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http://www.architectureforhumanity.org/
Architecture for Humanity is an initiative started in 1999, and today is a network of more than 40,000 professionals who give their time and knowledge to help those who would otherwise would not be able to afford their services. One of the ironies of our time is the fact that often, the people who are most in need of design and development services, are the ones who can least afford it. In the last ten years Architecture for Humanity has helped rebuild local communities after natural disasters, alleviate poverty and provide access to to clean water. They also work for communities struggling with urbanization, build for the differently abled, rebuild communities post-conflict, and reduce the footprint of buildings. 

One of the key areas they work in is sustainable design. They believe (very sensibly) that "Buildings not only have a physical footprint - they have an ethical footprint." Projects they work on range form community centers for tsunami affected people in Sri Lanka, to preservation of defaced structures in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The projects on their site and both numerous and varied, and there is a detailed documentation of each one. Their sensitivity to culture, people and the environment, results in buildings and spaces that blend with and support the local resources, as well as revitalize the local culture and sense of community. As they say, "Design is important to every aspect of our lives. It informs the places in which we live, work, learn, heal and gather. We engage all stakeholders in the design process. We believe our clients are designers in their own right."

Cameron Sinclair is the CEO, (Chief Eternal Optimist as they call it) of Architecture for Humanity, of which he is the co-founder with Kate Stohr. He was trained as an architect in University College, London, where he developed an interest in social, cultural and humanitarian design. Ten years back he and his wife Kate had an idea while watching news of the refugees in Kosovo. Cameron said, "I bet there is more than just us who cares about these communities, who want to help and make a difference." They launched a design competition for Kosovo, and were flooded with a new ideas for refugee housing. And so Architecture for Humanity was born. You can read more on him here. They have co-authored a book 'Design Like You Give A Dam'. (I couldn't have said it better myself!)

Cameron believes that when your clients are living on less than 50 cents a day, being 'green' is not a choice. Sustainability is also about affordability, and innovation with the minimum resources.
You can request design services or offer design services. Also have a look at Open Architecture Network, another initiative by them, an online, opens-source community to share knowledge and improve living conditions. These people realize that architecture is so much more than just 'buildings'. It is the spaces we live in, and in a way our homes, workplaces and gathering places are extensions of ourselves. They shape us as much as we shape them. I quote their site "One billion people live in abject poverty. Four billion live in fragile but growing economies. One in seven people live in slum settlements. By 2020 it will be one in three. We don't need to choose between architecture or revolution. What we need is an architectural revolution."
One of the several current projects is happening in Haiti, post-earthquake. Cameron's entire posts on the home page are worth reading. A quote here, "For those not used to working in disasters the first week is chaotic, filled with stories of heroism and despair. The first responders are not the NGO's or medical personal but the families of those who are injured or lost their lives. It is an overwhelming situation to be in. It is also not the time for architects to show up thinking they can rebuild. People are trying to find their loved ones not think about what their lives will look like in 5, 10 or 15 years."

Do read their site in detail, its range and depth of work is commendable, and have a look at the video below. (lots more videos on YouTube). Its time to design like you give a dam. 
By Armeen Kapadia


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Local radio broadcasting farming information

In 1970, a Canadian journalist George Atkins visited Africa and he found that Africa's farmers had ideas, but couldn't communicate those ideas because of barriers such as distance, language and literacy. He believed that radio could break those barrier.

While the Internet is being considered as the medium to spur revolutions, many have forgotten radio. The Internet is for not everyone since most of the content is either in English, Spanish or French. Many Africans don't have access to Internet. In this context, sharing information through radio is cheap and effective. Radio is often considered to be a one-way medium, but African Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI) is  combining radio and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to gather content and to share information among farming communities throughout rural africa.

More than half of Africa's population is dependent on agriculture. Farmers in Africa are in need of information on farming. For instance, they want to know where they can buy improved seeds for the next season, where to sell their crops or how to keep the soil fertile.

Many farmers in Africa often share information through formal networks such as cooperatives and associations. The information shared here is limited. Outside the community, farmers depend on local radio. Over the recent years, the radio stations across Africa have grown rapidly. There are more than 500 radio stations in Mali, Ghana and Uganda put together. At the same time, the use of mobile phones throughout Africa is growing too. This has helped the radio presenter to encourage listeners to send in text messages requesting answers to their queries. 

Most farmers now know that Cayenne pepper discourages elephants from grazing on farm fields or the fact that placing a lit candle in a container of grain before sealing it deprives pests of oxygen. Such insights could not be shared easily until radio became a mainstream medium in Africa.

By Sanjay Basavaraju

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NY Times Information Graphics

Information graphics are visual representations of data, information or knowledge, which are easier to understand than large amounts of data. Info graphics have numerous applications, in all forms of journalism, and educational material. One great resource to see various info graphics is the multimedia section of the New York Times.  

On this page, search exclusively for the word 'graphic' and there are more than 10,000 results to browse through. Each graphic representation is unique, structured exactly for the topic it deals with. It is amazing to see how vast amounts of data have been made easy to understand. Take for example the interactive graphic of How Class Works. It is interactive, engaging, visually rich, and structurally easy to grasp. Another graphic Snug and Tight, about passive housing, is not highly interactive, but is still extremely informative and interesting. Also, don't miss How Design Can Save The Democracy, which shows how a redesign of the ballot design guidelines makes a huge difference. It gives a clear cut before and after scenario, where each design decision has been justified and explained.  

Many interactive features show current events, such as the recent Air France Flight crash or tracking the swine flu. Info graphics are also useful for explaining scientific concepts, such as the New Fleet of Spacecraft. Info graphics can show narration, such as a change occurring over a long period of time, like migrations to and from New York City. They can be used to show everything, from an ecological crisis, to the reasons for recession, to Baghdad neighborhoods, carbon emissions and accidents.

There are some things all the interactive features of the New York Times have in common. They are clear, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. They make reading the article more enjoyable; in some cases they may even effectively substitute reading the article. These info graphics prove that visual representation can, and in fact should be highly functional. There is well thought out logic, order and structure behind each of them, the natural outcome of which is an aesthetic piece of communication, that, well, communicates. The forms, colour, and text are managed superbly, so as not to dominate, or distract the eye, but in fact harmoniously aid in the transmission of information. All the elements are so chosen as to cohesively make the whole. 

Exploring these representations is that rare mix of being educational and fun. More information should be made available to us this way, as it is easier for the mind to grasp these images, then miles of data, or technical terms. Info graphics of this caliber has a huge potential in education. Sometimes, a picture may really be worth a thousand words.

By Armeen Kapadia


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This is indexed 05/19/2009
 
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© thisisindexed.com

This is where maths meets doodles, it’s where Venn diagrams coincide with humour, and where graphs map the fun stuff. It is Indexed. A blog run by Jessica Hagy, Indexed is an ongoing series of 3x5 inch humourous doodles she does, usually in the form of graphs or Venn diagrams. These cover the funny little things that we see every day, but don’t really notice, or stop to think about.  

There are some really funny ones, for example, on the X-axis you have ‘size of your head’ and on the Y-axis you have ‘how seriously you take yourself’. There are observations on journalism, pets, losing your suitcase, food, Ohio, forgiveness, silence, landfills, ownership, deadlines and more. If that seems like a lot, it isn’t really, because it’s given in small doses. Each one is simple, easy to understand, and will make you giggle. Indexed is a visual journal that maps everyday life.

The blog has been published as book - the Indexed Postcard Book, and Indexed was also nominated for the Webby Awards in the Culture/Personal category. It was a Yahoo Pick in 2007, has been featured by BBC, and Time magazine.  Jessica is also posting on the New York Times Freakonomics blog.

Indexed is a sweet balance between the logical and the emotional, the trivial and the profound, the mundane reality and a funny point-of-view. Who else could see the connection between the Persian Gulf and mayonnaise?

By Armeen Kapadia and Sanjay Basavaraju

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