Features

“The AHah Moment”

►Our theme for this issue is "The AHah Moment" when we decided to dedicate our Architecture careers to Public Service.

By Ed Gauvreau, AIA, MPA

The setting was 1981, a time when there was a recession in the market for Architecture professionals and I found myself recently relocated to Connecticut while also recovering from a compound leg fracture.

Personally, my frame of mind was daunted and interview inquiries had not yielded results. Despite my outspoken declaration that I would never work in the public sector, I was highly aware that the Federal government was hiring. This is in the days when you had to submit a written application plus a sleeve of twenty slides of your best designs to a central vetting panel. So, I pulled together the best examples of my student portfolio, drew a breath and sent in my package to a Federal Agency. Three months later, I received my rating and was asked which locations I preferred…and my response was “anywhere”! Several months later, I had my first Federal job located in Fort Stewart, Georgia, 40 miles west of Savannah.

By Lee Solomon, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CVS

My first foray into Public Service was struck upon, when I learned to walk and escorted my mother door-to-door in the neighborhood to solicit donations for Charities. People looked at us funny, and sometimes we walked away without anything; but the engagement felt mysterious and adventurous. The basement of our house was filled with castaway clothing stuffed in cardboard boxes. I listened as my mother described a world far away where people would greatly appreciate wearing these goods. And I struggled to understand this when we and our neighbors had more than enough.

When kits for a Multiple Dystrophy Carnival fund-raising came on the market, I took up the challenge. With a solid base experience of soliciting donations under my the tutelage of my mother and without her assistance; I acquired prizes from local businesses, secured the family garage to accommodate the production, publicized with home-made posters in the neighborhood and motivated friends to volunteer to manage exhibits and games.

By Vergel L. Gay, Jr. FAIA

I did not start my educational path knowing that I would eventually become a professional Public Architect. It was only in my high school drafting courses that I even came upon the discovery that designing structures could possibly be a “cool” career. As my architectural education progressed in college, I realized that the process of architecture was much more intense and engaging than merely the aspect of design. In fact, somewhere amidst the coursework, I began to seize upon the notion that I wanted to control the entire development process from project inception through completion and hence, the notion of the Architect as Owner took root.

My Architectural foundation was fortified with graduate studies in urban design, real estate finance and business management studies. Without fully being aware of the ramifications, I was preparing myself to orchestrate an entire team of architects, planners and constructors to execute in the service of public structures.

Public Architects’ Recommended Books for Summer

By Paula Loomis, PhD, FAIA, FSAME, LEED BD&C, AICP, PMP, MBA, CPHC, GGP

Sustainability & Good Design - Can we Connect the Two?

We have been addressing sustainability for over 20 years. The US Green Building Council was founded in 1993. Today many firms and government agencies are very adept at routinely meeting 30 and 40 percent energy savings, substantial water savings, and 90 percent construction waste recycling. In fact the new Executive Order 13514 requires federal agencies to achieve zero-net-energy usage by 2030. However, in achieving this emphasis on sustainability and energy savings some architects have been sacrificing design. Some projects publicized in magazines are highly engineered boxes that meet the energy saving requirements, but do not meet basic design parameters. As a revisit of why design matters I offer Why Architecture Matters by Paul Goldberger, Design is Intelligence Made Visible, and Envisioning a Sustainable Society by Lester Milbraith.

Recommended Books

“Why Architecture Matters” -Paul Goldberger
This book is a classic. It helps us come to grip with how things feel to us when we stand before them, how architecture affects us emotionally as well as intellectually...[Read More]

“Design is Intelligence Made Visible” (Group of articles published by Teknion)
Teknion published the first edition of Design Does Matter in 2005 and has followed up with this edition in 2010. The collection of essays argues that design will prove to be a powerful tool for realizing a world of rich and sustained abundance. It further says sustainability ...[Read More]

“Envisioning a Sustainable Society, Learning Our Way Out” -Lester W. Milbraith
This book addresses the contemporary environmental crisis, providing a well-considered scenario for a world-cultural transformation that might move toward a solution not only to the environmental problem but to other...[Read More]

A Life Worth Living

My husband and I recently went to a lecture that discussed what it means to live a life worth living. A life that may not concentrate on materials gains, publicity or the greatest best project, but a life that feels fulfilled concentrating on simple values, making a difference and giving to others, in that spirit I offer three books; “Simple Prosperity, Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle” by David Wann, “It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For” by Roy Spence and “Good Deed, Good Design: Community Service Through Architecture” by Bryan Bell.

Recommended Books

“Simple Prosperity, Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle” -David Wann
This is a valuable digest of what we’ve figured out in recent years about health, stress, joy, and community. It proposes how to live a full and meaningful life. See what you think of David Wann’s ideas...[Read More]

“It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business Is Driven by Purpose"-Roy M. Spence, Jr.
Simply put, purpose is a definitive statement about the difference you are trying to make in the world. Spence writes “It’s your reason for being that goes beyond making money - and it almost always results in making more money than you ever thought possible.” Especially during times of great economic uncertainty...[Read More]

“Good Deed, Good Design: Community Service Through Architecture” -edited by Bryan Bell
In this book architecture firms, community design centers, design-build programs and service-based organizations offer their plans for building for the majority of the population. Twenty-nine essays and case studies offer...[Read More]

Upcoming Events

2016 AIA Convention- Get a Sneak Peek!

Be one of the first to register for the AIA Convention! Sign up to be notified when convention registration opens. The Convention will be held in Philadelphia, PA from May 19-21, 2016.

By signing up:

We will notify when registration opens
You will get a sneak peek of the schedule
You will get reminders about early bird discounts

Upcoming Webinars

Computation, Metrics, and Data Analysis in Practice
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 | 2:00 - 3:00pm ET | Earn 1.0 AIA LU | Learn more | Register now
Sponsored by: AIA Technology in Architectural Practice
Registration fees: Free

Guide to Using AIA Contract Documents and Software In-Person!
Friday, September 25, 2015 | 9:00 - 5:00pm ET | Earn 6.5 AIA/CES LUs | Learn more | Register now
Sponsored by: AIA Contract Documents
Registration fees: $299 (Members and Non-Members)

Resources

AIAU Courses for Member of the Public Architects Committee

Take the latest courses on information for architects working in the public sphere on AIAU. New courses includes ADA measures in eduction facilities and selections from Architecture for Humanity’s Design Like you Give Damn: Live! at Dwell on Design NY.

You’ll learn from top instructors on your schedule, from anywhere in the world. Once you complete a course, we’ll automatically update your AIA member transcript with your continuing education credits.

Check out these great courses:

Compliance under the 2010 ADA for K-12 Schools and Housing for Places of Education│Earn 1 LU / ADA / HSW/ RIBA

Design Open Mic: Disaster Recovery and Learning Lessons: Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief│Earn 1 LU / HSW / RIBA

Design Open Mic: Political Discourse and Community Engagement│Earn 1 LU / HSW / RIBA

Design Open Mic: Health and Education and The Green Classroom | Earn 1 LU / HSW/ RIBA

Individual courses are $25 for AIA members and $40 for non-members. Buy four or more courses and save 15%, no promo code needed.

Check out more great courses on AIAU >