2022 President’s Summer Message
August 1, 2022
Dear Fellow AIA members and Architects,
With summer in Western New York in full swing, I would like to update you on the work of our local AIA Buffalo/WNY. While it is true that the past two years have been difficult at times due to COVID, our Board of Directors has been hard at work, continuing to provide opportunities for members and setting goals for our future.
To provide clarity, our task forces are charged with specific goals and have a start and end date once their mission is complete. Our committees, by contrast, are ongoing efforts that provide continuity from year to year. The following are highlights, from 2020 to present:
Strategic Planning Task Force
Over the past twelve months, the Strategic Planning task force has met regularly to determine future goals and objectives for the Chapter. Clearer focus areas have been drafted and are currently under implementation. Some of the key components include focusing on better communication and outreach to our members, aligning our committee on the environment with AIA National’s efforts and enhancing our mentorship programs. A copy of the AIA Buffalo/WNY strategic plan is available upon request.
Bethune Lecture & Scholarship Endowment Task Force
At the close of 2019, our Board made a resolution to set up an endowment to fund the University at Buffalo’s Bethune Lecture Series & AIA Buffalo/WNY scholarship program in perpetuity. Throughout 2020 and 2021, our task force reviewed multiple endowment options and made a recommendation to the Board to proceed with the fund manager that had the lowest administration costs and start-up fund amount. The Board is pleased to announce that in April 2022, we were able to open the account and start the Bethune Lecture Series & Scholarship Endowment Fund. This fund will help architecture students for years to come, as they pursue their educational goals. While our chapter has been able to establish this endowment with a sizable initial investment, we continue to look at additional opportunities to increase the fund and therefore enable us to offer greater support for aspiring students.
Collaboration with Buffalo Architecture Foundation (BAF)
AIA Buffalo/WNY and our Sister Organization, Buffalo Architecture Foundation, are partnering to create a Buffalo themed coloring book. The book will be a fun way to educate the community about all the architectural gems that greater Buffalo has to offer. The plan is to work with our local architectural firms and have them submit or sponsor a page in the book!
BAF is a proud sponsor of the Pro Bono Publico Award, which recognizes pro bono services provided to not-for-profit clients. This award is presented at the annual AIA Buffalo/WNY Service Awards and Architecture Award events. Submissions are currently being accepted.
BAF has also teamed with Buffalo Garden Walk again to bring you Garden Stories, which gives Garden Walk Buffalo visitors an opportunity to gain an insider perspective on select structures or gardens using QR codes placed outside the home.
Committees
As always, we invite you to participate in any of these committees. Feel free to contact me or a committee member to become active. The Chapter is always appreciative of service from local members at whatever level of involvement is right for you.
Our committees and their recent work are as follows:
Committee on the Environment (COTE): By introducing Roxanne Button, AIA as chair of this committee we have added passionate and informed leadership to assist with the AIA’s commitment to sustainability. This committee focuses on good design through Resilience, Equity, Health, and Zero-Carbon design strategies. If you are interested in joining this committee, and helping with our initiatives, please contact Roxanne at roxanne@dsynergies.com.
Communications: In our quest to continually improve our communication, our chapter hired Kristen Johnson, LLC to assist with our website updates, and email blasts. We were also lucky to add Rob Szudzik as a new board member and chair of our communications committee in 2021. Rob’s dedication, commitment and effectiveness has dramatically improved how our chapter keeps our members informed. Through frequent updates to our social media pages and our weekly e-mail newsletter, our members receive consistent event announcements, continuing education programing, and collaboration opportunities.
Diversity: Thank you to everyone that participated in the Diversity Symposium. In addition to the successful symposium, the Diversity committee has been engaged with Hutch Tech High School to introduce students from traditionally underrepresented populations to careers in architecture. During the 2021-22 school year, we worked with 85 students and learned about architecture and the allied professions. There are several students that have identified an affinity for architecture and would like to be paired with a mentor to learn more and pursue architecture education post-high school. Interested mentors should contact Gwen Howard, AIA at ghoward@Foit-albert.com.
Emerging Professionals: The EP group has been focused on building community through mentoring, connecting, and providing support for each other. In the spring, we led a series of professional development seminars for UB students focused on resume writing, portfolio development, and interview prep. We later assisted in the planning of UB’s “Table Talks” event, as well as the AIA Diversity Committee’s Mentoring Symposium. In June, we held our first “Archi-Shuffle” event, an informal, speed-dating-style mentoring meetup. We had a great turnout of students and young professionals at Big Ditch Brewery to chat with our three volunteer experts. We continue to offer ARE study materials in a free lending library and are currently planning a series of competitive architecture trivia nights to be held at local firms. These will be open to all experience levels with prizes and bragging rights on the line! In the fall, we are also planning volunteer sessions, another “Archi-Shuffle,” and more.
Programming: Our programming committee works hard every year to ensure that AIA Members have access to a minimum of 18 continuing education units (CEU) per year. In 2021, we advertised 108.5 CEU credits, that were either free or provided at a very low-cost. Margaret Scaglione, AIA has recently accepted the chair position for the programming committee and has already had an immediate impact.
Recent CEU events have included:
Architects in Farms Getting Coffee
D'Youville University’s Health Professions Hub tour by Cannon Design
Energy Code Changes and Net Zero Design Strategies
Creating a Feedback Environment
Explore Buffalo Walking tour
Buffalo Landmarks Bike Tour
Diversity/Mentor Symposium
Albright Knox Gundlach (AKG) building tours
Crosby Hall building tour of construction with lead architect Andrew Berman
AIA Buffalo/WNY Summer Party
Government Affairs: At the state level our NYS Lobby efforts included asking legislators to pass the Good Samaritan Act for architects and the Safe Schools by Design [Senate Bill S6338, Assembly Bill A824A]. We have continued our local preservation advocacy by penning a letter to the City of Buffalo and Mayor Byron Brown, asking for a 60-day moratorium on the demolition of the Great Northern Grain Elevator. We sent copies of this letter to local elected officials and news sources. Locally, we have also asked news sources to continue to cite architects for their work (good work deserves recognition of authorship, just like photography credits), and to use the term “architect” only when referring to licensed individuals.
Awards (Architecture & Service): Our Chapter was pleased to be able to return to an in-person Architecture Awards event November of 2021. We then pushed back our Service Awards from January to May of 2022, due to Covid concerns following the New Year. We were also able to recognize service award recipients from both 2020 and 2021. We continue to have many wonderful designs submitted to the Architecture Awards and have tasked our committee to find a way to showcase all entries in a local format, adding value to entrants. We look forward to posting our call for entries for this year’s 2022 Architecture Awards and Service Awards. We are also excited to mention that our chapter has been asked to form a jury for the AIA Grand Rapids chapter 2022 Honor Awards.
Sponsorship: As our organization's impact on the area continues, your financial support helps us get there. Steps have been taken to make the “a.s.k.” (Accepting Support & Kindness) easier for all of you, individually or collectively to help us with our mission and help you with your’s. Please keep an eye out for more communication on this as we get closer to each event and we hope you consider donating for a good cause.
Scholarship: The scholarship committee has continued to showcase the generosity of our members and allied members by providing monetary awards to our Chapter’s most outstanding and engaged local students. Annually, we award a total of $4,500 to 2-3 students per year.
Upcoming Events
The best is yet to come...
We do hope that you will plan to attend our future events.
Queen City Architecture 5k Race: Run a 5K urban course through downtown Buffalo featuring world renowned architecture. All proceeds support AIA Buffalo/WNY scholarship initiatives and local architectural events. This event is scheduled for September 10th 2022. Click here for additional information.
Annual Business Meeting: Tentatively scheduled to take place in October 2022, the agenda includes election of new Board Members, a review of our annual budget, and a guest speaker who will provide an educational CEU topic. Drinks and Food will be provided. Though we want to see everyone in person, a virtual option is being discussed.
Architecture Awards: This year’s Awards event is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, November 10th in the Admiral Room at the Marin Building and is being coordinated by the new Chair of the Awards Committee, Christa Trautman, AIA. Click here for additional information.
Christmas Party: Each year we strive to bring together our members for a celebration on another year ending. The date has not yet been decided but more information on this is sure to come.
Please see our new events calendar for event updates.
Sincerely,
Rishawn Sonubi, AIA, NCARB, NOMA