May 08: Partnerships and Opportunities | Competition winners announced Tuesday

[Architecture for Humanity]

Thanks to all of you who donated to our Myanmar appeal. Without you we would not be able to make a difference. cheers Cameron

View this email as a webpage.

Update your preferences or take yourself off this email list.

Partnerships and Job Opportunities

"there is nothing worse than being all mouth and no trousers" mama Sinclair, circa 1983. In other words you can talk about making change or you can actually do it. This month the American Institute of Architects annual convention was themed We The People - on "the architect's role in society and the power of architecture on behalf of all people." Now all the talk is over, isn't it time to walk the walk? This month is all about partnerships, from UNICEF to Google to AMD to working in Myanmar/Burma. These new partnerships are allowing us to expand and take on a number of design fellows. We are also offering nine paid positions and a couple of volunteer opportunities all around the world. So whether you are an architect, web guru, engineer, writer or work in finance - stop complaining about why the world is falling apart, take a sabbatical (or quit your job!) and join us in making a difference. Can't take advantage of any of these gigs? spread the word, post 'em on facebook or put them on your blog. Or be a local champion by helping start, run or support one of the local chapters. Finally with more than seven million people homeless in Myanmar and China, please think about making a donation to help us build back better. cheers, The Architecture for Humanity team.

Architecture for Humanity and... UNICEF

If there ever was a potential for a partnership that will change the lives of tens of millions of children this is it - Architecture for Humanity working in partnership with UNICEF. This union has the potential to innovate schools and classrooms for children all over the world. Scaling architectural innovation to a profound level. All we need is you.

Right now UNICEF and Architecture for Humanity is seeking design and engineering professional to help develop and build a number of educational facilities in West Africa. Our focus at the moment is in Liberia and Ivory Coast, but in the coming months we will look for candidates for Sierra Leone and Guinea. These are paid in country positions and you will be working as a two person team as UNICEF consultants. Working in partnership with local communities and the ministry of education, your task will be to design and facilitate the building of two schools will include alternative energy sources, water reclamation, connectivity, basic services, and play spaces. These are ideal position for mid-career architects and engineers who want to take a year off from the day to day mundane reflected ceiling plans and to remind themselves what it means to design in the world.

Position One: Project Architect
Location:on site in Ganta, Liberia
Commitment: One Year starting June 2008
Type: Paid/Stipend Position

Position Two: Structural Engineer
Location:on site in Ganta, Liberia
Commitment: One Year starting June 2008
Type: Paid/Stipend Position

Position Three: Project Architect
Location:Rural Ivory Coast
Commitment: One Year starting fall 2008
Type: Paid/Stipend Position

Position Four: Structural Engineer
Location:Rural Ivory Coast
Commitment: One Year starting fall 2008
Type: Paid/Stipend Position

Don't regret missing this opportunity of a lifetime. Email a resume, digital work samples (PDF) and any links to projects on the Open Architecture Network to Joyce Engebretsen at jo...@architectureforhumanity.org.

AMD
Open Architecture Challenge winners announced June 3rd

We have been working on the 2007 AMD Open Architecture Challenge on digital inclusion for a year. From selecting the recipient communities to launching the projects it has been an incredible journey. Over 900 participants from 36 countries worked for months to develop an innovative solution. In less than four days we will hold a press conference in Cape Town, South Africa to announce the winning teams for the Africa, Asia and South America Challenges. Each site winner will receive a $5000 travel stipend to work with the client on site. Additionally AMD will also announce the overall challenge winner and the site that will be awarded funds to build a technology facility that will help empower a community. As additional funding is found we will green light the other sites and next week every single entry will be available for public viewing at www.openarchitecturenetwork.org

See the winners here (June 3rd)

In January 2009 we will launch the 2009 [insert your company name] Open Architecture Challenge, this time focusing on portable educational facilities, currently the 'learning environments' for 6 million US children. In our initial research we have found that many existing facilities increase the risk of cancer in children by 2 to 3 times and the attention span of a child in a portable is completely destroyed. For a place of learning, this is unacceptable. If you are interested in supporting new ways to create and build safe, healthy and secure places of learning, please contact us. hint: we are still looking for a principal sponsor that will help, much like AMD, to build a scalable, affordable winning solution.

PBS Frontline World

For the past month we've had a small film crew from the documentary Frontline World follow a couple of our design fellows on their work as global social entrepreneurs. In the coming month PBS will be airing a segment on the collaborative approach to design that we've taken over the last decade (yeah, I mentioned the 'd' word). In the piece they are focusing on the port-tsunami reconstruction projects designed by our Purmina McCutcheon and the communities of Ambedgar Nagar and Pillaichavaddykuppam. Additionally they may show (they are editing this week) some of the incredible winning designs to the AMD Open Architecture Challenge, including a brief interview with one of the winning teams. Our piece will also be part of the Frontline/World 'Heroes from a Small Planet" film festival taking place in San Francisco on June 23. Join us if you can. The show will air on PBS and be available online either late June or early fall.

June 23 | Reception 6-7 | Screening 7-9 | Free - But **must** RSVP to put your name on the guestlist: email rs...@flworld.org by JUNE 10th

Myanmar/Burma

Cyclone Nargis, the second deadliest cyclone on record, slammed into the southern tip of Myanmar at the start of May, leaving many without shelter and over 77,000 deaths. In the days that followed we made an appeal to you to support a rebuilding project - to date we've raised almost $35,000 and kudos to MortarNet for making good on their promise to match any donation in the 24 hours after we launched our appeal. We've spoken with a number of in country and ex-patriot designers about our strategy for long term rebuilding and have representatives on the ground in rangoon.

Given our available funding we've decided to assemble a design team that can focus on the rebuilding of one community that has been devastated by this horrific disaster. Given the travel costs associated with getting into Myanmar we are giving preference to regionally based designers.

Position Five: Design/Build Professional
Location:Myanmar
Commitment: 9-12 months starting late summer 2008
Type: Stipend Position
Apply

Join hundreds of others ajd support our sustainable reconstruction effort, make a donation today by visiting: http://www.architectureforhumanity.org/donate

China

10 days later we received emails from all over asia in regards to responding to the deadly Sichuan earthquake. Between this and Cyclone Nargis over 7 million people are homeless. Additionally the media keeps reporting the number of deaths by the earthquake, this is confusing to say the least.

Earthquakes don't kill people, poorly constructed buildings kill people.

In the two aftershocks alone 420,000 buildings collapsed. Worst of all many schools just pancaked exactly the same way they did in Kashmir only a few years ago. As an industry we have a moral obligation to build back better, to ensure earthquake resistant structures. We are in conversation with a group that is building in China and South Korea and are interested in supporting the rebuilding of community structures that are safe and secure. If you are an in country architect and/or engineer in either China or South Korea please email us at: volun...@architectureforhumanity.org.

Position Six: Design/Build Professionals
Location:China
Commitment: tbc
Type: tbc
Apply

Autodesk Once again the Open Architecture Network is breaking new ground in the design industry, this time with Autodesk. As of this week it is the first collaborative site to include Freewheel, built by Autodesk Labs. Freewheel allows you to view and collaborate with design data without installing additional software: all you need is a browser. The OAN 'workspace area' now has an interactive viewer that can show of your own design data (DWF) on an HTML page. Now you can share your 3D and 2D designs online by panning, zooming, and orbiting through design drawings in real time collaboration sessions. See DWF in action on Brett Zamore's Biloxi Model Home - Parker House project page: Here. Google We are now working on a couple of awesome Google Projects. The first is a little bit of fun to brighten up your day. Artist and AFH fan, Cole Gerst/Option G, helped design the 'unnatural disaster' igoogle theme. A recent UFO accident has left the residents of the planet Alpha Centari with a number of damaged homes. Fortunately the local Architecture for Humanity chapter helps bring the community and stranded extra terrestrials (new residents) together by using our community design process to build UFO resistant housing solutions. Check it out by following steps 1,2 and 3. 1. Create an iGoogle account by going here: Google Accounts. 2. Sign in using the username / password you just created 3. Choose our theme by going here: Architecture for Humanity/Cole Gerst 'unnatural disaster Theme (click "Get this theme") Our second 'Google' project we are running a special design competition at the Google SketchUp 3D basecamp taking place at the Google HQ in Mountain View from June 11th-13th. We look forward to seeing them surpass the challenge we are currently devising for them. All the designs will be on the Open Architecture Network in the following week. Opportunities Position Seven: Web Manager Location:San Francisco, CA Commitment: Full Time Type: Staff Position Apply If you are passionate about architecture and love the web, here's an opportunity to make a difference. The Web Manager with Architecture for Humanity will be responsible for developing and maintaining our web sites; this includes www.architectureforhumanity.org and www.openarchitecturenetwork.org. In addition to helping the organization with the day-to-day upkeep of the sites and ensuring strong communication with our network of designers, volunteers and project partners, the manager will also work closely with outside vendors to project manage the development of tools and applications on the Open Architecture Network and on Architecture for Humanity's own site as well as our chapter sites. This entails working closely with third-party designers, applications and software developers, technicians, project partners and Architecture for Humanity's core staff. All of our sites currently run off of the Drupal platform and both front and back-end knowledge is essential. Position Eight: Program Manager Location:San Francisco, CA Commitment: Full Time Type: Staff Position Apply Architecture for Humanity is seeking a licensed professional (minimum 8 years experience) to manage and oversee all aspects of its design initiatives and programs. The Program Manager reports directly to the Operations Manager and is responsible for ensuring that all our clients benefit from innovative design. The position entails a unique mix of leadership, project management abilities and design experience. In addition to assisting clients in developing design programs ranging from architecture services, to creating design fellowships to establishing community design studios and responding to disaster, the position is responsible for developing and growing our network of designers willing to lend their time and talents to communities in need. Experience in both community design and professional practice as well as strong management and organizational skills are essential. The ideal candidate will be not only be inspired by good design but be able to inspire it in others. Position Nine: Chief Financial Officer Location: San Francisco, CA Commitment: Part-Time/Consulting Type: Staff Position Apply Architecture for Humanity is looking for a CFO who will oversee and lead all financial and legal compliance and strategy. The ideal candidate will bring a passion for sustainable design and a high level of personal and professional integrity, excellent written and oral communication skills, the ability to communicate finanicial reports effectively and clearly to a broad range of stakeholders, and prior success developing effective working relationships with staff and a Board of Directors to the position. Interested? Please email a resume and references to Kate Stohr at jo...@architectureforhumanity.org Staff Changes Joining us this month: Design student Eleanor (El) Dunk joins us from Goldsmiths University in London Architecture student Anand Sheth joins us from the California College of the Arts, San Francisco Civil Engineering and International Studies student Tara Pham joins us from Washington University in St. Louis Engineers Without Borders contact and all round action hero Blake Clark from San Francisco. Leaving us this month: Lynn Standafer, our Web Guru and the our resident 'man in black', is way too talented. Alas he is leaving us to concentrate on his DJ career and to refine his general awesomeness. We will miss him, especially his baby giraffe feeding hook up and strange love of PHP coding. Architecture student Susanna Pho is off to work with our friends at Design Corps in New Orleans this summer. Go Design Corps, Go Susanna. Architecture student Alejandra Reyes graduates from Berkeley. Congrats!

Support Good Design Help us provide 365 days of professional pro bono design services around the world---one day at a time---by donating one day's worth of your salary. Events June 2-3: AMD 50x15 Partner Summit, Cape Town, South Africa June 3, 9am (GMT): Announcement of the winners and finalists of the AMD Open Architecture Challenge June 4-7: World Economic Forum on Africa, Cape Town, South Africa Ending June 10: NextAid Bids 4 Beats Auction NextAid is graciously donating 10% of their Bids 4 Beats auction proceeds toward Myanmar relief efforts. Learn more. June 11-13: Google SketchUp 3D Basecamp, Googleplex June 23-July 2: Firebelly Social Justice Design Camp More Events 2007 Annual Report For more information on our work and for full financial reporting, download our 2007 Annual Report (PDF, 1.4MB). All comments, suggestions (and spontaneous donations) should be sent to: staff(at)architectureforhumanity(dot)org Architecture for Humanity t: 415.963.3511 848 Folsom, Suite 201 San Francisco, CA 94107-1173, USA

Architecture for Humanity is building a more sustainable future by bringing professional design services to communities in need. We believe that where resources and expertise are scarce, innovative, sustainable and collaborative design can improve lives.

cam...@architectureforhumanity.org • Architecture for Humanity

Send this email to a friend:

This CoolerEmail was delivered to you by Architecture for Humanity. You can take your email address off Architecture for Humanity's email list, or update your preferences and/or send comments to Architecture for Humanity. If you request to be taken off Architecture for Humanity's email list, Architecture for Humanity will honor your request pursuant to CoolerEmail's permission-based email terms and conditions. Postal address: 848 Folsom Street, Ste. 201 , San Francisco, CA 94107

Find out how CoolerEmail can help your business. Build and send rich, graphical emails like this in minutes with CoolerEmail -- the leader in user-friendly do-it-yourself responsible email communication.