Elevating arch. in challenging times: Design literacy for all

As we enter the New Year with a mixture of hope and uncertainty, I see the role of architecture becoming more pronounced in responding to the challenges ahead. As architects we have chosen to study and practice in a field that has seen great heights, but has also struggled to sustain members in economic downturns. The ancient study of architecture is wide-ranging; it covers history, technology and art, and through these design portals we learn about our cultures, discover scientific advances, and create objects of beauty and statement for society. To rally proactively to the challenges facing us, my goals for 2009 include providing new programs to support us during lean times and opportunities to celebrate the citizen-architect and nurture a broader audience for our work. Since the Center for Architecture was created in 2003, each president of the AIANY chapter has chosen a theme to focus on excellence in some aspect of our work: encouraging diversity, speaking on public policy, designing interiors - and last year James McCullar raised the bar by looking at building types: housing, cultural facilities, health care and hospitality while examining each against the city's plan to create a development framework for 2030. Our spotlight in 2009 will examine what we as citizen-architects can do to continue to raise the bar to create a climate of design literacy that demands and inspires more from institutions, developers and architects. We will accomplish this by maintaining a focus on our government, our community and our schools. In terms of government, the recent AIA 150th anniversary exhibition examined the thesis that AIA formation was tied to the realization that we needed a strong professional organization to partner with strong government institutions in order to demand better design to positively impact people's everyday lives. The design competition for Central Park is an excellent example of this approach. We are fortunate in New York to have had civic leadership that created many sturdy institutions, all with the mandate to provide our city with the finest environments for our diverse population. This year we will actively seek to provide more platforms for the architecture profession and the city agencies to communicate and exchange ideas, especially with agencies such as the Department of Buildings, the Department of Design and Construction, and the Department of Health. The community is elastic and ever shifting. As architects, we need to stay on top of the latest trends, not only in architecture, but also the graphic arts, landscape and engineering. The Center for Architecture is a tremendous resource for our members and allied professions at the AIA Center. In addition, I plan to broaden cooperation and partnership with the Architectural League, the Storefront for Art and Architecture, the Van Alen Institute, and the Design Trust for Public Spaces. In doing so, this will allow all of us far greater access to the broadest thinking about the architectural world today. The Center is a wonderful place to provide non-architects with information to help them make informed choices about their neighborhoods. Our exhibitions, library and public information exchange offer immeasurable resources and inspiration for the many communities throughout the city, and we will focus board and staff attention on making it all more accessible. Our schools need to be modern, dynamic environments for learning and it is imperative that we invest in the buildings and infrastructure that allow students space to achieve the most that they can; but we also believe that a school's curriculum should have a strong arts component, and that integrating architecture is essential to learning about history, technology, mathematics and art. Currently, our Center for Architecture Foundation's programs in Learning by Design, as well as Family Days at the Center, offer a unique foundation to the built environment and how it gets constructed. We will continue to actively promote the Foundation and their programs. While the industry's outlook for 2009 is gloomy and requires the AIA board of directors to constantly monitor our offerings, this year the executive committee will rise to the challenges ahead in constructive and impassioned ways. We are starting programs here at the Center to address architects and interns who are looking for employment. Our member services committee will soon announce a variety of programs designed to increase those eligible for licensure and to support all of us in our efforts to maintain our presence in our profession. Board members and committee chairs will undergo an in-depth update of our long-range plan and investigate our relationship to the national AIA's strategic plan. This is critical to our organization's efficient use of our membership investment. Our budgets will be closely monitored to ensure dues are spent wisely and we will update our budgets on shorter time frames so we can respond quicker to drastic changes in the economy. Our committees, the lifeblood of the New York Chapter, will continue to meet, present panels, and organize compelling exhibitions around specific building types and interest areas. And our ever vigilant and visionary staff members led by Rick Bell and Cynthia Kracauer will forge ahead, as always, looking out for new ideas and ways to keep the New York Chapter on the national and global stages. We architects have a special responsibility built into our profession to the public and patrons that use and commission our work. The Center is our means of communication to these groups, and it is my mission this year to expand our partnerships to reach greater audiences for the benefit of all. As a citizen-architect and president of the New York Chapter, I pledge to keep raising the bar to elevate architecture. By increasing design literacy, we can reach our goal of inspirational architecture for people. Sherida Paulsen, FAIA is the 2009 president of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, New York, N.Y.