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A Welcome from your 2016 AIASF President
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2016 will be an exciting year, where we nurture the seeds that have been sowed. Our strategic planning process is coming along quite well and we will be rolling out our Strategic Framework and Initiatives. In addition to the Architecture + The City Festival, we will continue two exciting new programs: AIASF NEXT and the Community Alliance Awards. We will be amplifying the great work of all our Committees. We will continue our conversations with AIA National around the repositioning efforts. We will continue leading the nation with our amazing programs and in providing support to our emerging professionals, our next generation. And, most importantly, we will be reaching out to you, our members, to ask you to get more involved and share your ideas of how to make our amazing chapter even better.
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I am grateful, humbled and honored to serve our Chapter as your 2016 President. I have hard acts to follow. Irving Gonzales, Marianne O’Brien and John Kouletsis each have tackled some difficult challenges while maintaining such positive energy and enthusiasm. Thanks to their leadership, we can now focus on our future. Our Board of Directors is inspirational. The brain trust that exists is powerful. I am so fortunate to be working with them and our staff. Here’s to an amazing year ahead. Get involved, come out to our programs, and let us know how our chapter can continue to be the best Chapter.
- Aaron Jon Hyland, AIA
2016 President, AIA San Francisco
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AIASF Collaboration with SF Planning Department Begins to Bear Fruit
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Last April, AIASF and the SF Planning Department joined forces in the establishment of a Working Group focused on improving residential design review policies and procedures in San Francisco’s RH zoning districts. These improvements are critical to the ability of many of the AIA’s small practitioners to continue to work in San Francisco. While our efforts are far from complete, we anticipate being ready to share the first results of this collaboration with AIA members this spring.
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The Working Group grew out of a ten-point memo developed by Neal Schwartz, AIA to promote greater communication among the Planning Department’s Residential Design Team (RDT), architects, homeowners, and neighbors. The goal was to develop a list of relatively non-controversial procedural changes that would improve the ability for architects to receive direct feedback on compliance with the Residential Design Guidelines before submitting projects for – much as the Building Department offers formal code interpretations through their pre-application meeting procedures.
The Planning Department developed their RDT design review committee in an effort to provide consistent interpretations of the intent of the Residential Design Guidelines. Without effective mechanisms for the communication to architects of these evolving interpretations early in our design process however, many projects were being forced into expensive and time consuming redesign late in the game – a frustrating situation for all.
The Working Group collaboration is opening up lines of communication both for procedural change as well as ambitions beyond. Jeff Joslin, SF Planning’s Director of Current Planning has embraced the increased collaboration with the AIA especially in light of the upcoming revision to the Residential Design Guidelines planned for next year. We will continue to update AIA members on our work as it evolves.
- Neal Schwartz, AIA, Schwartz and Architecture
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The Working Group includes:
Mark English, AIA, Mark English Architects
AIA California Council
Irving Gonzales, AIA, Gonzales Architects
Immediate Past President, AIASF Board of Directors
Jennifer Jones
AIASF Executive Director
Neal Schwartz, AIA, Schwartz and Architecture
Chair, AIASF/SFPlanning Working Group
David Winslow
San Francisco Planning Department
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David Gast, AIA, Gast Architects
AIASF Board of Directors
Lisa Iwamoto, AIA, IwamotoScott Architecture
AIASF Board of Directors
Jeff Joslin, Director of Current Planning
San Francisco Planning Department
Jennifer Suzuki, Long & Levit
AIASF Public Director
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Executive Director's Message
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Hello, AIA San Francisco!
It’s been busy since I joined you as Executive Director at AIASF at the end of 2014. Thank you, all of you, for welcoming me with open arms to the Bay Area, and for being so forthcoming with your ideas for the future of the chapter.
AIASF Board of Directors and staff participated in a number of strategic planning exercises in 2015, - the feedback you provided as part of May’s member needs assessment was instrumental to guiding and informing our discussions. We’re looking forward to sharing the results of our strategic planning with you in 2016, and hope to have your involvement and participation on committees and throughout our local community to achieve our goals. There are plenty of ways to be involved! Please reach out to me if you are interested in lending your skills and expertise to our efforts.
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Collectively, volunteer leaders and staff have worked on your behalf to raise the visibility and relevance of architects in the Bay Area and beyond. We’ve taken positions on issues important to the profession, including the Mission Moratorium and 2015 San Francisco ballot initiatives Proposition I and Proposition J. During Capitol Hill visits in Washington DC in February 2015, President Irving Gonzales, President-Elect Aaron Hyland and I met with legislative staff members from the offices of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA12) and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA14) to discuss continuation of Historic Tax Credits, natural disaster preparedness, and student loan forgiveness for architecture program graduates who work in underserved communities after matriculation.
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Concurrent with executing the ambitious annual plan of work, your board and staff have made a number of infrastructure-related improvements to how AIASF does business in order to create a strong organizational framework for our volunteer leaders and their programs. We’re getting ready to launch a brand new website in early 2016 that more accurately reflects the sophistication and visual nature of the profession we represent.
Your dedicated volunteer leadership, talented staff, and fellow members have all worked hard on your behalf, and there is so much to be proud of. It’s been a great pleasure to join this community, and getting to know so many of you over the past year. Looking forward to an amazing 2016.
Best,
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Jennifer Jones, MS, CAE, IOM
Executive Director, AIA San Francisco
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Shapeshifter | 2015 Design Award Winner, Unbuilt Citation | Ogrydziak Prillinger Architects
In existence for nearly half a century, AIA San Francisco’s Design Awards program recognizes the outstanding achievements in architecture and design of Bay Area individuals and organizations as well as celebrates the distinguished work of architects and related professionals from afar who contribute to the framework of our local built environment. The program serves to inform the public of the breadth and value of architectural practice.
The early deadline for submitting a project is February 11, 2016 at 1:00 pm. All submissions must be received by February 25, 2016 at 1:00 pm.
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Open for Submissions! Get the Competition Brief
The new nationwide design challenge Re-defining Home: Home Today, Home Tomorrow is accepting entries now through April 29, 2016! The competition, presented by AARP, AARP Foundation, Home Matters® and Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, aims to address the future housing needs for millions of Americans to grow-in-place.
Three winning design teams will share $18,000 in prizes for their innovative designs and will receive nationwide exposure for their vision. The first place winning design will be incorporated into a real home. Visit: http://bit.ly/1jg5R1t
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- Ratcliff announced Douglas Strout, AIA, a specialist in healthcare design and master planning with an emphasis on cancer care design, has joined the firm as principal and healthcare practice leader. Read more here.
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- HOK announced that its group board, as part of its planned succession process, has unanimously selected Bill Hellmuth, AIA, as chief executive officer, effective April 19, 2016. Based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, Hellmuth will collaborate with the group board to lead the firm’s design vision, business strategy and day-to-day management. He will continue in his role as HOK’s firm-wide president and design principal for projects in the Washington, D.C. area and worldwide. Patrick MacLeamy, FAIA, who is stepping down from his position as CEO, will continue to serve as chairman.
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- ELS announced Carlos Alvarez, William S. Gordon, Jr., Kenneth M. Loretto, and Susan Vutz have been promoted to Senior Associate. Am Amnuaydejkorn, Patrick Bartlett, Vince Taboada, and Kim-Van Tryong have been promoted to Associate. ELS thanks and recognizes these individuals for their project leadership, commitment to thoughtful design, and dedication to nurturing strong relationships.
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- The AIA has made the voter registration process easier with the AIA Advocacy Action Center. Voter registration laws differ from state to state, and the Action Center has already figured out the laws in CA. To register, simply log into the Action Center, select “Voter Registration†on the menu on the right and start your application. After you’ve registered to vote, you can prepare yourself for your state’s primary before heading to the polls. In the coming weeks, the AIA is releasing profiles of the presidential candidates and their views on the issues that impact your practice, profession, and community.
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- AIASF is hiring! We're recruiting a motivated Sponsorship + Partnership Manager responsible for managing administrative and fundraising efforts on behalf of AIA San Francisco and occasionally the Center for Architecture & Design (CAD), as assigned. The successful candidate will focus on sustaining current corporate sponsorships while cultivating new corporate, foundation, and individual giving opportunities. S/he will develop and maintain relationships with current and potential contributors through written correspondence, telephone conversations, and face-to-face meetings. The Sponsorship + Partnership Manager will be responsible for crafting development communication pieces that appeal to a wide variety of audiences.
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- The AIA National Convention will be provocative & inspiring: Architect and designer Neri Oxman, who heads up MIT's Mediated Matter research group, is keynoting #AIACon16. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to hear her speak at AIA Convention 2016. Learn more here.
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- AIA New York is currently accepting applications for the Arnold W. Brunner Grant. This prestigious award is designed for mid-level architects to pursue architectural investigations that will effectively contribute to the knowledge, teaching, or practice of the art and science of architecture. The project must engage in contemporary architectural issues within a local and global context. The sole recipient will be awarded up to $15,000. Deadline: February 1, 2016.
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- The A+Awards is the largest and most visible architecture awards program, recognizing the year’s most influential visionaries—and the buzz is huge with more than 300+ million media impressions in 2015. All entries due by January 29th, 2016. Enter now!
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Special Super Bowl 50 Opportunity - 50% Off!
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In celebration of Super Bowl 50 in the San Francisco Bay Area and Michael Schwab's design of the Host Committee logo, these posters will be available 50% off for a limited time only! Purchase your print today!
AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture + Design commissioned famed local artist Michael Schwab to create bespoke graphics to commemorate this year’s 12th annual Architecture and the City festival highlighting PLAY: Design in Action. Limited to 210 copies (the height in feet of the iconic Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill), the signed, hand-numbered, special edition print will be available for a short time.
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AIA San Francisco Sustaining Sponsors are part of a unique community of peers who believe in supporting the Bay Area’s architectural community through our annual programs and events.
Sustaining Sponsorship supports:
- Educational programs, which offer opportunities for professional development and collaboration
- Partnership initiatives that build relationships with representatives from allied disciplines and the greater community
- Advocacy outreach, which voices the shared concerns of our members to local decision-makers
- Committee events that support special interests and community building
- Accessible facilities in San Francisco’s Financial District, which provide a home for our professional community
- Exhibitions in the AIASF Gallery, highlighting work of our members + innovation in the profession
- Lectures, tours and workshops featuring thought-leaders and inspiring content
- Annual Member Meeting + Reception – a great opportunity to connect with allies and peers!
- Development of robust communications tools to keep our members and partners informed
- Strategic planning initiatives, which enable AIASF to continue providing exemplary service to our members
Learn more about our Sustaining Sponsorship program:
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