Housing and Community Development

  • 1.  Huffington Post coverage of Housing Awards

    Posted 04-17-2015 09:25 AM
    This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Custom Residential Architects Network and Housing Knowledge Community .
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    Hi all -

    Passing along the first-ever coverage of the Housing Awards that ran on the Huffington Post Home section:


    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/16/most-beautiful-homes-2015_n_7079048.html?utm_hp_ref=huffpost-home&ir=HuffPost+Home

    Please share via social media channels and pass along to anyone that you think might have an interest.

    thanks!

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    Scott Frank
    Sr. Director, Media Relations
    The American Institute of Architects
    Washington DC
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  • 2.  RE: Huffington Post coverage of Housing Awards

    Posted 04-20-2015 06:36 PM
    I strongly suggest and sincerely hope that all AIA leaders, members, jurors and jury selectors read the comments on this Huffington Post online article. An overwhelming majority of them are negative and some of them imply that poor design is symptomatic of all architects. Yes, Huffington Post online commentators are only a subset of the entire American populace--the sample is probably skewed a little toward the more highly educated and affluent, if anything. If we had a true representative sample of Americans responding to these photos of this year's award-winning housing, the comments would be even more negative. It would be convenient to dismiss the comments as mere trolling but in reality they appear to be well-reasoned and persuasive, almost without exception.

    If our job is to respond to American culture and taste, we are failing. If our job is to lead American culture and taste, we are still failing.

    In terms of public opinion of AIA members and architects in general, we would be considered more relevant, in-touch and valuable if the AIA had no housing awards program at all.

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    Sean Catherall AIA
    Senior Project Manager
    DAVE ROBINSON ARCHITECTS
    Salt Lake City UT
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  • 3.  RE: Huffington Post coverage of Housing Awards

    Posted 04-21-2015 02:07 PM
     "One/Two Family Production Housing, for which there were no winners this year"

    It saddens me that the AIA could award no winners in the Single Family Multi-Family Production Housing Category! I have to think that either there were few or no entries (Why bother?) or that the jury felt even the best examples in the country do not meet the avant-garde agenda of the AIA. It shows how completely out of touch the AIA is with (one of) the largest sectors of construction in the country! Surely there are examples of well designed production (spec) homes that show attention to detail and craft, while appealing to a main stream audience? Why could these not be sought out and promoted? And while the projects that did win awards display a high degree of design excellence, it is also sad that a more style diverse palette was not selected. This represents a HUGE missed opportunity to connect the profession with the public for the AIA!





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    Edward Shannon AIA
    Architect
    Imprint Architects
    Des Moines IA
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