Tag: architecture-and-human-rights | ArchDaily

On Human Rights Day, Grace Farms Launches a Toolkit of Ethical Strategies for Architects

Maria-Cristina Florian — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 06:30:00 +0000

Design for Freedom, an initiative launched by Grace Farms Foundation, has released an updated International Guidance & Toolkit designed to help architects and construction professionals source building materials ethically and avoid products linked to forced labor. The comprehensive online resource addresses the critical issue of forced labor within global supply chains, offering practical tools and strategies for implementation. The toolkit provides detailed information on twelve high-risk materials commonly used in construction, including glass, concrete, steel, timber, and bricks, highlighting the often inhumane conditions under which they are extracted and produced. The release of the guide coincides with Human Rights Day, further highlighting the urgency and global importance of addressing forced labor in the construction industry.

“When Is Enough, Enough?”: The Singapore Pavilion Explores Connection, Freedom, and Inclusion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 05:30:00 +0000

For this year’s 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, the Singapore Pavilion activates discussion on new methods of measuring and evaluating the intangible and asks explicitly: how much is enough? The exhibition explores a community’s interaction with its surroundings, suggesting that they are not currently measured within the same measurable, quantifiable and gradable standards that buildings and the built environment are designed and built to. Moreover, the pavilion suggests that connecting these two pillars of city architecture, it is essential to rethink innovation in design. The exhibition asks how architects can quantify the immeasurable values of architecture: agency, attachment, attraction, connection, freedom, and inclusion.

In Times of Need: Architects Stepping Up in Humanitarian Crisis

Bianca Valentina Roșescu — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 04:30:00 +0000

Hard times bring people together. In recent years we have seen how collective work can be a driving force to help those affected by natural or man-made disasters. After a disaster or displacement, a safe physical environment is often essential. Therefore, the need for coordination becomes a key factor in assisting people in times of need.

What is Architectural Forensics?

Rebecca Ildikó Leete — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 07:30:00 +0000

The term ‘Architectural Forensics’ varies in definition. In short, it refers to the investigation of the built environment, whether that be in relation to crime and injustice or an investigative process to discover the root cause of damage and deterioration in buildings. Often forensic architects are invited to identify potential issues and advise in how to avoid them. The role of this architect is to remain unbiased, identify issues within construction, determine potential causes and suggest solutions. They are to uncover factual evidence, which may aid in future construction or provide answers to issues associated with a particular built environment.

From the Maid’s Room to the Outskirts: How Does Architecture Respond to the Social Changes of Domestic Work?

Giovana Martino — Mon, 09 May 2022 05:00:00 +0000

The maid's quarters are "with their days numbered", although they still find a place in the new luxury apartments. The information is from a report published in Folha de S. Paulo in March of this year, which says that in 2018 less than 1% of domestic workers, mostly black women, lived on the premises of their employers - a low number when compared to the 12% of 1995. With the decrease in the number of professionals residing in the employers' homes, the "maid's room" would gradually be no longer part of the architectural plans of Brazilian housing buildings.

'Body Absent', a Temporary Memorial to Raise Awareness About Human Rights

Fabian Dejtiar — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Human Rights Day is celebrated every year on the 10th of December. After visiting numerous sites that commemorate the scenes of regrettable crimes against humanity and violence, one common observation can be made: the place of memory is not only a building. In fact, it is more about the encounter, the appropriation, and the gesture.

The Indicator: Where the Migrant Workers Are

Guy Horton — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Zaha Hadid’s unfortunate comments in response to worker deaths on construction sites for the 2022 World Cup has made Qatar the eye of a storm that has been raging globally for decades. But it’s not just about Qatar. This has been an issue for as long as there have been construction sites and for as long as poor people have swarmed to them for a chance at a better life.

Hadid's Response to Worker Deaths: Tone-Deaf But True

Martin Pedersen — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This article, by Martin Pedersen, originally appeared on Metropolis Magazine as "Governments, Not Architects, Should Shoulder Responsibility for Worker Deaths, Says Hadid."

Zaha Hadid on Worker Deaths in Qatar: "It's Not My Duty As an Architect"

Vanessa Quirk — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

When The Guardian recently asked Zaha Hadid about the 500 Indians and 382 Nepalese migrant workers who have reportedly died in preparations for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the architect behind the al-Wakrah stadium responded: