About Us
ARCHITECTURE FOR HUMANITY - MIAMI CHAPTER:
A Brief Overview
“Article 25. [1] Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing...”
United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted December 10, 1948.
ON A GLOBAL SPECTRUM
Founded by Cameron Sinclair and his partner, Kate Stohr in 1999, Architecture for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crisis and brings professional design services to communities in need.
Comprised of more than 5,000 design and construction professionals, the organization has projects in twenty-six countries ranging from schools, health clinics, affordable housing and long term sustainable reconstruction. Recent initiatives include the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, developing schools in post-conflict areas in West Africa and creating economically sustainable weaving cooperatives in South Asia.
Amongst its more recent ventures, Architecture for Humanity launched its new design challenge: developing innovative and safe classrooms around the world. According to the World Bank, educating all children worldwide will require the construction of 10 million new classrooms in more than 100 countries by 2015. At the same time, millions of existing classrooms are in serious need of repair and refurbishment. The 2009 Open Architecture Challenge invited the global design and construction community to collaborate with primary and secondary school teachers and students to create smarter, safer, and more sustainable learning environments. Architecture for Humanity, the Miami Chapter, had the pleasure of submitting three entries for two schools in South Florida.
LOCALLY
Architecture for Humanity was created with a mission to bring design, construction and development services to communities in need through a global network of building professionals.
Since 2007, the local chapter of Architecture for Humanity, founded by Jennifer Siqueira, has working actively to engage the local community and to bring these services to South Florida.
The local chapter has its strengths as well as weaknesses; it has its threats and opportunities.
Strengths
AFH Miami is a chapter of a well-established global organization, therefore it benefits from all its history and resources.
Weaknesses
The lack of awareness of our mission in South Florida is our weakest attribute. This attribute makes funding and attracting new members very challenging. However, through networking, lectures, workshops, our online presence via our website, Facebook group, Twitter, and completed projects, AFH Miami will become a key resource for the growth of many non-profit organizations that cater to our communities, and the spread of our belief that design can empower communities.
Threats as Opportunities
There is a lack of building professionals performing pro-bono work in Florida; the majority provides building services to large corporations, institutions or the small group of wealthy individuals who can afford it. AFH Miami sees this current reality as an opportunity since it faces no competition. Moreover, if another organization is seeking to provide similar services provided by AFH Miami, AFH Miami will approach that organization in order to establish a partnership for future projects.
MISSION
AFH Miami provides design services to community groups, non-governmental organizations, funding agents, social entrepreneurs, and other not-for-profit organizations in South Florida and the Caribbean. Using design as a tool, AFH Miami empowers our partners to build a more sustainable future for our local communities.
For AFH, sustainability is about more than building “green”. We think about how a building will affect the environment, how it will improve the lives and livelihoods of its occupants, and its impact on future generations, including its vulnerability to disaster.
PROJECTS
The group is currently working on several projects which vary in scope and timeline:
Camillus House - Good Shepherd Villas, Liberty City
Renovation of 6 duplexes that will permanently house mentally-ill homeless individuals.
Urban Project Collaborative (UP|Lab): Proposal for the revitalization of several urban empty lots throughout Miami-Dade County.
VG+ Initiative: Development of community gardens to low-income communities throughout south florida.
Haiti Rebuild: National AFH effort to assist Haiti in its reconstruction due to January 12, 2009's earthquake.
LOCAL AFFILIATIONS
American Institute of Architects (AIA)
Miami American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Miami
Committee of the Environment, AIA Miami
Florida International University
Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce
Miami-Dade Parks & Recreation Department
Operation Green Leaves Haiti
University of Miami
Urban Empowerment Corporation
US Green Building Council (USGBC), South Florida Chapter
City of Miami, Office of Sustainable Initiatives
City of Miami, Office of the Mayor
Slow Foods Miami
Fertile Earth Foundation
A BLURB ABOUT THE MIAMI CHAPTER FOUNDER
Soon after receiving her architectural training at UC Berkeley, Jennifer Siqueira decided to use her skills to give back to the community. By getting involved in design competitions that helped communities in need, she realized that, although not very common, humanitarian design could be the most rewarding career track in architecture. After moving to Miami in 2006, she started the Miami Chapter of Architecture for Humanity with the goal of growing this field in South Florida. Since then, she’s spearheaded a local community gardens initiative and is currently leading design/build projects geared towards making a difference in her local community, the Caribbean and Brazil. In 2009, Jennifer received an award from the Urban Environment League of Miami for her green initiatives, an award from AIA Miami for Community Leadership, and is on her way to growing a strong network of local like-minded professionals bringing good design to communities in need.
CONTACT
Jennifer T Siqueira, LEED ap.
245 NE 37th Street, Miami, FL c. 786.368.1950
jennifer@afhmiami.org www.afhmiami.org www.architectureforhumanity.org
We're always looking for more projects! Contact us with your inquiry.
Last updated on January 2009
A Brief Overview
“Article 25. [1] Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing...”
United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted December 10, 1948.
ON A GLOBAL SPECTRUM
Founded by Cameron Sinclair and his partner, Kate Stohr in 1999, Architecture for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crisis and brings professional design services to communities in need.
Comprised of more than 5,000 design and construction professionals, the organization has projects in twenty-six countries ranging from schools, health clinics, affordable housing and long term sustainable reconstruction. Recent initiatives include the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, developing schools in post-conflict areas in West Africa and creating economically sustainable weaving cooperatives in South Asia.
Amongst its more recent ventures, Architecture for Humanity launched its new design challenge: developing innovative and safe classrooms around the world. According to the World Bank, educating all children worldwide will require the construction of 10 million new classrooms in more than 100 countries by 2015. At the same time, millions of existing classrooms are in serious need of repair and refurbishment. The 2009 Open Architecture Challenge invited the global design and construction community to collaborate with primary and secondary school teachers and students to create smarter, safer, and more sustainable learning environments. Architecture for Humanity, the Miami Chapter, had the pleasure of submitting three entries for two schools in South Florida.
LOCALLY
Architecture for Humanity was created with a mission to bring design, construction and development services to communities in need through a global network of building professionals.
Since 2007, the local chapter of Architecture for Humanity, founded by Jennifer Siqueira, has working actively to engage the local community and to bring these services to South Florida.
The local chapter has its strengths as well as weaknesses; it has its threats and opportunities.
Strengths
AFH Miami is a chapter of a well-established global organization, therefore it benefits from all its history and resources.
Weaknesses
The lack of awareness of our mission in South Florida is our weakest attribute. This attribute makes funding and attracting new members very challenging. However, through networking, lectures, workshops, our online presence via our website, Facebook group, Twitter, and completed projects, AFH Miami will become a key resource for the growth of many non-profit organizations that cater to our communities, and the spread of our belief that design can empower communities.
Threats as Opportunities
There is a lack of building professionals performing pro-bono work in Florida; the majority provides building services to large corporations, institutions or the small group of wealthy individuals who can afford it. AFH Miami sees this current reality as an opportunity since it faces no competition. Moreover, if another organization is seeking to provide similar services provided by AFH Miami, AFH Miami will approach that organization in order to establish a partnership for future projects.
MISSION
AFH Miami provides design services to community groups, non-governmental organizations, funding agents, social entrepreneurs, and other not-for-profit organizations in South Florida and the Caribbean. Using design as a tool, AFH Miami empowers our partners to build a more sustainable future for our local communities.
For AFH, sustainability is about more than building “green”. We think about how a building will affect the environment, how it will improve the lives and livelihoods of its occupants, and its impact on future generations, including its vulnerability to disaster.
PROJECTS
The group is currently working on several projects which vary in scope and timeline:
Camillus House - Good Shepherd Villas, Liberty City
Renovation of 6 duplexes that will permanently house mentally-ill homeless individuals.
Urban Project Collaborative (UP|Lab): Proposal for the revitalization of several urban empty lots throughout Miami-Dade County.
VG+ Initiative: Development of community gardens to low-income communities throughout south florida.
Haiti Rebuild: National AFH effort to assist Haiti in its reconstruction due to January 12, 2009's earthquake.
LOCAL AFFILIATIONS
American Institute of Architects (AIA)
Miami American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Miami
Committee of the Environment, AIA Miami
Florida International University
Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce
Miami-Dade Parks & Recreation Department
Operation Green Leaves Haiti
University of Miami
Urban Empowerment Corporation
US Green Building Council (USGBC), South Florida Chapter
City of Miami, Office of Sustainable Initiatives
City of Miami, Office of the Mayor
Slow Foods Miami
Fertile Earth Foundation
A BLURB ABOUT THE MIAMI CHAPTER FOUNDER
Soon after receiving her architectural training at UC Berkeley, Jennifer Siqueira decided to use her skills to give back to the community. By getting involved in design competitions that helped communities in need, she realized that, although not very common, humanitarian design could be the most rewarding career track in architecture. After moving to Miami in 2006, she started the Miami Chapter of Architecture for Humanity with the goal of growing this field in South Florida. Since then, she’s spearheaded a local community gardens initiative and is currently leading design/build projects geared towards making a difference in her local community, the Caribbean and Brazil. In 2009, Jennifer received an award from the Urban Environment League of Miami for her green initiatives, an award from AIA Miami for Community Leadership, and is on her way to growing a strong network of local like-minded professionals bringing good design to communities in need.
CONTACT
Jennifer T Siqueira, LEED ap.
245 NE 37th Street, Miami, FL c. 786.368.1950
jennifer@afhmiami.org www.afhmiami.org www.architectureforhumanity.org
We're always looking for more projects! Contact us with your inquiry.
Last updated on January 2009
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