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April 2017
Smarter Buildings: At the Intersection of Architecture, Design, and Technology
Smarter Buildings explores advancements in the field of building technology through case studies of the world’s smartest buildings. As this year’s recipient of AIA Seattle Emerging Professionals Scholarship, architect Derik Eckhardt traveled to Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Boston, Copenhagen, Dubai, London, Portland and Stuttgart to research smarter buildings. The buildings selected for research cover a broad range of technologies. They represent arguably the world’s smartest buildings, not only by the degree to which technology is embedded within the built environment, but also in the ingenuity with which…
July 2017
Extraordinary Playscapes: Opening Reception
Extraordinary Playscapes is an educational experience highlighting the importance of play. It showcase how designers shape the outdoor play experience, with interactive elements for kids to learn about the creative process. Read more
Extraordinary Playscapes: Family Fun Day
In conjunction with our Exhibit Extraordinary Playscapes we are inviting families to join us in a day of creative play. Read more
December 2017
Futurama Redux – Urban Mobility After Cars & Oil
Developed by future urban mobility think tank Smarter Than Car, the exhibit is simultaneously inspired by and a critique of the original Futurama exhibit from the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. It broadly follows a best-case thought experiment that moves the present-day to 2050, when Vienna has become a leading city in post-carbon transition. But rather than providing a prescriptive solution to complex problems, Futurama Redux proposes a multifaceted loop of consideration, experimentation, participation, and adaptation. A portion of…
How Do You Want to Live?
In conjunction with Futurama Redux, a portion of MG2’s How Do You Want to Live? exhibit will be on display in the Community Gallery. A series of physical installations explore the question “How do you want to live?,” with the goal of empowering communities, developers and designers to create thriving urban environments. Make your voice heard by participating in a string wall exercise aimed at revealing how different generations want to live, build, commute, work, connect, shop, eat and play. How Do You Want…
Imagineering a Postcarbon Seattle
The future might not be motorized: Over the coming decades the challenges of Postcarbon Transition and Climate Change Adaptation will demand a paradigm shift for the organisation of human settlements. This symposium questions the position of the city of Seattle in the global challenge of complete decarbonization until 2050. It will explore the opportunities and challenges that decision makers, creatives and civil society is faced with when taking up this responsibility and will explore first stepping stones to further such…
February 2018
Imagineering a Postcarbon Seattle – Part 2
As a closing activity to the exhibit Futurama Redux: Urban Mobility After Cars And Oil exhibition, AIA Seattle will host a second public symposium, Imagineering a Postcarbon Seattle – Part 2, to explore the challenges and opportunities that decision makers, creatives, and civil society face when taking on the responsibility to phase out fossil fuels. Local experts will explore urban strategies for context-sensitive postcarbon transition and invite you to share your thoughts, ideas, and concerns as we try to achieve…
March 2018
In the Public Interest: Redefining the Architect’s Role and Responsibility
This exhibit is created by Garrett Nelli Assoc. AIA, the 2017 recipient of AIA Seattle’s Emerging Professionals Travel Scholarship. Public interest design is re-positioning the architectural profession to address the social, political, and environmental issues of the 21st century through community-engaged design. This shift in practice advances the notion that architecture is not only a built product, but a collective process that instills the tools, awareness, and imagination for individuals to improve their condition. As this year’s recipient of AIA…
April 2018
AIA Seattle Movie Night: Design that Heals Documentary
Join us for an evening of film and conversation at the Center for Architecture and Design! Read more
Human Flow: Documentary screening and Q&A
Join us for a nation wide screening of Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei’s documentary at the Center for Architecture and Design! Read more
May 2018
The Changing Nature of Practice
The role of the architect—and architecture itself—in society is changing. A lack of involvement in critical social issues from a profession that holds such high responsibility within the community should no longer be avoided. Innovative design practices around the world are utilizing a wide variety of strategies to garner economic and political support that make it possible to operate in both the traditional and public interest realms. Through expanded design services, innovative business operations, and unique contextual initiatives, the preconceived…
June 2018
Wild Tensions: Opening Night Reception
Exactly how authentic do we want our outdoor experience to be, and how far do we have to go to find it? How can we protect our natural treasures in the midst of explosive regional population growth? Can we mitigate that human pressure on these environments by leveraging urban wilderness? Wild Tensions: How Design Impacts the Outdoor Experience explores the inherent tensions between our pursuit of the wilderness experiences that are so integral to our Pacific Northwest identity and the…
Wild Tensions Family Day
Join us and Seattle Architecture Foundation for a special Family Day celebrating the opening of Wild Tensions: How Design Impacts the Outdoor Experience! Read more
August 2018
Wild Tensions: Tips and Tricks to Safely Experience the Outdoors
Please join us for an hour-long presentation with Richard Forbes of REI as we explore how gear developments and best practices can help us both keep ourselves comfortable and protect our wilderness for future generations. Read more
December 2018
Sanctuary: Design for Belonging Opening Night Reception
Our world is witnessing a time of record migration and displacement. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, there are now more than 60 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, the result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations. Cities are on the front lines of this global crisis. As the number of urban displaced persons grows, so does the moral imperative to welcome and embrace them. Sanctuary: Design for Belonging presents design ideas from Displaced: Design for…
Sanctuary Exhibit Tour w/ Graphic Art Curator, Cleo Barnett
Meet us at the Center for a curatorial tour of Sanctuary: Design for Belonging by our Graphic Art Curator, Cleo Barnett. Read more
January 2019
Sanctuary Exhibit Tour w/ Research Curator, Mayumi Tsutakawa
Meet us at the Center for a curatorial tour of Sanctuary: Design for Belonging by our Research Curator, Mayumi Tsutakawa. Read more
March 2019
Because it Rains Opening Night Reception
Recipient of AIA Seattle’s 2018 Emerging Professionals Travel Scholarship, Laura Bartunek Assoc. AIA explored the concept of rain as a creative catalyst within design. Rain, so often approached as a universal foe to be deflected away from buildings, became the focus as both an ecological and cultural phenomenon that can challenge how we engage with our environment. Bartunek sought out five notorious rains found in Florida, New Mexico, Kauai, London and Norway, experiencing and studying the individuality of rain through…
Because it Rains Exhibit Tour
Join us for an Exhibit Tour with 2018 Travel Scholarship Recipient, Laura Bartunek Assoc. AIA. Read more
June 2019
DISCOVER + DISRUPT Opening Night Reception
City systems operate similarly to people. Much of the day is concerned with utilitarian and functional needs. The blueprint for the average city is largely shaped more by cost and efficiency than whimsy and humanity. When moments of delight do exist, art is often corralled into commercial spaces such as advertisements or limited public art initiatives, unable to infiltrate the rest of city life. DISCOVER + DISRUPT is a renewed call to balance in the way art functions in a…
August 2019
DISCOVER + DISRUPT Exhibit Tour
City systems operate similarly to people. Much of the day is concerned with utilitarian, functional, and obvious needs. Budgets are allocated to potholes and traffic alleviation like paying rent and filling a pantry with groceries. The blueprint for the average city is largely shaped more by cost, regiment, and efficiency than whimsy and humanity. When moments of delight do exist, art is often corralled into commercial spaces such as advertisements or limited public art initiatives, unable to infiltrate the rest…
December 2019
Balancing Act: Urbanism & Emerging Technologies Opening Night Reception
How does technology influence our urban experience? Whether we like it or not, technology is deeply rooted in our everyday lives. As emerging technologies continue to evolve, and our cities morph and adapt, the relationship between technology and our urban environments grows more complex. Balancing Act explores the notion of balance by posing a series of questions about how we can focus emerging technologies towards the human experience and develop best urban practices to make our cities more livable, equitable,…
Urbanism & Emerging Technologies – Curator’s Talk With Sae Kim
Seattle Architecture Foundation invites you to a curator’s talk for a behind-the-scenes look at Balancing Act: Urbanism & Emerging Technologies. Read more
February 2020
The Emerging smARt City: Augmented Reality Workshop
Hosted by Julia Beabout and Susan Oldham of Novaby in support of the AIA exhibit Balancing Act: Urbanism and Emerging Technologies, this program is suitable for adults with all ranges of experiences and backgrounds. Read more
Balancing Act: Data, Technology and the Re-imagined City
Come join the Seattle Architecture Foundation for a discussion around the future of cities and Seattle’s position at the forefront of balancing technology, data, and social values in the public realm. Read more
March 2020
Proactive Practice Opening Night Reception – Postponed
As speculative development and fast-paced growth transform urban space, architects must not be complacent in service to the market economy. How can we practice architecture as caretakers for our communities and reclaim an active role in the production of space? Proactive Practice examines how architects self-initiate projects to nurture vibrant and adaptive communities. Through the lens of five architects’ practices and their progressive work, different models and scales of intervention are presented to encourage us to question the malleability of…
The Center is Closed March 9 – May 31
AIA Seattle staff will be working remotely and adjusting planned meetings, events, and gatherings for the health and well-being of our volunteers and the entire Seattle community. Please check the website for any last minute change during this evolving situation. Please see our Message to AIA Seattle Members About Covid-19 Coronavirus for more information and our Resources page.
February 2021
When Seattle Shakes – Exhibit Opens
Seattle’s historic structures, among them many unreinforced masonry buildings, are at risk not only from the numerous seismic faults in the Pacific Northwest, but also from economic factors. Many at-risk buildings continue to have vibrant life in Seattle communities, but have found it challenging to retrofit for earthquake safety. Read more
Why Seattle Shakes with David B. Williams
Unlike many regions in the country, the Seattle area is constantly reminded of its geologic past, present, and future. Whether it is our landslides, our glacier-carved topography, or our three major earthquake zones, this area’s geologic history is young, dynamic, and accessible. In this virtual talk, naturalist David B. Williams will provide an introduction to the city’s geology and how it affects the built environment. This program is inspired by an exhibit, When Seattle Shakes, co-produced by AIA Seattle and…
March 2021
When Seattle Shakes Curator Talk
Join us for an evening talk with our exhibition researcher and curator, Mary Waelder. In this exhibit, Mary explores how to align the goals of historic preservation and resilient design by understanding the most effective ways of protecting a city’s historic building stock against earthquakes. The talk will be focused on her research and attendees will have time for a brief Q&A. Special Thanks to our When Seattle Shakes Exhibit Sponsors: Coughlin Porter Lundeen | Degenkolb | Holmes Group Initial…
April 2021
Unreinforced Masonry: Connecting | Preparing | Preserving
How does living in an earthquake zone impact you? Are you prepared for the next big one? Learn what local preservationists, architects, and engineers are doing to protect our city’s heritage and communities. Connect the past to the present, prepare for the future, preserve our heritage. Moderator: Mary Waelder | Architect at SHKS Architects and When Seattle Shakes Curator Panelists: Lisa Nitze | Co-Founder of ASAP!, V.P. Marketing, Investments, Community Partnerships at Nitze-Stagen Kate Weiland | Associate Principal at BuildingWork,…
December 2022
AIA Seattle Office Closed December 23 – January 2
Happy Holidays – we will see you in the new year! Read more
December 2023
AIA Seattle Office Closed December 25 – January 1
Happy Holidays – we will see you in the new year! Read more
