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Editor’s note: The AIA/COTE’s definitions of
sustainability and sustainable design, and the 10 measures of
sustainable design that frame the Top Ten Green Projects, have
always included an acknowledgement that social and equity concerns
are as important as environmental and economic considerations and,
in fact, that all these realms are inextricably meshed. During the
market transformation in the architecture, engineering, and
construction (A/E/C) and real estate worlds, many architects and
their allied professionals have focused on the technical aspects of
sustainability. Today we are seeing architects and their clients
looking for ways to ensure that social responsibility is part of
their practice and their projects; in COTEnotes you have
read about some of these organizations, such as SEED, the
Structures for Inclusion conference, and more. For this year’s
first issue of COTEnotes, we invited Public Architecture,
one organization dedicated to this mission, to describe its purpose
and programs.
.jpg) It’s easy
to make the statement, “Everyone deserves access to well
designed sustainable buildings.” What is difficult is deciding
where to start. Public Architecture just might have the answer: 1
percent at a time.
A nonprofit organization, Public Architecture launched the 1%
Program (formerly the 1% Solution) in 2005 with the support of a
grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Broadly the
1% Program encourages architecture and design firms nationwide to
pledge a minimum of 1 percent of their billable hours to pro bono
service. More specifically it promotes the pro bono design and
service of architecture and design firms nationwide. The 1% Program
also serves as the only collective meter for the amount of pro bono
service being undertaken by architecture and design firms, as well
as the only source of advice, guidance, and tools.
What Does 1 Percent Entail?
Based on a 40-hour workweek, 1 percent represents a modest 20 hours
per year per person. If every architecture professional in the
United States committed 1 percent of his or her time to pro bono
service, it would add up to 5,000,000 hours annually—the
equivalent of a 2,500-person firm, working full time for the public
good.
“The idea is smart, clean, and memorable…20 hours
of volunteerism, when added together with the work of many other
architects, could make tremendous changes.”
Robert F. Ivy, FAIA, Architectural Record
During a July 2007 survey of the first 150 firms to pledge their
time through the 1% Program, seven services were cited as routinely
offered to nonprofits on a pro bono basis: facilities needs
assessment, capital campaign materials, building and space
identification, interior design and brand integration,
accessibility and code compliance, healthy and sustainable
environments, and facilities renovation.
These services bring varying degrees of liability, one of the
most oft-cited barriers to doing pro bono work. Even more than
liability concerns, respondents overwhelmingly cited their
firms’ financial constraints and available staff time as the
two greatest obstacles to engaging in pro bono work. Still,
virtually every firm reported exceeding the goal of 1 percent, and
more than two-thirds devoted 2 percent or more of their time to pro
bono service over the past year.
Progress
In the first two and a half years of the program, more than 100,000
hours have been pledged (representing an estimated $10 million in
services). To date more than 250 firms in more than 35 states have
pledged their time through the 1% Program.
.jpg) This past fall
Public Architecture launched phase two of the 1% Program, involving
a new print publication and a more robust Web site. With the
support of a major grant from the international Ideas that Matter
program, Public Architecture partnered with graphic design firm
MendeDesign to publish The 1% User’s Guide. A two-sided
publication, the guide introduces the concept and principles of pro
bono design to both firm and nonprofit leaders. Both flash and .PDF
versions of the publication are available online.
Along with the publication, the next generation of TheOnePercent.org Web site was launched,
providing a first-of-its-kind portal that connects willing firms
with 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations seeking pro bono design
assistance.
What can your firm do for 1 percent? Making a pledge to the 1%
Program is free and should take no more than 1 percent of your
day—that’s roughly 4.8 minutes.
Pledging 1 Percent
Pledging your firm’s 1 percent takes three simple steps:
- Visit www.theonepercent.org to learn more about
the 1% Program
- Click on the Join the 1% button to make your pledge
- Post pro bono projects to the project gallery
The 1% Program is made possible in large part due to renewed
support from the NEA, along with large contributions from various
institutions, such as AIA National, the Boston Society of
Architects, the Design Futures Council, the Taproot Foundation, the
Ideas that Matter, and the program’s 10 for 1 partner firms,
including Elness Swenson Graham Architects; Hammel, Green &
Abrahamson; Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum; HKS Inc.; McCall Design
Group; Peckham & Wright Architects; and Perkins + Will.
“As a call to arms for all architects, Public
Architecture has elevated the awareness of pro bono work from
personal option to professional imperative. Their every effort is
distinguished by unflagging attention to providing the highest
levels of design excellence in service of the public
interest.”
2007 Institute Honor for Collaborative Achievement, AIA
Evelyn Lee, Assoc. AIA, is the program manager for Public Architecture in San
Francisco, where she oversees all aspects of the 1% Program. She
donates a lot of her free time to the AIA, where she is the
associate representative to the AIA Board of Directors. A graduate
of the Southern California Institute of
Architect's Metropolitan Research and Design program,
she is constantly searching for new avenues to expand her
architectural knowledge. She is also a senior contributing editor
for Inhabitat, a leading online magazine
dedicated to sustainable design.
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