Susan Surface, the "humble pioneer" for socially responsible design

2015-12-28T12:49:00-05:00

"'Are you going to do beautiful architecture or do-gooder architecture?' I want to do neither and both." [...] "It's not like you're going to design some single product that revolutionizes the way people shape the world around them," Surface said. "You have to change fundamentally how your organization is structured, how your resources are allocated, stop thinking of yourself as a gatekeeper. It's about redistributing how power and decision making and resources are divided between people."

Prompted by her work with Design in Public in Seattle, this profile of Susan Surface dips into her professional and personal background to designing like she gives a damn, covering the diversity of ways she seeks to question the power structures that perpetuate socially irresponsible or discriminatory designs.

Susan joined us on episode #42 of Archinect Sessions, where we address issues of gender inclusive design in public restrooms.

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Susan Surface, the "humble pioneer" for socially responsible design