This exhibit is created by Garrett Nelli Assoc. AIA, the 2017 recipient of AIA Seattle’s Emerging Professionals Travel Scholarship. 

Public interest design is re-positioning the architectural profession to address the social, political, and environmental issues of the 21st century through community-engaged design. This shift in practice advances the notion that architecture is not only a built product, but a collective process that instills the tools, awareness, and imagination for individuals to improve their condition. As this year’s recipient of AIA Seattle’s Emerging Professionals Travel Scholarship, Garrett traveled to Los Angeles, New Orleans, rural Alabama, Haiti, Spain, and Italy to catalog how the built environment can proliferate positive societal change. In the Public Interest showcases six innovative architectural practices redefining the role and responsibility of the architect in order to meet the needs of a broader public. The selected projects offer unique perspectives on the value of a community-engaged design process, the expanding nature of practice, and presents new methods for the profession to design with Seattle’s communities.

Be a part of the ongoing discussion about this expanding reach and civic influence of the architectural profession at the Center for Architecture and Design.

Join us for related programming:

Movie Night: Design that Heals Documentary
April 26 | 5:30PM – 6:30PM

The Changing Nature of Practice: How Emerging Processes are Encouraging Social Change
May 24 | 6:00PM – 7:00PM

Join the Community Collective, where organizations and individuals share their BIG ideas and find the support to make them a reality! For more information contact inthepublicinterest.seattle@gmail.com.