No, that photo up above is not a joke. Tough times breed interesting solutions, and that's one of them.

Twenty-seven-year old Seattle resident [and architect] John Morefield...was laid off not once, but twice in a single year as projects dry up and small firms tighten budgets. So what's a boy to do? Watch Peanuts cartoons and hang out at the local farmers' market?

Why yes indeedy. Morefield's concept for Architecture 5¢--edificially inspired by Charles Schulz's psychiatrist booth for Lucy--is bringing architecture to the people, and people to the architecture. For a nickel, passerby can ask questions that range from simple ("What's the best insulation to use next to concrete in a basement?") to complex ("We have a 700-square foot Seattle bungalow and want to add a second story because we're expecting our first child... Help!").

The idea is to spur conversation about building matters and make contacts that might someday develop into working relationships. And the message is spreading, at least in its first incarnation, as he's received 5-cent queries via email from across the globe--Brazil, Portugal, Shanghai--and coverage on a CNN news broadcast.

It sounds frivolous at first, but Morefield has thought this one out:

So what's the point? Morefield says he wants to create a "ripple effect" on a local level, for one nickel leads to one project, which employs one contractor, who hires two carpenters, and so on. And though his ultimate goal is to expand Architecture 5¢ nationwide, with booths in neighborhoods across the country from the Bronx to Oakland, he admits the idea "can't grow large enough that I don't have time for the booth."

Flavorwire has a full interview up with Morefield here.