Community
Architects giving back


ARCHES

ARCHES stands for Architects in Elementary Schools. In an effort to supplement Arts Education in local schools, Hughes Group Architects founded ARCHES in 1980. Each year, HGA staffers volunteer in local elementary schools to discuss the relevance of art and architecture to each of the subjects being taught in school. Hands-on student activities include scavenger hunts, model building, city building and an array of programs which increase awareness and sensitivity to the natural and built environment. Hughes Group gave ARCHES to the American Institute of Architects in 2000 and it has expanded to over 50 schools in the region.







Housing for Haiti

Following the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Hughes Group Architects volunteered to work with Local Authorities and Catholic Charities to design modular housing units which could be built with locally- sourced materials and untrained labor. Countless numbers of these units have been built, and the gratitude of the Haitian residents has been overwhelming.



Global Disaster Response Relief Efforts


In April 2010 I had an opportunity to go to Haiti, along with a medical team from the Global Disaster Response arm of the Presbyterian Church in America, to assist in caring for victims of the recent earthquake, many of whom suffered from ongoing physical and mental trauma, and from diseases  resulting from poor sanitation and a continuing lack of social services. I assisted the doctors and nurses on my team by filling and dispensing prescriptions, taking patient histories, drawing blood, doing ‘stick’ tests, pregnancy tests, and a whole battery of blood work with a portable clinic we brought for that purpose. I personally helped over 200 patients, freeing the trained medical staff up to do critical work with the many men, women and children who would have had no medical aid without this clinic. –  John Spence, Director of Construction Services, Hughes Group Architects



Hurricane Haiyan Relief Efforts


I had an opportunity to provide relief for the devastated people of Bogo after Hurricane Haiyan damaged or destroyed their homes. We had an amazing week building and repairing homes and churches, and getting to know some beautiful people in the Philippines. –  John Spence, Director of Construction Services, Hughes Group Architects


Cosmo Couture

“Where Interior Becomes Exterior.“ Cosmo Couture is a fundraising event held by IIDA Mid-Atlantic Chapter’s Washington Metro City Center. Architects and Interior Designers team up with manufacturing companies to make one-of-a-kind garments from unconventional materials. Hughes Group won ‘Best Red Carpet Look’ in 2018 and ‘Best Use of Materials’ in 2017.

Additional photos and information can be viewed on the Hughes Group Cosmo Couture Facebook page.