Scenes from the AIA National Convention

Scenes from the AIA National Convention

The 2012 Investiture Ceremony for Fellows of the AIA was held at the WashIngton National Cathedral on Thursday evening. See this <a href='http://www.aia.org/practicing/awards/2012/fellows/index.htm'>complete list</a> of 2012 Fellows. Photo by mattmartin.tv.

The Women in Architecture Dinner, which honors the roles women play within the profession, took place on Thursday evening at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Photo by mattmartin.tv.

Thursday evening’s AIA D.C. Host Chapter Party took over the 250,000-square-foot Newseum on Pennsylvania Ave., designed by Ennead Architects (formerly Polshek Partnership). Photo by mattmartin.tv.

The Newseum, the venue for the AIA D.C. Host Chapter Party, featured stunning views of the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall from its sixth-floor terrace. Photo by mattmartin.tv.

Friday morning’s general session at the AIA National Convention featured a standing-room only crowd of more than 3,000 attendees. Photo by mattmartin.tv.

AIA President Jeff Potter, FAIA, (left) and First Vice President Mickey Jacob, FAIA, at the Friday morning general session of the AIA 2012 National Convention in Washington, D.C. Photo by mattmartin.tv.

AIA President Jeff Potter, FAIA, awarded Mortimer M. Marshall, Jr., FAIA, the 2012 Whitney M. Young, Jr., award. Photo by mattmartin.tv.

The 2012 AIA Firm Award was presented to VJAA. Photo by mattmartin.tv.

More than 20 former AIA presidents were on hand to celebrate the awarding of the 2012 AIA Gold Medal to Steven Holl, FAIA. Photo by mattmartin.tv.

Steven Holl, FAIA, 2012 recipient of the AIA Gold Medal, said: “Architecture is about collaboration” and its “unspoken power is to inspire and transform the quality of our day-to-day lives.” Photo by mattmartin.tv.

2012 Gold Medal recipient Steven Holl, FAIA, signed copies of his books at the AIA Convention bookstore. Photo by mattmartin.tv.

AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA., provided an analysis of how today’s economic climate is affecting the profession. Photo by mattmartin.tv.

Friday keynote speaker HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan spoke of how his experiences as an architecture student at Harvard prepared him for a career of public activism and engagement: “The lesson is to listen and engage. In an economy built to last, everybody needs to get a shot and do their fair share.” Photo by mattmartin.tv.

Bicycle and tennis racket (behind) artwork at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C., part of an installation called “Five Easy Pieces.” Photo by Bryan Ranallo.

The AIA began holding conventions in 1867, and for the 145 years since then, AIA members have come to celebrate design, share knowledge, and exchange ideas with their colleagues. This photograph is a scene from the 1883 AIA National Convention in Providence and Newport, R.I. Photo courtesy of Nancy Hadley, AIA Archives.

See you at next year’s AIA National Convention, June 20-22, 2013, in Denver.

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