Cameron Sinclair

Awards

• TED Prize (2006); Lewis Mumford Award for Peace - ADPSR (2005); 
• Design for Humanity Award - American Society of Interior Designers (2004); 
• Fast 50 Award - Fast Company Magazine (2004); 
• one of Fortune Magazine's "Aspen Seven," people changing the world for the better (2004); 
• Nice Modernist Award - Dwell Magazine (2003).

Published

Q&A

What sparked your interest in architecture and design?

Originally I thought I would become a war photographer or go into politics, but in my late teens I became interested in design and spent a couple of summers working in architectural offices in Bath, England. I was surrounded by the great historic architecture in Bath, but what caught my eye were the awful public housing projects that seemed to blight the city. I was intrigued by how a design team could formulate a building that was seen as a detriment to the community. Politics and ill-conceived cost-cutting exercises play heavily into "bad architecture."

What about your interest in designing for global change?

What's your role in humanitarian design?

Essentially I work as a conduit between the design industry and the humanitarian world. Almost every designer and architect I have ever spoken with wants to get involved in responding to humanitarian issues. Kate Stohr and I began Architecture for Humanity because we believed there were a number of designers who thought like we did but did not have a platform to do this work. We began by responding to the housing needs of returning refugees in post-conflict Kosovo, and built a number of housing prototypes.

In addition to developing and managing a number of projects, we also raise funds for implementing design schemes. The NGO world seldom takes risks and introducing new ideas can take decades. We embrace innovation and provide the opportunity to take it from the drawing board to the field. We also respond to natural disasters, in the context of long-term reconstruction. By working directly with an affected community and on-the-ground local charitable organizations, we help introduce new and leapfrog technologies for local buildings. We can hire those affected and begin micro-economies that allow for long term renewal, not just rebuilding.

How can design improve the human condition?

Everything a designer does to enrich human life can be defined as humanitarian. I believe our role should be pre-emptive rather than just seeking immediate solutions to a crisis.

A good example is earthquake mitigation in low-income communities. If a 6.0 quake hits a major western [U.S.] metropolis, the loss would be significant, but if that same quake hits a city in a developing nation, as we saw in Kashmir, the results are horrific. We have the technology and skills to address these issues. In addition to recovery process, we should be actively retrofitting every school along the known fault lines in the region.

How do you choose between aesthetics and ethics?

It is an equal balance. It discredits the work of humanitarian designers to believe they are only interested in creating functional spaces. We are not just creating houses, but homes. We are not just building civic buildings, but gathering spaces. When working in the field, you find that beauty is almost more respected than with an affluent client in a western country. It is important that a designer does not impose an aesthetic, but work with the community to develop or refine one.

The third leg in the equation is economics. If you design a building which costs a lot to maintain, it will never survive -- especially in a community that has just suffered great loss. For instance, in Sri Lanka we were working with schools that were receiving less that $11 in annual assistance for maintenance and supplies. By introducing rainwater harvesting and passive solar technologies, we keep costs to a minimum and the school can spend more on supplies for the children. Most of the schools and centers we are building are within the economic level of the country, so once they are built and assessed, the plans (protected by the Creative Commons Developing Nations License) can be replicated by others.

Whose work do you admire? Whose work has inspired you?

Where to begin? For every "starchitect" project, there are hundreds of designers working with communities around the world. Part of the reason we wrote Design Like You Give A Damn was to give a voice to the many architects and designers I've had the honor of getting to know.

Many of the people I really respect never make the covers of magazines -- designers like Sergio Palleroni, Sandra D'Urzo, Diebedo Francis Kere, Nathaniel Corum and Steve Kinsler, as well as relief workers like Chuck Setchell (USAID) and Rick Hill (CHF). Groups like the Aga Khan Development Networkand Practical Action pursue ideas that are both architecturally and environmentally innovative.

I have been influenced by a number of visionaries and dreamers, like Buckminster Fuller and Hassan Fathy, and pragmatic realists such as Fred Cuny. Design-wise, I really like the work of Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, Rick Joy, Future Systems and Geoffrey Bawa.

What advice do you have for young designers who want to make a difference in the world?

People will call you stubborn until they truly understand your intentions, and then they will call you visionary. You should take disappointment and lack of support as a challenge, because it will make your success that much more rewarding.

Your use the title "Executive Director and Eternal Optimist." What do you hope for?