Cover image by AIA National Day 2: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging – Stacey Abrams This session was one I was looking forward to the most during this convention. It was an honor to listen to this wonderful woman, a personal hero of mine, inspire and encourage leaders in this industry to fight for social…
Cover image by AIA National Architect, Advocate, Activist. Three words AIA members are called to be. Last week, I had the honor of attending the annual Grassroots convention hosted virtually by AIA National’s 2021 President Elect, Dan Hart, FAIA. With the theme of “Bring it Home,” this four day leadership event focused on skillsets we…
Below is a portion of the required yearly Green Building Report provided by the Office of the State Engineer to the South Dakota Legislature. Within this report, we see the status of state building projects and their compliance to Senate Bill 188 in 2008. Note: items in a portion of the report below may be…
The rural design community and CIRD look ahead by looking back. Cover Photo: Sahar Coston-HardyBlack-owned Graham’s Ribs in Springfield, Missouri, open from 1932 to 1996, was an establishment listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book Originally published in Rural Voices – Cultivating Citizen-led Design Volume 24, No. 2, Fall 2020 by the Housing Assistance Council. By Stephen…
AIA National Strategic Council Update by Amy Rosen, Assoc. AIA and Stephen Parker, AIA, NCARB Originally published in Connections: Citizen Architect, Issue 18, 2020. As the “think tank” for the Institute, the AIA Strategic Council breaks into several workgroups with specific study areas each year. Through this incubator concept, the Council explores embryonic ideas that…
South Dakota lost an architectural giant last week with the passing of Ward Whitwam. As a transplant to South Dakota, I had always heard his name said in reverent tones, a leader in design for the state for as long as many could remember. In honor of his passing and a celebration of his life…
Last week, Amanda Gorman was one of many who made history. As the first national Youth Poet Laureate, Gorman, 22, was also the youngest poet to deliver the presidential inaugural poem, which she finished after the Capitol riot weeks before. See link for video and full text: Amanda Gorman, The Hill We Climb: Kottke.org I…
Shortly after President Biden’s inauguration last week, one of his first acts was to sign an executive order to rejoin the Paris Agreement. Former President Donald Trump had withdrawn the United States from the treaty in 2017, making the U.S. the first to formally leave the treaty in 2020 despite being the second leading country…
Recently our firm has been working on a local VA project that requires blast design consideration and additional physical security measures. In recent years, these types of requirements were typically for design teams working abroad or overseas or on Federal Buildings here in the US. Since the first basement bombing of the World Trade Center…
As if 2020 wasn’t bad enough, we also lost a number of creative, impactful members of the South Dakota architecture community this year. We are grateful for the time we were able to share with these fine people, and for the lasting impact their work leaves on our state. Gary Stanley, AIA Gary Stanley, 76,…