by Marga Rose Hancock, Hon. AIA
AIA Seattle Executive Vice President

Early in 2004, AIA Seattle leadership and staff started imagining some new spatial possibilities for the storefront space at 1911 First Avenue, inhabited since 1981 and last remodeled in 1991, with the establishment of the Resource Center for Architecture. To help envision and manifest the future of the profession, AIA Seattle turned to the Young Architects Forum (YAF) to take on this project—first to set forth their ideas, then to go about making them real.

Throughout this spring, teams of emerging professionals conducted programming exercises, including interviews of the AIA Seattle staff and other users of the space, held a series of design charrettes, and developed concepts for presentation. Working with YAF Co-chairs Kjell Anderson, Assoc. AIA, and Chris Davidson, Assoc. AIA, AIA Seattle President-elect Peter David Greaves, AIA, and Treasurer Teresa Rodriguez, AIA, functioned as client representatives and the AIA Seattle staff as "end users." Greaves noted, "The teams have worked hard and well and produced some elegant solutions that respond to the challenges of accommodating AIA Seattle's burgeoning programs and operations. We appreciate the energy and artistry of all participants."

Learning and adventure
The excitement about a refreshed environment for AIA Seattle activities began to mount in early April, when design teams from the YAF presented two schemes for the next generation of the AIA Seattle space and exhibited these at the annual meeting in May. Over the course of the next few months, the process of design and construction brought learning and “adventure” to all parties, as Greaves tells it: “The path to the new AIA Seattle facility was idea-driven from the onset; it is all about the sharing of knowledge. We chose to invite those in the early stages of their careers, the YAF, to work beside some folks and firms who have been through a couple of decades of professional practice.” As he also notes, “Whatever we do at AIA Seattle, we do in public”—hence, the regular project updates on the AIA Seattle Web site.”

Just before Independence Day, AIA Seattle vacated the storefront space to camp out in temp headquarters while crews executed the remodeling of the space. A number of member firms and allied partners responded to the “free to good home” request to house the staff functions over the interim, with the choice narrowing to Arai Jackson Ellison Murakami, whose offices at 2300 7th Avenue—across from the landmark Elephant Car Wash and Denny Park—offered cordial convenience to staff and visitors alike.

Reconnection
On November 19, the AIA Seattle staff began the process of relocating, reconnecting to the grid and to the beloved Market neighborhood, and learning the new capacities afforded by the reconfiguration of the space and the technological marvels installed for office use.

Since AIA Seattle has played various roles in the Market since “Save the Market/Friends of the Market” days, returning to the Market provides the occasion for an observance. In that spirit, AIA Seattle invited several of our favorite Market partners to join us in the festivities marking Grand Reopening on December 8, which, among other aspects, will have a “back to the Market” flavor—as well as congratulations on the achievement and gratitude to the many individuals and businesses who have contributed know-how, ingenuity, materials, and labor to craft the new professional environment for the organization.

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