Welcome to Blueprint South Dakota, a blog created by architects in South Dakota to provide a forum for public conversations with citizens, city planners, developers, property owners, designers, public office holders and others. Through these conversations, we want to participate with the public and community leaders in the creation of vibrant, prosperous, beautiful and effective places to live, work and play in South Dakota. Please join us in conversing about design and planning issues in our state.
Prairie Business Magazine feature: Dakotans who stay to design their communities
We often hear from architects in South Dakota about the good reasons behind the rigorous school program and series of exams required to become a licensed architect. Nearly as often, we hear that our members didn’t meet a licensed architect until they were well into their college studies or perhaps even took their first job …
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Meet a Member: Mitchell Woldt
Mitchell Woldt, AIA, is nearly halfway into his first year on the AIA South Dakota Board of Directors. He is a Project Architect at CO-OP Architecture who loves spending time outdoors in the Black Hills. Read on to learn how he survived a speed run of all six Architect Registration Exam (ARE) sections in the …
Art and architecture tell cultural history through working studios, homes
Up for a road trip this summer? Consider the itinerary less traveled and plan your vacation around visits to artist-built environments, homes, and studios across the United States. The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) earlier this year added 19 new affiliate sites to its Historic Artists’ Home & Studios network. It’s the largest expansion …
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AIA SD Exhibit Hall Registration Open
Registration is open for the 2025 AIA South Dakota Exhibit Hall, set for Sept. 11 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.
Early-career architects connect in Dallas to help shape the future of design
The Young Architects Forum (YAF) is a program of the American Institute of Architects and the College of Fellows. AIA defines Young Architects as professionals who are in their first 10 years of licensure, and the Forum is a national member group organized to address issues of particular importance to these recently licensed architects. This …
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Design Digest: Technology and the chance to reimagine our industry (again)
From computer-aided design software and building information modeling programs to augmented-reality headsets and artificial intelligence, technology has helped drive major shifts in our industry. Each advancement has enabled architects and design professionals to work more consistently across projects. Ideally, these tools also provide clients with a better idea of how their finished project will look …
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Newly Licensed Architect: Paige Riddle, AIA
Architects take many paths to achieve licensure. AIA South Dakota members know what it takes to earn a stamp. Some people move from their college degree directly through the Architect Registration Examination. Others work more long-term in the design field, explore alternate careers, devote time to family, or travel. However an architect earns licensure, we …
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SAY IT LOUD South Dakota exhibit featured in Rapid City gallery through March 2025
SAY IT LOUD South Dakota, an exhibition highlighting the contributions of women and people of color in South Dakota’s design and construction industries, has arrived in South Dakota’s Black Hills.
Fall Reflections: Part 3
One of the more fulfilling aspects of being an architect is, at least sometimes, talking about being an architect. Some of this admittedly stems from a sense of pride in my projects, but at least a small portion of it comes from an intuitive, deeply-human acknowledgement of the good that can come from sharing about …
Fall Reflections: Part 2
A client recently asked “why are your fees higher than last time?” A bit of context… the question was in regard to Phase 2 of a larger renovation. The entire project was originally designed, comprehensively, under a separate fee. To accommodate budgets and schedules, it was split into two different, equal sized phases, for construction. …
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