The Architecture Lobby Day of Action

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The Architecture Lobby is calling for a national day of action on March 10th,2017 at 4pm EST in opposition to the building of the southwestern border wall proposed by the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security. While there are innumerable reasons to stand against the immigration policies of the current administration and this project specifically, this call is motivated by the belief that the fields of architecture, and engineering are fundamentally rooted in a goal to improve our societies by producing structures that render them more just, more equitable, and more beautiful. The southwestern border wall stands in clear and direct opposition to this goal.

We are calling for a 45 minute united action for architects and engineers to leave their desks at 4pm EST and walk out to demonstrate our power to withhold our individual agency. The goal of this Day of Action is to encourage a grassroots resistance to this project from and within architecture and engineering companies across the country, coinciding with the closure of the first round of RFPs for the DHS SBW. Additionally we have listed some suggestions and tips on a second page for possible further actions.

By participating in this day of action, architects and engineers will make clear not only to the current and future administrations, but also to themselves and each other, that their agency will not be exploited in the service of xenophobia, discrimination and racism.

Download and print our flier here and help spread the word!

Download and print our full press release here and read how you can participate!

Visit the project page.

UPDATE 3/11/2017: Check out the images below from offices around the United States that have shared with us their empty desks and their ethical decision to act. Also check out our twitter for even more images. @Arch_Lobby

KieranTimberlake

Berkeley College of Environmental Design

Architects Collective/Aero Collective

Ludwig & Larsen

Michell Wall Architecture and Design

Studio Tractor

Miles Associates

Ali Saleh

DSGN AGNC; “when working on the run you walk out by shutting it down!”

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Our Manifesto

Build worker power and collective agency through unions and cooperatives.
A living wage, benefits, job security, and wage transparency across the discipline.
No more free labor; no unpaid internships, unpaid overtime, or unpaid competitions.
Center the importance of labor in our understanding of architecture. Architecture is work!
Stop peddling buildings as products. Demand compensation based on the value and impact our work creates.
End oppression based on gender within and enabled by the discipline.
Confront the complicity of architecture in racism. Confront racism in our workplaces.
Design for the full spectrum of human life. Universal design is not an afterthought.
Challenge the concept of licensure. Expand the right to practice.
Celebrate the collective process of producing architecture. Demystify architecture as the work of a solo creative genius.
Climate justice as the basis of all architectural work. There can be no sustainable future without sustainable labor practices.
Fight for democratic alternatives to the capitalist system of development.

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Contact

info@architecture-lobby.org

50 Woodward Ave
New Haven, CT 06512