in the way of amenities for neighborhood workers and residents. The firm whipped up conceptual schemes to replace some of the blacktop with landscaped oases; the idea was a hit, and the first small plaza should be constructed this fall outside the BrainWash Cafe/Laundromat.Thereand#39;s also talk with several municipalities about building shelters for day laborers who line streets looking for work. As for the Scraphouse, a wry critique of the culture of disposability, it lives on in a documentary film.Johnand#39;s incredibly optimistic, says David Meckel, director of research and planning at California College of the Arts and a member of Public Architectureand#39;s board of directors. He doesnand#39;t focus on why something wonand#39;t work. Itand#39;s about incrementally trying out ideas and seeing if they have resonance.With 1% Solution, Public Architecture definitely struck a chord. The converts arenand#39;t just studios with a progressive bent. Local participants include Field Paoli, a 70-member firm, and thereand#39;s financial support from such national players as Hammell Green and Abrahamson, which has 515 employees in six offices.It helps that Peterson and his staff emphasize pragmatics; for instance, the marketing campaign stresses that pro bono projects can become portfolio pieces that help firms gain entry to new design markets.We donand#39;t want to be an organization that appeals only to the true believers, Peterson explains. We need to make the case to nonprofits that good design thinking can advance their cause, and to architects that creative, aggressive pro bono work can be healthy for their business.Speaking of business, Petersonand#39;s turning more of his attention these days back to the firm that bears his name. Doing good goes only so far.There was a point when I was putting too much time into Public Architecture, and it almost ruined us, Peterson says. Our accountant made that clear.Place appears on Tuesday. E-mail John King at jking@sfchronicle.com. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=29 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:00:00 PST The 1% program welcomed 21 new firms in January, including William McDonough + Partners for their efforts on the Make It Right NOLA Campaign. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Floridas Executive Committee also joined, making the second AIA regional component to pledge their participation to The 1%. We look forward to continued growth in 2008, and thank all of those on the ground passing along The 1% through word-of-mouth.AIA Florida Executive Committee (Tallahassee, FL)arcInteriors (Roseville, CA)Baer Architecture Group (New York, NY)Brown Architects (Dallas, TX)Hub architecture (Seattle, WA)J Hettinger Interiors (Danville, CA)James T. Vinson, Architect (Raleigh, NC)Jean Steinbrecher Architects (Langley, WA)Kathy Shaffer (Sausalito, CA)Parallel Architectural Group (Long Branch, NJ)Placetailor (Boston, MA)PLATFORM inc (Milford, PA)ReConstruct architecture (Portsmouth, VA)Richard Hallert (Newark, CA)Thomas Hacker Architects (Portland, OR)Theworkshop308 (Springfield, MO)Touzet Studio (Miami, FL)William McDonough + Partners (Charlottesville, VA)WRNS Studio (San Francisco, CA)Yoshino Architects, P.A. (Boca Raton, FL)Yoshino Trieschmann Design Group (Boca Raton, FL)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 200 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, Peckham and Wright Architects (PWA), and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=27 Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:00:00 PST The number of nonprofits seeking design assistance from The 1% firms continues to grow with 18 additional firms added in January of 2008. Several of the new nonprofits cite web-searches as their reference when registering with the program, implying that The 1% program is reaching organizations outside of major metropolitan areas which initially received Public Architectures Publication, The 1% Users Guide .BMS Family Health Center (Brooklyn, NY)Center for Architecture Foundation (New York, NY)The Center for Urban Peace New Dharma Community (Berkeley, CA)Children in Need of Hugs (Fairfield, CA)Exquisite Opportunities, Inc (Tomball, TX)Full Circle Farm (Sunnyvale, CA)Homeless Action Center (Berkeley, CA)Idealist.org (New York, NY)Illias, Inc (Jersey City, NJ)Living Skills Center for the Visually Impaired (San Pablo, CA)Martinez Opera Contra Costa (Martinez, CA)Northwest Interpretive Association (Seattle, WA)Odyssey World International Eduacation Services (Spokane, WA)Southeast Seattle Senior Center (Seattle, WA)Spanish Coalition for Jobs, Inc (Chicago, IL)The Taylor Family Foundation (Livermore, CA)Wakefield Theatre Company (Raleigh, NC)Youth Leadership Institute (San Francisco, CA)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 200 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, Peckham and Wright Architects (PWA), and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=28 Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:00:00 PST Public Architecture welcomed 8 new firms to The 1% program during the month of December, wrapping up 2007 with 255 firms pledging more than 80,000 hours in professional design services. Angela Vasandani, AIA (Lisle, IL)BASE (Lisbon, Portugal)Core Studios (Atlanta, GA)GBBN Architects (Cincinnati, OH)Mendes Arquitetera e Consultoria (Santa Marta, Brazil)Oudens | Ello Architects LLC (Boston, MA)SMPC Architects (Albuquerque, NM)WHR Architects, Inc. (Houston, TX)Winslow Architecture and Urban Design (San Francisco, CA)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 200 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, Peckham and Wright Architects (PWA), and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=25 Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:00:00 PST Public Architecture closes 2007 with nearly 50 nonprofits requesting assistance, welcoming 9 new nonprofits in December. Many of the new nonprofits have had an equally tremendous year, seeking assistance as they look to expand with in their existing space or seek out new facilities for their growing organization. Alcatraz Alumni Association Inc. (Fairfield, CA)The Bike Kitchen (San Francisco, CA)Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (Chicago, IL)Common Ground (Seattle, WA)Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin Counties (San Francisco, CA)Homeward Bound of Marin (San Rafael, CA)Nantucket Housing Office (Nantucket, MA)New York Youth Symphony (New York, NY)Wonderland Developmental Center (Shoreline, WA) The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 200 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, Peckham and Wright Architects (PWA), and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=26 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 12:00:00 PST During the month of November, Public Architecture welcomed a record 29 new firms to The 1%, raising the total number of participating firms above 250. Those firms included: ABA Architects (Tucson, AZ)ARMARCHITECT (Miami, FL)Challenges (Olympia, WA)Christopher Donnelly, Architect (Gainesville, FL)Coyote Design Architecture + Planning PLLC (Tacoma, WA)Daniel Seagondollar Architect (Apple Valley, CA)Gabor+Allen, inc. (Venice, CA)Hill Design Architects (St. Augustine, FL)Jeff Scott Peltier, AIA, LEED (Owosso, MI)John Snyder Architects, PLLC (Ithaca, NY)mas|mojica architecture studio (Roseville, CA)MSAandAssoc.inc (La Jolla, CA)mw|works architecture+design (Seattle, WA)Reasons Design (San Francisco, CA)Padilla and Associates Architects (Santa Fe, NM)Phil Radar Architect, LTD (Minneapolis, MN)RA-DA (West Hollywood, CA)Robert Kahn Architect PC (New York, NY)Sherwood McMillion (Laguna Beach, CA)Scott Edwards Architecture (Portland, OR)Seed Architecture Studio (Portland, OR)Sol Agua Terra (Frederick, MD)SRG Partnership (San Francisco, CA)STUDIO A46, INC. (La Mesa, CA)Studio Shift, Inc (Santa Monica, CA)Studio ST Architects (New York, NY)Sunset Consultants (Mailbu, CA)Szostak Design (Chapel Hill, NC)William Barbour, AIA (Chicago, IL)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 200 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, Peckham and Wright Architects (PWA), and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=23 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 12:00:00 PST Thanks in large part to our new website, print publication, as well as a promotional partnership with the Taproot Foundation, November brought 26 new nonprofits to The 1% program. Design assistance of all types were requested, ranging from facility needs assessments to a house for eight on an island in the middle of the Bering Sea. Ahava Kids (Old Saybrook, CT)Athens County Child Advocacy Center (Athens, OH) Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic (Chicago, IL)CASA of Linn County, Inc (Albany, OR)Chicago Youth Centers (Chicago, IL)Child Network of Evanston (Evanston, IL)Coalition of African, Arab, Asian, European and Latino Immigrants of Illinois (Chicago, IL)Community Clinic Consortium (Richmond, CA)Community Vocational Enterprises (San Francisco, CA)Detroit Cristo Rey High School (Detroit, MI)Earth Roofs in a Sahel (Ganges, FR)Friends of the Children New York (New York, NY)Habitat for Humanity East Bay (Oakland, CA)Hamdard Center for Health and Human Services (Addison, IL)Harlem RBI and The DREAM Charter School (New York, NY)The Harlem School of the Arts (New York, NY)Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California (San Francisco, CA)HomeAid Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)Miracle House Inc. (Des Plaines, IL)Park Forest Historical Society (Park Forest, IL)Richmond District Neighborhood Center (San Francisco, CA)Ryther Child Center (Seattle, WA)Tyron Life Community Farm (Portland, OR)Unalaska Christian Fellowship (Unalaska, AK)West Suburban PADS (Maywood, IL)World Savvy (San Francisco, CA)The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 200 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, Peckham and Wright Architects (PWA), and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=24 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:00:00 PST Public Architecture, a nonprofit organization formed to put the resources of architecture in the service of the public interest, recently launched the new name of its pro bono design service programandmdash;The 1%andmdash;as well as its completely redesigned Web site. The new Web site enables 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in need of design assistance to connect with the more than 210 firms that have signed on to pledge a minimum of one percent of their time to pro bono work, and vice versa. In addition to sign-up information and tips for getting involved, the Web site offers cases studies of completed projects. The AIA is an institutional supporter of the 1% program. For more information, visit the new 1% Web site. (Pictured is the work of Project FROG, now an independent company, that grew out of the pro bono design work of San Francisco-based MKThink architecture firm. Project FROG provides an alternative to the temporary trailers used as classrooms.)Link to article on AIArchitect:http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek07/1109/1109b_onepercent.cfm http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=22 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 12:00:00 PST Dear Friend of Public Architecture: October was a month of major advances for Public Architecture, particularly related to The 1% program. On October 23, we publicly announced Phase II of The 1% program, comprised of our new print publication on pro bono design and the next generation of TheOnePercent.org website. The new publication and website have already attracted 20 firms who have pledged more than 10,000 hours, bringing to 207 the number of firms that have pledged to complete more than 65,000 hours of pro bono service annually. Of equal significance, TheOnePercent.org website now enables nonprofits seeking design assistance to register their needs, and more than a dozen have done so in the past two weeks, including ones such as Home Aid and Family Connections, which have multiple chapters. Read on to find out more about what The 1% program has to offer and how you can help. John PetersonFounder and Chair

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Contents:1. Introducing TheOnePercent.org, Version 2.02. The 1% Userand#39;s Guide Now Online3. Record 20 New Firms Join The 1% Program in October4. The 1% Program Welcomes 15 Nonprofits Seeking Assistance5. Comments from Nonprofit Leaders6. ArchitectureBoston Profiles Public Architecture and The 1% Participants7. Supporters of The 1% Program8. Upcoming Presentations9. What You Can Do to Support Public Architecture

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1. Introducing TheOnePercent.org, Version 2.0 The new website of The 1% program was directly informed by a survey of the first 150 firms to join the program as well as extensive inquiries fielded from nonprofit organizations seeking design assistance. Among many others, Version 2.0 of TheOnePercent.org website includes the following new features and functions:

Nonprofit organization and project registration capabilities

Enhanced firm and nonprofit participant profiles

Specific pro bono service offerings and descriptions

Interactive national map of the cities that host 1% firms and nonprofits

Enlarged project gallery and more detailed project profiles

Interactive Flash version and downloadable PDFs of The 1% Userand#39;s Guide

Interviews with the architect and nonprofit leaders associated with exemplary pro bono design projects

Dedicated My 1% portal for firms and nonprofits to manage their profiles and projects

Email notifications of pro bono project opportunities

The website was developed in partnership with RedClay, and made possible by the support of our 10 for 1 firm partners and grants from The American Institute of Architects and National Endowment for the Arts.

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2. The 1% Userand#39;s Guide Now Online Public Architectureand#39;s newly-released print publication on pro bono design, The 1% Userand#39;s Guide, is an inspirational, introductory resource for architecture and design firms as well as nonprofit organizations interested in undertaking pro bono design projects. The publication is two-sided and includes interviews with both firm and nonprofit leaders, benefits and strategies for engaging in a pro bono relationship, and how-to advice. The publication was created in partnership with MendeDesign and made possible by a grant from the Ideas that Matter program of Sappi Limited. Over 3,000 copies of the publication are en route to firm and nonprofit leadersand#39; mailboxes, thanks to distribution assistance from The Greenway Group and the Taproot Foundation. Additional hardcopies may be purchased from Public Architecture, and an interactive Flash version of the publication is now online, along with downloadable PDFs. Click here to access The 1% Userand#39;s Guide.

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3. Record 20 New Firms Join The 1% Program in October Since our October 2007 newsletter, Public Architecture has welcomed 20 new firms to The 1% program, including our first from Montana, first from Canada, and a handful of interior design firms.

Arrowstreet (Somerville, MA) Cozy Comfort Interior Design (Brandywine, MD) DJS Interiors (Mount Laurel, NJ) Dowling Sandholm Architects (Helena, MT) Enand#39;terior Designs (Sugar Land, TX) Feldman Architecture (San Francisco, CA) Grace Street R.D.S. (Richmond, VA) MASS Architecture and Design (Los Angeles, CA) Mancini Duffy (New York, NY) Mayers Architecture (Oakland, CA) Pinnacle DB (San Francisco, CA) Renaissance Architects (Springfield, IL) Shelter Architecture (Minneapolis, MN) SRG Partnership (Portland, OR / San Francisco, CA / Seattle, WA) STUDIO 8 (New Haven, CT) Sweeny Sterling Finlayson and Co Architects (Toronto, Canada) T+G Studio (Albuquerque, NM) Urban Studio Architects (Tampa, FL) WINGS (Rancho Santa Fe, CA)

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4. The 1% Program Welcomes 15 Nonprofits Seeking Assistance In its first two weeks of operation, TheOnePercent.org has attracted 15 nonprofits, including the following:

Bill Wilson Center (Santa Clara, CA) Christ House (Washington, DC) Excelsior Family Connections First United Methodist Church (Texarkana, AR) Growth and Learning Opportunities (San Francisco, CA) HomeAid America (Newport Beach, CA) HomeAid San Diego (San Diego, CA) Interfaith Worker Justice (Chicago, IL) International Leadership Academy of Ethiopia (Renton, WA) Leap Learning Systems (Chicago, IL) Mount Hope Housing Company (Bronx, NY) NextStep Fitness (Hermosa Beach, CA) New Traditions Elementary School (San Francisco, CA) Portola Family Connections (San Francisco, CA) St. Johnand#39;s Educational Thresholds Center (San Francisco, CA)

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5. Comments from Nonprofit Leaders HomeAid San Diego builds housing for temporarily homeless families and individuals by partnering with members of the building industry who donate construction materials and skilled labor. We build for existing community based nonprofit agencies that have demonstrated success with programs and support services designed to return their homeless clients to stable living situations. Your program appears to be the perfect match for us.--Sara Thomas, HomeAid San Diego The timing of your mailing was absolutely perfect. Weand#39;re looking to create a window display and interior design that reflects our new identity and vision and communicates to the thousands of people that pass by our and#39;storefrontand#39; window space each day. This is a critical component to our rebranding project that is currently underway. The physical design of our space is the missing piece!--Jeff Feinman, St. Johnand#39;s Educational Thresholds Center We have a garage space that we would like to turn into program and office space but barely know how to begin. The timing is perfect for this type of design consultation and collaboration. --MaryAnne Fleming, Portola Family Connections

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6. ArchitectureBoston Profiles Public Architecture and The 1% Participants The newly-released November/December 2007 issue of ArchitectureBoston magazine features a two-page profile of Public Architecture. In addition to a number of project profiles from TheOnePercent.org website, two firm leaders earned mentions and quotes in the article: Phil Harrison, CEO of Perkins + Will, and Craig Curtis of The Miller|Hull Partnership. Click here to download a PDF (5mb) of the article.

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7. Supporters of The 1% Program The 1% program was originally launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as our 10 for 1 firm partners such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, Peckham and Wright Architects (PWA), and Perkins + Will. The 1% program would not exist without their crucial support. Click here for more information on our important sponsors and supporters. Donations can be made via any of Public Architectureand#39;s websites and sponsorship opportunities can be discussed with John Cary, executive director, at 415/861-8200 or email at mailto:%20jcary@publicarchitecture.org.

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8. Upcoming Presentations AIA Kansas | Topeka, KS | November 3, 2007Keynote speaker, AIA Kansas Conference and Exhibition Build Boston Tradeshow | Boston, MA | November 15, 2007Co-sponsor, Community Design in Practice Symposium [Register] Looking ahead to 2008, Public Architecture leaders have already accepted invitations to speak at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Design Forum, and the Sarasota Design Conference as well as participate in the Pro Bono Summit.

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9. What You Can Do to Support Public ArchitectureClick here for 10 ways to contribute to our work.

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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. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=20 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:00:00 PST The November/December 2007 issue of ArchitectureBoston magazine, addressing the theme ofclients,features a two-page profile of Public Architecture, and focuses largely on The 1% program. In addition to a number of project profiles from TheOnePercent.org website, two firm leaders earned mentions and quotes in the article: Phil Harrison, CEO of Perkins + Will, and Craig Curtis of The Miller|Hull Partnership. Click here to download a PDF (5mb) of the article. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=21 Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:00:00 PST Public Architecture, the San Francisco-based nonprofit that advocates pro bono design, has launched Version 2.0 of its nationally-recognized program, The 1%. The centerpiece of the program is a first-of-its-kind match-making website that connects nonprofit organizations in need of design assistance with architecture and design firms willing to give of their time on a pro bono basis.This next phase of The 1% builds on the momentum weve garnered in the programs first two years, and begins to address the other and equally important side of any pro bono relationship: the client, says John Cary, Executive Director of Public Architecture (www.publicarchitecture.org), which coordinates The 1% program. Public Architectureandmdash;like many firms, schools, and AIA chaptersandmdash;fields dozens if not hundreds of inquiries each year from people and groups seeking pro bono design assistance. Until now, there hasnt been a venue of any kind to catalog, much less address those needs.This next generation of The 1% program website enables both nonprofits and firms to register and identify the kinds of services they either need or are willing to offer on a pro bono basis. The seven services currently promoted on the site range from the production of capital campaign materials to complete facility renovations. The vast majority of the nonprofits we work with are saddled with facilities and office spaces that dont reflect the importance of their mission, says Aaron Hurst, founder and president of the Taproot Foundation . Were talking about groups and the people they serve who would not otherwise have access to professional design. The 1% program has the opportunity to remedy this situation.In an effort to introduce the concept and principles of pro bono design to both nonprofits as well as architecture and design firms, Public Architecture is simultaneously releasing a print publication to correspond with the new website. Made possible by a major grant from the Ideas that Matter program of Sappi Limited, the publication includes brief, project-specific interviews with noted architecture and nonprofit leaders, which detail how cooperation between architects and nonprofits can create both inspiring spaces as well as inspiring stories. The book also includes a thorough how-to section, describing benefits and strategies for firms and nonprofits alike.This is an enormously moving and powerful publication, notes RK Stewart, 2007 President of The American Institute of Architects. It is exactly the kind of resource that can inspire other pro bono design collaborations across the country.Launched in 2005, The 1% program was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Version 2.0 of The 1% program website was made possible thanks to the continued support of NEA as well as a recent grant from The American Institute of Architects and the ongoing support of several leading architecture firms and foundations. To date, over 200 firms of all sizes have signed on, ranging from sole practitioners to some of the largest firms in the country, including HKS and Perkins + Will.Note to EditorsThe following Public Architecture representatives are available for interviews:John Cary, Executive Director of Public Architecture and Director of The 1% programJohn Peterson, Founder and Chair of Public ArchitectureAaron Hurst, Founder and President of the Taproot FoundationContact Barbara Franzoia at barbara@publicarchitecture.org or by phone at 415/291-0243.Public Architecturewww.publicarchitecture.orgEstablished in 2002 by architect John Peterson, Public Architecture is a national nonprofit organization based in San Francisco. Public Architecture acts as a catalyst for public discourse through education, advocacy, and the design of public spaces and amenities.The 1% Program of Public Architecturewww.theonepercent.org The 1% is a national program launched by Public Architecture in 2005 that challenges architecture and design firms to pledge 1% of their billable hours to pro bono work. Over 200 firms have signed on to date. If every architecture professional in the U.S. dedicated just 20 hours annually, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours each yearandmdash;the equivalent of 2,500-person firm working fulltime for the public good. The 1% program was launched by Public Architecture in 2005 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and is presently supported by a range of groups, including the NEA, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Boston Society of Architects (BSA), corporate and private foundations, as well as leading firms such as Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG), Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), HKS, McCall Design Group, Peckham and Wright Architects (PWA), and Perkins + Will. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=19 Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:00:00 PST Public Architecture is pleased to unveil Version 2.0 of TheOnePercent.org, website of The 1% (formerly 1% Solution) program. Although fully operational, the site is in beta mode, with an anticipated public launch date of October 2, 2007. The first-of-its-kind website will connect 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in need of design assistance with architecture and design firms willing to do pro bono work. The new site was directly informed by a survey of the first 150 firms to join the program as well as extensive inquiries fielded from nonprofit organizations seeking assistance. Among many others, new site features and functions include:

Nonprofit organization and project registration capabilities

Enhanced firm and nonprofit participant profiles

Specific pro bono service offerings and descriptions

Interactive national map of the cities that host 1% firms and nonprofits

Enlarged project gallery and more detailed project profiles

Interviews with the architect and nonprofit leaders associated with exemplary pro bono design projects

Dedicated My 1% portal for firms and nonprofits to manage their profiles and projects

Downloadable PDFs (and forthcoming interactive Flash version) of The 1% Users Guide

Custom email notifications of pro bono project opportunities

Launched in 2005, TheOnePercent.org was originally made possible by grants from the Boston Society of Architects and the National Endowment for the Arts. Version 2.0 of TheOnePercent.org was made possible thanks to the continued support of NEA as well as a recent grant from The American Institute of Architects and the ongoing support of several leading architecture firms and foundations. To date, over 175 firms of all sizes have signed on to The 1% program, ranging from sole practitioners to some of the largest firms in the country, such as HKS and Perkins + Will. With this new site, Public Architecture seeks to measurably increase the quantity and quality of pro bono design work through the U.S. Comments, corrections, and questions pertaining to the new website can be directed by email to info@theonepercent.org or by phone to 415/861-8200. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=14 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 12:00:00 PST When Public Architecture launched The 1% Solution in 2005, it tapped into the architecture communitys altruism: The San Franciscobased practice and public-service advocacy has since signed up 157 firms to pledge 1 percent of their time to nonprofit organizations that could not otherwise afford design direction. And yet Public Architecture executive director John Cary admits that some of those promises have been more symbolic than anything. A three-pronged initiative, to be unveiled September 4 along with a name change to simply The 1%, will help architects realize their best intentions.While The 1% has galvanized several pro bono jobsandmdash;the San Francisco firm David Baker + Partners Architects, for example, undertook a feasibility study and conceptual design for a Habitat for Humanity development in Oakland, California, as a result of its pledgeandmdash;Cary says that hes fielded hundreds of queries from architects who dont know how to make good on a promise. Though Public Architecture had channeled architects desire to help, there were still practicalities to overcome: How to find the right client? What about liability? With financial support from seven architecture firms, the Web site theonepercent.org has been revamped to provide such assistance. A new matching service links architects with appropriate clients. It is modeled most closely after a dating service, Cary says. Nonprofits submit information about themselves and their needs, architects submit information about their capabilities, and the software generates the best potential matches. We are almost inundated with phone calls from nonprofit organizations, church groups, and other clients worthy of pro bono design assistance, Cary says. Its not just our organization that receives those kinds of inquiries, but virtually any architecture firm, AIA chapter, and school. Were not cataloging the needs out there; this Web site will provide for those functions.The Web site now offers model contract language and contractual addenda for review and use, drafted with the law firms Long and Levit and Reno and Cavanaugh. We dont want this legal dilemma to burden people to the point they cant act, Cary says, adding that official agreements bring dignity to the pro bono client. Both architects and clients can look to the third component of Public Architectures effort for further guidance. The 1% Users Manual offers how-to advice and case studies in collaboration. Cary envisions that Septembers introductions are just a start, and hopes that this initial phase should build the organizations momentum. I can imagine that, by finally addressing a lot of architecture firms questions and needs, we will attract another cohort to The 1%.http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/070831one.asp http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=11 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 12:00:00 PST Architects hearts are overflowing with kindnessandmdash;and Public Architecture has the documentation to prove it. A recent survey of 150 architect members of The 1%, a pro bono assistance network launched by the San Franciscobased design firm, found that participants go above and beyond the call of volunteers duty. By signing up for The 1%, an architecture firm pledges 1 percent of its billable hours to designing for nonprofit groups free of charge. But based on the surveys 77 complete responses, more than two-thirds of participants actually devoted 2 percent or more toward that goal last year. Public Architecture executive director John Cary notes that the [survey] sample is representative of just about every firm size, type, and geography. Respondents projects were equally sweeping, ranging from rebuilding a library in New Orleans to contributing to tsunami relief efforts in Sri Lanka. Architects may have provided even more help than 2 percentandmdash;had they the means to do it. Although social relevance was a key criterion for selecting an assignment, financial constraints and available staff time were most frequently cited as limitations to shouldering additional pro bono work. Aaron Hurst, the founder and president of the pro bono advocacy Taproot Foundationandmdash;and the person who encouraged Public Architecture to undertake the surveyandmdash;noted in a statement that the effort represents the first time, outside of the legal profession, that a quantifiable standard for pro bono has been put on the table for a specific industry and measured. Most significantly, the survey brings to light the barriers to further investment as well as demonstrated commitment to overcoming them. Asked whether or not a survey of participants in The 1% accurately reflects the architecture profession as a whole, Cary admits that these respondents comprise a self-selecting group. But, he adds, Our sincere hope is to improve the reliability of the data through a number of standard means in the years ahead, including a non-1% sample. Doing this kind of survey right could cost about as much as it costs us to run the entire program, so were taking it one step at a time. Also, I firmly believe that the vast majority of firms of all shapes and sizes do a significant amount of pro bono work, but dont do so in an organized, strategic, or trackable manner. Were trying to change that.http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/070831one.asp http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=12 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:00:00 PST Across the U.S., architects are putting their skills and talents to work for the public good, according to a recent survey of 150 firms by nonprofit Public Architecture. There has never been a survey focused specifically on pro bono service by architecture firms or even individual architects before, says John Cary, Public Architectures executive director.The survey sample ranged from sole practitioners to some of the largest firms in the country, such as HKS and Perkins + Will, all of which have pledged a minimum of 1% of their billable hours to pro bono service via Public Architectures flagship 1% Solution program. Public Architectures goal is to direct a minimum of 1% of every firms time to pro bono service, and these 150 are leading the way.Virtually every firm reported exceeding the goal of 1%, and more than two-thirds devoted 2% or more of their time to pro bono service over the past year. This level of activity is all the more significant considering that respondents overwhelmingly cited their firms financial constraints and available staff time as the two greatest obstacles to engaging in pro bono work. Were talking about a major investment of time and resources, Cary adds.This is a historic survey, according to Aaron Hurst, founder and president of the Taproot Foundation, which connects nonprofits with business professionals from a variety of fields on a pro bono basis. It represents the first time, outside of the legal profession, that a quantifiable standard for pro bono has been put on the table for a specific industry and measured. Most significantly, the survey brings to light the barriers to further investment as well as demonstrated commitment to overcoming them.As to what motivates firms to give of their time and talents, 88% of survey respondents named social relevance as the most important variable in choosing pro bono projects. Similarly, 73% of respondents cited community benefit as having the highest impact on any future efforts to increase the quality or quantity of their pro bono work. Other key selection variables included project type, design opportunity, and a personal connection with the issues addressed by projects or the client themselves.The survey revealed that architects contributed significant time and resources over the past year alone to a wide range of projects and services, from rebuilding a storm-damaged library in New Orleans to general consulting for local nonprofits. Donated services comprised the largest type of pro bono contributions, followed by reduced-fee services, general volunteer work, and cash donations. Most respondents cited a combination of the aforementioned items. Some firms chose to work with established nonprofits, such as Habitat for Humanity, Adopt a Room, and the Robin Hood Foundations Library Initiative. Others have dedicated their time to projects that they conceived of and spearheaded, drafting unsolicited open space plans and sustainability strategies for their particular neighborhoods. A few even looked beyond national boundaries, helping with tsunami relief efforts in Sri Lanka or village planning in Liberia.The results of this first annual survey strongly supported the next evolutionary step for Public Architectures 1% Solution program, the national initiative through which architecture firms pledge a minimum of 1% of their billable hours to pro bono service.The next phase of the 1% Solution program involves the creation of a national database and online clearinghouse to match architects with nonprofit organizations and other appropriate pro bono clients in need of their help. The new online database, paired with the release of a first-of-its-kind print publication on pro bono design, is expected to go online in September.This is a breakthrough moment for pro bono design and also our 1% Solution program, says Cary. We are on the brink of mobilizing architects and bringing professional design to communities in need at a scale never seen before.Click here for a link to the accompanying data sheet. http://www.theonepercent.org/News.htm?nid=10