The Power of Pro Bono: 40 Stories About Design for the Public Good by Architects and Their Clients

by John Cary (Editor), Public Architecture

A first-of-its-kind book, equally representing the voices of architects and their clients, The Power of Pro Bono presents 40 pro bono design projects across the country. The clients include grassroots community organizations like the Homeless Prenatal Program of San Francisco, as well as national and international nonprofits, among them Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, KIPP Schools and Planned Parenthood. These public-interest projects were designed by a range of award-winning practices, from SHoP Architects in New York and Studio Gang in Chicago, to young studios including Stephen Dalton Architects in Southern California and Hathorne Architects in Detroit, to some of the largest firms in the country, such as Gensler, HOK and Perkins + Will. Scores of private donors, local community foundations and companies, and material and service donations made these projects possible. So have some of the most progressive funders in the country, ranging from Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans to the Robin Hood Foundation in New York. Taken as a whole, the selected works represent six general categories: Arts, Civic, Community, Education, Health and Housing. This book is inspired and informed by the advocacy and design work of Public Architecture, a national nonprofit founded in 2002 by San Francisco-based architect John Peterson. The 1% program of Public Architecture challenges architecture and design firms nationwide to pledge a minimum of one percent of their time to pro bono service, leveraging in excess of $25 million in donated services annually.

Genres: Architecture

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 2010

Reviews

[Mark Pemble · Rating 2 out of 5]

"You shouldn't have to move out of your neighborhood to live in a better one."

Great line, but this book could make someone who isn't living in the wealthiest cities in the United States a little jealous.

Besides a few projects in Louisiana and Mississippi, all of the projects described in this book were from extremely wealthy cities.

I was hoping to see projects in cities that really need help.