With sadness I see and read most of this discussion - post.
As everyone can see, I'm an International Associate, which means I'm not in the USA.
But I can tell you my vision of your "new" problem, the one we suffer for years here in Chile. Here we have a lot of Architectural Schools, from each one every year graduates near 80 architects (the same you call designers), and unfortunately here our Architects Association doesn't have any interest in regulate that, so all of these newly-unexperienced recently graduates come to the market and offer cheaper, mediocre and inadequate services. By law our Association can do a thing (they doesn't have interest too) about this, by contrary AIA has something like law enforcement and counselling, even they do something like lobby or pressure over congress to get some laws or initiatives. Why don't make some pressure to regulate this issue with a law, by the congress?
We architects pay a considerable amount of taxes(we help the state to get more taxes too) & insurances, we even create a large amount of employment....why the STATE doesn't protect us (you, not me)?
Ok.....I'm boring and my English isn't the best.............I know that
An IDEA to end this post......why if AIA gives us(I'm AIA too) a stamp or seal to put on our drawings plans and technical specs?
We pay our annual fee, and we receive our magazine (I only receive two or three in the whole year, don't know why), by the way, it's a very good magazine (congrats to everyone in their editorial committee)....why the AIA doesn't complement tis with a stamp?
I would love-like to have my own seal, isn't expensive right?
Maybe this Christmas I'm going to buy a custom made AIA seal for me as a gift....besides I'm the loneliest AIA in Chile (I believe).
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Rodrigo Godoy Alcarraz
Intl. Assoc. AIA
Associate NZIA
partner - architect
EcoDiseño Sustentable
Santiago, Chile
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2014 23:40
From: John Onken
Subject: the future of architecture and the AIA
I'm sorry to throw water on the embers of one's passion, but Pleaaaaase!
Yet another group/manifesto/vision quest trying to give architects a protected/special place in the world. If a doctor says 'take this pill' to fix your whatever, you say 'yes Doctor, you're the professional.' If an architect (specialist in human and environmental interaction) says,' put your sofa in that corner as I'm the expert in this kind of thing,' no doubt you'll say I would rather have it in the other corner. Same goes for kitchen design, the size of your lecture hall, the color of your cladding, and the shape of your roof.
Everyone is an architect, by this definition. So let the AIA stay with it's mission of ensuring that if we spend 7 years in training for this glorious yet amorphous role, we get paid the most of everyone. And that nobody else gets to call themselves 'architect' as flimsy as that term seems to be. And carve out extra places for our trained abilities rather than miss them (such as Design Thinking and allowing the public to think that LEED is a better qualification than AIA).
Rant over.
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John Onken Intl. Assoc. AIA
Director
John Onken Architects Limited
Menlo Park CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-02-2014 13:48
From: Mike Mense
Subject: the future of architecture and the AIA
I suppose some of you will think this is an inappropriate use of this medium. Sorry to those. Others I hope will realize that design is at the center of this conversation.
December 1, 2014
Dear Colleagues
Doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, they all have a clearly stated purpose. The public may not always be happy hiring them, but there is no mystery about the need to do so.
Architects? They are the EXPERTS about the relationship between humans and the built environment. Although we must never give up our devotion to art, the guiding principle for designers of architecture should be "EVERYTHING FOR A REASON, ARTFULLY DONE".
Simple enough? Actually no. In the past ten years, many of the finest minds in our profession have expressed fierce opposition to defining themselves in this way. I have yet to encounter a compelling objection. Some say that the body of knowledge necessary to establish this expertise will limit our creativity. Some caution about the liability that flows from claiming to be such an EXPERT. Others claim that the statement is either empty of meaning, entirely too ambiguous or already the case.
The AIA repositioning effort is an acknowledgment of the need for the profession of architecture, and the AIA, to evolve. The AIA Culture Collective (AIACC) is charged with making creative contributions to the repositioning effort. It is a one year effort that will conclude in April of 2015. Send an email to communications@aia.org for more general information about AIACC. AIACC has the following subcommittees.
Influence and Prosperity
Emerging Firm Culture
Emerging Knowledge
Exemplary Public Outreach
Communications
Blue Sky
Group 7
Group 7 was founded to foster a meaningful, need I say reasonable, discussion of whether we should define ourselves as experts in the relationship between humans and the built environment. This discussion may lead to an ongoing effort to determine the implications of adopting such a definition and possibly one or more resolutions to be presented to the AIA National Convention in 2016.
Humankind's future quality of life will be directly correlated with the extent to which architects effectively design that future. Our ability to do that will be greatly increased if we can genuinely clarify our value to the public
Please join this conversation. Should we, can we, be those experts? Will it strengthen our position in our communities? How can we become those experts? How might our practices and education evolve as a result?
How can we influence the AIA to move in this direction?
For more information about Group 7, send me an email and I will send you the documents we have produced to date. Also, if you would like to comment on the Group 7 proposition, please send it to me and I will share it with Group 7 members, AIACC and the AIA Repositioning Knowledge Community (with your approval).
Thank you for your attention.
Mike Mense FAIA
mmenseArchitect Anchorage Alaska
member of the AIA Culture Collective
founder of Group 7
mike@mmense.com
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Mike Mense FAIA
Owner
mmenseArchitects
Anchorage AK
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