Contact: Sarah Haun
Two Twelve Associates
902 Broadway
New York, NY 10010
212 254 6670
shaun@twotwelve.com

TWO TWELVE DESIGNS MONOGRAPH ON KATRINA FURNITURE PROJECT FOR 10TH INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION IN VENICE

New York, NY, September 10, 2006 – Two Twelve Associates, the New York City-based public information design firm, announces the design of an exhibition book about the Katrina Furniture Project which will be on display during the New Orleans segment of the 10th International Architecture Exhibition. The exhibition will take place from September 10 to November 19, 2006 in Venice, Italy. The book portrays how new furniture—and new jobs—are being constructed from old wood that has been salvaged from the debris of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Two Twelve sent Senior Associate Brian Sisco to New Orleans to meet with Sergio Palleroni, founder of BASIC (Building Sustainable Communities Initiative) and his team of architecture students from University of Texas, to gather information and see the effects on the communities first-hand.

“It became clear and graphic,” says Mr. Sisco, “to see all the damage and the work that needs to be done, but also inspiring to see designers developing a workable plan to benefit people.” Following the visit, Mr. Sisco and his print information design team at Two Twelve began building and editing content for an over-sized, multi-page storybook presentation for the New Orleans disaster relief exhibition in the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

Dedicated to “Cities. Architecture and society,” the 2006 edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale focuses on the key factors facing large scale metropolitan areas around the world: from migration to mobility, from social integration to sustainable growth.

“The Katrina Furniture Project is an innovative application of ‘green’ thinking,” says David Gibson, principal of Two Twelve. “We were interested in using our information design skills to promote these sound, sustainable work practices on the world stage in Venice.”

The exhibition book, designed pro bono by Two Twelve, shows the viewer the workings behind the Katrina Furniture Project idea: from the establishment of design criteria for the furniture through the skills required to build it. The goal of transforming would-be debris into highly functional furniture—and jobs—for displaced communities.

The book provides a comprehensive view, starting with the historically significant residential architectural styles in New Orleans, and moving through the culture and experience of place, the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina and the waste stream it created, as well as powerful facts about the waste created from any construction, renovation or demolition. The book also documents the furniture design and building process by featuring three prototypes from original sketches and team critiques through final product photography.

Two Twelve and the Katrina Project came together as a result of the Aspen Design Summit, a project of AIGA, the professional association for design. The Summit, held in Colorado in June, explored the interaction between design and three themes: education innovation, sustainable community development, and social entrepreneurship. Two Twelve principal David Gibson was co-chair of the Aspen event and established the connection there with Mr. Palleroni.

ColbyCo. Printers and Mohawk Paper Company have donated printing services and the Strathmore Script paper stock, respectively for a limited edition of the book.

About Two Twelve
Two Twelve Associates (http://www.twotwelve.com) is a multi-disciplinary graphic design company specializing in public information design, the planning and presentation of complex information to diverse audiences. David Gibson founded Two Twelve in 1980, and he and his partner Ann Harakawa presently run the firm's New York-based operation. Two Twelve offers a full range of services in branding and environmental graphic design for corporate, institutional and municipal clients nationwide. Important commissions have included the design of signage and wayfinding systems for the Yale University campus, Shea Stadium and Grand Central Terminal, as well as brand communications for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, New Jersey Transit, and New York City’s 2012 Olympic bid.

About the Katrina Furniture Project
http://www.basicinitiative.org/programs/global_communities/katrina_furniture_project.htm
The Katrina Furniture Project focuses on developing culturally sensitive, ecologically sustainable building prototypes that will help to guide the redevelopment process; as well as building the economic and social capacity of those neighborhoods in New Orleans that experienced severe pre-Katrina economic and social challenges through furniture-making workshops. These furniture-making workshops train community members in the craft of making furniture and, where necessary, in the fundamentals of operating these workshops safely and according to fundamental business models. Training is led by faculty and students from participating universities and NGOs and coordinated with local arts institutions.

About the Venice Architecture Biennale
http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/
The 10th International Architecture Exhibition will take place from September 10 to November 19, 2006, directed by Richard Burdett. Dedicated to “Cities. Architecture and society,” this edition focuses on the key factors facing large scale metropolitan areas around the world: from migration to mobility, from social integration to sustainable growth. Two collateral sections will complement the theme of the international exhibition: Cities of Stone curated by Claudio D'Amato Guerrieri and City-Port curated by Rinio Bruttomesso. National participations will be represented by 50 countries.

About Aspen Design Summit
http://aspendesignsummit.org/
The Aspen Design Summit, a partnership of IDCA (International Design Conference at Aspen) and AIGA (formerly American Institute of Graphic Arts), is a multi-disciplinary retreat where design thinking and the design process are used to craft solutions and commit participants to actions that improve the quality of life worldwide. At the Summit, design is presented as a tool to inform and inspire innovative leadership across society. The 2006 Aspen Design Summit took place from June 20-23. Two Twelve principal David Gibson was co-chair of the event.

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