Summary: AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Chris McEntee and President RK Stewart, FAIA, welcomed a crowd of 2,700 to the kickoff session of the “greenest AIA convention ever” in San Antonio on May 3. The presence of 21 former AIA presidents served as a living reminder that—as the architects explore “Growing Beyond Green” and prepare for a sustainable future—they also are celebrating a rich history during this, the Institute’s 150th anniversary. San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger welcomed attendees to the seventh-largest U.S. city, and Stewart set the tone for the rest of the convention: “How we respond will not only speak to the sustainability of our profession, it will speak loudly to the sustainability of the planet itself.”

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“Welcome to San Antonio and the greenest AIA convention ever,” said AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Chris McEntee as she kicked off the first session of the AIA national convention in San Antonio on May 3. “Our convention in San Antonio is a time to think in new and mind-expanding ways. What is our role as facilitators in the global debate on climate change? Will architects collaborate with like-minded individuals and organizations for the benefit of future generations? Or will we continue to live, work, and play in ways that threaten the lives of children and grandchildren?”

McEntee explained that part of the AIA strategic plan is ensuring that members have the tools they need to create the future they choose. “The payoff for your investment in coming to San Antonio is that you will leave with a clearer understanding and practical tips about what you can do tomorrow as a leader and an integral team member of the high-performance design approach,” she said. “The workshops, seminars, and special events that this convention’s program provides are key ingredients in having the AIA be the key resource for you and your practice.”

Advancing sustainability
“Our theme of Growing Beyond Green was chosen before the general public came to its new understanding of the threat climate change poses to our future,” Stewart said. “Our timing could not have been better. Over the next three days, we will look at how to build on and go beyond what has been achieved in the realm of sustainable design. Our goal will be nothing less than to take the profession and the planet to a better future for all of us.”

Among the steps to “green” the convention, Stewart counted contracting with all vendors, hoteliers, convention center staff, and other service providers to meet sustainable principles, as well as “paperless” education sessions. “We have reduced waste, maximized efficiency, and recycled at every opportunity,” he said. “San Antonio’s compact design should help reduce our carbon footprint, since many of us will be able to walk between venues or use public transportation.”

Stewart also noted that each general session would be preceded with a video sketching 50 of the AIA’s 150 years to celebrate the Institute’s sesquicentennial. He noted also that “the AIA’s highest award for individual achievement, the Gold Medal, is also celebrating a milestone—its first 100 years.”

Living history in attendance
Calling them “the living history of the AIA,” Stewart introduced the past presidents of the AIA in attendance:

• Kate Schwennsen, FAIA—2005–2006
• Douglas L Steidl, FAIA —2004–2005
• Eugene Hopkins, FAIA —2003–2004
• Thompson E. Penney, FAIA —2002–2003
• Gordon Chong, FAIA —2001–2002
• John D. Anderson, FAIA —2000–2001
• Ronald L. Skaggs, FAIA —1999–2000
• Michael J. Stanton, FAIA —1998–1999
• Ronald A. Altoon, FAIA —1997–1998
• Chester Widom, FAIA —1994–1995
• C. James Lawler, FAIA —1990–1991
• Sylvester Damianos, FAIA —1989–1990
• Ted P. Pappas, FAIA —1987–1988
• Donald J. Hackl, FAIA —1986–1987
• John A. Busby Jr. , FAIA —1985–1986
• Robert C. Broshar, FAIA —1992–1983
• Robert M. Lawrence, FAIA —1991–1982
• R. Randall Vosbeck, FAIA —1980–1981
• Charles E. Schwing, FAIA —1979–1980
• S. Scott Ferebee, FAIA —1972–1973
• Rex Whitaker Allen, FAIA —1969–1970.

San Antonio mayor welcomes architects
San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger said he was very happy to have all the AIA members in San Antonio, which, he proudly told the audience, has become the nation’s seventh largest city. He lauded the AIA’s involvement in sustainability: “Clearly it is a time when we have to change the way we live, and the buildings we live in,” he said. “We have relied so much on gas-fired engines that we have to change.”

San Antonio is a 300-year-old city, but we are trying to change and are doing so, at the prompting of the local AIA chapter. Last week the city passed an ordinance that says that all new buildings will meet LEED® standards and be certified. Mayor Hardberger is among the signers of the U.S. Conference of Mayors proclamation on global warming.

“We have had our citizens behind us in our water conservation efforts. We are now in the process of building our largest park in San Antonio,” he said. “I am confident that our citizens will rise to the challenge, and having the architects here will help us be recommitted to protecting our earth.

“Thank you so much for being here. You are a source of inspiration,” Mayor Hardberger concluded.

Major milestones
“Someone asked me how the theme of this convention relates to the milestone the AIA is observing this year. For me the link is clear,” Stewart said. ”One hundred-fifty years ago, standing at the edge of impacts that would come from the Industrial Revolution, 13 architects had the vision to go beyond their current practices. One hundred and fifty years later, we stand at a similar edge of events that will have far-reaching impacts that we can only begin to imagine.

“Here, in San Antonio, we will confront the challenge of sustainability and the challenge of going beyond single, tactical acts to a holistic strategy that acts on an understanding of how all the parts fit together. How we respond will not only speak to the sustainability of our profession, it will speak loudly to the sustainability of the planet itself.”