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The Young Architects Forum (YAF), a program of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the College of Fellows (COF), is organized to address issues of particular importance to recently licensed architects.

FAQ: What is a young architect and what is an emerging professional? Young architects are architects licensed up to ten years of initial licensure, and the name does not have any relationship to age. Emerging professionals are professionals who have completed their academic studies up to the point of licensure or up to 10 years after completion of their academic studies. Although young architects are now defined as distinct from emerging professionals, many components refer to these groups similarly. For example, a local YAF group may include emerging professionals and a local Emerging Professionals Committee may include young architects.

Defining Architects as Experts

  • 1.  Defining Architects as Experts

    Posted 12-01-2014 05:55 PM
    This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Young Architects Forum and Repositioning the Architect .
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    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 ------------------------------------------- Mike Mense FAIA Owner mmenseArchitects Anchorage AK -------------------------------------------