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

Message from the AIAO Secretary

Misti Nelmes, AIA
AIAO Secretary

Have you felt a shift?

Hi, I’m Misti Nelmes, Board Secretary, Architect, and member with AIA Oregon going on two years.  After a career of 17 years, half practicing architecture, half in a parallel industry, I decided in 2021 to get involved with AIA, and I’m thrilled I did.  I’d like to tell you why.

Shortly after graduating from the University of Oregon in 2003, I moved to Bend where my career in architecture predominantly existed.  I moved there during the pre-recession boom and was fortunate to stay employed through the downturn.  It was rewarding to live in a small town yet still have the opportunity to work on fulfilling projects, often within walking distance of my office and with a high focus on sustainability.  Mentorship came from my boss and peers at the small office where I worked, which was great.  However, as I started to prepare for the AREs, I first felt the void of not being connected to a larger professional network.  At the time, there was no AIA chapter in Bend, and I just couldn’t see the value in paying fees to an organization that didn’t have a presence in my community.  I also didn’t see access to resources that would help me prepare for the ARE’s, which even despite the lack of a local network, could have been provided through the internet (Bend isn’t that remote).  So, I borrowed ARE study manuals, buckled down, asked questions from a few peers that recently tested, and drove myself across the mountains 10 times to take the exams – since the only testing locations were in Portland or Eugene.  It worked, but I felt, wouldn’t it be nice if there were more support for emerging professionals in regional areas?  

That experience wasn’t necessarily negative, it just didn’t label the AIA in my mind as a valuable resource.  As I continued practicing, I found that continued to be true. As a practicing architect, I found that though eligible CEU’s were provided through AIA, I had to pay for them on top of paying the annual membership and they weren’t any easier to access, or interesting, than finding free online courses myself.  The potential additional value of having access to a broader network was there, but clunky; Bend members at the time would be joined with the Eugene chapter (130 miles away) and while there were efforts to connect these groups which I supported, the divide was still felt. The small firm I was employed at didn’t have resources to cover employee membership fees.  Again, I was left questioning whether that easily recognizable acronym on my signature line was worth the cost and effort to reap the value that I needed.

The restructuring of the AIA in Oregon entirely reset my perception, and the follow through since then has solidified my trust in the value of being an AIA Oregon member.  Not only are resources funneled to my local network, but members have an opportunity to shape what AIA Oregon is, and leadership is listening.  I have felt through the pandemic and social awakening our country has grappled with over the last year, that AIA Oregon has been a valued resource and voice of its members.  From national to local issues of housing affordability, homelessness, and wildfires, AIA Oregon has “stepped up” to be part of the solution by supporting members in engaging with our local communities and providing education on state and national issues.  The multitude of virtual trainings hosted by AIA Oregon during the pandemic have kept many of us on track for licensure renewals, for free.  And the recent member survey aims at additional continued improvement.   I am inspired by the support and connection, during a time of crisis, that I have seen come from being an AIA Oregon member.

“Something good comes out of every crisis.” rings true.  I do believe we’ve seen shifts in AIA Oregon that have solidified trust during a time of crisis and unveiled opportunities that will remain lasting.  Have you felt the shift?  Have you or your firm been positively impacted by AIA Oregon through the last difficult year?  I’d love to hear - feel free to email me.