Practice Lab

The Practice Lab is a space of learning by doing where we extend beyond traditional grantmaking to prototype alternative models for philanthropy in architecture. Working directly with architects and professional practitioners, we support the realization of site-specific, self-initiated and community-led projects rooted in their social and ecological context.

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Focus

Despite the massive ecological footprint of the industry and huge transformative potential of the discipline, professional architectural practices are disproportionately overlooked & underfunded by traditional funding models. The Practice Lab curates and invites practitioners to propose and realise meaningful projects that:

– Respond to local needs rooted in their unique social & ecological context
– Center & serve a specific community which co-develops and owns them upon realization

– Build on their existing body of work & professional experience

– Provide the potential for blueprinting & future replicability in other relevant contexts

The Practice Lab collaborates with a wide range of research and curatorial partners, and has recently open-sourced an Open Directory in collaboration with Non-Extractive Architecture. It is currently working on project realization with the invited practices below.

Practice
Location
Year
Region Austral
Buenos Aires
2022
Territorial Empathy
New York
2022
Material Cultures
London
2022
Social Design Collaborative
Delhi
2022
Island City Lab
Kingston
2022
atelier masōmī
Niamey
2022
Cave_bureau
Nairobi
2022
AFARAI
Amsterdam
2022
Taller Capital
Mexico City
2023
Emergent Vernacular Architects
Global
2023
PAVA Architects
Bangkok
2023
Office of Urban Resilience
Mexico City
2023
Worofila
Dakar
2023
Hand Over
Cairo
2023
Al Borde
Quito
2023
urbz
Mumbai
2023