Dear Members of the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE):

 

As we enter 2010 CAE begins the New Year with a number of initiatives completed or underway for the first Quarter.

 

The CAE Design Awards is now underway and open for submissions.  CAE Design Awards recognizes the top educational projects designed and planned by Architects. Projects include Pre K-12, Higher Education, Libraries, Interpretive Centers and Corporate Learning Environments. In past award winners have gone onto receive AIA Honor Awards. This year a nationally known jury with Caroline Lobo, Orcutt Winslow, as Chairman, will review the submissions and determine the winners.

 

The submission deadline is March 1, 2010. Go to the CAE website: www.aia.org/cae for more information and to register.

 

This year CAE is partnering with CEFPI on a conference to explore the real needs of 21^st Century Schools. The conference, to be held in Austin, Texas on February 26^th and 27^th will be an interactive event in which speakers and participants will work together to identify the key design characteristics school facilities in the coming decades should embrace. National Leaders in education have agreed to present including Jonathan Kozol, author of “Shame of the Nation”, Gardner Campbell and Michael Horn, author of “Disrupt the Classroom: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the World”. It is a high energy conference that is bringing educational leaders, architects, planners and school facility leader’s to identify the key characteristics needed in 21^st Century Learning Environments.

 

It is not too late to attend. CEFPI is handling all registration logistics for the conference. Go to www.cefpi.org to register.

 

During the first week of January, the American Architectural Foundation partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to convince the educational leadership of the six leading states on STEM Schools.  STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is an important initiative to create a new generation of students focused on core educational programs that currently are under served in the nation. Leaders from New York, North Carolina, Texas, California, Ohio and Washington convened in Washington DC with CAE engaged to facilitate the forum. Eighteen CAE Architects joined 60+ STEM leaders for 2 1/2 days of discussions that resulted in tangible initiative and results.   

 

Already a team of CAE Architects has followed up with one of the groups who attended, Davie County Public Schools, North Carolina, for a 2 day charette, further supporting these STEM Leaders as they being to launch programs in their states.

 

The AAF documented this event and in the coming months will issue a report.

 

CAE is beginning a research initiative to identify the impact of the physical environment on learning. There are a number of components to this research.  CAE’s subcommittee on K-12 is developing this program. 

 

The subcommittee on Higher Ed completed a joint webcast with SCUP and the New York Times on Sustainability in Higher Ed. They are looking to develop another webcast for 2010.

 

The beginning of 2010 also brings to a close 2009. I would like to think Tim Dufault, 2009 CAE Chairman, who did a magnificent job. Tim’s efforts in support of CAE cannot be underestimated. It was Tim who developed the subcommittee structure that now has hundreds of CAE members actively participating every month on a number of programs and initiatives. He spent countless hours on Capitol Hill advocating for school facilities.   He strengthen this important organization and helped it grow both in membership and in its’ activities. Thank you, Tim.

 

Last as we begin 2010 we all know the economy has been front and center on everyone’s mind. The AIA is going through a reorganization process and in some cases downsizing. Of the Knowledge Communities (KC’s) within AIA, CAE is one of the largest, and has not been immune. We have been asked to assume additional responsibility as AIA staff in Washington DC has been reduced. First I would like to thank those staff who were tireless helpers of CAE. We appreciated your support and will miss you. 

 

Second CAE has not stood by idle during this transition. We have developed a new Governance Structure, Funding Profile and Communications Strategy. Our programs, initiatives, relationships with other organizations, content generation and support of our members will not decrease. In fact, our activities in the first five weeks of this year confirms they are actually expanding. 

 

Last week the CAE Adviser Group and Past Chairs met in Washington DC to finalize our organizational structure which was shared with AIA Leaders. We are appreciative of AIA’s support and are now moving to the implementation stage. Next month I will provide you with the details of this reorganization.

 

2010 has started well for CAE. We look forward to your submissions for this year’s 2010 CAE Design Awards and participation in the CAE/CEFPI Sustainable Schools Conference in Austin.

 

Sincerely,

John Weekes, AIA

2010 Chair, Committee on Architecture for Education