Open Architecture Network

Every year in the U.S. 40 million mattresses get thrown in the trash. They often end up in landfills because they cannot be broken down and their component parts are hard to utilize. Discarded Dreams is an open international design competition for students and professionals, asking participants to create innovative ways of converting used mattresses into useful products.

Take back the classroom! Get your school involved, and make your voice heard. The Open Architecture Challenge is an opportunity for faculty and students to work with designers to create a healthier learning environment. Your personal experience meets professional know-how.

The 2007 AMD Open Architecture Challenge invited the global community to help address this digital divide. It challenged design professionals and others to develop not one but many solutions for building sustainable, multi-purpose, low-cost technology facilities for those who need them most.

Nothing connects kids like the power of play. In areas of great need are opportunities to use sports as a catalyst for social change. Where resources are scarce, products can be distributed to deliver vital services. In many parts of the world sporting activities, especially local and traditional sports, are being incorporated into a variety of programs geared toward helping youth address a broad range of issues affecting their lives.

The statistics are staggering. It is estimated that three-quarters of the world’s AIDS population lives in Sub-Saharan Africa; most have no access to lifesaving drugs, testing facilities or even basic preventative health care. One of the major factors inhibiting medical professionals in Africa from treating this disease is the inability to access vast areas of the continent with adequately equipped medical facilities.