Outgoing President's Letter
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It has been a privilege to serve as your President over the last two years and Vice President during the two preceding years (2016-2017). As I look at the past 4 years, I can highlight the following major accomplishments as Vice President & President of the IR and as Director-At-Large of the Institute (2016-2017):
- By-Law Change requiring Continuing Education for AIA International Associates.
- By-Law Change for the Specific Formation of International Chapters (Reduction of Requirements for Chapter formation).
- By-Law Change making it permissible for US Citizens not licensed in the US practicing overseas to qualify for Honorary Fellowship.
- Formation of the new AIA Canada Chapter.
- Launch of new IR Website.
- 2018 Three Day IR Conference in Singapore. (IR Only Conference)
- 2019 three Day IR Conference in Shanghai. (In Conjunction with AIA Shanghai Chapter)
- Creation of the President’s Service Medal to recognize service to the International Region.
- Encouraged the creation of the AIA Strategic Global Task Force which I am chairing.
- Reaching a milestone of nearly 3000 members in the International Region.
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AIA International Region Board of Directors
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We would like to use this letter to recognize outgoing board members and those coming in. Past IR President James Wright FAIA for all his significant contributions to our region. James is one of the founders of the International Region and was instrumental in creating the framework that has led to its success over the years.
We thank outgoing Treasurer Loay Quota AIA for his contributions over the past 4 years. Other outgoing board members we wish to recognize the IR’s second President Christine Bruckner FAIA.
The outgoing board members are listed below:
- James Wright, FAIA – Immediate Past President (2018-2019)
- Loay Quota, AIA – Treasurer (2016-2019)
- Alex Miller, AIA – AIA United Kingdom Chapter Representative & Director (2019)
- Carsten Hanssen, AIA Int. Assoc. – AIA Continental Europe Chapter Representative & Director (2019)
- Christine Bruckner, FAIA – AIA Hong Kong Chapter Representative & Director (2019)
- Barak Mizrachi, AIA Int. Assoc. – Unassigned Member Director (2018-2019)
- Jason Briscoe, AIA – AIA Shanghai Chapter Representative & Director (2019)
- Som Bose, AIA – AIA Canada Chapter Representative & Director (2019)
Please join me in thanking these board Directors who have contributed to the International Region, we thank them for their work and service to the members.
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AIA International Region 2019 Conference Shanghai
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AIA International Region and AIA Shanghai jointly held the AIA IR Annual Conference in Shanghai from November 14 through 17. The conference topic was “China: New Realities” – an exposition on the culmination of 20+ years of extraordinary growth which has brought China’s architecture to the forefront of architectural practice. With over 200 attendees and 20 speakers, we had a fantastic conference that shared some of the outstanding work developed in Shanghai.
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AIA International Region 2019 Design Awards
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The AIA International Region (AIA IR) 2019 Design Awards were announced to a packed house before the gala dinner of the annual AIA IR conference held in Shanghai from November 14-17. All award winners, except one (who was getting married!), were in attendance, and they briefly presented their projects to an appreciative audience. This year also saw the introduction of a Firm award.
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Design Excellence for a Sustainable Future
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The AIA International region, in partnership with Dow, hosted a thought leadership event titled “Design Excellence for a Sustainable Future”. It was held at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland on September 6th. The event was attended by nearly 100 people, including many of Dow’s corporate clients and partners, and a strong AIA IR contingent mostly from the Continental Europe chapter.
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Updates from the IR Immediate Past President
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UIA 2020 Rio Website is Up and Running
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The UIA (International Union of Architects) will hold its 27
th
World Congress and General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, 19-23 July 2020. Over 20,000 attendees are expected for this triennial event; over 2,000 have already taken advantage of the early bird pricing.
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The GABI is Up and Running
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The AIA’s new, UIA endorsed Global Architecture Billings Index (GABI) has issued its first two quarterly reports. The GABI is similar in nature to the longstanding ABI, and is also led by AIA’s Chief Economist, Kermit Baker and the AIA economic research team. The GABI is currently seeking global “panelists”—firms which will submit responses to brief, quarterly surveys on design and construction related economic activity; the data will be analyzed allowing trends to be identified.
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The IR Fellowship Committee Assists and Advises 2020 Candidates
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Prior to the 1 October deadline, the IR Fellowship Committee assisted several member architects with Fellowship applications as well as several individuals pursuing Honorary Fellowship in the 2020 awards program. Those being elevated will be informed in early February. Please keep in mind that the IR can serve as your “chapter” in terms of providing the necessary AIA component support document.
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INTERNATIONAL CHAPTER NEWS
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The AIA UK Chapter has over 200 members throughout the country. We have continued a dialogue with the Royal Institute of British Architects and work jointly with its members to promote architecture and the architectural profession. Many of our members are also members of the RIBA.
Each year, the AIA UK Chapter initiates a variety of programs that provide continuing education units, required for most US and UK registered architects. These include lectures, film nights, drawing classes, building tours, private exhibition tours and social nights. We also have signature annual events as listed below.
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The AIA UK continues to host a range of events over the course of the year; following the two Signature events of the Spring and Summer (the
Design Awards Gala
and
Super Saturday
), the year's third and final Signature event was the well-attended Newcastle City Excursion. This Autumn's line up also featured a collection of technical lectures including:
Well Building Standard
,
Parametric Design in Practice
, and Automated Architecture.
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AIA Continental Europe is one of seven international chapters of the
American Institute of Architects
. We support architects, students, and building professionals through programs that foster fellowship between practices in Europe, the United States, and beyond.
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AIA Continental Europe Conference: Porto, Portugal Porto - The City of Futures
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April 24- April 26, 2020
Welcome to the city of merchants, fruit of the love of its inhabitants, embracing experiment and innovation.
In an era when it was thought that historic cities would be doomed to simple tourist destinations, and that the economic and technological proponents would be of the new Asian cities built from scratch, Porto is an example that the urban centers of the old world are competitive.
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The Smart City Design Competition was organized to provide a platform for emerging professionals of the three architecture institutes. Faced with the challenge of designing smart street furniture for the digital age, these young architects demonstrated tremendous creativity and insight, as well as refined presentation skills. A full scale prototype of the award-winning design has been made and is now on display at The Mills, in Tsuen Wan, as part of the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (UABB) in Hong Kong. The #CallMe prototype, as well as the other 16 competition entries, will be on display until March 15, 2020. If you’re in Hong Kong, don’t miss the chance to check them out!
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AIA Japan was founded in 2005, and we are one of the seven International AIA Chapters that make up the AIA International Region, with more than 80 members across Japan (there are more than 91,000 AIA members across the globe). In 2015, AIA Japan was officially incorporated as a non-profit General Incorporated Association (Ippan Shadan Houjin 一般社団法人).
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2019 was a tremendous year for AIA Japan. We have increased our membership from 85 to
93
: we have achieved member count increase of 35% in the past 5-years. This year, we have made a decision to make this chapter be more event & networking oriented. While fulfilling the accreditation requirements, we have focused on one major agenda which is “member benefit = providing places for networking.” In 2019, we had 23 events in total, and provided total of 22 CE credits (14 HSW + 8 LU).
We had more participation in our meetings, local activities and overseas events than ever before. AIA Japan also developed stronger and more meaningful relationships with other societies, including
JIA
(Japan Institute of Architects),
ACCJ
(American Chamber of Commerce Japan),
AIA Florida Chapter, Sky Design Award, Architecture Adventure,
and
Terada Archi Depot.
We have also
collaborated with academic institution including Meiji University and Florida International University.
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The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for Architects in the United States. It’s Headquarter is in Washington, D.C. and has over 90,000 worldwide members. It is represented in the Middle East through the American Institute Of Architects, Middle East Chapter which has over 500 members and covers 10 countries of the Mena Region (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon).
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AIA ME Year End Conference was a Success!
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AIAME succeeded in organizing its 7th Middle Eastern big conference event in Lebanon at AUB between November 23 and November 24.
Its is the first time AIA ME organized such big event (Year End Conference) in Lebanon:
during previous years, this event was conducted in Bahrain, Sharjah, Cairo, Dubai, etc. Students,architects, academics and professionals have been able to come together to Beirut to attend our 7th Conference of AIA ME. Speakers from renowned international and Local firms elaborated on their experience working in Beirut
and other cities in line with the Conference theme of “Architecture in Context”:
Christos Passas from Zaha Hadid Office, Antoine Chaaya from Renzo Piano, Jonas
Malmburg from Alvar Alto Foundation, Bernard Khoury, Raed Abilama and others
gathered in Beirut and contributed in making this event happen.
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AIA Shanghai, an entity of the American Institute of Architects, was organized in 2012 to serve the professional interests of the growing number of AIA member architects practicing in Shanghai and other cities in the People’s Republic of China. The chapter enables the AIA to better meet the needs of its members in the region, and to uphold the professional tenets first outlined 150 years ago by the AIA’s founders in the United States.
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AIA International Region 2019 Conference Shanghai
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AIA International Region and AIA Shanghai jointly held the AIA IR Annual Conference in Shanghai from November 14 through 17. The conference topic was “China: New Realities” – an exposition on the culmination of 20+ years of extraordinary growth which has brought China’s architecture to the forefront of architectural practice. With over 200 attendees and 20 speakers, we had a fantastic conference that shared some of the outstanding work developed in Shanghai.
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The opening reception welcomed delegates in style at Shanghai’s classic art-deco landmark, the Fairmont Peace Hotel on the Bund. In the elegant top-floor hall, we celebrated with cocktails and enjoyed a relaxed evening meeting new friends and making connections.
For 3 days, delegates attended lectures and presentations by top architects in China and East Asia – keynote speakers included Kris Yao, Hon. FAIA, Rocco Yim, Hon. FAIA, Li Xiaodong, FAIA, Moira Moser, FAIA, and Yungho Chang, FAIA. Tom Vonier, FAIA and Elizabeth Chu Richter presented opening thoughts that kicked off days 1 and 2. Speakers presented to a full room in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, located along the riverfront in Shanghai’s new Pudong District.
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The American Institute of Architects aims to engage policymakers committed to advance a better built environment and a prosperous architecture profession. The AIA Canada Society advocates these same ideals. It is through cooperation between government, professional organizations, thought leaders, design/construction professionals, manufacturers, and other industry partners that the profession can achieve a positive impact in creating a better, stronger, more equitable, and sustainable society.
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AIA Canada Society Annual General Meeting of Members
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AIA Canada Society held their inaugural Annual General Meeting of members on Nov 22nd. The board officers filed reports of the chapter progress as required by BC Societies Act. under which AIA Canada Society is registered.
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Working relationship with RAIC
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President Som Bose AIA and Treasurer Stuart Howard AIA of the AIA Canada Society Chapter held consultations with Giovanni Boniface from RAIC to explore hosting events jointly. The early discussions were encouraging and the Board is supportive of hosting events with RAIC provided it meets the members’ requirements to achieve continuing education and chapter visibility.
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Relationship with US Commercial Office
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In October, Vice President Stephanie Calvet, AIA and Secretary Reza Asadikia, AIA Int. Associate met with U.S. Commercial Service Officers Nathan Donohue (Deputy Principal Commercial Officer) and Shweta Nagpal (Commercial Specialist) in Toronto, whose mandate is to support trade between Canada and the US.
Read more
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Technology
Recently the Board made investments in technology to facilitate communication and remote meeting platforms viz. Constant Contact and GotoMeeting. These investments in technology will allow the chapter in delivery of Continuing Education to remote locations and communicate with members. The meeting platform also allowed the AIA Canada Society chapter to hold their Annual General meeting with remote member attendees in different geographical location.
CEU
A seminar by Big Ass Fans (BAF) is scheduled for 26th November (1:30pm EST) for all members to attend via webinar. The upcoming presentation is about energy efficient conditioned spaces and it is 1 AIA credit with HSW. Members can also use the credit towards Canadian provincial license Continuing Education.
AIA Canada Society Elections
In accordance with the terms and conditions for AIA Canada 2019 elections, as approved by the Chapter's Board of Directors, a call for nomination was released via email on September 2, 2019, to members listed in the directory available to us at the time. The call for nomination was later posted on the Chapter's website. The original deadline for submission (September 23, 2019) was further extended by two weeks to October 7, 2019. This extension was approved by the majority of board members via email. The intent for the extension was to provide more time for potential applicants.
Read more
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Unassigned Members Further Considerations
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The issue of how to better serve our Unassigned Members and to better integrate them into the AIA is one of the key concerns of the AIA International Region board. The following article outlines some of our ideas and acts as a call to members who wish to be more involved.
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Unassigned Members Survey Results are in!
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The International Region recently conducted a survey of its Unassigned Members in an effort to better understand how the IR might better serve these members. Unassigned members make up of approximately 500 members of the International Region who are not assigned to one of the seven international chapters.
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With so many accomplished AIA members in Korea, positive steps are being made to bring together the community of local and international architects through educational and networking events. A full-day symposium in collaboration with the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism was offered on March 27
th
. Organized by with the curator of the Seoul Biennale Global Studios, Sanki Choe AIA in conjunction...
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The AIA IR board has decided on the venues for the annual IR conference for 2019, 2020, and 2021.
2021 - London. Autumn. To be done in partnership with AIA UK and AIA Continental Europe.
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Appreciation for our Sponsors
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The AIA IR sincerely appreciates the continued support of our Sustaining Founding and Platinum Sponsors listed alphabetically: AECOM, AHEC, ASI Group, Broad, Dornbracht, Dow and TNG. They, along with our International Chapters and leadership, have made it possible to initiate so many incredible events and benefits since our region’s inception.
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