Celebrating architecture as a 'social art'

A new auction brings architects and artists together in aid of Article 25

Challenging the preconception that good design costs more and illustrating the ways in which the lives of the poorest people on earth can be improved though successful building and design, Article 25’s "Art for Architecture" exhibition features works donated by many top architects and artists.

The auction hosted by the built environment charity, Article 25, features over 30 works donated specifically for the event, which will be auctioned to raise funds for the charity’s work designing and building schools, health centres and homes for some of the poorest people on earth.

The charity, Article 25, aims "to see a world where there is never a life or a livelihood lost for the want of a built solution that can support it."

The organisation is active in developing countries, designing, building, and managing new projects.

Demonstrating the way in which design can be a real force for good while working on the ground alongside aid agencies, NGOs, grass roots community organisations, and humanitarian charities, Article 25 have a reputation for quality, innovation, and integrity in bringing award winning architectural design to benefit those most in need.

"As a designer I have always been driven by a belief that the quality of our surroundings directly influences the quality of our lives, whether in the workplace, at home or in the public spaces that make up our cities," explains the celebrated architect Norman Foster, who has donated a piece to the auction. "Architecture is a social art - a necessity and not a luxury. It is generated by the needs of people, both spiritual and physical. It has much to do with optimism, joy and reassurance - of order in a disordered world, of privacy in the midst of many, of light on a dull day. It is about quality - the beauty of a space and the poetry of the light that models it."

Article 25, 'Art for Architecture', Thursday 3 December, Louise T Blouin Foundation, 3 Olaf Street, Notting Hill, London, W11 4BE, www.article-25.org