Report from AIA AAJ Fall Conference 2019: San Diego, CA
Plenary Lunch, Keynote Speaker, Two Sessions and a Missed Tour Bus
By: Emilia Cabeza de Baca
This year’s AAJ was my first. I am a young architect focusing on Justice/Civic work in Olympia and Seattle, Washington and was one of three recipients of an emerging professional scholarship. This was an incredible opportunity. I immediately felt like I was around change makers who weren’t afraid of taking on big challenges. When I got home, I chatted with colleagues and peers in and around justice design about what we can do to demonstrate justice.
Two sessions that were particularly interesting to me were “Community Engagement and the Continuum of Care” and “Where Justice Resides: Designing Public Buildings for Justice and Fairness”. Community Engagement and the Continuum of Care was presented Thursday 24th, 11am. The event was described thusly: Alternatives to incarceration and community support mechanisms have a tremendous impact on reducing recidivism. Providing effective treatment options and suitable treatment environments are critical to providing the foundation for behavioral health treatment.
It was made clear how the engagement of committed teammates across disciplines creates a dynamic and productive network. What I appreciated most about this session was how it oriented the architect among the team and explicitly clarified how architects can make the most beneficial impact to their team (Remembering the Power of Vision, Identify Implications of decisions, Challenge Assumptions accepted as rules of thumb or common practice, and Thinking Like a Visionary to stretch and grow).
The Friday 25th Plenary Lunch given by, Judge Celeste F. Bremer was entitled: Where Justice Resides: Designing Public Buildings for Justice and Fairness. This judge is described as:
“…passionate about public architecture, and how it creates or reduces stress. Through her work on a variety of Court projects, she has taken to heart the adage that she believes: good design does not have to cost more, and promotes good stewardship of projects in addition to championing good design solutions to complex program issues…She is an unwavering vocal advocate of good design, and a frequent author and speaker on how courthouse design influences its occupants and impacts community involvement in the justice system.”
Amidst her hilarious presentation of her experience and advice for justice architects, Justice Bremer offered a reminder that “justice can happen in a tent,'' meaning the building itself is less important than what the building provides. Ideally, a courthouse would be public, and its users would support each other’s right to justice. Symbols like ionic columns, dark walnut, and blindfolded Justice can uphold antiquated interpretations of justice that can be off-putting or minimizing to the individual.
She also posed a few provocative questions of the audience:
- Who owns justice?
- How is justice shown?
- In the next 6 months, what are you going to do to demonstrate justice? If not now, when? If not you, who?
Early in the conference, I had the privilege of chatting with Shelly Zimmerman, retired San Diego Police Chief (Narcotics, Internal Affairs, Crime Analysis and Multi-Cultural Community Relations offices). Chief Zimmerman helped develop S.M.A.R.T. program (San Diego Misdemeanants At Risk Track), which safely diverts chronic misdemeanor offenders, particularly those who are otherwise resistant to intervention, to a case manager and offered individualized treatment through Family Health Centers of San Diego and community based supportive housing. Her vision and dedication to innovative peacekeeping was inspiring. She, as have many other public safety and criminal justice professionals I have met in my brief time practicing helped to disrupt my own biases based on worst-case stories about police. Chief Zimmerman reminded me that these professionals are committing their lives to doing the right thing, they are not our enemies, they are first responders.
I wrote a case study of the facility leading up to the conference, but unfortunately missed the bus by a few minutes. My post, entitled “AIA AAJ Conference 2019: Las Colinas Women’s Detention and Re-entry Facility: Normative and Trauma-Informed Design, human rights, opportunities for gender-responsive practice” can be found on AAJ KnowledgeNet. In conversation, visitors remarked that while the facility was generally beautiful, concerns over wayfinding, ligature, and Prison Rape Elimination Act issues (views) were voiced. All buildings are works in progress, and it will be interesting to see how the facility adapts to these challenges.
The conference was so inspiring and motivating- it’s an incredible feeling to be surrounded by strangers who understanding something so important to you. The energy from conversations and involvement in activities was incredibly motivating. I would have liked to have more justice-involved individuals present, as their perspective is arguable the most valuable if evidence and knowledge-based change is to be made.
Moving forward with my own work I will recall several great case studies of innovative community justice models that I will be sharing with clients on current projects. More importantly, I will recall a valuable reminder that I received on the first day of the conference and thought back to throughout the week- design for neurodiversity. Considerations for justice-involved youth and adults who are not neuro-typical have been overlooked or exploited in justice settings since their creation, but moving into and beyond the 21st century means providing culturally competent support and resources to individuals at these pivotal moments in their lives to enable, rather than disable, productive futures.
When I come back to the conference in 2020, I hope to share stories about successful work-release expansion project across Washington State, small-town jail needs assessments that gives counties justice services and facilities they desperately need, and to bring colleagues who have become more passionate about revolutionizing places of justice.
Emilia Cabeza de Baca is an Architectural Associate at KMB architects focusing on Justice/Civic work in Olympia and Seattle, Washington