Accompaniment
“To accompany someone is to go somewhere with him or her, to break bread together, to be present on a journey ... sticking with a task until it's deemed completed by the person or people being accompanied.” — Dr. Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners in Health
Throughout our work in Rwanda with Partners in Health, we saw firsthand the value of applying Accompaniment to every aspect of our practice, from helping partners craft an idea and project mission, through engagement with impacted individuals and communities, to evaluating impact when construction is complete. This has allowed us to expand the scope of the traditional ‘basic services’ expected of architects, to a scope that asks us to go upstream and tailor services to meet the needs of our partners and the communities they serve.
The process of delivering Accompaniment on every project is not just about the what, but also about the how. Our work in the U.S. and across the globe has made it clear that individuals and communities worldwide are grappling with unprecedented social and environmental pressures, increasing complex needs, and intersecting systemic injustices. In response, we’ve established our human-centered design process to center healing and resilience as a guiding principles in our work with partners and communities they serve. Across MASS, teams have been trained in trauma-informed care, implement evidence-based and trauma-informed design strategies, and ensure our engagement process centers healing and mutuality.
Case Studies
Key Documents
Capital projects often bring lasting benefits to nonprofit organizations and the people they serve. In the United States alone, foundations grant more than $3 billion per year to construct or improve buildings. To help these funders and their nonprofit partners make the most of capital projects, The Atlantic Philanthropies and the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation partnered with MASS to conduct a multi-faceted research study. Beginning in 2014, MASS conducted interviews, held workshops, reviewed literature, and examined a diverse set of completed projects around the world; each project was supported by one of the above funders.
Capital projects often bring lasting benefits to nonprofit organizations and the people they serve. In the United States alone, foundations grant more than $3 billion per year to construct or improve buildings. To help these funders and their nonprofit partners make the most of capital projects, The Atlantic Philanthropies and the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation partnered with MASS to conduct a multi-faceted research study. Beginning in 2014, MASS conducted interviews, held workshops, reviewed literature, and examined a diverse set of completed projects around the world; each project was supported by one of the above funders.
