Southgate & Sarabia Architects Ltd’s Post

“In Sustainability and Privilege, Gabriel Arboleda wrestles with the language of social design, sometimes known as social impact design, public interest design or, in my corner of the field, community-engaged design.” In this online review, Ceara O'Leary, an architect, planner, educator, and scholar in Detroit, MI, establishes the overarching ideas posed by Arboleda and how they can reinvent the definition of social design and its role in working with under-resourced communities. Throughout the review, O’Leary details how the book focuses on social design and its many identities, such as social impact design and community-engaged design. As a community-engaged architect, O'Leary also shares her insight on the proposed ideas brought up in Arboleda's book. Visit https://lnkd.in/eqARhRFq to read the full review. Image credit: University of Virginia Press. #JAE #JAEOnlineReview #BookReview #Sustainability #Privilege #SocialDesignPractice #SocialDesign #CommunityEngagedDesign

Over the past four years, we've had an artist from Drawing Change visually represent the key takeaways from our conferences. This graphic was produced during the panel "Vancouver Community College: Indigenizing the urban built environment," sponsored by Vancouver Community College (VCC). Here are some of the key takeaways illustrated in the graphic: 1️⃣ Integrate History: Infuse the history of the land into new developments, weaving Indigenous stories into projects. 2️⃣ Urban Design Visibility: Acknowledge that Indigenous people have been invisible in urban design; engage with truth to transform the narrative. 3️⃣ Knowledge Co-Creation: Embrace co-creation and engagement with truth to transform narratives and bring Indigenous cultural expression to the built environment. 4️⃣ Cultural Integration: Explore ways to integrate Indigenous knowledge into standard practices in urban design. 5️⃣ Mentorship and Sharing: Prioritize mentorship, sharing space, and creating healthy environments in urban projects. 6️⃣ Collaborative Efforts: Showcase high collaborative efforts in projects, emphasizing the power of collective action. 7️⃣ Cultural Significance: Integrate cultural significance, like the canoe, into architecture; consider the identity and transportation modes of Indigenous communities.

Nominations are officially open for the 2024 Modernism in America Awards! Now in its 11th year, the Awards celebrate the documentation, preservation, and reuse of modern buildings, structures, and landscapes built in the United States or on U.S. territory and recognize those building owners, design teams, advocacy, and preservation organizations that have made significant efforts to retain, restore, and advocate for the aesthetic and cultural value of such places. This year, we are accepting project nominations in the following areas: * Design (Residential, Commercial, Institutional) * Inventory/Survey * Advocacy Early nominations are due Friday, May 3, 2024, at 11:59pm Eastern. The final deadline for nominations is Friday, June 7, 2024, at 11:59pm Eastern. For Design and Inventory/Survey submissions there is a fee of $125 for early nominations and $175 for final nominations. There is no fee for Advocacy nominations. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g-Pkdkb

Tools and methodologies within the Architectural discourse are often limited. To transform Architectural Design requires: Storytelling Pluriversality Sociocultures Vernacular Deterritorialization Sumak Kawsay It’s been two years since I began a journey of empathy, seeking conjugation in the architectural discourse that seldom prioritizes land-based and narrative practices. The Climigrant’s Sketchbook Initiative (CSI) is a multidisciplinary architectural research practice built out of tools and compasses often overlooked within the field of design. By re-centering community participation and situating research with the earth might challenge designers to consciously seek more equitable solutions to a conflict of our times; climate induced displacement. I’ve been privileged to travel across the Americas during my field research; a practice strung between the Ecuadorian Amazon and my birthplace in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. By collapsing the distance between geographies, the CSI seeks commonalities and cultural exchange in a design language developed by nature. See more at our new Instagram! @climigrants.sb

Rural urbanism. Capitalist ruins. Democracy and space. Environmental narratives. Just a few of the topics up for discussion at #SAHVirtual2024. What else will you discover at this low-cost, no-travel conference? View the schedule of 90+ presentations: https://bit.ly/4d0dsNG

if your answer to the question "what's the coolest thing i could do this summer?" is "build speculative space habitats" (and of course it is), you should check out my brilliant space architect friend fred's workshop in las vegas!

Please read this month's The Architectural Review, which features my conversation with Anna Heringer on challenges of building with earth. 

The Nexus of Architecture and Social Justice I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Nicola Barclay, Chair of Habitat for Humanity Great Britain, for visiting my university and generously allowing me to record an invaluable conversation. This dialogue will play a pivotal role in enhancing my final studio project, emphasising the profound significance of using architecture as a vehicle for social justice. In our rapidly evolving world, architecture is not merely about constructing buildings, it's about shaping societies, fostering inclusivity, and championing human rights. By leveraging the power of design, we have the potential to create spaces that address pressing issues and advocate for the most vulnerable, creating inclusive and safe spaces......for all. Choosing Habitat for Humanity Europe & Middle East as my client for this project I am hoping to shed light on the often-overlooked issue of invisible poverty that I witnessed when I visited our proposed site in Berlin, Germany. Through meticulous research and innovative design solutions I am aiming to bring visibility to this issue and inspire actionable change. Every individual deserves access to safe, dignified, and sustainable living spaces. Architecture should not be a privilege but a fundamental human right. Let's continue to challenge norms, break barriers, and design with empathy and purpose. Looking forward to displaying my work and mini documentary at the University of Dundee Degree Show opening on the 25th May with the main purpose of creating visceral conversations around this topic. #architecture #socialjustuce #architecturestudent #sustainableliving #inclusiveliving  

It’s been such a natural fit for an org like Centre for Public Impact to collaborate with WonderLab on a Melbourne DesignWeek offering! We both love learning and a few things have really made a more mutual learning posisble. 💡Generosity of ideas and a clear commitment to working in relational, creative and affirming ways, (which seems to be part of the dna of how WonderLabbers show up in engagements), means we build/maintain relationships, and can have more trust in eachother, curiosity about differences in opinion, and give and receive feedback well. 📆I think having the scheduled time available with the explicit intent of testing ideas and getting feedback is one of the most impactful and easy to implement hacks to build a culture of learning. It’s also bloody hard to protect space and time for learning and build habits as a team. 3….? I’m super curious what others are doing to develop practice, and hold space for learning from and with eachother. What’s your favorite tip, or something you’ve seen done well?!

Today, we pause to honour the children who never came home, the Survivors, and their families. National Truth and Reconciliation Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on the legacy of residential schools and engage with Indigenous history and culture as part of the ongoing journey of reconciliation. As architects, we recognize the need to decolonize our practice. Architecture has historically been used as a tool of colonial power, from residential schools to institutional buildings that marginalized Indigenous peoples. Today, we have the opportunity to transform our work into a tool for healing and empowerment. Our partnership with Smoke Architecture Inc. on the Makwa Waakaa’igan Indigenous Centre of Cultural Excellence at Algoma University is an example of this. Once a residential school, Shingwauk Hall is now being reimagined as a place for healing, dialogue, and cultural preservation, led by the vision of the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association. Decolonizing design starts with listening. It means working alongside Indigenous communities to ensure that their knowledge, culture, and values shape the spaces we create. This is not just about addressing the past but building a future where architecture supports cultural identity and well-being. We encourage reflection today, and every day, as we strive toward a more just and inclusive future.