YAF CONNECTION 15.04 by AIA Young Architects Forum

CONNECTION THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF

THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

SOUP TO NUTS

This issue focuses on the various aspects of architectural education. We will explore the lifelong learning process throughout the life cycle of an architect.

Q4- 2017

VOL 15 ISSUE 04

CONNECTION

THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

CONNECTION EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Editor-In-Chief Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA Senior Editor Ian Merker, AIA Senior Editor, International Correspondent Vikki Lew, AIA Senior Graphics Editor Nicholas Banks, AIA Editor Phillip Anzalone, AIA Contributing Journalist Gabriela Baierle-Atwood, AIA Contributing Journalist Kate Thuesen, AIA Contributing Journalist Jessica Deaver, Assoc. AIA Contributing Journalist Sharon Turek, AIAS 2017 YAF ADVISORY COMMITTEE Chair Evelyn Lee, AIA Vice Chair Lawrence Fabbronni, AIA Past Chair Joshua Flowers, AIA Advocacy Director Stephen Parker, AIA Communications Director Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA Community Director Shelby Morris, AIA Knowledge Director Ryan McEnroe, AIA Public Relations Director Lora Teagarden, AIA AIA National Strategic Council Representative College of Fellows Representative AIA Staff Liaison

Jack Morgan, AIA Peter Kuttner, FAIA Milan Jordan, Assoc. AIA

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

P 800-AIA-3837 www.aia.org

CONNECTION is a the official quarterly publication of the Young Architects Forum of the AIA. This publication is created through the volunteer efforts of dedicated Young Architect Forum members. Copyright 2017 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 Â© of individual articles belongs to the Author. All image permissions are obtained by or copyright of the Author.

ON THE COVER: The First and Broardway (FAB) Civic Center Park 2017 PRESIDENT’S NOTE by BROOKS + SCARPA. Thomas Vonier, FAIA

CHAIR’S MESSAGE

Evelyn Lee, AIA

STRATEGIC COUNCIL UPDATE

Jack Morgan, AIA

EDITOR’S NOTE

Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA

2017 YOUNG ARCHITECTS AWARD WINNER PROFILE

Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA

ACADEMIC

EDUCATING PRACTICE | PRACTICING EDUCATION

Vikki Lew, AIA

MIND THE GAP

An Interview with Donna Kacmar, FAIA and Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA

PROFESSIONALISM FROM ACADEMICS TO PRACTICE

Thomas Lowing, AIA

GOD’S SENSE OF HUMOR – MY JOURNEY TO A DOCTORATE WHILE BEING BLACK

L .David Stewart

PROMOTING ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH

An Interview with with the Journal of Architecture Education

IPAL STUDENTS WORK TOWARD LICENSURE WHILE IN SCHOOL

NACAB

05 06 07 08 10

See more in this issue's Young Architects Award Winner Profile on this project starting on page 10

12 18 20 22 24 28

POST GRADUATION / PRE-LICENSURE NURTURING THE YOUNG GENERATION

An interview with Hsu-Jen Huang, Assoc. AIA

THE CHALLENGE OF MENTORING

Jessica N. Deaver, Assoc. AIA

LIFE AFTER GRADUATION

An interview with Caitlin Kessler

NotLY: NOT LICENSED YET

An interview with Doug Nobles, FAIA

FIRM CULTURE – BEST PLACES TO WORK FOR EMERGING PROFESSIONALS

An interview with various YARD's

30 32 34 36 38

POST-LICENSURE BECOMING WELL

An interview with Rachel Gutter

GETTING SPECIALIZED – THE AIA CREDENTIALING PROGRAM

An interview with Stephen Martin

CSI CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

An interview with Bill Schmalz, FAIA

CERTIFIED ACCESS SPECIALIST

An interview with Janis Kent, FAIA

HUMAN SUSTAINABILITY IN THE WORKPLACE

Vikki Lew, AIA

#YAFchat

Lora Teagarden, AIA

#YAspotlight EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SPOTLIGHT

Haley Ward, Assoc. AIA

44 48 50 52 54

56 58 60

Q4- 2017

VOL 15 ISSUE 04

SOUP TO NUTS CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTING EDITORS YU-NGOK LO, AIA

is the principal of YNL Architects, Inc. He is the Communication Director of the Young Architects Forum National Advisory Committee of the AIA and the Editor-In-Chief of the YAF official publication CONNECTION. Lo is a recipient of the 2016 AIA Young Architects Award.

IAN MERKER, AIA

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

NICHOLAS BANKS, AIA

is an architect for the education studio of Corgan in Houston, TX. He is the chair of the Intern and Associate network for AIA Houston, where he encourages local associates along the path to licensure. He has been a contributor to YAF CONNECTION for over three years

VIKKI LEW, AIA

began her architectural career in San Francisco and started practicing internationally in 2006. Her diverse portfolio includes healthcare, university, residential, financial institute, retail, mixed-use, super-highrise, and master planning. She is a Board member of AIA Hong Kong.

PHILLIP ANZALONE, AIA

is a partner of the Brooklyn based form Atelier Architecture 64, and a professor of architectural technology at the New York City College of Technology. Anzalone served as the New York Regional Director of the Young Architects Forum for 2015 and 2016. Prior appointments include directing the building science and technology sequence at Columbia Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GSAPP, facade consultant at R.A. Heintges and Associates and architectural designer at Greg Lynn Form.

GABRIELA BAIERLE ATWOOD, AIA

is an architect with Arrowstreet in Boston, MA. She is currently serving as Architect Licensing Advisor for both the AIA Massachusetts and NCARB. She continues her involvement by being a member of the Boston Society of Architects and their Emerging Professionals Network, BosNOMA and MakeTANK committees.

KATE THUESEN, AIA (AIA CSR)

is an architect and associate at DLR, Des Moines, IA with vast experience in both the K-12 and Higher Education industries. She holds a B. Arch degree from Iowa State University. Thuesen is currently serving as the YARD representing the Central States Regions (CSR).

JESSICA DEAVER, ASSOC. AIA

is a recent graduate of the University of Houston Graduate School of Architecture and Design and holds a Bachelor of Science in Radio-TV-Film from UT Austin. She has worked in the film and television industry writing, shooting and directing in both Texas and New York. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been recently published in the literary journal The New Engagement

SHARON TUREK , AIAS

is a fourth year student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo working toward a Bachelor of Architecture. In addition to her involvement with her local AIAS chapter, she is the student and California Coast representative for the AIACC Communications Advisory Committee. She is currently closing off the 2017-18 school year with a co-op internship with ZGF Architects in downtown Los Angeles, California.

2017 AIA PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

SOUP TO NUTS

GET SMART, STAY SMART

CONTINUING EDUCATION SHOULD CONNECT WITH RESEARCH

nce licensed, most architects are finished with “school.” But we still have to live with the learning unit - with the embodiment of the state’s continuing interest in ensuring that professionals meet certain basic educational requirements. Most licensing jurisdictions now require architects to acquire and report a minimum number of qualifying educational credits each year. Such requirements are also a feature - and were once a distinction - of membership in the American Institute of Architects. The premise behind “lifelong learning” or “continuing education” or “ongoing professional development” is unexceptionable: Professionals should remain abreast of new knowledge and new techniques to maintain an up-to-date standard of care. Accredited learning units are designed to ensure that standard is met, by measuring exposure to educational materials or experience. What they measure is seat time, and sometimes test results: For how long did you sit and listen to (or watch) a qualified presentation, and did you demonstrate, by passing some form of test, that you digested some of what you saw or heard? People ask, reasonably, isn’t just practicing enough? For most professionals, doesn’t actual success lie not in an earned credential, or a unit of learning, but in the product itself? Isn’t learning part of every project? Isn’t the proof in the outcome? Did the patient thrive? Did the litigant prevail? Has the building served its purpose? After all, architects do gain experience and knowledge in the normal course of their work, in much the same way that medical doctors learn new techniques in the clinic or operating room, or attorneys absorb new legal precedents by preparing briefs and sitting in court. Arguing that “continuous learning” is just part of responsible practice, some architects have resisted the movement toward required continuing education. They may have a point. Studies of medical practice suggest that mandatory continuing education makes little apparent difference in the quality of patient care. More important are such factors as the age of the doctor (younger physicians tend to do better), the practice setting (multiphysicianclinics and hospital-based practices tend to do better), and the location (medium to large cities tend to be better). Do learning units make an essential difference in the quality of architecture? One wonders: How many of our profession’s greatest have attended education seminars at conventions, or office lunchand-learns? Despite the fact that the AIA and the National Council

of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB, the association of licensing authorities) have long embraced mandatory continuing education, the quality of offerings remains a confounding problem. Some AIA chapters and members have complained, to paraphrase, that it is too easy for product manufacturers and industry groups to package sales materials as ”educational programming.” And, some have asked, if the state interest in licensing is based upon the duty to protect public health, safety and welfare, what does that have to do with, for instance, paint colors? Partly in response to such comments, and partly as a necessary reaction to excellent educational materials being marketed by other producers, the AIA is striving to improve its own offerings, particularly through AIA/U and new, improved distance-learning options. Some large firms have developed internal programs and courses, or contracted with specialists to fulfill requirements. Nonetheless - despite some quality control issues, several pockets of burgeoning “antiregulation” activism, and lingering misgivings among a few professionals - mandatory continuing education is very probably here to stay. For the balance of our professional lives, we architects will be dealing with learning units, and the offerings will likely improve. What remains to be achieved, however, is a strong link between meaningful, well documented building research and its applications in ongoing professional development. We need better institutional connections between the primary research institutions - mainly universities and national laboratories - and architecture’s primary practice institutions. If we want research to inform practice, what better way than through continuing education? Continuing professional education is now an industry of substantial proportions, generating millions of dollars in annual revenue. More of this demand should be filled by educational entrepreneurs, offering courses based upon credible applied research. This would give educational offerings new authority and value, and it might lend a new form of market advantage to the architects who partake. ■

Thomas Vonier, FAIA

is the 2017 president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), was recently elected president of the International Union of Architects (UIA). He is an architect in private practice, working from Washington DC and Paris.

Q4 -2017

CHAIR'S MESSAGE

EXTENDED EDUCATION

s members of an organization that requires continuingeducation units for our licensed professionals, we can all agree that lifelong learning is intrinsic to being an architect. My educational path has taken that idea one step further, with two additional master’s degrees following my M. Arch. I pursued an MBA because architects do not think like entrepreneurs and have a hard time communicating our value. The Master's of public administration came next because of an interest in learning more about organizational design, research (surveys, focus groups, etc.), and change creation within companies. So while I value the importance of the credential that licensure has within our profession, I also think that, for better or worse, as a profession, we tend to frame continuing education with a particular lens and that in doing so, we are limiting our opportunity for growth. The debate over the necessity to bridge academia and practice is ongoing and covered in an article within this edition of Connection. However, I would like to bring a new perspective to the argument that we should replicate in our offices one thing that academia does very well: applying the latest technology, research, and trends to design processes and projects. For many architects, our ongoing education is limited to new technologies and research that have a direct effect on the way we currently do business. Technology discussions tend to focus on BIM, building facades, building systems, and textiles. Meanwhile, the growth of technology in fields parallel to ours is calling for more attention.

environments, systems, and services.” TED Fellow James Patten of interactive design firm Patten Studio recently talked at our Practice Innovation Lab about his desire to work with more architects on his projects. It makes me question what other new fields have emerged that we should be knowledgeable in. Don’t get me wrong. The AIA’s CEO requirements and ADA requirements in my state of California for license renewal are helpful to the ongoing education of architects. However, I would argue that they are not enough and that as designers, artists, and critical thinkers, we need to make sure that our extended education encompasses a broader field of investigation. On another note, and in closing, I wanted to thank the Young Architects Forum (YAF) AdCom and regional directors for their participation and hard work throughout 2017. It has been an incredible year as chair of the YAF, and we have seen great success in the implementation of best practices in programming across regions. This past year also marked the 25th anniversary of the YAF, and the Practice Innovation Lab positioned our group to be the voices for the future of a profession looking at the changing modality of practice. Thank you to those same leaders who have inspired me along the way and have become a part of the village. It is with your support that I can continue to be involved with the AIA even with the growth of my family and changes in my career.■

For example, it is estimated that the Internet of Things (IoT) will include 30 billion objects no more than two years from now and have a global market value of $7.1 trillion by 2020. Many of the IoT objects are classified as cyber-physical systems that include technologies in smart homes, smart buildings, and smart cities. When is the last time you took a look at new technologies that are explicitly affecting the work architects implement and the decisions our clients make about their buildings? Also, the rapid pace of technology has created fields of exploration that previously did not exist. With the growth of the Internet of Things, degrees in data science have skyrocketed. Interactive design (IxD) is a relatively new field, less than 30 years old. It is defined as “the practice of designing interactive digital products,

Yu-Ngok Evelyn M.Lo, Lee, AIAAIA

leads workplace strategy at Newmark Yu-Ngok Knight Frank. She is combines the her 2017-2018 business and architecture background Communications Director to seamlessly of the integrateArchitects Young workplaceNational experience Advisory with organizational ofculture Committee the AIA, and the operational Editorstrategy. She in-Chief of YAF is the CONNECTION 2017 Chair and of the a Young Architects Project Architect Forum National Advisory Committee of the AIA.

CONNECTION

THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

STRATEGIC COUNCIL

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STRATEGIC COUNCIL UPDATE

his issue focuses on the definition of education related to instruction, training, and the phases of the learning experience, such as academic, postgraduation, and post-licensure. For this Strategic Council update, let’s take a different direction and align with another definition for education: an enlightening experience. Now that the Strategic Council’s work for 2017 has been collected, let’s take a snapshot look at the challenges and goals identified by each group, along with a glimpse at one or two key strategies they are studying. The 2017 study groups convened around the following topics: •

Life Cycle of an Architect

•

Emerging Technologies

•

Innovative Business Models

•

Increasing the Public’s Valuation of Architects and Architecture

•

Communication, Advocacy and Policy of the New Urban Agenda (CAPNUA),

•

Local Office of the City Architect Initiative

•

Architectural Quality Index

The Life Cycle of an Architect group seeks to “evaluate the available support and programming for all stages of an architect’s life cycle (K-12 students, emerging professionals, middle-career architects, alternative-career architects, leadership, senior architects, and emeritus members) to identify any gaps for further analysis and improvement.” The goal for the year’s effort was to “evaluate the current state of support and programming at the varying stages throughout the life cycle of an architect.” One key finding is that there are opportunities to develop ways to better engage emeritus and senior members with the Institute beyond simply fellowship. Additionally, the group indicated that assistance with job searches and negotiation-skills programming would be significant benefits for recently graduated Assoc. AIA members. And certain businessspecific programs could teach skills that are necessary at different times in an AIA member’s career. The group of councilors who organized around the concept of Emerging Technologies sought to examine “how everchanging procedures and processes impact how we practice, how we build, and how the

public and our clients experience the built environment.” The focus of their goal is to “advance/position the AIA so it is immersed in the discussion on how to address related, ever-changing needs.” Their work resulted in the identification of three lenses through which to address this challenge: Practice, Building and Construction Science, and Built Environment. They identified an immediate need to educate the AIA membership on emerging technologies through an increased presence in AIA conferences and publications. Several longer-term goals and activities were also identified for additional study.

the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and how it is relevant to all communities.” They also seek a solution related to “creating awareness amongst our broader constituencies about the NUA and how it can positively effect change and shape our communities.” Their goal is to “create outreach materials that will serve as a tool kit available to AIA leadership, components and the general membership to facilitate conversations within their communities about the NUA and how to engage around its principles. In the fall of 2017, they worked with several components to stage various pilot programs and create a best-practices tool kit.

“How to better prepare architects to be successful with emerging business models over the next 10 years” was the challenge framed by the Increased Prosperity Through Innovative Business Models study group. They set a goal of “Delivering 21st century solutions for business models and strategies that will allow architects to become increasingly prosperous and be recognized as the leaders of the built environment.” One concept to achieve this goal focuses on the generation of economic data to empower architects to “release their creative potential,” allowing them to be of “everincreasing service to society.” And, like the Life Cycle group, they identified a concept that focuses on increasing business training both at the academic level and for earlycareer architects.

“Politically, the influence of architects to lead and/or control design decisions, have a voice in land-use policy, steward the built environment, and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public has waned significantly in recent decades.” The Local Office of the City Architect Initiative study group seeks to remedy this challenge by “fostering the creation or reestablishment of city architect offices within local governments, which will reassert the architect’s historical primacy in leading the development of communities” and inject a “problem-solving perspective into the process of making complete cities.” By working “within local governance models, architects can profoundly influence the value of design and city-making policies.”

Do you or your family and friends use augmented-reality applications on your phones? The study group that focused on Increasing the Public’s Valuation of Architects and Architecture likes to play games, and they envision a gaming app related to architecture and community as one strategy to solve their goal of increasing “the general public’s interest and understanding of the role of architect/(s)/(ure) in improving the quality of the built environment for all citizens.” This group also developed a few non-gaming strategies such as a television or an online program that explores communities and shows the importance of architecture in creating a sense of place. They are also investigating strategies for making local and regional AIA conferences more visible and engaged with the public. Communication, Advocacy, and Policy of the New Urban Agenda (CAPNUA) is big name for a group with a big challenge. They are exploring how to “educate our profession on Jack Morgan, AIA

The Architectural Quality Index is a prototype tool aimed at developing “a new way of evaluating the economic value of design to tell why well-considered design makes financial sense.” This objective tool “considers factors such as building envelope performance, materials effectiveness, energy consumption, water usage, resiliency capacity, passive design strategies, operating costs and other metrics.” The goal of this tool is to let the public reframe the value proposition of architecture and state the value in terms of “building performance, site responsiveness, health and wellness, and the socioeconomics of design.” We hope you found learning about the work of the 2017 Strategic Council an “enlightening experience.” If one or more of these focus areas sounds interesting to you, please reach out to your regional representative to see how you can join in the conversation.■

is the Director of Architecture and an ssociate for FSB in Oklahoma City, OK. He served on the Board of Direc-tors of his local chapter, AIA Central Oklahoma Chapter (AIACOC) and was the Chapter President in 2014. He is currently serving on the state chapter’s Board of Directors, AIA Oklahoma as the Treasurer. Jack is also the YAF representative to the Strategic Council.

EDITOR’S NOTE EDITOR'S

EDUCATION

THE LIFELONG JOURNEY OF AN ARCHITECT

appy new year and welcome to the Q4 issue of CONNECTION! 2017 was an eventful year and there are many conversations and changes happening in the professions that are relevant to emerging professionals. We wanted to cover all of them in CONNECTION but our editorial team had to make the difficult choice and select four themes from the 2017 calendar. We explored the housing issues that the whole country is struggling with, the international practice issues that firms are facing overseas, and the humanitarian effort and volunteered services offered by architects in response to the problems our communities face after recent disasters. We would like to wrap up the year by revisiting topics related to architectural education and look at how it is woven into our career. Although my predecessor, Jeff Pastva, dedicated an entire issue of CONNECTION to this topic in 2016, we believe it is worthwhile to continue the conversation this year, especially looking into how education is relevant to the entire lifecycle of an architect. We also included some of the perspectives from international educators and practitioners as well. You might immediately associate the term “education” with the academic world. However, it is not a term exclusive to students, faculties, and universities. In fact, it is something that we all embrace throughout our careers. Yes, being an architect is a lifelong learning process that does not end after obtaining your professional degree. In this issue, we will be focusing on various education issues from three career stages – academic, postgraduation, and post-licensure. The articles we selected include a conversation with NCARB to get an update on the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) and discuss the program’s potential impact on the profession, an interview with professors Douglas Nobles and Karen Kensek at the University of Southern California on their experiences helping non-licensed professionals pass the ARE, and conversations with a few architects about postlicensure accreditations, such as WELL AP and CASp, and what these acronyms mean to them professionally. We also interviewed many full-time and adjunct faculty members to discuss one of the most critical conversations we have in our architecture-education system: How do we bridge the gap between the academic world and the profession?

We also worked with the 2016-2017 community director, Shelby Morris, AIA, and reported the EP Firm award program. It recognizes firms that are instrumental to the success of their emerging professional employees and that continue to provide support and resources to help non-licensed staff become architects. We strongly believe firms play a crucial role in educating emerging professionals and providing mentorship opportunities. I would like to thank each of the editorial team members for the work they curated this year. I cannot thank them enough for the time they spent on making CONNECTION happen. I would also like to welcome our two new contributing journalists, Jessica Deaver, Assoc. AIA, and Sharon Turek, AIAS. As a young professional and an architecture student, respectively, their diverse backgrounds will definitely bring different perspectives to the team. Lastly, thank you for your support as readers. I hope you all found something helpful and inspirational in the past CONNECTION issues and invite you to stay in touch. We are looking into expanding CONNECTION to different social media platforms to adapt to the way people consume media. We will also be inviting authors and writers to be guest editors for specific issues of CONNECTION. More changes will be coming in 2018, so stay tuned! ■

Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA

is the principal of YNL Architects, Inc. He is the Communication Yu-Ngok is the Director 2017-2018 of the Young ArchitectsDirector Communications Forum National of the AdvisoryArchitects Young CommitteeNational of the AIA Advisory and the Editor-In-Chief Committee of theof AIA, the YAF the Editorofficial publicationofCONNECTION. in-Chief YAF CONNECTION Yu-Ngok and is aa recipient Architect Project of the 2016 AIA Young Architects Award.

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THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE CALL We are looking for team members to join the editorial committee. While we welcome skill sets of all stripes, our current need is a copy editor. The position description is as follows: Copy Editor: Check over writers' / contributors' final drafts to ensure they're free of errors and make sure the writing is easy to read and fits the publication's editorial style. Must be able to work in a remote setting with the ability to balance publication deadlines with employment. Ability to attend a quarterly kick-off conference call with the potential for intermediate update calls. Proficiency in Microsoft Word required. Please provide a sample page or link of prior work.

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YAF RESOURCE GUIDE AIA’s Young Architects Forum YAF's official website YAF KnowledgeNet A knowledge resource for awards, announcements, podcasts, blogs, YAF Connection, and other valuable YAF legacy content ... this resource has it all! AIA College of Fellows Check out the College of Fellows's reciprocal newsletter to find out more about what's going on.

This position has immediate availability with a commitment of one year and all issues of YAF CONNECTION in 2017. Position will be reevaluated at year's end based on need and performance. If interested, please contact the YAF Communications Director (YAF CONNECTION Editor-in-Chief/Creative Director), Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA at yungoklo@hotmail.com for more information Know Someone Who’s Not Getting YAF Connection? Don’t let them be out of the loop any longer. It’s easy for AIA members to sign up. Update your AIA member profile and add the Young Architects Forum under “Your Knowledge Communities.” • Sign in to your AIA account • Click on the blue “Add a Knowledge Community” button • Select Young Architects Forum from the drop down and SAVE! Call for News, Reviews, Events Do you have newsworthy content that you’d like to share with our readers? Contact the editor, Yu-Ngok Lo, on Twitter @yungoklo. Call for CONNECTION Articles, Projects, Photography Would you like to submit content for inclusion in an upcoming issue? Contact the editor, Yu-Ngok Lo, at yungoklo@hotmail.com

Q4 -2017

YOUNG ARCHITECT PROFILE

2017 AIA YOUNG ARCHITECTS AWARD WINNER PROFILE AN INTERVIEW WITH JEFFREY HUBER, AIA BY YU-NGOK LO

Jeffrey Huber, AIA is an Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University, School of Architecture. He is also a Principal at Brooks + Scarpa and manages the firm’s south Florida office. Huber’s research, teaching, and design work have garnered over 80 national design awards, including Progressive Architecture Awards, National Institute Honor Awards from The American Institute of Architects (AIA), The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), American Architecture Awards and the American Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). In 2017 Huber was received the national AIA Young Architects Award for his practice, teaching, research and service to the profession of architecture. His professional work has been published in hundreds of books and periodicals including Architect Magazine, Residential Architect, and Architectural Record.

In March 2017, the AIA announced the 14 recipients of its annual Young Architects Awards. The winners met the criteria of being “practicing architects licensed for no more than 10 years and who have made significant strides in the profession, both in terms of leadership and contributions.” Since the theme of this issue is education, it is only natural for our editorial team to spend some time with one of our 2017 YAA winners, Jeffrey Hubber, AIA, to talk about his work as a researcher and faculty member at Florida Atlantic University. Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): Tell us about your sea level research. How did winning grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration help you continue your research? Jeffrey Huber (JH): Salty Urbanism is an urban-design framework utilizing Fort Lauderdale and more specifically the North Beach Village neighborhood as a case study for testing future sea level rise adaptation strategies. This work envisions and quantifies the experiential and ecological outcomes of alternative lifestyles. These outcomes consider a future of saturated landscapes and, as a result, integrate research models that accommodate a variety of best management practices, low-impact development, green infrastructure, and other alternative concepts to be implemented over time. Three scenarios ─ defend, retreat, and adjust ─ form a framework for evaluation and acceptance amongst various stakeholders. In this way, each scenario operates in an evolutionary framework through a set of retrofit types at the scale of individual lots (what a property owner can do), public rightof-way (what a municipality or governmental entity can do), and neighborhood (what coordinated public/private collaborations can do) that are incremental, contextual, and successional. Tactics and techniques outlined in the strategies are implemented step-wise and successively across the various fronts in the urbanized area. In this way, the project establishes meaningful conversations among stakeholders to envision and realize a prosperous way forward for the region when addressing future livability concerns while adapting to sea level rise and climate disruptions. Grants are essential as they allow for architects and designers to address supply-side services. Thus, we create our own demand by maintaining relevance to our clients. The Salty Urbanism research has engaged stakeholders in ways that wouldn’t be possible without

RIGHT: CHAPEL AT UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA Courtesy Brooks + Scarpa

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THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

the direct contributions and aid of the NEA Our Town and NOAA Sea Grant programs. YL: Sustainable design has been your passion since your college years. Tell us more about your work in this area, both academically and professionally. JH: Sustainable design is just good design. Since 2015, I have been a principal and director of urban design and planning at Brooks + Scarpa Architects as well as teaching at Florida Atlantic University. Brooks + Scarpa was a natural fit for me because it is committed to sustainable design and is one of the most celebrated architectural firms in the U.S. No matter the scale or type of work, I always push for resilient and sustainable solutions. The most sustainable solutions will not come from high technology, but rather the low-technology applications that design provides, like passive design. With the recent Hurricanes Irma and Maria, we were once again reminded that our built environment is resilient to the actual storm ─ a testament to the code changes since Hurricane Andrew. However, with a lack of proper climatic design strategies, when we lose power for days or months, it shows that we have a lot to relearn still. After all, our grandparents knew how to build in a place, but with the advent of high technology and mass production, we have lost the intelligence to build in resilient and sustainable ways. In both my academic and professional projects, I am always looking back to the past and how to advance those technologies and strategies through design. YL: As a faculty member at Florida Atlantic University, tell us about your teaching experience. How do you prepare students to enter the profession?

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JH: Since I joined the faculty in 2014 at Florida Atlantic University, I have had a tremendous teaching experience. Located in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the School of Architecture affords a metropolitan, social, and subtropical context that is ripe with opportunity. Since most students stay in the area, it is important to give them the tools to adapt and transform the region. I find our students to be socially and environmentally responsible as the school has had a long tradition of fostering what it calls “sustainable subtropical.” Beyond teaching, the university is committed to interdisciplinary research and is committed to supporting faculty scholarship and grant opportunities. The grants I have received are evidence of this truly interdisciplinary support structure we have. There is also a robust undergraduate research agenda that is supported through internal grant opportunities where students are able to develop their interests. All of these elements prepare students to enter the profession. YL: How do you think your work fits into the “New Urban Agenda” that has gained so much attention lately? JH: From 2005 to 2014, I had the privilege of working directly under Stephen Luoni and the University of Arkansas Community Design Center. We developed place-building design frameworks for wicked problems, problems related to social and ecological. We had several projects that were included in the exhibitions in Quito. I was honored to have the work be presented and exhibited there. My previous and current work is very much in line with the New Urban Agenda and will continue to be. It is great to see that we are communicating about complex issues of our time. However, I think there needs to be more, and it starts with educating the next generation of architects and designers.■ ABOVE: FAB CIVIC PARK MIDDLE RIGHT: WATERSOUND PROTOTYPE HOUSING BOTTOM RIGHT: SALTY URBANISM Courtesy Brooks + Scarpa Q4 -2017

FEATURE ACADEMIC

EDUCATING PRACTICE | PRACTICING EDUCATION BY VIKKI LEW

Nelson Chen, FAIA

Li Zhang

Director and Professor of Practice School of Architecture Chinese University of Hong Kong

Associate Dean and Professor Tsinghua University School of Architecture

Principal Architect Nelson Chen Architects Ltd

Laura Briggs

Nader Tehrani

Head and Associate Professor Department of Architecture Rhode Island School of Design

Dean and Professor Cooper Union Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture

Partner BriggsKnowles Studio

Richard Sommer

Former Chair and Professor of Architecture Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Dean and Professor John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, University of Toronto

Brian McGrath Former Dean and Professor of Urban Design Parsons School of Constructed Environments Founder Urban-Interface, LLC

Last year, AIA Hong Kong brought together an ensemble of international architects, who are both award-winning practitioners and educators at leading institutions, to share their professional works and their views on teaching and research. Anderson Lee, AIA Hong Kong 2018 President and the symposium chair shared his intension of the symposium: The education of an architect and the practice of architecture have enjoyed a symbiotic, if not polemical, relationship since the introduction of the Beaux-Arts system of teaching, learning, and practicing more than two and a half centuries ago. Most architecture students acquire the skill of out-of-the-box thinking at school but only encounter the realities of building science,

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Founder NADAA

Preston Scott Cohen

Founder Preston Scott Cohen, Inc.

Partner TeamMinus, Beijin

THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

Founder borfax/B.L.U.

Nasrine Seraji

Head of Department and Professor Faculty of Architecture The University of Hong Kong Founding Partner Atelier Seraji Architectes & Associes

construction technologies, market demands, building codes and regulations upon entering the professional arena. More than ever, architects are facing a rapidly changing society and a built environment that demands a redefinition of professional practice, as well as pedagogy. The symposium explored these questions: How is architectural education shaping future generations of architects? How do educators keep up with teaching both the methods and protocols that demonstrate architecture graduatesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; abilities, as well as the values that reflect the current state of the society? How does the profession maintain or even increase its relevance and influence?

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How have curriculum been adjusted to address the complexity and multi-faceted nature of the practice today? Professionals Nelson Chen, FAIA, has practiced architecture for 40 years, originally in the U.S. and, since 1987, as Principal Architect of Nelson Chen Architects Ltd in Hong Kong. He was educated at Harvard, where he received his BA degree summa cum laude and MArch degree with distinction and the AIA School Medal as first-ranked graduate. His practice has worked on a wide variety of buildings including university, schools, churches, high-rise buildings, low-rise buildings, and industrial buildings. The activities of these projects take place at the same time as he teaches at the university. Chen regards teaching studios as the practitioners' continual learning. While architectural offices make little time for exchange, teaching studio keeps one fresh and honest. Under his leadership, the School of Architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has just celebrated its 25th anniversary. Chen shared that the root of the word “professional” is "profess." It refers to a set of belief that defines the professionals, more than a set of skills, technique, or experience. He further asked, "As architectural students, what will they believe? What will they profess? As future architects, what will they profess? What will they strongly believe or appall?" Chen believed that education is a lifelong pursuit. Students should be able to learn and adjust to the changing career. The teaching of core competence and critical thinking will enable them to achieve professional leadership. Multi-Disciplinary Collaboration As head of the Department of Architecture at Rhode Island School of Design, Laura Briggs is leading the school to open up the studio to new ways of influences. One example is the Nature Lab, which offers a campus-wide forum for exploring the connection between art, design, and science. Subjects are aligned more vertically. The school also participated in partnership with institutes and industries for multi-disciplinary collaboration beyond architecture. RISD has a dual degree program with the adjacent Brown University to provide students opportunities to integrate academic and artistic works. Engaging the students in studios has already changed the dialogues by having diverse viewpoints and backgrounds. Briggs was already involved in the Solar Decathlon when she was at Parsons before joining the RISD faculty. In 2015, the RISD team partnered with Habitat for Humanity in Washington D.C. and trained the Habitat team along with the students on the subject of energ efficient construction.

The RISD team later helped Habitat DC apply for grants to build ten more homes. Students learn outside of the institute by partaking in multi-stakeholder coordination with government and non-profit organizations. The expanded exchange and influence reach a broader audience and not only expertise at the top. In another project, the RISD team worked in partnership with manufacturer Saint-Gobain. Student team used geometry technology and hygrothermal analysis to develop highly insulated walls for a tensile structure. Over last three years, the industry partnership developed a series of open-ended studios, helping the company to solve problems while having a moment of open questioning. Intergenerational Exchange Brian McGrath graduated from Columbia in 1981, which he described as being in the shadow of the 60s generation. He regards education as an intergenerational exchange. "Why do we teach? It’s a conversation across generations. Why do we practice? As architects practice in the incredibly changing field of technology, we need the fresh graduates and experienced architects in the same project." In the last forty years, there were specific disturbances in each decade. In the 1980s, practitioners did not have access to the tools. The inventions in 1990s, such as the first Macintosh computer, allowed practitioners the power of digitalization and globalization of architectural education, and different way of collaboration. In the 2000s, the internet was invented, and technology produced a global economy. In the 2010s, it was Occupy Wall Street and the occupying city movement that it inspired. The Parsons School of Constructed Environments encompasses architecture, products, interior, and inter-disciplinary education. The school is part of a small university driven by progressive social research and has just received accreditation. In 2015, the school opened the Making Center, offering studio and design workshops to students from all Parsons programs. The center serves as a resource to transform how products are made. It participates annually in the parkingspace transformation on nearby Fifth Avenue. The Department of Transportation allows the school to build temporary construction on two parking places. The installation gives the whole university access to shops to see prefabrication and rebuild the thing in a different form every year. Themes of the installation have included recycling, upcycling, and bamboo. In addition, international symposiums were launched to focus on cultural shift. In 2015, McGrath convened the symposium

Q4 -2017

FEATURE ACADEMIC

The root of the word “professional” is "profess." As future architects, what will they profess?

Feminism and Architecture with Ioanna Theocharopoulou, also of Parsons, and Peggy Deamer of Yale University. The objective was to come up with solutions to transform persistent culture in both practice and academia and empower practitioners, educators, and female students. McGrath is also a prolific researcher. He was principal researcher in the Baltimore ecosystem study, in which he led the collaboration with plant ecologists to develop a land-cover system to understand different morphological. It was a departure from figure ground studies. The results provide a visual framework of the different hatches and trees of different combinations. The database worked like a plantative periodic chart, visualizing data on watershed, forest, and grass patches. The chart goes from forest to city, showing that the sprawling suburbs are not dominated as much by buildings in urban areas. It provided a scientific framework in which the architects work on design in cities. Playfulness Zhang Li’s presentation concentrated on the subject of “playfulness.” Why is play important? Li argues that the human body is built for survival and pleasure. In traditional Chinese painting, one often sees the sage sleeping in detachment from the world. In architecture, Chinese houses often over-supply circulation, allowing visitors to playfully explore the scenes. Since human beings like to play, circulation redundancy can make a building playful. In his project ABOVE LEFT: 25TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION OF THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG - courtesy of CUHK ABOVE RIGHT: ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH EXPANSION, HONG KONG - courtesy of Nelson Chen Architects

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Jianamani Visitor Center, Li used the redundant circulation to create a footbridge as the main feature of the project. The Tibetian town, known for the major manic stone pile, is a highly regarded religious practice in the area. Additional loops point to each historical sites. Visitors taking a rest, having picnic, children play. People also come to the building during religious festivals. In another project, Aranya Qixing Youth Camp, Li brought his practice into the studio education. After construction started, Li took the same program to fourth-year design studios and asked them to design their versions of the same building. When construction completed, the students were brought back to the site to have a conversation. One of the students proposed a seaside resort, filled with different children program. Another designed an organic, continuous loop as circulation. A third student put the building right on sand dunes, with a long, meandering route. Another student provided a long courtyard in which habitants and chicken can mingle. Pedagogical Techniques Preston Scott Cohen brought the discussion to how knowledge is dissembled. After years of being the chair and developing the core curriculum, Cohen has developed a new course on pedagogy teaching techniques for the advanced MArch II program at Harvard GSD. The goal of the teaching is not to wander into problem-solving or bringing in particular forms. Instead, the ABOVE LEFT: SOLAR DECATHLON BY THE RISD TEAM - courtesy of RISD ABOVE RIGHT: URBAN FARM PLAN courtesy of BriggsKnowles A+D

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Why do we teach? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a conversation across generation.

course examines the bases for contemporary architectural design pedagogy in the themes of spatial, programmatic, material, structural, technological. The course examines these themes in dialectical terms as a response to the competing impulses often found in contemporary architecture. In his presentation, Scott Cohen shared with the audience the precedents of "transparency vs. concealment, discretion vs. licentiousness, composed vs. unauthored, envelope vs. interiority, space as organization vs. space as form, interlocking vs. piled spaces." Take the urbanism and contextual architecture for example. Architecture is tied to the form to the city, more than anything else. The dialectics between the form and the cities involve unauthored. Cities with extreme typographies, such as Chongqing and Hong Kong, have done to the typology of modern city what was done to classical architecture. The city form became a peculiar force of transformation. There is always the need to understand how knowledge is dissembled with great deal of analysis and interpretation. Teach by Example Nadar Tehrani also referred to himself as an accidental educator as he was looking for another way to substantiate the way of practice. At Cooper Union, the school has been built around a single figure, John Heydek. The making that the school speaks about has to do with a culture of craft, which could be achieved by repetition ABOVE LEFT: THE MAKING LAB- courtesy of The New School. ABOVE RIGHT: URBAN FARM PLAN rban - courtesy of Brian McGrath

and the perfection of a certain craft. Instead, Tehrani suggested why tectonics is more pedagogically relevant. It was in the early days of digital construction that Tehrani became fascinated to work with steels, instead of standard pieces. With the folding and developing surface, one could produce differences through sameness. Tehrani suggested that understanding the agency of construction was a central part of the pedagogical mission. In the U.S., the architect acts as the maintainer of design intent while the contractor is taking rein overs means and methods. The relationship created a dilemma that architects cannot determine the agency over construction. Having won large-scaled competitions, his practice NADAAA is taking construction in a more holistic way. For the Melbourne School of Architecture, the design emphasizes the idea of levity instead of the idea of classical order. Central to the design is the Studio Hall, a large flexible space that provides for informal occupation any time of the day. As the design was deemed unbuildable and over budget, the architect also took on the construction. Sheet construction was then developed. Without any compound curves, the central piece was constructed through light gauge sub-members and delamination of gypsum board. The built artifact serves as a pedagogical instrument â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to teach by example and radicalize the media with which it is working.

ABOVE LEFT: DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG - courtesy of HKU. ABOVE RIGHT: JIANAMANI VISTOR CENTER IN YUSHU, CHINA - courtesy of Atelier TeamMinus

Q4 -2017

FEATURE ACADEMIC

Only a generation has gone by that architecture has a place in research.

Synthetic Thinking Since 2009, Richard Sommer as Dean of the Daniels Faculty at the University of Toronto has been transforming the school from a boutique program of 350 students to about 1,300 students in a university of 80,000. He has been building the foundation of undergraduate studies and raising the ceiling of studies to postgraduate level. The teaching of architecture and design school is subject to the same changes in technology and consciousness that the profession is struggling with. The ubiquitous flow of information and the flow of ideas across geographies and boundaries change how we teach and practice. A generation ago, the ideas came to the students through a set of books and journals, usually introduced by teachers. The teachers would elevate what is important while the students were approaching it together. Today, educators still introduce students to ideas. However, these are just a fraction of what the students are exposed to today. Now, the educator is more like a curator. This makes understanding and acting on the places and things that are immediate more important for the students. Therefore it is very important where the schools of architecture are. In the case of Daniels, it is a center of transformations in a cosmopolitan city. If we think of other disciplines in major research universities such as law and medicine, they conduct research and have the funding to advance ABOVE LEFT: THE STUDIO HALL AT THE MELBOURNE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE - courtesy of NADAAA ABOVE RIGHT: COOPER UNION - courtesy of Cooper Union

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the field in the context of their universities. Conversely, architects have not been able to articulate the nature of our disciplines. Only a generation has gone by that architecture has a place in research. In other fields, the profession is dominated by the experts they produce. Professional experts have their discrete way of carving up the world and their way to address rapid modernization. As result of a lack if instrumentality, architects might end up making the false assumption, asking the wrong question, and not solving the real dilemma. In other fields are now catching on. For instance, business schools called this approach design thinking. Architects have been doing it since the Renaissance. Architects are posed to lead by taking a complex messy problem, resolving it elegantly with synthetic thinking. Seeing Beyond Nasrine Seraji suggested the relation between practice and education is not a matter of one versus the other. In the 80s, when practicing architects were looking at the schools because of their history, and because of the people who were running them. The reality is that students believe if they produce a right number of things, they have gone through the right passage. Seraji suggested we need to bring this assumption to a debate. From the desire to understand the world to the search and desire for changing it, architects look at things very differently due to the way we have ABOVE LEFT: TAIYUAN MUSEUM OF ART IN SHANLLS, CHINA, BY PRESONT SCOTT COHEN - courtesy of Preston Scott Cohen, Inc. ABOVE RIGHT: PEDAGOGICAL TECHNOLOGIES EXHIBIT AT HARVARD GSD - courtesy of GSD

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Architects look at things very differently due to the way the we have been taught to observe and to always see beyond that thing that we see.

been taught to observe and to always see beyond what we see. Le Corbusier once said that “architecture is not a profession it is a mindset.” It is an interesting moment to assume that architecture is not a profession. If that is the case, we work with a mindset in education and practice as well. Our identities are constructed through the way that we go through both our education and our practices. We also went through a moment in architecture the legitimization of each architecture has to happen through series of an important moment in practice. Architecture is being disciplined into a different arena and into everywhere. In this age, we go from one image to another. At any time, one could be reading five or six sources of information. The hierarchy of information became important. There are rewards and institutions that place the practitioners into the circle of worth or circles of legitimization. In our school, we are allowing for different types of architecture to grow, be it a corporation or solo architect. The architect is becoming a collective in a way. ■

Reference

ABOVE LEFT: DANIELS SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO - courtesy of University of Toronto. ABOVE RIGHT: PEDAGOGICAL TECHNOLOGIES EXHIBIT AT HARVARD GSD - courtesy of GSD

ABOVE LEFT: DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG - courtesy of HKU. ABOVE RIGHT: ROMEO AND JULIET APARTMENTS BY ATELIER SERAJI - courtesy of Atelier Seraji

School of Architecture, Chinese University of Hong Kong. http://www.arch.cuhk.edu.hk/ The Nature Lab at Rhode Island School of Design, http:// naturelab.risd.edu School of Architecture, Tsinhua University, Program Director Interview, http://www.arch.tsinghua.edu.cn/qhqt/homePage/homePage.html Teaching Techniques, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/course/teaching-techniques-fall-2016/ The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, Cooper Union, https://cooper.edu/architecture The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Architecture, http://www.arch.hku.hk/ Parsons Making Center, The New School, https://www.newschool.edu/parsons/making-center/ The Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto, https://www.daniels.utoronto.ca/

Q4 -2017

ARTICLE

ACADEMIC

MIND THE GAP

A DISCUSSION ON ACADEMIA AND THE PROFESSION BY YU-NGOK LO

Donna Kacmar, FAIA is a Professor at the University of Houston, where she teaches architecture design studio and directs the Materials Research Collaborative (MRC). She practices architecture and has written two books: “BIG Little House,” published by Routledge in 2015, and a forthcoming work on Victor Lundy, to be published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2018. She serves on the AIA Strategic Council and the AIA Equity and Future of Architecture Committee.

Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA is the director of campus planning at the University at Buffalo. She is responsible for the implementation of the UB Comprehensive Plan and realizing the strategic goals of the institution. She is also an adjunct professor at the UB School of Architecture and Planning. Kelly is writing “The Lady Architect: Louise Bethune, FAIA,” a biography on America’s first professional female architect. She is also serving a three-year term as a New York State representative on the American Institute of Architects’ Strategic Council.

Being an at-large representative of the AIA Strategic Council, I am privileged to meet councilors who are involved in the business of educating the next generation of architects. They are dedicated educators who have been teaching for many years in different capacities. I was able to sit down with Donna Kacmar, FAIA, and Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA, to talk about their teaching experiences as full-and part-time faculty members, respectively, and their views on current architecture education. I was surprised to hear very different perspectives on some of the issues raised Yu-Ngok Lo (YL):There have been criticisms that a gap between academia and the profession and that colleges/universities are not preparing students adequately to enter the profession. Do you agree/disagree? Donna Kacmar (DK): There is a gap between academia and the profession. I think that is required. Universities are tasked with preparing high school graduates for a lifetime of meaningful engagement with the world. While part of that includes their work life and professional world, the scope of a college experience needs to be much broader. Firms play an active role in the development of the graduate for the work at their firms and in the larger profession. I think the AIA and other professional organizations can help fill in any missing information and experiences. Kelly Hayes McAlonie (KHM): II believe that there is a chasm between the profession and the academy but, in my view, the relationship is more nuanced than simply the concern that architecture schools are not properly preparing their students to work in a traditional architecture office, which is what I most often hear from practitioners. Before schools of architecture became the 18

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dominant form of training for an architect, schools were embedded in a vocational model. The primary function was to prepare the student for the architectural office. This changed when design theory became a dominant pedagogy of the architectural curriculum. While many schools have unique pedagogical emphasis, design education is at the apex of the curriculum. In addition, schools of architecture are usually located within large research universities. Often, these schools are expected to foster faculty publications and research consistent with other schools within the university. The architectural curriculum is one of the only true liberal-arts programs in higher education today. This should not be lost. What is worrisome to me is the chasm that I mention above between the academy and the profession. The architectural profession needs to change to meet the needs of the 21st century. Architectural schools, with their focus on research and access to interdisciplinary collaboration, are poised to lead this change. Practitioners have an important role in this as well. A true partnership between the two sides would advance the profession and prepare our future architects to both enter the workforce and immediately serve society. YL: Traditionally, the business side of architecture (including how to start/manage a firm) has not been included as part of the architectural degree program. Do you think there is a need for that to encourage more young professionals to start their own firms? DK: Most schools have curriculum and faculty that talk about the business aspect of the profession. At the University of Houston, most of our faculty practice, and many have their own firms, so the students are well acquainted with the possibility of starting their

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Firms play an active role in the development of the graduate for the work at their firms and in the larger profession. own firms or other ventures. The reality is that most people will focus on a specific area of architecture. I think it is hard to be both a brilliant designer and a brilliant business person. I think we can encourage students to learn more about business yet the focus should be on general education and architecture. KHM: Understanding the business of the profession is important regardless of whether a professional decides to eventually open his or her own firm. This need will only increase as the profession evolves in the 21st Century. YL: How do you think organizations such as AIA, NCARB, NAAB, and ACSA can work together to improve architectural education in general? DK: I think the collateral organizations work well together. I think they could encourage their members to “cross-pollinate.” I hear many practitioners say things similar to “the schools should do _______.” I encourage AIA members to get involved with a local university, volunteer to spend an afternoon doing desk critiques or code reviews, put together a lecture on something you are knowledgeable about, or attend an ACSA conference. It is probably more helpful if we learn more about the issues that each deals with first (architectural education accreditation, faculty, registration, and profession). KHM: Currently, in my view, each group works in a silo. This is partly because the charge of each varies from advocacy to regulatory to support. There has been much work done to bridge the silos but more needs to be done. Maybe a summit or inter-organizational task force would generate ideas for increased collaboration. YL: What do you think about the IPAL program piloted by NCARB?. DK: I have concerns about the Integrated Path to Licensure program. I think that it may work for more mature students who would do well no matter what. But I think that the separation between academia and the profession is actually good. I do not think all faculty are well suited to guide students professionally. It is useful for students to understand the profession from multiple points of view, and getting both your education and licensure requirements from the same academic institution can limit the overall breadth of experiences.

YL: Do you think the IDP/AXP and ARE process should be taught/ introduced as part of the professional degree curriculum? DK: No, I do not think IDP/AXP and the registration exam should be taught in universities. Licensure is an important part of the overall profession, but it is a limited set of information and experiences. Architectural education needs to be much broader than just teaching to licensure. KHM: Yes, I do feel that the IDP and ARE process should be introduced as part of the professional degree. Internship is and should be an essential aspect of the matriculation of an emerging architect but every student should have a thorough understanding of the profession he or she is studying whilst in school. Students may have no intention of obtaining licensure or even pursuing a “traditional” practice. However, ignoring the fundamental pathway to becoming an architect in a school of architecture curriculum is antithetical in my view. Having said that, I do not believe schools should completely revise the curriculum to meet the criteria of the licensing exams or process. YL: Anything else you would like to add? DK: I encourage students to get started on their AXP and licensure exams as soon as possible. They are an important step. Yet I think the students/young graduates need to take individual ownership of that process and direct their own path for fulfilling work without a mandated or prescriptive path. KHM: As a practicing architect who works on the administrative side of higher education, I understand the pressures placed on a school of architecture from the university perspective. Tenured faculty, research and publishing expectations, and fundraising are realities in higher education today. As I mention above, I see tremendous opportunity for academic/practitioner/association collaboration to advance the profession. Our schools are our greatest assets. ■

KHM: I think that students should have opportunities to advance their careers while in school. This may be through research, publications, pursuing design opportunities, or expediting the time to become licensed.

The architectural profession needs to change to meet the needs of the 21st century. Architectureal schools, with focus on research and access to interdisciplinary collaboration, are poised to lead this change. Q4 -2017

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ACADEMIC

PROFESSIONALISM FROM ACADEMICS TO PRACTICE FROM ARCHITECTURE 101 TO PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE 2101 BY THOMAS LOWING

Thomas Lowing, AIA is an architect and educator with over 20 years of experience teaching professional practice at Andrews University School of Architecture and Interior Design. He serves in appointed positions as an NCARB licensing adviser, an adviser for the university's International Development Program, and as a state regional representative on AIA SFx Firm Practice workgroups.

“What issues will demand the architecture profession’s focus at the turn of the next century?” It is almost as easy for us to answer that question as it is to speculate on what the vital statistics of the profession will be one decade from now. The potential for change is exponential in our technological age, and it is so overwhelming at times that foresight must give way to imagination for us to consider either scenario. Comprehension of future potential is in essence a daily exercise in knowing what indicators we should focus on. Therefore, healthy habits prepare the successful firm for the time when that next decade is in our daily appointment calendar. How do we learn to do that, and has our formal training prepared us for the tasks of starting or directing a firm? Is there an unaddressed void between academic preparation and the expected experiences of practice? These questions are typical prompts for defining the gap between academia and practice. If we assume professional organizations like the AIA and NCARB (as well as the ACSA and NAAB) will still exist at the turn of the next century, it is safe to say we will also still be asking, “How do we bridge the gap between academia and practice?” The profession asked that same question at the turn of the last century. Perhaps we could have answered it more clearly, if only we hadn’t been so busy trying to figure out how to get our computers over the edge of a “soon to be flat world’s” millennial mark at the same time. Architects will ask the same question for good reasons through another half century. However, the technology occupying our minds then will likely be beyond some of our emerging professionals’ current imaginations and perhaps, with advancements in AI, no longer limited (or driven) by human imagination. The question of how to bridge the gap between academia and practice will be asked as long as a healthy profession exists. It is a critical question to address in seeking purposeful direction for our development in the profession. In fact, it is a question of necessity if we want to perpetuate a true profession as defined by established standards in the AIA Handbook of Professional Practice. Foundationally, architecture functions as a profession of service to improve the living experience of the built environment. Architects employ iterative design processes in creative problem solving to develop recommendations for strategic application. The “bridge” of

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learning from the processes and successive applications in practice over time is simply part of a professional’s path in lifelong learning. The profession evolved from the master craftsman’s apprenticeship model. But formal education and practice grew more distinct from each other, so we need to ask where the defined bridges should be in professional development? We need a dialogue and not a singular decision. When we get too theoretical, we lose some relevance in affecting the built environment, and when we get too pragmatic, we lose our foresight and risk being relegated to business-trained and market-driven technicians. Let us first ask, “What does it mean to be a professional?” That is the foundational question concerning our bridge, and many educators and practitioners have written well on the subject. Let’s focus on three issues – trust, purpose, and competence. They are not allencompassing categories, but we often find them at the forefront of much dialogue and positive actions in the professions. The design profession of architecture evolved from its roots in craft and branched into the arts and sciences to become a service profession. The story of professional education and practice unfolds the history from master builder through Renaissance education and on to today’s “building architect” (the assumed differentiation from IT architect). This historical backdrop sets the stage for our current collateral professional organizations such as the AIA, NCARB, ACSA, and NAAB. We will find they are often mindful of the gap between education and practice in both their archives and recent focus groups. It is nothing new, but this reminds us that defining “the gap” is a continually moving target, and these collateral organizations’ respective roles are vital for reflection, analysis, and action in the profession. The first professional issue to address is trust. Many architects have a positive record of trust as defenders of the environment (development of the unbuilt environment in recent centuries is another story), and they are often “community-minded” seekers of the public good. We have developed significant trust as a profession with our clients and the public, but what about trust within our industry and our design and construction counterparts? It is important for professionals to ask, “Whom do you trust?” and “What do you trust?” In what has been called the “information age” (and

alluded to be the “misinformation age”), our collateral organizations must be key performers in promoting mentors “whom we can trust” and vetting information regarding “what we can trust.” This engagement with information helps us to address our profession’s struggles, such as adapted uses of advancing technologies. Design challenges come with the speed of decisionmaking and performance that technological advances demand, but similar advances also provide access to shared knowledge. This volume of accessible information is overwhelming and must be vetted for professionals. The collateral organizations have significant roles and opportunities to provide vetted information of great value to the profession. They can lead the data-mining frenzy into more purposeful and meaningful tools for the profession. Education (in both degree-granting programs and certified continuing education) provides essential venues for developing reflective analysis and critical-thinking skills that the demands of time efficiency often squeeze out of the breadth and depth of practice-experience settings. The practicing professional has greater access to this research and analysis than ever before through online and related networking venues for shared information. I have seen tremendous growth in the dialogue and development of the path for licensure with NCARB, especially special focus groups and their bridging networks of licensing advisers. Development continues with collateral agencies to promote a reasoned, level playing field for traditional education, experience and exam models as well as the experientially based models for national and international practice needs. As a distinctive, trusted profession, it is important to note that the improvements in the path to licensure are not primarily to make it easier, as some might suggest, but to become more effective and equitable for the profession and the professional. The common leadership adage that “a rising tide raises all ships” was never more true than in the standard of care for architectural professional services. Other industry experts will eagerly elect to do that which we don’t do well, and we must collectively embody trust in how the profession conducts itself in practice through collateral pursuits. The second professional issue to consider briefly is purpose. The ability to prioritize and integrate decision-making is a great strength of the profession when done appropriately, with consideration of the key stakeholders and the value systems represented (while also promoting a professional standard of care that seeks to understand and assimilate those that may be underrepresented). Firms and individuals that plan and act with purpose keep “the reason why” in mind continually as they make and update their business and career plans, respectively. It is the commitment to purpose and meaningful pursuits that motivates most to contribute immeasurably beyond that which remuneration and recognition would typically motivate. This creates the sustained efforts required to accomplish greater and greater levels of service in the profession and a practice culture for making a difference.

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The third professional issue to introduce in the discussion of the bridge between academia and practice is competence. It is last but by no means least because without professional competencies, we become both irrelevant and detrimental to our profession. The primary purpose governing licensure is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Professions with licensure are often selfregulated to uphold appropriate competency levels. There are also reoccurring debates in the profession and allied fields over entrusting the marketplace to maintain acceptable standards by “value paid for value received” (or “perceived,” as found in too many case histories in practice). We find much interest in entrepreneurial practice models and collaborative teams in commerce today. There are many delivery systems to consider, and there will be more through influences from technology and the marketplace in the next decade. We can look at the health care industry (and the educational systems as well) in developed nations to consider possible impacts of current and future influences in the design professions as well. This also leads us to understanding how world travel and international educational experiences are invaluable. Whether one is engaged in utilizing global markets or simply involved in a domestic practice that is responding to them, the same great design thinking we learn for architectural planning and building projects must be purposefully applied to our business practices. Let’s emphasize the term “professional” design thinking and “professional” business practices and use a simplified metric for professionalism through our focus on the three issues of trust, purpose, and competence. This professional practice summary of minding the gap between academia and practice in the profession of architecture suggests we regularly take a fresh look at the reflective and critical-thinking skills of contemporary education as well as the applied training skills used in contemporary firm practices. Some would call for graduates who are better trained to meet goals for higher productivity in practice settings. Others would promote graduates who are better educated to make reasoned judgment calls that will meet accelerated timelines for higher-responsibility roles in practice settings. I understand preparation for both, and I lean toward the latter because we have a wave of professionals in their later decades of leadership in most firms. Project managers with more than a decade of experience are in hyper-demand. The current decade’s graduates are now expected to climb responsibility levels in firms with limited mentorship available on the levels directly above them. Where can educational settings and practice settings best develop “healthy attitudes and habits” to promote trust, purpose, and competence in the current and next generation of professionals? As we endeavor to answer these questions and continue the dialogue, we can “mind the gap.” The knowledge that the gap is defined as a moving target from decade to decade requires us to value the time we invest in stopping and reflecting with colleagues in this article’s venue and our collateral spheres of influence.■

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ARTICLE

ACADEMIC

GOD’S SENSE OF HUMOR

MY JOURNEY TO A DOCTORATE WHILE BEING BLACK BY L DAVID STEWART

This article is a collaboration with the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and it was also published in the Fall 2017 issue of the NOMA magazine. Special thanks to Kwesi Daniels for his coordination effort.

L. David Stewart is completing a D.B.A. from Argosy University, with the goal of becoming a Dean of a business or design school. He earned a BA in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois-Chicago, a Master’s of Science in Real Estate from Roosevelt University, and an MBA with a focus on marketing from American Intercontinental University. His experience includes various types of building projects- high-end residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial.

Kwesi Daniels is the head of the Department of Architecture in the Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science. He earned a bachelor of architecture degree from Tuskegee, a master’s degree in architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s degree in sustainability management at Columbia University. He currently is finishing a Ph.D. in geography and urban studies at Temple University.

To be part of the elite! Less than 2 percent of the population earn doctorate degrees, then factor in being an African-American. What does race have to do with it? If you have to ask, that shows a perspective that says a lot. My journey toward working on this degree was not what I expected. From age 12 to about 28, my focus was architecture. From high school to undergrad and even part of my graduate experience, architecture was life for me. I loved architecture, but I was always reminded of being black! Racism is something I came face to face with as an undergrad. I think about my architectural theory class, where some of my Caucasian classmates would say things like, "Those people don’t try hard enough." Another experience involving race and architecture was my senior project, in which I and the only other African-American student (of 100 graduates in my class, two were African-American) designed a museum focused on the historical contexts of the African Diaspora in three buildings, and many critics during our final crit called it "militant." Those and other experiences shaped me and my pride in being a BLACK Architect. Fast forward to 2013, with TWO master's degrees and yet struggling to find work, I by fate decided to apply for an adjunct professor position. Not expecting to obtain the job, I nonetheless

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THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

became a college professor! My first pupils were French exchange students learning new media in English. I found something I was passionate about again, for the first time since I left architecture in 2008. But yet again, race reared its ugly head. I remember vividly my first day of class, and most professors don't wear suits and ties, especially at an art school. I was practically detained by another professor and asked for my identification based on my appearance. That and other instances motivated me to do a photo exhibition on black male educators entitled "Hear We Are." I was hoping to focus on education and not worry about race, but I learned that in higher education, the higher you go, the more the bias of racism shows itself. The more I taught, the more I wanted to become a professor full-time. I applied to a Ph.D. program and focused on becoming a director or dean of a design or business school. I felt my experience as a creative and a consultant would make me relatable to students as well as help develop practical applications to empower tomorrow’s entrepreneur. So, how does race play a part in this already tawdry academic tale? When I tell folks I am working on my doctorate, many, including African-Americans, look at me like I am just making idle conversation. As if I could not possibly have completed enough education to even approach

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Why should I not be proud of who I am and what I have accomplished? such a high-level degree. The feeling of having to prove oneself is always in the back of my mind regardless of environment. My daily attire these days is cargo shorts (for my photography work and comfort) T-shirt or polo shirt, fashionable sneakers, and fitted baseball hat. Many doubt me until they go to my LinkedIn and see my credentials, and then there is a different perspective, as if, now that they’ve verified me, I am worthy of being taken seriously. Even then, in my desire to advance and progress, many people seek to demoralize me by saying, "Oh, you got in?" or "What made you want to get a Ph.D.?" As if I could not possibly desire to obtain such a degree without outside influence. The degree progression of a doctorate makes you isolate to focus. From friends, family, hobbies, etc. People want to understand but cannot believe there is that much work possible in a degree. Well, I am here to say that there is. These last eight classes have pushed me as a human to think differently and see the world differently. Thus far, I have learned to take my emotions out of responses and to research and be objective. Logic has made me observant and more strategic in my words, thoughts, and actions. Learning the importance of research has also made me different. In exchange for these new super powers comes lack of sleep and lack of understanding from others. Applying for employment now, stating that I am a doctoral student, makes folks cringe because of the potential that I will ask for higher wages. Then factor in being an African-American, and another layer of complexity arises. Some would say, well, maybe you are being paranoid or assuming it’s racism when you aren't the most qualified. Then someone sees my curriculum vitae and recants their previous statements.

merit, even above and beyond the testing of a traditional doctoral student. Then overlaying African-American culture, in my case, makes for mental exhaustion. It is a constant balancing act. Why not just quit? I have enough education, right? Because it is not about just receiving a piece of paper for a title (though Dr. Stewart sounds wonderful); it is about remembering the feeling of not seeing teachers who look like me. The thought of someone who looks like me helping, motivating, and educating other people in a similar plight to be the next architects. As a young kid, I never thought that someone from the south side of Chicago could pursue a Ph.D. I am humbled and motivated, but the journey is not for the faint of heart. Even as I write this, it intensifies, the struggle for employment and work-life balance. (Seriously, as in looking for work to sustain oneself while completing program studies and being an entrepreneur as a photographer). If you know someone in a doctoral program, say little, listen more, and give him or her a hug. They need it! ■

Why should I not be proud of who I am and what I have accomplished? I know my worth and my value in what I bring to an organization, firm, or situation. Quality costs, regardless of race, sex, creed, etc. So even while working to get better, the very nature of being under 40 and looking young as an educator makes me feel defensive as a black man. What makes me different? Some of your peers, who have no desire to obtain what you have, view you as an elitist and assume you can't relate to them, despite your commonalities. It is perceived that as a doctoral student, you are a super intellectual who can't have dark humor, sarcasm, or just be without having an existential conversation. I find many people trying to be unnecessarily "deep." Yet those who are your academic peers make that difficult because they try to inculcate a culture of sacrifice and piety that is nothing short of insane ─ and that is regardless of race, sex, or background. Being black only reveals biases that are hidden through code-switching and subliminal efforts to test your

Q4 -2017

FEATURE ACADEMIC

PROMOTING ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH

THE JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE JAE EDITORIAL TEAM BY YU-NGOK LO

Marc J. Neveu, executive editor of JAE

is the associate dean of the School of Architecture at Woodbury University. He helped launch IPAL initiatives in both the graduate and undergraduate programs. Under his leadership, the undergraduate program was ranked nationally by Design Intelligence for the first time in the program’s history.

Ivan Rupnik, associate editor of JAE

is an associate professor at the Northeastern University. He was the principal instructor of the Architectural Program of Harvard GSD’s Career Discovery program, and an assistant professor at Syracuse University’s School of Architecture. Rupnik also served as an urban design and planning consultant to the University of Zagreb’s Spatial Planning and Development Office.

Carolina Dayer, associate editor of JAE

is the founer of the intellectual, pedagogical and architectural laboratory. She teaches at Aarhus School of Architecture in Denmark and is a licensed architect in her native country, Argentina. Dayer's personal design work has been exhibited in Argentina, the United States, and Denmark.

Some may argue that it is necessary to have a gap between the professional world and that colleges and universities should focus on research and architectural theory that improve the quality of buildings and our communities. CONNECTION reached out to a 70-year-old publication that has been celebrating the work of architecture schools. The Journal of Architectural Education has been a platform for many scholars to share their research results, and our editorial team is eager to learn more about its work. Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): Could you tell us a little bit about JAE? JAE editorial team (JAE): The JAE was first published in 1947. It developed out of a pre-war bulletin printed by Walter Rolfe called the Evolving Architect. In 1946, Turpin Bannister, who was also influential in the formation of the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, was tapped to revive the effort and named

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THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

the ACSA publication the Journal of Architectural Education. The first issue included news items, the results of a survey on research, and scholarship on research in architecture. Through the first decade of the journal and through a rotating cast of editors, the contents mostly consisted of proceedings from ACSA annual meetings. Similar to the participants of the ACSA annual meetings, the authors of the journal were not particularly diverse. It took almost a full decade for a female author, Catherine Bauer, to be published. Into the 1960s, the content evolved but still included ACSA reports and records from AIA-ACSA teachers’ seminars. Issues were typically not more than 16 pages, and images were limited to blackand-white photographs of people speaking at conferences. By the 1970s, the journal grew in page count, with issues averaging around 30 pages. Book reviews were included in addition to the scholarly essays. In 1974, theme issues such as Canada, Landscape, Preservation, Energy, Aging, the Profession, Drawing, Symbolism, and Gaming were mixed with open issues made up of content submitted to no particular theme. In1982, the journal went through another complete redesign. Interviews were introduced – most notable, perhaps, was the interview with Albert Speer. In 1986, the OpArch – opinion pieces that were not peer-reviewed ─ was introduced. The first of such essays (a car wash) was published in 1989. In 2002, a series of frameworks for design content such as “design as research” and “design as critical inquiry” were launched. Although limited, project images were printed in color, and the journal made its first foray into the “World Wide Web.” 2007 marked the 60th anniversary of the JAE. The current scholarship categories – Design as Scholarship and Scholarship of Design – were also established, and the journal shifted from four issues per volume year to two. More recently, our design committee developed new frameworks for curated design content as well as micronarratives. Our current associate editor, Ivan Rupnik, has led the expansion of reviews, which are now completely online. We publish two issues per volume (academic) year. Each issue is the result of a call for themes. The JAE is a double-blind peerreviewed publication. Authors submit through a peer-review portal, and then all of the content is sent out for review. Once the reviews have been made, the theme editors select the content that has been reviewed the highest. We then work with the editors to edit the content. Once the content has been revised, we go into production (copy edit, layout, print).

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It is my hope that professional architects are interested in research that might not be directly applied to their work in an office. We have, for example, made a concerted effort to increase the quality of the design content in the journal.

ABOVE: PREVIOUS ISSUES - Courtesy Journal of Architectural Education (JAE)

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FEATURE ACADEMIC

Our contributors are faculty from ACSA member schools and, more recently, from abroad. Submissions are roughly split between international and local, but we still publish a majority of authors from ACSA schools.

institutional memory. Since the launch of JAEOnline.org, we have been able to more closely track our online presence and have found that roughly half of the unique visitors to our site are from outside of the U.S. and Canada.

YL: Who are the primary audiences?

YL: Anything else you would like to add?

JAE: The design of the journal, content categories, the organizational structure of the journal’s leadership, funding models, digital presence, scale of publication, editors, authors, readers, staff, and the publishing context have all radically changed since 1947. That said, the mission of the JAE has not. The Journal of YL: Many of the articles/manuscripts included are purely research- Architectural Education has been published since 1947 for the and theory-based; how do you see your publication’s relevance to purpose of enhancing architectural design education, theory, and the architecture profession? practice.■ JAE: The JAE is the journal of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), and as such, our primary audience is the ACSA faculty. Every faculty of member schools receives a copy of the journal as a part of their membership.

JAE: It is my hope that professional architects are interested in research that might not be directly applied to their work in an office. We have, for example, made a concerted effort to increase the quality of the design content in the journal. Initiatives by Amy Kulper (former associate editor, design) and Carolina Dayer (current associate editor, design) have yielded some really interesting results. We have, for example, a specific category of scholarship – Design as Scholarship – that is one of the few places where practitioners can publish a scholarly piece about their own work. Further, our expanded reviews section, initiated and curated by one of our current associate editors, Ivan Rupnik, has, in my opinion, published a number of reviews with direct appeal to the profession. YL:Your editorial team is very diverse with members from different countries. Why do you think it is important to bring a global perspective to the journal? JAE: I am glad that you noticed this. It is very important to me that the journal’s editorial board is diverse. We represent the ACSA and strive to have members from diverse geographic locations. As well, and as important, is the diversity of expertise that exists on the board. And there is evidence that journals with diverse editorial boards publish content by a more diverse group of authors. Board members’ terms are three years, and we have the luxury of picking six new board members a year. There is no tenure beyond those three years, and, as a result, we are able to put together a group of people that combine new insight while not sacrificing

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TOP RIGHT AND LEFT: JAE ENVIRONMENTS ISSUE COVER Courtesy Journal of Architectural Education (JAE) ABOVE: ARTICLE PUBLISHED ON THE JAE WEBSITE - Courtesy Journal of Architectural Education (JAE)

Q4 -2017

ARTICLE

ACADEMIC

IPAL STUDENTS

WORK TOWARD LICENSURE WHILE IN SCHOOL

BY NATIONAL COUNCIL OF ARCHITECTURAL REGISTRATION BOARDS (NCARB)

NCARB’s Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) initiative gives students the opportunity to jump-start their careers by working toward meeting their experience and examination requirements for licensure while earning a degree from an accredited program. Launched in 2015, the initiative has now accepted 26 programs at 21 schools across the United States. Streamlining the Path to Licensure Designed to allow driven students the opportunity to become licensed architects upon or soon after graduation, IPAL has just three core requirements:

The following schools offer IPAL options within their accredited programs •

Boston Architectural College: B.Arch. and M.Arch.

•

The Catholic University of America: M.Arch.

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Clemson University: M.Arch.

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Drexel University: B.Arch.

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Florida International University: M.Arch.

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Lawrence Technological University: M.Arch.

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New York Institute of Technology: M.Arch. (pending NAAB candidacy status)

• Students must be able to take each division of the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) 5.0 prior to graduation.

•

NewSchool of Architecture and Design: Two M.Arch. options

•

North Carolina State University: B.Arch. and M.Arch.

When NCARB first began exploring the IPAL concept in 2013, becoming an architect took an average of 14 years ─ from the time students enrolled in school to the moment they received licenses. By 2016, as the economy improved and NCARB streamlined its programs, earning a license took an average of 12.5 years, according to the latest data from NCARB by the Numbers. IPAL aims to build upon streamlining this path while maintaining the rigor required to protect the public’s safety.

•

Portland State University: M.Arch.

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Savannah College of Art and Design: M.Arch.

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Southern Illinois University: M.Arch.

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University of Cincinnati: M.Arch.

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University of Detroit Mercy: M.Arch.

•

University of Florida: M.Arch.

IPAL Progress It is too early to see the effect that IPAL is having on the time it takes to become licensed ─ although NCARB is hoping to see data on the initiative’s impact in the coming years. While the program has been in place for several years, IPAL participants are still making their way through school, the AXP, and the ARE. NCARB oversees the IPAL initiative and provides support for participating schools, but it is up to each program to determine how these requirements are best interwoven into their existing curricula.

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University of Kansas: M.Arch.

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University of Maryland: M.Arch.

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University of Massachusetts Amherst: M.Arch.

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University of North Carolina-Charlotte: B.Arch. and M.Arch.

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University of Southern California: B.Arch.

•

Woodbury University: B.Arch. and M.Arch.

• Students must graduate with a degree from an architecture program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). • Students must have the opportunity to complete the Architectural Experience Program™ (AXP™) while earning their degrees.

IPAL options at schools are at various stages of implementation: Some schools are expecting their first IPAL graduates in the coming months, while others are still building their first cohort of IPAL students. Many IPAL students are already finding success with pregraduation access to the ARE. “Some of my coursework at the

BAC [Boston Architectural College], backed by my experience in the field, provided a great foundation for me,” said graduate student Travis Wiegand, who’s taken and passed three ARE 5.0 divisions on the first try through the IPAL initiative.

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THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN JOURNAL OF THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

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Connecting Experience and Education One of the key benefits of the program is the application of education to practical experience. By requiring the AXP to be incorporated into curricula, the initiative provides students with the flexibility and structure to gain professional experience while strengthening the relationship between academia and local firms. “IPAL programs embrace the reality that today’s candidates are pursuing the education, experience, and examination requirements for licensure concurrently,” said NCARB CEO Michael J. Armstrong. “Students who choose to enroll in an IPAL program will have a more enriching and holistic experience and be able to establish themselves in the marketplace fairly quickly after graduation.” In a recent interview with Metropolis, faculty from several schools offering IPAL options celebrated this connection between education and practice. “For the first time,” said Dr. Mitra Kanaani, professor at NewSchool of Architecture San Diego, the “profession is taking part in nurturing the next generation of architects who are decisive and competent problem solvers, to elevate the stature of the profession and to have the ability to perform energetically with great confidence for the challenges of the profession.” Additionally, earning experience while in school has a tangible financial benefit for students: Because the AXP requires that candidates be paid for their work, IPAL students will earn an income that can help offset the cost of college and other life expenses. Supporting IPAL As NCARB monitors the impact IPAL is having on the architecture profession, the organization is also working to provide tools and resources for students and educators at participating programs. In addition, NCARB is now accepting IPAL proposals from interested schools at any time, rather than the previous January-April application window. Another key element in promoting IPAL is encouraging licensing boards to engage with the program. Currently, not all of the 54 U.S. state and territorial licensing boards will provide an initial license to graduates who complete the ARE while in school; however, more will allow reciprocal licensure for licensees who progressed through the IPAL process. As boards begin to see the positive effects of the program on the profession, NCARB hopes to encourage more boards to embrace this streamlined path to licensure.■ To learn more about IPAL, visit ncarb.org/IPAL

Q4 -2017

ARTICLE

POST GRADUATION / PRE-LICENSURE

NURTURING THE YOUNG GENERATION

AN INTERVIEW WITH HSU-JEN HUANG OF SCAD BY VIKKI LEW

Hsu-Jen Huang, Associate A�A is a professor of architecture at Savannah College of Art and Design. Besides teaching, he is chair of the National Architecture Accrediting Board’s visiting team. Arch. Eng. Dip., Chung Kuo Institute of Technology and Commerce in Taiwan and Ph.D. from the Mackintosh School of Architecture at Glasgow University, 1998

Vikki Lew (VL): What are the factors that draw you to education? Hsu-Jen Huang (HH): I was introduced to teaching when I was a Ph.D. fellowship student. During my coursework, I was required to produce teaching materials, which got me involved with being an educator. I have been teaching at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) for 20 years. Teaching is a very rewarding career, and the students keep me young and energetic. Particularly in education, I am constantly learning from various sources, such as new technologies, current trends, theoretical arguments, and cultural impacts on architecture and urban development. At SCAD, students come from all over the world. The diversity of the student body and the cultural differences make teaching even more engaging and enjoyable. Education is giving; to see students successful is rewarding. VL: Are you practicing in addition to teaching? HH: I keep myself current and “in the know” with the architecture profession. In education, we ought to foresee the market needs and trends in order to prepare our students for the profession. In

addition to teaching, I am a freelance architecture photographer. Recently, I was commissioned to document the construction of the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. There are a few of my photography pieces displayed in the permanent collection at the stadium. The Falconstruction series focuses on the integrity of architecture and its form of artistic expression as well as the construction process and construction workers’ hardship and dedication. From the perception of space to its structural style, it emphasizes the magnificence of the new Mercedes Benz Stadium design. If you get a chance to visit the Mercedes Benz Stadium for football games, please check out the work! VL: You received your doctoral degree in the Glasgow School of Architecture in the UK. How did you decide to come to SCAD? HH: The career-opportunity interview in London with SCAD’s president, Paula Wallace, was a life-changing turning point for me. I am profoundly dedicated to the university, and I appreciate the care and trust that President Wallace has placed in me as an educator at SCAD. I was welcomed to the USA with the beautiful Southern charm of a wonderful city. Savannah is the first city in which I have resided in the USA, and I am proud to call it my home. SCAD has a great impact to the city of Savannah’s growth and development. The architecture renovation/historic preservation projects in Savannah are notable internationally. The recent publication “SCAD: The Architecture of a University” has revealed the rich history and enduring legacy of the world's most comprehensive art and design university and its creative architectural preservation in its Savannah, Atlanta, Lacoste, and Hong Kong campuses. These are just a few of the many reasons why I have chosen SCAD, and I am grateful that SCAD has chosen me. VL: You are an NCARB architect license adviser and serve on the NAAB visiting team. How do these professional roles influence your teaching?

ABOVE: Every year, Hus-Jen Huang leads a team of students to Hong Kong for a sketching trip. Shown above are students sketching outdoor in Macau. - courtesy of SCAD

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The diversity of the student body and the cultural differences make teaching even more engaging and enjoyable. Education is giving, to see students successful is rewarding.

HH: I have been a member of the NAAB visiting team since 2005 and the architect licensing adviser for the past nine years. NAAB visits have given me incredible experiences in understanding comprehensive architecture education requirements. Being able to visit various universities and programs presents the opportunity to see the pros and cons of each architecture school. It has been the strongest influence to my teaching career. As the architect licensing adviser, I provide students with an initial glimpse into the licensure process. I provide knowledge and guidance to current students and alumni about navigating the AXP, passing the ARE, and information about meeting each jurisdiction’s licensure requirements. What a joy it is to see our students get licensed! VL: You are a recipient of the Service to the Profession Award from AIA Georgia in 2004. Can you tell us about this honor? HH: I am passionate about community service and professional engagements. I have organized many design charrettes as well as provided design solutions and ideals for communities in need. The AIA Georgia Legacy Design Charrette is one of the events that I am often involved in. It was such an honor to receive the award. I am still very active in community services because I love to help

out whenever I can. I have had the pleasure to work with many AIA state and national design charrettes, community urban-design and master-planning projects, as well as charity organizations. Since 2014, I have organized the “Africa Day – Humanitarian Design Charrette” with our SCAD alumnus Scott Jackson’s charity organization, GoDesign. During Africa Day, we produce conceptual design ideas for design-build projects in Ethiopia, Africa. VL: Educating the next generation of architects is certainly not an easy task. What keeps you going as an educator? HH: This may sound cliche, but it is definitely the students and intellectual challenges of the profession that keep me going. I love my students, I love the profession, and I love art. To see the young generation succeed in the profession, to either become architects or other professionals in the field of architecture, always brings me tears of joy. The organizations within the architecture community, such as NAAB, AIA, NCARB, and ACSA, are all very supportive to educators in professional development. I enjoy working with different organizations to support and promote the architecture community.■

ABOVE: Hus-Jen Huang with SCAD students in studio - courtesy of SCAD

Q4 -2017

ARTICLE

POST GRADUATION / PRE-LICENSURE

THE CHALLENGE OF MENTORING BY JESSICA N. DEAVER, ASSOC. AIA

Continuing education for Emerging Professionals and Young Architects involves many different avenues but perhaps the hardest to define is the mentorship relationship. As a two-way dialogue, mentorship is more of a process unique to the individuals than a set lesson plan. For many emerging professionals, finding, cultivating, and maintaining those relationships can be a somewhat vague endeavor. In order to provide a better place to start, I sat down with my mentor Sonya Julian-Lester, AIA and her mentor William Murray, FAIA. Julian-Lester is an Associate Architect at Pfeiffer in their downtown Los Angeles office with nearly 10 years of experience as a licensed architect. Throughout her career she has worked with many mentors to develop the skills she uses today. “My first mentor was my first employer who hired me right out of school,” she explains. “He was actually a professor. It was a small firm. I worked there for about 3 years. (I) did a little bit of everything from going through the library of materials to building models, to drawing bathrooms to drawing brick details. He was a great mentor who really took the time to review things with me. Not necessarily to show me how to do everything but to let me ask questions when I needed help.” Julian-Lester’s current mentor, Murray, a founding Principal of Pfeiffer, agreed with the need to solve problems independently while not staying isolated. “What it used to be like when you came out of school was that you learned how to make drawings and do lettering, now with technology, kids that come out of school with these skills (in technology), they stay within this box. Because the computer makes it look so easy and so done. So they are less inquisitive.” Although generalizations, the reality of how technology has changed the field of architecture has yet to reach the discourse of how we teach according to some respondents of a 2015 survey on ArchDaily.com. (Patrick Lynch. "What Should Architecture Schools Teach Us? ArchDaily Readers Respond" 15 Dec 2015. ArchDaily. Accessed 29 Nov 2017. <https://www.archdaily.com/778846/whatshould-architecture-schools-teach-us-archdaily-readers-respond/> ISSN 0719-8884) Murray emphasizes the need for curiosity saying, “The people who succeed are the ones who go get up from their desk and work with people who have been doing this for a long time. Unless someone sits with you or you say, ‘I have these drawings and I need someone to look at them with me’ then you sit at your desk working and not externalizing that process, it’s a problem.” How big of a problem? A 2016 blog post from Revit tutorial website RevitPure (https://revitpure.com/blog/should-architecturestudents-use-revit) looked at the issues from the users perspective commenting that for students, “When opening Revit for the first

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time, everything seems very technical. You can understand why the few students that use it in the studio get stuck on pre-made components, building projects with default families.” This seems to be a standard response but one that other emerging professionals relate to. (https://thatarchitecturestudent.com/2016/10/12/revit-inarchitecture-school/) Author Rhodri Marsdan wrote for trending news website Digg.com about the disparity between technology and creativity commenting that, “By shouldering much of the creative burden, computer power makes us look and feel creative, and tech firms thrive on that.” http://digg.com/2016/technologyand-creativity Inquisitiveness is clearly a requirement for Design Professionals and Architects. Why else would so many hours be spent in studio high on caffeine, souped up on ramen, developing the ability to solve design problems? (https://archinect.com/news/article/149990764/ architecture-majors-work-the-hardest-in-college-study-reveals) Mentoring also requires the firms and the individuals doing the guiding to be proactive in the development of Young Architects. Relationships are critical Murray says, offering “Mentoring is not something that you say, ‘oh its mentoring time’. That’s not how it works. Mentoring is about long term relationships and nurturing someone.” It helps to work for a firm that reviews performance through the lens of an individual’s goals. If performance isn’t up to par it seems logical that the issue would be dealt with immediately. The yearly ‘performance review’ done at Pfeiffer focuses on what each employee is seeking in their own career path. “We try to find what each person wants and help them get there,” Murray continues. That level of personalized guidance is not just limited to the conference room yearly talk. Julian-Lester recalled many times when she spoke to her mentors about her career path and goals while on the road. Murray sees this as part of how Emerging Professionals and Young Architects curate their career path. “There is a lot of talk about career when we are on the road or having dinner or at an event,” He adds. “We talk not just during reviews. You have that time with someone. So pay attention to the size of the firm you go into that those opportunities (to meet outside the office) are there.” Julian-Lester addressed some of the challenges in making those critical life-path decisions commenting, “In the first few years after school I just wanted to get as much experience as I could with different projects. There were economy issues. There were some jobs you had to get. But by the time I came to Pfeiffer I knew that I wanted to work on larger civic projects that would be long lasting.”

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Firm culture plays a role in developing Young Architects, but another part of the equation is the style your mentor ascribes to. For Emerging Professional, green to the profession, a more hands-on approach like Julian-Lester’s first experience might be more useful than someone who mentors through ‘non-mentoring’. Murray refers to his first mentorship encounter as more about trust. “I got out of college and worked for two architects of Anshen & Allen who were Dave Rinehart and Jack MacAllister who were two great mentors through ‘not mentoring’. They worked for Kahn. They came out of that culture. If you had any smarts and talent they trusted you to go ahead and do it.” For the emerging professional, this means you need to show up with some skills and the ability to learn fast. Building your portfolio of hard skills such as software, drawing, and planning and soft skills like communication, body-language and contextual thinking in school will boost your ability to receive mentorship from Architects with this perspective. “It’s all about trust. If you sank you sank and if you swam you swam. I don’t set out to say I will mentor this person. There isn’t really a format that you go about mentoring somebody. I like to give them the opportunity to succeed. Someone who takes advice and constantly comes to me and asks questions. Constant questions. How do I get better, how did you get to where you are? That kind of stuff.” This begs the question, if someone’s hard skills don’t showcase their design ability, or their soft skills don’t explain design thinking, how does an Emerging Professional or Young

Architect work within the parameters of ‘non-mentorship’? The answer is not simple but relies on trust. Through different styles of mentorship, Murray and Julian-Lester both touch on trust as a keystone to mentorship relationships. From the vantage point of an Emerging Professional, trust in oneself is also crucial. If you do sink on one project or task, the emerging professional must trust that if they want that opportunity again they will have to make it. Self-driven initiatives, competitions, drive and focus are all part of it. Julian-Lester knows this. “Early in my career I remember being frustrated a lot. It was mostly because I didn’t know how to do something or what the next steps should be. And that’s natural. That frustration pushes you to learn more. A lot of it is about absorbing. It’s not just being in front of the computer. But it’s trying to learn the technical issues, the materiality. Any little piece you can absorb. That is the building blocks.” Mentors from Professors to Senior Architects are fundamental in shaping all levels of the Design Professional’s career path. By actively seeking and growing those relationships, the network of mentors built over time will result in greater access to the skills necessary to achieve that career. ■

ABOVE: William Murray, FAIA (center) with (L-R) Gili Meerovitch, Natasha Brewer, Natalie Popik and Jessica Deaver, Assoc. AIA - courtesy of Pfeiffer

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POST GRADUATION / PRE-LICENSURE

LIFE AFTER GRADUATION

AN INTERVIEW WITH CAITLIN KESSLER BY SHARON TUREK

Caitlin Kessler is a recent graduate from the University of Arizona and the 2017-2018 AIAS West Quadrant Director. While she misses the cacti, she is now working as an architectural designer in Boise, Idaho, surrounded by mountains and rivers. She is passionate about making a difference, whether through architecture or volunteer work. In her free time, she enjoys running next to rivers, hiking, and creating homemade gifts for friends.

Between learning how to manage time for studio work and dealing with various part-time jobs, an architectural college education is certainly not the easiest. After college, the idea of jumping into the working world of an 8-to-5 job can be a very daunting task and leaves many graduates feeling unprepared. The interview below features Caitlin Kessler, a recent graduate from the University of Arizona, and how she handled her transition into her new job by letting the AIAS and AIA help guide her way. Sharon Turek (ST): Can you provide background on your architectural education and current job post-graduation? Caitlin Kessler (CK): I graduated from the University of Arizona with an accredited bachelor of architecture in May of 2017, so not too long ago! During my time in college, I embarked on graduating with honors, dedicating my time to leadership roles within the AIAS, and working part-time. It was a lot of work but ultimately worth the extra energy. I was lucky enough to find a great job right after graduation. I’m currently working at a firm called Erstad Architects in Boise, Idaho. We focus on a lot of community-centered work, including projects for the Salvation Army and the zoo! Every day has a new challenge, and it's very rewarding work. We're a small to medium-size firm, so everyone always has their hands on some aspect of the project. While I did have to relocate from Tucson, Ariz., Boise has proven to be a fantastic city with many passionate people aiding its growth. ST: Do you feel as if your university prepared you to work in this industry upon graduation?

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CK: My education definitely prepared me for the workload we’re facing in the industry. There is so much growth, which means so many projects need to be designed and built. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep up – just like studio work in school. One of the biggest contributions my education afforded me was the experience of going through a design/build studio. We were able to apply our skills to a physical, built space − a contemporary house for a low-income family. I still find myself reflecting on observations made throughout that course. I’m thankful to my education for all those long nights, hard days, and lessons of self-discipline. It’s definitely still necessary in the “real world.” ST: If there was one thing you could change about your architectural education, what would it be? CK: One thing I would change about my architectural education would be to take more risks. In school, I was very focused on following the rules, making predictable and safe moves in terms of design. Now that I have been working with real clients and real budgets, those risky, crazy designs can't happen. School should be a time to explore and step out of your comfort zone. I wish I had done this sooner. ST: Do you believe that being a member of the AIAS and the AIA has helped prepare you for the working world? CK: AIAS has given me more than I could hope to give back in return. Through professional-development events, I have gained confidence in my work. Through networking, I have been able to connect with mentors and a diverse range of designers and architects. Through taking on leadership roles, I have learned how

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My advice for students who are about to graduate is to never stop learning. Every day, I learn at least five new things about this industry.

to manage, prioritize, work in a team to accomplish big goals, and advocate for important issues regarding studio culture, healthy lifestyles, and sustainable design. AIAS has helped push me into a career that is people-centric, putting the health of the community above all else. ST: What is your advice for current graduating students? CK: My advice for students who are about to graduate is to never stop learning. Every day, I learn at least five new things about this industry. Architecture is the kind of work that will always challenge you, long after your studio classes are over. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re open to always learning, this industry will reward you in incredible ways. â&#x2013;

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POST GRADUATION / PRE-LICENSURE

NotLY: NOT LICENSED YET

AN INTERVIEW WITH DOUGLAS NOBLE AND KAREN KENSEK BY YU-NGOK LO

Douglas E. Noble, Ph.D., FAIA is an American architect and tenured faculty member at the USC School of Architecture. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and is known for his work in four overlapping arenas: Architectural Computing, Building Science, Architecture Education, and Design Theories and Methods. He received the ACSA/AIAS New Faculty Teaching Award in 1995 and the ACSA Creative Achievement Award in 2013. He was named among the "10 most admired educators" in architecture in 2010[4] and was selected as a "most admired educator" again in 2015. He is the recipient of the 2017 American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Chapter Presidential Honor as educator of the year.

Karen M. Kensek teaches in the field of computer applications for architecture. Her research work includes BIM + Sustainability, BIM + digital simulation, virtual reconstruction of ancient places, the role of ambiguity in reconstructions, solar envelopes, and digital design. Previously she taught computer seminars and assisted with computer-aided design studios at the University of California, Berkeley, where she was the recipient of numerous grants and donations of computer hardware and software. She is a past president of the Association of Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA), was awarded the 2002 Tau Sigma Delta medal for distinction in teaching and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society at USC in 2004. She has been teaching for over 20 years in the transforming field of computer applications.

For those of us who were or currently are ARE candidates in the Los Angeles area, you will be very familiar with the highly regarded ARE program NotLY, created by professors Douglas Noble and Karen M. Kensek at the University of Southern California. The program was created in 2007, and there are now just over 2,300 people on the email list. NotLY has won awards from the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the California Council of the American Institute of Architects. Being a past presenter myself, I am honored to be part of this community-driven network that helped thousands of emerging professionals trying to obtain their architect licenses. Our CONNECTION team was able to spend some time with Professor Noble to talk about the program after 10 successful years. Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): How did the program get started? Why do you think it is important to have such a program? Douglas Noble & Karen M. Kensek (DN+KK): NotLY is a kind of weird acronym for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not Licensed Yet.â&#x20AC;? It was started in 2007 by professors Karen M. Kensek and Douglas Noble in the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California. We saw that licensing rates were very low and wondered what we could do about

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it. Not many people realize how far the licensing rates had fallen. From 1980 to 1990, there were more than 1,000 new architects registered in California each year. From 2000 to 2007 (when we started NotLY), there were about 400 new architects registered in California each year. There were more students graduating, and the population was increasing, but architecture licensing rates dropped sharply. There were many potential causes: cost of the exams, cost of exam-preparation classes, passing-rate changes due to the digital exam, the tough California Supplemental Exam, and more. One likely culprit seemed to be the change from the old system of taking the exams the last week of June each year to the new system of taking the exams any time you wanted. We guessed that the old system created a type of calendar pressure that the new system did not have. People could take exams any time, so they just postponed indefinitely. We wanted to encourage people to take the exams, so we started offering classes. At first, there were only five or 10 people in each class, but the idea caught on very fast, and now we often have well over 100 in a class. There are now more than 2,300 people on the email list trying to get licensed. We now offer about 75 to 150 classes a year. Always free and always open to everyone (not just USC alumni).

NotLY is more than just classes. We organize small study groups that craft their own schedules and help each other. We also have weekly emails that provide information, tips, and encouragement. Sometimes, people just need to be reminded that this is important. We also try to help with individual difficulties. Many people tell us that the emails of encouragement and advice were worth more than the classes. Many emerging professionals are simply discouraged, or they feel that licensing is not important. It does not take a lot of encouragement from us to help them become positive and start attacking the exams. They just needed someone to help. Licensing rates in California have gone up over the last 10 years while we have run this program, but we do not have a benchmark to compare the increases to. When we started, California was averaging just about 400 new licenses a year, and the last few years have been averaging closer to 600 or 700 new licenses a year. Participants tell us that we helped, but we do not know what the licensing rate would have been without NotLY. Maybe it would have gone up anyway. YL: I understand the classes are completely free and it grew over the years. How has the program been sustained so many years? DN+KK: We get free use of rooms from the USC School of Architecture. We also have several large architecture firms that give us free use of conference rooms to host events. We never charge, and no money changes hands. This drastically simplifies bookkeeping and billing! All of the classes are first-come, firstserved, and the participants sign up by email. Usually, we can get rooms big enough to match the demand for classes, but sometimes, we fill up and have to turn people away. It takes quite a bit of time to coordinate the speakers and audience, but everyone is very appreciative. That makes it easier to justify the effort. In the past few years, the awards from the Los Angeles AIA and California AIA have been truly heartwarming to us.

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YL: Tell us a bit about the presenters / lecturers. DN+KK: We have just under 100 regular speakers. Some teach a class once a year, and others teach classes every month or so. It is a very dedicated group of presenters. Our presenters are mostly architects, and we have licensed engineers for the appropriate sections such as structural, MEP, etc. We also have had a few contractors present before. Many of our presenters have carefully prepared presentations, often with detailed handouts. Others come in and just go through practice questions. All of these methods work. When participants can come to a class and see 150 others sitting there trying to learn, it makes a big impression. With nearly 100 presenters, we probably should not start naming any, because then we would want to name them all, but there are three lecturers who have done far more presentations: Dean J. Vlahos, FAIA; Michael Ellars, AIA, CASp; Saum Nour, Ph.D. YL: Are there plans to extend the program to other areas, such as Orange County? Or bring it to the digital platform so that candidates from across the country can benefit? DN+KK: We have done several past events in Orange County and have a good slate of NotLY events scheduled in Orange County for 2018. We do most events in Los Angeles because we can get the free rooms here at USC. We have talked about webcasting but have not yet done it. While we know that these classes would be helpful to others, we have been concentrating on doing things that create the “community” of participants. Having them see each other in classes helps tremendously. It is a light form of peer pressure, and it is wonderful when participants see people they know. They often form up in groups to keep studying after the classes. YL: Anything else you would like to add? DN+KK: The most fun is “throwing people out.” We love the excited emails we get from people telling us that they are licensed. We get several each week. We have a formal process of throwing them out of NotLY. ■ ABOVE: NotLY A.R.E. lecture at USC with seven speakers - courtesy of Douglas Noble

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FEATURE POST GRADUATION / PRE-LICENSURE

FIRM CULTURE

BEST PLACES TO WORK FOR EMERGING PROFESSIONALS

BY SHELBY MORRIS

What makes a great place to work for Emerging Professionals? How does your firm compare with national and local leaders? To explore what makes a great place to work, the Young Architects Forum reached out to AIA components in New York, Pennsylvania, Omaha, and Tennessee with firm-recognition programs. They describe why they started their programs, how they impact emerging professionals, and how to make the awards valuable to firms. Attracting and retaining employees is becoming ever more important for firms as the market continues to get busier. It is also great for emerging professionals to learn about career-life balance and the differences between firms. Whether you are researching firms or just interested for your own firm, these awards help architects understand what the most progressive firms are doing for their employees. How does a firm measure the investment in employees? As employees, what makes your day-to-day work more than just a job?

Shelby Morris, AIA is an associate principal with The Beck Group in Atlanta, Ga. He has led or been part of over $800 million of design and design/ build projects. Through the AIA, Morris has served as community director for the national AIA YAF Advisory Committee (2016-2017) and YAF South Atlantic Region director (2014-2015), and he is currently serving on the AIA Construction Contract Administration Committee. He was recently awarded the 2015 AIA Atlanta John Busby Award, the 2016 AIA National Young Architect Award, and the 2017 Building Design and Constructionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 40 under 40.

Kate Thuesen, AIA (AIA CSR)

Sarah Page, Assoc. AIA (AIA TN)

Ross Miller, Assoc. AIA (AIA CSR)

David M. Powell, FAIA (AIA TN)

Graciela Carrillo, AIA (AIA NY)

Wayne Williams, AIA (AIA TN)

is an Architect and Assciate at DLR, Des Moines, IA with vast experience in both the K-12 and Higher Education industries. She holds a B. Arch degree from Iowa State University. Thuesen is currently serving as the YARD representing the Central States Regions (CSR).

is a principal with FormGrey Studio, a multi-city (Omaha, Neb & Reno, Nev) collaborative design and fabrication firm. A 2016 recipient of the AIA Associates Award, Miller is the 2018 associate director on the AIA National Board of Directors, he is president of the University of Nebraska, College of Architecture Friends Association.

is serving as the treasurer and EP co-chair of the AIA Long Island Chapter. Garrillo was appointed as the NY regional director (YARD) for the Young Architects Forum (YAF) and sits on the AIA New York State Board of Directors in 2017. She holds a B. Arch. in Bogota, Colombia, and a master's in environmental planning from Pratt Institute.

Christian Jordan, AIA (AIA PA)

obtained a bachelor 's of Architecture from Philadelphia University, where he graduated with the AIA Henry Adams Gold Medal and the Herman Goldstine Thesis Award. He has been an adjunct professor in the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College of Architecture + the Built Environment since 2006. Jordan is currently the YARD of AIA Pennsylvania.

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is a project manager in Chattanooga, Tenn. She is serving as both the associate representative at AIA Tennessee and vice president of AIA Chattanooga. Page chairs the EP Committee for the state of Tennessee and is president of the local EP group in Chattanooga, Extended Studio.

is a principal of the Nashville-based Hastings Architecture Associates. His projects have been recognized by AIA Gulf States, AIA Tennessee, Architectural Record, Urban Land Institute, and the Metropolitan Historical Commission. In 2016, David was elevated to a fellow by the American Institute of Architects.

is the founder of Workshop: Architecture, a community focused practice in Chattanooga, Tenn. He is serving as treasurer of the local AIA component board and has spoken on the subject of starting a firm and firm culture at the local EP forum and at the AIA National Convention.

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The firm recognition award is important to firms because it provides outstanding benefits for emerging professionals, creating a positive firm culture and its gives firms the opportunity to stand out between other firms that do not provide all these professionals supports. Shelby Morris (SM): Tell us about the firm-recognition program in your region. How was it started? Tell us about your experience working with the local chapter to establish this program (question to be answer by multiple YARDs).

to answer, sent the draft on to the AIA PA Board of Directors and was given the green light almost right away. It was a pretty exciting experience to see it go from conception to execution in a short amount of time with a lot of enthusiasm from around the region.

Ross Miller (RM) (AIA CSR): Back in 2009, the AIA Central States Region Emerging Professionals Committee started the AIA Central States Region Intern Friendly Firm Award, an award that recognized firms in the AIA Central States Region who were dedicated to fostering leadership and involvement with interns. After the award was created and new members rolled onto the committee, the award somehow got lost in the shuffle and was never offered again. That all changed in 2014 when Ross Miller, Assoc. AIA (NAC RAD, 20142015) worked with the AIA Central States Emerging Professionals Committee to re-establish the award for the upcoming year. The 2015 version of the award was renamed the AIA Central States Region Emerging Professional Friendly Firm Award to reflect the AIA’s position to eliminate the word “intern” from all literature when discussing new graduates and emerging professionals. Also, the award was revamped to provide categories not only related to the Intern Development Program (IDP), now the Architectural Experience Program (AXP), but also focused on fostering a culture of leadership and involvement for emerging professionals – taking cues from the national IDP Firm Awards Program and other similar award programs from AIA Portland, AIA Alabama, AIA Florida, and AIA Oklahoma. The revamped award continues to be offered annually with an abundance of firm participation from the region.

Sarah Page (SP) (AIA TN): The AIATN EP Friendly Firm Award was one of many projects to come out of our Board of Directors’ statewide initiative to increase the support, engagement, and visibility of Emerging Professionals. The first step was creating an EP Committee in 2016. Their recommendations for 2017 included the EPFF Award, in addition to a video-shorts competition, adding a second associate member to the state board, and advocating for an expedited process to get approval from the state to begin testing and a change of the legal definition of an unlicensed architect from “intern” to more closely align with national standards.

Graciela Carrillo (GC) (AIA NY): The firm-recognition award in NYS started in early summer 2017 following the previous experiences by Central States, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. The NYS Emerging Professionals (EP) Committee compiled and developed a series of questions that would help establish a rating score for companies that provide benefits and professional development of EPs. The call for entries was announced in September 2017. Christian Jordan (CJ) (AIA PA): My YARD predecessor, Melissa Eckel, started a mentoring program at the local-chapter (AIA Philadelphia) level that was very successful. I wanted to develop a program that could also have an impact and be something that could continue after I was no longer a YARD. I thought about the (now-defunct) NCARB IDP awards and how something like that would benefit EPs and firms at the regional level. In Pennsylvania, there are seven accredited architecture schools, so I figured students in PA would want to know what firms in the state take an active approach in fostering EPs. On a YAF monthly call last year, I found out that AIA Central States had something at the regional level that was aligned with my ideas for the program. I drafted up an application for each interested firm

The greatest challenge was organizing this as a statewide event almost entirely through conference calls, first with committee members and staff and then with jurors. We also were able to learn a lot from Central State’s Shane Algiere, who was lovely enough to walk us through their process and let us use their application as a starting point when we were crafting ours. SM: Why are these awards important to the participating firms? What impact are you hoping that brings to the local EP community? RM (AIA CSR): In 2014, the AIA Central States Region Emerging Professionals Committee created a framework and subcommittee for the award to ensure that it continued on once the current members rolled off and new members joined the committee. The award allows AIA Central States Region firms to be designated as an “AIA Central States Region Emerging Professional Friendly Firm” and to be listed on the AIA Central States Emerging Professionals Committee website, informs graduating architecture students from the region and beyond of which firms will help foster and support their growth into becoming an architect. Such a designation is advantageous for firms in the region to have when recruiting new talent, as well as raising the bar for architecture firms in the entire region when it comes to employing emerging professionals. The award has been established so that there is no entry fee, allowing accessibility to all firms (large and small) to participate annually. GC: The firm-recognition award is important to firms because it provides outstanding benefits for emerging professionals, creates a positive firm culture, and it gives firms the opportunity to stand out between other firms that do not provide all this professional support. Through this recognition award, we hope that firms will consider supporting more emerging professionals, not only in their professional development, but in their leadership development.

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FEATURE POST GRADUATION / PRE-LICENSURE

CJ (AIA PA): For participating firms, the benefits are numerous: • Recognition as a firm that takes EPs growth seriously • Opportunity to engage firm EPs and solicit input and discuss the firm’s current policies on EP-specific items To local EPs, I wanted the recognition of the firms to be a database of firms that would most likely fit their own ideals, where the firm would potentially be a good cultural fit. Coming out of school, everyone knows the firms in the region that are doing great work. But it’s the firms that are doing solid work, maybe it’s not published or their social media accounts are not as popular, but also make fostering EPs part of their firm culture. The hope is that the jobsearch process is perhaps less daunting with this list of recognized firms. And that’s why I wanted to keep it as a “recognition” and not a highly competitive award. Investing in a firm’s staff and culture is something any firm can do, and we didn’t want firms to be dissuaded simply because they thought their portfolio was not as strong. SP (AIA TN): The obvious answer is that winning recognition for being an EP Friendly Firm is that it’s great for marketing and hiring. What’s often overlooked is that having policies in place that train, mentor, and support EPs is that these create better, more capable employees who are more likely to stay at a firm where they feel like they’re able to continue to learn and grow as a professional. Even more importantly, on an industry-wide level, these awards help encourage firms to better train the future leaders of our profession. This is particularly important as we’ve lost a large percentage of design professionals who would normally be the supervisors and mentors to emerging professionals during the recession when so many left the profession. For emerging professionals and firms, this award was an opportunity to have a dialogue about some hard topics to bring up in another setting, like fair compensation, time off for testing, and possibilities for leadership opportunities. This was also a great way for EPs to be able to ask what their firms’ policies are and for firm leaders to realize that they may not be communicating those policies or that there might be room for improvement. I’ve spoken with many EPs who didn’t know that their firms gave them paid time off for taking their exams and a firm leader who didn’t realize that they didn’t have an actual policy for performance reviews even though they

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thought they did. David Powell (AIA TN): It provides confirmation that the firm respects and celebrates EPs. This is great for internal morale and validation of leadership efforts, as well as external perceptions for recruiting. The impact will be a certain prestige that EP Friendly Firms will carry that will make them more desirable to work for. This will also create accountability and healthy competition to increase value and experience for our young professionals. Wayne Williams (AIA TN): Capable staff are in demand. Being able to demonstrate positive policies that aid the professional development of young architects can help in recruiting talented staff. Perhaps just as important, companies of all kinds are working hard to establish their bonafides as good citizens. People want to know they are doing business with honorable people, and the EP Friendly Firm Award can be an important part of firm-branding strategy. Hopefully, the EP Friendly Firm will become a benchmark standard and will help to establish positive mentoring and support practices across the area-wide industry. In the end, we’ll all get a bettertrained and -qualified community of architects and eventually an even better built environment. SM: Many firms (especially small firms) might ask, how would investing resources in staff development benefit the company? How would you respond to this question? Kate Thuesen (KT) (AIA CSR): No matter the scale of the firm, making an investment in the most valuable part of a company, it’s people, is always worth it. Professional development and growth of the individuals will grow their skill sets and capabilities, benefiting project teams, and creating better work and projects for clients. An investment in staff, I believe, is a healthy investment in growing not only the bottom line for a firm, but it also encourages retention, grows recruitment opportunities, and helps leadership signal to staff their critical value to the success of a firm. GC (AIA NY): Firms that invest in emerging professionals’ development will benefit from it due to the fact that emerging professionals will maximize their capabilities to give back into the firm’s workload. Also, by fostering EPs, firms will have a stable workforce. Once the EP completes their licensing process, they will

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This is our future! These emerging professionals will be far better equipped to havea significant impact on society if we invest in their growth and experiences. OPPOSITE: ESPA SPA - Reception Lobby at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore - Courtesy MGA&D BELOW: FUUOKA HYATT REGENCY - The Golden Stair - Courtesy MGA&D

ABOVE: EP FRIENDLY POSTER - Courtesy AIATN

Q4 -2017

FEATURE POST GRADUATION / PRE-LICENSURE

want to stay in a firm that provides them with those benefits. CJ (AIA PA): This isn’t new, but it certainly is appropriate: What if we invest in our staff and they leave? What if we don’t and they stay? We are a small firm (five employees), and we take great pride in providing for the EPs in our firm. I would suggest incremental steps so that over time, the firm simply provides for staff development without giving it a second thought. SP (AIA TN): Investing in your employees is one of the biggest returns on investment that a firm owner, large or small, can make. Employees who are better trained, who have gone through the licensure process, and who feel like a valued member of the team are always going to do better work for their firm. And resources aren’t just limited to monetary resources. Firms that have the resources to pay for exams and AIA memberships are wonderful, but just as important is allowing the time and support to study for and take those exams and to be involved in the AIA. Taking the time to mentor emerging professionals is one of the most impactful ways firm an industry leaders can make an impact, and that does not require firm funds.

DP (AIA TN): That’s a bit like asking why should we care about parenting. … This is our future! These emerging professionals will be far better equipped to have a significant impact on society if we invest in their growth and experiences. They will also become more engaged and invested in your firm, which means there will be significant benefits as they become more experienced. So there is an ROI at both personal and global levels. WW (AIA TN): Staff retention and enthusiasm is never more important than in the small firm where even a single departure can have a significant impact. A positive culture is crucial to prevent loss. In addition, the benefits of mentoring and supporting less experienced staff can be more quickly and deeply felt in the small firm, so the benefits are potentially that much greater. SM: There have been a number of award programs already established at the local level. How could the YAF / YARDs expand the program to other regions? Is there any goal to create a national program? KT (AIA CSR): As the 2017-2018 Central States Region Young Architects Forum (YAF) Regional Director, this is a conversation I’ve been having with YARDs all over the country. With the success that we’ve seen at the regional level, one idea was to expand it into

ABOVE: AIA TN 2017 EP FIRM AWARD CERTIFICATE - Courtesy AIATN

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Investing in your employees is one of the biggest returns on investment that a firm owner, large or small, can make. a national award program to draw more attention into the value of investing in staff development. Ultimately, we agreed that it was better to encourage this program to develop or continue at the regional level, where there are regional Emerging Professionals Committees who can champion the efforts. In the Central States Region, our EP committee has led this effort for years, providing a connection between local and national efforts, and helping link states and cities together for a common opportunity for recognition. Members of our committee have provided support to other regions who have reached out after hearing about our successful program. We offer best practices and share resources, which has encouraged the development and refinement of our own program as well. Continuing to grow the program in other regions through this organic effort has shown promise and is a great model for expansion to other regions. GC (AIA NY): In NYS, the local components do not have a firms fostering emerging professionals recognition award. Due to this, it is a good opportunity for the YARD to put in place a program on a regional level, instead of starting it on a local level. CJ (AIA PA): Sharing of already established programs would certainly help. I think it’s important that each region have the autonomy to develop its own criteria for the awards/recognitions. Equally important would be to share those “best practices” with other regions. One of the things we have discussed at AIA PA is to provide the opportunity for firms to demonstrate unique ways that they are supporting EPs with the idea being to award several firms for going above the baseline standards we have set. Those would then be shared with the region so other firms can adapt those procedures/policies for the betterment of their own EPs. SP (AIA TN): The one conversation that likely made the AIA TN EPFF Award possible this year was the one we had with the representative from Central States. Sharing resources and experiences between components would be the best way to start similar programs across other regions. SM: What are some of the things that firms can do to help the careers of their EP employees? KT (AIA CSR): There are so many firms doing incredible things for Emerging Professionals, and it’s difficult to come up with a short list. Some trends that we’ve seen that interest EPs are providing flexible work hours and extended family leave, creating opportunities for

pro-bono work, encouraging social and cultural opportunities within offices, and encouraging a diverse workforce. But, the single most important thing a firm can do for EPs is to provide robust and diverse opportunities for learning and growth. Including EPs in client meetings, site visits, team meetings, and other job-based learning is critical to the success of any young, aspiring architect. In addition to learning opportunities, I see great value in providing support for the Architectural Experience Program (AXP) Architectural Registration Exams (ARE), whether that’s through purchasing study materials, providing time off to take the exams, or reimbursing for the cost of the exams. Additionally, encouraging involvement in professional organizations such as the AIA, NAC, or YAF is also an excellent way to help an EP nurture their networks, as well as providing leadership opportunities and a deeper tie to our profession. GC (AIA NY): Firms can support the professional development of EPs by implementing a mentoring program, providing funding to cover the cost of the ARE exams, allowing the time off from work to take the exams, and supporting involvement in leadership with organizations like AIA. CJ (AIA PA): I would encourage all the firms that are interested to take a look at the AIA PA’s Firms Fostering Emerging Professional criteria for some ideas! SP (AIA TN): Giving emerging professionals regular constructive feedback about their performance is probably the easiest and most important things firms can do. Formal reviews are the best way to make sure that some feedback is happening on a regular basis, but informal discussions about specific projects or conversations about professional goals are also extremely helpful. These conversations are also about listening to EPs and seeing what they feel they need to succeed and then working together to try to make those opportunities happen. Creating opportunities for professional development and leadership opportunities is also a great way to further EPs’ professional development. This could be letting them be a part of or chair inoffice committees or letting them plan or lead a firm retreat, or it could be encouraging them to serve in leadership positions in professional, charity, and community organizations such as AIA, Habitat for Humanity, or the Historic Preservation Council.■

Q4 -2017

FEATURE POST-LICENSURE

BECOMING WELL

AN INTERVIEW WITH RACHEL GUTTER

BY IAN MERKER

Rachel Gutter

joined the International WELL Building Institute in late 2016 as chief product officer, bringing with her a wealth of cross-cutting experience in safer, healthier environments where they matter the most: in schoolrooms across the globe. She joins IWBI after a nine-year career at the U.S. Green Building Council, where she founded the Center for Green Schools, convening and collaborating with a diverse group of partners, including teachers unions, the National PTA, the Department of Education, the Princeton Review, executives from Fortune 100 companies, and green building councils around the world. Under her direction, the center published more than 1,000 pages of technical guides and original research, mobilized more than $275 billion in investments in LEED-certified educational facilities, and deployed more than half a million volunteers to contribute $50 million in donated time to transform schools and campuses on every continent. A transformative leader, she expanded her scope in 2014 and brought her creative and strategic imprint to launch Education @USGBC, a groundbreaking platform for professional and executive education that delivers more than 100,000 hours of online courses to learners annually. A widely sought-after expert and inspiring speaker, Rachel’s rallying cry of “where our children learn matters” caught the imagination of The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Parenting Magazine, Fox News, and CNN, among hundreds of other news outlets. In 2012, she received the World Green Building Council’s Chairman’s Award and was honored by Martha Stewart’s Whole Living Magazine as an eco-heroine in 2011.

The WELL Building Standard is a third-party certification covering seven core concepts of health. Professionals have the opportunity to obtain the WELL Accredited Professional credential, which demonstrates a commitment to advancing human health and wellness in buildings and communities. Rachel Gutter helps manage these standards. Ian Merker (IM): Do you have any acronyms of your own? Rachel Gutter (RG):I was an English major in college. I spent a lot of time helping develop credentials including the LEED AP, LEED GA, and the WELL AP. I took a two-week special project right before leaving USGBC (US Green Building Council), demoing a curriculum that we developed [for LEED], including a study guide for professionals. I taught it to a group of high school students, and I thought, well, if I'm going to bring them through it, I should see if I can pass the exam. They said it was one of the highest scores they had ever seen, so that was a relief. Part of my job as the chief product officer is to oversee the credentialing program for the WELL AP, which is administered by GBCI. IM: So GBCI administers LEED and WELL AP exams? RG: GBCI administers a variety of Green Building standards, such as SITES AP, which has to do with how land use is developed. GBCI started as the Green Building Certification Institute, and now that they've expanded beyond the building, the name has changed to the Green Business Certification Institute. IM: From your experience working with LEED, do you see any similarities between the way that the LEED exam is administrated and the WELL AP exam? RG: Yes. They're built by a lot of the same people – in fact, the former CEO of USGBC (Rick Fedrizzi) is now CEO at IWBI. The same principles of credentialing are applied at IWBI and USGBC. It's still early days as far as proof of concept of standards. As I understand it, there are more than 200,000 LEED AP and Green associates. There are about 4,300 registered and or accredited professionals seeking WELL AP. We are also tracking the gross projection that we are growing as quickly or faster than the early days of the LEED AP. IM: Are many LEED APs currently adding WELL AP credentials? RG: About as many people who self-declare as health-and-wellness professionals pass the WELL AP as those who self-declare as 44

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CBRE WELL CERTIFIED HQ LOS ANGELES Courtesy CBRE

Q1 2017 Q4- -2017

FEATURE POST-LICENSURE sustainability professionals. There is an interesting diversity of professionals seeking the certification. In my crystal ball, I see a similar thing happening with WELL AP in that with an absence of other credentials, this will become an overarching credential that is pursued by the new type of professional, the workplace wellness professional, in the same way that LEED AP became the credential for the head of sustainability for an organization. That will be our mark of success. The majority of people we see registering for WELL AP are practitioners in the building industry, such as consultants, engineers, and architects – people working on WELL projects. The future will be providing a credential that adds value to this new workplace wellness professional role within an organization.

generation of professionals are looking for a different kind of office. They are more concerned with amenities – everybody wants to work at a Google or Facebook. They want to work at a place that both embodies their own values and their personal commitments to health and wellness, a place that supports those goals. That's the kind of framework that WELL offers.

IM: What is a workplace wellness professional?

RG: With LEED AP, students who graduated with that credential were more desirable job candidates. We were able to track job descriptions that noted LEED AP as a requirement of the job position. We will start to see that with WELL AP. The most important piece of advice I can give to a recent graduate is to go out and distinguish yourself from the pack by seeking WELL. That will distinguish you even more than the 200,000 professionals that currently sport the LEED AP. We already know that that is a leg up for a job candidate among the competition.

RG: It’s a new position that's on the rise in organizations, in the same way that the chief sustainability officer has become a common role within an organization in a Fortune 500 company. In a Fortune 500, there is at least one person working on matters of sustainability, sometimes an entire team. We see the same phenomenon happening with workplace wellness. Many of these chief sustainability officers were birthed from a “facilities” team. A lot of the workplace wellness professional positions are starting in Human Resources. As the value is proven within an organization, the chief wellness officer is moving into the executive suite. One of the interesting dialogues we have with potential customers with the onset of WELL is that the conversations are happening at the top. There is a clear understanding of the value that comes with it – enhancing the performance, productivity, and satisfaction of employees and the impact it has on a business's bottom line. IM: How do you see young architects using the WELL AP credential, either through traditional practice or alternative paths? RG: Architects have the skill to think outside of the box and be creative problem solvers. With alternative paths, we see WELL APs moving into the administrative function of a company. I was just speaking to graduate students at Tufts University in fields of everything from public health to engineering, and we were talking about design thinking as a valuable skill. There are many opportunities in a wide space in that field. Companies are making significant investments in their employees, and there is a real opportunity for professional growth there. It’s an opportunity for WELL APs to not just administer the standards but to speak to the wide range of concepts that are covered in WELL. When you think of the next generation coming into the workforce and that they expect different things from their workplaces, the interesting fact is that the physical workplace is one of the top three factors that affects job satisfaction. Quality of life is such a major factor. More companies are taking account of that, and WELL AP is a contributing factor. I would encourage young architects to tune in to the opportunity from a career perspective and the opportunity to transform the field of design as we know it. IM: What is the value proposition for a business to include a workplace wellness professional? RG: The vast majority of the expenses for a business are not in the facility, but rather in the people. Think about the value that one could deliver in an organization if you could reduce absenteeism across the board. Retention and recruitment are intensely costly. An organization wants to attract the best candidates, and the new

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It puts the credential behind the leadership that is making those changes happen. IM: How are you tracking the success of the WELL AP in the marketplace?

IM: Are you gathering data from the WELL APs or employers about who is getting picked up? Is it a shorter fuse from graduation? Are there higher entry-level salaries? RG: It's still early days among WELL. That work still continues on LEED APs. In the coming years, we will focus on garnering that data. We will continue to look at the candidates who are earning the WELL AP, including professions, ages, and location. We watch those metrics carefully, and we use them to target our efforts to educate more people in earning their credentials. The other place that we look is that we ask the WELL APs themselves with questions like, “Does this make you a more viable job candidate? Do you perceive that this gives you added value either within your profile in your current organization, or does it help you in seeking another job?” IM: Are you developing a network of WELL APs? RG: One of the benefits of 4,300 WELL APs, our small community, is that we can wrap our arms around them. We convene webinars twice a month at different times of day because our professionals are all over the world. These are free webcasts, and all are worth continuing education, which is a requirement for WELL AP and also works as continuing education for LEED APps. We use the webcast as an opportunity to have a direct line and a two-way line within the WELL AP community. We typically have over a thousand people register. We always leave at least 20 minutes for Q&A at the end so that at least once a month, you can have a direct dialogue with the organization. We’re also shining a light on the WELL APs themselves so that they can learn from one another. A lot of these projects are now coming online, and people are interested in finding out what are the successful strategies, like how did you achieve the circadian lighting feature? How are you dealing with surveying in a large multinational company? What strategies deal with health and well-being? We are also prioritizing in-person contact as well. We did a program at Greenbuild in 2017, and we're putting together a series of round tables that will target WELL APs and other power users in major cities around the world in the first quarter of 2018. ■ Visit www.wellcertified.com for more information.

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CBRE WELL CERTIFIED HQ LOS ANGELES Courtesy CBRE

When you think of the next generation coming into the workforce and that they expect different things from their workplaces, the interesting fact is that the physical workplace is one of the top three factors that affects job satisfaction.

Q4 -2017

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POST-LICENSURE

GETTING SPECIALIZED

THE AIA CREDENTIALING PROGRAM AN INTERVIEW WITH STEVE MARTIN BY YU-NGOK LO

Stephen Martin is the Managing Director for Professional Development & Resources with The American Institute of Architects (AIA). His group manages the Institute’s continuing education programs including the CES Provider network, AIAU, and conference education programming. In 2017, Mr. Martin was the staff liaison to the Board Knowledge Committee which has been working on a framework for the AIA’s approach to credentialing.

Many of our readers including myself did not even realize that AIA has been involved in the business of credentialing for over 20 years. Because the credentialing discussion has gotten more and more attention over the past few years, our editorial team wants to know more about the program and how it could have an impact on emerging professionals. CONNECTION reached out to Stephen Martin, managing director of professional development and resources at AIA to get more information on the credentialing program. Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): Could you tell us about some of the existing credentialing programs and partnerships with other professional organizations? Stephen Martin (SM): The AIA’s involvement with credentialing has been a topic of discussion for quite some time. In the 1990s, a framework was created for AIA recognition of other organizations’ credentials. To date, only the American College of Healthcare Architects has submitted a credential for recognition under this program. In addition to the ACHA certification, there are certificate programs available through AIAU, AIA’s online learning platform. YL: What about some of the credentialing programs AIA is working on? What is the difference between a credential and a certificate? SM: TThe broad umbrella is actually credentialing. Under that umbrella are three main “buckets” — certification, certificates, and accreditations. Certification is a formal process of making certain that an individual is qualified in terms of particular knowledge or skills. (Generally, certification involves a demonstration of knowledge and experience.) Certification does not require completion of specific courses or specified curriculum and is used to demonstrate an individual’s expertise. As such, certifications require ongoing

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maintenance and renewal. Certificates require the completion of a prescribed series of courses or learning events in a coordinated curriculum with integrated knowledge assessments and an evaluation of knowledge. They do not require ongoing maintenance or renewal. Accreditation is a formal process for making certain that an organization is qualified by meeting established standards. Accreditation does not apply to individuals. We are currently exploring credentials (either certifications or certificates) in a number of topic areas including resilience and program management, as well as an accreditation program for recognizing existing credentials offered by other organizations. YL: Do you think the credentialing program will be in conflict with or overlap the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE)? SM: Architectural licensing is a credential of its own — a formal certification that the license holder has met the requirements of the licensing body to practice architecture in that jurisdiction. The AIA’s programs will complement licensing and are not a replacement or substitute for licensure. AIA’s credentialing will be used to demonstrate knowledge or expertise beyond what is required for licensure. YL: There are many certification / credentialing programs created by other professional organizations such as USGBC, CSI, etc. How’s AIA’s program distinct itself from others? SM: AIA credential programs will meet four key criteria. They must: •

Support the AIA values

•

Enhance the practice of architecture

•

Be administratively manageable

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•

Be financially sustainable

AIA’s credentialing programs are distinct from other credentials offered by professional organizations in the way they are tailored to AIA members and the practice of architecture. That said, other organizations’ credentials may be of value for AIA members, which is where accreditation comes into play. Rather than re-creating programs offered by others, the AIA works with other organizations to recognize and accredit their programs.

program would provide a structured framework for developing that knowledge, giving AIA members a trusted source for building critical knowledge.■

YL: Will AIA partner with other organizations such as NAAB/ NCARB to potentially integrate the credentialing program into class curriculum so that students will be ready to take the exams and earn the credentials/certificates upon graduation? SM: At this point, AIA’s credentialing programs are still in a development state, and we have not had any discussions with NAAB/NCARB about integrating credentialing programs into class curriculums. YL: Anything else you would like to add? SM: Based on member feedback and other research, there is some trepidation about the AIA developing credential programs. The fear is that AIA credentials will introduce unnecessary specialization with the practice of architecture. The reality is that specialization is already occurring. Project teams often include those whose experience or training allow them to be recognized as specialists in a given field. AIA credentialing will formalize some of this recognition so there is a minimum basic standard. Credentialing can also be used to improve knowledge in targeted areas. For instance, recent natural disasters — hurricanes, fires, etc. — have demonstrated that resilience is an important subject where the profession needs greater awareness and understanding. Often it’s difficult to know where to start building that knowledge. A certificate

Q4 -2017

ARTICLE

POST-LICENSURE

CSI CERTIFICATION PROGRAM AN INTERVIEW WITH BILL SCHAMLZ BY YU-NGOK LO

Bill Schmalz, FAIA, CSI, CCCA is a principal with Perkins+Will and a licensed architect in California and Illinois. A CSI member since 2001, he’s an LACSI Board director and chair of the LACSI Certification Committee, as well as being on the LACSI Education and Long-Range Planning committees. He has been teaching CCCA-certification classes since 2009. His book, “The Architect’s Guide to Writing,” was named by the website archtoolbox.com as one of the 19 “best architecture reference books.” He’s a contributing author for “The Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice” and provides writing-related articles for the bimonthly LACSI Newsletter.

The Construction Specification Institution, also known as CSI, is well known among professionals in the construction industry. It is the author of the MasterFormat system and the CSI threepart specification system, which is the gold standard for writing construction specifications. However, many architects might not be familiar with its certification system. Some emerging professionals might not have even heard of acronyms such as CDT, CCCA, and CCS. Our editorial team reached out to Bill Schmalz, FAIA, the chair of the LACSI Certification Committee, to talk about the certification process and how it is relevant to emerging professionals. Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): Does CSI partner with AIA, NCARB, and other professional organizations in creating exam questions? Bill Schmalz (BS): CSI doesn’t partner with AIA or NCARB in creating questions. However, we do base many questions on the AIA contract documents, including the A201 General Conditions, the B101 Owner-Architect Agreement, and the AIA CAD standards. YL: CSI’s certification program was originally created in 1977, and things have changed dramatically over the last few decades. How are the CSI exams keeping up with the current trends of construction? BS: Exams are updated annually, and the study materials are updated every four to five years to include new trends and technologies. For example, in recent years, we’ve added questions about integrated project delivery to reflect its increased use. YL: As licensed architects, we went through the comprehensive ARE process. What are some of the overlaps between the two exams? What are the benefits of architects obtaining the CSI certifications?

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BS: The AREs cover all aspects of the architectural profession. Upon passing the exams, architectural interns have demonstrated their competence to practice as licensed architects. The knowledge needed to pass the CDT exam parallels some of what’s needed to pass the AREs. It covers aspects of project delivery related to construction documentation, including roles and responsibilities, graphic and written formats, building codes, contracts, legal implications of contract documents, schematic design and design development, quality assurance and control, project delivery methods, life-cycle costs and value analysis, BIM, and project planning. However, it doesn’t cover many other ARE topics, such as practice management, programming, site analysis and design, building planning and design, and mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structural systems and design. While passing the AREs demonstrates broad architectural competence, the advanced CSI certifications (particularly CCCA and CCS) take this a step further by giving architects more specialized knowledge and skills for two specific — and important — areas: construction contract administration and specifications. Most recently, licensed architects have a general knowledge of these aspects of their profession but can benefit from the additional knowledge these certifications represent. Having the knowledge needed to pass the CDT, CCCA, and CCS exams can help architectural interns pass the AREs. However, most interns can’t meet CSI’s requirements for minimum experience in each of the advanced certification fields (two years of contact administration, five years of writing specifications, and two years as a product representative). Most CCCA and CCS exam candidates either are licensed architects or have substantial professional experience. Other non-licensed professionals can also benefit from CDT and the advanced certifications. Owners’ representatives and contractors

without the training to become licensed architects are often involved with construction documents and the construction phase of projects. Passing the CDT exam and moving on to CCCA or CCS certifications can help them perform their jobs better. Construction product representatives, who often have little experience with the production of contract documents or the construction process, can gain this knowledge by passing the CDT exam and advancing to become Certified Construction Product Representatives (CCPR).

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information on the certification program, the exams, and the study guides, see the CSI website: https://www.csiresources.org/home. Exam questions are always from the CSI study materials and the exam resource documents, which can be found on the website.■

YL: CDT (Construction Document Technologist) is open to students. One of their concerns is whether they have adequate professional experience to pass the CDT exam. What are the benefits for students to obtain the CDT accreditation even before their graduation? BS: Architectural schools tend to concentrate on planning and designing buildings and spaces and often give far less emphasis on the more practical aspects of the profession. By studying for and passing the CDT exam, students can fill this gap in their education. While working professionally may help them pass the CDT exam, the knowledge required is not so advanced that students won’t understand it if they use the appropriate study materials. YL: Anything else you would like to add? BS: Most local CSI chapters offer certification preparation classes. While many provide training for the CDT exams, some also provide classes for CCCA, CCS, and CCPR exams. For example, the Los Angeles Chapter (LACSI), for which I chair the certification committee, is among the few chapters that offer training for all four exams. Historically, the pass rates for attendees to our classes is very high. The exams are held twice each year. This year’s exams will be from March 27 to June 2, and from Sept. 25 to Dec. 10. For more

Q4 -2017

ARTICLE

POST-LICENSURE

CERTIFIED ACCESS SPECIALIST

PROVIDING EQUAL ACCESS TO DISABLED PEOPLE AN INTERVIEW WITH JANIS KENT BY YU-NGOK LO

Janis Kent, FAIA, CASp is a licensed California architect and has been involved in the world of accessibility since the mid-1980s. She is designated a Subject Matter Expert by the California Division of the State Architect and a Certified Access Specialist. As the founding president of the Certified Access Specialist Institute (CASI), she steered the organization to serve both those in private practice and the public sector who are involved with access in the built environment. Additionally, she has been asked to speak on accessibility at a variety of venues, from the Dwell conventions in Los Angeles to Design DC in Washington to National AIA Conventions in Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta, Orlando, and upcoming in New York City, and at a number of business associations and AIA chapters. Kent has provided quality control and surveyed numerous facilities for accessibility throughout the country, working with both owners and architects and building officials and code regulators. Her book, “ADA in Details,” is a compilation of architectural details on accessibility and has recently been updated and expanded for current codes and federal regulations.

California has spent a tremendous amount of effort in providing equal access to individuals with disabilities. It is one of the few states that require continuing education (CE) on disability accessibility. Many of us who live in California would have heard about the Certified Access Specialist (CASp) program created under California Senate Bill 262. It is a program that certifies specialized professionals who have extended knowledge on access-related issues. The program is governed by Title 21 Voluntary Certified Access Specialist Program regulations. We reached out to a CASp and an access expert to talk about the program. Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): Please tell us a little bit about the CASp program and how it works. What is a CASp? Janis Kent (JK): The CASp program was originally set up by DSA to test individuals who have a more in-depth knowledge on access, both on the federal and state levels. People who meet the criteria are certified as CASps. The CCDA has made use of people that are CASps by allowing them to review buildings that are places of public accommodations and to issue state certificates about compliance. Some local agencies have tapped into the program by asking for a CASp to review projects for access for building permits or certificates of occupancy. Local agencies are required to have a CASp on staff or to engage a company that has CASps on staff since local building departments do not review for federal laws such as ADAS, UFAS, FHA. YL: What are the benefits to the consumers/public? (For example, how does it prevent those lawyers who just go around and sue small businesses as a living?) What are the benefits for hiring a CASp?

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JK: The program is not so much set up to “prevent lawsuits" but to prequalify people who have more knowledge about access. If a building owner has a CASp certificate in place and they adhere to their schedule of remediation, there is a measure of protection in state courts. Even if an owner/tenant does not get a certificate, by hiring a CASp and getting a report, they will have better understanding of what needs to be done to make their facility accessible. This can also be used in lease negotiations as well to delegate responsibility for public and common areas of a facility. The statement “prevent those lawyers who go around and sue small businesses as a living” is not a statement I would ever use. This is what the TV, news, and owners say who do not have an understanding. The federal Department of Justice (DOJ) has set up the ADA standards for enforcement by lawsuit, and the only ones who can sue are those who are disabled and their companions who have been denied equal access. This is a civil rights issue. Unfortunately, owners of older buildings and tenants are not knowledgeable about access, but they have an ongoing obligation under the law to make their facilities more accessible by removing barriers that are readily achievable. The intent is that this is an ongoing commitment, and over the years, all facilities should be accessible by now since ADA has been around for over 25 years. In law, not knowing the law and the required legal commitments is not a defense for noncompliance. Hence, we have a lot of buildings that still are not accessible. The disabled people who drive the lawsuits have to be able to have enough self-confidence to undertake a lawsuit, and many look at this as a full-time job that they do in order to help others who do not have the personality or wherewithal to do a lawsuit. This is how access is implemented in older buildings. In CA, we have many lawsuits, but we also have more access from what I have seen due to this.

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Access has now gotten so complex that it really takes someone with architectural background to provide information and expertise on complex and even standard projects.

I think the better question to ask is how can we teach the public of their obligations under the ADA even if there is no construction? And how can we better educate architects, interior designers, landscape designers, civil engineers, and contractors to more fully understand the regulations so that drawings are also fully in compliance. YL: California is already requiring architects to obtain five hour course credits once every two years as part of the license-renewal requirement. Do you think licensed architects are qualified to conduct building-accessibility inspections? Why do you think the CASp CERTIFICATION is necessary? Do architects need better understanding of access?

YL: Do you think the CASp can be a model for architectural specialization nationwide? Can this program be made nationwide? JK: Texas has its own program for about the same period of time that CA has had its CASp program. The program is called Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS) and the individuals are Registered Accessibility Specialists (RAS), and is set up differently in Texas. The RAS have a different type of authority than the CASp have in California. I do not think that the CASp program is something that can be extended nationwide, but I do think other states are or should be setting up something similar to RAS or CASp.■

JK: In my opinion, architecture has gotten so complex that we no longer have the “master” architect of the preceding centuries. One of the roles of architects is to synthesize the knowledge and expertise of a team of specialists. Access has now gotten so complex that it really takes someone with architectural background to provide information and expertise on complex and even standard projects. From what I have seen, architects have knowledge of access in the same manner as we have knowledge of structures or HVAC or lighting or parking. But this is only enough to address it as an overview, not in-depth. A five-hour course every other year does not provide enough knowledge, although depending on the course, architects can glean more information. I would say this type of requirement should also be extended to interior designers, landscape designers, civil, contractors, etc. Architects who only do single-family homes really do not need this type of class, although it might help for the aging-inplace and lifelong-communities considerations.

Q4 -2017

ARTICLE

POST-LICENSURE

HUMAN SUSTAINABILITY IN THE WORKPLACE AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTINE BRUCKNER OF M MOSER BY VIKKI LEW

Christine Bruckner, PhD, FAIA is director at M Moser Associates, promoting best practices and environmentally responsible, energy-efficient design at all scales. She was the first 2-year president of International Region 2014-15. As a founding member of AIA Hong Kong, Bruckner held many roles: multi-term president (2012, 2009-10); vice president (2008); director (2011); technical adjudication adviser (2003-present); committee chair and longtime member of Honors & Awards (2006) and Nominating Committees (2005, 2007, 2011). She is active with programs development, COTE and LEED events and membership and international region objectives.

As a leader of the AIA International Region, Christine Bruckner, FAIA, brings a focus on sustainability and best practices and advocates for an improved built environment globally. As director of M Moser, a workplace specialist firm with over a hundred LEEDcertified projects in China. Her team of designers, engineers, and planners offer clients expertise in an increasingly important facet of workplace design: human sustainability, or “well-being”. Dr. Bruckner is among the first WELL-accredited professionals in Asia. Last year, through a collaboration with Delos, local organization Platinum, and an AIA local chapter, a workshop was

hosted in Hong Kong to introduce the WELL certification system. The metrics and best-practice guidelines focus on air, water, nutrition, light, fitness, comfort, and mind, in relation to human health. Studies show that people who work in offices that actively support their well-being tend to be happier, more creative, and more productive than their equivalents in other workplaces. WELL provides guidelines – in design, protocol, and policy – to support a healthy work environment. Bringing the knowledge to practice, M Moser's GTB office in Shanghai won the AIA Hong Kong Merit Award for Interior Architecture in 2016. The GTB agency offers major international clients integrated marketing, advertising, and PR/communications. With the emphasis on wellness, the project was the first building in Asia Pacific receiving WELL v1 certification and one of the first five spaces to achieve the certification worldwide. The project began with a decision to relocate their office away from the city center of Shanghai. The owner was determined to create a work environment that supported a healthy lifestyle and work-life balance. In the 17,760 sf project, the design supports the organizational goals of retaining existing creative staff and recruiting new members. WELL certification for the design underlines a focus on “human sustainability.” The project manifests this approach with a lush green wall in the staff bistro, a generous space that can be opened up to flow directly into an adjoining “flex room.” The result is a larger venue for regular staff social gatherings, events, or town-hall meetings. Elements of the bistro, including the green wall and wood flooring, reappear in the rest of the office to give work areas a touch of the outdoors. The spatial layout further supports the workplace activities. The open work area has sweeping views of the outside and access to natural light during the day. Every few rows of benches have access to a “backyard” – an open break-out zone that serves as

ABOVE & ACROSS: GTB Shanghai - Courtesy M Moser

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Human sustainability -work environment that supported a healthy lifestyle and work-life balance.

a natural venue for brainstorming, ad hoc discussions, or awayfrom-the-desk work. Enclosed meeting spaces wrap around the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core. Open work areas on the periphery of the floor plate enhance the outdoor views. Between the core and the work area is a 2.4-meter-wide open corridor, inspired by a running track that loops around the core and encourages physical activity as opposed to sedentary desk work.

successfully in creating sustainable workplaces around the world for over 37 years. in the region. With the success of the first WELL v1 Certified building in Asia-Pacific (GTB), followed by the success of the first WELL Certification in Hong Kong (the18-floor Citi Tower Headquarters), and registered projects in the US, Europe and beyond, M Moser is actively working to bring many more healthy, sustainable workplace designs to reality.â&#x2013;

Other building systems including air filtration and demand-controlled ventilation, as well as low-emitting materials in its construction, support compliance with the concurrent LEED certification and reduce energy costs.The wellness design also helps companiesattract and retain talent. Based in Hong Kong and with fifteen officesglobally, M Moser has been practicing sustainability

References: M. Moser Associates. Human Factor. Retrieved Dec 2017 at http://www.mmoser.com/selected-projects/china/gtb/ Creating Effective Workplace in China's Megacities. http://www.mmoser.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/CTBUH_ Paper_Moira-Moser.pdf

Q2 -2017

#YAFchat @AIAYAF

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August #YAFchat Discussing the future of architecture

by AIAYAF 4 months ago 12 Views Moderated by the 2016-2017 AIA YAF Public Relations Director Lora Teagarden1/16/2018 and hosted by the AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF). The yafchat for the month of September focused on #FutureOfArchitecture 1/16/2018 1/16/2018

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A1: alternatively this one on creativity and leadership is also inspiring - love to have speak @AIANational bit.ly/1MtiP36 #YAFchat

1/16/2018 August #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify Jamie Crawley 1:18 PM - Aug 30, 2017 @falloutstudio Hey all! It's time for #YAFchat. I'm Lora Teagarden, PR Director Q1 What's your favorite @TEDTalks that explains future of work, for @AIAYAF. You can typ find me over at @L2DesignLLC. AIA YAF A1: alternatively this one on creativity and leadership is also creativity, design, community, etc? #YAFchat Who's here? @AIAYAF inspiring - love to have speak @AIANational bit.ly/1MtiP36 1:02 PM - Aug 30, 2017 1:13 PM - Aug 30, 2017 #YAFchat Q1 What's your favorite @TEDTalks that explains future of work, 2 5 1:18 PM - Aug 30, 2017 creativity, design, community, etc? #YAFchat 1

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Jamie here from Austin #YAFchat

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1:13 PM - Aug 30, 2017 How to manage for collective creativity 1

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What's the secret to unlocking the creativity hidden inside your daily work, and giving every great idea a chance? Harvard professor Linda ted.com

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A1 I like alejandro aravena s talk about his incrementa housing prototype #yafchat

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What it takes to be a great leader August #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

The world is full of leadership programs, but the best way to learn Jamiemight Crawley how Kurt to leadNeiswender be right under your nose. In this clear, candid talk, @falloutstudio ted.com @kurtneiswender

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A2: As3/11 we evolve as architects to reflect the values we aspire to, 5/11Neiswender Kurt we will look more like the client we collaborate with. #YAFchat @kurtneiswender twitter.com/aiayaf/status/… A1 ellen jones on the retrofitting of suburbia #yafchat 1:36 PM - dunham Aug 30, 2017

Lora Teagarden @L2DesignLLC

4,520 Twitter Followers AIA YAF Monthly Tweet-up August 30, 2-3:00pm Eastern Time

Architect. Adventurer. Biz Owner. ARESketches™ author (#AREsketches). 2017 @AIAnational #youngarchitect award winner. @AIAYAF August #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify PR Director. @RATIOglobal team.

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Q3 Are there entirely new industry sectors that you view as potential areas for architects to innovate practice? #YAFchat

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Q3 Are there entirely new industry sectors that you view as Q3 Are there entirely new industry sectors that you view as potentialarchitects areas for architects to innovate practice? #YAFchat potential areas for to innovate practice? #YAFchat Jamie Crawley

@falloutstudio

A3: resilience, global health, information technology and entrepreneurial sectors of adaptable live work economy #yafchat

PM - Aug 30, 2017 1:27 PM -1:27 Aug 30, 2017 @falloutstudio

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1 A3: resilience, global health, information technology and entrepreneurial sectors of adaptable live work economy #yafchat Jamie Crawley @falloutstudio

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Q4 Beyond tech advancements, how do you see the way we New skill sets? New disciplines? #YAFchat

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@falloutstudio A3: resilience, global health, information technology and entrepreneurial sectors of adaptable live work economy #yafchat

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#YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify Theme:August #FutureOfArchitecture Hashtag: #YAFChat

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Stephen Parker

1Replying August #YAFchat (with tweets) · to AIAYAF · Storify @KUelguapo @StephenNParker

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@kurtneiswender

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twitter.com/AIAYAF/status/… 1:50 opportunity PM - Aug #yafchat 30, 2017 1:50 PM - Aug 30, 2017

AIA YAF @AIAYAF Stephen Parker

August #YAFchat (with tweets) · AIAYAF · Storify

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A4 myself in a small office in a small city it is going to take a long AIA YAF Kurt Neiswender time to get this profession on par with the rest of country @AIAYAF AIA YAF @kurtneiswender Jamie Crawley @AIAYAF Replying to @KUelguapo #yafchat @falloutstudio

A4 i feel that https://storify.com/AIAYAF/august-yafchat

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Stephen Parker

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Brandon Tobias @KUelguapo

Kurt Neiswender Stephen Parker

@kurtneiswender @StephenNParker https://storify.com/AIAYAF/august-yafchat

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Consult on branding, acquisitions, policy impacts, design Replying to @AIAYAF solutions to future problems. Pay in equity/profit saved #yafchat https://storify.com/AIAYAF/august-yafchat I mean architects understand entire life cycle processes. Cradle twitter.com/aiayaf/status/… to grave to cradle. Expands services to offer beyond design Brandon Tobias 2:10 6/11PM - Aug 30, 2017

#yafchat @KUelguapo

1:54 PM - Aug 30, 2017

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I mean architects understand entire life cycle processes. Cradle to grave to cradle. Expands services to offer beyond design #yafchat Stephen Parker 1:54 PM - @StephenNParker Aug 30, 2017

Replying to @KUelguapo @AIAYAF

AIA YAF @AIAYAF Stephen Parker

@StephenNParker Replying to @kurtneiswender

Each big change starts with a small step. What's A4 (cont): Adaptive manu/coding thefirst bldg program is your next.firm look like 5yrs from in now? Delivering models lieu #YAFchat of drawings to builder/owners for 1:38 PM - use Aug #yafchat 30, 2017 lifecycle 1:462 PM - Aug 30, 2017 1

1For forward thinking 1 institutions, this is already happening. AIAIt will YAF @AIAYAF require growing pains on all sides to begin but worthwhile.#yafchat

That's all for this month! Thanks to everyone who joined us - be sure to join us next month, Sept 27th at 3pm EST. #YAFchat

1:54 PM - Aug 30, 2017 1

Stephen Parker

1:58 PM - Aug 30, 2017

@StephenNParker

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/august-yafchat

Replying to @KUelguapo @AIAYAF

For forward thinking institutions, this is already happening. It will require growing pains on all sides to begin but worthwhile.#yafchat 1:54 PM - Aug 30, 2017

https://storify.com/AIAYAF/august-yafchat

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Q4 -2017

#YAspotlight @AIAYAF

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@aiayaf is kicking off a new series spotlighting Young Architects from around the country. Kate Thuesen, is the Young Architect Regional Director for Central States. Ryan McEnroe, the Knowledge Director for the Young Architects Forum. Scroll through their profile to learn more about them.

568 Instagram Followers Young Archtiects Spotlight Hashtag: #YAspotlight

Q4 -2017

LEADERSHIP PROFILE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SPOTLIGHT

AN INTERVIEW WITH HALEY WARD BY YU-NGOK LO

Haley Ward, Assoc. AIA holds a bachelor’s of architecture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She worked for Darden Architects for eight years in Fresno, Calif., has served as an IDP state coordinator for California, as well as the regional associate director. She also served as chair of the National Associates Committee and associate director for the National Board of Directors. Haley has served in leadership roles for the AIA California Council, the California Architects Board, NAAB, and NCARB, and she now works as the executive director for her local AIA San Joaquin in Fresno, Calif.

Yu-Ngok Lo (YL): Tell us about yourself: Why did you decide to work as the executive director of San Joaquin after working eight years in Fresno ? Haley Ward (HW): After our twins were born, I knew my ability to work full-time would be impacted since the cost of child care for two infants was so costly, plus my desire to care for them outweighed my desire to pay someone else to do so. The sacrifices outnumbered the family benefits and values for me as a mother when I evaluated going back to work fulltime. There also wasn't much of a part-time option that would accommodate the schedule I needed to care for my infants, especially nursing the both of them, which was important to me. So when the executive director position became available, it was a perfect opportunity to continue using my strengths and skills but also give me the flexibility I needed to be a mother working from home. It's been a great way to remain engaged with the profession, working with architects but not necessarily doing architecture. I'm not sure what the future holds for me in regards to the workplace, and when I'll be able to “re-enter” an architecture firm, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to still serve the AIA and members. Topics such as equity, flexible work time, virtual firms, and firm culture in our profession, all have a new and more personal meaning to me now.

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YL: Tell us about the continued education program in your chapter? HW: Our continued-education program is largely based on bringing relevant information to our members, which includes product and materials information, building and home tours, speaker panels, environmental and sustainability topics, as well as accessibility topics. YL: Is there any outreach program in your chapter for design professionals to engage the academics? HW: We hold annual student design competitions, which engage the local academic college programs. Additionally, we encourage student involvement and attendance at our monthly board meetings, events, and seminars. Our annual sandcastle competition is also another event where design professionals work alongside college students. This year, we participated in Kids Draw Architecture, which focused on children 5 years of age and older, and we hope to continue participating in the program. YL: Does your chapter have a program that helps associate members study for their AREs? HW: We hold study groups as needed based on our members’ needs. We also have a study-material library for members and non-members to check out.

SOUP TO NUTS

YL: In addition to the various education programs your chapter has for members, do you have programs that gear toward the general public? For example, letting the general public knows what architects do? HW: Events focused on engaging the public include our annual sandcastle competition, Architecture Week celebration, award exhibits, home tours, Kids Draw Architecture, and the biannual Taking it to the Streets event. YL: Anything else you would like to add? HW: Professionally, it's exciting to be working with the AIA now at the chapter level as an executive director after years working in an architecture firm and many years as a volunteer leader with the AIA. I really look forward to where the AIA is headed as our emerging professionals take on more roles of leadership both in firms and in our organization. â&#x2013;

Q4 -2017

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.

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A vibrant community AIA is a vibrant community of architecture and industry professionals that are transforming our profession. Members enjoy access to industry-best benefits, products and services that support practice and professional development. Visit aia.org to learn more about how you can leverage all that we have to offer and become a member.

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2017

YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM

CELEBRATING 26 YEARS OF ADVANCING THE CAREERS OF YOUNG ARCHITECTS