Letter from 2018 Chair
It is my great pleasure to serve as the chair of the American Institute of Architects Committee on Design for 2018. In addition to the ongoing work of the Committee including a focus on Firm Awards and Gold Medal recommendations, and recommendations for Honorary Fellows, we have been busy planning the two conferences for the year.
Building on the recent successes of conferences held in Portland, Oregon; Havana, Cuba; Austin, Texas; and St. Petersburg, Russia, plans are now in place for conferences that will be held in Vancouver, Canada in May and Santiago and Valparaiso, Chile in October 2018. Approximately 100 persons attend these conferences and the attendees include architects from all areas of practice and firms of different sizes. The goals of the conferences are to celebrate design, learn from scholars, and become more familiar with the locations and the driving influences of design and culture.
The Vancouver Conference
The Vancouver Conference will take place between May 17 – 20, 2018. The conference hotel is the Pan Pacific located on the scenic waterfront of Vancouver. Thursday, May 17 will be the opening reception followed by dinner on your own. The schedules for Saturday and Sunday include exploration of the central business district including Library Square and Vancouver Public Library by Moshe Safdie Associates and DA Architects+Planners, One Wall Centre by Busby + Associates, the Law Courts designed by Arthur Erickson, the Scotia Dance Center by Stantec/Erickson, the Vancouver Convention Center West and Harbor Green Park by LMN Architects and DA Architects+Planners.
The tours will also include the University of British Columbia where we will see the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts by Bing Thom Architect, the Liu Institute for Global Issues by Stantec/Erickson, the Belkin Art Gallery by Peter Cardew Architect, the Michael Smith Laboratories by Henriques Partners, the Beaty Biodiversity Centre, designed by Patkau, the Langara Student Union designed by Teeple Architects, the Sunset Community Centre by Bing Thom, One Pacific by IBI/HB, the Earth Sciences Building by Perkins +Will, the Center of Interactive Research and Sustainability, also by Perkins +Will.
The tours will be led by architects familiar with the design aspirations with each building. The conference will also include presentations by planners involved with the developments.
The annual meeting of the COD will be held on Saturday evening. This event will include dinner and the member’s slide show, always a great opportunity to see the design efforts of fellow members of the COD.
The conference is in planning stages and more details will be provided as they become available. Vancouver is a spectacular city with great architecture, including Vancouver House under construction, designed by BIG and scheduled to open in 2018. Please join the COD for what is shaping up to be an exceptional conference in one of the great North American cities!
The Santiago and Valparaiso, Chile Conference
For many years, the COD has had great interest in traveling to South America to visit historical centers of importance and to visit the work of Contemporary Architects. The time is right to visit Chile, where architecture and design has an increased importance and is being recognized globally. The tour is being organized by Geo Darder of Copperbridge who many will remember was in charge of the exceptional tour to Havana. The trip to Chile is tentatively scheduled for October 19 – 27, 2018. The current plans will have us spending four days in Santiago and 3 days in Valparaiso.
The program will include tours of many iconic buildings including those of the Art Deco period. There will be lectures by Chilean specialists as well as great opportunities to explore the Chilean culture, including art and music and don’t forget food! We have identified many significant buildings to visit and an exploratory trip to visit the specific venues is scheduled for mid-November.
The Chile conference plans to be an exceptional opportunity to engage with the historical past as well as the dynamic face of today’s architecture. Please check back for further details but mark your calendars now for this event that is not to be missed!
George H. Miller, FAIA
2018 COD Chair