Michael Murphy

About: The Harvard Graduate School of Design is committed to providing its faculty, staff and students with outstanding resources that enable them to succeed with their educational and career goals. The design school program has a social dimension aimed at the construction of alternative and sustainable futures, which places it in the ethical and political realm. The complexities of contemporary global and environmental issues—the impact of rapid urbanization; the scarcity of resources; the after-effects of disasters, both natural and manmade; and the continuing inequities between the rich and poor nations of the world—require solutions that are both imaginative and emancipatory.

About: MASS places designers in challenging settings where they apply community-design skills, capacity building techniques, and knowledge of architectural craft towards social good. The model is a collaboration between community based non profit groups and a design firm that seeks solutions to the built environment.