There is growing recognition of the importance of good design in the region and the important effects of the built environment in society.  This was a record-breaking year for Design Pittsburgh and there is only more to come. Design Pittsburgh Numbers: 470 Attendees (most ever!) 93 Project Submissions 23 Awards Given 4,139 People’s Choice Award Votes (512 more than last year and most ever!) Media Coverage: (We’ll post more here as it is published) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Presley’s Place wins People’s Choice Award at architects’ gala” NEXTpittsburgh “Check out the winners of this year’s AIA Design Pittsburgh Awards”

Name: Lee Davis, AIA Firm: ESa Family: Wife – Julie; Daughter – Simms Years in practice: 15 Education: Bach of Arch from University of Tennessee Knoxville Your first job: Domino’s Pizza Delivery…until my parent’s car insurance carrier caught wise Project you’re proudest of: Gulch Crossing Office Building – Relocating our firm after 30+ years was a painful endeavour, but a rewarding conclusion What have you always wanted to tell your clients? “That’s a terrible idea.” What’s the most annoying thing architects do? In spite of wearing goofy, outlandish glasses, I’m going to have to say “wearing goofy, outlandish glasses”. Favorite tool (can be digital, drafting, physical,…): Litter Picker Arm Grabber Favorite building: Case Study House 22 Favorite outdoor space: Capitoline Hill Architect you’d like to have a drink with: Mies van de Rohe Best gift...

AIA President Bill Bates, FAIA, announces that the organization is launching a comprehensive review of the process used to select its award recipients “to promote the highest professional standards among members and within the profession” at A’19 in Las Vegas. This past June more than 20,000 architects from all over the US and beyond gathered in Las Vegas for A’19, and took a stand for a sustainable future. Architects designing for a better future means taking on the critical challenges facing cities, and our world, today. This was a key message of A’19 as the theme of Blueprint for Better was interwoven throughout the conference. Blueprint for Better, an initiative of AIA National, highlights how architects are working with clients and...

2018 People’s Choice Award winner and Architecture Honor Award winner Century Inn by Margittai Architects, photography by Breanna Kristian Photography & Pittsburgh Real Estate Media It’s rare these days for things to get simpler, but that is exactly what is happening with the new categories determined by AIA Pittsburgh’s Board of Directors for 2019 submissions.  The categories have been simplified, but changes have also been made to more closely align to AIA Pittsburgh’s organizational values. In the past award categories were siloed by type of architecture. Going forward there will be three Architecture categories differentiated by square footage and one Unbuilt category. A number of other AIA Chapters have moved in a similar direction “The intent is to simplify to...

Quintin Kittle, AIA of qkArchitecture (and AIA Pittsburgh Advocacy Committee Co-chair) and Rebecca Lowe, AIA of Desmone Architects in front of the PA State Capitol. AIA Pittsburgh members caravaned to Harrisburg to ADVOCATE for architecture, EDUCATE Pennsylvania state legislators and PARTICIPATE to make architects’ voices heard.  On Tuesday, June 11th architects from across the state, led by AIA Pennsylvania, united in Harrisburg for Architects Action Day 2019.  AIA Pittsburgh members participated in this advocacy day where they met with senators and State Representatives from their respective districts to speak directly about issues critical to advancing the profession of architecture throughout the state. 40 AIA PA members and staff comprised 9 groups that advocated in Harrisburg for Architect’s Action Day. The groups held...

In this interview, Bill Bates, FAIA, current President of AIA National, interviews David Lewis, FAIA about mentorship.  When the camera starts rolling, Mr. Lewis shares how his work was informed by early experiences in South Africa and the story of how the AIA helped to lay the foundation for what would become Urban Design Associates. The video, which premiered at AIA Grassroots in March, was commissioned by AIA National and shot by Pittsburgh-based Anthem Video.  Stephen Kraus of Anthem reflected on what it was like to work with Mr. Lewis: “When I first met David Lewis, it was while carrying two large rolling cases full of video equipment right through his living room. Instead of being unnerved by the micro film crew trying...

Name:  Hilda Espinal Firm:  CannonDesign Years in practice: 23 Education: Bachelors of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Masters in Information Systems from DePaul University.   Your first job: Receptionist at Laboratorios Roldan (Dominican Republic-my country of origin) Project you’re proudest of: Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago What’s the most annoying thing architects do? Design for people and display people-less spaces!  And I am guilty as charged waiting for spaces to vacate before taking that perfect picture/shot. Favorite tool (can be digital, drafting, physical,…): So hard to pick ONE, so I’ll have to say my mobile.  If there is no trace of an event in it, it very likely doesn’t exist/won’t happen  <wink> Favorite building: Taj Mahal Favorite outdoor space: Wherever the ocean...

Safiya J. A. Hodari, AIA on-site at the Fort Wayne VA Medical Center. Image: Megan Carleton. Pittsburgh relies on many different partners, advocates, and allies to build more sustainable, diverse, and vibrant communities. This March for Women’s History Month, AIA Pittsburgh and Point Line Projects have highlighted woman-owned firms in Pittsburgh, reported on the newly revitalized Women in Design group, and channeled the spirit of Pennsylvania’s first licensed woman architect, Anna Wagner Keichline. In this final article in our series, done in conjunction with NOMAPgh, we’re looking forward, shining a spotlight on a generation of emerging women designers who are already changing the face of Pittsburgh’s design scene. Beyond calling Pittsburgh home, they’re also energized around issues that they see as fundamental...

For National Women’s Month, AIA Pittsburgh is partnering with Point Line Projects to highlight some of the women architects and designers making an impact in Southwestern PA. Here, Columns Editor Maya Henry imagines how Pennsylvania’s first registered woman architect, Anna Wagner Keichline, might have responded in a Dossier feature.  Join the conversation on social media with the tag #AIAPghWomensMonth. Name:  Anna Wagner Keichline Firm: Anna Keichline, Architect, Bellefonte, PA. Family:  I never married or had children, but I am a devoted aunt. My great niece, the industrial designer Nancy Perkins, continued my tradition of design innovation and holds three patents. Architectural practice:  I was the first female registered architect in Pennsylvania and one of the first women to practice architecture in the United States...

Emily Pierson-Brown, Assoc. AIA of Perkins Eastman presents at a Women in Design Pittsburgh happy hour at IKM on January 22, 2019. Photo: Katelyn Rossier, AIA. After political and cultural shifts, some have called 2018 the “Year of the Woman.” This rings true for some women in Pittsburgh’s architecture community, thanks to the revival of Women in Design Pittsburgh (WiD-PGH). Originally co-founded in 2013 by Katie Walsh, now of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, and several others,* the group was relaunched in November of 2018 after a three-year hiatus. Two women leading the resurgence, Laurie Butler and Emily Pierson-Brown, Assoc. AIA, both of Perkins Eastman, say that the timing was right for their audience: “Politically, culturally, and economically, issues of gender equity...