Design for the Other 90%

On view at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum through September 23, 2007.

Of the world’s total population of 6.5 billion, 5.8 billion people, or 90%, have little or no access to most of the products and services many of us take for granted; in fact, nearly half do not have regular access to food, clean water, or shelter. Design for the Other 90% explores a growing movement among designers to design low-cost solutions for this “other 90%.” Through partnerships both local and global, individuals and organizations are finding unique ways to address the basic challenges of survival and progress faced by the world’s poor and marginalized.

Designers, engineers, students and professors, architects, and social entrepreneurs from all over the globe are devising cost-effective ways to increase access to food and water, energy, education, healthcare, revenue-generating activities, and affordable transportation for those who most need them. And an increasing number of initiatives are providing solutions for underserved populations in developed countries such as the United States.

This movement has its roots in the 1960s and 1970s, when economists and designers looked to find simple, low-cost solutions to combat poverty. More recently, designers are working directly with end users of their products, emphasizing co-creation to respond to their needs. Many of these projects employ market principles for income generation as a way out of poverty. Poor rural farmers become micro-entrepreneurs, while cottage industries emerge in more urban areas. Some designs are patented to control the quality of their important breakthroughs, while others are open source in nature to allow for easier dissemination and adaptation, locally and internationally.

Encompassing a broad set of modern social and economic concerns, these design innovations often support responsible, sustainable economic policy. They help, rather than exploit, poorer economies; minimize environmental impact; increase social inclusion; improve healthcare at all levels; and advance the quality and accessibility of education. These designers’ voices are passionate, and their points of view range widely on how best to address these important issues. Each object on display tells a story, and provides a window through which we can observe this expanding field. Design for the Other 90% demonstrates how design can be a dynamic force in saving and transforming lives, at home and around the world.

House of Dance & Feathers

Founder: Ronald Lewis
Design/manufacturing team: Project Locus, Larry Bowne, Caitlin Heckathorn; student volunteers from Kansas State University, IIT, and University of California, Berkeley
Project Partners: Tulane City Center, Tulane University; University of Montana Department of Environmental Studies; CITYBuild; Common Ground
Donors: Charles Engelhart Foundation, Barry M. Downing Foundation, Lucite International, Flavor Paper, Lighting Inc., General Electric, LJ Goldstein, Grainger, Linweld, National Polyfab, Sherwin Williams New Orleans, Palram
United States, 2006

Poured-in-place concrete, rebar, concrete block, treated lumber and decking, prefabricated steel plates and moment connections, plywood subfloor, galvanized steel wire cable, stainless-steel turnbuckles, recycled galvanized metal roofing, clear polycarbonate roof panels, CP acrylic panels, 3/4” cabinet-grade maple plywood, wood stain, recycled antique door, recycled bolts and aluminum entry doors, custom commercial EMT conduit and wiring, commercial junction boxes, outlets, switches and cover plates, custom screen-printed and polyurethaned paper flooring, recycled screen-print frames, exhibit panels, stainless-steel-coated peg board, interior lighting, RAB Vapor exterior lighting, Minka ceiling fans
Dimensions: 12’ x 32’, 384 square feet

Ronald Lewis’s House of Dance and Feathers celebrates the oldest social aid and pleasure club in the Ninth Ward, the Big Nine Social Club, and Mardi Gras Indian tribes throughout New Orleans. Project Locus rebuilt the backyard museum to help reconstruct a sense of history and identity for this unique culture after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the original location. The hardest hit victims of this tragedy were the poor and disadvantaged living in the center of the city, who lacked the means to escape. More than 100,000 homes were lost in New Orleans alone. The museum, a flagship of the devastated Lower Ninth Ward, was rebuilt as a practical and cultural design resource for members of the community.