Message from the AIA Portland and AIA Eugene Section Directors

Jen Wright, AIA is the Section Director for AIA Portland and Colin Dean, AIA is the Section Director for AIA Eugene. For more about them, go to the Leadership Messages on the AIA Oregon website. Jen’s message is dated February 6 and Colin’s message is dated January 16. They wrote this message on behalf of the AIA Oregon Design Awards Task Force.

The Design Awards Task Force was formed earlier this spring to evaluate the various AIAO design recognition programs, such as the Portland Architectural Awards and the Eugene People’s Choice Awards, to assure they are being implemented in a way that supports their defined purpose and are properly coordinated Chapter-wide. Acknowledging the move away from in-person events, it was critical to understand the purpose and objective behind these events in order to successfully adapt to a virtual environment. Taking the time to align these programs with the initiatives established by the AIAO Board of Directors was seen as a valuable way to move forward, beyond 2020, with awards programs and events celebrating design that are holistically inclusive of a State chapter with five sections embodying their own unique character.

Comprised of 16 AIAO member volunteers, four staff members and three section directors (Portland, Eugene & Bend) - the Task Force endeavored to be a reflection of the broad range of professionals within the Oregon chapter. Collectively the group brought their individual experience as design advocates, past award program participants, planners & jurors to the table to evaluate the awards programs over the course of four consecutive meetings. The initial meeting on May 28th consisted of clarifying the objectives of the task force and focusing on current design programs in Oregon and other select programs from other chapters throughout the country. The second meeting, occurring on June 10th, had the group reviewing precedent programs which had designated awards aligned with criteria based on AIA National’s Framework for Design Excellence (formerly the COTE Top 10) and a variety of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion initiatives. In an effort to synthesize the task force’s opinions on the current successes & challenges of both local and Chapter programs, a Mural Board was introduced as a virtual whiteboard enabling remote collaboration. The Mural Board provided a platform for the group to comment on what they saw as the purpose, concerns and opportunities embodied within the current award programs. Based on the comments relayed in the Mural Board and throughout the conversation, a set of seven common understandings were developed to provide a clear indication of the topics still requiring further work and compromise. Building on the areas of consensus, the third meeting on June 24th was devoted to developing a well-defined purpose statement and aligned goals. Arriving at a purpose statement which asserts a need for design recognition programs to celebrate the value of good design and award design excellence by promoting inclusivity, improving from an established baseline and incorporating best practices from other AIA components. Ultimately, 16 recommended goals were forwarded to the Board of Directors for their consideration following the Design Awards Task Force’s final meeting on July 10th.

The following are some of the principal goals that were approved by the Board of Directors during their most recent July 17th board meeting:

• As the first step in uniting the five sections in a jury reviewed design awards program at the Chapter level, rename the Portland Architecture Awards to Oregon Architecture Awards.

• Support & encourage local People’s Choice programs in all five sections through the development of the infrastructure to support the program.

• Recognize, support and give voice to more diverse perspectives within the profession.

• Promote and encourage projects that involved the community and contribute to equity.

• Incorporate some provisions of AIA National’s Framework for Design Excellence as minimum requirements and the entire framework for special recognition.

• Seek out a diverse set of jurors from different practice areas, generations, backgrounds and interests.

• Recognize quality work produced in Oregon regardless of scale and budget.

• Participation for the Oregon Architecture Awards should be encouraged and available/accessible to all AIA Oregon members.

• The promotion of the event should encourage many and diverse submittals, broad participation in the celebration event and the results of the program should be widely publicized.

With the Board of Directors approving a series of recommendations by the Design Awards Task Force that intends to craft a new chapter for our awards programs prioritizing inclusion, community outreach and a broader view of design excellence; work is now underway to plan these forthcoming events.

Join us this Friday, 7/24 at 4pm for our weekly Virtual Happy Hour where the topic will be a discussion focusing on the recommendations by the AIAO Design Awards Task Force and upcoming planning. If you are interested in becoming involved in the planning committee for the 2020 Oregon Architecture Awards, , please contact cwilson@aiaoregon.org. Please contact the appropriate section leader if you are willing to participate on the planning committee for the section People’s Choice Awards in the following sections:

AIA Eugene – Colin Dean

AIA Southern Oregon – Sam Uccello

AIA Salem – Daniel Roth

Message from an AIAO Fellow

Paddy Tillett
AIA Fellow

My name is Paddy Tillett. FAIA and I’m a principal at ZGF Architects LLP, past-president of the Portland Chapter AIA, and founding chair of the Urban Design Panel – an advisory group co-chaired by AIA, APA and AICP local chapters. I’m also active on a number of civic boards and panels including the Portland Parks Board, Willamette Light Brigade, and I am a former president of the Portland City Club. I’m writing this message on behalf of the AIA Oregon Fellows Committee, which include the 57 AIA Fellows residing in Oregon.

With the largest concentration of AIA members in the state, the Portland Chapter has in the past been very active.  Fellows have met regularly.  Aware that we have focused on issues around those of us who meet regularly, we are now seeking an opportunity to become much more inclusive of practitioners across Oregon.

As a first step, we recently published in T@3 an article encouraging members to consider nominating themselves or others as candidates for fellowship.  This will be a great improvement on the traditional ‘who do we know who might be a viable candidate’ approach.  Another initiative that Fellows have taken is to revive the notion of a ‘Fellows Special Design Award’.  The intention is to recognize a person and their work that has contributed significantly to design and appreciation of good architecture that falls outside the parameters of the Design Awards program.  This award was not made every year; only when an especially deserving subject was found.  Prior recipients include Nohad Toulan, founder of the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at PSU; LeRoy Setziol, famed wood carver; and the McMenamin brothers.  Fellows are exploring with the Awards Committee how the special award might be reinstituted on a statewide basis.

Other topics on which Fellows are actively engaged include mentoring students and emerging professionals, establishment of an Urban Design Collaborative at PSU, improving the supply and quality of affordable housing, back-casting scenarios affecting design from year 2050, and open conversations about other ways in which Fellows can help to advance the profession, its practitioners, and the quality of the built environment.  All of these would benefit from wider engagement of present and future Fellows throughout the state, and through them, engagement of other AIAO members.

Fellowship is a recognition of exceptional contributions to the practice and theory of architecture, so collectively, AIAO’s Fellows present a valuable repository of knowledge and experience that can be drawn on for the benefit of all architects.  The intention is to share these assets among architects everywhere in Oregon.  Currently, Fellows hold virtual meetings each month, so these ideas are already being developed and shared – but our goal of member equity regardless of location has yet to be achieved.  So please let a Fellow near you know how she and her colleagues can help.

-       Paddy Tillett, written at the request of AIA Fellows at the June 2020 meeting.

For more discussion on what the AIA Oregon Fellows Committee is doing, and what it means to be a Fellow, be sure to check out our Virtual Happy Hour this Friday, July 17, at 4pm - where we will address the question, “What is a Fellow of the AIA Fellowship program?” with various AIA Oregon Fellows. Learn More and Register Here

Message from the AIA Oregon Executive Vice President

Curt Wilson, AIA
AIAO Executive Vice President/CEO

The summer is in full swing, 2020 is more than half over, and we’re in month four of limited physical interactions due to COVID 19.  Personally, I’ve been in the role of AIA Oregon Executive VP/CEO for a year now, so I want to take this opportunity to mention what we are working on.

Website Update

Communication has been a priority over the past year, including a more comprehensive use of the Thursdays@Three (T@3), introduction of the Message From feature, expansion of the website, and a more active approach to social media. We recently completed the first of two phases of our communication plan, and hope to start phase 2 in the Fall.

The upgrades to the home page as described in the newsletter reflect some of the recent planning. Up next is the addition of a Find an Architect feature and I expect to announce the roll out schedule soon.

Social Justice Plan

Society’s response to the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer was a wake up call for many of us to the systemic racism that we’ve already allowed to fester for too long.  AIA, AIA Oregon, many firms, and many individuals vowed to no longer remain silent, and to commit to doing more and doing better.  AIA Oregon held a Social Justice Listening session on June 5, which was attended by more than 130 people.  In response to the listening session, we developed a Social Justice Action Plan.  Check out the update on the SJAC from the 7/1 T@3.

The overall objective, to “Dismantle Systematic Racism within the Architecture Profession” is a daunting task, and will require a coordinated effort from all members, and future members, of our profession.  This is overwhelming, and will remain overwhelming until we develop an incremental plan to address tasks.  This is the current effort of the steering committee that is leading the action plan, and we plan to update our progress in early August.  Please let me know if you would like to be involved.

Design Awards Task Force

AIA Oregon created a task force to evaluate the various design recognition programs we have, including the Portland Architecture Awards and the Eugene People’s Choice Awards programs, and to recommend refinements or changes.  This includes developing purpose statements to clarify why we have these programs and what we are trying to achieve.  The task force’s work will be complete soon, and they will provide an overview in the July 23 T@3.

The task force and board are in agreement that we should implement the changes we want to see through improvements to our existing programs, and those programs will occur in 2020 in a virtual format.  Look for more information about the schedule for the Portland Architecture Awards and Eugene People’s Choice program in the July 23 T@3.  We also hope to have an update on the status of people’s choice programs in other sections at that time. 

I want to comment on the name “Portland Architecture Awards”.  This is an established program by the former AIA Portland Chapter and is one of, if not THE best awards program within AIA.  The board and task force agree this program will transition to the chapter-wide awards program, however we have not yet defined the transition schedule, including the change to the title.  All agree that eligibility to participate is available across the chapter.

AIA National Business Meeting

An impact of the pandemic was the cancellation of the AIA Conference on Architecture in Los Angeles in May.  The AIA Annual Meeting is typically held during the Conference on Architecture, and this is when national board officers are elected and resolutions authorized by delegates from all chapters.  The 2020 AIA Annual Meeting has been rescheduled to September 1 as a virtual meeting, and all members are welcome to participate.  The AIA Oregon board will identify the candidates we support at the August 21 board meeting, and your input is welcome.  We will schedule a discussion in early August open to all members to review the candidates.  Check the event page on the AIA Oregon website in the next few weeks for the date.  Information on the candidates, including videos, are available here, and in the News from National section of the AIA Oregon’s Website.

Event Planning for 2020

In response to the pandemic, we significantly scaled back our events and programs.  Since April, we’ve focused on the Digital Design Series (see the listing of upcoming presentations in this week’s T@3 newsletter), Virtual Happy Hours, luncheon learns, and monthly committee meetings.  The Digital Design Series has been a delightful addition to our programming line up and I expect we’ll continue the series as part of our regular programming.  We record all of the presentations, and you can check them out here.

Moving forward, we intend to expand our event and program offerings in 2020.  We expect this will include virtual versions of the following programs:

·       Future Vision (by CoEDI)

·       Green Champion Summit (by CoTE)

·       PATH to Leadership and the Business of Architecture Series

·       Portland Architecture Awards

·       Eugene People’s Choice

Most of these programs will be implemented through multi-session series, and all will be virtual.  The staff team is researching digital platforms and video production options to deliver quality beyond a typical Zoom session.  Please note that we expect these events will occur between Labor Day and Thanksgiving, so it will be a busy fall for AIA Oregon.  Please let me know if you are interested in assisting in the planning effort for any of these programs.

You will notice the Chris White Golf Tournament is not included above.  I don’t anticipate we’ll hold the event in 2020 in a manner we’ve done recently, but we continue to hold the reservation at Langdon Farms for the afternoon of September 25, and the need to fundraise for emerging professional scholarships remains a critical need.  What do you think?  How should we move forward here?

Curt Wilson, AIA
cwilson@aiaoregon.org