"Not Business as Usual"

One last blog post on the dour economy: Recognizing the radical change of landscape over the past few months, yesterday AIA New York held a lunchtime summit dubbed "Not Business as Usual" to explore how the AIA, the Center for Architecture Foundation and architects in general can use the economic downturn as a tool for creative response and support. 

Report Melina Gills, communications coordinator for AIA NY: 

At lunchtime on Wednesday, December 17, the “Not Business as Usual” economic crisis discussion brought 91 architects and other design professionals to the Center for Architecture. In an open discussion led by 2009 AIANY President Sherida E. Paulsen and 2008 Center for Architecture Foundation President Alex Lamis, those attending spoke of the needs of the architectural profession and proposed methods to re-energize the design community. What was very clear is that architects need one another and that the entire building industry should come together. The Center for Architecture can become a place where those needs can be addressed and strategies developed.

AIA New York Board Secretary Abby Suckle organized the event as chair of the Chapter’s Member Services Committee. Many who spoke envisioned the Center for Architecture as a place where architects could convene, take courses in LEED, BIM, or the ARE exam, and “retool,” as one participating architect put it. The Center was called on to be a community center where architects and those affiliated with the profession can come and learn, attending daytime programs or meeting to talk and share. One interior architect tagged it a potential “Starbucks for Architects.”

Many present at the meeting, including representatives from Architecture for Humanity and Arup, offered up additional possibilities for services and education. The Chapter will host other training sessions, from resume building to how to get public work. Starting February 7, AIA New York IDP/ARE Task Force will be holding weekly Architect Registration Examination preparation courses. Other possibilities for unemployed architects include exhibition design at the Center and serving as docents for tour guides.

At the strong urging of those present, AIA New York is making Wednesday’s meeting the first of many other “Not Business as Usual” sessions. The design professions are changing – the Center can help ease the pain of the transition.

Whether you are in New York or some other locale, we want to hear your creative solutions. How can the profession come together in these tougher times?