Cameron Sinclair

Infobox Person


image_size = 150px
name = Cameron Sinclair
nationality = United Kingdom
birth_date = birth date and age|1973|11|16
birth_place = London, England
residence = Sausalito, California
education =
alma_mater = University of Westminster
University College London
occupation = Architectural Designer, Writer, Public Speaker
spouse = Kate Stohrcitation | last=Siegle | first=Lucy | title=Give me a shelter | newspaper=The Observer | date=2006-05-14 | year=2006 | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2006/may/14/architecture.ethicalliving ] citation | last=Rochon | first=Lisa | title=Saving the world one building at a time | newspaper=The Globe and Mail | date=2008-01-16 | year=2008 ] |

Cameron Sinclair (b. 1973, London, England) is the co-founder and 'eternal optimist' for Architecture for Humanity.

Education & Personal Life

Sinclair trained as an architect at the University of Westminster and The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London Sinclair developed an interest in social, cultural and humanitarian design. His postgraduate thesis focused on providing shelter to New York's homeless through sustainable, transitional housing.

Professional Career

After graduating from university in 1997, Sinclair moved to New York City, where he worked as a designer for Steve Blatz Architects, Christidis Lauster Radu Architects and Gensler.citation | last=Gordon | first=Alistair | title=Designing for the Dispossessed | newspaper=The New York Times | date=2003-08-28 | year=2003 | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E6DB1139F93BA1575BC0A9659C8B63 ] citation | last=Hales | first=Linda | title=Blueprint for Building a Better World | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=2005-08-06 | year=2005 | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/05/AR2005080501955.html ] citation | publisher=Cameron Sinclair | title=Bio | url=http://www.cameronsinclair.com/index.php?q=/bio | accessdate=2008-07-29 ]

In 1999, Sinclair and Kate Stohr founded Architecture for Humanity, a charitable organization which develops architecture and design solutions to humanitarian crises, and provides pro-bono design services to communities in need. The organization has worked in twenty six countries on projects ranging from school, health clinics, affordable housing and long term sustainable reconstruction. Work has also included rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 South Asia Tsunami.

In 2006, Sinclair and Stohr published a compendium on socially conscious design, titled "Design Like You Give A Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises" (May 2006, Metropolis Books).

He serves on advisory boards of the Acumen Fund, the Detroit Collaborative Design Center, and the Institute for State Effectiveness.

Sinclair is a regular lecturer and visiting professor at schools in the United States and abroad and has contributed to a number of exhibitions dealing with social justice and design. He has spoken at a number of international conferences and forums on sustainable development and post disaster reconstruction, including appearances on BBC World Service and CNN International, National Public Radio and PBS.

Awards

In 2004 Fortune Magazine named Cameron Sinclair was named as one of the Aspen Seven, seven people changing the world for the better.citation | title=The Aspen Seven | publisher=Fortune Magazine | date=2004-08-23 | year=2004 | url=http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/08/23/379372/index.htm ] He was the recipient of the 2006 TED prize and the 2005 RISD/Target Emerging Designer of the Year. Recently he was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Along with co-founder Kate Stohr, was awarded the Wired Magazine 2006 [http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/arch.html Rave Award for Architecture] for their work in responding to housing needs following Hurricane Katrina.

As a result of the TED Prize he and Stohr launched the Open Architecture Network, the worlds’ first open source community dedicated to improving living conditions through innovative and sustainable design.citation | last=Scanlon | first=Jessie | title=Open-Source Goes Hammer and Nail | publisher=BusinessWeek | date=2007-03-15 | year=2007 | url=http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/mar2007/id20070315_873276.htm ]

In August 2008 Architecture for Humanity and its co-founders Sinclair and Stohr were named as recipients of the Design Patron Award for the 2008 National Design Awardscitation | title=Architecture for Humanity Selected as Design Patron Award Winner in Cooper-Hewitt's Ninth Annual National Design Awards | date=2008-08-12 | year=2008 | url=http://media-newswire.com/release_1070509.html ]

External links

* [http://www.cameronsinclair.com CameronSinclair.com] - personal website
* [http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=c_sinclair Cameron Sinclair's 24 min TED Prize Talk at TED Conference (2006) Monterey, CA]
* [http://eyeteeth.blogspot.com/2006/05/pragmatic-experimentation-interview.html Pragmatic Experimentation: An interview with Cameron Sinclair]
* [http://www.news.com/The-house-that-social-networking-built/2008-1025_3-6227610.html Interview on CNET]
* [http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/story/29-cameron_sinclair_architect.html Wired Science Interview]

References