As the incoming chair of the REC Advisory Group, I would like to extend an opportunity to get actively involved in the Retail and Entertainment Knowledge Community.
We are currently looking for individuals who are interested in being more active within AIA by working with the Advisory Group to promote our KC mission:
The Retail and Entertainment Knowledge Community seeks to foster the creation, discussion and dissemination of knowledge about the retail and entertainment environments among practitioners, developers, retailers and the general public regarding how the quality of retail environments directly impacts the quality of life in a community.
To do this, we:
+ Provide a forum for discussion about issues and best practices in the area of retail and entertainment architecture and urban design, actively engaging members of the Institute as well as allied professions and public officials. We develop relationships with key organizations to facilitate this dialogue. We provide a vehicle for the facilitation, documentation and indexing of that dialogue for the use of everyone.
+ Provide examples of how quality retail design promotes more livable communities through the creation of places that engender and reinforce a sense of community, to assist members and their clients in promoting high quality retail design.
+ Promote the creation of new knowledge through selected research projects of particular interest and use to the retail design community.
We focus on the following areas of knowledge development:
Retail and the Marketplace: Retail architecture must be highly responsive to the marketplace. It is perhaps the most 'dog eat dog' element of the built environment. Successful retail/entertainment architecture must be as much about successful business solutions as it is about 'Design'. AIA member's ability to demonstrate a knowledge and control over more elements of this environment, and an understanding of those elements they cannot control, will strengthen our ability to influence and succeed in this market. By engaging our members and Allied Organizations, we develop and demonstrate case studies of good design as good business, highlighting HOW the design elements create value for ALL of the players, retailers, developers and the public.
Retail and Community: How does retail/entertainment architecture affect and create a sense of community. Identify successful examples of retail architecture where the retail has created a sense of place and identity for a community. Look for identifiable /repeatable elements which produced that effect. Highlight architects role in creating successful and livable communities.
Retail and Sustainability: Retail and sustainability are almost oxymorons today. There is an opportunity to inform and guide the development of sustainability programs through our member's knowledge and experience. We need to catalogue examples of sustainable design in retail, and to gather knowledge from our members that can be consolidated into recommendation for other organizations such as USGBA to inform their guidelines, while highlighting AIA's leadership in creating sustainable environments.
Currently, we have a Program Committee who's job is to develop programs for AIA National Convention. This year we will be doing a panel discussion called Bethesda Row; A retrospective look at a Retail Icon", and Mainstreet Connectivity: Patterns and Processes linking urban commercial patches. We are starting planning now for the 2013 convention in Denver and the 2014 convention in Chicago.
We also have a
Design Awards Committee working with Retail Traffic Magazine and their SADI awards program, to expand and 'raise the bar' on their design awards program and future direction for REC's design awards.
If you are interested in committing a few hours a month for conference call and some time to think about and act on ways to improve AIA retail and entertainment architects' knowledge base, we would welcome your commitment.
Ed -------------------------------------------
Edward Shriver AIA
Principal
Strada Architecture, LLC
Pittsburgh PA
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