Design Matters Conference Wrap-Up

Thank you very much to all who joined us in Chicago earlier this month for the 2019 DESIGN MATTERS CONFERENCE—our 10th annual conference since establishing the AAO Network. More than 140 delegates, hailing from 34 U.S. cities and 8 countries, attended this year’s meeting. The diversity of the AAO Network was on full display, with more than 90 different design organizations represented from storefront centers to professional architecture firms, government officials to independent artists.

Save the Date for the 2020 Conference

Save the date! The next Design Matters Conference will take place in New York City on November 18-21, 2020. Among the local venues will be the Center for Architecture in Lower Manhattan (pictured above).

University of Virginia Students Visit Chicago

AAO Board Member John Comazzi brought a group of students from the UVA School of Architecture to Chicago. During their trip, the students participated in portions of the Design Matters Conference and visited the Chicago Architecture Biennial and the Chicago Architecture Center as part of their packed itinerary. Read about the UVA trip and see photos.

Holiday Gift Guides for Architecture Enthusiasts

For those organizations with retail operations (and any of you who may just want to do some shopping), here are some gift ideas for architecture enthusiasts.

Member News Roundup

AAO Member Sarah Rafson writes about the new MuseumLab in Pittsburgh, where an 1886 Carnegie library was transformed into a maker space for tweens that's full of wonder (pictured above).
AIA San Francisco partnered with Autodesk to host the Community Alliance Awards, which celebrates individuals and organizations whose "continued efforts to engage, educate, collaborate, and advocate elevates the value of design and its impact on the experiences of our daily lives."
Schools of Thought: DC’s New Generation of School Buildings opened November 12 at the District Architecture Center.
See photos from AIA New York's fourth-annual Pumpkitecture contest, which challenged architecture firms to create the most unique pumpkin carvings.
AAO welcomes new organizational members the Spitzer School of Architecture at City College of New York and the Archimedia Workshop (Chicago).

Climate Change and Storytelling

Viable Cities, Sweden's largest sustainable cities initiative, has hired a "Chief Storyteller." Author Per Grankvist plans to use the role to help people emotionally connect to climate issues. With a mission to reach climate neutrality by 2030, it's essential to engage the public in a way that leads to changes in behaviors.

In another example that makes climate science engaging to the public, the exhibition Anthropocene uses stunning photography by Edward Burtynsky (pictured above) to demonstrate the impact humans have had on the environment. First shown at the National Gallery of Canada, it's now on view at MAST Foundation in Bologna.

Make Your Own Maps and Stories in Google Earth

Google Earth launched a new content creation tool that gives users the ability to make custom map-based narratives. You can drop pins, show Street View images or 3D views, and include your own text, photos and videos for each place on the tour. Google Earth is now web-based, meaning it requires no separate software.

For those architecture organizations that lead tours, provide K-12 education, or in other ways tell stories about places, this could be a powerful free tool.

Jobs and Opportunities

AIA Seattle + Design in Public, Community Engagement Programs Manager
Architecture and Design Foundation [India], Programme Coordinator
Harvard Graduate School of Design, Loeb Fellowship (January 6 deadline)
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Director of Research, National Main Street Center
Project for Public Spaces, Managing Director of Programs & Projects
Taliesin Preservation, Events Manager

View more opportunities and post your own at aaonetwork.org/opportunities.

Please send e-news submissions or comments to aao@architecture.org.

About AAO

The Association of Architecture Organizations (AAO) is an international member-based network dedicated to enhancing public dialogue about architecture and design. Learn more at aaonetwork.org.

AAO Membership

We depend on you. The experience and talent of our members drives the AAO Network and helps forge a collective identity for our growing field of practitioners devoted to enhancing public dialogue about architecture, urbanism, and culture. If you are not a member, show your support and become a member today!

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