Committee on Design

So many of the responses to the original post are non-responsive, defensive, and self-congratulatory, they inspired me to participate. The post did not accuse the AIA of being elitist. It did not deny that experiencing a building is better than looking at photos. It did not state that US architects should not be interested in European architecture. "Was this Ralph Lauren's idea?" says to me: the AIA is out of touch with the rank and file architect, concerned with appearances instead of substance. Such a decision, at this moment in our ravaged profession, shows poor judgment at best and intentional blind stupor at worst.

Many of us believe, in this decision and others, the AIA is not "the voice of the architectural profession and the resource for its members in service to society." The AIA behaves more as purely a PR organization whose mission is to put a big happy face on a deeply troubled profession. Regularly we get articles such as "Billings up for the third month in a row" which translated by a financially astute person means "continued drop in billings not as steep lately." "Recent architectural grad designing Web pages"- as if we should be pleased she may be able to pay off her student loans- never mind how the next generation of practitioners will gain experience. I searched in vain in the AIA for research with statistics on unemployed architects- how many have lost their jobs? What percentage are women/ minorities? How many single practitioners/ small firm owners have closed their doors?

If the AIA (with all respect for our sister architect in Scotland, "A" stands for American) is not willing to take on the deeply structural problems in our profession, honestly, fearlessly, and openly grappling with how our profession will survive and thrive in this uncertain time and difficult future, they will find themselves utterly irrelevant. I just hope that the profession does not follow in those footsteps.

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Emily Basham
Architect
Naperville IL
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Continuing in my apparently non-responsive, defensive and self-congratulatory mode, I need first to say that yes, again, I am listening.  I also need to say that all of the criticisms denied by Ms Bashan in fact did appear in pile on emails subsequent to Mr. Catherall's original post. 

But the most important thing for me to say is this. 
Although I don't know what all is included in Ms Basham's vision of the future, can't be sure I understand what her words mean to her, I will go out on a limb and say that I am in complete support of her comments.  I have conveyed similar concerns to Mr. Ivy's repositioning exercise twice now.  Emily, I would be happy to share those comments with you if you are interested.

What is the point of my response?  It is that, yes, I think you are onto something and rather than complaining, I wish you would get involved and try to save this profession (from itself).  I reckon its safe to say that at some point both of us loved it.

If you are already making these efforts, tell us all about it here.  I bet you will be surprised how many of us agree with you.

Mike Mense

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Mike Mense FAIA
Owner
mmenseArchitects
Anchorage AK
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Mike Mense is a voice of reason (since I agree with him) in the face of justified frustration. I, for one, have no idea what Mike and George Jennings meant when they said Robert Ivy was "repositioning" the AIA. I'd like to read Mike's replies since he offered to send them to Emily. I'm also old enough to appreciate the political repercussions of posting them on the COD site. I think Mike has my e-mail address. I'd like to read his work if he is willing to send.

The great periods of architecture symbolize cultural answers to questions that became thresholds of awareness. Architecture is now facing a threshold of its own and symbols are not the answer. The AIAKnowledgeNet implies that the answer is knowledge, and I agree; but it must be built on a foundation of questions and research that makes information productive and convincing. This accumulates to form a body of knowledge. Observation alone produces frustration until you think to ask why the apples fall on your head.

Mike wrote a sentence that touched my soul. "I reckon it's safe to say that at some point both of us loved it." Economic stress is an insidious enemy. It can also be the stimulus for re-evaluation. The term "repositioning" implies an answer. It's why I would like to read Mike's replies to Robert Ivy. I don't have the impression that we grasp the full extent of the questions facing architecture, much less the answers a leader must find.

There is just too much static at the moment to tune in the station. It can only be reduced by organizing thought and facing some unpleasant questions. This will involve research and opinion that may threaten the status quo. This is the most difficult phase of "progress". Sam Adams got his tea party but John Adams had to focus the energy. Galileo wound up under house arrest and heretics are still figuratively burned at the stake because opinion prevails until the majority changes its mind.

Many have learned that data can lead nowhere when the wrong question is asked. "Listening" provides data but may not lead to questions. The time to forge frustration and opinion into constructive questions is long overdue. The time for answers may be premature; but answers can begin with people willing to listen -- and that time may be now.

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Walter Hosack
Author
Walter M. Hosack
Dublin OH
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-25-2012 04:48
From: Mike Mense
Subject: Re: Seriously?

Continuing in my apparently non-responsive, defensive and self-congratulatory mode, I need first to say that yes, again, I am listening.  I also need to say that all of the criticisms denied by Ms Bashan in fact did appear in pile on emails subsequent to Mr. Catherall's original post. 

But the most important thing for me to say is this. 
Although I don't know what all is included in Ms Basham's vision of the future, can't be sure I understand what her words mean to her, I will go out on a limb and say that I am in complete support of her comments.  I have conveyed similar concerns to Mr. Ivy's repositioning exercise twice now.  Emily, I would be happy to share those comments with you if you are interested.

What is the point of my response?  It is that, yes, I think you are onto something and rather than complaining, I wish you would get involved and try to save this profession (from itself).  I reckon its safe to say that at some point both of us loved it.

If you are already making these efforts, tell us all about it here.  I bet you will be surprised how many of us agree with you.

Mike Mense

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Mike Mense FAIA
Owner
mmenseArchitects
Anchorage AK
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Over the past year or two I have begun to pay attention to the discussion groups sponsored by the AIA. Since my practice is in a very rural area, my connection to the AIA has been tenuous at best, and I have toyed with the idea of dropping my membership. But that's a bad idea. Indeed, I applaud the AIA for providing these forums where small voices can at least be heard ... read. Yes, sometimes it seems an elitist organization, but our local AIA chapter (Mississippi) doesn't feel that way at all. My participation is minimal due to geography more than anything - but that's also my choice to a great extent.

Sometimes I wonder what I will do in my next life - if things don't improve. I don't think you have to pay taxes if you live under a bridge, so I'm going with the Pollyanna outlook. And, in that vein, I believe that this forum has the potential to have at least some transformational power through the exchange of ideas, encouragement and constructive criticism. 

I'm really not sure what I am trying to say, and I believe I have succeeded in that.

To the AIA: Keep listening, and keep responding.
To my fellow architects: Keep sharing.

That's all I have to say.

ps Can I count this toward my continuing education?

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Steven Cox AIA
President
Cox Architecture
Mccomb MS
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-25-2012 04:48
From: Mike Mense
Subject: Re: Seriously?

Continuing in my apparently non-responsive, defensive and self-congratulatory mode, I need first to say that yes, again, I am listening.  I also need to say that all of the criticisms denied by Ms Bashan in fact did appear in pile on emails subsequent to Mr. Catherall's original post. 

But the most important thing for me to say is this. 
Although I don't know what all is included in Ms Basham's vision of the future, can't be sure I understand what her words mean to her, I will go out on a limb and say that I am in complete support of her comments.  I have conveyed similar concerns to Mr. Ivy's repositioning exercise twice now.  Emily, I would be happy to share those comments with you if you are interested.

What is the point of my response?  It is that, yes, I think you are onto something and rather than complaining, I wish you would get involved and try to save this profession (from itself).  I reckon its safe to say that at some point both of us loved it.

If you are already making these efforts, tell us all about it here.  I bet you will be surprised how many of us agree with you.

Mike Mense

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Mike Mense FAIA
Owner
mmenseArchitects
Anchorage AK
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Steven,

RE: "ps Can I count this toward my continuing education?"

Generally, my interpretation of the guidelines is that reading and posting substantive, directly applicable posts could be a part of a structured, planned, educational activity. I inferring that from the reference to "research with Web search engines" from page 7-9 of the AIA Continuing Education System Member Manual. I did receive a confirmation from AIA/CES staff that that is a valid interpretation.


Tip: You can earn all your required CEHs via free AIA Knowledge Communities webinars. See the last list at: http://network.aia.org/AIA/Events/Webinars/.

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Kathleen Simpson
Manager, Knowledge Communities
The American Institute of Architects
Washington DC
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2012 10:25
From: Steven Cox
Subject: Re: Seriously?

Over the past year or two I have begun to pay attention to the discussion groups sponsored by the AIA. Since my practice is in a very rural area, my connection to the AIA has been tenuous at best, and I have toyed with the idea of dropping my membership. But that's a bad idea. Indeed, I applaud the AIA for providing these forums where small voices can at least be heard ... read. Yes, sometimes it seems an elitist organization, but our local AIA chapter (Mississippi) doesn't feel that way at all. My participation is minimal due to geography more than anything - but that's also my choice to a great extent.

Sometimes I wonder what I will do in my next life - if things don't improve. I don't think you have to pay taxes if you live under a bridge, so I'm going with the Pollyanna outlook. And, in that vein, I believe that this forum has the potential to have at least some transformational power through the exchange of ideas, encouragement and constructive criticism. 

I'm really not sure what I am trying to say, and I believe I have succeeded in that.

To the AIA: Keep listening, and keep responding.
To my fellow architects: Keep sharing.

That's all I have to say.

ps Can I count this toward my continuing education?

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Steven Cox AIA
President
Cox Architecture
Mccomb MS
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Thank you Emily for getting to the heart of the matter. The AIA has a tradition of missing the point when it comes to the state of the profession beyond what buildings look like and the parochial interests of firm owners.  Among other things, they did nothing while construction managers took the traditional project lead from architects. They are still struggling to interest women and minorities to participate in the organization. They paid occasional interest in the environment until the AIA COTE got too big to ignore. And their lack of response to the IT world's appropriation of "architect" is relegating building architects to a second tier.

No one denies that visiting buildings around the country and the World enriches all of our experiences as architects. But in these calamitous economic times, this official AIA trip is particularly insensitive and obtuse, even by AIA's standards. 

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Jonathan Herz AIA
Washington DC
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Thanks, Emily. I think you said what many of us have been trying to say. I, too, have hit the proverbial brick wall when attempting to do anything with the AIA, other than pay the dues.

For example, I do not own the cache of AIA contract documents, and my client was wanting read the Owner-Contractor agreement before committing to it as the contract for his project. The AIA REFUSED to even let me see a watermarked sample of the document for four weeks. Why? I helped pay for the document through my fees, in addition to having to pay for it when I purchase it.

So, you are exactly right, the AIA is unresponsive and out of touch with the working members.

Also, thanks for your coment on the "A".

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Charles Graham AIA
Architect
O'Neal, Inc.
Greenville SC
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Ms Basham
I apologize for having misspelled your name in an earlier post.
I hope your comments below about "our sister architect in Scotland" do not imply that Eva is somehow unwelcome or irrelevant to the AIA.  I am sure that the vast majority of AIA members would not want to convey that message to any of our international members.

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Mike Mense FAIA
Owner
mmenseArchitects
Anchorage AK
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