Why AIA Matters

It has been a busy week at @AIADallas (our twitter handle). A week of advocacy, presidents’ talks, leadership training, volunteerism, landscape, sustainability discussions, doghouses, and wheelchairs. Never in my recollection has the Chapter offered such a jam-packed week of free and collaborative programming options. Truly this is a different AIA as our outreach to the community is paying dividends across the city and region.

Advocacy: The City of Dallas posted online comments from the forums on the Trinity Parkway "Dream Team" report. Reading through the comments, you will notice that our membership is well represented and that the overall tone and tenor of the public’s comments were focused on the importance a Great Trinity Park, a message espoused by AIA Dallas in our position on the Trinity Parkway earlier this spring.

Presidents: On Monday evening at the Architecture Matters program, past, present, and future presidents of the Texas Society of Architects discussed the role their volunteerism played in the development of their career. The panel discussion was moderated by Pete DeLisle, Hon. AIA Dallas.

Leadership Training: A new slate of Advanced Leadership Program (ALP) candidates met this week to kick off their 5-month leadership training program led by the same Pete DeLisle. ALP is the next step after the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), which addresses topics such as leadership effectiveness, influencing in complex environments, conflict management, and decision-making.

Volunteerism: Christian Yazdanpanah, public member to the AIA Dallas Board of Directors, shared his views on the value of AIA membership, his thoughts on a changing Dallas, and the importance of volunteering for the profession.

Landscape: The latest issue of Columns dropped this week and focuses on the space between our buildings—our natural assets, our waterways, our parks, and the topology of our terra firma.

Sustainability: Our 2015 North Texas Sustainable Showcase: (re)Fresh & Local was a great success! The conference was co-sponsored by AIA Dallas, USGBC North Texas and CSI Dallas Chapter.

Doghouses: Thursday evening was the launch of the 2015 Bark+ Build Doghouse Design/Build Competition. The kick-off party was hosted by beneficiary, SPCA of Texas in their new home in West Dallas. The competition pits fifteen teams of architects (AIA) and general contractors (TEXO) against each other in the battle of the doghouses to be settled later this fall.

Wheelchairs: The week was rounded out by our Wheelchair for a Day program followed by ADA Awareness Day on Friday celebrating the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Check out the tours and tweets at #ADA25 from the two days of free Continuing Education programming offered by AIA Dallas’ Codes and Standards committee.

Now we all take leave for a well-deserved weekend of rest and relaxation following this whirlwind week. Thanks for your continued support and participation in AIA Dallas, a truly exceptional Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.