March Urban Innovators – Architecture for Humanity

Architecture for Humanity is a San Francisco-based nonprofit network of professionals founded in 1999 to promote architectural and design solutions to global, social and humanitarian crises. Through design/build projects, competitions, workshops, educational forums, partnerships with aid organizations and other activities, Architecture for Humanity creates opportunities for architects and designers from around the world to help communities in need.

Historically, the organization has worked by organizing international design competitions so, for example, in 2002 it launched a competition – which attracted more than 500 entries from 53 countries – to develop mobile health clinics to help treat those affected by the AIDS pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Architecture for Humanity was also involved in the relief initiative following the 2004 South Asia Tsunami. Starting less than a week after the disaster, they created a partnership with a group of local architects to design basic housing and infrastructure. This resulted in an urban plan and housing designs for Kirinda, Sri Lanka, one of the areas worst affected by the disaster, as well as affordable housing designs for surrounding communities.

Today the network includes thousands of architects, designers and urban professionals delivering work based on grassroots funding.
If you want to know more, see: http://architectureforhumanity.org/about

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