President's message - 2009: A look back

I can't believe my year at the helm is over. I started into 2009 and the presidency of AIANY with the goal of "Elevating Architecture." But how, exactly, do you "elevate" something so big as the design of our homes and cities? Last month, I asked that question at a design literacy retreat. The location was inspiring in itself: Philip Johnson's Glass House compound. As leaders of New York's design and cultural communities gathered together in Johnson's circular, white brick gallery, we investigated ways to encourage design literacy among students of all ages. We examined what we, as citizen-architects, can do to raise the bar through the avenues of government, community organizations, and school programs, to create a climate of design literacy that demands more from institutions, developers and architects. It was a stimulating day of conversation, and I look forward to watching the ideas it spawned grow to fruition. But "elevating architecture" didn't just happen at the literacy retreat; at the Center for Architecture we made it our business to elevate the field every day. As chapter president, I had the opportunity to help guide a bevy of inspired and inspiring programs. I remembered many of AIANY's achievements as I prepared to deliver my address for the 2010 AIANY Board Inaugural, held December 8 at the Center for Architecture. At last year's inaugural, we announced the "Not Business As Usual" initiative as an effort to rally the architecture and design community during the economic downturn. A year later, as the economic recovery lags for the architectural profession, the need for NBAU's professional development program is still generating participation from a broad spectrum of the design community. We expanded our advocacy efforts, including supporting the Greater, Greener Buildings Plan, which was recently passed in City Council. Our five-year collaboration with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to produce our annual "Fit City" conference, will bear impressive fruit next month with the release of the Active Design Guidelines. On January 27, the AIA will host the release of this important document, which was generated by experts at several city agencies, including DOH, DDC, and DOT. In 2009, visitors to the Center for Architecture viewed some of our most immersive and interactive exhibitions yet. ContextContrast: New Architecture in Historic Districts, 1967-2009, on view through January 30, 2010, asks how the Landmark Preservation Commission's charge of ensuring "appropriate" new architecture in historic districts has allowed neighborhoods to evolve without endangering their essential character. Make It Work: Engineering Possibilities was a fun, interdisciplinary display of seventy innovative projects, and A Space Within: The National September 11 Memorial and Museum offered an evocative preview of the World Trade Center site's memorial. We inaugurated the Helfand Spotlight series, and installed close to a dozen timely, relevant projects in our storefront gallery space. In November, the Center opened its first permanent installation featuring our building's geothermal system. We're proud to present a public gallery that explains to the wells, pumps, and pipes that make up one of only four operating geothermal systems in Manhattan. We discovered additional exhibition space this fall with our first "off-Center" exhibition. New York Now, a presentation showcasing the work of our members, went up in the corridors of the West Fourth Street subway station. The creative use of subway advertising space compelled tourists and straphangers alike to inspect the projects in the "galleries" on their way to the train. While it's exciting to build our public profile, we did not forget our commitment to professional development and the design community. To better serve our members, the chapter renovated its training center and initiated a range of trainings to help architects upgrade and expand their skill sets, including courses in Revit and ArchiCAD. These resources are available to all (although they are steeply discounted for members), and because we added so much member value this year, we saw our membership grow. I encourage architects, designers, and related professionals to consider joining the AIA N.Y. chapter in 2010. In looking back, I see that over this past year we elevated architecture, but we also embraced our community and helped each other through a difficult year. I look forward to next year's AIANY, under the skilled guidance of Tony Schirripa, AIA, IIDA, chairman and CEO of Mancini Duffy. I am sure that the chapter and the design community will thrive under his wise leadership. Sherida Paulsen, FAIA is the 2009 president of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, New York, N.Y.