Message from the Bend Section Director

Sara Bergby, AIA
AIA Bend Section Director

2020 was a year like no other. We experienced a global pandemic, social distancing and a transition to digital communications to help limit the spread, a presidential election that caused stress and rifts in many American households, a new recognition of the racial injustices embedded in our country’s fabric, and a surprising push for change to address those issues. So much change and stress has led many in our country to feel cut off and adrift. Zoom meetings, while an exciting change early in the year, have become uninspiring to many who wish to be able to enjoy a cup of coffee with their fellow peers without having to worry about a mask or the distance across the table.

I know that most of us hope that 2021 will bring a return to some level of normalcy. However, it will take time and patience before we can go back to normal – and even then, the new “normal” will likely be different from what we considered normal a few years ago. For now, AIA Oregon is continuing to do our best to develop events and content that, though digital, will inspire our members and help them remember that they matter. We are continuing to develop our Digital Design Series and are adjusting our happy hour events to better suit the needs of our members. We have requested member feedback on topics for these events and have opened individual Section Steering Committee meetings to members through the digital platform – something that would have been much more difficult to achieve with in-person Steering Committee meetings.

As the Director of the Bend Section of AIA Oregon, I hope to see 2021 become a year of positive change for our Section. I feel that the first two years of our Section’s existence have had to focus more on building a foundation than creating a community , and the next few years provide an opportunity for greater growth and development. I hope that the members of our Section will feel that they belong, that they are supported, and that their involvement in AIA provides them with a network of like-minded people to whom they can reach out for fellowship or support. I hope to see more members reach out with suggestions for events, requests to become more involved, or opportunities for members to get involved in improving our community. Most of all, I hope that regardless of what the new normal of 2021 looks like, the Bend Section of AIA Oregon will come to provide a vibrant community hub for architects and our peers in the design and construction industry.

To support this effort, I plan to incorporate multiple event concepts into the Bend Section over the next year. First, we will be putting on our own People’s Choice Awards, starting with project submissions in the spring and ending in the summer with winner interview presentations. Assuming we are able to resume in-person events later in the year, I hope to be able to put on a member picnic in the fall and our second holiday party in December, as well as resume our popular Thirsty Third Thursday gatherings. I am also open to other ideas from members about ways that we can provide events and content that support our membership. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at aiabenddirector@aiaoregon.org with any suggestions or if you would like to become involved.

If I have learned anything from the events of 2020, it’s that we can’t predict what will happen even in the next few weeks, much less the next year and beyond. We can only plan for the best and make adjustments as needed if things derail our plans. I hope that our AIA Oregon and Bend Section members will work with me to help grow the Bend Section into a strong and vibrant resource for our community.

Message from the AIAO President-Elect

Kaley Fought, AIA
AIAO President-Elect

This week is a pivotal one. We are stepping into a new chapter; one which offers an opportunity to take a sure and confident step forward. When I think of the role of the Architect, it is one of possibility - excitement and innovation, creativity and boldness. The willingness, I think, to not please everybody, but to challenge the status quo. 

As a unified state chapter, we span a variety of demographics through urban and rural communities, and as Architects, we continually share the company of a multitude of circles - our colleagues, clients, families, and communities - and within this network we have a responsibility to push for design that is representative, and inclusive, of this diverse society. I do not mean to limit our role as a part of the community to that of the designer; rather consider the reality that we can make a substantial impact in addressing the crises that exist today.

While we are far from assuaging the damage that has been done to our planet, globally, as an industry, Architects were some of the first to step forward and push for changes which make for healthier, more sustainable buildings. This has had an incredible effect on our communities and has completely altered the way people think about buildings - from health and wellbeing to the financial impact of conserving energy. This collective, unified approach towards making a positive change in the way we design can, and should, be applied towards building more equitable, inclusive, and healthy communities. 

During the past year, AIAO Board members participated in an equity and diversity workshop hosted by Future Work Design. The work we pursued was challenging and reflective, and at times deeply saddened me, but mostly I found it inspiring. While every individual is walking their own path, with their own challenges and goals, their own perspective and past, some individuals are pushing through systemic layers of obstruction that others never have to consider. What I found most inspiring about the workshop was the collective willingness and commitment of our board members to building a stronger, more representative community of Architects. Stronger in our representation, our voice as an advocate for the betterment of our communities, and in supporting the vision for inclusive, safe, and healthy places. One who doesn’t simply make a commitment to being more inclusive because we should, but an organization whose representation is integral to our mission and our members. 

 We can challenge the way things are, in pursuit of the way they could be.

Message from the AIAO Executive Director

Curt Wilson, AIA
AIAO Executive Director

Capitols – Access to Democracy

Leaders of the Oregon legislature confirmed recently that the 2021 session will be in person for legislators and key staff, but the building will be closed to the public.  While I support the measures enacted in 2020 and 2021 to limit the spread of COVID 19, I’m concerned about this legislative session.  Politics and advocacy is a relationship-based endeavor, and relationships are best formed and nourished in person.  Remote engagement is something we’ve all become accustomed to the past few months, so we are learning to do it better, but the in-session legislative process happens in a building, or collection of buildings, and it is difficult to replicate virtually. 

Based on information I received today from Stateside, a government relations firm that supports AIA at the state level, Oregon is one of about seven states that will proceed with an in-person session while the building closed to the public.

I had the great fortune about a decade ago to lead the design team on the complete restoration of the Oregon Capitol Office Wings.  Our team met with a bi-partisan group of house and senate members during the session regularly as the design process evolved.  A commonly used phrase of “the People’s Building” was mentioned at every meeting and drove the decision-making process.  The Capitol is regularly open during the day and anyone can enter and wander down the halls and to the reception area of each member’s office suite.  The halls in the office wings are narrow, so chances of walking past an elected official and brushing shoulders is likely to happen.  Most of the activity in the Capitol during the session is south of the original building rotunda in the lobbying and hearing rooms area.  The hearing rooms are positioned with both the public entrance and member entrance along the same wide corridor, so it is easy to find a member and have a conversation as they come and go during the committee meetings.  Prior to taking over as the AIA Oregon EVP/CEO, I chaired in the Legislative Affairs Committee and most of my advocacy time in the Capitol was spent outside the hearing rooms talking with other architects, our lobbyist Cindy Robert, and the people on both sides of the issues we were involved in.  “Both sides of the issues” are the operative words here.  This is where different perspective come together and find common ground.  My experience of over two decades in the building as an architect and policy advocate for the profession is that the building cultivates civility, and the legislative process is better when people dialogue, compromise and are accountable to each other.

A colleague commented last week that civility is the first line of security for public spaces.  We are living in a moment unlike any time of my life, where civility has been marginalized.  I never thought I would see a time where a US Capitol was breached by rioters trying to stop the legal transfer of power, but that happened on the sixth day of the new year, the year we hoped would be better than the one before!  In Oregon, a similar event occurred with politically motivated individuals attempting to shut down the legislature and resorting to violence.  The People’s Buildings are under attack by some of the people unwilling to accept a sacred process that has occurred seamlessly every 4 years since George Washington was first sworn in on April 30, 1789.  And, unfortunately, the FBI is predicting an escalation of events the week of the inauguration throughout the country. In Salem, meetings were cancelled for next Tuesday and Wednesday and this morning Capitol maintenance staff started putting plywood on all first-floor windows. Safety is now the priority over civility and democracy.

As architects, we need to be the voice of our capitol buildings.  The People’s Building is a real thing, and it is worth preserving.  Safety protocols during a pandemic are essential and take priority, but this pandemic (we hope) is an isolated event.  While I’m sad about the impact of the COVID-19 on the legislative process, our legislative leaders have made a reasonable decision for this session.  However, we don’t have a vaccine to address the loss of civility and threats of violence against the buildings that are the symbols of democracy in our society, so I fear short-sighted stop-gap measures will be enacted as a response.  This probably will include limited access to the public, and more haphazardly placed barricades.  You may recall that a common response after the attacks of 911 was the placement of concrete “Jersey” barriers throughout DC and other capitol cities.  Similar to the design of schools to enhance safety and encourage positive learning, we can do better with capitol buildings and architects need to lead the way.