“I paused and thought, ‘Did he just rap about an architect?’” Hewlin said. “I sat down, rewound, and listened to it again. I thought to myself, I guarantee most people listening to this think he's speaking a foreign language and have no clue who Zaha Hadid is.’”
That morning inspired Hewlin to ask himself a question: why not combine architecture and entertainment?
“What if Jay-Z and Damon collaborate?” Hewlin said. “Why don’t we tell the story of where he grew up, and the influence that his environment had on him? We can share in conversation with the goal of bringing awareness to the architecture profession and its impact in humanity.”
It was that morning when Hewlin first envisioned ARCHETAINMENT (Architecture + Entertainment), a global platform aimed at creating a relatable brand for the profession of architecture while spreading awareness on an international scale, making design and architecture cool and accessible.
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For ARCHETAINMENT, the starting point is to acknowledge that we are all human beings, and we all respond differently to context and conditions around us. For most, adverse conditions create a defeated mindset. The same conditions can spark a mindset of wanting to live purposely to make those conditions better and improve the quality of life for as many people as possible, which was Hewlin’s path.
With over 25 years of international and stateside experience in design, construction, and management, Hewlin is a registered architect within the U.S.A. and in the United Arab Emirates, and has since become one of the founders of METICULOUS Design Architecture, a global design firm that focuses on doing work that is meaningful, purposeful, and impactful. He serves as the CEO of METICULOUS and their practice has a diverse portfolio of work which includes planning and design work for underserved and divested communities, healthcare projects, justice projects, affordable to market rate mixed-use development housing, community and family centers, education facilities, sports and recreation, and more that they seek to do to uplift humanity.
“When Jay-Z performs, he needs a venue,” Hewlin said. “Most performances are in arenas or buildings designed by architects. His residences or business investments in various locations that occupy buildings—are also products of architectural design. From where he started, to where he is now is a story ARCHETAINMENT wants to share with youth to inspire, educate, and connect them to the world of architecture and its impact in humanity.”
Starting with a baseline understanding of the impact made by the built environment on everyday life, Hewlin hopes conversations with prominent figures begin to explore how their environments shaped their lives. The concept is to host discussions which will include talking points such as,
“Tell me about how you grew up and the influence that your environment had on you,” “Did you grow up in the projects/hood or a well-off neighborhood?” “Were you exposed to greenery and landscaping or only concrete, bricks, and asphalt?” “Was there violence and drugs within your community?” “Did it feel dark and gloomy as if this is all that life is going to be?” “How did that struggle frame your thinking?”
But the conversation will continue to lead into how their new or current exposure into affluent and high-quality environments expands their thinking. The goal will be to highlight the differences between underserved and divested communities, versus high quality and affluent communities who have investment for enhancing the built environment. The quality of the built environment impacts the social determinants of health, primarily access to quality education, healthcare, housing options, and civic / community-based facilities.
“Imagine across an entire country, you only have approximately 2,500 of us scattered around,” Hewlin said. “You wouldn't come in contact with a black architect or black owned architecture firm frequently, if at all.”
Hewlin didn’t know much about the profession as a child growing up. As an underprivileged kid from the projects of Paterson, N.J., his daily exposure to architecture was limited to dilapidated apartment buildings, amidst a landscape of concrete and asphalt. It wasn’t until his senior year of high school that he discovered architecture as a profession he could pursue.
“Architecture influences every person on this planet: where you live, learn, work, play, shop, heal, and seek entertainment,” Hewlin said. “These environments influence how communities function and thrive, from excellent schools for our children to accessible hospitals and healthcare for our families. All these factors contributed to the birth and vision of ARCHETAINMENT.”
ARCHETAINMENT strives to ensure that every community in the world shares a base standard quality of life which offers opportunities for quality education, healthy lifestyles, beauty, and inspiration. One milepost on the way to achieving this mission, according to Hewlin, is to increase the representation of black licensed architects from 2 to 13 percent.
“Most people are targeting doubling – going from 2 to 4 percent. But the majority demographic is exponentially increasing. We'll never catch up at the current rate. I went for a B.H.A.G., a big, hairy, audacious goal, and said the target is at minimum 13 percent,” Hewlin said. “Obviously, I need to do something outrageous to achieve that number. Well, what more inspirational way to do that than to utilize the platforms of those who are most popular and familiar to the youth?”
“ARCHETAINMENT is not creating anything new,” Hewlin said. “There's a guerrilla warfare effort of us going out to mentor, to speak at schools, and to give that exposure. We want to let kids know that there's more you can do in this world. And one of the things you can do that would help uplift your community is become an architect.”
Next Great Architects in Indianapolis, led by Kionna Walker, works to bring a similar exposure to the profession by providing mentorship and programs to young black women who otherwise might lack opportunities to build their skills and confidence. National organizations such as Beyond the Built and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) provide additional platforms to showcase the work of black architects throughout the country while also nurturing and elevating young minority talent.
“Young people in urban, underserved environments – if they don't have anything else, are exposed to hip hop, the NBA Playoffs, UFC fighting, the NFL Draft, the latest movies, the latest TV shows…all of these things are familiar,” Hewlin said. “ARCHETAINMENT looks to leverage that platform by having conversations and hearing stories from different celebrities and sharing them to provide awareness of the impact of architecture. Let's have a conversation that we can share with the underprivileged youth with the goal of creating as many opportunities as possible for positive exposure to architecture.”
ARCHETAINMENT will focus its programming around three age groups: KG-12, University, and Professional. More than just educating young kids on the powers of the built environment, Hewlin said ARCHETAINMENT will help identify funding opportunities for scholarships and grants, hoping to eliminate certain financial barriers that often discourage underserved kids from pursuing their dreams after high school.
As a college student who had limited resources, Hewlin appreciates that just a little financial assistance can go a long way. When he was studying architecture at Ball State, Hewlin attended classes for two years without being enrolled because he could not afford tuition. Had he not discovered a scholarship for out-of-state minority students while flipping through a yearbook one day that he was featured in and received a copy, he said he may not be an architect today.
"I believe obstacles and struggles often become your path, and it’s through overcoming those difficult times that I found my passion for what I do now," Hewlin said. "We don't want to deprive anyone of the purpose that comes from their struggles, but having access to money shouldn't always be one of those struggles."
