Blogs

The small firm guide to A'23

By Jeremiah S. Russell AIA posted 04-13-2023
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5 Reasons to attend AIA ’23 for Small Firm Architects: This year we all meet up in San Francisco for the 2023 American Institute of Architect’s National Convention. And just like last year we have come up with the 5 best reasons for you, a small firm architect, to join a few thousand other colleagues on the convention floor. 5. It’s San Francisco - #sunnyand75yearround #reallybigbridge #charlesmansonhouse 4. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - #weallneedthis #becauseitmatters 3. Small Firms Matter - #wearethemajority #theaianeedsus 2. Professional Enrichment and Development - #alltheceus #wellallneedceus #getalltheceus And finally the number one reason ...
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Welcome from the 2023 SFx Chair

By Janet Bloomberg FAIA posted 02-14-2023
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Welcome to AIA SFx 2023! The year ahead looks very exciting, with an energetic group of board members leading the way. It’s our second year with state representatives as part of our network, and we have quite a few new states joining the fold. This increases our overall national footprint and allows us to have a much larger impact around the country. The state representatives – new and continuing – are enthusiastic and motivated, and their contributions to our group will be extremely valuable. Our theme this year is Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), so this will guide our overall goals and initiatives. We’ll discuss strategies for small firms to be more ...
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SFx All-Call resources for small firms

By Bruce T. Fallon AIA posted 09-16-2022
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Each month the SFx Board and SFx State Representatives meet virtually to learn about resources available to help small firms improve their practices. The summaries below describe the topics discussed along with any resources that could be helpful to you in running your firm. To get more information, contact your SFx State Representative . January 2022 On our first call of the year, the AIA Trust shared resources available for small firms. Insurance options including life, liability, business owner, cyber liability, disability, auto, home, healthcare, long term care, travel and pet health insurance. AIA Trust Legal Network where you can ...
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SFx Newsletter - August 2022

By Kathleen McCormick posted 09-15-2022
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From: AIA Small Firm Exchange ( sfx@aia.org ) Subject line : Small Firms Rising Current SFx board members Matt, Venesa, and Darguin hanging out at the A’22 SFx party hosted by Urban Lab. Flex your leadership skills with the AIA Small Firm Exchange Help us increase the influence of small firms within the AIA by volunteering directly for the national Small Firm Exchange as your state’s representative. We are looking for volunteers who want to be a catalyst for change and make a positive impact on the architecture profession. SFx provides lots of opportunities to network with peers, share resources, and advocate for small firms on a ...
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Applying for AIA Fellowship as a Small Firm practitioner

By Janet Bloomberg FAIA posted 07-26-2022
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Fellowship is the highest membership honor you can receive from the AIA, and only approximately 3% of our members are elevated. Therefore, it’s common to feel that your work might not rise to this distinction. As a small firm practitioner, it may seem even more difficult – many believe that Fellowship is more attainable for architects who work for large firms. However, I would say that those who own or work for small firms have some distinct advantages that they may not be aware of. Fellowship is based on the architect’s full career, but it is not an autobiography – you will create a thesis statement and support that thesis. You will not tell all that you’ve ...
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My Startup Firm Story: The Outpost Studio

By Dana L. Ellis AIA posted 03-18-2022
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It was Spring Break 2021 and I had a pile of printed material that I had found and downloaded from the AIA Trust’s website. These included “ Creating and Maintaining a Professional Practice ”, “ Making the Transition to Running Your Own Firm ”, and “ How to Start and Run Your Own Firm ”. I had recently decided to start an Architecture practice with my husband after 12 years with the same firm. I started my professional career with this firm following graduate school. My primary mentors were the two founding principals and I didn’t feel comfortable given the circumstances, to ask them for advice. Instead, I turned to Google and the AIA. The resources ...
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Welcome from the 2022 SFx Chair

By Bruce T. Fallon AIA posted 03-17-2022
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It’s just been a few weeks since we returned from the 2022 Small Firm Exchange (SFx) Annual Board Meeting held in San Diego, California and I couldn’t be more excited about the future and the work of the SFx board for this year. During our meetings, the members of the American Institute of Architects SFx Board met to discuss the needs and issues that affect small architectural firms. In some ways, we left with more questions than answers, but in many ways the trajectory of the AIA Small Firm Exchange is exploding for the new year. As we move forward, our focus is on the mission of the SFx to Advocate, Inform and Share for the growth and benefit of all small ...
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The small firm guide to A'22

By Kathleen McCormick posted 03-15-2022
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A'22 has all the small firm events and educational opportunities for you and your staff to earn HSW, ADA, GBCI, RIBA, and AIA LU credits for the year . Here are five reasons to bring your small firm to Chicago: 5. Chicago Architecture #louissullivan 4. Educational Foundations #ceus 3. Evolution of Practice #notbim 2. Entrepreneur Tactics #getpaid 1. Build Connections with Peers #beer Here is the event short list. Wednesday, June 22 WE103 | 12:00-1:30p | Small Firms: Making the Pivot to a Sustainability-Focused Practice WE210 | 2:00-3:00p | Pay it Forward: the Benefits of Mentorship at All Ages Thursday, June 23 ...
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Current SFx Board

By Matthew Clapper AIA posted 04-28-2021
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2023 SFx Board Table Legend: Bold = Chair / Bold = Executive Committee Representative Email Bart Shaw, FAIA bart@ibanezshaw.com Bruce Fallon, AIA bfallon@wpa-architecture.com Bruce Sekanick, FAIA bruce@phillips-sekanick.com Christian Jordan, AIA cjordan@pjarch.com Dana Ellis, AIA dana@outpoststudioco.com Darguin Fortuna, AIA dfortuna@flow-design-studio.com David Corban, AIA dmc@davidcorban.com Elizabeth Pacheco, AIA epf@fallonpacheco.com Hayley Ruthrauff, AIA hayley@simbiotek.com Heather Philip-O'Neal, AIA honeal@hppinternational.com Janet ...
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Current SFx State Representatives

By Matthew Clapper AIA posted 04-28-2021
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State Representative Email Alabama James A Brown Jr., AIA jbrown@boarchitects.com Alaska VACANT *See Tatyana Arizona Devan Porter, AIA devan.porter@dsp.design Arkansas VACANT *See Jeremiah California Feifei Feng, AIA feifei@momentx.studio Colorado Emily Adams, AIA emily.adams@neoerainc.com Connecticut Karin Patriquin, AIA karin@patriquinarchitects.com Delaware Willard F. Hurd, AIA whurd@footprintarch.com Florida Jason Hagopian, AIA jason@neuv.io Georgia Jordache K Avery, AIA jordache@xmetrical.com Hawaii VACANT *See Bruce F. ...
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2021 Letter from the Chair

By Matthew Clapper AIA posted 01-09-2021
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Happy New Year Everyone, 2020 was a crazy and difficult year for everyone, and the AIA’s Small Firm Exchange (SFx) Member Group was no exception. We plan most of our efforts during an annual, in-person, meeting at the beginning of every year. We were able to hold that meeting in-person in 2020 and then just two weeks later we found ourselves in an entirely new world and our country in lockdown. Just like every other organization last year, we adjusted. We put a focus on creating digital content, articles, webinars, and social media so that small firms across the country would still be provided with resources during these trying times. I want to ...
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The small firm guide to A'20

By Amanda Jennings posted 01-29-2020
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A'20 has all the small firm events and educational opportunities for you and your staff to earn HSW, ADA, GBCI, RIBA, and AIA LU credits for the year . Here are just four of the many reasons to bring your small firm to Los Angeles: Networking We're throwing a party in your honor! Connect with other AIA members from small firms as well as leadership from the AIA Small Firm Exchange (SFx) in the business lounge on the expo floor. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and conversations at the Small Firm Meet Up. Climate action Sustainable design tackles the compounding global challenges of resource availability, water quality, and increasing pollution. It is part ...
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How the Small Firm Exchange enhances your conference experience

By Garett R. Warner AIA posted 12-10-2019
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Most architecture firms have fewer than 10 employees and small firm architects attend Conference at a higher rate than their large firm counterparts. Small firm practitioners can gain a great deal of knowledge and inspiration at each yearly convention and the Small Firm Exchange is focused on ensuring that there are numerous events and educational sessions particularly relevant for small firms. SFx at A'19 Those that did not attend last year’s convention, especially because they did not believe it would be worth their time and effort missed some great events. SFx planned several events for A’19 that not only provided outstanding social gatherings but also ...
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Episode 08: Architects Mickey Jacob, FAIA and Mel Price, AIA

By Jason Tapia AIA posted 11-12-2019
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Episode 07: Architects Chyanne Husar, AIA and Matt Clapper, AIA

By Jason Tapia AIA posted 11-11-2019
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Using the AIA Trust to Stay Competitive in the Hiring Market

By Jason Tapia AIA posted 10-08-2019
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Small Business Challenges In order for a small firm owner to be competitive in a local hiring market, we often find ourselves needing to keep up with the benefits offered by larger firms. I started my office in 2010 and over the years I found I could only afford entry level staff to help me meet my contractual obligations. My strategy was to train young professionals to be able to support the production workload and accelerate their capabilities with intensive one-on-one time. What often occurred, though, was that after 2-3 years the staff member would get a better offer (more money and better benefits) from a larger firm and then leave. By the fourth departure ...
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Earthen Construction as Earthquake Relief: A Case Study in Rebuilding a Rural Nepali Community

By Mark D. English AIA posted 09-10-2019
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“We could never have understood local needs without growing closer to the villagers themselves. Over time, they gave us insight into the most pressing issues of their community. This interplay of local and foreign knowledge was one of the most important aspects of the recovery process.” – Oliver Atwood The following first-person narrative was provided by Oliver Atwood, a recent UVA architecture school graduate and current Mark English architects employee who traveled to Nepal with Conscious Impact to help villagers rebuild after a major earthquake. Using local knowledge and ancient vernacular building techniques, re-purposed for the modern age, Oliver ...
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An SF Designer in Italy: Highlights from Milan Design Week 2019

By Mark D. English AIA posted 09-10-2019
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In early April I crossed the Atlantic to attend this year’s annual Design Week in Milan, Italy. It didn’t take much convincing when I first shared the idea with Mark — he immediately recognized the trip’s potential to inspire the team and replenish our materials library with Europe’s finds. In early April I crossed the Atlantic to attend this year’s annual Design Week in Milan, Italy. It didn’t take much convincing when I first shared the idea with Mark — he immediately recognized the trip’s potential to inspire the team and replenish our materials library with Europe’s finds. Bocci Cluster Pendant Light with Multi-color Hand-blown Globes ...
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Zack/deVito Architecture: Designers and Master Builders

By Mark D. English AIA posted 09-10-2019
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“I like to make things. You can do things structurally with metal that you can’t do with other building materials. Steel is strong, so you need less of it, less bulk, to create a structure. It’s about tinkering, and paring down… how slender can I make this piece of steel and still have it work? Working with stairs, the question is, can I make a particular structural element any smaller?” – Jim Zack “When you become the client, you realize how hard it is to be a client. Working on our own homes has given me a lot more empathy for the role of the client. When you live in your own projects… you get a heightened understanding of where things should go, and how ...
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AIA Contract Documents - What small firms need to know

By Amanda Jennings posted 08-30-2019
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The AIA Contract Documents program has made some significant changes in the last few years, including the migration from the desktop product to the new online service, the addition of new and updated documents and an abundance of both document and product education. Document options There are two product options that allow the legal terms of the documents to be edited: Customizable single document and Unlimited-use 1-year access. Both allow you to edit the document’s legal language, share and track changes, a custom clause library, and the ability to create custom document templates. The difference is that while both versions allow unlimited drafts, ...
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