One of the keynote speakers at this year’s AIA South Dakota Annual Convention was the incoming national president of the AIA, Illya Azaroff, FAIA. It was a rare pleasure to have such an outstanding member of our profession attend our state convention. Ten years ago, I was appointed to the AIA Strategic Council for a…
How a global pandemic changed the Sioux Falls Arts Council The warm days of summer have all but disappeared, kids are back in school, and we are all finding our new strides in a post pandemic world. It is hard to look back at the last three years and remember “what we were doing in…
Buildings as Critical Infrastructure Over 14 years ago, the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring hundreds of others. Nearly 5 years ago, a tragedy occurred in downtown Sioux Falls when the Copper Lounge, undergoing renovations, suddenly collapsed. A construction worker died. Earlier this year, a condo in the Miami suburb of…
(Sponsored content by Pigott, provided by Gail Caldwell + Herman Miller) “You can teach caregivers mindfulness and mediation techniques, but if you throw them back into the war zone, it’s not going to work.” – Dr. Mark Greenawald, Carilion Clinic Vice Chair, Academic Affairs, Virginia Tech School of Medicine The onset of COVID-19 created insurmountable…
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…
Back by popular demand, the second annual mayoral panel at this year’s AIA South Dakota Convention included four leaders representing communities across the state. While their cities vary greatly in geography, economy, diversity and population, the mayors found common ground in the challenges they are all facing in planning for a better future. Moderated by…
Let’s get this out of the way at the top: I’m not a doctor and I won’t presume to understand how Covid-19 affects the human body. I am an architect. Architecture has always been a powerful way to help humans adapt to and thrive in the world around them. When it comes to this pandemic,…
(Sponsored content by Pigott) The following article is reposted from Mien Company, a partner of Pigott, by author Dr. Christina Counts. We are now in the midst of a new school year and American students, teachers, and staff are working through a new normal in classrooms to keep COVID-19 from a resurgence this fall. Many districts…
As member Architects or members of the general public, it’s understandable to question “what are my dues paying for?” and “what does the AIA do for us, anyway?” There are detailed responses to those questions, of course, but right now it’s easiest to just present some tangible evidence of the value of this organization. In…
Among the silver linings of the worldwide Coronavirus epidemic and associated shutdowns are the drastic improvements to urban air quality, remarkable examples of community building and random kindness, and the opportunity to consider new possibilities for the spaces in which we live, work and play. Here are just a few quick reads on how some…