Architecture + Community Design Initiative
Charrette November 2nd, 2009, 11 am to 4 pm
Free Admission
Design Exchange
Exhibition Hall
The Architecture and Community Design Initiative is an innovative partnership project led by archiTEXT, the East Scarborough Storefront and supported by the Design Exchange and the City of Toronto. Its focus is on poverty reduction by enabling young people in one of Toronto’s thirteen priority neighborhoods to not only conceptualize, but design, draw and steward the creation of a community resource building. The mission is a legacy project, designed to articulate a national precedent and model for participatory design, creativity, and innovation in architecture through the engagement and empowerment of the community.
The Design Exchange is excited to host the Architecture and Community Design Initiative charrette, where twenty-five young people from the Kingston Galloway neighbourhood have been selected to join architects, urban planners, artists and architecture students from the University of Toronto in a creative environment designed to inspire. Those chosen will be given the opportunity to design a space on the current site of the East Scarborough Storefront, one of which will be chosen to take into the next phase of conceptualization.
Founded in 2006, archiTEXT is a think tank focused on architecture and innovation. As the current Innovators in Residence at the Design Exchange, archiTEXT explores the intersection of architecture with all facets of our lives using creative mechanisms including: Rapid Idea Generation charrettes, contemporary art and 3-D sketching. Using these creative mechanisms as vehicles, the objective is to create implementable and tangible outcomes, which include education, public policy, publications and film.
The East Scarborough storefront is a partnership of community members and service agencies working together to create a thriving community. The storefront was created in 2001 to address some of the most pressing needs in this community. People of all ages, cultures and abilities access the Storefront on a daily basis. Services provided include: employment assistance, legal advice, settlement services, youth groups, art programs, mental health and addictions counseling, parenting programs, and health services.