AIA Grand Rapids President's Message - March 2021

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["strong"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/resources\/6077668-framework-for-design-excellence","target","_new"]],["i"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/awards\/7301-cote-top-ten-awards","target","_new"]],["a",["href","http:\/\/content.aia.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-12\/2020_Code_of_Ethics.pdf","target","_new"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/showcases\/6082410-design-for-equitable-communities","target","_new"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.somi.org","target","_new"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.dakc.us","target","_new"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/resources\/6077668-framework-for-design-excellence","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.priyaparker.com","target","_new"]],["u"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.priyaparker.com\/thebook","target","_new"]]],"sections":[[1,"h2",[[0,[],0,"AIA Grand Rapids President\u0027s Message - March 2021"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Last January, I got a call from someone at AIA National in Washington D.C. asking if I would take part in a task force to rewrite the "],[0,[0,1],2,"Framework for Design Excellence"],[0,[],0,". I had a few thoughts. First, who gave her my name (and should I thank or chastise that person)? Second, what was the "],[0,[0,1],2,"Framework for Design Excellence"],[0,[],0," again, and if I wasn\u0027t sure, did they really want "],[0,[2],1,"me"],[0,[],0,"? Third, no; I had neither the time nor the expertise. When I said as much, an interesting conversation ensued. She reminded me that the "],[0,[0,1],2,"Framework for Design Excellence"],[0,[],0," was the former "],[0,[0,3],2,"COTE Top Ten"],[0,[],0,", a set of ten measures used to evaluate submissions for the annual "],[0,[0,3],2,"COTE (Committee on the Environment) Top Ten awards"],[0,[],0,". They already had expert voices. They needed a small firm voice, and a small firm with commercial work but also residential and small-scale project experience. A midwestern voice. And the voice of a newcomer. Oh and, by the way, this was a chance to positively influence the profession and our work for generations to come. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Well. In that case."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"As an AIA member, I am held to the "],[0,[0,4],2,"AIA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct"],[0,[],0,". In 2018, it was revised to include a section about our responsibility as architects to consider the environment in the choices we make and the influence we have with our clients. The profession is increasingly recognizing \u0022good design\u0022 and \u0022sustainable design\u0022 as one and the same, and the change in the "],[0,[0,4],2,"Code of Ethics"],[0,[],0," and now the "],[0,[0,1],2,"Framework for Design Excellence"],[0,[],0," is part of that shift."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"After a few emails and a second call, I finally said yes to joining the task force. I am so glad I did. Last February, our newly formed team of ten gathered from across the country to spend a long weekend in a conference room in Washington D.C. We established some parameters. The Tep Ten had been written for post-occupancy project evaluation. This revision should instead help designers and owners frame project goals as early as possible in the project. It should be accessible, useful, and relevant for every project and every architect, no matter size or location."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Our team included Framework new-comers like me, as well as experts who had been part of the development of the original measures and the related toolkit available on the AIA website. We broke into pairs, taking on individual measures or principles and presenting our revisions to the team for discussion. And there were many discussions, down to passionate, heated debates about individual words. The "],[0,[0,1],2,"Framework"],[0,[],0," is now ten principles, each with a statement accompanied by a set of searching questions. The "],[0,[0,5],2,"Equitable Communities"],[0,[],0," principle includes the question, \u0022Who might this project be forgetting?\u0022 The presence of that question is a direct result of my own history with inclusion and current work with organizations like "],[0,[0,6],2,"Special Olympics"],[0,[],0," and "],[0,[0,7],2,"Disability Advocates"],[0,[],0,". "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Consider that for a moment. AIA documents had felt quite removed to me. Now I know many are created by practicing architects like you and me, with ideas and challenges and stories we can learn from."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Two weeks after our task force met in person, the country shut down for the initial pandemic stay-at-home orders. Like many of you, I was overwhelmed with work deadlines and unschooled kids at home and uncertain project futures, and I questioned my decision to take part. But we had ten measures and an intro to get through. We made it happen, finishing our work in May 2020, with the AIA board voting to approve the revisions in June 2020. Any further in-person team gatherings were permanently cancelled."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"As I reflect back on that process, from my initial skepticism and later regret, I am relieved I didn\u0027t succumb to my hesitation. I\u0027m proud of the work the task force accomplished. I\u0027d encourage you to "],[0,[8,0],2,"check it out here"],[0,[],0,". I attended a lecture a few years ago by "],[0,[0,9],2,"Priya Parker"],[0,[],0,", author of "],[0,[10,0,11],3,"The Art of Gathering"],[0,[],0,", where she talked about how essential both the \u0022old guard\u0022 and the \u0022new guard\u0022 are for gatherings and groups. The insider brings continuity. They hold the story, the origins, and bring wisdom. The outsider brings fresh insight. They question why the group works the way it does, perhaps even why it exists. Both have an important role to play in creating and maintaining the relevance of any team or gathering. And now, from that one phone call, we have multiple members of our own "],[0,[0],1,"Grand Rapids COTE"],[0,[],0," involved in the next round of revisions to the accompanying "],[0,[0,1],2,"Framework Toolkit and Practice (as in, architecture firm) Guide"],[0,[],0,". More outsider-insiders in the making."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"As things open back up in 2021 and new professional opportunities appear before you, guard your time. Say no to what doesn\u0027t make sense anymore after this last winnowing year, but please also say yes to what you might not have before. Engage, at your firm, in our community, or even with us. What does our AIA chapter board need to know as we rethink our role moving forward post-pandemic? Could you be a part of that? This chapter was created "],[0,[2],1,"for "],[0,[],0,"its members, not the other way around. We value your insights and, even more so, your involvement, whether you are \u0022old guard\u0022 or new!"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Regards,"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Megan"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Megan Feenstra Wall, AIA"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"2021 President"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"AIA Grand Rapids"]]]]}