Archeworks

Archeworks is a multidisciplinary nonprofit design educator that advances design in the public interest and inspires collaborative action to shape more ecologically sustainable cities. Our public forums and partnership-based postgraduate education programs propose a range of environmentally resourceful and socially responsible design solutions for urban communities. Our major objective is for the design professions to play a more integral role in community development, environmental health and urban policy.

Archeworks was founded in 1994 as an interdisciplinary postgraduate design school where students collaborate with community partners to address social and environmental needs that broadly serve the common good. Our founders, Stanley Tigerman and Eva Maddox, two nationally recognized members of Chicago’s architecture and design community, had a simple premise: Design shapes the way we live. The fewer resources communities and individuals have, the more they need great design solutions to enhance their quality of life.

Over our 17-year history, Archeworks has collaborated with more than 80 community partners, including community development organizations, healthcare providers, cultural institutions, and universities on more than 45 socially responsible design projects. Our projects have addressed a range of issues as varied as urban agriculture and ecology; sustainable local food systems; community open space; universal design and stroke rehabilitation; water scarcity; early childhood education and eldercare; and neighborhood micro-enterprises.

Archeworks recognizes the power of partnerships and engaged learning. Each of our projects comes to fruition through close community engagement. We believe that a hands-on approach is the best way to engage our students, community beneficiaries, and other stakeholders in a design thinking and doing process that improves the built environment and enhances quality of life in Chicago communities.