Curt Wilson, AIA
Principal, Wilson Architecture
AIA Oregon Representative, AIA Strategic Council
Hello AIA Oregon! It’s been about a year since my time as the interim EVP/CEO for AIA Oregon ended and since then my focus has been growing Wilson Architecture. It’s been exciting to do all the things necessary to build a business, such as creating a website, preparing marketing materials, establishing work processes, pursuing projects, and most importantly doing the work. Working closely with clients, consultants, and contractors, evaluating existing buildings and planning renovations, drawings and details, spec writing, securing permits and construction activities are in my wheelhouse and my career passion, and it is great to be doing it again. As with most firms in this market, I’ve been fortunate to have many opportunities and be staying very busy. Some of my projects include a new library and city hall in Lowell, a Navigation Center in Roseburg that is part of the city’s infrastructure to help people living on the streets, and a new Visitor Center and Admin Building at the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge in northern California. I’m enjoying the new challenges of integrating Revit into my work processes and pushing myself to stay on top of all this work. The next step for Wilson Architecture is to add staff and grow capacity. I’m forever grateful to AIA Oregon for the opportunity work as the EVP/CEO in my transition to the new firm and all the experiences and skills that came from it.
One of the challenges I have faced is working as a single person firm from my home office and the lack of engagement with others during the design process. I have a great group of clients and consultants that I’m working with and meeting on one project or another daily, but I miss the informal conversations that take place during the design process and about design. That is one of the reasons that I’m excited for the 2022 Oregon Design Conference, June 1-3 in Portland, and looking forward to face to face interactions! I was on the AIA Oregon board when the ODC was created and participated in almost all of the conferences since then. The relatively intimate venue on the coast and design-focused themes was a welcome diversion from the day to day pace of practicing architecture and a chance to reflect on design as a core principle in the work we do, and interact with colleagues. The coastal format was pretty fantastic, but the format was accessible only to those with the ability to take a few days off and to afford the costs of the venue hotel. AIA Oregon leadership has acknowledged that for the ODC to live up to its potential, it needs to be available to more people associated with our profession. The format change to Portland is appropriate, a good step forward towards our goals of an integrated state chapter as future conferences will be held in other Oregon communities.
There is a necessary critical mass for a successful conference, so we need many of us to register. I appeal to firm leaders to support the Oregon Design Conference by encouraging your team to attend, and providing as much financial support as you can. A few years back, Seth Anderson, past AIA Oregon president and now a principal in the Bend office of BLRB brought all of his firm’s staff to the ODC. My partners back then at PIVOT were motivated, so we did something similar for the next one. This is my challenge to you: support your employees to attend the 2022 Oregon Design Conference. I’ve focused this past year on growing Wilson Architecture, I’ve continued to be an engaged AIA member. Sending your staff to conference is one way you can do that as well.
Another way I have remained engaged is through Strategic Council. At the end of 2021, the AIAO Board appointed me to the new role as Oregon representation to the AIA Strategic Council. The Strategic Council was created when the former large operating board comprised of regional directors was reorganized into a smaller board, and charged with thinking broadly about the future of the Institute. The mission of the Strategic Council is:
The Strategic Council advances the architecture profession by informing the Board and other Institute bodies about important professional issues, opportunities, and threats. Although it is not an AIA governing body, the Council’s work is vital to AIA’s ability to serve the profession. The Council approaches its tasks with an emphasis on an outward and forward-focused vision.
State chapter representatives replaced regional representatives as the Institute changed the governance model recently from regions to states, and we are working through what that means for the Strategic Council and how members are represented. As the year progresses, I look forward to providing you with updates on the activities of the strategic council.
Respectfully
Curt Wilson, AIA
Principal, Wilson Architecture
AIA Oregon Representative, AIA Strategic Council.