The work of Architecture for Humanity design fellow, Susi Platt was recently featured in Four Seasons Magazine:

It is not every day that architects consider elephant migration patterns when they begin work on a new design. But it was a detail London-based architect Susi Jane Platt considered when she led the charge to develop energy efficient outdoor lighting for a remote Sri Lankan village ravaged by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. How else could the village escape the inevitable, namely, that elephants unable to distinguish mudroofed homes from trees would choose them as the perfect place to scratch their colossal bodies, the sheer force of which could raze home after home in a series of resonant thuds?

Today we launched a 30 day concept design challenge for a Youth and Women's Leadership Center nr. Rio. The Winner gets the commission and the building will be built by late summer.

If you are up for the challenge click here for further details and to enter. Fluency in Portuguese and English a requirement.

Update: We were not chosen to be the selected charity. We are a little disappointed as funding would have built selected schools for 800 to 2500 pupils. Fortunately the selected charity was one we admire and respect, Concern Worldwide, and we wish them the best and congratulate them on being selected.

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Last week it was announced that we are one of four finalists eligible for funding from the 2010 Twestival event, set for March next year. The theme is education - which happens to coincide with focus over the next five years.

As everyone (hopefully already) knows, we are one of 24 charities being promoted by Paypal in their Regift the Fruitcake campaign.

If you haven't visited Regift the Fruitcake, donated to an existing fruitcake (such as Cameron's turtleneck fruitcake), or started your own to pass around, then we encourage you to do so now.

Yep, Architecture for Humanity is getting into party mode. What does this mean? Will we turn our models into miniature tinseltown's with bits of recycled "snow"? Will we hang tape measures from the rafters? Sip cocktails and swivel in our swanky new (Thank you, Steelcase) chairs? Come find out.

Holiday Party
Architecture for Humanity and ColLaborate
6pm -9pm Friday December 18, 2009
848 Folsom Street, Ste 201
San Francisco, CA 94965

It's been a rough year. Come in a turtleneck and the first drink is free. Oh wait, all the drinks are free... Well, come anyway.

If you would like us to personally chill your cocktail, please RSVP:
rsvp@architectureforhumanity.org (Let us know if you are bringing guests.)

A special thank you to all the sponsors, donors and collaborators who made this party possible.

It has been a busy twelve months in our office but even more so for our staff in the field. Turning ten this year allowed us a moment of reflection but as Henry Kaiser once said, ”When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.” Therefore we've continued to work tirelessly to design and build stronger and more sustainable communities through the power of thoughtful and innovative architecture. Read More

Dear all,

It has been a busy twelve months in our office but even more so in the field. On December 5th we saw the opening of yet another building, the Khayelitsha Football for Hope Centre, the first of many youth sports facilities built as legacy projects for the 2010 World Cup*. Below is a list of all the projects we've worked on this year. They involved dozens of architects and building professionals and hundreds of local construction workers. We are truly proud of all of them.

It is only because of the dedication of our partners and our donors that we are able to achieve this level and quality of work. For the first time in our history we had projects under construction on every corner of the globe.

To all who contributed in 2009, thank you.