President's Letter - September 2021

President’s Letter

September 2021

Dear Colleagues,

The annual AIA International Conference will be in-person in Dubai this year from November 11-14 and will coincide with the Dubai Expo as well as Cityscape.  It promises to be a fabulous event!  Early-bird discounts on tickets are available until October 1st.  A portion of the conference will also be available live online for those unable to travel to Dubai – these tickets are heavily discounted and on sale now. Sign up today!

The annual AIA International Design Awards are currently underway, with submissions due by October 4th.  There will be an awards ceremony at the Dubai conference, as well as at A’22 in Chicago next June.  If you haven’t yet submitted, please do so now!

The AIA is seeing a period of transition which includes the AIA International Region becoming AIA International.  All domestic regions within the continental United States are being abolished, and the International Region is becoming a component.  One consequence of this change is that International members who are not members of one of the existing 7 international chapters will now be formally ‘assigned’ to AIA International.  We will now have the ability to form regional sections to reflect demand – in areas such as Korea and  Latin America.

The collective effort of the 7 International chapters and the unaffiliated members has been phenomenal, and there have been some amazing events shared with the International community.  Have a look on the AIA International website under Past Events to access these talks and building tours, many of which offer CES credit.

Mark your calendars for September 30th.  AIA International is co-hosting the CAM-SAM Eighth Conference 2021 in Mexico. Keynote speakers will be Pritzker prize-winning Grafton Architects, and this talk will be available live and online.  Check your inbox or see the AIA International website for further information.

We will be holding the Annual General Meeting (AGM) online this year on Saturday, October 30th.  Further details will be available on the website and via email.

Finally, my thanks and admiration to all of you in the International community.  It is truly inspiring to see the breadth and depth of talent and imagination that occurs when we work together and share our resources in the International community.  Let’s keep it going!

Regards,

Lester Korzilius; FAIA, RIBA
President, AIA International Region
lester.korzilius@aiainternational.org