Year in Review

Posted on by cguske

As 2018 comes to a close, I look back on this year as President of AIA Virginia with a great deal of satisfaction and a measured amount of collective pride in what the leadership team was ready and able to accomplish. First and foremost, I’d like to thank the dedicated AIA Virginia staff. They are committed to the organization, the profession and the membership, and they are a joy to do work with. Corey and I “cut our teeth” together as leaders of the organization, and we were in lock-step throughout the year. I’ve come to know Corey as a trusted colleague and a true leader, gifted with vision, organization, and a commitment to excellence, but more importantly, I’ve gained a new friend. AIA Virginia is in good hands!

Eric Keplinger, AIA. Photo by Jay Paul

I’d also like to thank the dedicated volunteer Board of Directors for their time, energy and leadership. Our councils have been hard at work setting the goals and aspirations of the organization, all in an effort to better the membership experience and protect and enhance the profession. Our Board brings to the table a diverse set of perspectives from across the Commonwealth, along with skill sets that range all aspects of the professional life. No matter the issue, we have board members with the knowledge and passion necessary to handle it effectively.

A number of important initiatives have been put into motion this year. 2018 saw AIAVA expand its reach and influence, holding two of Board of Director meetings at component locations outside of Richmond.  In collaboration with the associated architecture schools, we held BoD meetings this year hosted by Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Further efforts of collaboration resulted in this year’s formation of the ACE programs, bringing together the architecture, construction and engineering professions for a series of well-attended events held across the state. Look for both of these outreach efforts to continue strong into future years. And the relocation of AIA Virginia’s offices will take place in early 2019 as well. Plans are complete, renovations are set to commence, and the staff is extremely excited to occupy the highly functional and collaborative space.

Architecture Exchange East 2018 was another successful event, bringing together nearly 800 attendees from throughout Virginia and beyond. Attendance continued its upward trend and the event featured a variety of uplifting and motivational speakers, educational programs and tours, business meetings and a hall full of vendors dedicated to the design and construction industry.  Opportunities to socialize with colleagues and associates are an increasingly important part of the planning, with events dedicated to all aspects of the profession. The Hippodrome Theater proved to be an excellent location for a number of parties, and I look forward to returning to ArchEx 2019.

And lastly, I’d like to welcome Rob Reis, AIA, as our incoming President for 2019.  I’ve had the privilege of serving with Rob for years and I’m confident he will provide solid guidance in the coming year, leading AIA Virginia toward new goals and aspirations. Rob is an accomplished professional and talented designer and I look forward to continuing my service alongside him.

Eric Keplinger, AIA
President
AIA Virginia

A’18 Highlights

Posted on by cguske

It’s been less than 3 weeks since I returned from A’18 in New York City.  I’m a bit embarrassed to say that this was my first national AIA conference, but also confident that it won’t be my last.  Having spent the initial 4 years of my architecture career in NYC, I now welcome, some 25 years later, every opportunity that comes along to return to this great city.  And NYC was a great host for what I understood to be the approximately 25,000 architects in attendance.  The Javits Center was a surprisingly spectacular venue and the AIA put on a tremendous show that was as stimulating and diverse as the City itself.  Here a few of the highlights, thoughts, and experiences I brought home:

Myriad tours were available throughout the entirety of the program, offering hands-on experiences of a diverse cross-section of New York places of interest.  So many tours were available that you had to pick and choose carefully, certainly no chance of doing them all.  Subjects featured important architecture, both historic and new, significant resiliency efforts, behind-the-scenes opportunities, and more generalized city tours.  I took a bus tour focused on the built work of AIA Gold Medalists that was live narrated by Fred A. Bernstein.  Fred’s an architectural critic that writes for The New York Times, Architectural Record, the Wall Street Journal, Metropolis, etc., and a tremendous tour guide.  The tour was unscripted, opinionated, and jovial and Fred is likely unparalleled in his knowledge of NYC architectural history as well as the architecture explosion of the past decade or so.   I was on the upper deck of an open-air, double-decker bus and could have used some sunscreen (who would’ve thought), but would’ve willingly extended the 3-hour tour for three more.

Of course, business was conducted as well, most of which occurred on the afternoon of the initial day.  A limited number of candidates for elected national office gave speeches and were made available to delegate groups for questions and answers.  Polls opened for voting the following morning and our membership elected a spirited and capable group of officers to lead us on in the next couple of years.  Following the candidate speeches on the conference’s initial day was the business meeting, where a variety of resolutions were passed using a strict parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order.  What evolved was a fascinating scene of back and forth on several of the resolutions regarding very specific language, mostly centered on inclusion and diversity.  Rest assured that AIA leadership across the nation is engaged, committed and passionate about issues that affect the profession in many ways.  While the meeting stretched on from its 5:30 p.m. end time to nearly 7:00 p.m. (pushing many folks into dinner reservations), and was at times a bit tedious, I found it to be an open and intelligent discussion about the future of the profession and left invigorated.

The educational opportunities were overwhelming, the exhibit hall was impressive, and the entire event had a look and feel to it that was appropriately creative and professional.  A’19 is scheduled for Las Vegas, a complete pivot from NYC but offering its own unique opportunities and experiences, and it’s already on my calendar.

I recently saw this video from another architect who experienced the Conference on Architecture for the first time, and in a video he posted on LinkedIn, he talks about the tremendous value of national meetings and why he believes conferences “should be part of everyone’s professional diet.”

Eric Reinholdt is an architect with more than 20 years of experience, but until recently, he’d been reluctant to attend conferences. This year, inspired by his “need to connect with others,” he attended the American Institute of Architects Conference on Architecture in New York City. It opened his eyes to what he’d been missing.

While this may have been both my and Reinholdt’s inaugural AIA national conference, I’ve attended our own Architecture Exchange East many times, and it stacks up well to the national scene. Scheduled for November 7-9, 2018 in Richmond, consider attending AIA Virginia’s annual conference and engaging with your colleagues from across the Commonwealth. Much like the national event, ArchEx offers a variety of tours, educational sessions, networking and social opportunities, and prominent speakers, along with a revamped exhibit hall concept that was a hit last year. Hope to see you there.

Eric Keplinger, AIA
2018 AIA Virginia President

 

 

Your AIA Depends on You

Posted on by cguske

In Virginia, it seems that the month of March always brings about the annual battle between Spring and Winter, with the first tease of warmth inevitably interrupted by a few final blasts of chill. And as I look outside at the unexpected mid-March covering of snowfall here in Hampton Roads, at least I can rest assured that Mother Nature is in charge, the season will change and the flowers will emerge.

Our national economy seems to also have an ebb and flow, albeit much less regular and without nature’s divine rhyme and reason. Following one of the harshest economic winters most anyone can remember, the last few years have had spurts of optimism and activity followed by periods of doubt and stalled progress. Recent signs might point to the potential of a sustained uptick and prolonged period of growth, with the AIA’s Architectural Billings Index (ABI) reaching its highest January score since 2007. January’s score not only represented an atypical busy start to the year but was also the 11th month of growth in the previous year. Now let’s hope that construction and financing can keep pace!

Eric Keplinger, AIA. Photo by Dan Currier

At AIA Virginia, Corey and the staff have been hard at work on a number of events in 2018, both new and repeat, that will make this year an exciting time to be a part of the organization. New to the AIA Virginia calendar this year was an event that occurred in Richmond on Tuesday, February 20 at the Omni Hotel. As a collaboration of allied professions with similar goals and objectives, ACE Virginia has been formed, a joint venture of AIA Virginia, Associated General Contractors of Virginia (AGC), and American Council of Engineering Companies of Virginia (ACEC). As the legislative session ramped up in Richmond, ACE offered a unique educational and networking event featuring leadership representatives from the Virginia Department of General Services. Panel discussions and breakout sessions featured a wide variety of topics important to all the various ACE constituents. This was followed by a networking happy hour with invitations sent out to key legislators from throughout the Commonwealth. (Read Corey’s wrap up here.) I attended this inaugural event and can personally attest to its success on a variety of levels and I look forward to future opportunities.

While the ACE event focused on areas of practice and government affairs, AIA Virginia is equally dedicated to promoting the design and creative components of professional endeavors. Design Forum XIII will be held on April 6-7 at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke. This year’s event is entitled Blur, and will focus on the shifting boundaries between art, technology and architecture and how technologies are creating new links between artists and architects and enabling the exchange of ideas and techniques in new ways. The two-day conference will showcase presentations by dynamic figures in art and architecture who have embraced the blurring lines between the disciplines, including Eric Howeler, Doris Kim Sung, Nathan King, David Freeland and Refik Anadol. Learn more about the event and register for DFXIII here.

Continuing our efforts to reach out across the Commonwealth to our membership and local components, AIAVA will use this opportunity to host our March Board of Directors meeting at Virginia Tech and we look forward to interacting with our AIA Blue Ridge colleagues.

As I said in the January newsletter and strongly believe, this organization belongs to the membership, advocates and works on behalf of the membership, and is dependent on vital contributions of time and energy from the membership. Just as AIA Virginia is looking at new ways to reach out across geographical and professional boundaries to serve its members, I encourage each of you to look for ways to participate, by sponsoring and attending events, volunteering, and contributing to our vitally important AIA Virginia PAC.

Eric Keplinger, AIA
President
AIA Virginia

Building Upon Our Success

Posted on by cguske

It is truly an honor to serve the AIA Virginia membership as president for 2018. Working for the past few years with the generous volunteer members and the dedicated professional staff, I’ve witnessed a complete transformation of the organization. This transformative process was put in place by a member-centric strategic plan that is still guiding us today. The planning process was led by then president-elect Bill Brown in early 2016, under the leadership of president Nick Vlattas and EVP Helene Combs Dreiling, and the resulting document has been at the forefront of all that we do, from committee meetings to board meetings to member correspondence and program planning. Check it out on our website here.

Eric Keplinger, AIA. Photo by Dan Currier

Most significantly, AIA Virginia welcomed Corey Clayborne, AIA as our new leader in 2017. Corey comes on board as Executive Vice President after a thorough vetting of dozens of applicants. Corey hit the ground running and has continued to move forward on the progress made in previous years. Of note, Corey has made it a priority to reach out to each component across the commonwealth as well as many of the member firms within the various regions, gathering critical insight and information about the goals and desires of the membership. With Corey at the helm, AIA Virginia is poised to reach new levels of excellence in service to the architectural community throughout Virginia.

Our advocacy efforts at the State and National levels continue to be a focus of effort for AIA Virginia. A dedicated group of knowledgeable constituents, comprised of volunteers, staff, and lobbyists, monitor pending legislation year-round and identify issues both beneficial and detrimental to our professional practice. 2017 was a banner year for PAC contributions and I would encourage each of you to consider a donation, visit www.aiavapac.org for more information and to donate.

Outreach is a core value to our organization and our profession, and I’d like to see continued and renewed focus on a variety of outreach efforts in 2018. A more visible presence for AIA Virginia across all our component regions helps build relationships that will strengthen our organization, and in this regard, AIA Virginia is planning to bring two board meetings annually to our Virginia universities with schools of architecture. The board looks forward to visiting these universities and welcomes the opportunity provided to interact with the membership across our geographical footprint. Outreach is critical across professional boundaries as well, and I believe that architects are uniquely qualified to bring together multiple professions for meaningful discourse. I also firmly believe that synergies and opportunities develop when disparate groups collaborate instead of competing and can provide benefits that far exceed the sum of the parts. Many of the professional organizations within the design and construction industry present similar programming and events, and I look forward to exploring opportunities for collaboration.

Again, thank you sincerely for your trust and I look forward to building upon recent successes. This organization belongs to the membership, advocates and works on behalf of the membership, and is dependent on vital contributions of time and energy from the membership. I encourage each of you to get involved at the local level and help to lead our organization forward in 2018 and the years to come.

Eric Keplinger, AIA
2018 AIA Virginia President