For more than a decade, RIDING THE VORTEX (VORTEX), a collaboration of African-American women representing the entire spectrum of practice, had endeavored to increase the number of people of color licensed to practice architecture in the U.S. Following its 2007 launch at the AIA Conference on Architecture in San Antonio, VORTEX has directly responded to Whitney M. Young Jr.’s observations on the disheartening history of American architecture. Even today, through the first quarter of the 21st century, entry, success, and progress in the profession remain dominated by white men, something VORTEX works tirelessly to change.
AIA Announces AIA Gold Medal 2022
The Gold Medal is the AIA’s highest annual honor, recognizing individuals whose work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.
Partners in life and design, Angela Brooks, FAIA, and Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA, have forged a pioneering brand of architecture that profoundly enriches the human experience and reveals the extraordinary in what is widely considered ordinary. Across three decades, the excellence of their work has been celebrated internationally, recognized for its unparalleled intersection of collaboration, community, research, and reflection. Moreover, their projects demonstrate a keen understanding of beauty, craft, and the raw power of architecture, standing among the very best of the profession.
AIA Joins World Leaders in Talks on Climate Change
“It’s up to us to be true agents of climate action.”
AIA sent its first delegation to the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, to present, forge partnerships, and meet with political and environmental leaders from more than 200 countries about the architecture industry’s role in climate change and decarbonization.
“I started 2020 thinking about architects as first adapters, as indispensable partners whenever health and wellness must be balanced against delight and inspiration in the places where we live our lives,” said AIA President Peter Exley, FAIA, in remarks at a panel event. “However, unless we’re at the proverbial table for the critical discussions about codes, zoning, material pipelines, land use, evaluating carbon taxes, creating carbon sinks, circular economies, and so much more—then architects have abjured their agency.”
“We need to treat the Greta Thunbergs of the world as more than just a voice,” Exley added. “We need to mobilize a generation of Gretas and give them resources and education so there’s some warranty to the promises we make here at COP26.”
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