The American Institute of Architects’ 2015 National Convention will be held in Atlanta May 14 – 16 at the Georgia World Congress Center featuring tours and events taking place in and around the city.
The convention will bring 15,000 architects, exhibitors, and allied professionals to the city will highlight local architectural gems, innovation and accomplishments in both architecture and urban re-development.
“It is a unique and special opportunity for Atlanta to host the 2015 National Convention of the American Institute of Architects,” said convention chair Mark Levine, AIA. “The theme is IMPACT, and promotes the impact that both architects and the profession of architecture have on our lives. Through significant urban redevelopment efforts such as the Atlanta BeltLine, and Ponce City Market projects, we are re-purposing, re-defining, and re-creating 21st century livable communities. It is exciting for AIA Atlanta to be able to showcase these and other architectural endeavors on a national platform.”
President Bill Clinton will be this year’s keynote speaker, along with addresses by Cirque du Soleil’s executive creator director, Welby Altidor, and Julie Dixon, research director of National Journal’s Communication Council. There will be 400 other speakers throughout the event.
There will be over 125 tours showcasing the diversity of Atlanta’s architecture including John Portman’s Polaris Room atop the Hyatt Hotel, the BeltLine, to the Historic Herndon Home and the nearby Serenbe community. New architectural landmarks to be featured include the new Porsche World Headquarters, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The AIA Tailgate Experience will held at the new College Football Hall of Fame on Centennial Park.
More information and local convention information is available at aiaatl.org/2015-convention.
Perspectives in Architecture: A Convention Builds on History
By Melody Harclerode
The responsibilities of an architect have shifted over the centuries. During ancient times, the architect was heavily involved with the construction of a building or structure. In fact, the word ‘architect’ comes from the Greek word arkhitekton meaning “master builder.” Renaissance masters in the 1500’s, such as Andrea Palladio, contributed to the perception of the architect as the professional who focused on the design of the building by adhering to principles of beauty. Today, the role of the architect is increasingly following ancient practices on projects in which one entity, a design-build team, works under a single contract with the owner to provide design and construction services.
On May 14, architect Krista Dumkrieger AIA with the Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Atlanta) will unveil the winner of the 10Up Competition at the 2015 AIA National Convention in the Georgia World Congress Center. Approximately 12,000 to 17,000 architects around the county will convene in our city for the first time in twenty years for a magnificent line-up of tours, seminars, speeches, and receptions. Former President Bill Clinton will welcome attendees with a keynote address. Reinforcing the design-build practices of today and ancient times, the 10Up Competition called for architects and design professionals to build their design for a provocative structure conveying the convention theme, Impact, at the floor of the Georgia World Congress Center.
The finalists offer differing, yet highly inventive solutions to express this theme. In his design called City in a Forest, Bryan Alcorn uses structural members to represent the city limits of Atlanta in 1915 and its subsequent growth. Finalist Travis Cook, the founder and designer of the Cookshop Design, describes his proposal Material Impact as an exploration of the expanded metal mash to “produce a dynamic and enigmatic experience of the material and form.” Shawna Hammon defines her design Solid/Void as “an interactive spatial installation that encourages active participation in the creation of this changing spatial composition.” The competition winner will receive $1,000, two full registration passes to the 2015 AIA National Convention, and media exposure.
Plans are underway for the 10Up Competition winning design to be dismantled and reassembled at a local civic institution. Through this display, the public will have the opportunity to see an imaginative project from the 2015 AIA National Convention, appreciate the multi-dimensional talents of architects, and gain better insight into the evolving role of architects as leaders with the design and construction of projects.
Melody L. Harclerode AIA, a local architect, promotes the power of architecture and design as the President of the Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Principal of Harclerode Architects (harc-arch.com). For more information, visit aiaatl.org.
