Archinect - Features

A Conversation with Katie Swenson On Rebuilding Trust Through the Design of Safe and Healthy Spaces

2020-04-08T09:00:00-04:00

The question of the architect's role within the community has continued to grow and change in recent years thanks, in part, to the work of dedicated individuals like Katie Swenson. Her involvement and leadership within organizations like Enterprise Community Partners and MASS Design Group have enabled her to help redirect architecture’s creative and generative energies towards fulfilling social and community goals through projects that include the creation of affordable housing and healthful spaces.

Archinect was able to chat with Swenson and learn about her journey from comparative literature to architecture, housing, and community development. In addition, Swenson discusses what it means to be a community architect in the COVID-19 era and how two fellowship opportunities changed the course of her professional career.

"I went in with the question,” Swenson tells Archinect, “‘how can love and kindness be tools for community development?’ I came out appreciating the broader implicati...

Kilograph and Climate Cents Team Up To Rewrite L.A.’s Climate Action Narrative

2020-01-03T14:57:00-05:00

Discussions regarding climate change and the need to make progressive reforms in the built environment are everywhere these days.

Over the last year, calls from architects and the architecture community to strengthen their involvement in fighting the growing climate crisis have increased markedly. From international organizations like Architects Declare to efforts on the part of individual practices to create manifestos to ensure their own accountability towards this issue, it's difficult to avoid talking about sustainability and climate action when discussing architecture.

Individually, however, the task of reinforcing action and follow-through can be tough, but collectively, entities and groups of firms can band together to create not only moments of change, but also movements that advocate for continuous action. To learn more about such collaborations, Archinect spoke with Keely Colcleugh, CEO of Kilograph and Sean Cushing board member of Climate Cents. Together, they unpack th...

Interested in Public Interest Design? bcWORKSHOP, a Non-Profit Architecture Firm, Shares Tips on Breaking into the Emerging Field

2018-02-01T09:00:00-05:00

Looking for a new job? You've probably gotten used to hearing the same old advice about tailoring your portfolio, doing your homework, leveraging your network, and so on. By now, whether you recently lost your job or are ready to jump ship from your current one, the traditional advice may seem a bit tired. That's because job seeking is as unique and creative as an individual and no two firms are alike. Helping to sort out the field, Archinect's “How To Get A Job” series asks architecture firms how candidates can be sure to stand out from the crowd.

Can good design cure LA’s homeless problem? We asked Mike Alvidrez, CEO of Skid Row Housing Trust

2017-06-23T14:30:00-04:00

For Skid Row Housing Trust, a nonprofit developer in Los Angeles that builds housing for LA’s homeless population, good design is a basic civil right. Understanding that the environment plays a vital role in their residents’ recovery, the organization consistently teams up with renowned architectural firms such as Michael Maltzan Architecture and Brooks+Scarpa to design buildings for the homeless that stand out.