John Cary Releases New Book, “Design for Good: A New Era of Architecture for Everyone”

In response to client feedback that a single-family model “sounded downright luxurious,” architect Brent Brown, AIA, the founding director of BuildingCommunityWorkshop, designed the Cottages at Hickory Crossing in Dallas as a village instead of taking a typical multifamily affordable housing approach. The 400-square-foot units are occupied by formerly homeless residents. John Cary, a TED Prize strategist and former executive director of Public Architecture, features this and 19 other built projects in his new book, Design for Good: A New Era of Architecture for Everyone (Island Press, 2017). Cary’s book covers work from healthcare to religious spaces by firms such as MASS Design Group, Perkins+Will, and Sharon Davis Design. “I hope this book gives the average person the tools necessary to seek out and demand dignifying design,” Cary writes. “Likewise, I hope it gives designers the opportunity to reconnect with what drew them to the work in the first place and, perhaps, some practical ideas about how to put dignity at the center of their practice.”