Architects offer free design services to some North Side tornado victims

Twin Cities-area architects are pitching in to help rebuild North Minneapolis in the wake of the May 22 tornado. And they're hoping to do it with good design. The Minnesota Chapter of the American Institute of Architects put together a committee called "Rebuilding it Right," which is offering some North side residents free design services as they rebuild. It's all part of an effort to rebuild the neighborhood in a way that honors the area's early 20th century roots.

And it's being done with the cooperation of several community-based groups to make sure that reconstruction is compatible with the history of the community, which has a high concentration of Craftsman-style bungalows and Victorian-era houses.

Here's how the group states its intentions: "The initiative is a compassionate response to recapture and solidify the beautiful, historic architecture present in the neighborhood, and to consider possibilities for entire sections to allow for greener technologies and smarter urban design. Implementing these larger picture design ideas could benefit not only the immediate homes in the vicinity, but the city as a whole."