Blog Archives

Advocacy Update – September 2024

crowd mingling at 2024 Housing Forum happy hour

Join Advocacy Happy Hour – Tuesday, September 23rd AIA Seattle advocacy members are passionate about the role of AEC professionals to support thriving communities through advocacy. Whether you’ve been a long-time advocate or always wanted to get involved, this happy

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – July 2024

Let's Go Washington activists.

Photo: Let’s Go Washington Founder Brian Heywood talks about ballot initiatives during a press conference at Jackson’s Shell Station in Kent on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (Jason Redmond for Crosscut) Advocacy Happy Hour Save the date for Tuesday, September 24th!

Posted in Advocacy

ED Mid-Year Message 2024

To Our Valued 10-County Community, Each year, we breathe a collective sigh that YES, summer has returned! AIA Seattle is packing these longer days with activity, including the Annual Chapter Meeting on June 10th, which was an opportunity for our

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Advocacy Update – June 2024

Attendees at this year's Housing Forum

Photo: Attendees at AIA Seattle’s 2024 Housing Forum – Housing: A Stage for Life Housing Forum Advocacy came to life in person at Monday’s Housing: A Stage for Life learning and networking forum at 415 Westlake. Highlights included innovative project case studies,

Posted in Advocacy

Board of Directors 2024-2025

AIA Seattle is pleased to announce our incoming slate of accomplished design leaders who were elected to fill seats on our Board of Directors beginning September 1, 2024. These new directors will provide the strategic leadership required to advance our

Posted in For the Profession

Advocacy Update – May 2024

Photo: AIA Seattle Staff and Board Members at the 2023 Housing Forum.  City of Seattle Comp Plan Engagement Period Extended The City of Seattle has extended the public engagement period for the Draft One Seattle Plan and Draft Environmental Impact

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – April 2024

Group of people discussing the Draft Comprehensive Plan together in a circle

Seattle News AIA Seattle Members – Get Active for a Livable City AIA Seattle members envisions the City of Seattle as a livable city with a variety of housing near many types of amenities, retail cores, and transit that appeals

Posted in Advocacy

2024 Young Architects Award | Amanda Snelson AIA

Congratulations to AIA Seattle member Amanda Snelson AIA, for being a recipient of the AIA National 2024 Young Architects Award! With the heart of a mother and the spirit of an activist, Amanda Snelson AIA, treats architecture as an adaptable tool

Posted in Fellows and Honors

Advocacy Update – March 2024

Seattle News Draft Comprehensive Plan Released After months of anticipation, the draft One Seattle Comprehensive Plan has finally arrived! This Comprehensive Plan update for Seattle marks a critical milestone in shaping the city’s future growth over the next 20 years, addressing key questions

Posted in Advocacy

AIA Seattle Announces the 2024 Fellows

Pictured (left to right): Ann Marie Borys FAIA, Douglas Ito FAIA, J. Todd Scott FAIA, Jim Hanford FAIA, John Shoesmith FAIA, Kathrina Simonen FAIA, and Robert Misel FAIA. The fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have achieved

Posted in Fellows and Honors

Advocacy Update – January 2024

Photo: The 2024 Washington state legislative session gets underway in the House of Representatives on Jan. 8, 2024. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard) 2024 Legislative Session Begins The 2024 legislative session kicked off on January 8 with a flurry of activities,

Posted in Advocacy

Doug Ito FAIA Receives the 2024 AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Award

Doug Ito, a managing principle of SMR Architects, was awarded the 2024 AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Award, a distinguished national honor presented by the AIA annually since 1972. This award is bestowed upon an architect or organization that profoundly

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Advocacy Update – December 2023

AIA Washington Register for Capitol Connections Registration is open for Capitol Connections on January 23, 2024, where AIA Washington will be discussing the rolling clock bill. This event will be a great opportunity to connect with your legislators and share

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – November 2023

Photo: Judkins Junction, an affordable housing project at Jackson Street and 23rd Avenue South in Seattle. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times, 2020) LOCAL NEWS Passage of the 2023 Seattle Housing Levy We are thrilled to announce a historic

Posted in Advocacy

2023 Honor Award Winners

2023 Awards of Honor winners Collage

SEATTLE, November 6, 2023 – Last night, AIA Seattle hosted the 73rd annual Honor Awards for Washington Architecture to celebrate excellence in design. The distinguished jury included: Katie Ackerly AIA, LEED AP, CPHC (David Baker Architects) Steven Lewis FAIA, NOMAC, LEED

Posted in For the Profession, For the Public, Honor Awards

Advocacy Update – October 2023

Photo: Doug Walker LOCAL NEWS Public Hearing on Proposed Transportation Impact Fees Last week, the Seattle City Council voted to expedite an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan concerning transportation impact fees. The proposal has been sent to the full Council

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – September 2023

Photo: Jared Wenzelburger, The Chronicle SBCC Advances Energy Code Amendments with Revised Effective Date In a recent meeting, the State Building Code Council (SBCC) made significant strides in advancing energy code amendments that promise to shape the future of construction

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – July 2023

Photo: MyNorthwest  AIA National Revised Federal Research & Development Tax Credit Update AIA National has shared an important update regarding the revised federal research and development (R&D) tax credit, which came into effect on January 1, 2023. Due to the

Posted in Advocacy

Advocacy Update – June 2023

Call for Feedback: Updates to Architects are Environmentally Responsible Policy We are excited to announce that AIA National is undertaking an important initiative to update the Architects are Environmentally Responsible section of the AIA Public Policy statements and accept feedback from

Posted in Advocacy

Board of Directors Nominations 2023

Please vote for the 2023 slate of Board of Directors and Officers. by July 14.

AIA Seattle’s Board Nominating Committee is pleased to present this slate of accomplished members to fill open seats on our Board of Directors or current board members moving to officer positions or different positions beginning September 1, 2023. All AIA

Posted in For the Profession

Advocacy Update – May 2023

Seattle City Council Passes Tree Ordinance Latest Housing Taskforce advocacy efforts: We are thrilled to announce that the Seattle City Council has passed the long-awaited tree ordinance, marking a significant milestone in our mission to strike a balance between housing

Posted in Advocacy

Call for Individual Award Nominations

call for individual nominations

Now is the time to reflect on individuals that have inspired you in your practice, that have made a tremendous impact on our communities, and have uplifted the values of a just and equitable world. We encourage you to nominate

Posted in Fellows and Honors

Advocacy Update – April 2023

STATE NEWS 2023 Legislative Session We have reached the final weeks of the 105-day state legislative session. Tuesday, April 4, was the opposite house fiscal committee cut-off, where all bills that passed the House needed to be out of their

Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board

Advocacy Update – February 2023

March 2023 Advocacy Update

STATE NEWS State Legislative Session Update Washington’s State Legislature is back in person and moving through the long 105 day session at an effective pace. This year there have been well over 1,500 bills introduced so far. While the legislation

Posted in Advocacy, Public Policy Board

2023 Fellowship Announcement

Bill LaPatra FAIA, LEED AP, is a design partner at Mithun with 40 years of experience leading higher education, civic, commercial, and corporate workplace projects. His diverse body of work includes the mixed-use Weyerhaeuser Headquarters in Seattle’s Pioneer Square; the

Posted in Fellows and Honors

2022 Year in Review

Dear AIA Seattle Community, As we close the calendar on 2022, we have so much to celebrate. In the past year, our community has adapted to a shifting work environment and embraced many of the silver linings and lessons of

Posted in For the Profession, Home Page

2022 Honor Award Winners

Collage of Honor Award 2022 Winners

SEATTLE, November 8, 2022 – Last night, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Seattle hosted the 72nd annual Honor Awards for Washington Architecture to celebrate excellence in design. The distinguished jury included Billie Faircloth FAIA, LEED AP BD+C (KieranTimberlake), Ghazal

Posted in For the Profession, For the Public, Honor Awards

Continued Connection

A message for our valued AIA Seattle Community,  Summer has finally found us in Seattle, and all around us are signs of increasing community engagement. In our highly hybrid and virtual times, our committees and staff team at AIA Seattle are

Posted in Uncategorized

2022-23 Board of Directors

Vote today for our 2022-23 slate of new/moving board members

AIA Seattle’s Board Nominating Committee is pleased to present this slate of accomplished members to fill open seats on our Board of Directors or current board members moving to officer positions or different positions beginning September 1, 2022. All AIA

Posted in For the Profession, Home Page

2022 Fellowship Announcement

Kjell Anderson FAIA

Kjell Anderson FAIA, LEED Fellow, practices architecture and serves as a Principal and the Director of Sustainable Design at LMN Architects, working with all of LMN’s clients to set and exceed sustainable design goals. He wrote the first architect-centered book

Posted in Fellows and Honors

International Women’s Day 2022

A collage of Women

In principle and in practice, AIA Seattle values and seeks diverse and inclusive participation within the field of architecture. Over 60% of AIA Seattle leaders are women, including Board, Committee Chairs, and Staff, and our chapter continues to exceed the national average

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2021 Year in Review

AIA Seattle will be closed December 24 through January 3

Dear AIA Seattle Community, Thank you for the warm welcome to lead AIA Seattle’s mission to champion the central role of architects in creating and sustaining a better built environment. It’s a pleasure to share with you a reflection on

Posted in For the Profession, Home Page

Recipient Announced for 2021 Northwest Washington Section Scholarship

2021-22 Recipient: My name is Ciera Gordon. After graduating from Burlington-Edison High School, I studied architecture and mechanical engineering with a minor in energy studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I am currently in the final year of the

Posted in Uncategorized

2021-2022 Board of Directors

AIA Seattle’s Board Nominating Committee is pleased to present this slate of accomplished members to fill open seats on our Board of Directors beginning September 1, 2021.  All AIA and Associate AIA members were eligible to vote. Votes are yes or

Posted in For the Profession, Home Page