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August 2016
![Hosted By Ghosts of Seattle Past [break] With Seattle City Council Member Lisa Herbold [break]@ the Center](https://aiaseattle.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Boom_2016_Ishisaka-3047sm.jpg)
Resident’s Podium for Seattle Legacy Spaces
Seattle residents, artists, and community organizers will testify about the places they want preserved. Meanwhile city officials, landlords, real estate developers, policy makers and other community members are invited to come together to listen and learn from these voices across our city. Through better collective understanding of the historic businesses and gathering spaces that knit together our current urban fabric, we can determine how to design the most collaborative, inclusive and considered version of Seattle, conceived by the many. This…
November 2016
Opening Reception of the Portraits of Architects w/ Diversity Rountable
Come and enjoy the The Portraits of Architects exhibit, wine and snacks with UW students and faculty! Read more
January 2017
Open to All: Designing for the full range of human experience
Open to All: Designing for the Full Range of Human Experience, opening @ the Center in January, 2017, shows how designers make places, objects and experiences to better match the diversity of individual interactions with them. Open to All seeks to give visitors a visceral understanding of the critical role design plays in creating an environment of inclusivity. AUDIO GUIDE Opening Reception: Jan. 12, 5-8pm Lightning Talks: 6-7pm with ASL interpretation Featuring Open to All Projects: Skype Translator, Incloodle, Hearing AI…
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…
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
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 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
Color My Home: An Architecture Workshop for Kids
Together we will remember, imagine, and create our homes with words, textures, and colorful illustrations. We’ll tell the story of the journey we take through spaces we call home. Please send RSVP to colorofmyhome@gmail.com. This event is held in conjunction with Sanctuary: Design for Belonging, on display @ the Center through February 23, 2019.
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…
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…
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 2021
AIA Seattle Office Closed December 24 – January 3
Happy Holidays – see you in the new year! Read more
December 2022
AIA Seattle Office Closed December 23 – January 2
Happy Holidays – we will see you in the new year! Read more
August 2023
26th Annual SAF Model Exhibit
Each year, SAF’s Model Exhibit celebrates the creativity of local and international designers and firms by connecting audiences to the process of architectural design. Through physical and digital models, architectural renderings, and other displays, the exhibit unveils how architecture and design shape our everyday lives. This year’s exhibit invites us to reflect on architecture as a catalyst for interaction, connections, and community, and as the carving of space where diverse communities converge and thrive. This year’s exhibit is curated by…
September 2023
Culture Change in Practice: A Leadership Cohort 2023 | Workshop 1
This four-part, peer-based learning program was designed by a team of architects and allied professionals to specifically provide architecture and allied firms the tools and community to meet the explicit goals and metrics laid out in NOMA NW’s Call-to-Action. The first workshop of Culture Change in Practice: A Leadership Cohort 2023 is scheduled for Friday, September 15, 9:00am-12:00pm PT, in person at DLR Group (51 University St #600). Workshop 1: Power and Privilege September 15, 9am-12pm PT | In-Person @…
December 2023
AIA Seattle Office Closed December 25 – January 1
Happy Holidays – we will see you in the new year! Read more
October 2024
SIAF: DESIGNING ACROSS CULTURES Navigating Expectations in Asia and the USA
Join us for a thought-provoking forum where two architects and one landscape architect with extensive experience in Asia and the USA will share their insights on the cultural aspects of designing buildings in different countries. Our speakers will explore the unique challenges and opportunities of working in diverse cultural contexts, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India, and the USA. Through case studies and personal anecdotes, they will discuss how cultural differences impact design expectations, user experience, and project success. Attendees will gain valuable knowledge on how to navigate cultural nuances and deliver effective, culturally sensitive design solutions in a globalized architectural practice. Read more
