Design for Freedom Summit | Every Building Tells a Story of Humanity

“Every building tells a story of humanity – either of dignity or exploitation.” – Sharon Prince

On March 27, hundreds of leading experts across sectors will attend the Design for Freedom Summit. Last year, over 550 industry leaders, universities and students, policy-makers, and others across the construction industry, attended the sold-out Summit.

Each annual Summit features keynote speakers, along with a full slate of industry experts and leaders, offering take-aways that address aspects of forced labor in the global building materials supply chain. This year’s Summit features speakers include Sharon Prince, CEO and Founder, Grace Farms, The Right Honourable The Baroness Young of Hornsey OBE, member of the House of Lords, UK Parliament, Grace Forrest Founding Director, Walk Free, Amar Lal, Advocate and Child Rights and Human Rights Activist, Hugh Evans Co-Founder and CEO Global Citizen, and John Morrison, CEO Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB). In addition to featured speakers, this year’s breakout sessions will bring together global exerts to discuss topics ranging from Ethical Decarbonization with Mass Timber to the Role of Investors, Insurance & Tech.

To register for the Design for Freedom Summit

Sharon Prince, CEO and Founder of Grace Farms and the Design for Freedom movement, opens last year’s sold-out Summit. Photo by Jacek-Dolata.

Design for Freedom Outcomes

Since its founding in 2015, Grace Farms has welcoming leaders and experts from across sectors including architecture, engineering, construction, government, and academic sectors to advance the movement towards creating true market transformation. Since the launch of the Design for Freedom movement in October 2020, with the groundbreaking Design for Freedom Report, as well as a dedicated website, over 35,000 people have engaged with Design for Freedom presentations and events, supporting efforts to design a more humane future. A few recent Design for Freedom outcomes follow.

Launch of Next Iteration of Design for Freedom Toolkit and International Expansion

Grace Farms has released the next iteration of the Design for Freedom Toolkit, the Design for Freedom International Guidance & Toolkit, a comprehensive resource for design and construction professionals to implement ethical and forced-labor-free material sourcing strategies into their practices. With an introductory letter by The Right Honourable The Baroness Young of Hornsey OBE, the International Guidance & Toolkit features contributions from more than two dozen leading experts, including Lindsay Baker, International Living Future Institute; Dr. Doreen S. Boyd, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, and James Cockayne, New South Wales Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

The contributors address topics including the legal landscape, the importance of compliance, the growing issue of prison labor, and the role insurers and investors can play to ensure that our building materials are not embedded with forced or child labor.

“There is real momentum and desire behind the drive for change in the ways in which supply chains operate across the globe … The creation of Design for Freedom’s International Guidance and Toolkit is part of that forward movement …” – The Right Honourable The Baroness Young of Hornsey OBE

The Right Honourable The Baroness Young of Hornsey OBE

Grace Farms also appointed Elaine Mitchel-Hill as our new International Lead, Design for Freedom. Mitchel-Hill is overseeing the expansion of Design for Freedom in the UK and India. Mitchel-Hill is at the forefront of the human rights movement in the United Kingdom and currently serves as Co-Chair of the ILO Child Labour Platform India Working Group.

In October 2024, Sharon Prince addressed the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK, in London where Prince discussed Design for Freedom and the need to eliminate forced labor from global supply chains. This strategic convening, attended by over 50 global parliamentarians from 17 legislatures, fostered critical dialogue and knowledge exchange aimed at strengthening legislative frameworks to combat forced labor.

In October, Sharon Prince addressed the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK, in London. In this historic meeting, Prince discussed Design for Freedom and the need to eliminate forced labor from global supply chains.

Announcement of New Pilot Projects

Design for Freedom Pilot Projects which demonstrate that designing without forced labor is possible, now span across three continents. At this year’s Summit, an exciting line up of new Pilot Projects will be announced. In 2024, we announced: :

• The Karsh Institute of Democracy (Karsh IOD) at the University of Virginia (UVA), Charlottesville, VA. The project team includes Working Group Member Höweler+Yoon, Hanbury Architects, and Hourigan Construction.
• A new facility for Hunger Busters, in Dallas, Texas, is designed by Design for Freedom Working Group Member HKS.
• The Carnegie Global Ethics Hub in New York, NY, designed by MBB Architects.
• Humanscale’s Showroom, in Chicago, Illinois, designed in collaboration with renowned architect Suchi.
• The Bigfork Library, located in the rural community of Bigfork, Montana, designed by Cushing Terrell.

The Humanscale Showroom and the Bigfork Library are now open to the public.

Aside from bringing leaders and experts together to address forced labor, Design for Freedom Summits generate new outcomes and partnerships. Here is a snapshot of the outcomes since the launch of Summits in 2022, as well a preview of the upcoming Design for Freedom Summit on March 27.

2025 Design for Summit Agenda 

To register for the Design for Freedom Summit

Last year’s sold-out Summit at Grace Farms. Aside from thought-provoking sessions, the day-long event also features nature exploration and architectural tours of the award-winning River building.

Opening Conversation

• Grace Forrest, Founding Director, Walk Free
• Amar Lal, Advocate and Child Rights Activist and Human Rights Activist

Grace Forrest, Founding Director, Walk Free

Amar Lal, Advocate and Child Rights Activist and Human Rights Activist

10:50 am

Generational Forest Stewardship in Haida Gwaii

• Leticia Hill, CEO, HaiCo
• Jeff Mosher, Chief Forester, Taan Forest
• Sharon Prince, CEO & Founder, Grace Farms
• Orrin Quinn, Manager, Western Canada, FSC
• Moderator: Toshihiro Oki, Architecture Advisor, Grace Farms

11:30 am

Morning Break

11:50 am

Innovation in Supply Chain Accountability

• Myrrh Caplan, SVP Sustainability, Skanska
• Neil Jacobs, CEO, Six Senses
• Dave Lemont, Executive Chairman, Acelab
• Amy Musanti, Director of Sustainable Building, ASSA ABLOY
• Suchi Reddy, Founding Principal, REDDYMADE
• Moderator: Nora Rizzo, Ethical Materials Director, Grace Farms

12:35 pm

Grace Farms Tea & Coffee

Adam Thatcher, CEO & Co-Founder, Grace Farms Tea & Coffee

In the middle, Co-Founders of Grace Farms Tea & Coffee, Adam Thatcher and Sharon Prince. They travel to farms and tea plantations to source ethical and sustainable ingredients for teas and coffee. 100% of its profits support the Design for Freedom movement.

12:45 pm

Lunch & Tours

Last year’s Summit, hundreds of participants enjoyed lunch in and around the Commons.

Architectural Tour
Toshihiro Oki, Archtecture Advisor, Grace Farms

Nature Tour
Kimberly Kelly, Director of Horticulture, Grace Farms

Pavilion Tea Sampling
Frank Kwei, Tea Expert and Educator, Grace Farms

With Every Fiber Exhibit Bio-Materials Tour
Anna Dyson, Founding Director, Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture (Yale CEA) and Ina Dajci, Ph.D. Researcher, Yale CEA

The exhibit is curated by Chelsea Thatcher, Chief Strategy Officer and Founding Creative Director of Grace Farms, with exhibition design by Studio Cooke John Architecture + Design and Pentagram.

2:15 pm

Breakout Sessions

Ethical Decarbonization with Mass Timber

• Justin Den Herder, Principal, TYLin | Silman Structural Solutions
• Adrienne Nelson, Principal, Pickard Chilton
• Ryan Temple, Founder, Sustainable Northwest Wood
• Orrin Quinn Manager, Western Canada, FSC

Scaling Up Circularity

• Sarah Billington, UPS Foundation Professor and CEE Department Chair, Stanford University
• Heather Henriksen, CSO, Harvard University
• John Morrison, CEO, Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB)
• Adair Smith, Lead of Urban Transformation, World Economic Forum
• Kim Yao, Principal, Architecture Research Office

The Role of Investors, Insurance & Tech

• Benafsha (Bee) Delgado, Head of Social Sustainability, UN Global Compact Network UK
• Wade Myers, Co-Founder and General Partner, Eagle Venture Fund
• Abi Potter Clough, CEO, AbiLeads LLC
• Peter Goodings Swartz, Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer, Altana

UVA Karsh Institute of Democracy: Pilot Project Case Study

• Mike Castle, VP of Operations, Western Virginia, Hourigan
• Sydney Covey, Senior Manager, Energy & Sustainability, STRUCTR
• Sarita Herman, Supervisory Team Leader, Capital Construction & Renovations, University of Virginia
• David Keith, CEO and Design Principal, Hanbury
• Bernard Peng, Senior Associate, Höweler + Yoon
• Alice Raucher, Associate VP & Architect, University of Virginia

With Every Fiber: The Designer’s Perspective

• Nina Cooke John, Principal, Studio Cooke John
• Ed Thompson, Director, Brick & Wonder

Nina Cooke John’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Dwell, NBC’s Open House, the Center for Architecture’s 2018 exhibition, Close to the Edge: The Birth of Hip-Hop Architecture and PBS NewsHour Weekend.

 

Industry Alignment: Social Health & Equity

• Illya Azaroff, Principal of +lab architect and AIA President 2026
• Lindsay Baker, CEO, Living Future
• Annie Bevan, CEO, mindful MATERIALS
• Vardhan Mehta, Co-Founder & CEO, Acelab
• Kelly Worden,VP, ESG and Social Sustainability, IWBI

Design for Freedom International Guidance & Toolkit in Practice

• Brigid Abraham, Design for Freedom Senior Project Manager, Grace Farms

Social Entrepreneurs Solving Global Challenges

• Nasreen Sheikh, Modern Slavery Survivor, Visionary Leader, Author, Founder of the Empowerment Collective

At last year’s Summit, from left to right: Sharon Prince,  modern slavery survivor, activist,  author, and founder of the Empowerment Collective, Nasreen Sheikh, and humanitarian photographer Lisa Kristine. Her photography is also featured in the With Every Fiber exhibit.  Photo by Melani Lust

“We all participate in the issue of slavery, knowingly or unknowingly, by what we choose to purchase and consume every day.” Lisa Kristine, 2024 Summit

3:45 pm

Pilot Projects & Announcements

3:55 pm

Accelerating Design for Freedom Internationally

• Baroness Young of Hornsey OBE, Member of the House of Lords, UK Parliament
• John Morrison, CEO, Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB)
• Alan Ricks, Founding Principal & Co-Executive Director, MASS Design Group
• Anastasia Vynnychenko, Senior Program Manager and Head of Ho Chi Minh Sub-Office IOM, UN Migration
• Moderator: Elaine Mitchel-Hill, Design for Freedom International Lead, Grace Farms

4:40 pm

Hugh Evans, Co-Founder & CEO, Global Citizen

4:55 pm

Closing Remarks & Cocktail Reception

__________________________

With Every Fiber Exhibit 

“To value each element of the exhibit design started a chain of care that goes beyond the building material chain of custody. It models to the next person, to all of us, that the choices we make matter. And that is empowering.” – Chelsea Thatcher

This year, attendees will have an opportunity to visit the With Every Fiber exhibit that opened last year on May 4th. With Every Fiber, a first-of-its-kind exhibit offers the public insights into the issue of forced labor in the building materials supply chain. Through a series of material studies, including timber, steel, concrete, and textiles, the exhibit proposes strategies and practices to address the issue. Curated by Chelsea Thatcher, Chief Strategy Officer and Founding Creative Director of Grace Farms, with exhibition design by Studio Cooke John Architecture + Design and Pentagram, With Every Fiber features information about new, innovative building materials, including a tapestry of bio-based materials designed by the Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture and a section on “ethical decarbonization.”

We collaborated with 20 pre-eminent designers, material suppliers, artists, cultural institutions, and construction industry leaders featured in the exhibition—all who remind us to consider the questions central to Design for Freedom: where do our building materials come from and are they made with fair labor? In addition, large suppliers including MillerKnoll, North American Stainless, Nucor, Sherwin Williams, and Delta Light provided many of the exhibit’s major materials.

__________________________

About Grace Farms Foundation

The River building at Grace Farms is embedded in nature. Nearly 80 acres of natural and diverse landscapes surround the award-winning River. (photo by Sahar Coston-Hardy)

We bring together people across sectors to explore nature, arts, justice, community, and faith at the SANAA-designed River building and Barns, on 80 acres of publicly accessible natural landscape.

Our humanitarian work to end modern slavery and foster more grace and peace in our local and global community includes leading the Design for Freedom movement to eliminate forced labor in the building materials supply chain.

This collaborative approach to comprehensively address humanitarian issues and generate new outcomes is reflected across all of our initiatives and the place of Grace Farms.

Membership

Grace Farms members can visit without advance registration and enjoy a 20% discount on paid programs, retail, and dining, invitations to members-only gatherings, complimentary events, and a welcome gift from Grace Farms Tea & Coffee.

Becoming a member helps us advance our mission to pursue a more peaceful world and supports the preservation of the River building and its surrounding 80 acres.

For more information, visit gracefarms.org/membership.

Visit our calendar of events to learn more about upcoming programs.

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