AIA Atlanta Convention ReportJun 4th, 2015No Comments
This year’s AIA National Convention & Design Expo had a lot to deliver for those attending in Atlanta this year. Impact, emphasizing the role architects play in their local and global communities was this year’s theme and it was felt in every aspect of the conference – from the National agenda items to the presentations, tours, networking events and seminars. Even the welcoming from the host city and the friendliness and excitement of other members attending had an Impact.
Most of my time was spent representing AIA Spokane as a delegate to the business and regional meetings, candidate speeches and caucuses, and voting for the National candidates and resolutions. The delegates elected Thomas V. Vonier, FAIA, (AIA Continental Europe) as 2016 AIA First Vice President/2017 President. Jennifer Workman, AIA, L. Jane Frederick, FAIA, and Anthony P. Schirripa, FAIA, were elected to serve as the At-Large Directors and Stuart L. Coppedge, AIA, was elected 2016–2017 Treasurer. All are worthy individuals and are dedicated to the ongoing repositioning agenda; including the new digital transformations and the next wave of the #ilookup campaign. More information about newly elected officers and directors.
Congratulations to Donald King, FAIA, our NW&PR Director who was voted onto the National Strategic Council with highest honors and a 3-year term. He will help bring representation from our Region and State to the National board level.
Football Hall of Fame Welcomes AIA to Atlanta
In between the business meetings, I attended several of the educational sessions, tours and networking events. The opening session started with story-telling including the story of this year’s 2015 AIA Gold member, Moshe Safdie, FAIA and the global impact that he has brought to architecture. Keynote speaker Bill Clinton emphasized the importance of architects in helping with long-term global planning including improving global health, strengthening economies, and protecting the environment.
Atlanta’s High Art Museum
Tours included Kennesaw State University Zuckerman Museum of Art and the High Art Museum. The most insightful tour, however, was the Convention & Entertainment District tour showcasing Atlanta’s railroad history and the development of its train yards into the third largest U.S. city for corporate headquarters. The area now includes the Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coca-Cola, and the Football Hall of Fame, which welcomed architects to an after-hours AIA event to network and socialize.
Atlanta itself not only had a great selection of inspiring architecture but an energizing selection of southern food. The city’s people were friendly; reminding me of Spokane’s and there is plenty to see and do in Atlanta.
Thank you for allowing me to represent AIA Spokane at this year’s AIA National Convention. It was a great experience and I recommend attending the 2016 Convention in Philadelphia May 19-21
Submitted by Corey Zachow, AIA
AIA Spokane 2015 President-Elect
News
2015 AIA|CSI Golf Tournament is 9.17.15May 28th, 2015Comments Off on 2015 AIA|CSI Golf Tournament is 9.17.15
2015 AIA|CSI Golf Tournament 9.17.15
SAVE THE DATE! This year’s annual AIA|CSI Golf Tournament will be on Thursday, September 17th, at The Creek at Qualchan Golf Course. The event will be a 1pm shotgun start. The cost is $70 per person which includes golf, power cart, and dinner. Click here to download the player registration form. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit AIA Spokane, the Inland Northwest Architectural Foundation and the CSI Spokane Chapter Education Fund.
Sponsorship opportunities are available! Click here if you would like to promote your business at this event. Contact Kory Kelly (509-435-7407) or John Eckert (509-838-8240) for more information or see the attached flyer.
News
Student Design Displays at RPSApr 30th, 2015Comments Off on Student Design Displays at RPS
Stop by the first floor of River Park Square during the next week and view student work from the area’s Architectural Programs including: WSU, UofI and SCC. AIA Spokane organized the displays to highlight Architecture Month and to showcase the submittals from the Student Design Awards. Also displayed are student projects from WSU’s Architecture 531 class and student boards from SCC’s Architectural Technology program.
During the evening of April 24 AIA Spokane and the Inland Northwest Architectural Foundation (INAF) hosted a Student Design Awards on the 2nd floor of the STA Transit Plaza. This event was the culmination of a two-day WSU|UofI Architecture trip for Graduate and 4th year students sponsored by the INAF. Each school submitted up to five projects that best illustrated the talent of their program. The goal of the design competition was to highlight the high standard of design and execution achievable from some of the best work of each university. There was a Judging/Public Gallery and informal Crit.
Award winners were: 1st place Lauren Cherry – WSU, 2nd place Andrea Bachman, Andrew Davis, Ben Millett and Goeffrey Von Zastrow – UofI and 3rd place Ting Zhang with Brian Dorsey – WSU
Please congratulate José Barajas for all of his hard work in championing and organizing this event. Many volunteers were also involved in coordinating the students’ firm tours, their visit to Spokane and the Design Awards ceremony; including Tim Leinonen and Cassie Lang. Thanks are also due to Standard Digital Print for their help with printing the student’s projects.
Thank you to Corey Zachow and the rest of the Architecture Month committee for coordinating these activities for our chapter.
News
Box City 2015Apr 29th, 2015Comments Off on Box City 2015
Where else can you see the Space Needle and the Riverfront Park Clock Tower in the same skyline? Thanks to many volunteers, donors and the support of Spokane Public Schools, Box City 2015 was a huge success. Over 150 kids from seven local elementary schools participated to create a “city” of approximately 120 projects. Please stop by River Park Square and see the projects that will be displayed through May 10th .
AIA Spokane organized Box City as a way for children to understand and appreciate Architecture through hands-on experience. Kids dealt with real world concepts relating to Design, Planning & Zoning, Urban Design, Building Codes and Construction.
A big Thank You to Kris Jeske, the AIA Spokane Board member who has coordinated the growth and success of this program for the past two years. Special thanks go out to the participating schools and volunteers listed below and to Lisa White, SPS Director of After-school Programs, for her support and coordination that allowed the event to more than double in size. Watch SPS’s YouTube video (below) that captures the student’s Box City experience.
Schools: Browne Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Garfield Elementary, Logan Elementary, Madison Elementary, Spokane Public Montessori and Moran Prairie Elementary.
Volunteers: Chad Schmidt, Kris Jeske, Kathy Russell, Eric Olson, Becky Blankenship, Pam Kendrick, Shelly Lewis, Ron LaBar, Julie Johnson and Lauren Scranton.
News
Grassroots 2015 Conference ReportMar 25th, 2015Comments Off on Grassroots 2015 Conference Report
Photo features Washington Grassroots attendees left to right; Ryan Monson, AIA (AIA Central WA President), Donald King, FAIA (AIA Seattle member and AIA NW&PR Director), Sam Miller, AIA (AIA Seattle President), John Eckert, AIA (AIA Spokane member and AIA|WA President-Elect), Senator Maria Cantwell, Nick Watkins (AIA SWW member ), Corey Zachow, AIA (AIA Spokane President-Elect), Steven Shiver, FAIA (AIA Seattle member) and Lisa Richmond (AIA Seattle Exec. Director)
With a focus on Advocating for the Profession, Elevating Public Awareness and Expanding and Sharing Knowledge, AIA’s current and future leaders met in early March in Washington DC for the annual Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference. John Eckert, AIA|WA Council President-Elect, and I represented AIA Spokane. We and other AIA members from throughout the State of Washington participated in AIA’s initiative Year of the Advocate and met with representatives such as Senator Maria Cantwell (pictured with our group) on Capitol Hill. This year’s advocacy issues include: Promote the Preservation of Historic Buildings and Spaces, Help Communities Prepare to withstand Natural Disasters and Other Hazards and Invest in the Next Generation of Leaders.
Advocating for the Profession: Government bodies and regulatory agencies make choices and promote policies every day that have an impact on the practice of architecture. AIA tracks these federal, state and local decisions and helps push advocacy issues to ensure that any movements towards law will have a positive impact on its members. At this year’s AIA Grassroots conference, attendees helped push 2015 as Year of the Advocate by engaging with their representatives on Capitol Hill to make their voices heard. This year’s advocacy issues include:
AIA’s initiative to Elevate Public Awareness is designed to increase AIA’s value amongst its members, other architects and the public. This first ever public awareness campaign, #ilookup, involves social media, digital marketing and broadcast advertising. AIA’s recent sponsorship of PBS’s “Cool Spaces” is part of this initiative. In the later part of this three-year effort, a bigger awareness push including two new ad campaigns, industry briefings, legislative advocacy and emerging professional support will roll-out in 2016.
As the results of AIA’s 2013 Repositioning Initiative take hold, expect to see further emphasis on Expanding and Sharing Knowledge through offerings such as the new AIAU. A Member Services Task Force is currently reviewing core member services and identifying improvements in areas such as member communications and efficiencies in governance and organizational structure. Be on the lookout for more enhancements during the next year at both the AIA|WA Council and AIA Spokane levels.
Thank you for allowing me to represent you at AIA’s Grassroots Conference. It’s exciting to meet the current and future leaders and to absorb the knowledge and ideas that are generated and shared at all levels. I encourage all Architects to become AIA members and to aid your local chapter by volunteering or serving as a board member.
News
AIA|WA Council Capitol Connections 2015Mar 11th, 2015Comments Off on AIA|WA Council Capitol Connections 2015
AIA|WA Council Capitol Connections 2015
Submitted by John Eckert, AIA President Elect AIA|WA Council
AIA|WA Council held our annual Capitol Connections in Olympia Feb 5th this year with several members from AIA Spokane advocating on behalf of AIA Architects in Washington State. A huge “Thank You” to Becky Barnhart, Corey Zachow, Cody Dompier, Gale Bevington and Dave Huotari who joined several other AIA members from around the state to meet with State House of Representative Members and State Senators to: Support HB 1115 to maintain funding for the Capitol Budget, Oppose SB 4185 that would adopt a six year code cycle in lieu of the national three year code update cycle and to let the Representatives and Senators know that AIA can be a great resource to them with our unique skills designing the built environment. Our state congressional members enjoy meeting with constituents from Spokane and the personal stories we each shared about architecture, our practices in our state and the services we are able to provide to the communities. Each of us has a unique impact on the people in our cities and towns through the thoughtful and creative buildings we design.
Lawmakers in our state are working hard on the budget and figuring out how to fund the McCleary Supreme Court Discussion to fully fund education and Initiative 1351 to implement smaller class sizes at all grade levels. Estimates range from $3 – $5 billion or higher to fully enact these requirements. Significant work for the legislators will be required to come to an agreement between the divided House & Senate. Some of our members reported that they heard the legislators may focus on K-3 initially for the smaller class size and tackle the remaining requirements as the budget will allow.
APAC is our Political Action Committee that Advocates for AIA Architects in Washington State and is funded by donations from AIA Members in the State. Unfortunately, donations come in from a smaller percentage of our members than we would like to see. I challenge all members of AIA Spokane to donate a minimum of $35 each to APAC for 2015. Let’s make Spokane an example of support for APAC and challenge the rest of the state to match AIA Spokane.
Our Lobbying Efforts are greatly enhanced when we have strong support for APAC from our members. Donate to APAC.
News
AIA|WA Council UpdateMar 11th, 2015Comments Off on AIA|WA Council Update
APAC and AIA|WA Council Update
Cody Dompier, 2015 AIA Spokane Secretary and your 2014-16 Political Representative to the AIA|WA Council
AIA|WA Council has recently made some significant changes for the better, becoming more efficient and focusing only on advocacy. Jeffrey Hamlett, AIA and Attorney-at-Law, is the new Executive Director and Brad Boswell has recently been retained as our lobbyist. This spring, Becky Barnhart and I will participate in the final repositioning workshop to finalize these exciting, needed changes.
This legislative session will be pivotal. While McCleary and Initiative 1351 are clearly at top of every legislator’s mind, the Governor’s tax proposal, including a cap-and-trade levy on emissions and a capital gains tax targeting the wealthiest 1% in the State, will be addressed this year. It would be great to hear your view on these issues, so I can be your voice on the Council this spring. Please contact me at 838-8568 or cdompier@alscarchitects.com .
Finally, to be effective, our Architect Political Action Committee needs your help. We have had many past successes, including the $1B Design/Construction jobs package of 2012, QBS enforcement, and licensing law reforms in 2010. Yet we remain behind our service profession peers (doctors, lawyers) in contributions. We need to change this; Your contribution to APAC will strengthen the profession in 2015 and beyond. Legislators value Architect’s opinions; we are known to be community minded business people, widely known for our skills in consensus building. Aren’t these attributes what is needed to help those in Olympia solve the challenges facing the State of Washington?
For more information and ways to donate, visit http://aiawa.org/apac. Thanks for your support!
News
Happy New Year from AIA Spokane!Jan 7th, 2015Comments Off on Happy New Year from AIA Spokane!
The New Year is a great time to reflect on the accomplishments of the previous twelve months and re-energize ourselves to define and realize our goals for the coming year. 2014 was a year of great change within the AIA as Repositioning efforts were seen on National, Regional, and State levels. A special “thank you” to Chad Schmidt for representing and leading AIA Spokane as our President during this year of transformation!
2015 is sure to be a year of outstanding events and programs at AIA Spokane. We have a talented and passionate Board supported by an amazing Executive Director. Our team is excited to serve the profession. To that end, we hope you’ll join us at our first Chapter event on Tuesday, January 20. This joint social with the YES (You/Express/Studio) emerging professionals group will be a great opportunity to network with the Board and other local professionals.
I am truly honored to serve with this exceptional group of individuals and look forward to representing AIA Spokane as President in 2015. As we progress through the year, I encourage you to contact either myself, or a Board member, with any comments, questions, ideas, and advice you might have. What do you want to see happen? Your input is invaluable as we work to advance the profession and build a better community. We are committed to fulfilling our mission to “increase and promote the value of Architects by advancing the standard of the profession, promoting professional development, outreach, and fellowship.”
Becky Barnhart, AIA
AIA Spokane 2015 President
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Winter Party 2014 HighlightsDec 10th, 2014Comments Off on Winter Party 2014 Highlights
Close to 80 AIA Spokane members and guests gathered December 3rd at Barrister Winery for the 2014 Winter Party. Wine was hosted by our generous Platinum Allied partner, DCI Engineers; represented by Mark and Stephanie Aden, Craig Crowley, Wade Gelhausen, Dave Giordano, Thomas Holman and Logun Rassmussen. Wonderful door prizes were provided by Kilgore Architectural Products, GeoEngineers and Greg Thomas Consulting.
Clockwise from lower left Gerry & Lynn Winkler, Greg Thomas, Christine and Tim Rundquist, Chuck Horgan and Evelyn Creager at table in foreground.
We welcomed newly licensed Spokane area Architects. Congratulations to Gale Bevington, Matt Collins, Indy Dehal, Sheila Gates-Ping and Joe Hampton. All completed thousands of hours of training and passed the seven Architect Registration Examinations to become licensed architects! We’re inspired by your hard work and determination.
Gerry Winkler installed our 2015 Board of Directors and Officers. Chad Schmidt, outgoing 2014 AIA Spokane President, received an award from AIA Spokane thanking him for his thoughtful leadership and dedicated service to our chapter. The Winter Party included the presentation of the AIA Spokane budget to the membership for ratification. If you would like a copy of the 2015 budget please e-mail Katherine.
The 2015 Board consists of: Officers – President Becky Barnhart, President-Elect Corey Zachow, Past-President Chad Schmidt, Secretary Cody Dompier, Treasurer Dave Buescher; Directors – Gale Bevington, Trish Buzan, Kris Jeske and Sean Tharp.
Our Corporate Allied attendees included Tom Arnold, Traci Hanegan and Kurt Niven of Coffman Engineers (Platinum Allied), Larry Harris and Randy LaPlante of LSB Consulting Engineers (Silver Allied), Brian Belsby, Ryan Berg and Bowie McCanna of Belsby Engineering, Matt Blankenship, Tom Duggar, John Haney and April Smith of GeoEngineers, Greg Thomas of Greg Thomas Consulting, Jake Gokey of Gokey Engineering (all Bronze Allied members.) Thank you to all for your continued support of AIA Spokane!
yes presentation
Thank you also to Kris Jeske, Trish Buzan, and Dave Buescher who all helped with set-up and organization of this event. Thank you Dave Heyamoto for the loan of the microphone; NAC|Architects for use of the screen and projector; our friends at yes (you-express-studio) Jose Barajas, Chris Cuddy and John Deroulet for the recap of 2014’s activities and Corey Zachow for taking photos at this event.
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Inland Northwest Architectural FoundationNov 19th, 2014Comments Off on Inland Northwest Architectural Foundation
Your Donation Helps the Foundation in it’s Mission to:INFORM The public of the significance of architecture as an art form and its power to shape our communities and our lives. Support exhibition, teaching, publication, and research.
EDUCATE Aspiring architectural students about the importance of designing a quality human environment for the activities of everyday life.
ADVOCATE For excellence in all aspects of the design and construction process for better methods of creating an environmentally sustainable built environment and for improving our profession.
PRESERVE the architectural heritage of our region by supporting preservation of historically significant buildings, design, and construction drawings, photographs, and histories.
The INAF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. If you’d like to make a donation please mail a check to: Inland Northwest Architectural Foundation, Attention: Evelyn Creager or Katherine Mitchell, 827 W. 1st Avenue #323 Spokane, WA 99201.
News
This year’s AIA National Convention & Design Expo had a lot to deliver for those attending in Atlanta this year. Impact, emphasizing the role architects play in their local and global communities was this year’s theme and it was felt in every aspect of the conference – from the National agenda items to the presentations, tours, networking events and seminars. Even the welcoming from the host city and the friendliness and excitement of other members attending had an Impact.
Most of my time was spent representing AIA Spokane as a delegate to the business and regional meetings, candidate speeches and caucuses, and voting for the National candidates and resolutions. The delegates elected Thomas V. Vonier, FAIA, (AIA Continental Europe) as 2016 AIA First Vice President/2017 President. Jennifer Workman, AIA, L. Jane Frederick, FAIA, and Anthony P. Schirripa, FAIA, were elected to serve as the At-Large Directors and Stuart L. Coppedge, AIA, was elected 2016–2017 Treasurer. All are worthy individuals and are dedicated to the ongoing repositioning agenda; including the new digital transformations and the next wave of the #ilookup campaign. More information about newly elected officers and directors.
Congratulations to Donald King, FAIA, our NW&PR Director who was voted onto the National Strategic Council with highest honors and a 3-year term. He will help bring representation from our Region and State to the National board level.
Football Hall of Fame Welcomes AIA to Atlanta
In between the business meetings, I attended several of the educational sessions, tours and networking events. The opening session started with story-telling including the story of this year’s 2015 AIA Gold member, Moshe Safdie, FAIA and the global impact that he has brought to architecture. Keynote speaker Bill Clinton emphasized the importance of architects in helping with long-term global planning including improving global health, strengthening economies, and protecting the environment.
Atlanta’s High Art Museum
Tours included Kennesaw State University Zuckerman Museum of Art and the High Art Museum. The most insightful tour, however, was the Convention & Entertainment District tour showcasing Atlanta’s railroad history and the development of its train yards into the third largest U.S. city for corporate headquarters. The area now includes the Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coca-Cola, and the Football Hall of Fame, which welcomed architects to an after-hours AIA event to network and socialize.
Atlanta itself not only had a great selection of inspiring architecture but an energizing selection of southern food. The city’s people were friendly; reminding me of Spokane’s and there is plenty to see and do in Atlanta.
Thank you for allowing me to represent AIA Spokane at this year’s AIA National Convention. It was a great experience and I recommend attending the 2016 Convention in Philadelphia May 19-21
Submitted by Corey Zachow, AIA
AIA Spokane 2015 President-Elect
News
2015 AIA|CSI Golf Tournament is 9.17.15May 28th, 2015Comments Off on 2015 AIA|CSI Golf Tournament is 9.17.15
2015 AIA|CSI Golf Tournament 9.17.15
SAVE THE DATE! This year’s annual AIA|CSI Golf Tournament will be on Thursday, September 17th, at The Creek at Qualchan Golf Course. The event will be a 1pm shotgun start. The cost is $70 per person which includes golf, power cart, and dinner. Click here to download the player registration form. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit AIA Spokane, the Inland Northwest Architectural Foundation and the CSI Spokane Chapter Education Fund.
Sponsorship opportunities are available! Click here if you would like to promote your business at this event. Contact Kory Kelly (509-435-7407) or John Eckert (509-838-8240) for more information or see the attached flyer.
News
Student Design Displays at RPSApr 30th, 2015Comments Off on Student Design Displays at RPS
Stop by the first floor of River Park Square during the next week and view student work from the area’s Architectural Programs including: WSU, UofI and SCC. AIA Spokane organized the displays to highlight Architecture Month and to showcase the submittals from the Student Design Awards. Also displayed are student projects from WSU’s Architecture 531 class and student boards from SCC’s Architectural Technology program.
During the evening of April 24 AIA Spokane and the Inland Northwest Architectural Foundation (INAF) hosted a Student Design Awards on the 2nd floor of the STA Transit Plaza. This event was the culmination of a two-day WSU|UofI Architecture trip for Graduate and 4th year students sponsored by the INAF. Each school submitted up to five projects that best illustrated the talent of their program. The goal of the design competition was to highlight the high standard of design and execution achievable from some of the best work of each university. There was a Judging/Public Gallery and informal Crit.
Award winners were: 1st place Lauren Cherry – WSU, 2nd place Andrea Bachman, Andrew Davis, Ben Millett and Goeffrey Von Zastrow – UofI and 3rd place Ting Zhang with Brian Dorsey – WSU
Please congratulate José Barajas for all of his hard work in championing and organizing this event. Many volunteers were also involved in coordinating the students’ firm tours, their visit to Spokane and the Design Awards ceremony; including Tim Leinonen and Cassie Lang. Thanks are also due to Standard Digital Print for their help with printing the student’s projects.
Thank you to Corey Zachow and the rest of the Architecture Month committee for coordinating these activities for our chapter.
News
Box City 2015Apr 29th, 2015Comments Off on Box City 2015
Where else can you see the Space Needle and the Riverfront Park Clock Tower in the same skyline? Thanks to many volunteers, donors and the support of Spokane Public Schools, Box City 2015 was a huge success. Over 150 kids from seven local elementary schools participated to create a “city” of approximately 120 projects. Please stop by River Park Square and see the projects that will be displayed through May 10th .
AIA Spokane organized Box City as a way for children to understand and appreciate Architecture through hands-on experience. Kids dealt with real world concepts relating to Design, Planning & Zoning, Urban Design, Building Codes and Construction.
A big Thank You to Kris Jeske, the AIA Spokane Board member who has coordinated the growth and success of this program for the past two years. Special thanks go out to the participating schools and volunteers listed below and to Lisa White, SPS Director of After-school Programs, for her support and coordination that allowed the event to more than double in size. Watch SPS’s YouTube video (below) that captures the student’s Box City experience.
Schools: Browne Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Garfield Elementary, Logan Elementary, Madison Elementary, Spokane Public Montessori and Moran Prairie Elementary.
Volunteers: Chad Schmidt, Kris Jeske, Kathy Russell, Eric Olson, Becky Blankenship, Pam Kendrick, Shelly Lewis, Ron LaBar, Julie Johnson and Lauren Scranton.
News
Grassroots 2015 Conference ReportMar 25th, 2015Comments Off on Grassroots 2015 Conference Report
Photo features Washington Grassroots attendees left to right; Ryan Monson, AIA (AIA Central WA President), Donald King, FAIA (AIA Seattle member and AIA NW&PR Director), Sam Miller, AIA (AIA Seattle President), John Eckert, AIA (AIA Spokane member and AIA|WA President-Elect), Senator Maria Cantwell, Nick Watkins (AIA SWW member ), Corey Zachow, AIA (AIA Spokane President-Elect), Steven Shiver, FAIA (AIA Seattle member) and Lisa Richmond (AIA Seattle Exec. Director)
With a focus on Advocating for the Profession, Elevating Public Awareness and Expanding and Sharing Knowledge, AIA’s current and future leaders met in early March in Washington DC for the annual Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference. John Eckert, AIA|WA Council President-Elect, and I represented AIA Spokane. We and other AIA members from throughout the State of Washington participated in AIA’s initiative Year of the Advocate and met with representatives such as Senator Maria Cantwell (pictured with our group) on Capitol Hill. This year’s advocacy issues include: Promote the Preservation of Historic Buildings and Spaces, Help Communities Prepare to withstand Natural Disasters and Other Hazards and Invest in the Next Generation of Leaders.
Advocating for the Profession: Government bodies and regulatory agencies make choices and promote policies every day that have an impact on the practice of architecture. AIA tracks these federal, state and local decisions and helps push advocacy issues to ensure that any movements towards law will have a positive impact on its members. At this year’s AIA Grassroots conference, attendees helped push 2015 as Year of the Advocate by engaging with their representatives on Capitol Hill to make their voices heard. This year’s advocacy issues include:
- Promote the Preservation of Historic Buildings and Spaces: As Congress considers tax code reforms, AIA encourages congress to keep the Historic Tax Credit in the tax code, which has helped rehabilitate more than 40,000 buildings and create more than 2.5 million jobs since its inception. The programs costs has been easily offset by the incoming tax receipts in addition to encouraging additional investment and helping to revitalize historic cores across America.
- Help Communities Prepare to Withstand Natural Disasters and Other Hazards: Strong building codes are the first line of defense for the recent surge of natural disasters and updated building codes can help reduce property damage, human life and the amount of money FEMA issues on national disasters. AIA encourages the Safe Building Codes Incentive Act that would increase federal contributions following a major disaster to states that adopt and enforce the most recent version of a nationally recognized model building code.
- Invest in the Next Generation of Leaders: Architectural student debt is on average, $40,000 for undergrads and closer to $70,000 for graduates. The National Design Services Act would allow architectural students to help underserved communities in exchange for student loan assistance similar to those current programs for doctors, teachers and veterinarians.
AIA’s initiative to Elevate Public Awareness is designed to increase AIA’s value amongst its members, other architects and the public. This first ever public awareness campaign, #ilookup, involves social media, digital marketing and broadcast advertising. AIA’s recent sponsorship of PBS’s “Cool Spaces” is part of this initiative. In the later part of this three-year effort, a bigger awareness push including two new ad campaigns, industry briefings, legislative advocacy and emerging professional support will roll-out in 2016.
As the results of AIA’s 2013 Repositioning Initiative take hold, expect to see further emphasis on Expanding and Sharing Knowledge through offerings such as the new AIAU. A Member Services Task Force is currently reviewing core member services and identifying improvements in areas such as member communications and efficiencies in governance and organizational structure. Be on the lookout for more enhancements during the next year at both the AIA|WA Council and AIA Spokane levels.
Thank you for allowing me to represent you at AIA’s Grassroots Conference. It’s exciting to meet the current and future leaders and to absorb the knowledge and ideas that are generated and shared at all levels. I encourage all Architects to become AIA members and to aid your local chapter by volunteering or serving as a board member.
News
AIA|WA Council Capitol Connections 2015Mar 11th, 2015Comments Off on AIA|WA Council Capitol Connections 2015
AIA|WA Council Capitol Connections 2015
Submitted by John Eckert, AIA President Elect AIA|WA Council
AIA|WA Council held our annual Capitol Connections in Olympia Feb 5th this year with several members from AIA Spokane advocating on behalf of AIA Architects in Washington State. A huge “Thank You” to Becky Barnhart, Corey Zachow, Cody Dompier, Gale Bevington and Dave Huotari who joined several other AIA members from around the state to meet with State House of Representative Members and State Senators to: Support HB 1115 to maintain funding for the Capitol Budget, Oppose SB 4185 that would adopt a six year code cycle in lieu of the national three year code update cycle and to let the Representatives and Senators know that AIA can be a great resource to them with our unique skills designing the built environment. Our state congressional members enjoy meeting with constituents from Spokane and the personal stories we each shared about architecture, our practices in our state and the services we are able to provide to the communities. Each of us has a unique impact on the people in our cities and towns through the thoughtful and creative buildings we design.
Lawmakers in our state are working hard on the budget and figuring out how to fund the McCleary Supreme Court Discussion to fully fund education and Initiative 1351 to implement smaller class sizes at all grade levels. Estimates range from $3 – $5 billion or higher to fully enact these requirements. Significant work for the legislators will be required to come to an agreement between the divided House & Senate. Some of our members reported that they heard the legislators may focus on K-3 initially for the smaller class size and tackle the remaining requirements as the budget will allow.
APAC is our Political Action Committee that Advocates for AIA Architects in Washington State and is funded by donations from AIA Members in the State. Unfortunately, donations come in from a smaller percentage of our members than we would like to see. I challenge all members of AIA Spokane to donate a minimum of $35 each to APAC for 2015. Let’s make Spokane an example of support for APAC and challenge the rest of the state to match AIA Spokane.
Our Lobbying Efforts are greatly enhanced when we have strong support for APAC from our members. Donate to APAC.
News
AIA|WA Council UpdateMar 11th, 2015Comments Off on AIA|WA Council Update
APAC and AIA|WA Council Update
Cody Dompier, 2015 AIA Spokane Secretary and your 2014-16 Political Representative to the AIA|WA Council
AIA|WA Council has recently made some significant changes for the better, becoming more efficient and focusing only on advocacy. Jeffrey Hamlett, AIA and Attorney-at-Law, is the new Executive Director and Brad Boswell has recently been retained as our lobbyist. This spring, Becky Barnhart and I will participate in the final repositioning workshop to finalize these exciting, needed changes.
This legislative session will be pivotal. While McCleary and Initiative 1351 are clearly at top of every legislator’s mind, the Governor’s tax proposal, including a cap-and-trade levy on emissions and a capital gains tax targeting the wealthiest 1% in the State, will be addressed this year. It would be great to hear your view on these issues, so I can be your voice on the Council this spring. Please contact me at 838-8568 or cdompier@alscarchitects.com .
Finally, to be effective, our Architect Political Action Committee needs your help. We have had many past successes, including the $1B Design/Construction jobs package of 2012, QBS enforcement, and licensing law reforms in 2010. Yet we remain behind our service profession peers (doctors, lawyers) in contributions. We need to change this; Your contribution to APAC will strengthen the profession in 2015 and beyond. Legislators value Architect’s opinions; we are known to be community minded business people, widely known for our skills in consensus building. Aren’t these attributes what is needed to help those in Olympia solve the challenges facing the State of Washington?
For more information and ways to donate, visit http://aiawa.org/apac. Thanks for your support!
News
Happy New Year from AIA Spokane!Jan 7th, 2015Comments Off on Happy New Year from AIA Spokane!
The New Year is a great time to reflect on the accomplishments of the previous twelve months and re-energize ourselves to define and realize our goals for the coming year. 2014 was a year of great change within the AIA as Repositioning efforts were seen on National, Regional, and State levels. A special “thank you” to Chad Schmidt for representing and leading AIA Spokane as our President during this year of transformation!
2015 is sure to be a year of outstanding events and programs at AIA Spokane. We have a talented and passionate Board supported by an amazing Executive Director. Our team is excited to serve the profession. To that end, we hope you’ll join us at our first Chapter event on Tuesday, January 20. This joint social with the YES (You/Express/Studio) emerging professionals group will be a great opportunity to network with the Board and other local professionals.
I am truly honored to serve with this exceptional group of individuals and look forward to representing AIA Spokane as President in 2015. As we progress through the year, I encourage you to contact either myself, or a Board member, with any comments, questions, ideas, and advice you might have. What do you want to see happen? Your input is invaluable as we work to advance the profession and build a better community. We are committed to fulfilling our mission to “increase and promote the value of Architects by advancing the standard of the profession, promoting professional development, outreach, and fellowship.”
Becky Barnhart, AIA
AIA Spokane 2015 President
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Winter Party 2014 HighlightsDec 10th, 2014Comments Off on Winter Party 2014 Highlights
Close to 80 AIA Spokane members and guests gathered December 3rd at Barrister Winery for the 2014 Winter Party. Wine was hosted by our generous Platinum Allied partner, DCI Engineers; represented by Mark and Stephanie Aden, Craig Crowley, Wade Gelhausen, Dave Giordano, Thomas Holman and Logun Rassmussen. Wonderful door prizes were provided by Kilgore Architectural Products, GeoEngineers and Greg Thomas Consulting.
Clockwise from lower left Gerry & Lynn Winkler, Greg Thomas, Christine and Tim Rundquist, Chuck Horgan and Evelyn Creager at table in foreground.
We welcomed newly licensed Spokane area Architects. Congratulations to Gale Bevington, Matt Collins, Indy Dehal, Sheila Gates-Ping and Joe Hampton. All completed thousands of hours of training and passed the seven Architect Registration Examinations to become licensed architects! We’re inspired by your hard work and determination.
Gerry Winkler installed our 2015 Board of Directors and Officers. Chad Schmidt, outgoing 2014 AIA Spokane President, received an award from AIA Spokane thanking him for his thoughtful leadership and dedicated service to our chapter. The Winter Party included the presentation of the AIA Spokane budget to the membership for ratification. If you would like a copy of the 2015 budget please e-mail Katherine.
The 2015 Board consists of: Officers – President Becky Barnhart, President-Elect Corey Zachow, Past-President Chad Schmidt, Secretary Cody Dompier, Treasurer Dave Buescher; Directors – Gale Bevington, Trish Buzan, Kris Jeske and Sean Tharp.
Our Corporate Allied attendees included Tom Arnold, Traci Hanegan and Kurt Niven of Coffman Engineers (Platinum Allied), Larry Harris and Randy LaPlante of LSB Consulting Engineers (Silver Allied), Brian Belsby, Ryan Berg and Bowie McCanna of Belsby Engineering, Matt Blankenship, Tom Duggar, John Haney and April Smith of GeoEngineers, Greg Thomas of Greg Thomas Consulting, Jake Gokey of Gokey Engineering (all Bronze Allied members.) Thank you to all for your continued support of AIA Spokane!
yes presentation
Thank you also to Kris Jeske, Trish Buzan, and Dave Buescher who all helped with set-up and organization of this event. Thank you Dave Heyamoto for the loan of the microphone; NAC|Architects for use of the screen and projector; our friends at yes (you-express-studio) Jose Barajas, Chris Cuddy and John Deroulet for the recap of 2014’s activities and Corey Zachow for taking photos at this event.
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Inland Northwest Architectural FoundationNov 19th, 2014Comments Off on Inland Northwest Architectural Foundation
Your Donation Helps the Foundation in it’s Mission to:INFORM The public of the significance of architecture as an art form and its power to shape our communities and our lives. Support exhibition, teaching, publication, and research.
EDUCATE Aspiring architectural students about the importance of designing a quality human environment for the activities of everyday life.
ADVOCATE For excellence in all aspects of the design and construction process for better methods of creating an environmentally sustainable built environment and for improving our profession.
PRESERVE the architectural heritage of our region by supporting preservation of historically significant buildings, design, and construction drawings, photographs, and histories.
The INAF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. If you’d like to make a donation please mail a check to: Inland Northwest Architectural Foundation, Attention: Evelyn Creager or Katherine Mitchell, 827 W. 1st Avenue #323 Spokane, WA 99201.
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