President’s Report to the Membership

Posted on by cguske

Greetings Colleagues,

I hope the Summer months find our membership doing well and that you have been able to take some time off for travel and relaxation from your busy practices. I am pleased to provide you with a report on the activities of AIA Virginia for the second quarter as well as July 2016.

The Board of Directors and staff of AIA Virginia have been busy working on matters of interest on behalf of our members. At its meeting held on June 17, the board adopted the tri-annual update to our 2017-2020 Strategic Plan, adopted the FY2017 budget, and also approved a phasing out of supplemental dues over a four-year period. We were pleased to report these actions to our members during the virtual meeting of the membership which was also held on June 17.

STRATEGIC PLAN

The board was committed to a deep dive into the strategic planning process this year as the first update to the strategic plan following the Centennial celebration of AIA Virginia in 2014. The five primary goals of our strategic plan are:

  • Elevate public awareness by positioning architects as vital contributors to our built environment.
  • Advance the knowledge and expertise of members.
  • Advocate for the profession.
  • Implement a communication program that informs and facilitates connections.
  • Become a model of a strong nonprofit and vibrant membership organization.

The plan provides greater detail on each goal with implementation plans which the board and staff will be working on in the months ahead. I would like to thank Mr. Bill Brown, AIA, who chaired the strategic planning team as our President-Elect, Ms. Rhea George, AIA Virginia Managing Director who led efforts on behalf of our staff, Ms. Sarah Milston who was our lead consultant from The Spark Mill and all of the people who contributed to the strategic planning effort.

SUPPLEMENTAL DUES

The elimination of supplemental dues has been called for by many of our members for many years. After much study, our leadership plans to implement a four-year approach in which supplemental dues for AIA members are eliminated in 2017, followed by Associate members in the second year, non-member architects in the third year and finally technical employees in the final year of 2020. This plan will be voted on by the membership at the Annual Meeting during Architecture Exchange East on November 3, 2016. As savings in dues expenses are recognized by our members and their firms, we are hopeful that you will consider supporting AIA Virginia in other ways such as sponsoring programs which are of importance to your firms.

LARGE FIRM ROUNDTABLE

On June 14, with 24 people in attendance, we convened the third meeting of the AIA Virginia Large Firm Roundtable which is meeting on a semi-annual basis. In addition to updating those present on the activities of AIA Virginia and sharing ideas of mutual concern, we also heard a report from Patrick Cushing, Esq. of Williams Mullen on the legislative matters of interest to our members including procurement issues, SWAM definition of small business, and consideration of the future of historic tax credits in Virginia.

GOVERNMENT ADVOCACY

On legislative matters, Mr. Tim Colley, AIA, Vice President of the Advisory Council on Government Advocacy has been active in leading our efforts along with Ms. George. Mr. Colley attended the AIA SpeakUp! conference in Washington D.C. in July which provided training for developing legislative strategies for AIA components. Ms. George also attended SpeakUp! as well as the State Government Network meeting where she served on a panel discussing the work in Virginia being done relative to licensing in multiple jurisdictions. Our government advocacy is important for our profession. Please consider giving to AIA Virginia Political Action Committee (http://aiavapac.org/), even if it is a small amount, many voices will help us be heard by our legislators.

PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE

Vice President of the Advisory Council on Professional Excellence, Ms. Elizabeth Reader, FAIA, has been working with AIA Virginia Education Director Marshall Dreiling and other staff and council members on the planning of Architecture Exchange East in November which will feature as keynote speakers Ms. Rosa Sheng, AIA, of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and founding Chairperson of The Missing 32% Project, and 2013 AIA President Mr. Mickey Jacob FAIA who is a 2018 candidate for Mayor of Tampa, FL. Additional seminars have been added to the program and the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design will be responsible for architectural tours.

Ms. Maggie Shubert AIA is chairing the committee which is planning “The Art of Practice”, a one-day bi-annual conference scheduled for the Spring of 2017 in Northern Virginia presented by AIA Virginia designed to build skills required by our profession. Topics for discussion will include firm culture, marketing, new technology trends, and how to grow your practice. With relevant content for both small and large firms, no matter what stage in your career, we are sure there will be something for everyone.

FINANCIAL AND MEMBERSHIP REPORT

The fiscal year for AIA Virginia ended on June 30, 2016, and we are pleased to report that we finished the year with an excess of $24,701. AIA Virginia Membership as of May 31 was reported at 1,553 AIA members and 417 AIA Associate members for a total of 1970 members. Our retention rate is at 93% which represents the highest number of members and retention rate over the last four years.

COMPONENT COLLABORATION

The five AIA components of Virginia and AIA Virginia continue to collaborate and communicate on its programs to improve the experience and value to our members. We held a conference call on July 26 with leadership from the six Virginia components and with our sister component from AIA West Virginia to discuss strategies to promote stronger working relationships among the components. I encourage you to get involved with the activities of your local component as well as AIA Virginia. There are many excellent activities and programs in the works.

THE BRANCH MUSEUM OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Congratulations to The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design for their successful fund-raising effort of over $1,000,000 in order to receive a matching grant of $500,000 from the Cabell Foundation.

OUR VISION AND MISSION:

AIA Virginia continues to work hard to bring significant value to our members, provide programs and services which are relevant to our fast-changing profession and to celebrate the prosperity of our members. Our mission is to be the voice of the architecture profession in the Commonwealth, dedicated to serving our members and through a culture of innovation, AIA Virginia empowers its members, advances their value, and inspires the creation of a better-built environment.

THANK YOU:

Thank you to our Executive Vice President and CEO Helene Dreiling, FAIA, for her leadership and thank you to our AIA Virginia staff for their service to our membership.

Most important, thank you for being a member of AIA Virginia and for your contributions to our profession and practice of architecture in the Commonwealth! Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or suggestions for AIA Virginia.

Sincerely,
Nick Vlattas, AIA
AIA Virginia President 2016

Change

Posted on by cguske

Inevitably, change moves us forward without stopping.  My children are already in high school and relish when they can identify another grey hair on my head and any evidence that I am, as they claim, “from the age of the dinosaurs.”  Their case grows stronger when I have to admit that hand-held calculators were the new technology of the day when I was in high school.  Laptop computers, the internet, emails and cell phones just did not exist when I was their age. Changes in communications and information technologies over my lifetime have accelerated faster than ever.

We often forget, however, that humans are wired to change slowly.  Some think that all this technology makes working and learning in the presence of others a thing of the past, but that’s not the preference that people have exhibited.  Edward Glaeser, professor of economics at Harvard University, in his brilliant new book entitled Triumph of the City says “faxes, e-mails, and video conferencing were all supposed to eliminate the need for face-to-face meetings, yet business travel has soared over the last twenty years.  To defeat the human need for face-to-face contact, our technological marvels would need to defeat millions of years of human evolution that has made us into machines for learning from the people next to us.”

VSAIA board members tour Va. Tech's campus and the award-winning Lumenhaus
VSAIA board members tour Va. Tech

This reminds me of an AIA board meeting we had last year at Virginia Tech.  About two thirds of the board went to Virginia Tech and one third decided to connect by video conference.  Even though video and audio reception was great, we felt disconnected from those on the video.  Why?  Perhaps the answer is in Blink, a book by Michael Gladwell.  He describes that our very subtle body and facial gestures play a significant role in how we communicate with others.  The resulting impact of communication is so much more powerful when we are physically next to someone.  It’s like the difference between visiting a building in person and reading a book about a building.  The experience of being there has an entirely different dimension.

Our regional Associate AIA director pointed out that the AIA creates many events where we can meet, but we must work to make them more relevant.  That is precisely what the Virginia Society AIA has done when shaping this year’s program for ArchEx.  Architecture Exchange East — our regional conference in Richmond, Virginia — is the mid-Atlantic’s largest conference and expo for architects.  Sessions are relevant to students, emerging professionals and seasoned professionals.  ArchEx brings real experiences and people together in one location.

If you are an emerging professional or student, take part in a series of sessions that are tailored to your needs. There are sessions about interviewing in this tough economy, designing your best mentoring experience, portfolio reviews, and much more.  Celebrate newly registered architects at CONNECTIONS, our opening reception.   Most of all, you will have the opportunity to meet architects who want to help you create a successful career path in architecture.

Custom prefab, photo by John Swain Custom prefab by Michelle Kaufmann, photo by John Swain

Hear from top designers in architecture, including ArchEx’s Keynote Speaker Michelle Kaufmann as she proposes rethinking the business of architecture.  She is called the “Henry Ford of green homes.”  If you are like me, you will buy a signed copy of her new book, Prefab Green, in the convention products exhibition hall.

Practioners, women and designers – there is something for each one of you!  We are fortunate to have the National AIA Practice Knowledge Community bring a provocative and inspirational program about practice management to challenge existing paradigms.  Virginia Women in Design will have a series discussing the challenges faced by women in the profession.  Designers will have their choice of tours, presentations about Master Architects, a series about sacred architecture, and more.  Hear critiques and commentary directly from the jury chairs for the design award programs.

I’m just touching the tip of the iceberg, but see for yourself!  ArchEx is the place to get together, exchange information, and learn.  I hope to see you there in person on November 2–4!

JIM

James P. Clark, AIA

VSAIA President