Over the next several months, Blueprint South Dakota will spotlight each of the entries in the 2025 Design Awards competition. AIA South Dakota members again proved their creativity and problem-solving skills with beautifully functional work, on display in communities across South Dakota and beyond. Each installment in this series introduces readers to a different project,…
Over the next several months, Blueprint South Dakota will spotlight each of the entries in the 2025 Design Awards competition. AIA South Dakota members again proved their creativity and problem-solving skills with beautifully functional work, on display in communities across South Dakota and beyond. Each installment in this series introduces readers to a different project,…
A year ago, my daughter and her husband moved back to the Sioux Falls area. We spent several months looking for houses in all price ranges. First, there was very little available. Second, the houses we saw were not very well-designed in any price range. Usually, many architects and firms do not design many houses. Custom homes are very time-consuming and often not profitable.
Last year, representatives from the architectural firms of Snøhetta and JLG Architects made a presentation of The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library at the AIA South Dakota Annual Convention. It is an exciting project in the North Dakota Badlands near Medora, N.D., that will become a major attraction once it opens. We contacted Matt Brinely of the…
AIA South Dakota’s signature summer event began with our first-ever rodeo and wrapped up with a social and sponsor expo. Throughout the day on July 17, we learned from one another through onsite visits and designer-led tours to five distinct projects that are helping shape Rapid City. The annual gathering brings together architects, landscape architects,…
A story in this month’s Prairie Business Magazine offers a fresh look at the deeply personal connections architects have to their communities—and how these AIA SD members are using their skills to serve their neighbors.
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.
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…
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.…
Evaluating ideas is a crucial step in the creative process to determine which concepts are worth pursuing further. Step 1: Clearly Define the Problem or Goal the Idea Aims to Address Ensure the idea aligns with the objectives you want to achieve. In order to do this, one must define the objectives first. Consider factors…