CONNECTIONTHE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

CONNECTION is a the official bimonthly publication of the Young Architects Forum of the AIA.

This publication is created through the volunteer efforts of dedicated Young Architect Forum members. Copyright 2016 by The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.

Views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and not those of the American Institute of Architects. Copyright © of individual articles belongs to the Author. All image permissions are obtained by or copyright of the Author.

CONNECTION EDITORIAL COMMITTEEEditor-In-Chief Jeff Pastva, AIASenior Editor, Content Yu-Ngok Lo, AIASenior Editor, Content AJ Sustaita, AIASenior Editor, News Beth Mosenthal, AIAGraphic Editor Carleigh ShannonAssistant Editor Nicholas Banks, AIAAssistant Edtior Phillip Anzalone, AIAContributing Journalist Ian Merker, AIA

2016 YAF ADVISORY COMMITTEEChair Joshua Flowers, AIAVice Chair Evelyn Lee, AIAPast Chair Virginia E. Marquardt, AIA Advocacy Director Illya Azaroff, AIACommunications Director Jeff Pastva, AIA Community Director Shelby Morris, AIAKnowledge Director Nicole Martineau, AIAPublic Relations Director Lora Teagarden, AIA

AIA National Strategic Council Representative Peter Exley, FAIA College of Fellows Representative Ed Vance, FAIAAIA Staff Liaison Milan Jordan, AIA

THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS 1735 New York Ave, NW Washington, DC 20006-5292

P 800-AIA-3837 www.aia.org

This issue of YAF CONNECTION is sponsored through the generous support of The AIA Trust – a free risk management resource for AIA Members offering vital practice resources and benefits.

Check out www.TheAIATrust.com for all AIA Trust practice resources and benefit plans.

April 2016 VOL 14 ISSUE 02

POLITICO

ON THE COVER:

Image by Nicholas Banks, AIA

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT AND RESOURCESby Beth R. Mosenthal, AIA

#YAFchat by Lora Teagarden, AIA

LEADERSHIP PROFILEDENISE THOMPSON, AIA

a conversation with the AIA Philadelphia President by Jeff Pastva, AIA

08

12

14

11

48

3834

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ARCHITECTS AS CATALYSTS FOR CIVIC INITIATIVEby Jud Kline, FAIA

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ANSWERING DETROIT'S CALL OF DUTY by R. Steven Lewis, FAIA, NOMAC, LEED AP

FAST TRACKING ENGAGEMENTan interview with John Rach, AIA by Jeff Pastva, AIA

ALTERNATIVE PRACTICEan interview with Michael Winn by Beth Mosenthal, AIA

SENATOR CHRIS WIDENER, FAIA ON STATE LEADERSHIPan interview by Jeff Pastva, AIA

BECOMING A CHIEF URBAN DESIGNERan interview with Jacob R. Day, Assoc. AIA by Ryan McEnroe, AIA

16STEPS FOR REVIEWING A CONTRACT

by Kevin J. Collins, RPLU, Assoc. AIA

20A PRACTICING ARCHITECT IN PUBLIC OFFICEan interview with David W. Robinson, AIA by AJ Sustaita, AIA

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YOUNG ARCHITECT AWARD SPOTLIGHTan interview with Carey Nagle, AIA by Yu-Ngok, Lo, AIA

06EDITOR’S NOTEby Jeff Pastva, AIA

A YOUNG ARCHITECT'S GUIDE TO CONVENTIONby Ian Merker, AIA 24

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10EVOLVING THE NDSAby Stephen Parker, Assoc. AIA and Korey White, AIA

AFTER THE SURGEby Illya Azaroff, AIA

CITIZEN ARCHITECTS a interview compilation of CCL members by Hilary Barlow, AIA

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THE BUILD PHILLY COALITIONan interview with Rebecca Johnson by Kathy Lent, Assoc. AIA, Erike De Veyra, Assoc. AIA

and Ryan Sison, Assoc. AIA26

39AN ARCHITECT VENTURES INTO POLITICSby Mickey Jacob, FAIA

40THE ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOLan interview with Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA by Beth R. Mosenthal, AIA

07THE IMPORTANCE OF ARCHITECTS AS PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERSby F. Michael Ayles, AIA

MEDIUM CONTRIBUTORS

BETH MOSENTHAL, AIAis a licensed architect, writer, editor, artist, blogger, mentor, mentee, coffee conoisseur and outdoor enthusiast currently living and working in Denver.

DAVID ROBINSON, AIAis a practicing architect serving his second term as Council Member At-Large in District 2 for the City of Houston. He was recently appointed by Mayor, Sylvester Turner to represent Houston on the regional Transportation Policy Council. David also teaches a graduate-level course for Texas Tech University in the Houston program on planning and development called "Infrastructure in the Urban Environment."

JACOB R. DAY, ASSOC. AIA has spent his career helping communities to become more vibrant places. At age 30, he was elected to his hometown's City Council - Salisbury, vMD - with 72% of the vote and was unanimously elected Council President. Two years later, he was elected Mayor. He served as founding Director of the Center for Towns, has received numerous awards throughout his career and has been a featured speaker at the AIA National Convention and National Building Museum. Additionally Jake is a Captain, serves in the US Army National Guard, and is the Sr. Platoon Trainer at the Army Officer Candidate School. He earned a Master of Science in Nature, Society & Environmental Policy from Oxford University, a Master of Urban Design (MUD) from Carnegie Mellon University and a BS in Architecture from the University of Maryland.

CHRIS WIDENER, FAIA is a senior public policy and political strategist. He has served as President Pro Tempore of the Ohio Senate and held multiple Senior Leadership and committee chair roles in the Ohio Legislature. He has personal experience in shaping the State of Ohio’s $75 Billion biannual operating budget and $2 Billion biannual capital budget. Prior to starting his own business, Chris's career began as an Architect and Historic Preservation Officer at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He was one of the American Institute of Architect's youngest members ever elevated to Fellowship within the Institute.

CAREY NAGLE, AIAgraduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from Iowa State University and is an Associate Principal with BNIM in Des Moines. His award-winning high performance design projects have helped to define design excellence as a balance of design and building performance. Nagle is a holistic practitioner with a broad range of notable project experience, professional leadership and community contributions that demonstrate his rare combination of humility, integrity and drive.

JEFF PASTVA, AIAis the 2015-2016 Communications Director of the Young Architects National Advisory Committee of the AIA, the Editor-in-Chief of YAF CONNECTION and a Project Architect with JDavis in Philadelphia.

IAN MERKER, AIAis an architect at Rainforth Grau Architects in Sacra-mento, CA, specializing in the education sector. He is Film Curator for AIA Central Valley and a former YAF Regional Director.

YU-NGOK LO, AIAis the principal of YNL Architects. He is an Advi-sory Group member of the AIA CCA Knowledge Community. He is also a member of the AIA Cali-fornia Council Committee On the Environment, Advocacy Advisory Committee, and the recipient of the 2015 AIACC Young Architect Award.

AJ SUSTAITA, AIAis a project manager for the education studio of Corgan in Houston. He is currently serving a three year term on the Board of Directors for the Houston Chapter of the AIA. As part of his involvement with the Young Architects Forum he represents several local components by serving as the Young Architect Regional Director for Texas.

STEPHEN T. AYERS, FAIA, LEED AP On February 24, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Mr. Ayers to serve as the 11th Architect of the Capitol. On May 12, 2010, the United States Senate, by unanimous consent, confirmed Mr. Ayers, and on May 13, 2010, the President officially appointed Mr. Ayers to a 10-year term as Architect of the Capitol. He is responsible for the facilities maintenance and operation of the historic U.S. Capitol Building, the care and improvement of more than 553 acres of grounds and the op-eration and maintenance of 17.4 million square feet of buildings. Under Mr. Ayers’ leadership, the AOC has, through a variety of initiatives, re-duced carbon emissions, improved energy efficiency and implemented sustainable design practices throughout the Capitol complex. Mr. Ayers is also committed to supporting small businesses to help facilitate competition and support local communities, and has implemented sev-eral programs to actively award contracts to companies that reflect the diversity of our country. The Architect of the Capitol has approximately 2,300 employees and an annual budget of nearly $600 million.

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

INTERVIEW SUBJECTSJOHN RACH, AIAis the Director of Marketing for CBLH Design. With a Master of Architecture and a Master of Business Administration from Kent State University, John earned his architectural license in 2012. He now leads the firm’s marketing and business development department and is involved in firm recruitment and many of the day-to-day management duties of the firm. He is the current President-Elect for the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) and will take over the President’s role this summer. He chairs and is a member of numerous committees and organizations throughout the architectural industry and his home community.

MICHAEL WINN, AIAjoined AIA Colorado as their first Government Affairs Coordinator shortly after the 2014 election. Having worked in both architecture and politics, he greatly enjoys engaging with local members in their efforts to build a culture of advocacy within the profession. Michael graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Architecture in 2006 and is a licensed architect in Colorado.

DENISE THOMPSON, AIAis a native of Massachusetts and Architecture graduate of Temple University. She is an Associate at Francis Cauffman in Philadelphia focusing on Healthcare Design since 2003. She has also been an active volunteer in the AIA since 2005 representing Philadelphia and Pennsylvania on the NAC and YAF. Currently, Denise is honored to be the AIA Philadelphia President for 2016 and is looking forward to welcoming all her colleagues to the city for the AIA National Convention in May.

F. MICHAEL AYLES, AIA, NCARBis Principal of Business Development at Antinozzi Associates in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Ayles has served almost 25 years as a local, regional and national leader with the AIA, and is a former YAF Chair (2004) and Young Architects Award recipi-ent (2005). Ayles has chaired the Center for Civic Leadership (CCL), a group he helped create over a decade ago, in 2012 and 2015. Ayles also serves as his state’s Architect Licens-ing Advisor, as a board member for the ACE Mentor Program of Connecticut, and as an elected official (third term) on his town’s Board of Finance. He has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Roger Williams University.

MICHAEL WINN, AIAjoined AIA Colorado as their first Government Affairs Coordinator shortly after the 2014 election. Having worked in both architecture and politics, he greatly enjoys engaging with local members in their efforts to build a culture of advocacy within the profession. Michael graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Architecture in 2006 and is a licensed architect in Colorado.

ERIC PEMPUS, AIA, ESQ.is a Risk Manager at Oswald Companies with 35 years of experience in architecture, law and the construction industry. He is a licensed architect in California, Ohio and North Carolina, and an attorney in Ohio. Prior to Oswald, Eric served as General Counsel at a large A/E/CM firm. Eric is a professor at Kent State University’s College of Architecture, teaching the professional practice courses. He is a member of the AIA’s National Ethics Counsel, and chair of a Board of Zoning & Building Appeals. Eric has a Masters of Science in Architecture, University of Cincinnati; and Juris Doctorate, Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles.

KEVIN J. COLLINS, ASSOC. AIAis a Senior Vice President with Victor O. Schinnerer & Company. He has been with the firm for over 24 years in many capacities, including claims management, underwriting, and risk management. Kevin has more than 20 years of experience working with design firms and other construction-related professional service firms on issues of professional liability exposure and business risks. He has spoken extensively on challenges to the design profession and a wide array of practice management issues. He is a graduate of the College of William & Mary where he received a B.A. in Government. He is also a member of the society of Registered Professional Liability Underwriters.

RYAN MCENROE, AIA, ASLA, LEED APis a graduate of the University of Virginia, and both a licensed architect and licensed landscape architect. He is an active participant within the professional community, serving on the NAAB and various NCARB committees. He is the co-founder of the AIA|DC Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program and currently serves the AIA on a national level as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for the Young Architects Forum. Ryan is a project architect at Quinn Evans Architects in Washington, DC.

KAREN McGRAW, AIA focuses on preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of residential, commercial and civic buildings, as well as planning efforts to maintain unique urban neighborhoods. She led the establishment of three Neighborhood Conservation Combining Districts in Central Austin as well as the South Congress Avenue Preservation Plan. Extensive public service has complemented her architecture practice and includes service on Austin's Planning Commission, Downtown Revitalization Task Force, the Mayor’s Cell Tower Task Force, and the Residential Design and Compatibility (McMansion) Task Force and Commission. She has received awards for her work from AIA Austin, the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association, The Heritage Society of Austin, Austin Parks and Recreation Department, the Austin Dispute Resolution Center and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

DAVID J. BROTMAN, FAIAis founder and principal of Sunset Consultants. Prior to founding Sunset Consultants, he served as Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President of RTKL Associates Inc. David has earned a worldwide reputation as an authority on mixed–use and commercial architecture. He has been a speaker at real estate development conferences and a regular contributor to national and international journals. David is a former President of the American Institute of Architects California Council and has served as a California Regional Director on the National Board of the American Institute of Architects. David serves as a Planning Commissioner in the City of Malibu, California and is currently a California Regional Representative for the AIA College of Fellows.

REBECCA JOHNSONis the executive director of AIA Philadelphia and the Center for Architecture and Design, the educational center that the chapter supports. Johnson previously served as executive director of the Fairmount Community Development Corporation (CDC), where she partnered with developers on commercial and residential projects. She also led initiatives to grow the Greater Art Museum Business Alliance (GAMBA) in the Fairmont community. Johnson, a Philadelphia resident for the past 12 years, has served as a land-use and zoning attorney at Scenic Philadelphia (formerly SCRUB), and other law offices in the greater Philadelphia area, where she worked on land development projects, land use legislation, building codes, and design standards.

MICKEY JACOB, FAIA has practiced architecture in Tampa Florida for 35 years and is currently the Executive Vice President for Business Development and Strategy at BDG Architects. As a recognized leader in the AIA, Mickey is a vocal advocate to use design principles to improve the healthy, sustainable and prosperous quality of life in our communities. Additionally, Mickey is active in a variety organizations and is a regular speaker on leadership and the importance of civic engagement.

KATHY LENT, ASSOC. AIAis a designer at BWA architecture + planning in Philadelphia, PA, a Community Design Collaborative volunteer, and co-treasurer, construction tours chair, & co-coordinator of Fast Forward >> Philly for the Philadelphia Emerging Architects committee.

JUDSON KLINE, FAIAis president of CIVITAD Services, providing community and institution development resources. City Councilman and Kent State University College of Architecture adjunct professor, Jud facilitates programs at John Hay High School of Architecture and Design and ACE Mentors at East Tech High School in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. AIA Ohio and Cleveland past president, Jud served on the Diversity Council, Culture Collective and Center for Civic Leadership contributing to "Living Your Life as a Leader, second edition".

STEPHEN PARKER, ASSOC. AIAworks with SmithGroupJJR in Washington, DC, the oldest independent architecture and engineering firm in the country. He is a self-described leadership junkie and design advocate and has held local, state and national leadership roles within the AIAS, NAAB, USGBC and the AIA. His current volunteer work includes community design-build projects and advocacy for the National Design Services Act and the AIA Center for Civic Leadership.

KOREY D. WHITE, AIA, NCARBis a licensed architect at RNL Design in Denver, CO. She is currently the 2016 Vice Chair and 2017 Chair-Elect of the National Associates Committee (NAC). In addition to serving on the NAC, she is the Chair of the National Design Services Act (NDSA) Coalition and a committee member of the AIA National Board Com-munity Committee. At RNL Design, she serves as an architect in the Public Studio working on transporta-tion and infrastructure projects that are imperative to strong communities and improving the environment.

R. STEVEN LEWIS, FAIA, NOMAC, LEED APis an architect and a tireless advocate for social justice and diversity within the field of architecture. In April of 2011, he launched "Thinking Leadership". In March of 2016, Steven was appointed by Detroit mayor Mike Duggan to the position of Urban Design Director for the Central District of the City, where he leads a multi-disciplinary team of professionals engaged in guiding the impact of new growth and investment in a way that benefits all of Detroit’s citizens. He was admitted to the prestigious Loeb Fellowship program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design for the 2006-07 academic year. More than anything, Steve is a facilitator of partnerships and alliances between groups and individuals who seek to use design to bring about positive change to our world.

HILARY BARLOW, AIA is an Architect at Payette, current co-chair of the firm’s Young Designers Core and a member of the AIA Center for Civic Leadership Committee. Hilary is interested in engaging young leaders and has initiated new platforms to foster mentorship at Payette. Hilary joined Payette after completing her B.Arch at Syracuse University in 2013, and has been highly involved with collaborative design assist at Payette.

ILLYA AZAROFF, AIAis a principal +LAB architect PLLC, Assoc. Professor, New York City College of Technology (CUNY) and serves as a Technical Advisor to ASPR informing the NDFR-National Disaster Recovery Framework. He is a subject matter expert with the Rockefeller Foundation 100 Resilient Cities and his studio is engaged in resilient planning and design projects. He is currently serving on the AIA National Strategic Council 2016-2018. In addition he is an instructor with NDTPC-National Disaster Training Preparedness Center in Hawaii.

AUTHORS

MICHAEL WINN, AIAjoined AIA Colorado as their first Government Affairs Coordinator shortly after the 2014 election. Having worked in both architecture and politics, he greatly enjoys engaging with local members in their efforts to build a culture of advocacy within the profession. Michael graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Architecture in 2006 and is a licensed architect in Colorado.

ERIC PEMPUS, AIA, ESQ.is a Risk Manager at Oswald Companies with 35 years of experience in architecture, law and the construction industry. He is a licensed architect in California, Ohio and North Carolina, and an attorney in Ohio. Prior to Oswald, Eric served as General Counsel at a large A/E/CM firm. Eric is a professor at Kent State University’s College of Architecture, teaching the professional practice courses. He is a member of the AIA’s National Ethics Counsel, and chair of a Board of Zoning & Building Appeals. Eric has a Masters of Science in Architecture, University of Cincinnati; and Juris Doctorate, Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles.

ERIKE DE VEYRA, ASSOC. AIAis a project designer at CICADA Architecture & Planning in Philadelphia, PA, the marketing and communications and co-coordinator of Fast Forward >> Philly for the Philadelphia Emerging Architects Committee, organizes PARK(ing) Day Philadelphia, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Center for Architecture and Design. Erike is currently studying and taking the AREs.

RYAN SISON ASSOC. AIAis an architectural designer at BLT Architects in Philadelphia and founder/member of the design platform The Spaces We Share.

06 CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

EDITOR’S NOTE PROVOCATIONS

Jeff Pastva, AIA

Jeff is the 2015-2016 Communications Director of the Young Architects National Advisory Committee of the AIA, the Editor-in-Chief of YAF CONNECTION and a Project Architect with JDavis in Philadelphia.

LEADERSHIP JUNKIES

2016 is a special year for politics. This is one of the first election cycles in decades that almost every American has an opinion on every candidate running for the Presidential nomination.

On one hand, it’s great that there has been such excitement. But what gets lost in the presidential process is what’s known as down the ticket. In both the primary and the general elections, Americans from every district will be deciding who represents their interests from the top position in the land, down to the ward leaders in hyper local politics. Despite flying under the radar, these local leaders are often the ones citizens have the best chance to interact with and get to know personally. It’s also a perfect position for an architect to be in. Throughout this issue of CONNECTION, we profile, spotlight and interview a wide range of architects who have achieved some form of political position. Many of them hail from the Center for Civic Leadership (CCL) Knowledge Community and their roles range from volunteer to elected legislator. I find it incredibly important to start the conversation about civic leadership because it is a relatively unknown path for architects, despite the fact that we possess the skill set that rivals or exceeds that of the traditional lawmaker.

After talking with a number of people this past month, it has become apparent to me that the barrier into politics is mainly a mental one. It’s an uncommon path for those of us that practice and is not on the radar, despite multiple points of entry. Take for example the volunteer position. I had a conversation with an architect who is currently serving as the mayor of Swarthmore, a suburban community outside of Philadelphia. Local political rules dictate that towns under a certain size are governed by volunteers, including the mayor. Since there aren't any career politicians who serve in this capacity, it is a much more open race - including lower financial stakes - for anyone to run for. My contact, Tim Kearney, had been involved in the community for a number of years, primarily in zoning related matters. When the opportunity to fill a vacant seat arose, his involvement was encouraged by those who knew him. He was essentially “tapped” to lead based on his activeness and his ability to work with people. His knowledge of the built environment, ability to solve problems, organization and ability to see the big picture were also key to his success. He has been serving in the position since 2013 and has overseen a number of community initiatives, such as the Pedestrian/Bicycle Committee, the Aging in Place Task Force, pro bono projects, zoning code changes, and the first ever liquor license. Tim has had a tremendous impact on his constituents and a lot of what comes natural can be attributed to his educational and professional background.

Having the skills to perform the duties of the role is a very important qualifier for architects. But it’s also important to note that architects are a barometer of the economy, a creator of jobs and have a toe in much of the interaction that the public has with the built environments. Another aspect that I learned from the architects-turned-legislators is that jobs are one of the most important issues that face Americans when they vote. However, I don’t feel that architects realize the amount of power we have in that arena. We may be reliant on a client to retain our services for a given project, but many jobs are created downstream from our initial contract. Think of these firms are our Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). There are the typical consultants like MEP and structural engineers who provide standard services for building documentation and whom are mostly reliant on the architect securing a project. But this also extends down to the speciality subs - envelope, ADA, historic preservation - that create a sub-economy in the built environment that is driven by the architect. We have a large impact on our economy and that has a large influence in the circles we associate with.

Our standing in the community, our skills as problem solvers, and our ability to create jobs put us in line to be policy leaders. We have all the components to hold public office, but there is still the advocacy required to take the next step. The next time the polls come to town, think about what it would mean to have AIA next to a candidate’s name and how immediately qualified they are to do the job. ■

07APRIL 2016WWW.AIA.ORG/YAF

THE IMPORTANCE OF ARCHITECTSAS PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERS

Section 2 of Living Your Life as a Leader, a publication created by the Center for Civic Leadership (CCL) and published by AIA, states that “architects have the greatest opportunity

to influence their communities through public sector leadership.” We possess knowledge and capabilities often lacking in our communities. And though limitations may occur when opportunities arise in our home community, they can usually be overcome in an ethical manner. The AIA and CCL, of which I have been dedicated to since 2005, advocates for us to become “Citizen Architects”, use our knowledge to advance architects as civic leaders, and enhance the quality of life in our communities. Here is a short story about how I parlayed my professional experience into my local community as a volunteer, appointed officer, and elected official. It’s not as hard as you think! In 1999, my firm interviewed for a large addition to my town’s high school. My residency and project involvement was clearly expressed during the interview, but we were not selected by the town building committee. Afterwards, I discovered that not one design professional served on this committee. There were contractors, attorneys, realtors, even an accountant – but no architects. Having recent leadership experience with AIA, and experience with public school design, I felt obligated as an architect to get involved in the community I was raised in. I was subsequently appointed to the town building committee upon an immediate vacancy … and ironically helped oversee the project my firm was not awarded. After five years of understanding town politics and capital school budgets, the long-time committee chair resigned and I was selected as the new chair. My main goal, besides oversight of the committee and projects assigned, was to ensure that I brought credibility and respect to my role as an architect and, ultimately, to my profession. Simultaneously, as a resident of an historic area in town, I was approached (and subsequently appointed) to fill an ‘in-district’ vacancy on the town’s historic district commission in 2003. Though not sought, I believed this was a great opportunity to serve in a different capacity than I was familiar with – residential design. When I moved “out-of-district” two years later, I was asked to stay on the commission … and serve a two-year term as chair. Involvement as chair of two town committees gave me a positive reputation, if not a crazy one, and in 2006, the final year of a four-year term on one of the town’s elected boards became vacant. I was approached to fill the one year vacancy by appointment, but not without a caveat – run for election the following year for my political party. So I ran for the Board of Finance, despite having no political (or municipal finance!) experience. Amazingly, 30-years as a resident, three children in the school system, and my background as something other than an attorney, accountant, or realtor … was enough to get me elected.

I quickly learned about town and school budgets – the same ones my firm rely on when we design public schools. I was appointed Board liaison to the same building committee I chaired months before, and two other school facility committees to help identify and plan for future building improvements. My professional background became a huge resource for both the Board I served on and other town boards and commissions regarding design and construction issues. Now in my third term on the Board, I am still the only elected official (out of 28) who works in the design and construction industry. In late 2010, my greatest challenge began – appointment as Board liaison to the town’s High School Options Review Committee. For 15 years, my town struggled with the decision of how to address our 60-year old, poorly-constructed high school facility. Someone needed to lead the effort to determine what the best option for the town was and then gain consensus with the taxpayers. Why not an architect? Why not me? I was quickly appointed chair based on my background in school design, knowledge of the challenges that came with passing school funding referenda, and deep passion to see our community have a state-of-the-art high school like those my firm designed and surrounding communities built. For four months, I led 17 elected officials and community members in the process of developing options for approval by the Board of Education. It was a true gut check to work closely with one of my firm’s competitors in developing the options – knowing my firm could not go after the project if it passed. Replacing the existing high school with a new state-of-the-art facility was selected, but that was the easy part. Harmonizing opinions in a community of 22,500 residents can be difficult with small town politics, diverse economic classes, generational differences (i.e. senior citizens), and past history. In addition, our country just experienced the Great Recession. There was no choice but to work diligently and calmly with elected officials, community leaders, and a diverse taxpayer base to gain consensus through trust, transparency, and tenacity. I led an intense six week public relations effort to educate voters about the project details prior to referendum in June 2011. Debating with the vocal minority of naysayers was demanding – both in time and effort. One individual with a professorial doctorate grilled me on every fact prior to the referendum on his blog. But before the vote, he stated: “I want to acknowledge the assistance provided by Michael Ayles. Although we disagree, he has treated me decently and always responded quickly to my email questions. Society functions best when people behave like this.” Voters approved a new high school by a 3:1 margin in June 2011 and, on September 8, 2015, my community opened a new $92M high school facility for 1,150 students - the largest project approved or undertaken by my community. So … how did I get here? Each role I served parlayed to the next one.

by F. Michael Ayles, AIA

08 CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

ARTICLE

YAF REGIONAL SPOTLIGHTChristian Jordan, AIA, is principal at PJA Architecture, adjunct professor in the College of Architecture + the Built Environment at Philadelphia University and is currently the AIA Young Architect Regional Director of Pennsylvania.

What organizations are you involved in as an emerging professional?

I am currently serving as the AIA Young Architect Regional Director of Pennsylvania in which I am part of the Public Relations committee. I have maintained an adjunct professorship position at Philadelphia University since 2006 where I have been able to continue my research into emerging methods in architecture. In 2012, upon receiving my license in Pennsylvania, I became principal at PJA Architecture. I volunteer with the Community Design Collaborative in Philadelphia, a non-profit organization that partners design professionals with other non-profits in the area that require design services.

What are some of the important issues that Young Architects face in today’s industry?

Some of the issues YAs face are not unique to the profession, but certainly have ramifications within the industry: student loan repayment, seeking work|life balance, dealing with age/race/gender inequality, and an increasingly globalized economy, to name a few. One of the issues that I think will most impact young architects in the near future is the perceived reduction of licensing standards. While it is admirable to want to bring more licensed architects into the profession, care needs to be taken to not undermine the value of an architectural license. NCARB’s new Architectural Experience Program, along with its Integrated Path Initiative [allowing students to obtain a license upon graduation] will undoubtedly reduce the amount of time it takes for an emerging professional to become licensed. In a traditionally conservative profession, one in which each preceding generation feels that the subsequent one somehow has it easier, I think it will be important for young architects to find ways to make their voices heard while continuing to demonstrate the value that we bring to a project, firm and community.

What advice would you give to Young Architects looking to get involved in their design community beyond working at a firm?

Find what community organizations exist that fit your interests and get involved. It seems rather simple, but until you make the effort, you will be forever on the sidelines. Habitat for Humanity is great for the work it provides, but also the opportunity it affords a young architect in getting valuable construction experience that is typically not part of traditional practice. The Community Design Collaborative has given me the chance to work with a larger team of design professionals while also providing necessary services to local non-profits. It also does not have to be a large, established entity. Perhaps your place of worship needs design services, or your high school is looking for a way to expose students to professions that they might never know existed. In my short time as a young architect, it is amazing the opportunities that are available if you just take the time to look for them and make the commitment to get involved.

As a practitioner and professor, how does your teaching inform your practice and vice versa?

When I first started teaching, I had only been out of school a year. I had these wonderful ideas about how my academic interests and my professional endeavors would sublimely coalesce into a singular pursuit. After ten years, that hasn’t necessarily been the case. The benefits have been subtler. Certainly, my time in the classroom and research has allowed our professional work to have a more avant garde sensibility to it, when the opportunity is there. My practice has allowed my teachings in the studio to have a more grounded, raison d’état approach to them. Personally, I have found that as a firm leader, YA Regional Director and professor, I am able to relate to students and emerging professionals in a way that I would otherwise be ignorant. My time with students gives me the unique perspective of the recently graduated: their aspirations, what makes them interested in architecture, and how they view the world around them. Being a part of the YAF leadership at the national level, and a firm principal, I am able to feed relevant industry topics to my students so as to enrich the lessons they are learning in the studio. To say the least, the professional/academic relationship has been a fulfilling one so far.

POLITICO

09WWW.AIA.ORG/YAF APRIL 2016

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Call for News, Reviews, EventsDo you have newsworthy content that you’d like to share with our readers? Contact the News Editor, Beth Mosenthal, on twitter @archiadventures

Call for ‘CONNECTION’ Articles, Projects, PhotographyWould you like to submit content for inclusion in an upcoming issue? Contact the Editor, Jeff Pastva at jpastva@gmail.com

YAF RESOURCE GUIDEYAF REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT

The Future of Workforce

What’s the next…architectural practice? This is the question the YAF (Young Architects Forum) is asking to set ground work in place for the next YAF Summit. As we begin to look towards Summit25 in early 2017, we find our focus engaging the discussion for the Future of the Architect. Every five years, the Young Architects Forum (YAF) hosts a summit to reevaluate the needs of Young Architects. The 2012 Summit20 marked the twentieth anniversary of the group, bringing together more than 60 design professionals – including students, interns, young architects, AIA members, and non-members – to discuss top issues affecting Young Architects. The YAF Summit outcomes assist with the development of the strategic plan for the YAF. The YAF Focus Group will identify commonalties for futuristic topics on Young Architect’s minds by engaging a variety of AIA members, components, industry leaders, students and collaterals. The end result of the research will be a video presentation of findings, interviews and what the future workforce looks like for an architect.

The YAF and NAC held their annual joint meeting in February in conjunction with AIA Grassroots. Brainstorming on various topics for our future was a large focus and re-occurring ideas surfaced. Top themes centered on Technology, Collaboration, Diversification, Re-thinking Delivery Methods, and Work-Life Balance. Now that we have these themes identified, what does it all mean for the future of our profession? This is the exciting part: to dream up what our future will become…easy, right?! It is easy for us as designers to fanaticize what could be, but what is the reality? What is the pace of technology, materials and delivery based on what we can concoct in our heads? How do we want to deliver our designs and work with contractors/clients? Is there the possibility for more collaboration with BIM technologies? Can we have our clients put on 3D glasses and take a tour through their new building or space? Does computer programming become more mainstream for architecture? Are we designing for another planet, say Mars?! Some of this is already happening, but what happens next and how do we use it to our advantage?

Over the next few months, the Future of the Workforce Committee will be collecting as much data and insight from our Emerging Professionals across the nation. We encourage everyone to reach out to their local and state Emerging Professionals and pass the information back to our group. This is an exciting time for architects, as we can help direct the future of how we work, produce, design and deliver our phenomenal ideas!

JUNE ISSUE PREVIEW

10 CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

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As we approach graduation season, few issues touch on the anxiety of graduates more than student debt. The plethora of articles on the subject - from the siren call of the next financial

crisis, to its effect on economic growth - highlight the impact on future generations saddled with over $1 trillion in collective student debt. While the causes of this issue are well-established and the product of an unsustainable education system, few solutions have come to the fore. For aspiring architects, the National Design Services Act represents a unique opportunity.

NDSA Coalition

That’s where the NDSA Coalition can make a difference. The Coalition is comprised of stakeholders from various groups and committees dedicated to advocating on behalf of the profession. Because this bill specifically targets student loans and recent graduates, the Coalition is comprised of Emerging Professionals from the AIAS, National Associate Committee, Young Architects Forum, the Center for Civic Leadership, the Government Affairs Committee, among others. The NDSA Coalition was built on the principles of grassroots organization and will serve as a pilot for future advocacy issues. But first, here’s a snapshot of the NDSA so far.

What is the NDSA?

The NDSA is a proposed bill before the House, identified as H.R. 2938, which is in essence a student loan repayment bill. It draws on features of similar programs for doctors, lawyers and veterinarians. In its current iteration, applicants (Sec 5322(B)(1)(a)) “agree to provide eligible design services on behalf of a Community Design Center...”. This would allow recent graduates to volunteer (full or part-time) to pay off their student debt through community service work while pursuing a career and licensure, if they choose. For aspiring architects working at nonprofits as a full-time career, there are other debt relief programs that alleviate student loans yet few such nonprofits provide qualifying experience towards licensure. Hence the need for the NDSA. The NDSA provides a unique opportunity to maintain a career in a traditional firm setting while helping to pay off student debt through service; service that counts towards licensure. As part of a growing generational trend, the volunteerism of young architects can only elevate the profession. Just imagine thousands of emerging professionals, the brightest and most aspirational members of our profession, engaging their communities across the country through design and service leadership.

The Legislative Process

Let us begin by stating that this bill, as with any first concept, is not perfect, nor will it cover or please everyone in its current form. Bills in Congress, once proposed, go through committees and subcommittees, their language refined along the way. Much like any architectural project, the journey from concept to construction can be long, complex and at times, frustrating. Once the bill becomes law, funding levels are determined through the Congressional appropriations process. The Department of Housing and Urban development will administer the program, determine the application process, repayment terms, and specific work requirements. The best scenario the NDSA hopes to achieve is to provide a recent

graduate, who works full-time at a firm while volunteering part-time at a nonprofit, the ability to pay off their student debt bill each month through their service. Moving the bill forward will require a coordinated effort to engage members of Congress, bring media attention to the NDSA and its benefits, and most of all, vocal support from AIA members. This is a role the NDSA Coalition hopes to fill: organizing grassroots efforts and advocating to the larger public. The NDSA may treat the symptoms of student debt, but it’s the best option moving forward for aspiring architects yearning to have a meaningful impact.

Qualifying Degrees

In the profession of architecture, there are multiple education models, most are NAAB-accredited while others are not, and different paths to licensure, with each state's board represented on the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards or NCARB. That said, the current language of the bill that requires applicants to have, (Sec 5322(h)(2)(A)) “completed an accredited masters program in architecture” is a shortcoming we hope to correct in the next iteration. The NDSA Coalition will continue to advocate for pegging eligibility to state requirements for licensure, a crucial feature that’s important to making this bill work for as many aspiring architects as possible.

Community Design Centers

As currently written in the bill, “Community Design Centers” (Sec 5322(h)(1)) or CDCs are “non-profit organizations operated and managed by a licensed architect that conducts research and provides eligible design services for community development projects.” As this definition expands in the next iteration of the bill to reflect NCARB work experience settings, graduates will have greater opportunities to serve while working towards licensure. This could include part-time volunteer work with any non-profits where architects, engineers and landscape architects provide their design services to underserved communities. The idea is to cast a wide net and include as many opportunities as reasonably possible for aspiring architects to impact their communities in meaningful ways.

Eligible Student Loans

The NDSA defines “Qualifying Educational Loans” (Sec 5322(f)(4)) as “those required for the completion of an accredited masters program in architecture, both federal and private loans.” Once the NDSA’s language is expanded to include NCARB licensing requirements, whichever degree is required for a particular state’s licensing requirements will be covered, including a B.Arch, B.S., or B.A. degree, among others.

Moving Forward

The goal of the NDSA Coalition is to build support from within local components and with local CDCs. Our hope is by engaging Emerging Professionals in strategic locations around the country, we can gain enough momentum to pass this bill. For those interested in getting further involved, follow our activities on Facebook. This also includes smaller tasks, such as writing letters or visiting locally with Congress members. Every effort helps and is appreciated. The Coalition is looking to grow, in order to better educate and advocate for the NDSA and aspiring architects. ■

EVOLVING THE NDSAA NATIONAL DIALOGUE

POLITICO

by Stephen Parker, Assoc. AIA and Korey White, AIA

11WWW.AIA.ORG/YAF APRIL 2016

In 1984, at the age of 28, I embarked on an incredible journey of building a design practice in Los Angeles with two like-minded associates, Roland A. Wiley and Steven G. Lott. Together, we

became RAW Architecture (now RAW International, Inc.), and set out to make our mark in and on the built environment as three relatively young architects who happen to be African-American. Thanks to a very close relationship with my father, architect Roger C. Lewis, I understood both the challenges and opportunities that stood before us – challenges that would thrust us forward as leaders in the perpetual struggle against structural inequality that was rampant within the profession; and opportunities to prove the value and need for a diversity among those charged with defining the legacy of our time, based on what we leave behind.

From the start, an inherited sense of social consciousness melded with my love of architecture made me the “citizen architect” that I consider myself to be today. My tireless advocacy for architects of color, along with a demonstrated commitment to cultivating the next generation by advancing the National Organization of Minority Architect’s (NOMA) “Project Pipeline” initiative, has led to my recent selection by the AIA as the 2016 Whitney M. Young, Jr. award recipient, and my elevation to Fellow.

During the time I was busy preparing the applications for both honors, I was approached by my long-time friend and colleague, Maurice Cox, with a request to come to Detroit and serve as the Urban Design Director for the Central District, along with a teaching appointment at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. While the ride to get here was at times turbulent and uncertain, now that I have arrived, it appears in retrospect to have been a carefully constructed path intended to lead me to this opportunity at a magical moment in time for the City of Detroit.

With the support of Detroit mayor Michael Duggan, Maurice has been busily assembling a cohort of like-minded professionals, both those who are just emerging and those who are mature, from near and far whose expertise extends across several disciplines, including landscape architecture, urban design, and historic preservation. We are bound together by an overwhelming sense of duty and purpose to confront a complex set of challenges, which amount to a cause that is much bigger than any of us as individuals. What I have characterized here is the true essence of public service at its best. For a city rapidly awakening after decades of slumber, the goal is to develop a vision for Detroit’s future that is inclusive and respectful of all its residents. By insisting on a participatory process of public engagement – one that has transparency at its core – we shall seek to build public trust, understanding, partnership and ownership of a vision for Detroit’s present and future.

With such issues as education, jobs, city services, and public safety looming large as Detroit emerges from bankruptcy, it is impossible to think of improvements to the built and natural environments in a vacuum. These issues are part of a greater whole that must be nurtured as one entire system. To accomplish this, Detroit’s

Planning and Development Department has organized the City into three districts – East, West, and Central. As a relative newcomer to Detroit, I concur with this approach, which recognizes three distinct typological conditions, each with unique characteristics, challenges, and opportunities. First, there are the broad residential neighborhoods that consist of the most noble and robust single family housing stock that I have ever seen anywhere in the country. Neighborhoods are branded with long-established identities that are reflected in names like Sherwood Forest, Palmer Woods, Indian Village, Harbor Town, and on, and on. These named communities form the structure by which most Detroiters understand and define their city. Each one possesses an historic narrative that residents of all backgrounds are happy to express. Detroiters have an effusive sense of civic pride about their city, having lived through the worst of times, and now hoping to find a brighter future alongside newcomers who, as so often is the case, see only the possibilities of today and tomorrow, with little regard for yesterday.

When Dan Gilbert brought Quicken Loans into downtown Detroit, thousands of employees came along, and fearlessly reinhabited the ruin. Gilbert is credited with providing the economic engine that put wind in the sails of Detroit’s renaissance. Legacy establishments featuring Coney Island hot dogs with chili and raw onions – a Detroit staple – have had to make room for new restaurants with names like Antietam and Republic, and their fare of Brussel sprouts with bacon and anchovy paste. With new populations fueling investment and speculation, older, established communities are at risk of becoming victims of revisionist history.

It is ironic that the robust development and reinvestment that is taking place in Detroit’s infrastructure and neighborhoods would be characterized as problematic; however, unless we are able to identify and/or create a “lane” for all segments of the City’s population to advance in, the endeavor will go down in history as a failure. But the good news is, the leadership being assembled under mayor Michael Duggan is up to the challenge. We have been called to duty, to bring our very best to the fight, with the hope and expectation of turning this bold experiment into resounding success for all who proudly call Detroit home. ■

ANSWERING DETROIT'S CALL OF DUTYby R. Steven Lewis, FAIA, NOMAC, LEED AP

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When we look at the make up of politicians, and particularly architects who have thrown their hat in the ring, it appears to take years or decades in order to ascend to a position

of authority. The prospect of the grind, the ups and downs of elections, and the sheer amount of devotion it takes to get there can be a daunting task for many. But if you start early and are lucky enough to hit cycles at the right moment (opportunity), you can fast track your way sooner than you think.

John Rach, architect and Director of Marketing for CBLH Design, is one of those people that have found his way early and the opportunities continue to present themselves. He was involved in a number of projects with an official capacity such as the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Bike and Pedestrian Friendly Lane project, a number of steering committees that focused on zoning code and master planning and was a project architect on a community library. He currently chairs a number of committees and sits on a few others. All of this previous work helped qualify him for a position to run or be appointed. Just like with any career, he needed to build his resume before taking a crack at a seat on city council. He credits his background in architecture as one of his keys to preparation. John says, “The City of University Heights, coined the City of Beautiful Homes, is about to embark on a wave of new development and it takes an architect’s leadership to ensure smart development fits into the charm of the community to maintain the Beautiful Home title.”

However, just because John had the qualifications to make the leap in his career, he did have some opposition. When we was up for an appointment, there were 18 other candidates vying for the nomination. Not all the candidates were made public, but he can speculate that having a design background was a desirable trait for a political position. He also had the vision, optimism and creative implementation skills that most architects possess.

“The competition was no doubt qualified and I was shocked to hear I beat a former councilperson. Perhaps the Council saw something in me that set me apart or that could add value to the dais.”

John’s current position is a part time, paid position. Which is justified given the amount of work that goes into it. If the opportunity presented itself to stay in politics long term or full time, John is interested. “I very much enjoy what I do for the city and hope I can continue to serve my community until the term limits say otherwise. I enjoy serving at the local level because we can truly instigate change.”

As architects, our natural inclination may be to play to our strengths and only engage in matters related to the built environment. However, once you get involved in policy and governance of thousands of citizens, others issues tend to stand out. Take community for example. It’s a buzzword that is often bandied about by politicians who want to appear connected to their constituency. Architects, on the other hand, know a few things about it. Architects understand what draws people to a community. They understand it takes a city filled with amenities, opportunities, transportation alternatives and diversity to foster a healthy live/work/play environment. To fill in the gaps where John doesn’t have inherent knowledge, he learns on the job. “I learned more about garbage trucks and snowplows in

the last two weeks than I ever thought I would ever need to know. It’s important to be educated on these aspects in order to make the right decisions on capital expenditures. I believe having an MBA helps in understanding the financial side of the city. The City Council is the keeper of the purse; we approve the budget and vote on appropriations.”

John’s current appointment is to fill a vacant seat for the remainder of a term. Going forward, he will have to run a campaign and is planning to gear up this summer for the November 2017 election. It’s an exhilarating time for him and he’ll be pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, marching in parades and attending block parties. He also plans to make use of social media so he can reach a wide audience in an efficient manner. He can be followed via Twitter @CouncilmanRach. In order to get where he needs to be in the next 20 months, here is his playbook:

1. Work with the committee to Complete the City Master Plan – Then campaign on implementing the work of the master plan in the coming decade

2. Receive our first grant request for the first project of the NOACA Study. I will be campaigning on the importance of implementing all the aspects of the study with hopes we can receive as much funding as possible.

3. Revisit the Zoning Code Project that went on hiatus – I believe once our master plan is complete, we can shift our efforts back to the zoning code – my campaign will really push the need for this

4. Ensure the City is not in the way of the new developers of University Square (a nearly abandoned shopping center that is slated for mixed-use redevelopment) and be a loud voice that this redevelopment effort is planned wisely. My upcoming campaign is going to make a push for millennial housing in this new complex.

5. Leverage the efforts of the University Square project to see smart development along two major adjacent corridors (Cedar Road and Warrensville Center Road)

As approachable as a run for council sounds, it always helps to have a mentor to guide decisions along the way. John credits Jud Kline, FAIA from Kent State, with opening the door. It all started with a presentation at the Ohio AIA Convention, when Jud spoke about his recent campaign to be on council. John always had a vision for local politics, but this confirmed that it’s possible to make inroads into politics as an architect. But it’s not just about showing the door. Inspiration is an important aspect too. Jud gave John some advice that he really took to heart. For years, John would watch sunsets over Lake Erie and opine about what he had or had not accomplished that day. Even if a lot of work was done, he always had to ask himself the value of all that he did. If it wasn’t enough, unfortunately that day is now over and he would never get that time back. But Jud also has an interest in the sun, but from the opposite spectrum. Jud has a passion for sunrises because it represents a new day. He often asks himself “What can I get done today?” John believes this optimistic outlook has changed the way he thinks. He has stopped living in the past and instead looks to the future. ■

FAST TRACKING ENGAGEMENTAN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN RACH, AIA

POLITICO

by Jeff Pastva, AIA

13WWW.AIA.ORG/YAF APRIL 2016

Michael Winn joined AIA Colorado as their first Government Affairs Coordinator shortly after the 2014 election. Having worked in both architecture and politics, he enjoys engaging

with local members in their efforts to build a culture of advocacy within the profession. Read ahead to learn how Michael has paired his architectural experience and licensure with a career in politics.

BM: What is your background (academically and professionally) and how did it get you to where you are now?

MW: Academically, I studied architecture at Ball State University and received a BARCH and BS in Environmental Design in 2006. Professionally, I’ve worked for both small and large offices, nationally and internationally, on a wide variety of project types. I received my Colorado Architect's License in 2015.

On the advocacy and government affairs side, I started out by simply volunteering with the state-level political party, eventually serving as both a Finance Chair and Co-Captain in my state house district. This allowed me to work on several targeted campaigns, which in turn gave me the opportunity to become a legislative aide, a field director and campaign manager.

Over time, all of this together, gently nudged me toward the realization that my interests lie at the intersection of politics and architecture. Having such a solid grounding in the profession, as well as a healthy interest in politics, helped me acquire my current position, and continues to help me in that role.

BM: What is a typical day in the life of a Government Affairs Coordinator for AIA Colorado?

MW: Essentially my day comes down to balancing two primary objectives. First, as an organization, we need to be in a position to effectively react to issues as they arise. So a typical day may include things like reviewing legislation, preparing position statements, or monitoring news and industry publications. Second, we’re continually working to develop a framework under which our members are equipped to be proactive, rather than reactive, and prepared to bring important issues to the table and lead the conversation. Often a large part of my day also includes helping our local sections develop advocacy goals and identifying opportunities for our members to get involved in local advocacy efforts. Broadly speaking, my day is focused on balancing these two equally important priorities.

BM: Prior to working for the AIA, you participated in many diverse political roles including a legislative aide for the state of Colorado as well as a campaign manager. How did your architectural education prepare you for these types of roles?

MW: I don’t know that my education necessarily prepared me for any of these political roles. Though, the precise lessons learned in school can be hugely impactful, but not always immediately evident. I suppose, what my architectural education offered me was the opportunity to really contemplate the intersection and limits of both architecture and politics. Here’s what I mean by that: There are real challenges in the world today. Architecture, as well as public policy, is equipped to address some, but not all, of them. That’s OK. Through architecture, we learn how to ask the right questions, identify the root challenges, and apply the most

appropriate solutions. To me, this is a universally valuable and endlessly transferable skill that all architects possess.

BM: Are there any obvious overlaps between architecture and politics?

MW: For better or worse, what, how and where we build today is largely determined by public policy. There is nothing but overlap between architecture and politics. As professionals, we can either step into this environment and shape these policies in such a way that they facilitate our best work, or simply react to the rules as they’re given to us.

BM: What do you believe are the most pressing issues for architects as they relate to political decisions and legislation that will continue to impact architecture as a professional practice?

MW: To me, the most pressing issue isn’t any particular policy, but rather continuing to develop a culture among architects, and the design community broadly, that embraces policy-making as a necessary and important part of our work. Our opinions on particular issues may differ. That’s not really a problem, but an opportunity in my mind. It’s far more important to me to have individuals with the unique skillset that architects possess at the table debating the issue, than necessarily agreeing on the solution.

BM: Having worked in architectural firms and political offices, what do you believe are the common characteristics that consistently help define the title or description of an effective leader?

MW: In my experience, the most effective leaders have an uncanny sense for the needs of their team. Either through skill or hard work, great leaders develop the ability to both meet people where they are and bring them into a team, in the way that’s right for that individual. Great leaders instinctively understand and appreciate what each team member needs and know how to speak to those needs in a way that brings them into alignment with the team’s objectives.

BM: What advice do you have for architects that are interested in playing a more active role in advocacy and politics on a local and state scale?

MW: Just do it. There’s a place for everyone in advocacy (and I don’t mean that in some lovey-dovey, kumbaya sense, either). The real problem is that there are simply more opportunities, and a greater variety of opportunities out there than architects to fill them. Interested in an outward-facing role? Right now, there are public and private conversations happening that would benefit immensely from an architect’s perspective. Apply to be on your local planning board or get involved with a politically active industry coalition. More interested in behind-the-scenes action? There are policy proposals floating around at this very moment that desperately need an architect’s critical eye. Get in touch with your section’s advocacy team to help them review local ordinances or plot out a long-term advocacy strategy. Don’t know if your section has an advocacy team or strategy? Talk to your Board of Directors about organizing one. There are so many viable paths to getting involved, and the need is so great, that there really is no excuse. Find an opportunity that’s right for you, and dive in. And if you still can’t find something, ask for help. ■

by Beth R. Mosenthal, AIA

ALTERNATIVE PRACTICEAN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL WINN, AIA

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As emerging professionals and AIA members answer the call to fill the gap following disasters, there are many moments of learning, success, and failure where we will keep trying to

make a difference. With the passing of every day, conferences such as COP21 in Paris, and every report on climate change, architects are adapting to new parameters defined by environmental concerns. Of note, more than 80 percent of disasters are climate related, climate change will create 150 million to 2 billion migrants in the coming years, and 23 percent of all global deaths are linked to the environment - that's 12.6 million people annually. There are a lot of Gaps to fill.

Just last year, the YAF dedicated an entire issue of CONNECTION to resilience, appropriately named Ahead of the Surge. The articles examined the profession and focused on emerging professionals who were engaged in work related to resilience. 10 years after Katrina, 5 years after Tohoku and 4 Years after Sandy, we should pause and note the success and track some of the changes architects have led or shaped. The authors identified areas of opportunity and gaps in leadership where emerging professionals can make a difference, grow a business or add to their services. Additionally, the educational session Mind the Gap has been presented at regional and national AIA conventions for the past three years, highlighting opportunities for architects to make a difference. However, what is the measurable difference we are making? What is the result in filling the gaps in the new resilience movement?

Reducing stresses on communities is at the core of resilience; supply chains and resources are as important as physical structures are to resilient practice and risk reduction. Working in this area of expertise, architects have been able to make changes to the way we build, govern, and assess risk. A few of the areas of advancement may resonate with many architects.

My experience in New York City is a good example of AIA members filling the Gap. Jessica Sheridan, AIA and I were part of 200+ volunteers and 20 organizations that helped create the Post Sandy Initiative document. It was a set of recommendations that resulted in updated codes, zoning, and written legislation for New York City. In the first year following Sandy, over 30 amendments to the city building code were developed and passed with the help of the AIA. In the years following, 27 resiliency-related City Council bills have been introduced and 17 local laws have been enacted that match Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT) recommendations promoted by AIA components. A few of the amendments govern the raising and moving of buildings, permit fee waivers, flood manual, backflow prevention, flood maps, raising building systems, flood barriers, and emergency & standby power systems, to name a few.

One of the widest Gaps identified in our region are risks to the multifamily building stock. Teams of architects have jumped in by providing essential guidance for resilience in this area. I was fortunate to join fellow subject matter expert Mark Ginsberg, FAIA in contributing to Retrofitting Buildings for Flood Risk, released by the Department of City Planning NYC. A few quotes include:

“The report was developed through close coordination with the FEMA Hurricane Sandy Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT), the Department of Buildings, and the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects who all provided professional expertise on flood mitigation strategies.”

“..a unique resource to help New Yorkers in the floodplain navigate the new regulatory landscape..”

“Building a more resilient city requires both building-scale solutions and neighborhood-scale engagement and action”

- Carl Weisbrod, Director Department of City Planning

AIA members also worked with Enterprise Community Partners to produce Strategies for Multifamily Building Resilience - a collection of 19 practical strategies that building owners can use to make their properties more resilient against the effects of extreme weather events. The manual is being reviewed by FEMA as possible best practices and guidance for adoption nationwide, while the City of New York looks at the manual for future policy changes.

Other programs such as Build-it-Back and New York Rising are intended to put people back in their homes. Dan Horn, Assoc. AIA, and his Operation Resilient Long Island (ORLI) team is one of the many groups that have participated. ORLI has played a key role in implementing CDBG-DR funded plans as part of the NY Rising community reconstruction zone program in Lindenhurst Long Island. AIA members have been involved with HUD and Rebuild by Design and I am one of several architects that have been invited to advise the Mayor's Office of Resilience and Recovery (ORR) for best practices and policies that protect buildings and infrastructure. Together we are filling the Gap.

In New Orleans, emerging professional Jacob Dunn is part of the team, led by Waggonner & Ball Architects, that created the The New Orleans Water Plan. The NOLA Water Plan is now policy and has permeated all levels of stakeholders for the built environment. Due in part to these efforts, NOLA won part of the NDRC/HUD grant money ($141,000,000) and a portion will go to realizing certain portions of the water plan.

AFTER THE SURGEWHAT WE LEAVE IN OUR WAKE

POLITICO

by Illya Azaroff, AIA

15WWW.AIA.ORG/YAF APRIL 2016

Following Typhoon Hyan, Austin Reed, a founding member of ORLI, branched out to the Philippines to help fill the gaps for island communities. His team is constructing a public space for the people of General Luna and Siargao Island. The new community hub will serve the local residence and a neighboring resilient park is being built as an example of safe construction for the area. It's the most efficient way to educate and make Siargao a more holistically resilient and sustainable place. The plan is to attract and educate the youth, who will in turn influence the elders and other locals. As the park evolves, hopefully it can spread organically into the rest of the Philippines and other coastal communities abroad.

Nationally, "Good Samaritan" legislation has now been passed in 33 states, with much of the effort coming from AIA members. Our regional recovery working group (AIARRWG), has run three major regional convenings of stakeholders surrounding Infrastructure, Coastal Reconstruction and Coordinated Recovery. The governance and policy changes from these three workshops continue to resonate today. Our group fostered coordination across state lines to create fertile ground for legislative response to shared Sandy issues. Recently the AIARRWG initiated a gathering of local mayors in NJ to coordinate community-to-community resilience planning.

Safe to say we are making a difference as emerging professionals and the AIA is at the forefront of resilience, policy, and guidance. In my opinion, Resilience is Health Safety and Welfare, and the Institute must recognize our natural leadership role, the opportunities it presents to our members and the positive impact we will continue to have on our communities if we Mind the Gap. ■

Above: A map where Good Samaritan legislation exists throughout the nation. Image Courtesy of the AIA.

Eric O. Pempus (EP), AIA, Esq., NCARB, LEED GA: Chair, Board of Zoning & Building Appeals (BZA) and Liaison to the Master Plan Review Committee, City of Rocky River, OH. Risk Manager, Oswald Companies; and Professor, Kent State University College of Architecture & Environmental DesignDavid J. Brotman (DB), FAIA: Planning Commissioner, City of Malibu, CA. Principal and Founder, Sunset Consultants Judson A. Kline (JK) FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP: Councilman, Planning Commissioner, ABR Orange Village. President, CIVITAD Services, LLCKaren McGraw (KM): Member, Planning Commission, City of Austin, 2016, Vice-Chair, Residential Design and Compatibility Commission, City of Austin, 2006-2015, member AIA Center for Civic Leadership Committee. Principal, Karen McGraw Architect PLLC

16 CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

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Our participants are all Citizen Architects who engage in their communities through public service and are active members of the AIA Center for Civic Leadership (CCL). The CCL is

an AIA advocacy group whose mission is to advance leadership among architects by promoting livable, healthy, sustainable and quality-designed environments for future generations through community participation and advocacy. The CCL is focused on three initiatives—identifying and recognizing Citizen Architects nationally, organizing a national AIA leadership Institute and sharing leadership resources.

Whether the role of each of our participants is elected, appointed, or volunteer, each Citizen Architect is making an impact in his or her local community through civic engagement. Traditionally, Architects have not been seen as common candidates for public sector leadership, even though their unique knowledge and vision create ideal opportunities for impact. Some Architects fear that they are ethically prohibited from serving their own communities. While occasional restrictions may exist, it is important not to forget about the deeper understanding instilled in Architects through education and practice. Architects have the ability to set aside personal views to represent the interests of the constituents and communities. From serving on boards and commissions, to contributing to community planning and neighborhood studies, architects have the capability to introduce legislation and positively impact communities. Each of our participating Citizen Architects have taken different paths towards election, appointment, or volunteering.

Elected officials position themselves in a chosen leadership role through the campaign process, building trust in their constituency. They serve a term in public office as an elected official at the local, state, or national level. Eric Pempus, who became involved in public service leadership as a young architect, emphasizes that an elected Citizen Architect requires character and vision to represent the constituency.

EP: Public service requires the highest degrees of ethical conduct, involving discretion and professional judgment. Emerging professionals and architects interested in entering public service should examine their own moral compass, to determine if they are willing to be exposed to public scrutiny. My greatest achievement in public service thus far is feeling that I have fairly conducted each hearing, balancing the public’s interest against individual rights.

David Brotman, is the first and only architect to serve on the city of Malibu, California’s Planning Commission since its inception twenty-five years ago. As an architect serving an elected position, he brings a unique understanding of the built environment and insightful vision.

DB: Involvement and growth in public service is much like growth in other aspects of one's career. It is very much opportunistic. Pick something that interests you, get involved, and look for opportunities to exhibit your skills. Malibu has a significant movement of NIMBY-ism, combined with a lack of a master plan. I have campaigned for a specific plan for the core of the City, and fortunately it looks like the Council is moving towards its development.

Appointed leaders are designated by an elected official and presented to the constituency as a trusted leader. Appointed Citizen Architects serve on a local, state or national board, commission, or committee. Roles include: planning commissioners, design review board members, board of zoning appeals, special task forces, standing committee representatives, etc. Now retired from the architecture firm where we was a partner for 37 years, Jud Kline impacts community vision and image through a community oriented and largely pro bono firm, CIVITAD.

JK: Architects have the tools to enter public service; it is embedded in our design DNA. The perspective architects can provide to our communities derives from our education, experience and talent. It is an invaluable asset that we need to use. I believe that we bring

POLITICO

CITIZEN ARCHITECTSLEADING THROUGH ACTIVE ENGAGEMENTby Hilary Barlow, AIA

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to the table vision, optimism, ideation, collaboration, creativity, commitment and determination to solve problems—not just point them out. In my public service career thus far, I’ve initiated a multi-community traffic improvement project, led a mixed-use development project, written zoning codes, and have acted as a liaison between the community and developer as well as written a set of green building guidelines which has resulted in a local green certification program.

Volunteer leaders volunteer their time to enhance the built environment through civic and community engagement. Karen McGraw, a member of Austin’s City Planning Commission views her role as caring for the whole community at various scales. From leading neighborhood-planning efforts and renovating historic homes and commercial buildings, to weighing in on public policies that affect the community, she has found that fostering the expression of varying opinions enriches the outcome.

KM: For those interested in pursuing public service leadership, start by becoming involved in an effort or issue that interests you via your neighborhood association, the AIA, a political group or any community group. Volunteer for a city commission or leadership position because architects are trained in problem solving, understand the built world and have much to contribute to civic decision-making, even if they are just starting in the profession. Become involved in an issue that inspires you and draws from your passion as an architect. You will learn as you volunteer.

When asked at what stage in her career she decided to pursue public leadership, Karen’s answer was based on interest in a particular problem rather than career stage or age.

KM: As my current Council Member, Kathie Tovo, says, "It only takes one bad civic decision to push someone to take action or run for office." For me, it was the proposal of an inwardly oriented mall in the middle of downtown Austin in 1979.

At the time, I was the Executive Director of Designers’ Space, a non-profit arts organization. The city of Austin decided to “revitalize” the area that housed artists and arts organizations in downtown Austin, but the standard urban renewal program was not followed—no efforts were made to assist those being relocated. In the interest of all of our artists, I went to bat to prevent a terrible mall project in downtown Austin as well as to assist our group. The Designers’ Space group gathered up our energies and relocated to two buildings just outside of downtown Austin. We were able to kill the mall project and get the Downtown Revitalization Task Force established by the City Council. I was appointed Vice-Chairman and an important mentor in my life, Alan Taniguchi, FAIA, was appointed Chairman.

Regardless of position—elected, appointed, or volunteer — public leadership is about action and engaging in civic participation. It is an opportunity architects have to positively impact communities and society.

KM: A Citizen Architect is someone who shares their talents, resources, and passions with their community. It means someone who gives back to the community and indirectly enriches their ability to serve their clients.

DB: It is an Architect who uses his/her skill and training to carry Theodore Roosevelt’s definition of “good citizen” even further. Roosevelt said, “The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his weight; that he shall not be a mere passenger, but shall do his share in the work that each generation of us finds ready to hand; and, furthermore, that in doing his work he shall show, not only the capacity for sturdy self-help, but also self-respecting regard for the rights of others.”

EP: To me, Citizen Architect means using my ability and experience to fairly administer my responsibilities as chair of a BZA. As such, I utilize my insights, talents and training to contribute meaningfully, beyond myself, to the improvement of my community. As a Citizen Architect, I serve my community’s best interests for a higher quality life, for the greatest good of all, to the best of my professional judgment.

JK: Citizen Architect is based upon the idea of a commitment ‘to do good to do well.’ I believe it means to play a role in the community by offering the knowledge and experience we have gained from our education, practice, and creativity to make our communities more livable places. It means to advocate for values we believe in, such as sustainability, smart growth, and good design, demonstrating and being the leaders we can be.

A Citizen Architect can be defined many ways, and these are just some examples of what being a Citizen Architect can look like and what they can do. As architects, we have a responsibility to ourselves and the profession to be involved and take action—to listen, understand and lead. ■

Receive a 20% discount on your purchase of Living Your Life As A Leader. Mention you read CITIZEN ARCHITECTS in YAF Connection on the order form.

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The contract negotiation process provides an opportunity to set the client-architect relationship on a firm and productive course. Too often, inexperienced architects

rely on undocumented statements as the basis of the scope of their services and the compensation they will receive. In their enthusiasm, or haste, to put the new capital asset in place the essential details of the agreement for professional services are sometimes left unclear or incomplete.

Both parties on a project—the client expressing the project goals and the architect establishing the methodology and time frame for the professional services—must have a full appreciation of the issues involved in the negotiation process. The content of a contract between an architect and the client is often closely negotiated and is intended to record their expectations and constitute the ground rules for their relationship until each party’s contractual undertaking is discharged. The contracting process, therefore, can be viewed as the first phase of project delivery and the resulting contract can be viewed as the foundation for each phase of service that follows.

Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, underwriting manager for the CNA insurance policy, has identified four steps that firms can take to help ensure that the contract negotiation process is productive. Each one is critical to the overall success of project delivery.

Step 1: Determine the Type of Agreement

Architects typically encounter five generic types of professional services agreements:

• Oral agreements

• Letter agreements

• Purchase orders

• Standard form agreements (often with extensive modifications)

• Custom agreements

There are no business or risk management advantages to oral contracts. According to claims statistics from the Schinnerer professional liability insurance program, compared to when a standard AIA contract is used, a claim involving an oral agreement is 27% more likely to require an indemnity payment. An obvious problem with oral contracts is that their existence and terms are difficult to prove. Although parties may have the best of intentions at the initiation of a project, without a clear documentation of the scope, timing, and compensation there can be misunderstandings that plague the project and often carry over into disputes once the project is completed. People move on to other assignments and memories often fade. Even though a contract need not be in writing to be enforceable, executing written contracts is good policy and offers many benefits. A written contract provides objective, documented evidence of the agreement, unlike an oral contract, in which the terms are left to the subjective and possibly biased recollection of each party. Having a contract in writing provides an

STEPS FOR REVIEWING A CONTRACT POLITICO

by Kevin J. Collins, RPLU, Associate AIASenior Vice President, Professional LinesVictor O. Schinnerer & Company

opportunity for each party to review the terms and make certain they are comfortable with their undertakings and obligations. In the event that a dispute cannot be resolved directly between the parties, a written contract provides a basis upon which some third party (e.g., judge or arbitrator) may resolve the dispute.

Custom agreements drafted by the prospective client often present the greatest danger for the architect. Such agreements are usually developed because of the unique nature of a project or because of events that occur in the normal course of dealing with the client. However, the use of custom contracts may be driven by the client's intent to establish an unbalanced contractual relationship.

Obviously, the many standard professional services agreements published by the AIA are preferable to an unwritten or client-generated agreement form. The AIA documents are very careful in translating the normal standard of care for professional services into a balanced and clear agreement. The documents provide a sound basis for a professional relationship and have been considerate of industry customs and construed by courts.

No architect, however, should use a standard AIA form without understanding the reason for the provisions included in the consensus contract form. The AIA provides guidance on what the provisions mean and offers alternative language to enable the architect to customize the contract with the client to meet specific concerns.

It is important that architects include certain project specific and general condition terms in their agreements and strive to limit onerous, unrealistic, or ambiguous terms. In this effort, it is often useful to start by comparing the proposed changes to a standard form or the provisions in a client-generated contract with the language of standard AlA documents.

Step 2: Ask These Questions

From a risk management perspective, the outcome of the contract negotiation process can be considered successful if a firm can answer yes to each of these questions:

• Are the expectations of the parties clearly articulated and reasonably integrated?

• Are the rights and obligations of the parties clearly expressed?

• Are the risks and rewards fairly allocated?

• Is each source of risk allocated to the party in the best position to control or otherwise manage that risk?

• Is insurance available to support any common law or contractual indemnity obligation?

• Do mechanisms exist to accommodate changes during the course of the project?

• Is the mutual understanding of the parties confirmed in writing?

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It is often helpful to think of the professional services agreement as an inventory and explanation of rights, responsibilities, and procedures. Through their agreement, the parties can state the goals and expectations they have of each other and of third parties; they can allocate rights and responsibilities, risks and rewards. The parties can establish procedures for dealing with conditions that may change during the performance of their contractual duties, and they can mitigate the impact of disputes by establishing dispute resolution provisions that are both timely and fair. Such an agreement can allow performance to unfold over time without placing either party at the whims of the other.

Step 3: Check the Establishment of Scope, Time, and Compensation

Perhaps the two most important aspects of an agreement are the description of the scope of services and the method for determining the architect's compensation. Great care should be taken in delineating the scope of services. A good approach is to divide the services into four categories:

• Basic services—those that are included.

• Additional services—those that will be provided at additional cost when authorized.

• Expressly disclaimed services—those that are not included and for which responsibility is expressly disclaimed.

• Client responsibilities—those that will be provided by the client at no cost to the architect and upon which the architect can reasonably rely.

A third, increasingly important aspect is the time allocated for the delivery of services.

• The architect's scope of services should be defined with reasonable precision within the agreement. An ambiguous or unspecified definition of scope may lead to an obligation to perform not yet considered services or to a dispute with the client.

• The agreement should specify the time expectations for the rendering of services and the submission of deliverables. Time parameters, however, cannot be stated as absolute; milestones or deadlines must be adjusted when delays are caused by factors beyond the architect’s control.

Professional services agreements must include guidelines for prompt payment. Prevention of unreasonable withholding of fees and renegotiation requirements of fees for delayed or terminated projects are important parts of the professional services agreement.

Step 4: Check that the Professional Services and Construction Contracts Are Coordinated

One of the most common oversights architects make is failing to check that the general conditions guiding the professional services and the authority of the architect stated in the construction contracts are coordinated. Often, the contract for design services is executed months before the construction contract and general conditions are developed, and the architect does not have an opportunity to check for conflicts between the two agreements.

If the architect is to perform construction phase services, the construction contract and general conditions must specify the architect's role. Provisions that should be carefully checked include:

• Evaluation of construction

• Certificates of payment to the contractor

• Submittal review

• Change orders

• Project completion and closeout

Since the AlA publishes families of documents, coordination is less of an issue. However, if the design and construction contracts are custom agreements, or if one agreement is standard and the other is custom, care should be taken to make sure the agreements are coordinated.

Many inexperienced architects look at contracts for professional services as either taking time away from their design opportunities, as starting the relationship with the client on an adversarial basis, or as unnecessary or incomprehensible “boiler plate.” Based on Schinnerer’s risk management guidance, defining the architect’s role on the project, clearly setting expectations, establishing the lines of authority and communication, and matching the scope of services to appropriate compensation are basic concomitants of providing professional services. Architects should take the appropriate steps in reviewing their contractual rights and obligations before starting services on a project. ■

Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, Inc. and CNA work with the AIA Trust to offer AIA members quality risk management coverage through the AIA Trust Professional Liability Insurance Program and Business Owners Program. For programs and resources that address the challenges that architects face, visit the AIA Trust website, www.TheAIATrust.com.

The AIA Trustis a free risk management resource for AIA Members offering indispensable practice resources & valuable benefit plans for AIA members and components. Check out all the resources and benefits designed to help mem-bers starting and running their own firms – at theAIATrust.com.

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David W. Robinson is currently serving his second term as City Council Member for the At-Large 2 position. He was recently appointed by Mayor Sylvester Turner to represent Houston

on the regional Transportation Policy Council.

Early in his architectural career, David assisted with the new U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, and then contributed to the development and production of the master planning document for the campus of the Texas Children’s Hospital. In 1999, he started his own company as a sole practitioner with a broad, diverse portfolio ranging from health care to housing. As a small business owner, David kept his practice going through good times and lean. Currently, he is fortunate to have a healthy list of projects mostly located in the Houston area. He teaches a graduate-level course for Texas Tech University in the Houston program on planning and development called "Infrastructure in the Urban Environment.”

Along with his architectural practice, David has been actively involved with neighborhood issues, serving eight years as an officer of the Neartown (Montrose) Association, including terms as vice president and president. With the nomination of civic club representatives from across Houston, he was elected to serve as chairman and president of the citywide Super Neighborhood Alliance to a maximum two-year term that concluded in January 2013. While serving on the board of directors of the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, David was appointed to the City of Houston Planning Commission by Mayor Bill White in 2007 and re-appointed by Mayor Annise Parker in 2009 – becoming the first licensed architect to serve the city as a commissioner since the 1970's.

David Robinson received a BA in Architecture from Yale College in 1988 and earned a Master of Architecture from Rice University in 1993. He is the proud father of 16-year-old Elissa and an active member of Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church.

What inspired you to serve in public office?

My father is a now retired professor of political science and government, so I grew up with a strong background and interest in all things politics. The point at which that influence and upbringing entered my career was not until I became a licensed and practicing architect. It’s often stated that architecture is a service profession. When we’re designing we have a duty as licensed professionals to protect the health, safety and welfare of the general public. I also consider being a good steward of our clients' interests as part of those responsibilities. In that regard I extend those service oriented paradigms as part of what I do as an elected City Council Member.

How has being a registered architect influenced your time as a member of the City Council for Houston, Texas?

When I think of my architecture practice now I consider working on the City of Houston my number one project. It’s not necessarily a design problem every day, but it is work that strives to improve the city both fiscally and/or physically. The skill set that we acquire through architectural training and practice has been very practically applicable to what I do in public office. Before running for City Council my architectural practice was largely focused on healthcare. As a project architect working on a large hospital, my role was not only in design but also as number one communicator representing a large group of interests. For me that was excellent training for the type of collaborative communicating that has to take place to do something big and successful.

Can you give us some examples of the types of projects that you have worked on a Council Member at-large?

There are two examples I can share. The first is the Bayou Greenway Initiative. Houston’s bayous in my opinion are our most dominant feature in an otherwise fairly monolithic landscape. In total we have five primary bayous in the City of Houston. The potential for how they inform their surrounding neighborhoods is a design challenge for infrastructure in an urban environment that we have yet to fully develop. Our goal is to integrate sustainability and green living into the lives of Houstonians by improving these natural corridors through the city.

The second example ties directly into the Greenway Bayou Initiative and involves a Bicycle Master Plan along and around these major bayous. If we beautify the infrastructure around these natural elements, people will become more interested and motivated to walk or bicycle around them. This is a very organic opportunity for the city to create something that will help us take better care of ourselves. Through the power of planning and design we can contribute to the struggle against childhood obesity and sedentary lifestyles by inspiring Houstonians to be active and exercise more. The fact that we now have a Bicycle Master Plan and a Bayou Greenway Initiative is a direct byproduct of years of working to implement impactful planning in the City of Houston. The city seems to be hitting its stride in terms of producing and adopting master plans and I attribute a great deal of credit of that to former Mayor Annise Parker for being a strong advocate for planning during her term.

POLITICO

A PRACTICING ARCHITECT IN PUBLIC OFFICEDAVID W. ROBINSON, CITY OF HOUSTON COUNCIL MEMBERby AJ Sustaita, AIA

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Speaking of the power of advocacy, can you give us your thoughts on the importance of emerging professionals engaging local politicians and state representatives?

Advocacy is a fantastic, not to mention fun and exciting, way to learn about what our legislators are doing for us. For those of us who are really engaged in the place we live, it’s a real eye opening experience to be part of that process. During legislative years in Texas, we have a state wide trip that architects and associates take to our capitol in Austin where we engage with our representatives in person. Breaking out into small groups and personally visiting these legislators forces you to wrap your head around the issues of the day. It’s very helpful to understand what to prioritize in one’s practice. Also, these conversations with our lawmakers give you insight into where we’re heading as a society. Knowing what bills are being proposed and having the opportunity to voice your position is vital to the state of our practice. This is valuable exposure to a level of the practice of architecture that you would not get by staying home. I have made the trip several times myself with the Houston group and it’s been a great experience every time.

What parting advice do you have for emerging professionals in our profession?

At the risk of sounding like a dinosaur I’d like to volunteer some advice that was given to me when I was a teenager setting out on the path to becoming an architect. That advice was to draw every single day. I teach a class for Texas Tech here in Houston and I require that my students keep a daily journal. In that journal students can write, sketch or even engage in Haiku. Keeping a journal serves a couple of purposes. It forces exploration and investigation of the urban environment. It also allows them to thoroughly consider what an appropriate definition of urban infrastructure is. I have a former colleague, Steve Costello, that liked to say that infrastructure is everything from the soles of your feet down.

For my students, I love to couple this exploration of infrastructure with illustration. Given our current age of digital technology, there is something absolutely compelling about an architect that can communicate with a client in a really facile way. If you find yourself in a meeting with a client where you need to communicate an idea, you should be able to draw it for them right then and there. ■

Above: Overseeing progress. Image Courtesy of the David W. Robinson.

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Architects have the potential to make a difference affecting the quality of life in their communities through the application of both the design skills employed in producing projects and

the leadership skills engaged in guiding community initiatives. In exploring strategies for community leadership endeavors, recognizing the value they can provide for both their practices and the communities in which they practice will result in the increased involvement with their communities by architects.

In promoting the significance of community service through the profession, architects can contribute to building the foundation for our own futures. Through fostering a core value that encourages and supports the actions of a profession that can be of ever increasing value to our communities, we become a valued source for community involvement challenged to pursue worthy endeavors. If the preferred outcome of producing architect-leaders is to be achieved, then the importance of instilling a commitment for civic action and providing the tools and examples to achieve it is essential.

Promoting architects to have a role as leaders in society leads to learning how to be a community asset and increasing the potential for architects to take action. The mission, therefore, is to encourage participation in service and to promote interest in creating initiatives through practice-based activities. To achieve the mission of creating a more engaged profession, the recognition of objectives to achieve the goal is essential and includes: gaining an insight into why architects, in particular, need to participate along with the strategies, tactics and knowledge as to how to become involved.

Essential in stimulating involvement is answering the questions: Why should architects participate as volunteers, let alone, become the leaders in programs and projects? Where are areas of engagement? What are the opportunities for involvement? How does the process happen?

Why Be Involved?

Architects are naturally raised community leaders; however, often they do not see the potential in civic roles. The education, ideation skills, creativity, vision and problem-solving capacity possessed by architects are fundamental for creative intervention. The challenge is to enlist participation. In order to encourage engagement, a motivational spark is needed and is derived from understanding why participation is important.

Simply stated, it is the right thing to do. Taking part in community adds meaning and fulfillment to daily practice. Furthermore, it makes good use of the resources architects have to offer both in economic terms and intellectual ones.

Rotary International, an organization linking local business people with those around the world through a desire to provide service to their local communities, refers to “the Four Way Test “ as a barometer for measuring the need for involvement and the value it provides. The test is made up of four questions which participants should address through the service action:

ARCHITECTS AS CATALYSTS FOR CIVIC INITIATIVE POLITICO

by Jud Kline, FAIA

1. Is it the truth?

2. Is it fair to all concerned?

3. Will it build goodwill and better friendship?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

The answers to these questions simply stated suggests service is a worthy endeavor and fulfills the lives of the providers and those it impacts.

There is a need for architects to step up and become leaders of service endeavors arising from a shift in the available talent pool of resources. In the past, community leaders turned to the corporate organizations within their cities and towns to undertake the responsibility of husbanding civic projects. With the departure of many of the locally based corporations, a void in community leadership has occurred. This void provides opportunity for a new civic leader to emerge and architects are uniquely positioned to answer the call. Furthermore, the need for talented, creative involvement to address complex issues and challenging situations perfectly suits the skill set possessed by architects. In a socially diverse environment, having participation by a group accustomed to sorting out solutions from various interests is essential to achieve the desired result.

There are business benefits derived from involvement in community service. These are both internal and external in their impact on practices. External benefits to community activism are derived from the relationships developed in the community and how architects are perceived. Architects can be seen as leaders capable of building trust and legitimacy. They demonstrate character fundamental to the practice. The architect has a free opportunity to illustrate professional capability and how they can be good resources. Through their community involvement, the opportunity is afforded to associate with quality potential clients who will observe the abilities of architects as creative participants. Through many service projects, a clear commitment to building a better future for the community results in a better environment for practice. It also serves to define practice, differentiating from others and attracting both clients and staff. The mere participation helps to provide value and meaning every day to practice and the lives it touches.

The internal benefits of community service are multiple, as well. By participating as a group, an “esprit de corps” is built, molding teams and character. In addition, it provides a level of satisfaction and pride. No matter how mundane the work of the firm may be, the addition of creative participation in community activities enhances the lives of the participants and increases commitment to the firm. Through the simple act of taking on responsibility for these endeavors, future firm leaders emerge and are incubated.

This article originally appeared in the September 2014 issue of the College of Fellows' newsletter, Fellowscope. To learn more about the publication and its new iteration, please follow this link.

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What are the opportunities?

The opportunities for engagement are almost limitless. Some of the major areas include: academic support; community planning and development; human services; government; service to the profession; and service to the institute. These categories of service can be supported through civic organizations; community governments, boards and commissions; service organizations; social clubs; religious groups; and professional societies.

Educational support can be provided through engagement as a resource for careers; as an educational volunteer tutor for students; as a mentor and role model; as leaders; and as a link to the business community for future career path development. Community planning and development is another area where architects can play an important role by making a significant contribution to the quality of the community and its institutions. As a resource for not for profit groups, institutions and local agencies, architects can provide invaluable service by assisting the pursuit of development goals of their facilities. By providing design insight in assessing program requirements and facility development areas, architects can produce simple graphic resources which can be used for budgeting and fundraising that impact the future of these organizations. In addition, there is a role to play as a knowledge resource in educating communities to understand development principles such as sustainability and smart growth.

The impact architects can have in the area of human services offers an additional opportunity to provide invaluable benefit for communities. Architects can be resources for agencies to achieve their goals by providing creative interventions, finding ways to facilitate or serve their constituents, by serving on boards, by volunteering to help organizations’ programs, and by supporting organizations and causes through funding activities as sponsors.

Government service is another place where the architect can become engaged in the civic arena. This is an area which should be of critical interest; however, is often ignored as being perceived to be underappreciated and undervalued. This couldn’t be further from the case and is among the areas where architects could have the greatest influences on the quality of life in their communities. The knowledge base possessed by the architect has the potential to provide great resources. Through serving on boards and commissions, participating in neighborhood studies and investigations for government initiatives, and even running for legislative office, architects have the knowledge, experience and capability to provide community leadership often lacking in their towns and cities.

Not to be overlooked is service for the profession and professional associations. Critical to building the status in the community are the actions taken by professionals and future professionals, which significantly influence the perception of value in the community. Achieving this goal requires a commitment to building a future engaged in civic action, mentoring young professionals, linking the endeavors of architects with those of other professions and civic groups, and imbuing the profession with a desire to build a knowledge base and then share it with colleagues as well as the community. Furthermore, improving the profession also includes

serving and promoting the professional institutions by participating in its leadership, raising awareness of its opportunities for involvement and expanding the collective body of knowledge of an engaged community.

Where are the opportunities?

As the opportunities are limitless, once identified, it must be determined where to undertake the initiative. The sources include: civic organizations, governmental agencies and institutions, community boards and commissions, service organizations, social clubs and religious organizations. By contacting these groups and offering services or participation, professionals are greeted with great enthusiasm. Among the most valuable community service activities architects can offer is participating in the shaping of the community form and image through government service or elected office. This often takes place by having a position on local planning commissions, design review boards and zoning appeals boards. By encouraging and supporting this type of service, firm members may hold seats on these boards in their local communities.

The potential to create and develop programs and projects serving community needs has no limit. The challenge is to determine a plan of action and then to pursue the skills, tactics and best use of resources. The way to begin a pathway of service is to marry the interests and passions of the individuals participating with the opportunities available. To initiate a plan for service, participants must recognize there are two primary courses of service each requiring a distinctly different set of qualifications and skills. In order to be considered for the second avenue of service, participation in the first is often a prerequisite.

1. Community program participation: is the area of service arising out of existing programs or projects where support is required to fulfill the goals of the group. Special knowledge or experience may or may not be necessary to be involved. All that is necessary for engagement is a willingness to help and to show up with commitment.

2. Civic intelligence participation: is an area of service based upon being a resource for ideas and expertise, a community consultant role. This avenue of service is sought out by the leaders of a community to assist in producing a project or program where specific knowledge or experience is needed.

With an understanding of the need for architects to become engaged, the value of participation, and consideration of the skill set needed, architects are provided with the insight, inspiration, and recognition of pathways for service. The challenge is only to do it. It starts by being educated on community needs, benchmarking what can be accomplished, promoting the value of civic action, informing practitioners on how to participate, and creating opportunity for involvement. The only remaining task is to deploy the troops and choose a path to follow. ■

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FEATURE

2016 AIA NATIONAL CONVENTIONA YOUNG ARCHITECT'S GUIDEThe 2016 AIA Convention in Philadelphia is densely packed with learning opportunities for emerging professionals. Programs organized and presented by Young Architects include community leadership, collaborative partnership, running a successful business, designing for public engagement, and rebuilding damaged communities. In addition to learning from your peers, there will be a variety of opportunities to network, walk in the steps of Kahn, Venturi and Scott Brown, and grab a sandwich. Be sure to share your convention experience in social networks with #AIAcon16 and session hashtags ■

WE314 Mini MBA: Mastering the Business of Architecture

This full-day session will provide strategic business planning opportunities and will present case studies from CEOs of the Large Firm Round Table.

#AIAminiMBA

EV201/EV302 YAF Guided Walks

Discover the streets of Philadelphia and meet and greet members of the Young Architects Forum. Learn more about the unique facets of the city's architecture while networking with the next generation.

Meet your peers, enjoy inventive demonstrations, and take part in a colorful expression of creativity. Come explore the Emerging Professionals Interchange booth and share your ideas on why architecture matters.

Expo Booth #2822

TH302 AIA Kinetic 2.0

Career path basics and experiences that can lead to creating an independent practice, real-world success stories from architects who have found success through different models of practice.

#AIAKinetic

TH108 Starting Your Own Firm

Innovative ways to launch a new firm and best practices seen in successful startups.

#StartaFirm

TH215 Design for Public Engagement:The City of Dreams Pavilion Design Competition

Designers develop ways for the public to meet, learn about the built environment, and experience the interaction of art and the historic context to cities.

#CityofDreams

TH408 DesignVoice: Serving Your Communitythrough Social Impact Design

A collaboration of creative volunteers that inspires and enables design professionals to contribute to their community through design activism.

#DesignVoice

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EV221 Emerging Professionals Party

Spend the evening at one of Philly's coolest venues, dancing and networking with emerging professionals, first-time convention attendees, and architects from around the country.

FR107 Future Firm Culture: Defining a Path to Success

Your success and happiness as an architect may have more to do with your thoughtful decision to join a firm that best fits you culturally as well as your skills.

#FutureFirm

FR403 Next City’s Next Generation Urban Leaders

Hear three Vanguards, who are active in the design field, share lessons from the Next City annual learning program.

#NextCity

FR106 Mind the Gap

Learn how you can identify recovery gaps and step in to make a powerful difference for communities across the country.

#MindtheGap

FR103 Building Enclosure Fundamentals& New Technologies

Explore a checklist for proper building enclosure that can be used to address durable and energy efficient projects and see highlights of technologies that assist with creating and evaluating building enclosures.

#FutureTech

FR401 Collaborative Partnerships for Research & Development: The Governor’s Chair

Cross-disciplinary partnerships within the profession, academia, and with outside institutions explore the future of design.

#GovChair

26 CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

FEATURE

The concept for the BUILD Philly Coalition, like many great ideas, was born over lunch with a friend. When Rebecca Johnson began as the executive director of AIA Philadelphia in

July 2014, she had lived a previous life as a real estate development and land use attorney. Starting out in her new position, she met up with ULI Philadelphia’s executive director, Susan Baltake, to discuss ways that they could collaborate. With the 2015 mayoral election fast-approaching, both organizations were feeling pressure to come up with a platform of issues that were important to their members. The typical approach of convening the member base to agree on a platform, and then writing and producing a document seemed an overwhelming task. So they hit upon an idea: invite related, interested, and organized non-profit organizations to help out.

Johnson found other Philadelphia nonprofits and professional organizations had similar concerns about the built environment and the upcoming mayoral election. All agreed they were stronger together than individually, and the BUILD (Built environment, Urban, Infrastructure, Land use, and Development) Philly Coalition was born. But with so many voices to represent in a single platform, Johnson recalled, “We knew we weren’t going to get there; we didn’t have time.” By then it was the fall of 2014. The mayor’s race had already started and there were only a few months until primary elections. “So we said let’s have a first meeting to see what people want to do.” Between the many groups that were involved, the Coalition decided on a mayoral forum and were confident they could get all of the mayoral candidates to attend, secure an appropriate venue, raise funds to keep the event affordable, attract a strong forum moderator, and develop a list of questions for the candidates to respond to.

As the group worked on planning the event, AIA Philadelphia sent out a survey to gauge where its membership stood. While the response to the survey was “disappointing,” the main issues that emerged were the same ones that were important to the other Coalition members groups. In the end, instead of getting into the specifics of a particular issue or focusing on the differences in each group’s priorities, the uniqueness of the BUILD Philly Coalition’s structure provided the solution. “We were trying to not spend too much time in the governance of it, the why are we here, because

that’s strategic planning; we did not have a strategic plan,” recalled Johnson. “Maybe we will in the future, but at the time we were just thinking we need to do something for this election and we need to do it quickly. Let’s work on putting together a really great event where we ask the questions that we think are the most pressing for the built environment, and come together as a group to advocate to these candidates.”

A big part of AIA Philadelphia’s involvement in the Coalition is simply to have a seat at the table. “Architects don’t lobby and advocate as well as other groups do,” says Johnson, “For the AIA Board and me, it was really important that we be a fundamental part of these conversations. Architects put their feet in so many parts of a project; from planning and design to construction and inspection of a building, so there are so many places where our members could be valuable.” When Johnson visited the state capitol on March 23rd for Architect’s Action Day, an event organized by AIA Pennsylvania, she was amazed to hear how underrepresented the profession is on the legislation that impacts it. While talking to a state representative about contracts for building hospitals, Johnson was surprised to hear the official remark that she wished she knew somebody she could talk with about hospital design standards. “This is not a pressing issue or a fight in Harrisburg, it’s just about how we can connect,” says Johnson, “and the only way that really happens is relationship-building.” Johnson points to another example at the city level. After a building collapsed during demolition and killed several bystanders in an adjacent structure, AIA Philadelphia met with City Council about a bill on special inspections that would ensure construction and demolition projects are done to maximize public safety. The legislation would have required anyone with significant responsibility on a project to call 911 if they saw something that was imminently dangerous. The legal issue of “did you have the responsibility to know” potentially could affect an architect depending upon the architect’s role on a project. “We had several meetings about the content of that bill,” says Johnson. “We said we were totally on board with keeping the public and workers safe, we were just concerned

BUILD Philly (Built environment, Urban, Infrastructure, Land use, and Development) is a new coalition of professional organizations and nonprofits addressing issues in the City of Philadelphia related to the built environment.

BUILD Philly Coalition Members Include:

THE BUILD PHILLY COALITIONARCHITECTS FINDING THEIR VOICE

POLITICO

by Kathy Lent, Assoc. AIA, Erike De Veyra, Assoc. AIA, and Ryan Sison, Assoc. AIA

American Institute of Architects Philadelphia The Counselors of Real Estate Delaware Valley Hidden CityPhiladelphia Center for ArchitectureBuilding Industry Association of PhiladelphiaDelaware Valley Green Building Council Homeowners Association of Philadelphia Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia

Center City Proprietors AssociationDesign Advocacy GroupLambda Alpha InternationalSociety of Office and Industrial Realtors PhiladelphiaCommercial Real Estate Women PhiladelphiaDevelopment WorkshopNational Association for Industrial and Office Parks

TriState Realtors Commercial AllianceCommunity Design CollaborativeGreater Philadelphia Association of RealtorsPennPraxisUrban Land Institute Philadelphia

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that it might create more uncertainty, and therefore create unsafe conditions on job sites.…The biggest purpose of AIA Philadelphia being involved in this is to build more relationships with our elected officials. They should know to call me and I’ll find an architect for them to talk to.”

Johnson’s background and personal and professional goals align particularly well with the rise of this Coalition. “I took this job because I care deeply about Philadelphia and how it’s developed. I think the real estate development industry and architects as a big part of that. That really drives the what and the how things are happening in this city. Clearly politicians and community organizations have a big say in that, but at the end of the day it is private money and private projects that develop cities, and the legwork that communities, planners, and urban designers have put into the neighborhood plans.” Johnson sees her position at AIA Philadelphia as a way to advocate for smart, well thought-out development of a city she loves. “I think that architects have a vested interest in that,” says Johnson. “In general, the AIA members are very involved and care a lot about the development of Philadelphia as a city, the public realm of the buildings, and the public spaces.”

Now that the impetus of the mayoral election has passed, the Coalition seems to have gone quiet. When asked about what’s next for the BUILD Philly Coalition, Johnson notes that efforts will ramp back up after the AIA national convention that will be held in Philadelphia this May. Discussions have continued behind-the-scenes though, and two ideas for what the Coalition would like to accomplish have emerged. One is to have regular opportunities for members to meet with elected officials. Whether it be a panel discussion like the mayoral forum or a networking happy hour, “connecting people is probably one of the most important things we could do,” says Johnson. A second idea is to create a program to share the Coalition’s collective expertise with new city council members. Some may not have had previous involvement with the real estate development industry, notes Johnson, “but development in their district is always a huge issue for elected officials.” Between the new mayor’s creation of the Office of Planning and Development, learning how the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) works and does not work, and understanding the Planning, Art, and Historic Commissions, there are many built-environment issues that council people need to understand to serve their constituents. The details are still to be worked out, but the Coalition’s mission is clear: “We want to be a resource, and this group has a lot of access to information that can help elected officials” says Johnson.

At the moment, a web search for the BUILD Philly Coalition yields little more than information about last fall’s mayoral forum. To become a community resource, the Coalition will soon begin to develop its web presence in earnest. Even in planning this future project, a collaborative, get-it-done spirit shines through: the Coalition plans to use individual member organizations’ Facebook posts to populate its website. “This is a better, more sustainable way to talk about what BUILD Philly is up to, and it doesn’t put managing another website on our staff’s shoulders, or anybody else’s staff’s shoulders. All of the other organizations have either small or volunteer staffs.” The website is planned for launch by the end of the year.

When asked how young designers can get involved in the conversation, Johnson offers some advice: take it upon yourself to understand the industry and pressures on your client. "You, as an architect, are a line item in the project budget, so you'd better understand the whole project budget to understand your line item." This also means learning the language to communicate with contractors and construction managers and “understanding where they are coming from in order to build those relationships.” Johnson also sees a role for young designers as part of the BUILD Philly Coalition and encouraged PEA (Philadelphia Emerging Architects) members to make the effort to meet people who are not architects through other emerging professionals groups. “When you are running your own firms someday, those will be the relationships you’ll need.”

Johnson sums up the AIA perspective on becoming involved with the BUILD Philly Coalition this way: “Make sure we're at the table, create opportunities for our members to express themselves on advocacy issues, and connect with our colleagues in the industry. It is easy to only be in your world, dealing with your projects and clients because it's such a busy life.” In the months following the AIA Convention and before the next city elections, says Johnson, “there is still a lot we can do...we'll see.”

The members of AIA Philadelphia are excited to see what project the Coalition takes on next. ■

APRIL 2016

Above: Four of the Democratic candidates for Philadelphia Mayor participate in the BUILD Philly Coalition forum. Photo Courtesy of PlanPhilly.Below Right: The BUILD Philly Logo. Courtesy of BUILD Philly.

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FEATURE

The CONNECTION editorial team was able to spend some time with one of this year’s Young Architect Award recipients to talk about architecture and politics. Carey Nagle is an Associate Principal in BNIM’s Des Moines office. The firm is an AIA National Architecture Firm Award recipient. He is also a strong advocate for sustainability and his community. He served on the Governor’s Smart Planning Task Force after the massive statewide flooding in 2008 and is currently serving on the Des Moines Urban Design Review Board, where he advises City Council and ensures the community’s needs are met.

notion of giving feedback from a design perspective, but you can’t redesign the project for them. You have to give critique and feedback with respect to the issues they’re dealing with on a particular project.

There are also issues and opportunities that are better informed by a keen knowledge of the process of construction – the predevelopment stages all the way up through construction. When a group comes before the board and says, “We really want to speak to the goals of the city, but we’re limited in terms of these funds,” having a better understanding of that broad spectrum puts us in a position to give feedback that can improve a project and realize aspirational goals while understanding the constraints.

YL: You recently completed work on the Iowa Utilities Board-Office of Consumer Advocate building in Iowa’s State Capitol Complex. By virtue of working on a public or government project, are there any politically charged issues that you’ve come across?

CN: That kind of work can become politically charged, particularly given that project had a set of exemplary energy efficiency and sustainability goals. Certainly that was one of the reasons the project was of great interest to us. We’re really trying to expand the umbrella effect of our work to capture opportunities for the projects that we work on as architects to achieve a broader impact - to impact the greater good. That particular project had goals for hyper efficiency and sustainability at the highest levels. However, our client also had the goal to be a demonstration project which could serve as a model for other projects in the state and around the country – whether they were in government or the private sector. Reaching beyond the scope of the project to have an impact beyond its footprint was interesting, but the nature of working on a government project and having a desire for that level of performance can become a political issue in some cases, and that is unfortunate.

On the other hand, I feel like both the work that we did and the individuals that we worked with on the owner’s side, the user groups, and the Department of Administrative Services, were all keen to the notion that it could become a politically charged

YL: What got you interested in serving on the Des Moines Urban Design Review Board? What is your role, and why do you think that an architect’s voice is important on the board?

CN: The board is comprised of eleven individuals and we all have various backgrounds. We currently have three architects that serve on the board, a planner, a couple of lawyers, a landscape architect, and an at-large citizen representative from the city. There’s a wide range of issues we tackle with regard to projects in which the city has any financial stake.

What I find particularly interesting is that this is the perfect opportunity for an architect to be involved in the public service realm while making express use of the qualifications and expertise that we bring to the table. We’re really trying to leverage the fact that the city has an investment in these projects to move them forward, to make them the best they can possibly be to better serve the city. Given our expertise as architects, we understand all of the factors at play with regard to the design, construction and development of the projects at hand such that we can affect great changes as a board in terms of being able to get the most out of those projects.

Amongst the projects we impact, there is a range of scales involved. It may be a small shelter at a park. It may be a new convention center hotel. I think what you’re always trying to do is take what you know about the project and the process, and leverage that to make the outcome better than it otherwise would have been. Sometimes moving that needle is very incremental, sometimes it’s a sweeping change where you get somebody to step back and say, “Oh, we should look at it from a whole different perspective.” That’s a broad overview to the board, what we do, and why I think the architect’s role is critical.

YL: What specific skills do you think are important in this case? Do you think it’s the architect’s design capacity, the way that architects handle human relationships, or something else?

CN: I think it is several things. Certainly the design aspects are among those that I enjoy the most. I’ve been trying to bring a focus with regard to sustainable solutions to more of the projects, and sometimes those opportunities are not considered before they come before the board. We’re able to maximize that process to get a more sustainable solution delivered within the end project. I also enjoy the

YOUNG ARCHITECT AWARD SPOTLIGHTA CONVERSATION WITH CAREY NAGLE, AIA

POLITICO

by Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA

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Iowa Utilities Board-Office of Consumer Advocate Building. Photo copyright Mike Sinclair and provided courtesy of BNIM.

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issue. They didn’t let that get in the way of anything. At the end of the day, everyone wanted to do the right thing. They wanted to set a great example. That process led to a successful outcome with broad-based support and enthusiasm for its stewardship and the State's leadership by example.

It was certainly interesting working with two state agencies that are housed in the same building – one being the Iowa Utilities Board and the other the Office of Consumer Advocate. Both of those state agencies are required by state law to be housed in the same building, but they needed to be separated by something that’s more qualitative than quantitative to avoid any real or perceived impropriety. Yet, oftentimes you’ll find them on opposite sides of the table with regards to an issue. Just given that notion that we were working with a diverse set of constituencies, it allowed the project to operate in a manner to transcend challenges that a politically charged project might otherwise be faced with.

YL: Following the massive statewide flooding in 2008, you were appointed to the Governor’s Smart Planning Task Force. What was your role as an architect in the task force and how did the state of Iowa address the issue of resilience?

CN: It’s interesting that you mention resiliency. It is deservedly getting additional attention and is central to the conversation with regard to sustainable practice and solutions. It’s great to see our profession take leadership by putting forth solutions to these important challenges and to expand the role of the architect. The task force was comprised of about 20 member institutions and groups – whether that’s the Board of Regents, state institution schools, or other small scale and regional planning groups within the state. The idea was to maximize the impact of the varied interests to help the state advance after that massive flood to deal with the immediate challenges in front of it, but to also take a step back and ask, “How can we do better? How can we be better prepared for the future? Both from a resiliency standpoint but also in terms of, as the name indicates, a smart planning perspective. How can we lay the groundwork to make better decisions at multiple scales going forward?”

The group works much like a think tank. We make recommendations with regard to smart planning at multiple scales that can hopefully be adopted and codified from small scale urban strategies that support walkable communities to regional water management and the adoption of a new state planning agency.

I would say that my involvement on this board had more direct political implications than any of my other work because smart planning sounds like a liberal idea. And because the task force was conferred under a Democratic governor. However, there was enough interest and the task force was very direct about working in a bipartisan manner, such that solutions were developed inclusively and, as a result, delivered a lot of great ideas.

The biggest question regarding resiliency in this case was two-fold. In one sense, there was a lot of discussion about the broad spectrum of sustainability, it's relationship to flooding and solving that challenge in a direct manner. How can we improve this situation? For the other, let’s step back and ask are there other incremental things we could be doing both in rural and in urban areas to improve the quality of life or the economic well-being that can ultimately lead to more resilient solutions? We’re looking at it from micro and macro scales at the same time for tangential ways to address it.

What I found really interesting regarding water management issues is that they are discussed in Iowa too often in siloes. Water management is talked about in one particular area without enough respect for what happens downstream. Water quality is discussed with regards to farming and rural practices, yet urban areas are often isolated from that conversation. Each of those two are often seen by the other as the culprit and the discussion becomes confrontational. What the task force allowed us to do is have a conversation with representatives from all of those players at the table. While we weren’t able to successfully establish a planning agency in the state, the effort allows us to move the conversation forward. There’s a lot more outreach and more conversations happening between the rural and urban sides.

YL: Iowa is an automobile driven state: People drive everywhere. As a member of the Urban Design Review Board, how do you think the city should reduce the carbon footprint when steering the city’s master planning? Is this even on the city’s agenda?

CN: It is absolutely one of the goals that the city sees as an opportunity for making positive improvements. Those big picture issues frame a lot of the smaller scale strategies that can be implemented on a project by project basis through the participation and direct feedback from something like the Urban Design Review Board.

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Iowa Utilities Board-Office of Consumer Advocate Building. Photo copyright Mike Sinclair and provided courtesy of BNIM.

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FEATURE

The city is certainly interested in participating in projects that have a range of sustainable aspects to them. At the forefront of that discussion is how these projects can make a better contribution to the notion of walkable communities. Or how we can look at site planning from a pedestrian-first approach as opposed to a vehicular-first standpoint. The goal is to develop solutions that better support those strategies and better support the bigger picture – such as a reduced carbon footprint.

Des Moines, as a larger community, has a long way to go from a transit perspective. What has been successful over the last decade and a half, is that the city has started to focus its work in a few key areas with a strong commitment to the city core and a purposeful approach to great place-making. It’s what our office refers to as ‘urban acupuncture.’ You focus your efforts in one spot and try to create a catalyst to further foster that spirit in other locations nearby. I think we’re starting to see that there are more connections and figurative bridges that are drawing upon these individual areas.

YL: You have been a really strong advocate for sustainable design in your state. What do you think Iowa can learn from other states?

CN: The state has a lot to learn. In some ways, we’ve made some great improvements that outsiders don’t even realize. Wind energy, on a per-capita basis, is one of the strongest positions relative to any other state in the nation. In terms of design work, we have a few programs in the state that help bridge some of the gaps. There’s a program called the New Commercial Construction Program. It was established by the Utilities Board and implemented through the utility companies within the state. It provides an incentive for building owners and operators to build more efficiently. The program offers design teams with assistance, such as the inclusion of energy modeling. Programs like this put the tools to achieve high-performance in the hands of many to great affect. The city of Des Moines has a mayor that’s keenly interested in these issues and has been involved in discussions with other mayors from around the nation in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, etc. There are models out there, such as Portland and other cities with environmentally-centric cultures, that I’d love to see our state take advantage of from a larger cultural perspective. Some of these initiatives are finding their way into the ethos of our communities. There is a strong bicycle culture in Des Moines that is producing results and shifting the way that we think about and deliver transportation options.

YL: Building design and building performance don’t necessarily go together in many architects’ minds. What are some of the steps that you took for your projects, or as a government official, to try and help interweave these two elements together in terms of educating the public or designing your building?

CN: We try to see those as a mutual set of goals, and really come at it with an integrated approach. Design excellence for me and for our firm is very much embedded in the notion of high performance and human purposed integrated design; we try to avoid separating those strategies. We’re always looking for opportunities to leverage what might be presented in a client’s primary goals and program. In the same way that we’d take the client’s desire and translate that to the notion of traditional design excellence, we also try to translate that into opportunities for high performance.

In terms of my governmental advocacy work, one of the ways that the Urban Design Review Board can often affect impact is seen at the site scale. Even if a project comes to us far along, we still have the opportunity to make small adjustments from a site perspective that can provide beautification and a host of sustainable strategies. For example, storm water management that becomes a series of amenities, like rain gardens, can be an inhabitable space on the site. We’re always looking for one solution that solves multiple problems.

YL: As an architect having graduated from Iowa State, do you think there’s any possibility that the architectural school and the government can collaborate on statewide projects, or work to make Des Moines a more sustainable city?

CN: We’re seeing a lot more design-build projects coming through academia now. I certainly see more opportunities for that in Iowa State's College of Design. We’re seeing the implementation of student design-led and self constructed projects, such as a park structure, that offer a host of positions from an environmental responsibility perspective.

In a less direct way, academia-at-large and certainly for Iowa State, environmental responsibility is taught in a much more direct manner than it was even 15 years ago. One of the best ways we can see some of that impact is by producing graduates that build a passion for environmental responsibility at the core of their educational foundation. They can then transform that into better solutions for the cities that they ultimately serve. ■

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Lutheran Church of Hope. Photo copyright Nick Merrick and provided courtesy of BNIM.

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ARTICLE

Jabob R. Day, Assoc. AIA has spent his career helping communities to become more vibrant places. At age 30, he was elected to his hometown's City Council - Salisbury, vMD - with 72% of the vote and was unanimously elected Council President. Two years later, he was elected Mayor.

Jake served as founding Director of the Center for Towns - a program of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy using design and education to create sustainable communities. He has received numerous awards throughout his career and has been a featured speaker at the AIA National Convention and National Building Museum.

Additionally Jake is a Captain, serves in the US Army National Guard, and is the Sr. Platoon Trainer at the Army Officer Candidate School. He earned a Master of Science in Nature, Society & Environmental Policy from Oxford University, a Master of Urban Design (MUD) from Carnegie Mellon University and a BS in Architecture from the University of Maryland.

While in architecture school, his interests fell further away from the detailing of buildings and more in line with the larger fabric of landscape, planning, and the built environment. Like others who have studied architecture but don’t continue on in the private sector of architecture, he developed an ‘appreciation of design’ and now makes for a great client. Architecture taught him the importance of shaping the public realm, the significance of economic and social good, and that great design can become contagious with its users.

As with most meaningful endeavors in our lives, Jake became involved with politics by volunteering and participating where his skill set was most appropriate. Three years prior to running for City Council, he wrote a letter to the mayor, explained his experience in architecture and planning, and also expressed his desire to assist his community. With his background, he was appointed to the Board of Housing Appeals, and later to the Joint City-County Planning Commission. Jake had something to offer and it was his architectural education that resonated most with his peers. In August of 2012, the Mayor, previous Mayor, and President of the City Council (all of whom never agreed on anything), each independently reached out to Jake to express their interest that he run for a seat on City Council. A few months later he found himself not only on the City Council, but serving as its President.

BECOMING A CHIEF URBAN DESIGNERAN INTERVIEW WITH JACOB R. DAY , ASSOC. AIA

POLITICO

by Ryan McEnroe, AIA, ASLA, LEED AP

If you have ever had an inkling as an architect to get involved with politics, the story of how Jacob R. Day, Assoc. AIA, became mayor of his home town of Salisbury, MD may be of interest to

you. Jake has been educated as an architect and urban designer, but has no intention of ever directly practicing in either of the fields. Instead he has learned from his travels and experiences, and is indirectly making a positive impact on the public space throughout his city with the support of a successful master planning effort.

Politics and architecture both started early for Jake. Like many design oriented professionals, he spent countless hours of his childhood playing with LEGOs and pouring over atlases, earning a nickname from his parents as “Map Man”. He’s always had an interest in comparing how different cities operate, what shapes them, and how their transportation systems develop. Additionally, during elementary school he had a “pen pal”: President George H.W. Bush. Jake would write to the president (or more likely one of his staff), regarding his thoughts on policy and how he would change things for the better. These young and ambitious ideas naturally matriculated into a deep appreciation for his home town, where today he is actively involved in shaping the development of the community.

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Left: Master plan proposal for the City of Salisbury.Above & Below: Conceptual design for a Riverwalk community center. All images Courtesy of City of Salisbury Downtown Master Plan, 2015

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Since November 2015, Jake has been serving as the Mayor of Salisbury, MD. Many mayors consider themselves the “Master Developer” of their town or city. Jake on the other hand considers himself the “Urban Designer in Chief”. He feels the importance of this position is to bridge the private and public sectors through good policy. Private developers are a necessary and critical partner in achieving what the city wants to accomplish for its citizens. Understanding the long term effects of developments and how they influence the built environment is an important skill set that not all city leaders have. Jake relies on his staff to provide their expertise where appropriate (finance, engineering, etc.) but believes there needs to be a balance in how the new spaces feel and interface with the public realm. Some of the better projects he has had the opportunity to work on have had profound results on the streetscape, the neighborhood, and the massing of buildings.

Formula for Success:

Jake has identified a few common denominators to the municipalities and places that are beating his city in terms of economic competitiveness. By focusing his attention on each of these three focus areas, he has been able to allocate funding appropriately.

• Revitalize Downtown.

• Provide consistent care and concern for the quality of the built environment.

• Follow through on your goals.

Jake recognizes that in America we are not growing manufacturing jobs, instead we are moving them around. “The way we can be competitive is to acknowledge that talent is mobile. The pattern we observe is that jobs and firms follow talent, rather than the workforce following companies like they did in the 1950s, 60s and 70s”, Jake says. His solution is to create a place where people want to be, where families want to live, and where the overall quality of life is a focus. For these reasons, he doesn’t ‘hang his hat’ on any one particular project that he has overseen. Instead it is the cumulative value that makes for positive economic development in today’s society. “You attract people through the place that you make”, he says, and this can be seen through various cities and towns in Oklahoma, Texas, and the Dakotas that have experienced a population and economic boom through the oil and gas industry. However, due to poor investments with their public infrastructure and careless design of public space, families are quick to move away when the flourishing times have past. Notwithstanding, cities

like Sioux Falls, SD, have made conscious efforts to revitalize their downtown, have had consistent care and concern for the quality of their built environment, and most importantly, didn’t give up from year to year. Jake hopes these same moves will hold true for Salisbury, MD following his time as Mayor.

UMD Master Plan:

During his time on the City Council, Jake began a project that has since aided the time he has been serving as Mayor. For the past two and a half years, the city has been part of a beta program with the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). The Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) program harnesses the expertise of UMD faculty and students to help Maryland communities become more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. Throughout the iterative design process that occurred every third Friday of the month, the public has been able to comment and

Above: Conceptual design for an environmental center. Image Courtesy of City of Salisbury Downtown Master Plan, 2015

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annotate the drawings and has identified preferred resolutions for particular sites. The master plan, which expands over a third of the city, has become a crucial tool for the mayor and his staff to provide a community that not only attracts but retains its long time residents.

The partnership crafted a plan that has articulated 20 years’ worth of both public and private projects, $640 million in proposed investment and developments ($85 million worth of future city expenditures), and includes a timeline for what projects and how much investment needs to be allocated during each of the next 20 years. He’s then able to take this information and include it within the 5-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The CIP is then referenced into the fiscal year’s operating budget. This formula for success then essentially allows his talented city staff the ability to implement and execute the master plan, one project at a time.

Jake has applied his educational skill set in the fields of architecture and planning to create policy documents that support smart growth. He sees himself as an educated client and advocate for the developers that have been revitalizing the downtown of Salisbury, MD and continue to invest in supporting public infrastructure. If you too care about your community, and have a passion for your sense of place, then consider a role in politics. There are a number of opportunities waiting for you. ■

Above: Conceptual design for an environmental center. Image Courtesy of City of Salisbury Downtown Master Plan, 2015

This problem solving ability was applied to many issues Chris approached, but one of his finest hours was when he chaired the committee that helped close a large funding gap. Ohio was facing an $8.5B hole that the previous administration had hidden in a facade of stimulus funding. He was in charge of where to best invest the money and became recognized as a leader in creative financing. He credits his skills of investigation and data analysis as instrumental in his success. He has since parlayed this expertise into how he runs his business. His firm is now able to show the value of financial modeling. They also know construction costs and do a lot of construction management on the projects they design.

While Chris was able to bring his architectural skills to the table, he also quickly learned that the number one issue for his constituents is the economy and the number of jobs created. The built environment is important, but in Chris’s opinion, jobs are one of, if not the, most important metric when rating the performance of a legislator. In the current election cycle many other issues are of importance, such as foreign affairs, but public polling across Ohio or the nation always comes back to jobs. As an elected official, he focuses on what state policies were implemented that helped create them.

Chris stated that he is very passionate about what he does, but before everyone runs to hit the campaign trail, he pointed out that the work he does requires a substantial amount of dedication. Normalized over the course of a year, he essentially puts 40 hours a week into architecture and 40 hours a week into politics. This intensifies when the general assembly is in session; On odd years - budget years - this occurs from January through June and again in the fall. On even years, the assembly is in session January and February and intermittently in the spring and fall. However, when he is not in session, he is working within his district and helping others campaign. In most cases, Chris is not the exception to the rule either. Most of his legislative colleagues have two full time jobs: an occupation and a public service position.

At this point in his political career, Chris was coming up on his senate term limit and as of the end of January has retired his seat. He is looking forward to focusing on his private architectural practice full time. Even though he got into politics in order to serve his community, he has come out on the other side with a unique skill set that he has been able to turn into a market leading design firm. Because of his knowledge in public policy, economic development, and job creation coupled with the inherent skills in zoning, design, and construction management he is able to provide a one stop shop for private sector development. His company serves as the one entity that can referee all consultants and potentially provide value across both sides of the public private partnership aisle.

Chris got his start by starting relatively small and he recommends a similar path for any emerging professionals who would like to follow in his footsteps. Most cities or local government have some equivalent of a commissioner, a school board or other local elected positions. These can be used as stepping stones, but ultimately there has to be an opportunity and a desire of an individual and their families to run for an elected office. The ability to balance a professional career and elected office is also of critical concern to be successful at both. ■

There have only been a few architects who have reached the upper echelon of the legislative arena, and fewer still who can call themselves part of the leadership of their party. As the

drumbeat gets louder for architects to enter public service, it is natural to look up to the trailblazers who have paved a path into uncharted territory. This month, CONNECTION caught up with Chris Widener, an Ohio State Senator who has recently retired as the President Pro Tempore (the #2 leadership position) of the Ohio State Legislature.

Chris started off his architectural career in what seems like light speed to today’s standards. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati in ‘87 and by 1989, he was a registered architect. Shortly after licensure, he started his own firm - a business he has run continuously for the past 26 years with a focus on local government and education buildings. After establishing himself in his career, he had a desire to get into the politics. So, in 1996 he ran for his local school board and was elected to his first term. The school board avenue, it seems, is a natural first step for many who desire to serve the public. In 1999, he ran for another term, was elected, but didn’t get the chance to serve because he was simultaneously appointed to the House of Representatives to serve a vacancy.

He had successfully broken in and continued to make an impression. He would go on to serve three terms in the House and two in the Senate. Job performance, however, is not the perceived barrier to service for many architects. One of the more daunting tasks that an architect faces when seeking an election or appointment is often the campaign itself. Self promotion and being constantly visible is not always within the typical skill set. But, despite the perceived challenges, Chris was optimistic and actually charged up when I asked him about his experience. His first campaign was for the school board, which was self funded and low budget. He didn’t have fancy plastic signs, so the architect in him made them out of plywood in his garage and printed out flyers when necessary. It was a true grassroots effort and much of his name recognition came from his community outreach. As he scaled up his ambitions, he also had to upsize his reach and fundraising efforts. When he ran for the house seat, he needed to become proficient in raising money. He went from needing to reach a few thousand households to hundreds of thousands. By the time he reached the senate, his campaign bill was reaching upwards of $700k. The good news is that he had reached a position where the party and caucus trains and educates its members on the campaign machine. This includes, but is not limited to reading public opinion polling, knocking on doors, fundraising, and press releases. All of which were performed by Chris at some point in his rise and now he is able to mentor and help support other candidates within the party.

Once architects get past the campaign aspect, the act of doing the job becomes much more natural because we possess critical problem solving skills that differentiate us from other professions.

We solve problems by gathering information and making decisions based on laws and codes. That’s the real skill that architects bring. We know how to organize, assemble data points, and develop plans for success.

38 CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

FEATURE POLITICO

SENATOR CHRIS WIDENER, FAIAON STATE LEADERSHIPby Jeff Pastva, AIA

39WWW.AIA.ORG/YAF APRIL 2016

Go get the dollars

Next, we are developing a fundraising strategy that can continue to build momentum over a long period of time. Tampa requires monthly reporting of campaign fundraising results which is a big challenge. I have the commitments from a few people who have offered to hold “fundraisers” for me initially and we think we can raise a significant amount of money early on. Once I formally file my candidacy I will need to have $50,000 in the campaign account within a week. That sends a message that I am a viable candidate who has community support. But in reality the fundraising never stops. It requires a lot of events and a lot of personal phone calls to a network of donors – you find out quickly who is really supporting you when you ask for $1,000!!

Then it is plain hard work that gives you an advantage over other candidates. As a relative “unknown” in this race I will have to develop a strategy of going to as many community meetings, organizations, clubs, and business associations in order to be visible to as many people as possible to gain name recognition. And I have to walk neighborhoods which requires a dedicated volunteer network of people willing to give up their weekends and evenings to do this. It takes strong and inspiring leadership to achieve and maintain support on this level.

My name is Mickey Jacob and I’m running for Mayor of Tampa!The reality is that you may think you are well known in the community, and I am within the circle I normally travel and operate in, but outside that bubble of influence I am virtually unknown. My challenge is to attain as much name recognition to as wide an audience as possible so they will be inclined to put a check next to my name on the ballot in 2019. It will take every minute of the next three years to get that done by talking to people, shaking hands, knocking on doors, doing speaking engagements, and most importantly listening to what the community feels are the issues that are most important to them. People will engage when they feel they are being heard. That’s what makes a city great.

I’m in this to win. Now the hard work, and fun, begins. And remarkably it all started with a simple phrase.

You should run for Mayor ■

You should run for Mayor

AN ARCHITECT VENTURES INTO POLITICSby Mickey Jacob, FAIA

These are the first words that greeted me from a colleague immediately after I presented the Keynote Address to the Tampa Downtown Partnership in June of 2014. I was 6 months

removed from the AIA Presidency and felt it was my responsibility to immerse myself back into the Tampa community in a variety of business, charitable and civic organizations. I had the advantage of using my experiences in AIA leadership over the past several years to share my thoughts on the importance design plays in the health, productivity, happiness and prosperity of our communities. My message was simple and direct – use design principles to improve the healthy, sustainable and prosperous quality of life in our community. And that message fits perfectly with the new and exciting “renaissance” of development and growth on which the City of Tampa is embarking, as well as being enthusiastically embraced by a number of people. So in the months following as I continued to share my thoughts and vision in a variety of formats and venues the same thing kept getting repeated to me.

You should run for MayorThis is always nice to hear from people and as I was getting this comment regularly from a variety of sources it became apparent that people were talking to each other about this. The more it was repeated to me, the more it became an appealing idea, and the more I thought that I could really do this. Finally, a good friend who is an active political operative in our area sat me down over a nice dinner with great wine and laid out a scenario that would position me as a viable and real candidate for Tampa Mayor. First and foremost, to make this decision I had to ask myself: Would I, and my family, be prepared to commit the time, energy and resources (and yes personal finances) to do what is necessary in a campaign to win? Were we prepared to go through the process of having our life exposed (and anything you may have done in the past) to scrutiny by the media and the public on a level that removes all privacy? We had to be “all in”.

Then there is the cold hard reality of campaign financing. For an “open seat” Mayor’s race in Tampa we will have to raise a minimum of $1,000,000 in order to be competitive. Additionally, there will be a lot of candidates running for this office, with most of them having held elected political office of some type either currently or previously. These are large hurdles to consider for someone like myself as a first time candidate with no campaign experience.

So where do you start?

That was a question asked of me by my friend, which at the time I struggled to answer. But like any journey you have to do your research and start at the beginning. So here’s where we are now as we look forward to the Tampa Municipal Election in April of 2019 (yes that’s correct – three years from now!!!). We are building a network of trusted advisors and supporters by asking them personally. To do that I have an “elevator speech” platform that I have tried to keep simple and to the point:

• Empower neighborhoods to participate in decisions that promote prosperity

• Insure the safety of everyone • Create incentives to invest in sustainable and healthy lifestyles• Make our city a cool place to live

Each of these concepts has a more detailed outline – but they all are action oriented to create positive results that can be measured.

40 CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

FEATURE

BM: Your academic and professional experiences have been very diverse in the sense that you have studied and practiced architecture through the lens of multidisciplinary applications such as systems management, military operations, historic preservation and engineering (in addition to architectural and design leadership.) How would you summarize your background, academically and professionally, and how did your various experiences lead you to your appointed role as the 11th Architect of the Capitol?

SA: It’s true; I’ve had a very unique career path for an architect. When I graduated from architecture school some 30 years ago I originally wanted to go to law school; I had this vision that an architecture degree and a law degree would position me to create a successful niche law practice.

Ultimately, I settled in on what I wanted to do. My goal and objective when I graduated was to travel the world and see the great places I studied in architecture school. I joined the military and served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force. The military sent me to graduate school. I got my master’s degree [in Systems Management] and was able to travel. However, the military wanted to transfer me to Alaska. [As an architect] I wanted to go to Europe. Ultimately, I resigned. As one door closed, another door opened. I ended up working for the State Department, where I was later transferred to Greece.

As a State Department employee, I was able to live and work in Greece and travel throughout Europe for many years before coming back to the United States. I think the crux of [what prepared me for my current position] is that in architecture school, you are taught to be a great communicator, to think and care about people, and to use the design process to solve problems. I attribute any success I might have had to those three things. In architecture school my classmates and I had to stand up every single week of the year and present our thoughts and ideas in a formal critique. [Through repetition and practice,] this process enables you to become good at communicating and describing your ideas and thoughts. I currently have a staff of about 2,300 employees. Taking care of them and being able to effectively communicate are skills I still utilize on a daily basis.

In terms of how I was appointed, the process starts in the Congress. The Speaker will appoint a bipartisan and bicameral search committee (five members of Senate, five members of the House of Representatives). This committee will spearhead a public call for applicants and hold interviews. Once the interviews are completed, the Congress will send three names to the President of the United States for consideration. The President can select any of those three names or he can nominate someone else entirely. Since this position works day-to-day with the Congress, the President usually selects one of the names on the suggested list. After a selection has been made, the candidate goes through the typical background and vetting, including a confirmation hearing, prior to actively working in the position. The term for the Architect of the Capitol is ten years.

BM: Can you elaborate on your Master’s Degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California? How did that aspect of your education help inform what you do now?

SA: When I graduated from architecture school, I went to the military for a few years before attending graduate school. During that time I was leading a number of design and construction contracts in a very complicated environment. That experience helped me realize that a Systems Management degree would be helpful. Systems Management focuses on leading projects that have hundreds of systems in them.

During my graduate education, my classmates and I would be confronted with challenges, such as how to build a space shuttle, and how many consultants and build-teams are required to effectively lead the development, deploy it to market and get it to the moon. Those exercises are not unlike what I do today; with more than 575 projects on the books and ten separate appropriations worth $625 million of on-going work, you can easily get lost if you don’t put repeatable business practices into place.

When Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, LEED AP, graduated from architecture school he wanted to see the world. Instead of applying to architecture firms abroad, he joined the

military and quickly catapulted himself into a dynamic career path rooted in public service, architecture, and the management of highly-complex projects and systems. Those experiences led him to his current, presidentially-appointed title as the 11th Architect of the Capitol. Read ahead to learn more about Mr. Ayers’ fascinating 30-year career path as well as his day-to-day experiences managing more than 2,300 employees, a $625 million budget, and approximately 575 active projects ranging from historic preservation to new construction to landscape restoration.

POLITICO

THE ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOLAN INTERVIEW WITH STEPHEN T. AYERS, FAIA, LEED APby Beth R. Mosenthal, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

41WWW.AIA.ORG/YAF APRIL 2016

BM: The various projects that are currently on-going in the Capitol include issues such as accessibility, landscape and urban design, the testing of structural integrity of iconic public artworks, as well as historic preservation, such as the Capitol Dome Restoration. Do you approach these projects with a similar viewpoint and design process, or do you treat each project as unique in both design approach and related outcomes? When assembling project teams, how do you assess and select team members with the appropriate expertise for the specific project?

SA: We [at the Architect of the Capitol] believe that one of the keys to success is to have repeatable business processes so as we undertake a variety of work, elements of our jobs stay the same. That’s an enabler of continued success. We first start by pulling out the important issues or problems that need to be solved. Our office recognizes that our work is history in the making, and because of this we take the longview in every project we undertake. From there we plan, plan, plan and prioritize, prioritize, prioritize. We are tenacious about focusing on the plan, the scope, and effectively communicating how and what we are doing to each other, our partners and to the Congress. Our office knows and has repeatedly proven that when we get the plan and the program right, the project successfully falls into place.

[In response to your second question, it’s important to note that first, we are working on projects ranging] from power plants to landscape restoration to the restoration of sculpture – you name it, we are involved in all of those things. Second, we are a unique organization in that our design standards are for 100 years and our security protocols are difficult to get accustomed to, so we like to have long-term relationships with our engineers and architects.

In the government sector we can have long-term contracts with firms that last 5-10 years. At any given time we have 10 open contracts with firms that range from highly-skilled architects to engineers focused on storm water management, HVAC and cogeneration system work at the power plant. In addition, we have at least one or two firms at any given time that support our preservation activities. So we have these consulting firms at our disposal at any time, and they also have specialized sub-consultants as part of their teams, which makes the toolbox we have available to us robust and dynamic.

BM: What is the process, from conception to realization, of a project run by the Architect of the Capitol? What is your personal role in this process?

SA: Projects come from a variety of sources -- from the Supreme Court to the Capitol Police to the Congress. We [the Architect of the Capitol’s office] will also develop projects and initiatives. Once we get an idea or issue that needs to be solved, we will spend a great deal of time scoping, developing, testing and evaluating the issue’s requirements. We are committed and understand that [this initial exploration is] the most important phase of any project.

Before we get into design, we study, evaluate; perhaps write program requirements through a team of consultants, and spend considerable time, money, and effort nailing down the scope. Then we go through the design process, and ultimately produce a set of construction documents. Before work proceeds, our office will spend some time doing cost and schedule risk analyses. Once we have an extremely solid plan, including cost estimates

I think the crux of [what prepared me for my current position] is that in architecture school, you are taught to be a great communicator, to think and care about people, and to use the design process to solve problems. I attribute any success I might have had to those three things.

Above: The US Capitol. Photo Courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol.

42 CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

FEATURE

Above: Image of historical paintings in the West Main Pavilion of the Thomas Jefferson Building. Piping for sprinklers was hidden in the interstitial space above the vaulted gallery ceilings and the sprinkler head covers were custom painted to match the historical paintings, sculptures and architecture. Just one example of the diverse work that the Architect of the Capitol oversees. Photo Courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol.

that have been tested and evaluated, a schedule that has gone through a Monte Carlo simulation, and a thorough understanding of the risks, then we will go to the Congress and submit a project for their consideration. Once it’s funded by the Congress we will go about undertaking that work.

For me personally, when I say “we,” I am referring to the fact that there are a number of people on each project team. I am involved in reviewing and approving the project scope, and will take the project to the Congress and testify for the need to perform the work. So I am at first focused on getting project money. Once resources are secured, I turn over the work to my project managers and team, and monitor that work to make sure we stay on task. It’s also my job to communicate with the Congress in a back-and-forth dialogue regarding the status of any job.

BM: What type of accommodations have been necessary to include today’s technology in the Capitol?

SA: The biggest challenge for us is to ensure that we bring technology into our historic buildings in a seamless way. Another challenge is following our historic design standards. If you take a building like the Capitol, in which portions of the building are 225 years old, you can see how we have incorporated technology over the course of history. From adding HVAC systems to escalators to electricity to computer networks, we specialize in integrating all of these systems and features in a seamless manner.

A few examples of how we focus on the seamless integration of technology today are exemplified by how we incorporate fire protection as well as occupancy and egress capacity. These considerations require the use of innovative technology to help us monitor the number of people in our buildings so we don’t exceed code-determined occupancies.

Technology plays an important role in keeping staff and visitors safe from many different types of hazards. As a visitor destination, the Capitol building has 2.2 million visitors every year, and another 1.5 million visitors annually to the United States Botanic Garden. Here we use an incredible array of technology to monitor and keep everyone safe as well as to provide informative and educational experiences. In doing so, we strive to incorporate technology in ways that are respectful to the historic buildings.

Another example of integrated technology is found in the Library of Congress. The building was not originally air-conditioned, but today, in the beautiful coffered ceiling rosettes are high-velocity HVAC supply registers. We’ve also used the same strategy to incorporate wet pipe sprinklers to protect the historic literary collection and the people who visit the largest library in the world.

BM: Do you find that the Architect of the Capitol’s office is somewhat independent of the political nature of Capitol Hill? How would you describe your role and office within the context of working in a highly-charged political environment?

SA: It’s interesting that my job is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. I have some independence to stand up and ‘do the right thing’ on a consistent basis. The Architect of the Capitol’s office is respected for working in a bipartisan and bicameral manner. But yes, we work in the Lion’s Den of Congress and politics are inescapable in everything we do. We recognize that, plan for it, monitor it, and do everything we can to remain fair and balanced.

I believe the Congress respects my position and organization, and the important mission [to protect and preserve the many historic landmarks that comprise Capitol Hill.] If you take the outlook of a typical member of the House, they are elected every two years. So a typical member of the House’s view is perhaps only a year in front of them. I am appointed to a 10-year term in office, so I have a much longer view that might inform our various projects and priorities. My challenge is effectively communicating that longer view to those members and their colleagues.

BM: To many people, the iconic architectural vernacular of our Nation’s capital resembles a collective monument of American strength, history, power, and beauty. From a personal standpoint, what is the most rewarding aspect of working to preserve and enhance such an important piece of America’s physical identity? SA: First, I think you are right. Architecture almost anywhere is a reflection of who we are, and this is probably more true on Capitol Hill than anywhere else in the world. For me, personally it is an awesome responsibility to be entrusted with our nation’s cultural patrimony by the taxpayers and the Congress. I take that very seriously. Secondly, our 2,300 employees are unbelievably talented and passionate about our mission to preserve and enhance the treasures that are in our care; it is a remarkable feeling to work with people who have a similar sense of passion and duty.

43WWW.AIA.ORG/YAF APRIL 2016

Finally, and it is something you touched on earlier; this little bit of independence to ‘do the right thing.’ Certainly I have a lot of pressures to do a lot of different things, but the Architect of the Capitol’s office takes pride in not cutting corners, being noble about our intentions, and doing the right thing for the long term. It is incredibly rewarding to be able to do that.

BM: Architecture as a professional practice has in many ways drastically changed since the conception of the Capitol. Many recent graduates and young professionals might find there are more opportunities to join firms that have commissioned buildings that are highly-budget driven, with 30-50 year expected life spans, rather than 100+. What are your thoughts on contemporary architectural practice as it relates to recent urban development—from residential to commercial to mixed-use buildings?

SA: For me, it is an opportunity to work in a place with a 100-year design standard. If we can’t do it right, we simply won’t do it. There are pressures to build things faster and cheaper than ever before. This is putting incredible demands on architects, engineers, developers and contractors. I’m not so sure that it’s a good thing overall.

From my personal experience, and my experience on a number of boards and roles in the industry, those pressures tend to manifest themselves in buildings that don’t perform properly and result in change orders for things that should’ve been worked out in the design process. From the perspective of a building owner, I don’t like paying for those items and want my designers to be accountable but there are economic pressures that in some cases are preventing successful outcomes. I wish I had the answer to make things better.

Regarding broader urban development, personally it is a grand opportunity to work in Washington, D.C. The city is in a bit of a bubble in the sense that it bypassed the economic downturn in many respects. I can walk out of the door today and count 30 to 40 tower cranes. D.C. is experiencing a resurgence of great mixed-use development and talented designers that are bringing people back to the city. It is an exciting time for architects.

BM: For architecture students that aspire to become the Architect of the Capitol, what advice would you give them in regards to pursuing a specific career trajectory after school? Do you recommend public service or elected office in any capacity?

SA: I’ve been a public servant and a licensed architect for over 30 years. It’s been incredibly rewarding to me to work for the military as an architect. I’ve come to learn the variety of ways that public architects influence design and shape the way our cities and communities look. This [tangible impact on our built environment] happens through architects that are in public service, such as the architects that work on the National Capital Planning Commission or the Commission of Fine Arts or Board of Zoning. These people have an impact on our cities and communities.

On the political side, I certainly think architects use the design process to solve problems, stay focused on people, and communicate well—these are also important traits of a good politician…so I think architects are well-suited [to be politicians.] Getting off the boards, volunteering for things that will expose you to contracts, insurance and IT are important skills for leadership development.

For me personally, I run a business of more than 2,300 employees and a budget of $625 million. I spend my days leading people and focusing on the business side of what we do. That includes managing relationships and resources. My master’s degree and my focus on the business side of what we do as architects has enabled me to effectively lead this organization. ■

Above: The gradual removal of scaffolding from the Dome Restoration Project. All Photos this page courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol.Above Right: Recasting missing parts of the Grant Memorial. Right: Cannon Renewal Project.

#yafchat

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Q1: What does #stewardship mean to you? #YAFchat2:10 PM - 16 Mar 2016

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#YAFchat A1 taking the long term view and multigenerationalresponsibility twitter.com/aiayaf/status/…2:11 PM - 16 Mar 2016

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#YAFchat A1 taking the long term view and multigenerationalresponsibility twitter.com/aiayaf/status/…2:11 PM - 16 Mar 2016

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A1 Stewardship is all-encompassing, right? It means doing thebest good or the least bad. Giving of yourself & time. #yafchat2:12 PM - 16 Mar 2016

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A1. To me, stewardship is taking responsibility for shaping ourfuture and doing what's right. Action is the key to success!#yafchat2:51 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

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A2 Architects should find things they are passionate & getinvolved. Recycling, parks, education, arts, homelessness -volunteer! #YAFchat2:20 PM - 16 Mar 2016

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A2 Architects should find things they are passionate & getinvolved. Recycling, parks, education, arts, homelessness -volunteer! #YAFchat2:20 PM - 16 Mar 2016

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Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 4/14

A1. Stewardship = Duties and responsibilities for something,most often resources. Protecting Taking care of... #yafchat2:13 PM - 16 Mar 2016

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IKM Incorporated @ikminc

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A1. To me, stewardship is taking responsibility for shaping ourfuture and doing what's right. Action is the key to success!#yafchat2:51 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

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Stephanie Silkwood @StephSilkwood

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Q2: How do you think architects can act as stewards in theircommunity? #YAFchat2:17 PM - 16 Mar 2016

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AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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A2 Architects should find things they are passionate & getinvolved. Recycling, parks, education, arts, homelessness -volunteer! #YAFchat2:20 PM - 16 Mar 2016

3 3

Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 6/14

#YAFchat A2 somehow get developers to think beyond just theirbuilding & bottom line twitter.com/aiayaf/status/…2:21 PM - 16 Mar 2016

Joseph Lai @ThisIsJLai

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A2 #architects can volunteer their time and design services tohelp communities envision what could be possible #yafchat@AIAYAF2:26 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

3 4

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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A2. I think architects must be stewards at both macro and microscales, advocating publicly and in our day-to-dayresponsibilities. #yafchat2:53 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

2 1

Stephanie Silkwood @StephSilkwood

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 6/14

#YAFchat A2 somehow get developers to think beyond just theirbuilding & bottom line twitter.com/aiayaf/status/…2:21 PM - 16 Mar 2016

Joseph Lai @ThisIsJLai

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A2 #architects can volunteer their time and design services tohelp communities envision what could be possible #yafchat@AIAYAF2:26 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

3 4

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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A2. I think architects must be stewards at both macro and microscales, advocating publicly and in our day-to-dayresponsibilities. #yafchat2:53 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

2 1

Stephanie Silkwood @StephSilkwood

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 6/14

#YAFchat A2 somehow get developers to think beyond just theirbuilding & bottom line twitter.com/aiayaf/status/…2:21 PM - 16 Mar 2016

Joseph Lai @ThisIsJLai

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A2 #architects can volunteer their time and design services tohelp communities envision what could be possible #yafchat@AIAYAF2:26 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

3 4

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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A2. I think architects must be stewards at both macro and microscales, advocating publicly and in our day-to-dayresponsibilities. #yafchat2:53 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

2 1

Stephanie Silkwood @StephSilkwood

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3,167 Twitter Followers

AIA YAF Monthly Tweet-up16 March, 2-3:00pm Eastern Time

Theme: StewardshipHashtag: #YAFChat

Moderated by the 2016-2017 AIA YAF Public Relations Director Lora Teagarden and hosted by the AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF). The yafchat for the month of March focused on Policy + #stewardship. #yafchat

45WWW.AIA.ORG/YAF APRIL 2016

3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 7/14

Q3: Are there ways that you currently act as a steward in yourcommunity specifically? Toss out some ideas of ways others cantoo. #YAFchat2:29 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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I am on a Tpwnship Planning Commission. I volunteer with localcommunity groups on pro bono urban design projects #yafchat2:32 PM - 16 Mar 2016

3

Kurt Neiswender @kurtneiswender

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@kurtneiswender How did you take the first step into thosepositions? #YAFchat2:34 PM - 16 Mar 2016

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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@AIAYAF I asked. used to think it was difficult, but communitieswant and need the help! just ask and you will be welcome#yafchat2:38 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1 3

Kurt Neiswender @kurtneiswender

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 7/14

Q3: Are there ways that you currently act as a steward in yourcommunity specifically? Toss out some ideas of ways others cantoo. #YAFchat2:29 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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I am on a Tpwnship Planning Commission. I volunteer with localcommunity groups on pro bono urban design projects #yafchat2:32 PM - 16 Mar 2016

3

Kurt Neiswender @kurtneiswender

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@kurtneiswender How did you take the first step into thosepositions? #YAFchat2:34 PM - 16 Mar 2016

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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@AIAYAF I asked. used to think it was difficult, but communitieswant and need the help! just ask and you will be welcome#yafchat2:38 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1 3

Kurt Neiswender @kurtneiswender

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 8/14

A3 We recently started a mentorship program to@BallStateCAP. Our members serve on committees, volunteer@ bike shops, gardens, etc #yafchat2:32 PM - 16 Mar 2016

2 5

YAF Indy @YAFindy

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A3 volunteer leader of local #AIA program that partnered w/Cityto create land use plan for a future neighborhood growth#yafchat @AIAYAF2:34 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

1 3

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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@Britt_AIA That's awesome! How did you get involved in that?#YAFchat2:35 PM - 16 Mar 2016

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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@AIAYAF local #AIA reached out to City contacts and offeredour help, City graciously agreed #yafchat2:37 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

1

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 8/14

A3 We recently started a mentorship program to@BallStateCAP. Our members serve on committees, volunteer@ bike shops, gardens, etc #yafchat2:32 PM - 16 Mar 2016

2 5

YAF Indy @YAFindy

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A3 volunteer leader of local #AIA program that partnered w/Cityto create land use plan for a future neighborhood growth#yafchat @AIAYAF2:34 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

1 3

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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@Britt_AIA That's awesome! How did you get involved in that?#YAFchat2:35 PM - 16 Mar 2016

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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@AIAYAF local #AIA reached out to City contacts and offeredour help, City graciously agreed #yafchat2:37 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

1

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 9/14

A3 I am involved in #STEM & education outreach - readingprograms, career days, hands-on STEM experiments, sciencefair judging. #YAFchat2:36 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1 4

Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

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@AIAnwpr_YAF Is that something AIA organized or did youseek it out? #YAFchat2:37 PM - 16 Mar 2016

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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@AIAYAF I found opportunities with my firm @CTA_Group andsought others out. Love promoting architecture with elementarystudents! #YAFchat2:39 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1 3

Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

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A3 currently a board member of the Austin Soccer Fndn servingeconomically disadvantaged youth w/ scholarships,fielddevelopment... #YAFChat2:39 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1 2

Jamie Crawley @falloutstudio

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 10/14

sorry gotta go legislate ! #yafchat2:39 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1

Kurt Neiswender @kurtneiswender

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I'm also teaching architecture to elementary kids. We do a BoxCity program here in Utah @AIAYAF @YoungArchitxPDX#yafchat2:40 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1 6

Clinger @_clinger_

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Q4: Shifting to policy - What policies do you think are importantto architecture? #YAFchat2:39 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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A4 We're a human-centric field...so all of them? HSW is boringbut obvious. Next 10yrs willB defined by #equity &#sustainability #yafchat2:42 PM - 16 Mar 2016

2 2

YAF Indy @YAFindy

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 11/14

A4 Land use allowing mixed use res and jobs, encouraginggrowth next to transit for a more walkable, sustainable future#yafchat @AIAYAF2:45 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

2 3

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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A4: coupled w/ policy is a strong #ArchiPac #CitizenArchitectsshould find ways to further dialgoue w/ public and electedofficials #YAFChat2:49 PM - 16 Mar 2016

3 4

Jamie Crawley @falloutstudio

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A4 Policies vary by state as well as national issues. Montanasucceeded in changing the public bldg definition after 15 years!#YAFchat2:57 PM - 16 Mar 2016

2

Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

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A4. Architecture needs policies that incentivize creative,sustainable, engaging designs instead of merely profitablesolutions. #yafchat3:00 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

3 3

Stephanie Silkwood @StephSilkwood

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 11/14

A4 Land use allowing mixed use res and jobs, encouraginggrowth next to transit for a more walkable, sustainable future#yafchat @AIAYAF2:45 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

2 3

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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A4: coupled w/ policy is a strong #ArchiPac #CitizenArchitectsshould find ways to further dialgoue w/ public and electedofficials #YAFChat2:49 PM - 16 Mar 2016

3 4

Jamie Crawley @falloutstudio

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A4 Policies vary by state as well as national issues. Montanasucceeded in changing the public bldg definition after 15 years!#YAFchat2:57 PM - 16 Mar 2016

2

Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

Follow

A4. Architecture needs policies that incentivize creative,sustainable, engaging designs instead of merely profitablesolutions. #yafchat3:00 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

3 3

Stephanie Silkwood @StephSilkwood

Follow

3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 11/14

A4 Land use allowing mixed use res and jobs, encouraginggrowth next to transit for a more walkable, sustainable future#yafchat @AIAYAF2:45 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

2 3

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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A4: coupled w/ policy is a strong #ArchiPac #CitizenArchitectsshould find ways to further dialgoue w/ public and electedofficials #YAFChat2:49 PM - 16 Mar 2016

3 4

Jamie Crawley @falloutstudio

Follow

A4 Policies vary by state as well as national issues. Montanasucceeded in changing the public bldg definition after 15 years!#YAFchat2:57 PM - 16 Mar 2016

2

Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

Follow

A4. Architecture needs policies that incentivize creative,sustainable, engaging designs instead of merely profitablesolutions. #yafchat3:00 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

3 3

Stephanie Silkwood @StephSilkwood

Follow

3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 11/14

A4 Land use allowing mixed use res and jobs, encouraginggrowth next to transit for a more walkable, sustainable future#yafchat @AIAYAF2:45 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

2 3

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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A4: coupled w/ policy is a strong #ArchiPac #CitizenArchitectsshould find ways to further dialgoue w/ public and electedofficials #YAFChat2:49 PM - 16 Mar 2016

3 4

Jamie Crawley @falloutstudio

Follow

A4 Policies vary by state as well as national issues. Montanasucceeded in changing the public bldg definition after 15 years!#YAFchat2:57 PM - 16 Mar 2016

2

Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

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A4. Architecture needs policies that incentivize creative,sustainable, engaging designs instead of merely profitablesolutions. #yafchat3:00 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

3 3

Stephanie Silkwood @StephSilkwood

Follow

#yafchat

46 CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 12/14

Q5: What are ways that architects can get involved in politics oraffecting policy? #YAFchat2:49 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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A5 serve on city boards and commissions - design review,planning, city council, etc #yafchat @AIAYAF2:51 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

1 3

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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globalhealth and education - how are we as #citizenarchitectsmaking impacts with time talent and treasure #yafchattwitter.com/AIAYAF/status/…2:55 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1 3

Jamie Crawley @falloutstudio

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A5 Reach out to local & state elected officials to begindeveloping relationships. You may need their future support onpolicy. #YAFchat2:54 PM - 16 Mar 2016

4 5

Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 12/14

Q5: What are ways that architects can get involved in politics oraffecting policy? #YAFchat2:49 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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A5 serve on city boards and commissions - design review,planning, city council, etc #yafchat @AIAYAF2:51 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

1 3

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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globalhealth and education - how are we as #citizenarchitectsmaking impacts with time talent and treasure #yafchattwitter.com/AIAYAF/status/…2:55 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1 3

Jamie Crawley @falloutstudio

Follow

A5 Reach out to local & state elected officials to begindeveloping relationships. You may need their future support onpolicy. #YAFchat2:54 PM - 16 Mar 2016

4 5

Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

Follow

3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 12/14

Q5: What are ways that architects can get involved in politics oraffecting policy? #YAFchat2:49 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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A5 serve on city boards and commissions - design review,planning, city council, etc #yafchat @AIAYAF2:51 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

1 3

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

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globalhealth and education - how are we as #citizenarchitectsmaking impacts with time talent and treasure #yafchattwitter.com/AIAYAF/status/…2:55 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1 3

Jamie Crawley @falloutstudio

Follow

A5 Reach out to local & state elected officials to begindeveloping relationships. You may need their future support onpolicy. #YAFchat2:54 PM - 16 Mar 2016

4 5

Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

Follow

3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 13/14

@AIAnwpr_YAF What was the issue with the definition?#YAFchat2:59 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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A5. Attend community meetings, contribute to publications,influence clients, and lead by example! #yafchat3:02 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

2 3

Stephanie Silkwood @StephSilkwood

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That’s all for this month! Thanks everyone for a great chat. We'llsee you next month, Apr20th, to dive deeper into #Advocacy.#YAFchat3:00 PM - 16 Mar 2016

3

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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thanks for the #YAFchat y'all taking my daughter to@LBJLibrary this afternoon | future #CitizenArchitect2:58 PM - 16 Mar 2016

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Jamie Crawley @falloutstudio

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3/22/2016 March #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/march-yafchat#publicize 12/14

Q5: What are ways that architects can get involved in politics oraffecting policy? #YAFchat2:49 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1

AIA YAF @AIAYAF

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A5 serve on city boards and commissions - design review,planning, city council, etc #yafchat @AIAYAF2:51 PM - 16 Mar 2016 · San Jose, CA, United States

1 3

Britt Lindberg @Britt_AIA

Follow

globalhealth and education - how are we as #citizenarchitectsmaking impacts with time talent and treasure #yafchattwitter.com/AIAYAF/status/…2:55 PM - 16 Mar 2016

1 3

Jamie Crawley @falloutstudio

Follow

A5 Reach out to local & state elected officials to begindeveloping relationships. You may need their future support onpolicy. #YAFchat2:54 PM - 16 Mar 2016

4 5

Shannon Christensen @AIAnwpr_YAF

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#yafchat

47WWW.AIA.ORG/YAF APRIL 2016

About the Moderator Lora Teagarden, AIA

Teagarden is a Project Architect at RATIO Architects in Indianapolis, IN, is the Public Relations Director for YAF AdCom and serves on the Equity Alliance web leadership team. She also serves on her local AIA Indianapolis and YAF board, is the creator of #AREsketches, and owns a small business.

LEADERSHIP PROFILE

48 CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

DT: It all started in 2006. Neil Hoffman, one of my principals at Francis Cauffman and a member of the AIA Philadelphia Board of Directors, alerted me to an opening as the State Associate Director. Through my work in the office and his knowledge of my potential leadership skills, he thought I would be a good fit. That same year I applied for and was chosen to be the State Associate Director for Pennsylvania. During my year in the position, I learned more about what happened in Harrisburg and what we were doing as a single state region. The hot topics at the time were licensure and ARE concurrency. The experience that got me hooked was testifying in front of the PA Licensure Board as to why PA should adopt NCARB’s model law that was recently passed. The next year, the Regional Associate Director position was open. I applied, was accepted, and represented PA at the National level. That was a great opportunity to see the bigger picture and what happened at AIA National. With this came the opportunity to go to Grassroots in Washington, DC where I gained a better understanding of what we do as a profession, particularly from an advocacy and legislative standpoint. At the end of my term on the NAC, I had become licensed. That made me eligible for the YARD position (formerly the Regional Liaison) on the YAF. As a YARD in PA, I brought the YAF back locally to Philadelphia. I learned quickly from some mentors within the chapter that there had been previous iterations of the YAF and they were supportive of my plan. Interestingly enough, Denise’s efforts and my exposure to the AIA first crossed at one of her initiatives. She started an ARE study group, which I took part in as an exam candidate, and then helped support when I became licensed myself. Denise continued to discuss how her organizational skills paid off. DT: The activities of the YAF, particularly the ARE study group, helped raise the profile of YAs in the AIA Philadelphia community. When I started that group and met with then Executive Director John Claypool, FAIA, and then President, Don Jones, FAIA, I asked what it would take to put a YA on the chapter board. Their response was, “You’re an architect. Just run for the board.”

DENISE THOMPSONA CONVERSATION WITH THE AIA PHILADELPHIA PRESIDENT

Denise ran and won a seat as a chapter director. The membership was ready for a new generation and she started a run of emerging professionals on the board. Subsequently, Denise paid her dues and is currently in her 6th year – two terms as chapter director, a spot as Treasurer and finally as First Vice President/ President Elect. That was an opportunity that she couldn’t pass up, particularly because she would be President during Convention. She felt it was her duty to carry the torch for Young Architects across the country, a powerful group that is now reaching high-ranking leadership positions. For those of you keeping track at home, Denise’s path has been ten years in the making. She was also the beneficiary of perfect timing as the next logical position opened as she was eligible to take it on. So we got more into how Emerging Professionals throughout the Institute can build their AIA resume if one of those leadership roles aren’t available.

One of the initiatives that the YAF is built on, is encouraging our demographic to reach for higher and higher levels of component leadership. Not surprisingly, the AdCom and YARD representatives from the past decade have become visible leaders in their state, regional and local chapters; Many of which are part of the Large States or Big Sibs networks, and account for large membership bases. We’d like to think that service to the YAF has been pivotal to their path, but to find out more, CONNECTION caught up with the President of AIA Philadelphia, Denise Thompson. We kicked off asking how she was able to obtain executive status of a Big Sib while still within 10 years of licensure.

by Jeff Pastva, AIA

Fishtown - You can jump on the El, get off at Girard and walk around - eating and drinking your way from spot to spot. Side street Exploring – Back alleys like Chancellor and Camac Streets are very enjoy-able to me. The rear facades are organic, architectural and there is a rich historyPassyunk – Not only does it have a vibrant restaurant scene, there are places like the Singing Foundation that remind me of a Euro-pean piazza.

What are some of the neighborhoods that you would like Convention goers to visit?

You’re an architect. Just run for the board.

Reading Terminal – It’s right across the street from the Convention Center and is one of the most unique foodie experiences you’ll have in PhillyTalula’s Garden – It has amazing food, a homely experience and is situated on another one of Penn’s Parks: Washington SquareOsteria – Across from the soon to be revital-ized Divine Lorraine, this has been an anchor of development that has included restaurants, stores and apartments. Oh, and the food is excellent.

49WWW.AIA.ORG/YAF APRIL 2016

DT: Another great way to be involved is through committee work; be it a Knowledge Community or local committee. It’s certainly a great first step to show that you have leadership potential, desire, and can create successful programming for the chapter. Even as a member of the AIA Board, I have been on the steering committee for AIA Philadelphia WIA and was previously on the AIA National Membership committee as an Associate member. These were definitely opportunities to show others my passion and desire to make the profession better. The roles that Denise had leading up to one on the ExCom were eye-opening experiences, but were things that her practical experience prepared her for. However, since becoming President I sensed that she might have run into some unexpected challenges. We discussed some of the unique experiences she has faced while being the President and what advice she would give to other EPs on what to expect. DT: Being a leader in a chapter like Philadelphia, a vibrant city with very active architects, designers, and public policy makers, is a demanding position. I needed to have an understanding of the role that AIA Philadelphia can and should play in city government and how we can work towards being the resource for city officials. That’s a realm of the profession that I am not as engaged in my day to day. I am now part of a group that has to run the chapter. I am liable for staffing, human resources, financial management, and making sure we are providing a stable environment for the chapter to run. In Philadelphia we also have a center for architecture that is financially tied to the chapter. It is our 501(c)3 non-profit arm that integrates into the work we want to do for the community. Not being a current principal, I am aware of how my business operates. But as President, I am a point person along with our Executive Director, Rebecca Johnson. It is like running a small business. Despite the extreme dedication the position demands, there are career perks that come along with it. For one, Denise is growing her leadership and knowledge of how to run a business. And both her firm and she sees that there are potential business development opportunities as well. It’s a very prestigious accomplishment for a firm to claim that the AIA Philadelphia President is a senior member of their firm. It also helps that many of her firm’s clients are other architects. There is a strong mutual respect that they have for each other and many times may serve on the same committee; Those connections only deeper their reputation in the community. As mentioned earlier, this presidency is particularly special because Convention will be in town. We had to get into what the benefits are and what Denise is looking forward to most. DT: Showcasing our amazing city is something I’m really looking forward to. It’s important to show off our neighborhoods and the small firms that are doing work in them as they develop into more vibrant communities. We are also working on our legacy project. In 2000, when the convention was last in Philly, the chapter’s project was to create CHAD – the Charter High School for Architecture and Design. It was an amazing feat and a great way to reach into the community to provide design education for many who wouldn’t

have received it. The school has been widely successful and has some of the best college acceptance and graduation rates in the city. For 2016, we decided to focus on a recommitment to CHAD. We wanted to make sure that we were providing mentorship to their students and finding ways to incorporate design education throughout the city. Design education and K-12 initiatives are part of a larger strategy that Denise hopes to carry on when she rolls off of her presidency. In addition to the connection that the AIA has with CHAD, one of the chapter’s sister organizations, the Community Design Collaborative, also has an initiative on play spaces and greening schoolyards. Then there are a number of coalitions that are working at the high school level like ACE mentoring and PhilaNOMA. The latter is even holding design camps throughout the city to engage Philly’s urban youth. Denise explains that the Convention isn’t just the culmination, but rather the launching pad for many of these programs. DT: The attention the Convention will bring to the effort will help build momentum for each program. We are even going to have a build day on the Wednesday before convention with the national group AEC Cares, The Community Design Collaborative, and the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Going forward my goal is to continue working on education of our youth at the committee level. Having a standing group that is able to take on an initiative, year after year is an important goal. We have 23 active committees currently in the chapter and this would add to that total going forward. There are always new opportunities for grants and funding. Through the Center for Architecture we can offer more robust design education programming. ■

What is your food and/or drink recommendation for Convention?

CONTENT DUE 7/21PUBLICATION MID AUGUST

CONTENT DUE 9/22PUBLICATION MID OCTOBER

CONTENT DUE 11/17PUBLICATION MID DECEMBER

CONTENT DUE 5/26PUBLICATION MID JUNE

FEBRUARYMEDIUMThis issue focuses on the theme of BROADCAST and how architecture is and will be consumed by architects, clients and the public.

JUNEWORKFORCE This issue focuses on the theme of EMPLOYMENT TRENDS and on addressing the needs and job categories that support recruitment, retention and retraining initiatives that meet common firm and organizational objectives.

AUGUSTSTATE OF PRACTICEThis issue focuses on the theme of EVOLVING BUSINESS MODELS, on that state of the current profession and how it will evolve to meet future needs.

OCTOBERDATA DRIVENThis issue focuses on the theme of METRICS and how big data and parameters are changing how we do business.

DECEMBEREDIFICATIONThis issue focuses on the theme of SCHOLARSHIP and how architecture is a career of lifelong learning.

CONNECTIONTHE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

2016 EDITORIAL CALENDAR

APRILPOLITICOThis issue focuses on the themes of POLITICS AND ADVOCACY and on architects who are in or pursuing public office through election or appointment.

CONTENT DUE 1/21PUBLICATION MID FEBRUARY

CONTENT DUE 3/24PUBLICATION MID APRIL

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

WE ARE CURRENTLY SOLICITING CONTENT

CONNECTION welcomes the submission of ARTICLES, PROJECTS, PHOTOGRAPHY and other design content. Submitted materials are subject to editorial review and selected for publication in eMagazine format based on relevance to the theme of a particular issue.

If you are interested in contributing to CONNECTION, please contact the Editor-

In-Chief at jpastva@gmail.com

CLICK HERE for past issues of CONNECTION

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All submissions are required to have the attachments noted below.

TextSubmit the body of your text in a single, separate Word document with a total word count between 500-1000 words.

Format the file name as such:[yourlastname_article title.doc]

ImagesSubmit all images in JPEG format at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi RGB mode. Include captions to all images in the body of your e-mail transmittal.

All images must be authentic to the person submitting. Do not submit images with which you do not hold the rights.

Format the file name(s), sequentially, as such:[yourlastname_image1.jpg]

Author BioSubmit a brief, two-sentence bio in the following format:

[ yourlastname ] [ AIA or Associate AIA or RA ] is a [ your title ] at [ your company ] in [ city, state ]. [ yourlastname ] is also [ one sentence describing primary credentials or recent accomplishments]. Format the file name as such:[yourlastname_article title.doc]

Author PhotoSubmit a recent headshot in JPEG format at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi grayscale in RGB mode.

Format the file name as such:[yourlastname_portrait.doc]

WHAT IS THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM?The Young Architects Forum is the voice of architects in the early stages of their career and the catalyst for change within the profession and our communities. Working closely with the AIA College of Fellows and the American Institute of Architects as a whole, the YAF is leading the future of the profession with a focus on architects licensed less than 10 years. The national YAF Advisory Committee is charged with encouraging the development of national and regional programs of interest to young architects and supporting the creation of YAF groups within local chapters. Approximately 23,000 AIA members are represented by the YAF. YAF programs, activities, and resources serve young architects by providing information and leadership; promoting excellence through fellowship with other professionals; and encouraging mentoring to enhance individual, community, and professional development.

GOALS OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

To encourage professional growth and leadership development among recently licensed architects through interaction and collaboration within the AIA and allied groups.

To build a national network and serve as a collective voice for young architects by working to ensure that issues of particular relevance to young architects are appropriately addressed by the Institute. To make AIA membership valuable to young architects and to develop the future leadership of the profession.

GET CONNECTED PUT YOURSELF ON THE MAP THIS ISSUE FEATURES CONTRIBUTING ARTICLES FROM THESE MAPPED LOCATIONS.

Los Angeles, CA

Denver, CO

AIA NationalWashington D.C.

Atlanta, GA

Houston, TX

Philadelphia, PASacramento, CA

New Orleans, LA

Boston, MA

New York City, NY

San Francisco, CA

Troy, NY

YAFGET CONNECTED

YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUMCELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF ADVANCING THE CAREERS OF YOUNG ARCHITECTS

1991

2016