“Go to the people. Learn from them. Live with them. Start with what they have.”
~ Lao Tzu, Ancient Chinese Philosopher and Poet

For this installment of my newsletter article, I am sharing YOUR words with YOU. As you know, we at AIA Virginia have been focused on the member (and membership) experience – our service and support to each individual and to the collective. To learn more in this regard, we asked attendees at Architecture Exchange East to complete comment cards in response to the question, “From your perspective as a ‘design thinker,’ how could AIA Virginia elevate your member experience?”

Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA
Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA

Below are the comments from those cards; they’re conveyed here just as we received them, without any editing or editorializing. They were both enlightening and helpful. You’ll see a variety of responses, but many were focused on the development and delivery of knowledge. I hope you’ll review these, give thought to what your own response might be to this query, and offer your own to us via e-mail. We would love to hear from more of you as we endeavor to refine our programs, projects, and initiatives to best meet your needs:

2015 Architecture Exchange East Comment Cards

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

  • Be present in your community, volunteer in something you have interest or passion in. If nothing comes to mind…find something!
  • Community education/community intervention. When jurisdictional level of respect for architectural values is low or non-existent.
  • Change… the way the public sees the profession of architecture…and architects.
  • Position architects as an important and powerful force in the community; leverage the stories and personalities within the membership – create a campaign around it.

PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING

  • Structural engineers are your friends.
  • Introduce more opportunities for those not currently in the field but aspire to be (unemployed or unrelated profession) i.e., advertise free events, offer opportunities to gain I.D.P credits.
  • Structural engineers are your friends.

SHARING KNOWLEDGE

  • Work with the universities to open the door to architect as developer and construction leader. We need to be the leader master builder in the future.
  • Engage the society and the academics (faculty members) of the architecture programs throughout the commonwealth to begin to improve their relationships and ultimately begin to support each other.
  • Pay more attention to the needs of small architectural firms and individual architects (sole practitioners)!
  • Remember the small firm.
  • Help small firm architects understand we’re better when we work together…70% of all AIA members (56,000) work in firms of <20 staff.
  • Assist firms in collaboration through firm roundtables throughout the year.
  • Provide more events like Design Forum – maybe smaller less expensive events but that occur more frequently. Or possibly design concerns/discussion in each Chapter, then a composite session at AEE.
  • Connect Chapters to AIA knowledges resources to plan programs.
  • Architecture education, practice…and the in between. Elevate the conversation between AIAVA and both Emerging Professionals and Non-members to inspire membership but also establish membership.
  • Focus on technical training opportunities.
  • AIA has to become a theme leader on big issues. Yesterday our young professionals presented the web for sea (level) rise. This could be the next big issue. AIA take the lead and hold the info. There are many issues like this where AIA can shine.

ENHANCING COMMUNICATION

  • Transparency. When are meetings? Where does the money go?
  • Keep chapter websites up to date.
  • Why aren’t phone numbers on website for staff (VSAIA)? Without them the assumption is you don’t want to be contacted.
  • Provide incentives for completing ARE’s (publish names, ext).

Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA
Hdreiling@aiava.org

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