it's in the mail!

the prospectus has been sent to our potential book publisher. keep your fingers crossed for us!

exploring the neighborhood

or more specifically, the birdhouses in the neighborhood in order to build a nest full of images for the book...

Today I'm definitely experiencing the sparks that occur when passion and 'work' intersect!

newcomer's update

victoria and i met briefly to talk about the newcomer's project. she's back from italy and FULL OF ENERGY. i'm really excited about this project because victoria's approach to teaching is about the reggio-emelia system of education. well, hey, it's italian, so that's a point in it's favor off the bat. the essential point of the approach is that the ENVIRONMENT IS THE THIRD TEACHER IN THE CLASSROOM. um....yeah!!

nccj process

edgar and matt toyed around with a new receptionist desk and display panel for the front lobby of nccj.




we're trying to wrap up our recommendations for nccj, including these great sketch drawings by edgar and matt. from our charrette, they further developed the notion of a spine down the central hallway of the space...a display system of sorts on which the organization could proudly display its important work. given that nccj is leasing their office space, we have been cautious about suggesting permanent changes that may not be acceptable to their landlord. as result, we like the notion of a hallway expression that sort of sews together the corridor space in the building, without a significant and lasting intervention on the building envelope.

it's finished, it's finished!! the prospectus, that is...

at long last, suzanne and i have rounded the bend and HAVE COMPLETED the prospectus for the COMMUNITY BY DESIGN HANDBOOK. we're going to let it "rest" a bit and come back to it with renewed eyes after july. but, we'd like to let you in on some of the contents...

... a manifesto (largely based on our iar201 manifesto where we took on the bus shelter project)

we value …

… healthy spaces, buildings, neighborhoods, and cities

… integrity, authenticity, innovation, fair exchange, and kindness

… simple responses, thoughtful actions, and grounded decisions

we believe …

… in the spirit of collaboration

… every design represents opportunities for connectivity

… that we embed stories as we do our work

we advocate …

… for good stewardship of earth’s precious resources

… celebration of deeds great and small

… that design can change the world

...the case for COMMUNITY BY DESIGN in a design program
...identifying projects + partners
...putting together the team
...seeking financial support
...managing university relations
...getting the work done
...communicating

AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, CASE STUDIES OF MORE THAN A DOZEN PROJECTS!

we'll be posting our process as we write on this blog...stay tuned....

the nccj charrette

ok, so hundreds of times as a teacher, i have assigned an impossible series of tasks en charrette. (if you've not heard of that term, read all about this timed design exercise in a paper i wrote with my colleague, robert charest, for the 24th national council on the beginning design student conference in georgia).

just like in school, the community by design team tackled the nccj project (after dinner, of course) in the casa cabrera "studio." after discussing the project for a while, we divided into three teams to address different aspects of the project. from the results of our efforts last evening, i'll draft a memo to nccj, reporting on our recommendations.

i'm excited about the ideas we generated because they all, if implemented, help give life and energy to the nccj offices....the goal of the organization in getting us to help them.

newcomer's site visit

edgar, debbie, suzanne, and i had a GREAT visit with victoria wreden-sadeq, the art teacher at newcomer's school. we looked around the forlorn late 1960s/1970s building that the school is reshaping into a viable learning environment. already, art has a major position in the school and the gorgeous weaving/installation in the library, as well as student projects throughout the school are testimony to victoria's steady hand and electric energy in bringing change to the environment.

we're in negotiations about how best cxd can assist in the project, fully realizing that there's a significant opportunity for students in iarc to be involved.

i should note here that victoria also has worked with faculty from uncg's department of theatre and department of art....do i smell a multi-disciplinary opportunity? i hope so.

nccj office visit

we visited nccj in two stages. edgar, matt, and i went on the first true reconnaissance of the space to think through design opportunities there. we asked alison to provide some additional information about working habits and needs. (actually, it was a proud moment as an educator, as i watched two terrific designers in their element, getting at the human dimension of the design challenges that lay before us).

nccj is located in the "office wing" of the former jewish temple on north greene street. the colonial revival building, to put it mildly, is a little tired, in terms of finishes, but the bones of the building are terrific and offer the opportunity for re-invigoration of the surfaces and finishes. as is the case with many non-profits, nccj is not in a position to be able to dedicate a lot of money to the updating of its offices. it's my hope, though, that they will see the need to use the building to help share an important mission about equality, community activism, and justice in our world.

about a week after our first visit, edgar and i measured up the nccj office while debbie took notes and chatted with alison about needs. i think i impressed edgar by hand-drawing a nearly scaled floor plan of the offices. and while i can draw a darned straight line without a straight edge... i'm no CAD expert, so edgar graciously agreed to put the drawing into form for our use.

that accomplished, our next task was to set a date to work as the community by design team on potential visions for the space.

community by design dinners

i don't know what i'm enjoying more, the really invigorating ideas about design or the food! for each community by design meeting, we rotate among our houses (and chef duties). claiming the idea that food helps stimulate conversation, we've certainly eaten well...and i have truly been most grateful to get to know all of these incredible people much better.

in a moment of silliness, suzanne and debbie led the charge to craft a logo out of the mexican feast. with plenty of design advice from edgar and me, their result was great...and delicious.

newcomer's school

our second potential client has emerged...art teacher victoria wreden-sadeq at the newcomer's school in the guilford county system. victoria met me for coffee at the tail end of the spring semester and we brainstormed about possibilities for her classroom, in dire need of some design energy. the community by design team will schedule a visit to the school to assess opportunities in june.

nccj design intervention

we have our first potential...and official....client. i talked with susan feit, executive director of nccj, at yoga saturday and our conversation meandered to the subject of their offices...and a need for a keen designer to look at the space and make some recommendations. i took the idea to the cxd meeting yesterday and we've agreed to meet susan and her assistant, alison, to look through the space.

the book proposal takes shape

suzanne and i continue to polish the prose for the purpose section of our book proposal….and i think we’re getting close to a final version, well at least for this week. here it is…

THE COMMUNITY BY DESIGN HANDBOOK addresses multi-scaled design processes and outcomes for buildings, interiors, exhibits, and products, situated in the local community, and taking advantage of resources resulting from community-university collaborations.

THE COMMUNITY BY DESIGN HANDBOOK situates design at the nexus of practical strategies for identifying projects and community partners, putting together teams to undertake work, seeking financial support, managing human relations on campus and off, utilizing proven methods for achieving results, and communicating outwardly about the project to varying constituencies in the community.

THE COMMUNITY BY DESIGN HANDBOOK moves beyond existing books and handbooks by helping students, faculty, alumni, and community partners to see the good results of working together to make the world a better place. With concrete examples, demonstrable impacts, and meaningful reflections, the manuscript details successful approaches to design centered in the community with deep impact on the lives of others.

wednesday mornings

...are reserved for working with Patrick on an endeavor I'm pretty darn excited about. I promise to be less cryptic, and share more details of this project as our ideas take clearer shape [fingers crossed], but in the meantime, here's some thumbnails based on our shared vision to date.

cracking open our presentation

We Hatch Ideas

View more presentations from Suzanne Cabrera.

heading south this winter

Debbie and I heading to Georgia tomorrow to the Gulf South Summit on Service Learning and Community Engagement where we'll be presenting about the ways in which design thinking applies to all community-based projects. We're hoping the presentation we make can turn into a series of workshops to share with schools, non-profits and community organizations elsewhere. Do you represent one of these groups? Have any interest in learning more?

It's all very exciting...so let's see!