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March has arrived, and I view March as a month of change. The harshness of winter yields to gentler spring days. The signs and promise of spring are met with welcome. Change is constant, no doubt, but change is mirrored with hope.
The COVID-19 vaccine is probably the biggest cause of hope for all who crave change and normalcy – and who doesn’t? As architects and designers, we are faced with a very tough challenge. The words that challenge us are those that we have all heard colloquially, “A new normal. “Of course, those words come without a definition. The real questions are, of course, more difficult, as they require prognostication. The first question to ponder is, what lessons were learned during and as a result of the pandemic that affect our future. The second is which of those lessons will remember in two, three, or five years. Which of those lessons will result in lasting change? There is a great deal of surmising of what the office of the future will look like. Will offices get smaller because of continued remote working arrangements (WFH)? Do they need to get larger or to accommodate social distancing? There is a great deal of speculation, and there are many opinions. only time will tell, of course, but in the meantime, our clients will look to us to be leaders in forming an interpretation of the facts available to us. Leadership in design is expected form design professionals.
In addition to expected change is desired change. We hear frequently about equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in our profession. Change is desired in our profession. March 8 was International Women’s Day. Among the stated missions of International Women’s Day are two that particularly apply to this discussion. The first is “Building inclusive workplaces where women thrive.” The second is “Increasing visibility of women creatives.” In early March, AIA National President Peter Exeley, FAIA, authored an article with some underwhelming facts about our profession. He states that while women represent over half of the US workforce, they only make up a quarter of the 208,000 registered US architects. Not the equity we should expect. If you haven’t read Peter’s article, I urge you to read it here. Read More
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EMERGING PROFESSIONAL CORNER |
Hi Folks,
Spring has officially sprung, and we can finally shed some of that cabin fever we have been dealing with by spending more time outdoors. With Spring comes new life, a renewed sense of purpose, and in my case new babies. #CovidBabyBoom. It is time to kick off exciting projects and the AIA has plenty of them in store for all of you.
First let’s begin with the National level where our Advocacy group is gearing up for a 3-part webinar series. In this series we will have several panelists discuss important topics not only for our industry, but for our world in general. The first session is titled Citizen Architect where we will have volunteers holding important positions in society with backgrounds in Architecture discussing what roles we can play in politics and more. The second session titled J.E.D.I. will have panelists discussing topics involving anything and everything about Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Finally, the third session will be about Practice Innovation and how firms are adapting to the new work/life balance and what this could look like post-pandemic. The Young Architects Forum will team up with the National Associates Committee in finding the best panelists and moderators available for a very informative and production discussion. Stay tuned on the upcoming dates for these events.
As for the local level, The Digital Meet & Greet was finally launched and we’ve had a tremendous response. Nearly every session has been filled thus far and we have already had 8 firms from across the state commit to hosting them. Please click HERE to access the available time slots for the next Digital Meet & Greets. Read More
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New Members - February 2021 |
Ronda Osga, AIA
Gintautas Gaska, AIA
Harold Boog, AIA
Neil Roe Jr., Associate AIA
Shaun Smith, AIA
Alexandra Howieson, Int'l Assoc. AIA
John Skok, AIA
Andrew Dancer, Associate AIA
Omar Ataya, Associate AIA
Andrew Wolking, AIA
Azubike Ononye, Associate AIA
Hayden Juergens, Associate AIA
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Newly Licensed Members Congratulations! |
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Please consider giving to APAC this year. Giving is simple, just follow the link to the APAC donation page and click on the amount you wish to give. You can also mail a personal check. All donations must be from personal funds, no corporate donations are allowed by law. Donating by credit card is easy and fast. Only personal contributions allowed Affiliations able to contribute: AIA/AIAE, FAIA, Associate AIA
Thank you and with great appreciation,
APAC
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AIA Michigan is looking for a tenant to Lease our space. Click HERE for more information about leasing options from Signature Associates.
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