Design for Freedom Pilot Project for Ethical Materials Sourcing

Eliminating Forced Labor from Building Supply Chains

MBB’s project for the Carnegie Global Ethics Hub has been named a 2024 Design for Freedom Pilot Project to eliminate forced labor from building supply chains.

Announced as one of five new Pilot Projects at the 2024 Design for Freedom Summit hosted by Grace Farms, the Carnegie Global Ethics Hub reimagines two connected townhouses currently occupied by Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.

A Hub for Global Dialogue

To support the organization’s mission and identity as a hub for global dialogue, MBB Architects is designing a 12,500-square-foot renovation that will reconfigure the interiors to create a dynamic gathering and event space, foster collaboration, and improve accessibility. Advancing the Design for Freedom movement, the design will prioritize sustainable and ethically sourced building materials and practices.

Generous Spatial Experience

The new Hub will provide a more generous spatial experience to visitors and staff alike through improved daylighting, a reconceived circulation core, modernized work environments and collaboration spaces, integrated physical and virtual spaces, a renovated terrace, and a balance of historic and contemporary elements. A new one-story addition will serve as a short-term stay studio apartment for distinguished visiting scholars and speakers.

Advocating for the Ethical Sourcing of Building Materials

MBB Partners Mary Burnham, FAIA, and Sara Grant, AIA attended the Design for Freedom Summit, which brought together leading experts and advocates who are working to eradicate forced and child labor from the built environment. This one-day program addressed the challenges facing ethical sourcing of building materials, shared technology solutions for the industry, and announced a new slate of Pilot Projects for 2024.

The selection of MBB’s design for the Carnegie Global Ethics Hub as a Pilot Project followed a competitive application process in which MBB and our client, the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, jointly participated.