Housing and Community Development

This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Small Project Practitioners and Housing Knowledge Community .
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Actually, the dues paid to AIA National are relatively  reasonable compared to the Boston Society of Architects to which I'm forced to belong by dint of geography.

Despite the fact that meetings in Boston, 40 miles and 90 minutes away are nearly impossible to attend anymore, BSA has the audacity to be among the most expensive components in the nation at more than 2x the national dues. To make matters worse parking in Boston runs close to $50 a trip! Public transportation in the Boston area, a well known joke, is not an option unless you wish to devote the entire workday to travel for a 1 hour meeting.

Looking at the extent of the threads of this discussion I'm left wondering if anyone at national reads this blog or even cares. Both BSA and AIA national seem to exist to fluff their greater glory. One shining example is the new "BSA Space". Very swank downtown Boston Waterfront location, very expensive build out and barely accessible to the majority of members without a vast expenditure of hydrocarbons.

We all are facing the same issue. We and our 19th century organization are the last monumentalists in a virtualizing world. Imagine the impact if the funds used to house our bureaucrat-itects were spent on a serious public education project. The world is changing. Will architects make the cut?

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John Dugger AIA
Principal Architect
J S Dugger, AIA & Associates
Gloucester MA
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Hi John,

We at AIA National do read and monitor the discussion forums. However, because AIA KnowledgeNet was designed to be a member to member website for discussion, sharing resources, networking, etc., we do generally do not participate in any of the conversations on the site. The exceptions would be when we are addressing a specific question directed to staff or if we notice a violation of the site's code of conduct.

Thank you for your feedback.


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Tamzin Howerton
Manager, Knowledge Communities
The American Institute of Architects
Washington DC
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This is an example of the divide between the AIA National leadership and the AIA members: a layer of middle-level manager cops hired by the leadership to interface with members without authority to be part of the group nor to speak on behalf of the leadership. If "the AIA is us", then this forum belongs to us, not to the middle-level managers who "monitor" and step in to correct us. This is one reason why "we" are not the AIA, why "we" feel like second class citizens of the organization "we" pay to represent us and why "we" feel like "we" are fighting for change from the outside in.

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Sean Catherall AIA
Herriman UT
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-18-2013 16:59
From: Tamzin Howerton
Subject: Dues

Hi John,

We at AIA National do read and monitor the discussion forums. However, because AIA KnowledgeNet was designed to be a member to member website for discussion, sharing resources, networking, etc., we do generally do not participate in any of the conversations on the site. The exceptions would be when we are addressing a specific question directed to staff or if we notice a violation of the site's code of conduct.

Thank you for your feedback.


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Tamzin Howerton
Manager, Knowledge Communities
The American Institute of Architects
Washington DC
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Sean:

In defense of Tamzin, I believe she was responding to a common complaint that no one in AIA monitors these forums.  I can tell you, with reasonable certainty, that both AIA staff and volunteer leadership regularly monitor these forums.  For instance, I have seen several former AIA Presidents posting here, most recently Jeff Potter.  They are often "lurkers" because their active partcipation could be interpreted as being defensive in nature.  I can only speak for myself.  When I was a Vice President, I signed up for every one of the KnowledgeNet boards, becasue my portfolio was knowledge.

I am really more interested in discussing your other post.  I know of nothing that prohibits a discussion of what our clients are looking for, as long as it is not a discussion of fees.  I think this is healthy.  As you point out, too often as a profession we are self-focused and not listening to our clients. 

Out of curiosity, how many of us prepare marketing material that tells the story of our work from the client's perspective?  What problems did we help them solve that made their homes a better place to live?  Were we true to their budget?  How did the process work?  Were they happy?

In our firm, which does not do much housing, we talk all the time about being client focused.  Without clients, there is no reason for us to exist.  We believe in establishing measurable goals with our clients and meeting or exceeding those.

I'd like to hear how others involve their clients in "spreading the word", because I believe that this is far more effective than architects doing it.

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Walter Hainsfurther FAIA
Kurtz Associates Architects
Des Plaines IL
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-19-2013 18:50
From: Sean Catherall
Subject: Dues

This is an example of the divide between the AIA National leadership and the AIA members: a layer of middle-level manager cops hired by the leadership to interface with members without authority to be part of the group nor to speak on behalf of the leadership. If "the AIA is us", then this forum belongs to us, not to the middle-level managers who "monitor" and step in to correct us. This is one reason why "we" are not the AIA, why "we" feel like second class citizens of the organization "we" pay to represent us and why "we" feel like "we" are fighting for change from the outside in.

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Sean Catherall AIA
Herriman UT
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Walter, Your approach of being client-oriented in your practice is spot on. We always have to be thinking about what value we are providing to them. And they are the ones who get to determine our value, not us. Quite a few years ago, I made sure my website explained how the design process worked and what folks should expect of their architect. I did not worry about giving away free advice. I figured that if they got comfortable with what they read, they would be comfortable with me. If not, then I was not the right architect for them. It has worked well. Since then, and all through the downturn, I have had more work than I can possibly handle.

People need a good advisor when designing and building a house. We, the architects, are in the perfect position to be their advisor and "best buddy." This is valuable to people. The result is they are happy to pay for something they feel is valuable. We all are happy to pay for things that we feel are valuable. There is only one thing architects should ask themselves. Am I being valuable to my clients, in their terms?


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William Hirsch AIA
ARCHITECT
William J. Hirsch, Jr, Inc.
West End NC
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-22-2013 17:39
From: Walter Hainsfurther
Subject: Dues

Sean:

In defense of Tamzin, I believe she was responding to a common complaint that no one in AIA monitors these forums.  I can tell you, with reasonable certainty, that both AIA staff and volunteer leadership regularly monitor these forums.  For instance, I have seen several former AIA Presidents posting here, most recently Jeff Potter.  They are often "lurkers" because their active partcipation could be interpreted as being defensive in nature.  I can only speak for myself.  When I was a Vice President, I signed up for every one of the KnowledgeNet boards, becasue my portfolio was knowledge.

I am really more interested in discussing your other post.  I know of nothing that prohibits a discussion of what our clients are looking for, as long as it is not a discussion of fees.  I think this is healthy.  As you point out, too often as a profession we are self-focused and not listening to our clients. 

Out of curiosity, how many of us prepare marketing material that tells the story of our work from the client's perspective?  What problems did we help them solve that made their homes a better place to live?  Were we true to their budget?  How did the process work?  Were they happy?

In our firm, which does not do much housing, we talk all the time about being client focused.  Without clients, there is no reason for us to exist.  We believe in establishing measurable goals with our clients and meeting or exceeding those.

I'd like to hear how others involve their clients in "spreading the word", because I believe that this is far more effective than architects doing it.

-------------------------------------------
Walter Hainsfurther FAIA
Kurtz Associates Architects
Des Plaines IL
-------------------------------------------







Original Message:
Sent: 04-19-2013 18:50
From: Sean Catherall
Subject: Dues

This is an example of the divide between the AIA National leadership and the AIA members: a layer of middle-level manager cops hired by the leadership to interface with members without authority to be part of the group nor to speak on behalf of the leadership. If "the AIA is us", then this forum belongs to us, not to the middle-level managers who "monitor" and step in to correct us. This is one reason why "we" are not the AIA, why "we" feel like second class citizens of the organization "we" pay to represent us and why "we" feel like "we" are fighting for change from the outside in.

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Sean Catherall AIA
Herriman UT
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William, you are spot on. We are the same in my office. What can we do to bring value to the client as defined by the client? When we do this they are happy to pay us. When clients tell me they do not care, I  tell them we care on their behalf.  I need to be careful in this arena and make sure I am representing them well. At the end of the day we are very expensive adviser/servants helping our clients live a better life. The adviser/servant that do this well are greatly valued and called upon frequently to help towards that goal. And we are shared with friends and family. As you have seen.



 

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Donald Duffy AIA
Don Duffy Architecture
Charlotte NC
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-23-2013 20:02
From: William Hirsch
Subject: Dues

Walter, Your approach of being client-oriented in your practice is spot on. We always have to be thinking about what value we are providing to them. And they are the ones who get to determine our value, not us. Quite a few years ago, I made sure my website explained how the design process worked and what folks should expect of their architect. I did not worry about giving away free advice. I figured that if they got comfortable with what they read, they would be comfortable with me. If not, then I was not the right architect for them. It has worked well. Since then, and all through the downturn, I have had more work than I can possibly handle.

People need a good advisor when designing and building a house. We, the architects, are in the perfect position to be their advisor and "best buddy." This is valuable to people. The result is they are happy to pay for something they feel is valuable. We all are happy to pay for things that we feel are valuable. There is only one thing architects should ask themselves. Am I being valuable to my clients, in their terms?


-------------------------------------------
William Hirsch AIA
ARCHITECT
William J. Hirsch, Jr, Inc.
West End NC
-------------------------------------------







Original Message:
Sent: 04-22-2013 17:39
From: Walter Hainsfurther
Subject: Dues

Sean:

In defense of Tamzin, I believe she was responding to a common complaint that no one in AIA monitors these forums.  I can tell you, with reasonable certainty, that both AIA staff and volunteer leadership regularly monitor these forums.  For instance, I have seen several former AIA Presidents posting here, most recently Jeff Potter.  They are often "lurkers" because their active partcipation could be interpreted as being defensive in nature.  I can only speak for myself.  When I was a Vice President, I signed up for every one of the KnowledgeNet boards, becasue my portfolio was knowledge.

I am really more interested in discussing your other post.  I know of nothing that prohibits a discussion of what our clients are looking for, as long as it is not a discussion of fees.  I think this is healthy.  As you point out, too often as a profession we are self-focused and not listening to our clients. 

Out of curiosity, how many of us prepare marketing material that tells the story of our work from the client's perspective?  What problems did we help them solve that made their homes a better place to live?  Were we true to their budget?  How did the process work?  Were they happy?

In our firm, which does not do much housing, we talk all the time about being client focused.  Without clients, there is no reason for us to exist.  We believe in establishing measurable goals with our clients and meeting or exceeding those.

I'd like to hear how others involve their clients in "spreading the word", because I believe that this is far more effective than architects doing it.

-------------------------------------------
Walter Hainsfurther FAIA
Kurtz Associates Architects
Des Plaines IL
-------------------------------------------

This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Small Project Practitioners and Housing Knowledge Community .
-------------------------------------------
Tamzin: Thanks for chiming in. Does national share info with components? My local is run by corporate denizens who have never had to worry about making a payroll. Even the plutocrat George HW Bush was aware of this reality. Sadly those of us in the trenches are too involved in survival mode to have time to spend on BSA politics, let alone the time to travel to Boston to utilize the "resources" available to us as I mentioned in a previous post.

Something has to change. I value my AIA membership. The organization has done a lot for me. BSA? Not so much.

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John Dugger AIA
Principal Architect
J S Dugger, AIA & Associates
Gloucester MA
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I realize that it is hard for a sole practitioner to take the time and expenses to travel to meetings in Wash., DC, but it sounds like we need to find candidate/s for National office that are sympathetic to our cause and vote them into the office/s that will do the most good for the small office. 
It sounds as tho the National Leadership will not listen to the small firm until they loose the funds to support the large staff and have to increase the membership fees far beyond the large firms.

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D. Cook AIA
Tipp City OH
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-19-2013 18:50
From: Sean Catherall
Subject: Dues

This is an example of the divide between the AIA National leadership and the AIA members: a layer of middle-level manager cops hired by the leadership to interface with members without authority to be part of the group nor to speak on behalf of the leadership. If "the AIA is us", then this forum belongs to us, not to the middle-level managers who "monitor" and step in to correct us. This is one reason why "we" are not the AIA, why "we" feel like second class citizens of the organization "we" pay to represent us and why "we" feel like "we" are fighting for change from the outside in.

-------------------------------------------
Sean Catherall AIA
Herriman UT
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