Cameron Sinclair
Architect solving global, social, and humanitarian crises with design
Cameron’s mantra: Design like you give a damn. He is the cofounder of Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit that seeks architecture solutions to humanitarian crises and brings design services to communities in need. For the past six years his team has initiated and implemented programs including housing ideas for returning refugees in Kosovo; mobile health clinics to combat HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa; mine clearance programs and playground building in the Balkans; and disaster recovery assistance in Grenada, India, Iran and Sri Lanka.
In his words, his challenge is “to encourage the design profession to respond to the 98% of the world that do not benefit from our services and to foster public appreciation for the many ways that architecture and design can improve lives.” Cameron and co-founder Kate Stohr fund the projects through individual donations and design contest entry fees. Working as a two-person team, they raised $120,000 for Kosovo relief and $500,000 for Sri Lanka.
After the tsunami, it became clear how much Sinclair was needed when he received 4,000 e-mails in a week from people seeking to help.
