Design as a tool for equity and climate justice.
NAPP Lab is NAPP's nonprofit arm, a separate entity that receives a share of commercial profits and deploys them into community-driven design interventions. Where NAPP builds value, NAPP Lab builds equity.
"The commercial practice funds the mission. The mission validates the practice."
Every NAPP Lab intervention begins with mapping the specific climate, social, and infrastructural conditions of a community. Research informs design, not the other way around.
Three streams.
I. Research
Understanding the problem before designing the solution.
Every NAPP Lab intervention begins with mapping the specific climate, social, and infrastructural conditions of a community. Research informs design, not the other way around.
II. Catalyst Projects
Proof of concept for what is possible.
Catalyst projects de-risk innovative approaches by building them first in communities that need them most. They generate evidence, generate trust, and generate replicable models.
III. Systems Change
Influencing practice beyond individual projects.
NAPP Lab publishes methodologies, trains designers, and engages policy processes, so that what works in one community doesn't stay there.
Interventions.
Climate Resilience Interventions
Design and strategy for communities vulnerable to climate risk: flooding, heat islands, drought, extreme weather. NAPP Lab develops site-specific interventions that reduce exposure and build long-term adaptive capacity.
Climate Justice Strategy
Advisory work with NGOs and institutions addressing the unequal distribution of climate risk. NAPP Lab brings design intelligence to policy, planning, and community engagement processes.
Public Space Design
Design of squares, parks, corridors, and shared infrastructure that serve communities directly, prioritizing environmental performance, social inclusion, and long-term maintainability.
Informal Settlement Upgrading
Collaborative design processes for informal or underserved communities, improving housing, infrastructure, and public space without displacement. NAPP Lab works alongside residents, NGOs, and local governments.
Community Environmental Education Spaces
Design of spaces built to host environmental learning: community centers, outdoor classrooms, nature-integrated facilities for schools and civic organizations.