Architecture for Humanity, recipient of the 2008 Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt Design Patron Award. SAN FRANCISCO, July 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- First Lady Michelle Obama recognizes Architecture for Humanity at the White House on July 24th as 2008 recipients of the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt Design Patron Award. This acknowledgment is for their work in rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, building affordable community facilities for communities in need, and for demonstrating "that good design can indeed change the world." The honor comes as Architecture for Humanity announces the eight finalists of the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom, a competition launched by the organization as part of a global initiative to invite the architecture, design and engineering community to collaborate directly with students and teachers to rethink the classroom of the future. More than 1,000 design teams from 65 countries registered for the competition. Over a four-month submission period, hundreds of ideas were generated around the world. Finalists submitted designs ranging from an outdoor classroom for children in inner-city Chicago, learning spaces for the children of salt pan workers in India, safe spaces for youth in Colombia, to a bamboo classroom in the Himalayan mountains. About the Open Architecture Challenge. The Open Architecture Challenge is an open, international design competition hosted every two years on the Open Architecture Network. It reaches beyond the traditional bounds of architecture by challenging architects and designers to partner with the broader public to address architectural inequities affecting the health, sustainability, prosperity and well being of underserved communities. All design solutions are licensed under Creative Commons and viewable at www.openarchitecturenetwork.org.
