No statement can do justice to the despair, grief, and anger inflicted on so many by recent acts of racism and brutality against the Black community. That said, our profession should not be defined by its silence on this issue. We know longstanding inequities and discrimination against many groups will continue to harm members of our profession, our region, and our society. As a community of architects and allied professionals we can take action by asking: What can architects and architecture offer in the way of change for the better? How can we live up to our professional commitment to support the health, safety and wellbeing of the public in its entirety? How can we continue to take steps to...

Bill Bates, FAIA in South Korea during his tenure as AIA National President in 2019 AIA Pittsburgh’s William “Bill” Bates, FAIA served as President of AIA National in 2019 after being elected to the Board of Directors in 2011.  Bates served as AIA’s 2018 President-Elect and was also vice president and chair of the AIA Board Community Committee from 2015-2016. In 1991 and again in 2010, Bill served as president of AIA Pennsylvania and was also president of AIA Pittsburgh in 1987. He has chaired boards for the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and the Green Building Alliance. After talking to Bill about his role in the recent PBS documentary on Paul Williams, FAIA, I wanted...

Courtesy Learn to Play at Home There are a lot of suggestions out there for how to entertain kids while they are staying home during the COVID-19 crisis. Here we’ve rounded up some of our favorites that have an architecture focus. While it doesn’t mean your kids will leave you alone entirely while you attempt to work from home, our hope is that these ideas will provide some new entertainment and help you share your craft with your children. PRESCHOOL Create a box city and practice cutting, painting and building with this activity from Learn With Play at Home. Learn the concepts behind design thinking with this activity from Left Brain, Craft Brain. Craft an Egyptian pyramid with The Pinterested...

X-ray Architecture.  Book by Beatriz Colomina.  Imprint: Lars Müller Publishers There’s plenty of good reads out there to get us through these trying times. Still, if you don’t have the energy right now to try and decide what to read we’ve rounded up a few of our current favorites.  We hope these will inspire, distract, and maybe even give a new perspective on the current state of affairs. Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women.  Book by Jane Hall.  Imprint: Phaidon Press Publisher’s Description: A ground-breaking visual survey of architecture designed by women from the early twentieth century to the present day. “Would they still call me a diva if I were a man?’ asked Zaha Hadid, challenging as she did so more than a...

Name: Gunnar Hubbard, FAIA Firm: Thornton Tomasetti Family: Married with two children – TJ (18), Abby (16) Years in practice: 27+ Education: BS in Environmental Studies, UVM. MARCH, University of Oregon     Your first job: Camp Counselor, Camp Killooleet, Hancock, VT Union of Concerned Scientists, Renewable Energy Campaign Manager Executive Director, Yestermorrow Design/Build School Research Scholar, Green Building Services, Rocky Mountain Institute Project you’re proudest of: Village Centre, 48 Unit Affordable Housing, Passive House Certified Bosarage Family Education Center, Net Positive Energy & LEED Platinum, Boothbay, Maine. Block C, CityCenter in Las Vegas – for the scale of the project… getting it to LEED Gold was an amazing success story 150+ LEED for Existing Building Certifications for Vasakronan in Sweden What have you always wanted...

The built environment is not neutral. It either enables progress or obstructs it; contributes to wellbeing or disturbs it. Our region is experiencing the most development it has seen in decades with buildings that will be around for the next 40 to 120 years. Because development impacts people in our community today and for years to come, there is an urgency to be thoughtful and informed about what we are cementing into new places and spaces. And yet, we as a society and a region do not talk about how buildings impact human wellbeing. Blueprint for Better: Pittsburgh (B4B) was developed to change that, and we are looking for more people (i.e. architects, designers of all kinds, neuroscientists, sociologists, EDAC...

Every year AIA holds a national gathering for Chapter and Component leaders – the Grassroots Leadership Conference. This year, four AIA Pittsburgh members and one staff attended the event, held February 18-20 in New Orleans. This year’s agenda emphasized an increased commitment to sustainability, equity and civic leadership. Asserting a leadership role President-Elect, Peter Exley, FAIA acknowledged the implications of being in New Orleans, a city that became synonymous with a new normal of more extreme and more frequent storms driven by climate changes. “This is our leadership moment, and it comes with the most important deadline of our careers.” Exley highlighted four ways architects can lead: Mitigating GHG sources and owning the footprint buildings have in cities/ regions Adapting...

Lina Bo Bardi, L’ombra della sera, 1965 Lina Bo Bardi was a vivid, new name to me prior to exploring the phenomenal exhibit brought to the Carnegie Museum of Art by the Heinz Architectural Center. Learning about her and her impressive oeuvre, however, imparted upon me a sense of awe and gratitude. The sheer span and depth of her portfolio is stunning, all saturated with color and conceptually vibrant. She was a true Renaissance designer and her work feels effortless and radiant, regardless of subject: from stage sets to chairs, to buildings. The collection, beautifully curated by Zeuler R. Lima, unfolds with such tenderness and attention to detail, that each showcased piece feels valued – by curator, and by creator. Influenced by...

Name: Ronald Joseph Chaffin, AIA Firm: Michael Baker International Family: Wife, Victoria + Sons, Pierce (21) & Noah (18), both Computer Science majors at Penn State University Years in practice: 30 years Education: University of Cincinnati + Ecole d’Art Americaines, Ecole des Beaux Arts in Fontainebleau, France Your first job: Significantly influencing my decision to attend architecture school, I was fortunate to have a summer job with Zando, Martin, & Milstead (ZMM) Architects/Engineers in Charleston, WV. Although the “job,” not internship, primarily consisted of running blue line prints, errands, and even weeding the parking lot, I was able to experience some hand-drafting and drawing skills. While still in high school, my relationship with ZMM was developed through a Boy Scouts of...

Paul R. Williams, AIA in front of the LAX terminal. Before diving into the Oscar’s broadcast this Sunday, if that’s your thing, consider taking a gander at a new documentary airing on WQED-TV at 4 pm.  This one-hour special explores the journey of iconic Los Angeles architect Paul Revere Williams, AIA, and his professionalism and determination in the face of discrimination. From the early 1920s until his retirement 50 years later, Williams was one of the most prolific architects in America. His list of celebrity clients included Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck, William Holden, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. He is noted for his mastery of various iconic architectural styles that include the Beverly Hills Hotel, the original MCA Headquarters Building...