AIA Hong Kong presented 2020 Honors and Awards to five projects on November 12. The jurors selected projects that promote a sustainable, diverse, and inclusive community, advocating for change and positive impacts on our society. The only Honor Award this year was for the HKFYG PH2 Tai Po Youth Hostel for design excellence in promoting low-income housing and acting as an inspiring incubator. The Chapter also revived the Architecture Firm Award. This award has not been made since 2004 and was presented this year to Ronald Lu & Partners for their contribution to the profession and to the community at large.

AIA Japan hosted an online lecture by Brian Lee, FAIA on October 15 as its 8th online event this year. Brian Lee, currently a consulting partner at SOM, presented some of his most notable projects in all scales, domestic and international.

Overview

Architects from 27 countries formed the International Union of Architects in 1948. Their purpose: to unify the profession, influence policies shaping buildings and communities, and advance society through architecture and urban design.

Today, with some 130 national member sections, the UIA is the only global organisation representing the world’s 3.2 million architects.

The AIA International Region Conference held November 17-21 is now available on demand. There are more than 50 different events available for continuing education credits. To view the full line-up, see https://www.aiainternational.org/virtual-conference-schedule

Dear Colleagues,

The AIA International Region Virtual Conference has been a resounding success! We had nearly 3,000 registrants from 90 different countries who enjoyed more than 50 superb presentations. The breadth and quality was truly outstanding. Many people have said it was the best AIA event, live or online, that they had ever attended! The event only happened because of a concerted global effort, and the energy and enthusiasm were fantastic. This shows the amazing possibilities of what we can achieve when we work together. All of the conference sessions are available on-demand [here] and are eligible for continuing education credits.

This summer, we launched the first ever AIA Canada Honor and Merit Design Awards and AIA Canada Student Award “New Talent Discovery of the Year”. Submissions closed on September 30th, 2020.

AIA Continental Europe continues to spotlight our Corporate Partners. We are happy to present here the latest episode of ABB's Frozen Music video series.

The AIA IR is in full-flow getting ready for the Virtual Conference on Nov 17-21. It is fantastic to see the energy and passion that is being put into it by so many people! The range of speakers and topics is phenomenal. Speakers include B.V. Doshi, Moshe Safdie, Jeanne Gang, Jan Gehl, Sandra Barclay, Annabelle Seldorf, and many others. Please register today and be part of it!

The AIA International Practice Committee (IPCAG) is a standing committee charged by the AIA Board of Directors to monitor global practice and related governmental policies that impact international practice.

AIA Middle East Design Awards Program

In a world undergoing tremendous change accelerated by a global pandemic of unprecedented scale, the human assault on the environment continues to place future generations in jeopardy. Architects must once more reinforce efforts towards designing sustainable built environments at all scales, especially in an increasingly digitizing & automating world.

Thank you for supporting our Honors and Awards Program. Despite the unprecedented challenges we are all facing this year, we are pleased to see many of you invested time and effort into preparing an outstanding collection of entries. This year, we received almost same number of submissions as we did in 2019, an inspiring testament to the industry's recognition of the AIA Hong Kong award.

The annual AIA UK Bike Tour is a well-attended affair, and this year was no exception. Local designers joined tour leader, architect and historian, Ben O’Looney, for an 8-hour excursion along the Thames to learn about flood mitigation strategies, industrial conservation and new developments along its length.

Contribute to a more respectful, effective, and efficient culture by understanding, exercising, and protecting an individual’s right to a sexual-harassment-free workplace in the state of Illinois.

The 2020 Annual Meeting of the members of the AIA International Region will take place Wednesday, November 18, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. (U.S. Eastern Standard Time) by electronic means. The meeting will be conducted for the purpose of electing the Secretary whose term will commence in 2021 and expire at the end of 2022; for receiving the annual reports of the Board and the Treasurer; and for the transaction of such other business as may be appropriate.

The AIA International Region board has completed a round of interviews with candidates standing for positions on the AIA National board. Led by Thierry Paret, our Immediate Past President, this was a valuable opportunity to get the candidates’ thoughts on a number of issues affecting the International Region.

Unfortunately, with the recent resurgence of the coronavirus our summer party and building tours planned for July and August must be rescheduled to later in the year.

Some of our webinar highlights during the second quarter were: Hello Fellow with Moira Moser, Co-X series on Co-living and Co-working, and Architecture as Vision: A Conversation with Tod Williams & Billie Tsien.

The last months have been very successful for the AIA IR, as we have been able to bring in new Country Representatives and Regional Representatives around the World, to work on behalf of our Unassigned Members. I would like to welcome them, and introduce them to you!

Greetings from AIA Canada!

In response to COVID-19, the AIA Canada Board of Directors is in the process of updating the organizational strategic plan, and reviewing priorities for the next 12 to 18 months.

At the end of April, the Chapter contacted RAIC for a first-step planning meeting to discuss opportunities for the RAIC conference, June 6-9, 2021 in Montreal.

In solidarity with the surge of support for the BLM movement following George Floyd's death, the AIA UK issued a Board Statement on Systemic Racial Injustice. Equity, Diversity & Inclusion are integral to the mission of the board. To forefront these issues, the board created an EDI chair and contact; for further information, please email edi@aiauk.org.