ARC465H1 F
Instructor: Aziza Chaouni
Meeting Section: L0101
Fall 2023

Today, socially engaged architectural practices are an emerging and diverse architectural typology that aims to redefine architecture from a market-driven profession to a mix of activism, philanthropy, and social enterprise. These practices’ approach embraces a progressive set of values including social equity, poverty reduction, environmental protection and climate change mitigation. 
 
Traditionally, architects have depended on clients: as such, they are ‘service-providers’ for someone else who defines the goals and targets of their project. While the role of clients is still key to the survival of architecture as a profession, more and more architectural practices and design professionals are recasting their role away from the service-provider / moneyed client paradigm. Instead, they are creating partnership with non-for profits organizations, educational institutions and international aid agencies while taking an active role in advocating for and defining projects which are socially engaged, from the grounds up. By doing so, they are developing practice models that are more resilient towards economic fluctuations, which are exacerbated by the surplus of architects, the scarcity of clients and the fierce competition within the discipline. Also, by reaching out to under-represented ‘clients’, these practice models bridge the gap between the wealthiest 1% of the population, who can afford architectural services, and the 99% remaining who cannot, but still direly need them.
 
Using unusual formats such as role play games and co-design workshops, this undergraduate research seminar will introduce students to models of practices, approaches and tactics that can be deployed to initiate, engage in and develop socially engaged architecture projects, with a focus on the Global South. In parallel, students will be assigned to co-develop throughout the term a small project of their choosing with two non-for-profits in Morocco (Lamalif) and Palestine (Arab Development Society).