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AIA Washington DC Challenges Architects to be Connectors

By A. Lira V. Luis posted 06-18-2015 01:53 PM

  
Architects are some of the misunderstood professionals in society. The general public's perception of architects as heroes and lovers, designing unusually luxurious modernist buildings while acting like brash individualists such as Howard Roark (in The Fountainhead) are results of the interpretations dictated by other industries such as film and television.

An architect is more than the image portrayed in Hollywood movies or even pretending to be one like George Costanza's character in Seinfeld. That's why one of the top 5 largest AIA Components nationwide, the AIA Washington DC Chapter, has stepped up to engage the general public about the value of good design and great architecture. Its 2015 Chapter President Steve White, AIA, is focusing on connecting with each other, one's community, other AIA Components, affiliated organizations in the building industry, and the public in general. In a series of video segments called "Prez Connects", Steve highlights the ways architects are connecting and challenging others to do the same.

At the AIA National Convention in Atlanta, Steve connected with the Leapfrog Project founder and collaborator Lira Luis, AIA, RIBA, LEED AP BD+C about its initiative to connect with extreme natural disaster survivors and help rebuild cities decimated by category 5 typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). Check it out:


Find out more about Prez Connects: https://youtu.be/S0s4WOhwYpk


About the Leapfrog Project

The Leapfrog Project is an initiative that helps extreme natural disaster survivors rebuild with resilience.
it exists to create general public benefit with positive impact on society and the environment through consulting, technical, and advisory services. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/b/66777#sthash.kyjXzsMz.dpuf
it exists to create general public benefit with positive impact on society and the environment through consulting, technical, and advisory services. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/b/66777#sthash.kyjXzsMz.dpuf
it exists to create general public benefit with positive impact on society and the environment through consulting, technical, and advisory services. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/b/66777#sthash.kyjXzsMz.dpuf
it exists to create general public benefit with positive impact on society and the environment through consulting, technical, and advisory services. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/b/66777#sthash.kyjXzsMz.dpuf
It exists to create general public benefit with positive impact on society and the environment. It is a grant recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and a finalist in the Chase $2-Million Mission Main Street Grants Program for 2015.


About AIA | DC


AIA|DC advances the value of architecture for our members, our profession, and our community. Founded in 1887, the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects serves the Nation's Capital, functioning as both the "local" and "state" component of the AIA for the District of Columbia. The Chapter was intimately involved in the design and planning of Washington, and continues to play an active role in city development today.



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07-29-2015 09:28 AM

Very interesting project. Are the spheres intended to roll around? Are they stabilized somehow? They seem a little like foreign objects dropped into the debris landscapes shown in some on the renderings. How did folks respond to the pilot you built on-site?