Our Homework for this week is to prepare for our first meeting with project partners, Architecture for Humanity, during our class next week on January 27 (class will be held "on-site" at the Architecture for Humanities offices, at 848 Folsom Street, Second Floor).

At this class we will meet with the Pacific Rim Project Lead Nathaniel Corum, and other members of the project team, for their introduction to the project structure and goals.

In order to get as much out of our time with them as possible, our preparation tasks for the week are as follows:

1. Go to the Architecture for Humanity main website and get to know the organization. Even if you are already familiar with them, browse around in depth, and learn about the full breadth of the organizations projects and goals.

2. Follow the Open Architecture Network link, and then register for an account (if you don't already have one). The OAN is an online project management and networking structure used by Architecture for Humanity, and we will be using it throughout the semester as a primary means of our involvement. When you register, there are several tabs to fill out with information on your education, your skills, and other data, to help explain who you are to others. By filling in this information, you help strengthen the network of resources, and you can indicate if you have any special areas of expertise that you would be willing to share with others on the OAN network.

3. Read everything about the OAN, learn about the projects and structure of the network. Try out the networking communication tools.

4. Find the Pac Rim Studio project on the OAN, and read all about the project goals. Find the tab that says View Team, click to see the listing of current project team members, and then in the upper right corner see the "Join This Team" button. Select that, and you will be added to the project team.

5. Follow the links within the project description (also copied below), and learn about each of these organizations and projects.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Pac Rim Studio:

the 2010 Architecture for Humanity Education Outreach Program

In honor of the voyage of the Plastiki www.theplastiki.com we are initiating a multi-country trans-Pacific studio that will involve students of architecture stretching from California to Asia along the Plastiki Expedition route. The projects all are connected by the Pacific Ocean –restoring water quality, protecting inhabitants from climate change, creating sustainable livelihoods and safe housing. Run by Architecture for Humanity’s Director of Education Outreach, Nathaniel Corum, the studio will share the insight and knowledge of a diverse and committed team of socially-responsible designers and supporting organizations. Collaborating with Adventure Ecology, Ocean Voyages Institute / Project Kaisei and Floating Island International, we will work towards design solutions for several major Pacific Ocean crises. Designs generated in the Pac Rim Studio will be ‘open sourced’ for anyone to replicate through Creative Commons licensing on the Open Architecture Network (OAN).