Message from the AIA Eugene Director-Elect

Rex Prater, AIA
AIA Eugene Director-Elect

Small Firms Exchange

So what exactly is the AIA Small Firm Exchange (SFx)?  Is it where I can I sell that old plotter in the backroom? 

Joking aside, let me introduce myself. I am Director-elect for the Eugene Section and work for (as principal owner) a small multidisciplinary design firm named BALANCE architecture+design, p.c. In practice we provide design services to clients around the PNW. Established over ten years ago, I can honestly testify that each year is an incredible experience. Part of what has made it incredible has been my engagement with my AIA Section and SFx group. My practice wouldn’t be where it is today without the support and resources of this organization.

Now to loop back to my comment regarding SFx as a member resource. What I like about SFx Eugene Group is that it is a group of dedicated members who really value sharing information and their experiences in running a small design firm. When we meet every few months - except during the pandemic - it is always an opportunity to share and to ask other small firm members questions such as best practices, process or exchange design ideas. These events are always open to any member.

In Eugene the group meetings usually take place at a casual setting - someone’s office or the neighborhood pub with an emphasis on social time. That’s important. Though the events are (usually) constructed around a topic or predetermined idea, such as ‘work-life-balance,’ what I find exciting are the conversations and the exchanges within those conversations. 

I am grateful for the resources this organization has made available to members and for me personally as well as for my business. Much of this has come from my engagement with the SFx group. If you, too, are interested in small firms discussions, please consider attending an upcoming SFx event. Contact info@aiaoregon to learn how to get involved in the SFx in your area.

Message from the NOMA PDX Treasurer and a Principal at LEVER

Chandra Robinson, AIA
Principal, LEVER Architecture
Treasurer, NOMA PDX

I am Not Resilient

What do you think about when you hear the word “resilience”? Initially, I think about technical design features like rocking walls and flexing diagrids and their role in allowing buildings to recover after seismic events. I think about how the most advanced building air filtration systems can at least partially protect occupants from unforeseen threats like wildfire smoke and airborne viruses. What I do not like to think about is how humans have to be resilient. It's an American value to be strong and fight; to never give up and to rise up when you have been pushed down. Resilience is bending and not breaking.

The reality is that almost everyone in the world has been pushed down a lot since the pandemic started. Many have been pushed much more than me. I am lucky. I am healthy. I have security in my career and security in my housing. By all accounts I should be emotionally resilient and able to scroll past news when I see politicians enact laws that take away people's rights. I should be able to bounce back when people who look like me are killed in the streets. The reality is that I don’t bounce back. I have bent and I have broken and I am building myself back up, but I am not the same anymore. Injustices hurt more every time I see them, not less. I suspect that many of you feel the same way. I hope that like me, you are not the same anymore.

Soon, we will have the opportunity to come together again in offices, industry events and community meetings. I will be thrilled when we can collaborate closely and in person. I am excited to have that easy rapport with colleagues and friends. However, when we do come together again, I want you to remember that we are not the same people who last worked together in March 2020. I do not want to go back to “normal” because normal was willful ignorance. Normal was narcissism. When we come together, let’s be different, let's be broken, let’s be better.

Message from the AIA Salem Director

Daniel Roth, Associate AIA
AIA Salem Director

Share Your Ideas

When I stepped into my role as AIA Salem’s Section Director in 2019, our organization was in the midst of some massive changes, moving from smaller, local chapters to one statewide parent organization. For the smaller chapters, such as Salem, this meant that we could lean on more statewide support and programming in order to get key continuing education credits and more activities to join in on. As the new AIA Oregon was starting to get its structure and foundation settled, the pandemic hit, and everyone was forced to transition to virtual environments and collaborating remotely.

From my vantage point, I would say that the staff and volunteers closely involved with AIA Oregon did an amazing job making this transition as smooth as it could be given the circumstances. Virtual programming became the norm, and ongoing events such as the Digital Design Series, Thursday Roundtable, and Urban Design Panel allowed for members to tune in on a weekly basis, receive educational content, and, perhaps most importantly, see other people in the profession and their ongoing work in our communities.

These programs have been great, but as we start to see restrictions eased and in-person events on the horizon, we need your help and involvement. Throughout this COVID-19 saga, the overwhelming majority of these events have been inspired and curated by a very limited number of staff members and section and committee leaders, and we only have so many ideas to share with our members. As professional problem solvers, this group of AIA members in Oregon is chock full of ideas to share with others, or potential solutions for issues in our everyday built environments.

Here’s a personal example/idea that I’ve been working on: currently in Salem, the issue of homelessness has come to a head, and the associated problems and public resentment are growing. I have been racking my brain to think about how AIA Salem/AIA Oregon could step into the situation and use our expertise in design and community building to enact some positive change. What if there was a way for the AIA to organize an event or charrette that could pull experts from fields such as architecture, social work, and planning to come up with solutions to transition people away from homelessness. This event could even invite members of the City to participate, and the conversations and solutions generated by this event could fuel future action and collaboration. I alone don’t feel qualified or capable to undertake an event of this magnitude by myself, but I could look to find other AIA members who are passionate and willing to volunteer, and then work with the AIA staff to promote/share/organize the event.

You may be in a similar situation, where you see an issue in your community or want to organize an event or group of people on a topic you are passionate about. Let the AIA help. We want to hear your ideas, and then work with you and other AIA members to help empower your passion. If you have an idea that you could use some help getting off the ground, we would love to work with you. Please feel free to reach out to your local Section Director, or a board or staff member. You can also email AIA Oregon staff directly at info@aiaoregon.org and a staff member would gladly work with you.

Daniel Roth

Section Director, AIA Salem