Welcome!

Welcome AIA International Region members and guests!  We have an outstanding conference prepared for you, and I hope that you can participate in many of the sessions, either live or on-demand. 

Like everyone else, the International Region has been affected by the global pandemic, and we have had to find new ways of connecting and developing meaningful interaction.  This conference is one of the fruits of this search.  You will see that we have a breath-taking array of speakers, panellists, and projects from every corner of the globe.  The theme of this conference is ‘Catalyzing Change’ with an emphasis on climate action, social justice, and health & well-being.  You will see the different ways that sessions address these themes, reflecting specific circumstances in each country.  

The AIA International Region has members in more than 100 countries.  We thrive on this diversity and the creativity and energy this gives us.  It has been wonderful to watch the creative power of so many people around the globe working together to build this conference.  It is genuinely humbling to see the fantastic results we achieve when we work together.   Together we are much more than the sum of our parts. 

Our seven chapters in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, the Middle East, Shanghai, and Canada are all active and vibrant hives of activity providing meaningful interaction and benefit to their members.  You will see evidence of this in the breadth and quality of their presentations during this conference. 

We now have representatives in 18 countries or regions outside of the seven international chapters.  This group, led by board members John Hong and Jose Salinas, have made an impressive start in connecting our membership around the globe and integrating them into the AIA architectural community that makes AIA membership so valuable. 

We have partnered with RIBA Sri Lanka on the Women in Architecture and Design portion of this conference.  Nela de Zoysa and Roshun Meezan have assembled an outstanding roster of speakers.  The journey that these speakers have travelled in achieving their success is fascinating and gives a remarkable insight into the fabulous projects they will be presenting. 

The AIA has among its membership the Honorary Fellows, some of whom you will hear speak at this conference.  These architects represent some of the best architectural designers in the world, and the AIA is indeed fortunate to have them as members. 

The IR Design Awards will also be presented during this conference.  Because of the virtual format, we’ve increased the time each of the winners present their projects and give a ‘mini-building tour’.  As I’m sure you’ll agree, there are some amazing projects.  Don’t miss it! 

I’d like to thank conference chair Amrita Raja, AIA who is an IR board member and past AIA UK president. Thanks also to Genie Khmelnitski, a member of the IR staff.  Without their efforts this conference would not have happened. 

Finally, thank you to our continuing sponsors AECOM, American Hardwood Export Council, the ASI Group, Dow, TNG North Glass, and Informa.  Thanks also to event sponsor Warm Frame.  Please consider them for your next project.

If you would like to get involved with the AIA International Region, please contact me directly at my email address below.

Lester Korzilius, FAIA, RIBA
AIA International Region
President
lester.korzilius@aiainternational.org

On behalf of the AIA International Region Conference Committee, I wish you a warm welcome to the first AIA IR Virtual Conference: Catalyzing Change. Our over 50 talks, virtual tours and panel discussions this week, made available at no cost thanks to the support of our sponsors, address the three key challenges facing our design community and our planet: climate change, social injustice and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.  

The onset of the pandemic in early 2020 had us all recalibrating how we travel and gather. While we may not be able to meet en masse in a new city at this year’s conference, this event, in taking place virtually and being made available both live and on-demand, will be accessible to an even wider, more diverse audience and will expand our dialogue to include representatives from across the globe. Unencumbered by the constraints and costs of air travel, we have been able to gather speakers whose work locally has significance around the world, from the informal settlements of South Africa to the urban megapoleis of China, and beyond. Through keynote lectures by renowned Futurists and esteemed Honorary Fellows of the AIA, a lecture series by fifteen women at the forefront of architecture and design, and numerous talks from our incredible colleagues and leaders in the International Region, the conference seeks to answer the question ever present on our minds: how do we find our way to the other side of our multi-layered global crisis?  

This conference would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of the International Region Board and Conference Committee, the leadership of our seven Chapters, the many Country Representatives representing our Unassigned Members, and the leadership of the RIBA Sri Lanka. They have my most sincere gratitude for their work over the last year to bring this conference to fruition.  

Our speakers are all working to use their considerable talents to improve the quality of life for our fellow citizens through strategic interventions in the built environment. I hope in their stories you find insight, inspiration, and impetus for becoming a catalyst for change. 

Amrita Raja, AIA
AIA International Region
Director & Conference Committee Chair
amrita.raja@aiainternational.org