In.Fuse Studio

IN.FUSE

ABOUT MINNEAPOLIS OUR CITY

Minneapolis the City of Lakes, is the largest city in Minnesota. We have a population of 382,578 (2010) within the city limits and 3.4 million within the greater metropolitan area. As the first city in the United States to introduce an official Neighborhood Revitalization Program we have maintained a legacy of citizen influence in neighborhood development.

The landscape is a unique palet of urban and green with 20 lakes, waterfalls, 182 park properties covering 6743 acres.

Thanks to our Metro Transit System, NiceRide, and other alternative forms of transportation, 60% of the 160,000 commuters to downtown get to work by means other than cars.

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We have the 5th highest concentraton of fortune 500 companies in the US, are rated 9th most walkable city, and Forbes Magazine named us the #1 healthiest city.

INDEX

1

THE CONCEPT 03

INFUSE DEFINITION 03 MISSION 04 OUR FOUNDERS 05

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THE ORGANIZATION

06

STUDIO STAFF 07 PROJECT TEAMS 08 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 09

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THE PRESIDENCE

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LOCAL 10 NATIONAL 11 ADDITION REFERENCE 12

4 5

THE IMPACT 13

THE STUDIO 15 LOCATION 15 PARTNERS MAP 16

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THE FUTURE

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02

THE CONCEPT

1

IN.FUSE INFUSE

STUDIO

TRANSITIVE VERB

\IN-’FYÜZ\

An introduction, as if by pouring, causing the instillation of agents of change.

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The creation of a new solution which exhibits the individual characteristics of its parts while developing new qualities found only as a whole.

To cause new qualities to flood throughout existing entities.

To steep or soak in order to extract soluable elements (of a problem able to be solved) or active ideas.

To seek out influences to inspire a dynamic result. ...

MISSION

An urban design studio committed to being a tool for any citizen, a resource to any organization and a new perspective on the value of education in action.

Infused as one community to best impact our city.

We Are:

MED I ATO RS . C ATA LYSTS . DES IGNERS PL ANN E RS . A N A LYS ERS . FACIL ITATORS 04

O U R FOU NDERS

Making a positive impact on my surroundings has always been something that has pushed me forward in life. The built environment was my outlet that I hoped to express my ideas through. Through my experiences of trying to help others push their ideas forward into a reality has been a focus since I have been working on student organizations. There are many ideas and visions of how we can impact our world and they deserve to be heard.

Volunteering has been something I have always looked towards as a way to impact others lives. However, I really have taken a different route of volunteering through organizations, taking on roles that are highly dependent in seeing ideas through. As a part of these roles I have been able to guide others to work together towards a single idea that we all strive to achieve. This power of an idea that drives a group of people creates a great potential. As a student ideas are very powerful, at the same time they can feel powerless. Our lack of knowledge in particular areas always pushes back on us. If there was a way in which we could share and push forward ideas to a broader audience with multiple disciplines, the ideas could be shaped to become achievable by a multidisciplinary group, striving to achieve a single idea.

I see the studio being a source to facilitate the power of these ideas and knowledge, building a stronger city. The studio will help unite the city and university communities in working towards aligned goals; ultimately strengthening their relationship. The Minneapolis community will have a more direct access to the knowledge, while the university will gain more direct client interactions. The complications and rewards of projects will be directly seen by both communities. The experiences gained by both sides will help us see the potential in our own city.

-Kam

05 I am currently a junior in the architecture program at the University of Minnesota. In 2012, I transferred from University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where I had studied mechanical engineering. Shortly after beginning my first year at UW-Platteville, I had discovered that engineering was not the career I could see myself perusing in the future. With a lifelong interest for design, I decided to follow my passion and peruse a degree in architecture. Excelling in all of my classes, I wanted to expand my studies even further, where I had declared a double minor in Sustainability Studies and Product Design. With the educational path that I had chosen for myself, I see myself someday starting a design company that works on projects of all medias such as photography, architecture, graphic and product design.

Being a very ambitious person, I wanted to partake in making the theoretical projects that I had created in a few of my classes a reality. Working with In.Fuse Studio, I am able to take initiation and practice the skills that I am learning in my classes, while benefitting the community I am apart of.

For the future of In.Fuse Studio, I see this non-profit organization being a household name for the community of Minneapolis to utilize and trust for future architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and community engagement projects. I see In.Fuse Studio as the future of community design that connects practicing professionals with ambitious students. Allowing students to gain practiced experience as well as professional connections, In.Fuse Studio will be an organization that students will thrive to be apart of in their college career.

-Gerad

The film, Citizen Architect, about the Rural Studio in Alabama, was the catalyst for taking these ideas I’ve been thinking about for years and develop them into the creation of an Urban Studio. I saw a real need for a partnership between the Architecture, Landscape, and Urban Studies program.

As the Project Manager for AIAS Freedom By Design, here at the University of Minnesota, I have seen the impact students can have on individuals.

I loved the focus on helping low income families and those who are disabled. I knew from day one there was the potential to have a bigger impact.

My dream was to plug in to the community. To have our project allow students to get to know and understand the people and in both big and large projects begin to bring change out of those relationships.

I see IN.FUSE as a way to aid in the development of sustainable communities. A way to use the arts as a platform for community discussion. A center to brainstorm and create ways to view the streets as public space (CPTED, Tactical Urbanism, Placemaking). A place to inspire new potential for the built environment within the Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Studies programs and beyond. A way for students to join into the discussion of future community planning and policy development within the urban context.

-Justin

KA MR E N KUB ESH

GE R A D ZA N O nI

J U ST IN L A M AC H IA

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THE ORGANIZATION

2

STUDIO STAFF Creative Director

Maintain creative standards across projects, connecting and encouraging projects to seek out different opportunities and directions, keeping awareness of context in projects.

Project Director

Client interface, drafting contracts, develop budget for individual projects, fitting project with students, establish client needs and goals for projects.

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Communications Director

Partnership development, connecting university departments, organization, professors to particular projects, networking connections, keeping lines of communication open between the city and university.

PROJECT TEAMS

Urban Design Associates (3)

Skill Sets: Business facade and code violations, Urban Design, conceptual building development, Sustainability, Resilient building practices, Landscape development, Intersection Repair, Park Making, Urban Design, De-paving, City Beautification, Site Pre-vitalization, CPTED

Urban Planning Associates (3)

Skill Sets: Community Engagement, Urban Design, Economic Development, City code Analysis, Neighborhood Planning, Development and Anaylis of Public Policy

Interior Planning Associates (1)

Skill Sets: Interior Design, Programing, Health with the Interior Environment, Cultural Focus *Due to the interdisciplinary structure of the studio, team composition will shift to best fit individual projects. This allows the project teams to expand and contract to provided the most valuable service to the clients needs.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS 10 Total Board Members w/

President Vice President of Administration Vice President of Development Treasurer Secretary Role of Board Members-

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Approve Bylaws Write Articles of Incorporation Fundraising Hires Staff Budget Approval Advisors to Studio Staff

THE PRECIDENCE LOCAL

Juxtaposition Arts

juxtapositionarts.org

Mission Supporting the local economy. Helping young creatives develop their artistic portfolios, build their resumes, and give students the self-efficacy to pursue a career in the visual arts making a lasting impact on our community and on tomorrow’s creative leaders.

Target Area: Staff: Projects: Mobile Engagement Theater, Dinkytown Small Area Plan

Redesign

sewardredesign.org

Mission: Draws on community needs and technical services. Development that reflects and revitalizes Minneapolis neighborhoods. Partnership with area neighborhood groups and business organizations.

Target Area: Staff: Projects: Facade Improvement Program, Midtown Greenway Plan, Pedestrian and Bike Safety & Advocacy, Walk to Shop Campaign

Intermedia Arts

3

intermediaarts.org

Mission: Multidisciplinary, multicultural Arts Center Provides public space for organizations and individual to use both long and short term.

Teaming up local artists and city planners. The engagement of one anchor organization as a partner in each of these Planning projects.

Target Area: Staff: Projects: Creative Community Leadership Institute, B-Girl Be, Creative CityMaking (Penn Ave. North Small Area Plan, Southwest LRT Station Area Planning, Capstone Evaluation of the City’s

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NATIONAL

Project H Design Studio [Berkeley, CA]

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projecthdesign.org

Mission: Project H uses the power of creativity, design, and hands-on building to amplify the raw brilliance of youth, transform communities, and improve K-12 public education from within. Give young people the creative, technical, and leadership tools necessary to make positive, long-lasting change in their lives and their communities. Exploring engineering, architecture, design, social justice, and community development.

Target Area: Improve K-12 public education.

Staff: Founder & Executive Director, Teachers, Senior Counselor, Junior Counselorss.

Projects: Windsor Super Market, a farmers’ market housed in a wooden pavilion that the students had designed and built themselves. 24 community design projects,16 by our youth participants.

Rural Studio [Newbern, AL]

ruralstudio.org

The Rural Design Studio model focuses on design and planning creativity, social responsibility, historical perspective, technical competence, and global environmental consciousness, and prepares our students for leadership in their respective disciplines and in their communities. Rural Design Studio is well known for off-campus designbuild program from Auburn University. The program gives architecture students a more hands-on educational experience whilst assisting an underserved population in West Alabama’s Black Belt region.

Arlington Urban Design Center [Arlington, TX]

arlingtontx.gov

Mission: The Design Center seeks to provide urban design solutions and innovative ideas, and present before and after images, at no cost to the general public. Students “learn by doing” as they work with City planning staff and benefit from theopportunity of working on real-world projects.

Target Area: Help City staff on business and neighborhood development projects in Arlington.

Staff: Project Manager, AUDC Supervisor, 3 Graduate Interns Projects: Downtown Arlington Pedestrian Proposal, Street Adaptive Reuse and Infill Development

AddITIONAL Gulf Coast Community Design Studio

gccds.org

Candy Chang [New York, NY]

candychang.com

Detroit Community Design Center [Detroit, MI] ecoREHAB of Muncie LLC [Muncie, IN] City Design Studio [Dallas, TX]

dcdc-udm.org

ecoREHABstudio.org dallascityhall.com/citydesign_studio

University of Southern California [Los Angeles, CA]

communities.usc.edu

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THE IMPACT

4

COMMUNITY

Downtown Improvement District

Service - Development Systems of Community Engagement & Planning, Creation of Annual Urban Design & Planning Reports

New Business Owner

Service - Building facade or site plan improvements

North Community High School

Service - Lead and Facilitate Workshops Focused On Education In Action

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UNIVERSITY Rather than a direct economic savings the University’s involvement would be a reinvestment of research and student development resources. The University will be able to build stronger relationship with organizations and communities that surround the campus. The university will be seen as a strong asset to the community. The work that comes out the studio will help show the knowledge and skills that are being developed at the University, giving the university stronger image and credibility. Students and professors will be able to apply their course work to tangible projects and gain experience working directly with clients.

CITY CITY Indirect

Through the studio the city is investing in projects that might otherwise have gone unserved.

The studio will take on projects that will act as: Economic Catalysts – Exterior business facade and streetscaping improvements Improvements to the City’s quality of life - ex transportation mobility improvements Environmental Vanguards - community garden innovations http://oaklandlocal.com/2013/11/new-state-farm-bill-supports-urban-farming-once-oaklandapproves-the-ordinance/ironmental Vanguards – developing new community garden ordinances

Direct

The studio is an investment for the City in the following areas: Scalable and flexible workforce for the Department of Community Planning and Economic Development (and other departments as needs arise)

Ex.

Facilities of project open houses Design and facility surveys Lessen the burden of CPED staff dealing with code violations by working with business/ property owners to design solutions

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THE IMPACT STUDIO

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JUXAPOSITION

A Location Downtown

Pursuit of a 1 year lease from 1st day of Infuse Studio official providing services.

The location of the studio is crucial to fostering this relationship that will be created between the city community and university community. It will act as a central location where both communities can meet and develop research and projects. The studio will also serve as a meeting location where different organizations and communities share their ideas with one another, acting as a neutral ground for both parties. This will encourage engagement between organizations and communities by meeting at a halfway point to work together. In addition, the studio will serve as a resource of information on topics and researching taking place within the community, building a stronger community by having open communication.

By placing the studio in the downtown area it serves as an approachable front and the shows the commitment the University is taking to helping and being a part of the community. As a centralized location it provides connection to future economic development within the city and well as placing us off campus in an approachable environment. The close proximity to City Government allows us to be a daily resource to individual departments.

PROJECT H DESIGN

DETROIT COLLABORATIVE

CPED CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS

PARTNER MAP

WEST BANK BUSINESS

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UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AUSBURG COLLEGE ECOREHAB OF MUNICE 4RM+ULA ARCHITECTS

ARLINGTON URBAN DESIGN

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CONTACT INFO EMAIL: INFUSE.MINNEAPOLIS@GMAIL.COM PHONE: 612.222.4268