COMMUNITY
Black Women in Architecture
Black women are hugely underrepresented in architecture--just 0.3 percent (fewer than 500) are licensed architects in the U.S. The Architects Foundation is creating a scholarship specifically for Black Women earning their degree in Architecture in honor of Desiree V. Cooper, a DC-area architect who tragically passed in 2015. Help celebrate her memory by creating a pathway to equity in architecture. This by That is joining other female-led firms to match every dollar raised. Please consider joining us in fundraising for this cause, donations can be made here.
Friday Studio Visits: Consulting for BIPOC Architecture Practitioners
This by That offers weekly hour-long pro bono consulting slots on Fridays to emerging Black, Indigenous, and POC architecture practitioners and students. One slot is made available weekly on a first-come, first-served basis, and we especially welcome interest from those who have recently started, or who are considering starting, their own studios. We can advise on broader questions about breaking out on your own and developing your own practice, or specific questions on everything from assembling a press kit to social media practices. Those interested can email hello@thisxthat.com.
Design Advocates
This by That is a proud supporter of Design Advocates, a non-profit organization based in New York City, is a network of experienced architecture and design firms, advising firms, and individuals who volunteer their time and expertise and collaborate on projects, research, and advocacy to serve the public good. Originally initiated in April 2020 as a platform for collecting data and empowering design businesses in the era of COVID-19, Design Advocates has since expanded into a collective effort to match designers with those in need, by providing pro-bono design services to small businesses and community organizations, while engaging in ongoing advocacy for the broader independent design industry, and in particular, pushing for equitable design and firm diversity to contribute to a more just built environment.
Testbeds
New York-based designers New Affiliates, in collaboration with architect and historian Samuel Stewart-Halevy, have launched Testbeds, an initiative to repurpose architectural mockups from large-scale development projects as shade structures, classrooms, and sheds for community gardens. The team is currently working alongside NYC Parks GreenThumb division on a pilot project at the Edgemere Coalition Community Garden in Queens. Testbeds is looking for partners and collaborators to assist in scavenging, researching, and constructing this and future projects. Join This by That as supporters of the project, for further information on how to get involved please visit www.testbeds.org.