Responding to msg by carr0023@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Brian Carroll)
on
> Has anyone heard of a non-profit architecture firm?
Brian,
While some small firms may quickly state that they are
involuntarily non-profit, I assume you are asking about those
that really do not operate for profit. I work with one, Urban
Deadline, and there are others in the US and Europe.
Urban Deadline, originated in New York City, has been operating
since 1968 as an all-volunteer architecture, planning and
advocacy group. It was set up by graduating sudents from
Columbia Univesity to supplement, and correct, formal
education, and as an alternative to AIA-type internship and
practice. Its main focus has always been public education
about architecture and planning, for students, practitioners
and citizens, by way of carrying out community service
projects.
Members work in paid professions but contribute time and
skills, including professional architectural services, to Urban
Deadline-type community service work (including university
teaching on the topic) as permissable and as they see fit,
wherever they are, now around the world. There is no formal
structure, only a loose support group of people who stay in
touch.
There have always been far more requests for help from
deserving groups and individuals than we are able to meet.
The Pratt Center for Design and Community Development,
Brooklyn, was set up a while earlier and also continues to
function as a combined educational, architectural, planning and
development organization.
It should be emphasized that some of these, Urban Deadline for
one, specifically offer an alternative, or a parallel, to
traditional architectural practice and not just a way station
for earning brownie points toward eventual absorption into the
AIA / NCARB / Academic hegemony.
You may wish to know that I also operate my own profit-making
architectural firm, and have been able to do quite well by
giving only about 50% of my time to it and 50% to Urban
Deadline, now for over 25 years. The parallel mix works just
fine and I commend it as a means for working with worlds beyond
conventional practice and education.
John
on
> Has anyone heard of a non-profit architecture firm?
Brian,
While some small firms may quickly state that they are
involuntarily non-profit, I assume you are asking about those
that really do not operate for profit. I work with one, Urban
Deadline, and there are others in the US and Europe.
Urban Deadline, originated in New York City, has been operating
since 1968 as an all-volunteer architecture, planning and
advocacy group. It was set up by graduating sudents from
Columbia Univesity to supplement, and correct, formal
education, and as an alternative to AIA-type internship and
practice. Its main focus has always been public education
about architecture and planning, for students, practitioners
and citizens, by way of carrying out community service
projects.
Members work in paid professions but contribute time and
skills, including professional architectural services, to Urban
Deadline-type community service work (including university
teaching on the topic) as permissable and as they see fit,
wherever they are, now around the world. There is no formal
structure, only a loose support group of people who stay in
touch.
There have always been far more requests for help from
deserving groups and individuals than we are able to meet.
The Pratt Center for Design and Community Development,
Brooklyn, was set up a while earlier and also continues to
function as a combined educational, architectural, planning and
development organization.
It should be emphasized that some of these, Urban Deadline for
one, specifically offer an alternative, or a parallel, to
traditional architectural practice and not just a way station
for earning brownie points toward eventual absorption into the
AIA / NCARB / Academic hegemony.
You may wish to know that I also operate my own profit-making
architectural firm, and have been able to do quite well by
giving only about 50% of my time to it and 50% to Urban
Deadline, now for over 25 years. The parallel mix works just
fine and I commend it as a means for working with worlds beyond
conventional practice and education.
John