President’s Letter
December 2023
Hello, Everyone!
Two years have passed since AIA International Region became AIA International. During this period, we have made tremendous accomplishments – many of which you will read about in the ensuing articles:
Virtual Spring Conferences - We continued to organize outstanding annual Spring Conferences where anyone could participate and learn online. Videos of almost all lectures from all our Virtual conferences are available on demand – for free – via our website. Please get ready for our next Spring Conference in March 2024. Enormous thanks goes to Alex Miller, Genie Khmelnitski and the rest of the team for managing this intense event.
Quarterly Leadership Networking - these events have also proven popular, offering a more informal way for members around the globe to connect and learn. Networking events are managed by our Country Representatives under the direction of our At-Large Directors, Gustavo Ribeiro, Lanre Olusola, and Alex Chuang.
AIA International Conferences - We held two spectacular live events – in London and Mexico City. Mexico City was unique in that is was our first conference in Latin America, attracted more than 800 attendees, and introduced a parallel student workshop where students from the US and Mexico spent the week working together as well as joining in our conference events. Mexico City has surely changed the game. The conference was developed and executed by Country Representatives Jorge and Arturo Arditti, along with Jessica Arditti and Dalia Zfaz, and we are deeply grateful for all their selfless hard work for well over a year.
If you have not yet attended one of our International Conferences, please try to do so. Hong Kong is our next destination – 24-27 October 2024. You will not be disappointed!
National Conferences – AIA International and our Chapters attended both A’22 and A’23. This year, we established our own Booth on the Exhibition Floor, giving us huge visibility to other members, students, vendors, and potential sponsors.
Design Awards – We marked the 9th and 10th annual AIA International Design Awards with record-breaking numbers of entries and superlative winning projects each year. We announced the winners during the AIA International Conferences and displayed them at our booth during the National Conference, and they can also be viewed on our website. The Design Awards are coordinated with the help of Alex Miller and Genie Khmelnitski, with special thanks due to Dr. Christine Bruckner, who created the AIA Intl Design Awards and continues to steward the program as she has done since the beginning.
Continuing Education - We continued to offer CES credits for our programs as part of the Spring and AIA International Conferences, as well as for standalone events. In all cases, we have managed to provide this education – and the associated credits free for charge.
For many past events, you can watch videos and take a quiz to earn CES credits on demand - check out our Past Events collection and look for the Take Quiz links!
Section Formation – I have saved the most important for last. We are very proud to have created the following Sections: AIA South Korea, AIA Taipei, and AIA Southeast Asia. We have successfully tested the section concept for a city, a country, and a region. Latin America and Africa (Sub-Saharan) are also well on their way.
Section Formation is without question the most critical achievement of AIA International in the last two years. The creation of Sections now gives a proper voice to members who were formerly known as “Unassigned Members” and rarely had a change to contribute, participate, or get much benefit out of their membership – and equally dismaying, other members could not get the benefit of these terrific architects in places that we know little about. This has all now changed. Just look at our Board, including our next President and Treasurer – hailing from Singapore and Costa Rica. The Mexico City Conference’s success was due in part to the people who have been actively promoting and developing Sections.
A Section is the direct rampway to becoming a Chapter. I predict we will see a couple of new chapters arising during the next two years. Where we were previously 7 Chapters acting like nodes in a sea of Unassigned and Unknown Stars, we will eventually become interlocking constellations. Indeed, AIA International will become one of the most important AIA components within this decade.
Sections have not come about by themselves – it is not automatic. Under the steadfast leadership of Lester Korzilius, and our At-Large Directors, Gustavo Ribeiro, Lanre Olusola, and Alex Chuang, they turned from potential to reality. Without these people – and key leaders in each Section – we would still be only dreaming about the possibility.
This is my last Newsletter entry as AIA International’s President. I want to thank my fellow Board members for the countless hours they have spent making sure that AIA International is a first class component and organization. Our ExCom past and present, including Yew Kee Cheong (FVP/President-Elect), Alex Miller and Segene Park (Secretary), Jose Luis Salinas (Treasurer), and Lester Korzilius (Immediate Past-President) for their constant presence and counsel, and most of all to Genie Khmelnitski (Executive Director), who performs many of the tasks – both thankful and unthankful – and basically keeps our lights on.
And, most of all, I want to thank all of you for allowing me to serve as your President for the past two years.
I have spent a good deal of ink here thanking many people. I could go on….and on and on with thanking people. It is true: without them, things would not get done. These people are really just like you and me. The difference is they are willing and able to give their time to make a better AIA Intl and thereby, a better environment with great architecture. Why don’t you join us and volunteer? I assure you, there is nothing more rewarding!
On a final note, let’s give a very warm welcome to our incoming President, Yew Kee Cheong, FAIA. In addition to serving for two years as First Vice President/ President-Elect, Yew Kee brings a wealth of related experience. We are in good hands. Yew Kee – over to you!
With warm regards,
Scott Gold, AIA, SAME
AIA International President
scott.gold@aiainternational.org
