At the end of each year, members of the AIA Pittsburgh community gather together to celebrate at the President’s Holiday Party. This year, the party was held at IKM, Incorporated. The Annual Meeting portion of the evening kicked off with the election of four AIA members to serve on the AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors – Lisa Carver, AIA, Principal at Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel: NCARB, LEED AP, Leadership Pittsburgh Graduate; Patricia Culley, AIA, Senior Associate at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson:  WELL AP, LEED AP BD+C, member of the PA COTE Committee, John Ryan, AIA, Project Architect at DesignGroup, LEED AP, Leadership Institute graduate.  Brian Gaudio, Assoc. AIA was renewed as Associate AIA Board representative. Next, the membership voted on the proposed by-law changes. The new Bylaw changes that were unanimously accepted...

The new Spark public patio outside Onion Maiden at 639 East Warrington Avenue in Allentown. Image courtesy Onion Maiden To most of Pittsburgh, new outdoor patio spaces located in Allentown and Downtown may seem to have materialized overnight.  However, these two pilot City of Pittsburgh Spark projects were carefully planned, designed and built over many months. The goal of a Spark is to extend the sidewalk into a street’s parking lane, providing space for gathering and relaxation. Part of the City of Pittsburgh’s Complete Streets initiative, Sparks are part of a long-term effort to enhance businesses and invigorate the public realm in a new and unique way.  Sparks originated in 2010 in San Francisco to convert parallel parking spaces into areas for...

Riding the elevator up to the AIA office on the seventh floor of one of Pittsburgh’s stately old office buildings, you could tell we were all a little bit nervous. It was mid-September 2017, and each of us had been accepted into the second year of the AIA Leadership Institute for Emerging Professionals. What this actually meant and what our experiences would be over the course of the next nine months, few of us had any idea about. But we would soon find a unique mix of professional camaraderie, personal inspiration, healthy discomfort, and perhaps slow to develop but deeply sincere friendship. I have often found myself to be an ersatz leader, filling space when there is a leadership vacuum,...

Photo credit: Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture / Christina Brown This past fall, the Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture (SoA) inaugurated EX-CHANGE, an end-of-semester exhibition celebrating student work. On 4 May 2018, the school opened the second EX-CHANGE, which featured a week-long exhibition followed by a day of discussions with Ming Fung, AIA, principal, and co-founder of Los Angeles-based Hodgets+Fung and director of Academic Affairs at SCI-Arc; Mitch McEwen, assistant professor at Princeton University School of Architecture, principal of McEwen Studio and co-founder of A(n) Office; and Amy Kulper, associate professor and head of the Department of Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. Discussions on Saturday, May 5 covered issues of pedagogy and practice framed by questions posed...

At the end of each year, members of the AEC community gather together to celebrate at AIA Pittsburgh’s President’s Holiday Party. This year, the party was held at our new office. Early in the evening we conducted our Annual Meeting. Four AIA members were voted on to be part of the AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors – Joe Chaffin, AIA; Quintin Kittle, AIA; Laura Nettleton, AIA; Bea Spolidoro, AIA – as well as one Associate AIA Board representative – Brian Gaudio, Assoc. AIA. Next, the membership voted on the proposed by-law changes. The newly-voted-on bylaws now reads: 6.51 The Board of Directors must meet in regular or special meetings in order to transact business. Meeting in person is expected, however in special circumstances...

Editor’s note: Reposted in its entirety from IKM’s website.  Used with permission. What is an “emerging professional?”  As architects, we use the term to describe any professional with 10 years of experience or less. At IKM Architecture, our “emerging professionals” represent the largest and most influential group at the firm. In many ways, their diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and technical acumen make them our go-to resource for mentoring the upcoming generation of designers and forming a symbiotic relationship with firm leadership. No pressure, right? Last year, the AIA Pittsburgh’s Foundation for Architecture launched the inaugural class of the AIA Leadership Institute for Emerging Professionals to support a cohort that is ripe with talent and ambition but remains hungry for direction.Through a...

Anne Swager, Hon. AIA has been called many things – progressive, outspoken, ballsy, an ally, a foe, compassionate, cheerleader, easily distracted, thinker of big ideas. And for the past 27 years, she’s also been called Executive Director of AIA Pittsburgh.  With Anne’s recent retirement on June 5th we are re-running this inspiring interview with then-editor Becky Spevack.  Best of luck in your future travels Anne! Columns: First things first, did you ever expect to be at the AIA this long, to make a career out of it? Anne Swager: No, absolutely not! I never thought I would be around this long. You know, my mom used to say she thought I’d become an architect but my kindergarten teacher spent the...

This month, AIA National Convention will be held in Orlando April 27-29.  Just announced was former First Lady Michelle Obama as the featured keynote speaker on Thursday, April 27.  Also at A’17, AIA Pittsburgh president Jeff Murray will be casting the Chapter’s votes for national office, including Pittsburgh own Bill Bates, FAIA of Eatn’ Park Hospitality Group for the position of 2018 First Vice President/2019 President-elect.

If you’re submitting for one of the competitions below best of luck to you! This month, AIA National Knowledge Committees announce opportunities to share your work in healthcare and justice design.  AIA National is also there for you if you are making the switch from desktop software to online service.  If your practice works in foreign markets, trade or procurement or if you have any projects at all in international markets then there are several new resources available for you.

Love in is the air.  Love, that is, for interesting lectures, mentorship opportunities, and tours of iconic buildings. This month, architecture, art, and fashion intersect at the CMOA in a new exhibit featuring fashion designer Iris van Herpen.  Later in the month 25 lucky members will get to go on the ultimate “date,” a tour of The Tower at PNC Plaza as part of Target 2030: Meeting Goals and Verifying 2030 Strategies.