President’s Letter
May 2020
Covid-19 has had a massive impact on all of us. Our first concern is, of course, for those whose health is directly affected. Beyond that, the effect on the architectural profession is enormous, and the full consequences are yet to be known. The stresses that many of us are experiencing, both professionally and personally, are challenging indeed.
For the AIA International Region, there are also challenges. However, embedded within these challenges are also some significant opportunities which the Board and I are seeking to maximize.
Before discussing these opportunities I’d like to congratulate and welcome the new IR Board for 2020. There is a tremendous mix of talent and energy from around the globe, and we want to channel that energy to improving your experience with the AIA. Also, a huge thank you to outgoing IR president Thierry Paret. We all build on the work of our predecessors and I’m particular fortunate to be following in Thierry’s footsteps.
Back to our new challenges . . .
Firstly, Covid-19 has forced all of us to work and interact on an electronic basis. This has had the consequence of considerably improving general acceptance of this mode of communication, and in improving everyone’s ability to use the technology. At the IR we want to build on this and develop a significant online platform – this will include standard lectures and symposia, but will also include more interactive and forum-type events. The true value of the AIA is our relationship with each other, and we want to leverage this strength via electronic means as much as we can.
We are working with AIA National and AIAU to develop a seamless electronic platform that allows up to offer recorded sessions for later consumption and CES credit – thereby overcoming some of the timezone issues, and making our great content more widely available.
Given that the AIA International Region has members in more than 100 countries, an electronic infrastructure that connects us all together seems a logical step. If you haven’t done so already, have a look at the virtual events section on the IR website here.
We have had to defer the IR Annual Conference to 2021, where it will still be in Dubai to coincide with the also delayed Dubai Expo. For a conference this year, we will host a virtual conference that will involve all 7 chapters of the IR as well as those members not in chapters. Plans are in early formation, and we look to have the e-conference in the Autumn.
We are delighted to announce the launch of our Country Representative initiative, and we welcome aboard our first Country Reps from Australia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Sri Lanka! We have some fantastic individuals in these roles – check out their bios on the IR website. Once the program settles down, we will look to expand this into other countries. If you are interested in representing your country, please get in touch.
We will host the AIA IR Design Awards again this year, although the judging and awards will be fully electronic. We will probably announce the winners at the IR e-conference in the Autumn. Registration for the awards will open this Summer. Have a look at the Design Awards page on the IR website that has links to all the award winners from 2014-2019 – some superb projects!
Finally, for a bit of fun, we’re experimenting with our first-ever online social event. This will be an open interactive social forum and will happen on Thursday, May 14th – the same day that the International Cocktail Party would have been had A’20 not been cancelled. More details here.
Stay strong, positive, and let’s keep working together!
Lester Korzilius; FAIA, RIBA
AIA International Region; President
lester.korzilius@aiainternational.org
