Designing Futures Foundation
Painting a Brighter Future for Kingsley Elementary School
April 23rd, 2012
By David Aine, Project Coordinator
Looking west at the promise of clearing skies, the morning of Saturday, April 14, began with excitement. The rain had subsided just in time for the revitalization project at Kingsley Elementary School. My wife and I were especially excited about this volunteer opportunity for its proximity to where we live (Pomona Arts Colony). Situated in a residential neighborhood, Kingsley Elementary (not to be confused with the one by the same name in Montclair) is at the corner of Lincoln and Washington in Pomona, Calif. Apart from the numerous portables, most of the core campus seemed to be built in the 1950s or 60s, sporting a uniform, flat palette of deep red masonry.
HMC Designing Futures Foundation recruited a great team of enthusiastic volunteers from departments throughout the firm to paint a mural. We gathered that morning alongside an army of people hailing from all over the Inland Empire and beyond. The eagerness to start our labor grew as we heard various administration and staff describe the challenges the school and district faced, including some of the highest drop out rates in the area.
HMC DFF Volunteers
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Posted in Designing Futures Foundation
Eco-Structure: Sustainability is Elementary
April 6th, 2012
When we think about sustainability and elementary schools, we often think about sustainable-design practices and building materials, but seldom do we think about sustainability education for young students. HMC ArchLab, the building-science department of HMC Architects, and McKinley Elementary School in Santa Monica, Calif., are trying to change that. McKinley is one of the first schools in California to pilot the state’s Education and Environment curriculum, which is an environment-based curriculum that encourages responsible stewardship of the planet. Read the full article authored by Pablo La Roche for Eco-Structure.
Posted in Articles & Publications,Designing Futures Foundation
Sustainability Workshops at McKinley Elementary School
February 15th, 2012
By Pablo La Roche, Director of Sustainable Design
Fueled by a Community Project grant from HMC’s Designing Futures Foundation, Eera Babtiwale, Sandy Kate, and myself kicked off the first in a series of three sustainability workshops for students at McKinley Elementary School in Santa Monica, Calif. We developed the “Sustainable Environments Seen Through the Eyes of Elementary School Children” workshops with the goal of providing students with a worldview perspective of environmental issues to give them practical suggestions on how they, as elementary school children, can build a better planet for all.
Posted in Designing Futures Foundation | 1 Comment »
Non-Profit Foundation Awards Five Winners in Annual “Community Project” Initiative
November 29th, 2011
HMC Architects recently set out to impact their local communities by asking their staff, “If you could make a difference in your community, what would you do?” And in response to that question came The Community Project, an initiative from HMC’s non-profit Designing Futures Foundation (DFF) that empowers team members to create, lead, and complete projects that positively impact the communities in which they live and work. Over the past few months, employees proposed their project ideas to the DFF Board of Directors for funding consideration. Five projects were selected as 2011 Community Project award winners.
Posted in Designing Futures Foundation,News Releases
Santa Monica Patch: McKinley Elementary School to Benefit from DFF Grant
October 25th, 2011
Posted in Articles & Publications,Designing Futures Foundation,Pre-K–12 Education
Welcome Adrienne Luce, Designing Futures Foundation Executive Director
September 20th, 2011
HMC’s Designing Futures Foundation (DFF) is pleased to welcome Adrienne Luce as the Foundation’s Executive Director. Adrienne will work with the Foundation’s Board of Directors to develop and implement a firm-wide social responsibility program with a mission of strengthening our communities through education, research, environmental stewardship, charitable giving, and scholarships; as well as supporting HMC’s current philanthropic and community activities.
Adrienne comes to HMC after serving as executive director of the California State Summer School Arts Foundation where, in addition to fundraising, she helped to develop programs that advanced the non-profit foundation’s mission. Adrienne has a history of working with the arts, either through foundations, museums, or private galleries, and will be a strong complement to the mission and vision of HMC and the Designing Futures Foundation.
HMC Architects established the DFF in 2008 to give back to the communities the firm serves. In its short three year life, the Foundation has granted numerous scholarships, sponsored research, funded design competitions, and participated in other philanthropic initiatives. Learn more about DFF.
Posted in Designing Futures Foundation,News Releases | 1 Comment »
Building a Foundation
April 27th, 2011
By John Nichols, Pre-K–12 Practice Leader, Designing Futures Foundation
In 2008, HMC Architects established its Designing Futures Foundation (DFF) to give back to the communities the firm serves. In its short three year life, the DFF has granted numerous scholarships, sponsored research, funded design competitions, and participated in other philanthropic initiatives.
Posted in Designing Futures Foundation
