Lawrence Technological University College of Architecture and Design and Design Corps are proud to announce a partnership to present the Structures for Inclusion Conference 15 in Detroit.

Background:
In October of 2000, Design Corps, a community based non-profit organization, sponsored a conference at Princeton University. The purpose of this conference is to bring together and share the best ideas and practices that are reaching those currently un-served and underserved by architecture. These efforts are often grounded on two common beliefs that communities and individuals should be included in the design decisions that affect them and architects and communities should work together to identify their shared values and goals in the collaborative process of defining quality design. Since the first SFI at Princeton University, it has been hosted at various institutions including the University of Virginia, the University of Texas at Austin, Harvard University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, and the Parsons New School for Design among others. The conference has become internationally recognized as a thought-provoking forum to learn about grass roots efforts and alternative practices making architecture more accessible.

“Resilience of Mind, Body and Spirit,” the theme of SFI 15, serves to position the value of SFI within Detroit and other resilient cities. Mind (e.g., attitudes towards the city’s significant challenges); Body (e.g., creative economies such as social entrepreneurship and grassroots physical interventions), and Spirit (e.g., a city’s psyche and sense of itself) will advance the mission of SFI.

The conference committee invites abstracts for a two-day conference to be held in Detroit on April 11 and 12, 2015. This conference explores the methods of offering design services that are valuable, affordable and accessible to the general public. Practitioners, non-profit organizations, students and faculty in arts, design, architecture, landscape architecture, social entrepreneurship, and other areas related to public interest design are encouraged to submit abstracts.

Seven theme areas are available for submission:
• Learn All About Detroit Presentations (PechaKucha-style presentations)
• Public Interest Design Luncha Kucha (PechaKucha-style presentations)
• Best Public Interest Design Projects and Practices (Focus on Resilience)
• Best Public Interest Design Projects and Practices (US Examples)
• Best Public Interest Design Projects and Practices (International Examples)
• What to do Monday? Tools for Public Interest Design Practices
• How to Educate Students About Public Interest Design and Resilience

Selection criteria:
Selection of presenters will be based upon several criteria. We seek projects that:
• Advance public interest design practices that are socially responsive, inclusive, and ethical;
• Address social, economic and environmental justice and equality; and
• Generate ideas that will promote “resilience of community, mind, body and spirit.”

Authors should prepare 500-words abstracts, with up to 3 supporting images, for blind peer review by the committee. Three reviewers will evaluate each abstract Accepted authors will develop presentations and submit them to the SFI website (and their appointed session chairs) by April 4, 2015, prior to presentation at the SFI15 Conference in Detroit.

Presentation proposals should be in the following format:
• Name of project(s) and its location(s)
• Project intention/program
• Relevance to the conference theme (Public Interest Design and Resilience)
• Community participation process, team description and involvement
• Project outcomes, lessons learned

Schedule:
• Deadline to Submit a Presentation Proposal (through the SFI website): February 21, 2015
• Notification of Selections: February 28, 2015
• Deadline to Submit a Final Presentation (through the SFI website): April 4, 2015
• Conference Presentations: April 11-12, 2015

For Inquiry and information: Joongsub Kim jkim@ltu.edu / Bryan Bell bryan@designcorps.org / Lawrence Tech’s Website HERE / SFI Conference Website HERE

Conference Committee:
Amy Green Deines, Assoc. AIA, IIDA
Joongsub Kim, PhD, AIA, AICP
Edward Orlowski, AIA
Scott Gerald Shall, AIA