The Charter High School for Architecture and Design (CHAD) in Philadelphia was opened in 1999 with the goal of using architecture and design to facilitate more effective learning of traditional subjects, and to encourage a greater awareness of good design and the built environment. In his capacity as the Director of Design, Alex Gilliam (Director of Public Workshop) assembled the Department, wrote the Design Department Curriculum, served as lead Department Chair for the school and designed projects, and events that set up a general framework for school’s multidisciplinary learning approach. These projects and events focused on learning through doing, designing and making.
Can design project based around Alfred Hitchcock's classic, 'The Birds' lead to tremendous academic achievement from underperforming children? Can designing for a red breasted sapsucker and a frazzled couple from Bodega Bay lead to great things?
Although Public Workshop may not make it to all of the following conferences, these are certainly events we're keeping our eye on and think you should too.
From the Public Workshop vault, by Alex Gilliam, May 2008. 5 Steps for Rebuilding the Profession of Architecture In 1976, a major earthquake devastated much of Guatemala. Fred Cuny, an American disaster relief expert, tried something novel in the world of disaster relief: instead of building new houses for and giving them to displaced Guatemalans, […]
Event: Chicago K-12 Design Educator Potluck Presentation: You Can Change Your City by Alex Gilliam of Public Workshop Date: Thursday February 4th from 6.30-8.00 pm-ish Location: Landon Bone Baker Architects, 734 N Milwaukee Ave. Here’s why you shouldn’t miss it: Normally Public Workshop wouldn’t trumpet giving a presentation at a relatively informal event but ladies and gents, […]
From Public Workshop’s Project Archives: Project: The Sunshine School, The Movie! Location:Newbern, AL Project Director: Alex Gilliam Year: 2004 Yep, the export quality from this movie I made many, many years ago leaves a lot to be desired but it does a knock up job conveying the incredible spirit of the project and the students […]
Local governments are the largest industry in the world without an r + d function. What happens if you create an informal r + d unit for a city, bringing together a carefully chosen group of people who are doing great but very different things in the world to re-imagine issues of civic importance where […]
Many of you may have heard of or seen the jaw dropping French sport, parkours (here). If you saw one of the more recent James Bond films, Casino Royale, then you’re in. All of that amazing, almost too-ridiculous-to-be-possible but true leaping, bounding and clamoring that occurred in the opening scene was parkours. And believe it […]
Project: Community Innovation Incubator Location: Chicago, IL Project Director: Alex Gilliam Year: Current How Do You Seed Community Innovation? Within An Architecture Firm? Within The Profession? In December, Landon Bone Baker Architects (LBBA) hired Public Workshop to help them answer these challenging questions as it relates to their small but incredibly productive practice in Chicago, IL. […]
Of the many wonderful things I have seen thus far in Chicago, one of my favorites is the work that Mejay Gula, Kelly Van Eaton and Charlie Vinz, are doing with Chicago high school students through the After School Matters (here) program. Last fall Mejay and Charlie worked with their students to design and build […]
Project: Bad Design Darts, Step-On Your Neighborhood Pavers And Other Tools For Rethinking Community Engagement Location: New York, NY Project Director: Alex Gilliam for the Hester Street Collaborative Year: 2006-2007 Patience, patience. More information is on the way.
From Public Workshop’s Project Archives: Project: The Sunshine School Location:Newbern, AL Project Director: Alex Gilliam Year: 2004 ʻOur school was really in a mess. And since it was down, everyone here was down because it was just a disaster.ʼ Many of the schools in rural Alabama are in an incredible state of physical and emotional disrepair because they have […]
Last week Public Workshop had the great pleasure of spending time in Philadelphia talking to a number of different organizations and people about future collaborations and possibilities. Having helped start the Charter High School For Architecture And Design and taught at places such as the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia is a city that is very […]
From Public Workshop’s Project Archives: Project: Community Baseball Cards Location:New York, NY Project Director: Alex Gilliam and the Citizen Designer Workshop for the Hester Street Collaborative Year: 2007 Patience, patience. More information is on the way.
You may or may not have noticed, through articles by Public Workshop (here) or via a steady rise in media attention, but playgrounds for the elderly are on the rise. This innovation started in Asia, particularly China, Japan and Singapore but thereafter spread to Spain, Germany and England. Some countries such as Germany are taking […]
Public Workshop couldn’t be more excited to be working with Landon Bone Baker Architects in Chicago to create a social entrepreneurship program for their firm. Landon Bone Baker is well known for their their many things but particularly for thoughtful affordable housing projects such as the renovation of Archer Courts in Chicago (pictured above).
Can a massive foam sword fight in the crosswalk of a busy street change the street-use culture of a community? This Friday University of Texas School of Architecture students are hosting their once a semester Foam Sword Friday at 12.30 at the crosswalk on Guadalupe between 21st and 23rd Streets. How does it work? Simple, […]
Project: What’s Poppin’ On Fulton Street? Redesigning The Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum’s City Of Neighborhoods Program. Location: New York, NY Project Directors: Alex Gilliam and Damon Rich of the Center For Urban Pedagogy Year: 2007 Not to worry, more information is on the way. Stay tuned!
A six foot long Betty Crocker version of Waller Creek? (not the tiny garden pictured here-kid’s stuff). That’s right, six feet long. Have we lost our minds? Probably. An impossible feat? Maybe but we’re going to have a mighty fine time trying. That’s right ladies and gents, as part of the East Austin Studio Tours, […]
Project: Rebranding The Sunshine School Location:Newbern, AL Project Director: Alex Gilliam Year: 2004 Not to worry, more information is on the way. Stay tuned!
February 11, 2010
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