The AIA Board of Directors elected Robert A. Odermatt, FAIA, as the 2004 recipient of the Edward C. Kemper Award for outstanding service to the profession of architecture through the AIA. Named in honor of the AIA’s first executive director, the award recognizes individuals who contribute significantly to the profession of architecture through service to the Institute.

“A review of Bob’s portfolio quickly reveals all of the many assignments he has assumed over his long and prestigious career,” writes AIA California Council Executive Vice President Paul W. Welch Jr., Hon. AIA, in enthusiastic support of Odermatt’s nomination. Ava J. Abramowitz, Esq., Hon. AIA, concurs. “To me, and to many, Bob is the architect role-model people have in mind when they praise the profession—creative and thoughtful; optimistic always, arrogant never; committed to finding the best solution, obstacles notwithstanding; forward looking, yet precedent respecting; and dedicated to client service, public welfare, and the integrity and honor of the profession and its Institute.”

Four decades of service
Odermatt’s vast and varied 40 years of service earned him these accolades. He has served as AIA chapter vice president/president; regional Board member (six years); AIA national regional director (three years); and AIA national vice president, and, as such, manager of the Professional Practice Commission. Odermatt served on the College of Fellows Executive Committee from 1997 through his term as chancellor in 2000. During that time, Odermatt founded the Latrobe Fellowship for research leading to the advancement of the profession, which now carries a prize of $100,000.

In her letter of nomination, Past AIA Vice President Kate Schwennsen, FAIA, summarizes what makes Odermatt a treasured colleague: “Bob’s ability to listen intently, think clearly, synthesize issues, and focus on solutions has provided the Institute with a lasting legacy of achievements.” These qualities also have served him well as a guest critic and lecturer for his alma mater, the University of California at Berkeley. Additionally, he was elected to the National Architectural Accrediting Board in 2001, served as NAAB’s vice president in 2002, and will serve as its president in 2005.

Odermatt also was actively involved in the first Internship Summit in 1999 and continues to represent the AIA on committees and task forces and as a liaison to the AIA Board on the internship issue. He served as the AIA’s representative on the Collateral Internship Task Force, where he drafted a 10-point policy document. The AIA and the Five Presidents Forum then asked him to represent the AIA on the Collateral Internship Management Group to monitor the implementation of internship issues.

Helping the community
In his home state, Odermatt has led programs offering natural-disaster assistance, was instrumental in developing the California Emergency Disaster Assistance Team (CEDAT) process, and participated in several local relief programs following earthquakes. He served as the primary AIA contact and national press liaison following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco Bay area and for the Oakland/Berkeley firestorm in 1991, during which more than 3,000 homes—including his own—were destroyed. Internationally, Odermatt traveled twice to Armenia with a team of architects to assist in the rebuilding and planning of communities following an earthquake in which more than 50,000 perished.

On a national level, Odermatt chaired the AIA’s Security in Design Task Force in the early 1990s to create policies that would promote the incorporation of “transparent” security measures in buildings during initial design phases. Following the September 11 disasters at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001, Odermatt represented the AIA at a security symposium on the role of the architect in security design. To date, he has also worked with more than 40 cities and communities nationwide to educate the public on urban planning and design to instill both an appreciation for community-based planning and a design framework for the architects.

On an international level, The AIA appointed Odermatt to expand the role of the then International Committee to an “open” committee, with intent of facilitating international practice for all American architects. Over the course of two years, he established an AIA policy in support of international practice, encouraged architecture journals to include international coverage, developed concepts for international marketing programs, led the first two international committee meetings held abroad, and supported the formation of international chapters of the AIA.

The AIA membership will celebrate Odermatt’s leadership and dedication with him during the AIA National Convention in Chicago in June.

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