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The Interior Architecture Knowledge Community (IAKC) is committed to advancing the practice of Interior Architecture by providing its membership with resources to elevate their professional practice and design excellence. We serve to facilitate a national dialogue that addresses a range of key issues, including innovative design and programming, the incorporation of sustainable materials and technologies, and the social, cultural, and spatial impact of architecture on human experience. IAKC seeks to address national issues with regional sensitivity, providing a platform for its membership to share knowledge, gain expertise, and form collaborative relationships with industry peers and allied partners. Join us!

Interior Architecture Committee @ the National Convention in Denver June 20-23, 2013

By Annie Chu FAIA posted 08-15-2013 12:05 AM

  

The Interior Architecture Committee presented two sessions at the Convention this year:

The AIA Interior Architecture Annual Round Table  (EV309) and Interior Excellence: Leading by Design (FR300) both on Friday during the convention.

  • The Round Table event was moderated by co-chairs Mary Burke, Liz Peterson, and committee members Janet Sager and Annie Chu. The event attracted fewer participants than in 2012, as concurrent events were abundant during Friday. The first comment from the audience came from an architect who teaches interior design at the college level. She issued a challenge for architects to re-examine the curricula of architecture schools for their lack of interior architecture subject matter presented as part of the education of architects. There were quite a few consenting voices from members who stated that what they know about interiors they learned it in practice; although there was one member who was emphatic that he learned interior subjects as part of his undergraduate architectural education, and did not see any lack in the curriculum.

     

    There was a general concern for the perceived status of members who primarily practice interior architecture vs those who are primarily shell and core architects.  This has been an ongoing reported perception since the committee began tracking it via our 2010 membership survey.  The acknowledgement of the need to promote the interior architecture as a discipline with its own specific body of knowledge seemed to have resonance with most attendees.

    A straw poll taken at the Round Table indicated an upward trend in business outlook for interior architecture, but a currently spotty climate where some firms are busy while others are not robust.

    We were also joined by John Czernaki, editor of Contract Magazine who will be working on curating session speakers for the 2014 AIA Convention in Chicago.

    The Committee met after the session and subsequently at the Knowledge Leadership Assembly to take stock of the quality of the Round Table discussions.  They decided to agendize future Round Table with a provocative presentation ahead of the Q&A sessions for greater structure and more robust content.

  • The Interior Excellence session analyzed the winning projects of the 2013 AIA Honor Awards for Interior Architecture to identify current and evolving issues in design and to recognize the merits of an award-winning project. The panel was assembled by Interior Architecture Committee 2010 Chair Annie Chu, and included Susan Szenasy, editor-in-chief of Metropolis Magazine as moderator for two members of the 2013 jury: Ron McCoy - University Architect at Princeton University, Andrew Wells – Dake|Wells architecture in Springfield, and Annie Chu – Chu+Gooding Architects in Los Angeles and 2003 AIA Honor Awards for Interior Architecture jury member.

    The following key themes guided the presentation:

    Interior Architecture – a Distinct Discipline

    Wellness and Welfare of Occupants

    Repurposing Buildings

    Places of Gathering

    Evolving an Architectural Legacy

    Expression of Craft – both Analog and Digital

    Expanding Role of the Architect

    The participation from the audience with the speakers after the presentation was robust and led to discussions about adaptive reuse, the impact of architecture on wellness and health, the role of architectural history, canon for interior architecture, craft and projections for the future of design.

  • Repositioning was a subject very much in the air during the entire convention, as architects and colleagues reaffirms the value of architects and of ways to communicate that to the public and even to our own diverse membership. Two of our five attending committee members: Mary Burke – current co-chair and Janet Sager are both repositioning ambassadors for the AIA. If you have any questions about this paradigm changing initiative, feel free to contact them to discuss the subject. Also check out aia.org/foresight in your search engine for a Pentagram designed Trends Report affecting your practice available as part of your membership.

     

  • Recent statistics recognize 91% of architecture firms employ less than 20 people. Acknowledging this majority, there were quite a few sessions that begin to address the concerns of those smaller firms. At the Award Winning BIM session (TH408), where only 9% of the audience were women, one of the subject of discussion was about how BIM use is being promoted to the smallest firms, consultants, contractors and owners. The audience was clearly enthusiastic for small firms BIM use. An audience member asked if it is possible at some point soon to consider BIM for interior architecture projects and how bimSCORE can be made applicable. At the Architects as Civic Leaders session(SA204), small firm leaders also added the architectural profession’s voice to varying size communities.

     

  • Firm of the Year session was presented by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien who offered an intimate view into their values, design attitudes and firm culture by showing seven recent projects. The following video link to Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects will give you a peek into how they create their materially meticulous work http://t.co/rADz17R4a5

Billie Tsien said “we work on interiors because we live our lives in interiors’ and Tod Williams spoke of the phenomenal qualities of spaces.  For more excerpts from their session, see tweets from @AIAInterior during June 21st https://twitter.com/AIAInterior  

  • One key point made by Billie Tsien at the acceptance ceremony of the AIA Firm Award was a moving declaration that the Architecture profession is a belief to be of service, done with love and a potential to be noble, which our committee member Janet Sager promptly termed ‘radical generosity’ and circling back to some of the values discussed for the repositioning of the AIA.

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