Design for the Public
Public Architecture forges ahead into uncharted territory, and creates a model for fitting pro bono work into the daily practice of every firm.
If John Peterson were a doctor or a lawyer looking to do pro bono work, he wouldn’t have had to face the quandary he did in 2001. Wishing to balance the high-end residential work his firm, Peterson Architects, was doing with broader-reaching pro bono projects, Peterson was struck by the lack of support and resources available. “While many individual firms are quite gen-erous,” observes Peterson, “the profession as a whole has not recognized pro bono service as a fundamental obligation of professional standing—or as an integral component of a healthy business model.” Peterson wanted to change that, so he started the nonprofit Public Architecture.
For their first endeavor, still on the boards, Public had to look no further than their own backyard: San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, a light-industrial, commercial, and residential community suffering from a lack of planning common to mixed-use urban areas nationwide. The SoMa Open Space Strategy plan they devised offers solutions based on “real use” needs specific to particular blocks, be it a dog run, skate park, or outdoor gym, and can be implemented in small sections, thus avoiding the pitfalls of insensitive large-scale gentrification.
Other initiatives under way include gathering-point shelters for day laborers, a model accessory dwelling unit, and a national campaign known as the “1% Solu-tion” that encourages architects to dedicate 1 percent of their working hours to projects in the public interest. “Architects have a unique set of skills that we feel have not been put to full service to the public good,” says Peterson. “We’re encouraging them to get out into their community and identify problems that might have an architectural solution.”
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Graphic Design: Project Projects
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Public Defender
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Animal Blueprints
As previously mentioned, I came across a couple of gift ideas for my gift guide that weren’t exactly gadgets, or gadget related. This is a company I discovered last year and one that I think…
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A7 Bicycle by Public Bikes
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Simplified form and detail embody the pared-down approach of Stillness faucets.
Dwell Collections
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The World's Best Public Spaces
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The Bathroom Reinvented
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A Look at Bathrooms
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Videos
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Universal Design: Public Bathrooms
For the second offering of our two-part series on Universal Design, the folks from Smart head over to some public restrooms in New York, illustrating how principles outlined in the first video could…
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Universal Design: Public Restrooms
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The Bathroom Reinvented
Industrial designer and London–based Dwell contributor Virginia Gardiner shares the ins and outs of her low-cost, low-tech concept for a waterless toilet system.
Events
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Michael Peterson: Evolution | Revolution
Join the San Francisco Museum of Craft+Design for a preview reception for Michael Peterson: Evolution | Revolution, a collection of more than 30 distinctive wood works that showcases two decades of…
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Malibu Public Beach Safari
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Public Fruit Jam 2009
Machine Project and Fallen Fruit Collective unite to present this communal jam-making session/workshop. Bring along your home-grown or public fruit and any clean, empty glass jars you have. At the…
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