This is how architects can change the world

On April 7th 2010 Danish Architecture Centre in collaboration with Link UP, INDEX: held the seminar TIME TO DO MORE with key note speakers architects Eve Blossom, founder and director of Lulan Artisans™, and Cameron Sinclair, co-founder and Director of Architecture for Humanity. Approximately 70 participants showed up to hear the two speakers share how each of them work with design and architecture in a global perspective to create social change locally.

Conceptual confusion as a point
The atmosphere was good and the room filled with audiences when moderator Jesper Pagh from Link UP opened the seminar on social entrepreneurship in the grand scale. Based on the slogan 'what if architecture could change the world' from DAC’s previous exhibition Building Sustainable Communities, Jesper Pagh kicked off with the question: how can architecture and design create systematic and long-lasting changes in the world? "During this seminar you will probably hear the concepts design, architecture, construction and crafts be used interchangeably and mixed together in a way that perhaps is new to you, but that's the point," Jesper Pagh emphasised. It applies a holistic way to create growth and quality of life that goes beyond narrow ways of thinking. Sustainability is about much more than environmental issues and challenges of sustainability can lead to new strategies for development, also for Danish architects, designers and other businesses.

Cameron Sinclair
Architecture for Humanity
"The question is not whether architecture can change the world" Cameron Sinclair began. "The fact is that it already does. The question is whether it is for the better." In 1999, Cameron Sinclair and journalist Kate Stohr founded Architecture for Humanity, a non-profit organization that offers design and architecture support for humanitarian crises. Cameron Sinclair compared the NGOs with ships where the large solid, but heavy tankers moving slowly but determent over the high seas. The small ships such as Architecture for Humanity (AFH), however, are in close contact with the coast and have the opportunity to move out quickly where needed. 

Timing and long term solutions
AFH is today represented in 15 countries and working on site-specific projects throughout the world, from basketball courts with integrated collection of rainwater in Mahiga, Kenya, to housing projects in Biloxi, Mississippi, to help reconstruction after Hurricane Katrina. Lately the organization has launched an appeal to raise funds to support the long-term reconstruction efforts in Haiti. In fact, AFH had already been in Haiti for 18 months when the earthquake struck, and thereby destroying the sports facility that was under construction. AFH commit to long-term solutions and know that timing is crucial. "We are the last to come and the last to leave the premises when the disaster has taken place," said Cameron Sinclair, for one can not start building until the storm has begun to subside. AFH has already received solid back up for their projects, mainly due to social media. This showed in the overwhelming donations poured in just after the earthquake in Haiti, when ¼ mio USD was donated, even before AFH began to seek funds for the reconstruction.

Eve Blossom
Lulan Artisans™
Eve Blossom is the founder and CEO of Lulan Artisans ™, which designs and produces sustainable fabrics in collaboration with over 650 artisans in Cambodia, India, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Lulan Artisans (LA) combines modern designs with local craft traditions and centuries old weaving techniques. This maintains the traditional techniques and creates sustainable business models, while reviving the local cultures. The aim of LA is to restore a portion of the original economic leveje, especially for women, in order to prevent them ending up in prostitution and victims of human traffic king.

A holistic business model
"I think language is very important for mutual respect and therefore Lulan is not working with sources, but partners," Eve Blossom said. LA has developed a holistic business model based on the expertise, the old weaving tradition, and the materials, e.g. cotton and silk, which is already present in maintaining areas. "The only thing we do is to match our partners' products to the market so they can be marketed for the right price," Eve Blossom said, and continued: "If you create a business association with mutual respect in an attractive environment, it becomes a party that everybody wants to be invited for." In this way the methods spread and generating growth for several communities, not just those in LU, Eve Blossom points. The holistic approach involves several aspects of the local environment of the cooperation partners, and LA look at their specific needs, according to city, country, religion, etc. It may be child care, education, agricultural conditions, or something else that can help make a difference. "We work with a four-dimensional notion of sustainability that embraces the social, cultural, economic and environmental." Once you have the model it can be developed and varied from city to city and country to country. 

The advantages of being an architect
Eve Blossom and Cameron Sinclaire are, like the moderator and the other members of the panel Lise Klint from INDEX: and Natalie Mossin from DAC, architects. But what difference does it make that they are architects, in relation to what they do? Cameron Sinclaire emphasized that the best designers are those who manage to share knowledge, speaking different languages and adapt to all the different relations and situations required. The transversal is the strength and necessity if you want to create holistic and sustainable solutions to both social and environmental problems. 

Empowerment - no ownership, no value
A crucial concept that recurred in the two presentations was 'empowerment', how both AFH and LA working on integrating ownership and empowerment throughout the process from the very beginning of a collaborative relationship to the maintenance of the finished product. "Unless the people who live in built environments, we create, feel pride and ownership over it from the beginning to the end, it has no value and there is no one to maintain it," said Cameron Sinclair. 

Companies with emergency corps
Social entrepreneurship need not be reserved for non-profit NGO or particularly fair-trade-oriented businesses, but can be integrated into companies’ social responsibility (Corporate Social Responsibility). Nille Juul Sørensen from Arup, who were among the participants, could contribute with the fact that Arup has a permanent emergency corps of engineers and other professionals who are ready to go to the world's crisis areas at any time. For example, Arup had representatives in Haiti, already 3 days after the earthquake. "At Arup it is a natural part of the culture that, especially younger employees join the corps helping to make a difference in the world. And the knowledge and expertise with which they subsequently return is highly beneficial to the company. Architect firms should also implement this," Nille Juul Sørensen suggested. 

Inspiration to make the change
Natalie Mossin ended by highlighting the fact that we can all help to make a difference by building on the opportunities each of us have to contribute with our professional expertise. The engagement of the two speakers was incredibly infectious, even if you are not ready to jump on a plane to Haiti with Cameron Sinclair, the inspiration is a key driver for change.

Link UP arranges a series of events during 2010 that shows how architecture and design can create systematic and lasting change in the world. The events should inspire Danish architects and designers to see new opportunities for development of disciplines and business

Cameron Sinclair and the Eve Blossom on Twitter
http://twitter.com/CASinclair
http://twitter.com/eveblossom