Design can have a profound impact on the mental and physical well-being of society. Ethical design has emerged in the post-war period, initially promoted by writers like Vance Packard, Ralph Nader and especially Victor Papanek. Ethical designers try to benefit society and the environment. They have begun to work for previously marginalised groups such as the elderly and the disabled, as well as humanitarian causes.
This article examines a group called Architecture for Humanity. This was founded in 1999 by the architect Cameron Sinclair and the journalist Kate Stohr. They are a husband and wife team. Architecture for Humanity develops design solutions for global humanitarian crises. They have built transitional housing for refugees and they have constructed schools, medical clinics and community centres for areas devastated by natural disasters.
Architecture for Humanity identifies social problems and holds international competitions for designs to solve them. The winning entries are chosen by Sinclair and his partners. It is a global network of designers that respond to natural disasters and social crises. The main method is to work directly with an affected community. That means that they tend to use local construction methods and the local population becomes involved. They believe it is vital to work with local people and techniques.
Sinclair's slogan is "design like you give a damn", which is the title of the book they have published. This is a compendium of ethical design solutions and it gives a very good account of their work. The book is an example itself, because the proceeds from sales went to humanitarian causes.
For example, the 2004 tsunami devastated 12 countries in the South Pacific leaving 200,000 people dead and 4 million homeless. Architecture for Humanity developed the Safe(R) House, which was designed by students from Harvard Graduate School of Design. It consists of four c-shaped concrete structures that give extra strength, but still allow water to pass around them. The whole house is raised on a plinth to prevent flooding. It's five times stronger than a traditional house, which means it would be better at withstanding a tsunami. It's very simple and relatively easy to produce in the local context.
The Power Shade (2004) was designed by Nicholas Goldsmith. It was funded by the US Department of Defence, but it is intended for use by humanitarian aid workers. It's a tent that acts as a sunscreen, but the surface is coated with flexible solar panels that generate 1 kilowatt of energy. The energy is stored in batteries and can be used to power equipment. It cost $15,000 to produce the prototype.
Michael Rakowtiz produced a design for homeless people in Cambridge, Massachusetts called the paraSITE. It's made up of a series of interconnected hollow tubes with an extending intake tube at one end. This is attached to a heating vent on a building. The warm air inflates the tube, turning it into an air-bed and providing heat. It's called a paraSITE because it lives off a "host" building. The idea is that it could be made by homeless people themselves using plastic bags and tape, which are easily attainable. The whole thing costs less than $5. Unfortunately, they attract hostility from local residents and the police.
Crucially, all of the designs are placed in the public domain, allowing anyone to produce them - it would be no good if users had to pay copyright fees.
Architecture for Humanity organised a project called the Ipuli Centre of Excellence in Tanzania. Tanzania has one of the highest mortality rates in the world and a life expectancy of only 44 years. The village of Ipuli is in the desert. It has no doctor and people have to travel 12km to the nearest clinic. Architecture for Humanity organised a competition for a medical centre, maternity ward and clinic. I want to show a video that explains the design process.
