Message from the AIA Portland Section Director

Jennifer Wright, AIA
AIA Portland Section Director

Hello, as Portland Section Director I have the privilege of taking over the reins from Nic Smith who did an outstanding job navigating the initial transition to a statewide chapter. I am excited to be part of a motivated group of individuals, both at the local and state level, that are helping move the organization forward and broaden our professional community of AIA members and allies. I have been involved with the Portland chapter, now section, initially as an AIA associate and then more recently as a licensed architect for over a decade.

In 2012 Helene Combs Dreiling, the incoming president of AIA National, spoke at a lunch hosted by the AIA Forum for Women In Architecture & Related Design or the ForWARD Committee. That lunchtime event proved a turning point for me, as I was in a crossroads of my career. A mother of two young kids and a decade into my career, I was feeling overwhelmed and craved purpose. Helene was a charismatic speaker, emphasizing the responsibility that architects have towards society and the built world. She also highlighted the importance of following through and getting licensed, an effort that I was personally struggling with at the time but eventually I persevered. This was also my first exposure to the ForWARD Committee, and I was attracted to the female camaraderie and advocacy evident in the group. From that point on I was a committed member of ForWARD and stepped up as chairperson in 2016, taking over for Amy Vohs - current AIA Oregon president. In my three-year tenure, I was proud to have worked alongside a group of volunteers committed to moving the needle towards parity in the profession. Through efforts like FastForWARD, an annual storytelling event featuring presenters illustrating 20 slides in quick succession, or Lunch with a Leader, we strove to give women in the profession a platform to mentor and lead. After the launch of the annual Future Vision Symposium in 2017, a full day event bringing together industry professionals to discuss topics about equity, diversity and inclusion; it was clear that it was time for the committee to transform. From its founding, the mission of the ForWARD Committee was to support women in the AEC industry; attempts to broaden its audience to include all under-represented groups under the same name proved confusing. Therefore, in 2018 the ForWARD Committee was retired and the Committee for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (CoEDI) was introduced with a broader mission aligned with the AIA National Equity & The Future of Architecture Committee efforts. As Section Director I look forward to supporting the fourth installment of Future Vision in September, focusing on the topic of Intersectionality.

Aligned with re-organizing as a State chapter is the need to share & disseminate the important content that is being created by the committees. One of the main long-term goals of the organization is to share events like Future Vision with other sections through advancing video technology and mobile programming. Last month’s 2019 OSSC Update code seminar, with its 200 registrants across 8 locations, proved to be a fantastic kickoff for this ambitious goal. One of the main tasks of my role is to look at our programming with this lens towards promoting further inclusivity and advancing opportunities for statewide connections. For this reason, we will be asking for member’s help in organizing a steering council to assist in evaluating the Portland section’s ongoing efforts for relevancy and need. With your perspective and insight, we hope to keep generating events and content that are of value to our professional community. If you are interested in getting involved in the steering council, stay tuned for more information in the next couple of weeks.

Being part of the upcoming steering council is only one of the many ways you can get involved in the AIA. Along with CoEDI, there are three active Portland section committees that would benefit from your collaboration: the Emerging Professionals Committee (EPC), Committee on the Environment (COTE) and Small Firm Exchange (SFx). The committees host monthly planning meetings, as well as events throughout the year. In conjunction with the other Oregon sections, we will be hosting a committee open house at the beginning of March. This is a quick and casual way to learn about the committee’s missions, meet volunteers, see what events are being planned and find ways to engage. As I begin this role as your Portland Section Director, I look forward to meeting you and helping AIA members and their allies find the types of connections and purpose through the AIA that I have personally found invaluable in my architectural career.

Message from the AIA Oregon Executive Vice President

Curt Wilson, AIA
AIA Oregon Executive Vice President

I hope the year is going well!

During the October 2019 Strategic Planning Retreat, we identified the need for new ways to engage members across the state in order to increase the level of learning and sharing of the issues that will impact how we practice, serve our clients, and grow as professionals.   I want to stress the phrase “learning and sharing”, which could be “learning from sharing”.  This thought lead to the idea of more panel discussion-based events with break out discussion components to create more opportunities for interaction and engagement from all participants.  By the way, you can read more about the strategic initiative process in this newsletter.

We are planning on panel discussions that connect all sections together in May, August, and November.  The panel discussions will be organized around topics, and the topics have evolved into quarterly themes for the year.  Our 2020 President, Amy Vohs, AIA, discussed this briefly in her message on 01.9.2020, and I want to provide you with more information. 

The themes are:

Quarter 1:  Policy and Advocacy

Quarter 2:  Emerging Technologies

Quarter 3:  People and Culture

Quarter 4:  Climate

As noted above, the panel discussion events will focus on these themes.  We’ve selected the quarter for these themes to align with some of our events.  For instance, Future Vision, organized by the Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is held in September, which is the third quarter.  The Green Champion Summit, organized by the Committee on The Environment is held in October during the Sustainable Building Week in Portland, which is in the fourth quarter.

In addition, the quarterly themes create a framework for other events that need to be planned through the year.  The expectation is that the committees that plan regular monthly, or near monthly, events such as the Emerging Professional Committee will reference the themes as they are considering the content for their events.

We will be rolling out more information on our website about our schedule of events for the year and the committees that are working on them. We’ll also discuss what they are planning in upcoming features in the weekly Thursdays@Three.

If you have questions or comments about what we are doing, or want to learn about how you can get involved, please don’t hesitate to contact me .

Sincerely,

Curt Wilson, AIA
AIA Oregon EVP/CEO
cwilson@aiaoregon.org

Message from the AIA Bend Section Director

James Satzinger
AIA Bend Director
Architect, semi-retired

Greetings AIA Oregon:

As Director of AIA Bend Section, I am challenged to organize a new Section from the ground. I receive untiring help from a dedicated group of Bend Architects and Associates, our Section Steering Committee: Kathy Austin, Natasha Derkatch, Andrea Arndt, Chris Moore, and our new Section Director-elect, Sara Bergby. Thank you all!  Please join us, as participation in AIA Committees leads to a richer AIA Oregon experience.

Our focus in AIA Bend Section is to elevate the importance of good Architecture in our communities, and to tackle industry challenges in our changing environment. Architects are uniquely positioned and equipped to prioritize the use of sustainable and healthy materials, renewable energy sources, and resource-saving systems, as we plan, design and construct today’s built environment. 

My story begins in 1969 at UC Santa Barbara, as my acceptance and transfer to the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley is on hold due to campus anti-war protests and the chaos that followed. Through my youth, I am an explorer, fort-builder, and landscaper in our neighborhood. The call of Architecture is strong, but not to be, yet. I graduate in Fine Arts; my senior project compares and contrasts Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City with Paolo Soleri’s Arcology. Buckminster Fuller becomes my hero, and during graduate school I build a number of Geodesic Domes in the foothills of Paradise, CA. Leaving graduate school, I join the Carpenter’s Union and become a pro at T-1-11 Roughtex siding. Charles Moore and the Third Bay Region Tradition would influence my first building designs.

Twenty years forward, a Contractor, Developer and Partner in a Santa Fe Architectural firm, my family would relocate to California, where I qualify as “Broadly Experienced” and pass the ARE during one week in June. Architect Bob Easton, my partner in Santa Barbara urges, “join the AIA”; I fill a board position, report CEUs to Oklahoma, and become AIA Santa Barbara President. Inspiration at AIA Grassroots, “Architects as Leaders”, launches my election as Delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Development opportunities hasten my return to New Mexico where I design and build LEED Gold, right-sized homes. AIA Design Awards, and Energy and Water efficiency awards follow. Membership on AIA Santa Fe and AIA New Mexico boards beget a term as AIA New Mexico President, when we lobby the New Mexico Board of Examiners for Architects to open New Mexico Registration to candidates who have passed the ARE, are licensed in another state, but lack a “Professional Degree”. The pinnacle of my AIA participation and reward, I chair the 2014 AIA Western Mountain Region Conference in Santa Fe, “The Art of Architecture”, and become AIA WMR representative.

“Retiring” to Bend in 2017, I join AIA Oregon and offer to lead AIA Bend Section. During our first year, AIA Bend members would attend Bend Urban Renewal, Transportation Plan and Affordable Housing task force meetings. In response to City of Bend needs, we host a series of charrettes to study and design new East-West Pedestrian Connections through Central Bend, an effort that culminates in an AIA Bend-led seminar at the annual Bend Design Conference.

Our initial studies spawn the idea of an underpass at Hawthorne Ave – near the center of Downtown Bend on the West and the Transit Center and Juniper Park on the East. Piercing the Bend Parkway and BNSF Railroad, this sky lit Accessible Route with Pedestrian and Bicycle lanes communes with public green space on both ends. PV Solar panels integrated into structures shelter open light wells between each lane of traffic and the railroad tracks, and supply lighting and other power needs.

AIA Bend Architects and local Engineers then study the existing Greenwood Ave underpass, a dismal and dangerous route. Can we transform Greenwood into a welcoming, landscaped crossing from Bend Central District to Downtown Bend, and include Pedestrians, Bicyclists, Motor Vehicles and Transit? Vehicle lanes would receive a diet to 11 feet, the width of walkways double, landscaped bio swales, new surface finishes, safety railings, lighting and way-faring signage are integral. Greenwood Ave, now a beautiful Multimodal Boulevard, can be the gateway in Bend, and as premier Transportation Spine, a catalyst to adjacent Urban Redevelopment efforts.

For 2020, in addition to AIAO programs and “Lunch and Learns”, AIA Bend Section is building on the success of “Thirsty Third Thursday”, adding an Emerging Professional Committee education component. We will inaugurate a “Call for Design Presentations”, asking AIA Bend Architects to show and discuss recent projects via PowerPoint and tales of challenges, successes, and material and system selection. Think of it as an AIA Design Awards submittal, but with a live presentation and AIA Bend member feedback. It’s going to be a creative year, and participation in your local Section will infinitely heighten your experience as a member of AIA Oregon!