American Institute of Architects

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For other uses, see AIA (disambiguation).
American Institute of Architects

AIA headquarters in Washington D.C.
AIA headquarters in Washington D.C.
Abbreviation AIA
Formation 1857
Type NGO
Purpose/focus Architectural profession
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
Region served United States
Membership 83,500+
Website www.aia.org

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach activities to support the architecture profession and enhance its public image. In close concert with other members of the design and construction team, the AIA also works to fulfill its commitment to help coordinate the building industry.

Contents

[edit] History

The American Institute of Architects was founded in New York City in 1857 by a group of thirteen architects to "promote the scientific and practical perfection of its members" and "elevate the standing of the profession."[1] This initial group included Charles Babcock, Henry W. Cleaveland, Henry Dudley, Leopold Eidlitz, Edward Gardiner, Richard Morris Hunt, Fred A. Petersen, Jacob Wrey Mould, John Welch, Richard Upjohn, Richard M. Upjohn and Joseph C. Wells. Richard Upjohn served as the first president. They met on February 23, 1857 and decided to invite 16 other prominent architects to join them, including Alexander Jackson Davis, Thomas U. Walter, and Calvert Vaux. Prior to their establishment of the AIA, anyone could claim to be an architect, as there were no schools of architecture or architectural licensing laws in the United States.[1]

They had drafted a constitution and bylaws by March 10, 1857, under the name New York Society of Architects. Thomas U. Walter, of Philadelphia, later suggested the name be changed to American Institute of Architects. The members signed the new constitution on April 15, 1857, having filed a certificate of incorporation two days earlier.[1] The constitution was amended the following year with the mission "to promote the artistic, scientific, and practical profession of its members; to facilitate their intercourse and good fellowship; to elevate the standing of the profession; and to combine the efforts of those engaged in the practice of Architecture, for the general advancement of the Art."[1] Architects in other cities were asking to join in the 1860s, by the 1880s chapters had been formed in Albany, Baltimore, Maryland, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Rhode Island, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. From that beginning, the number of chapters has expanded to more than three hundred today.[1]

[edit] Organization

[edit] Membership

More than 83,500 licensed architects and associated professionals are members of the AIA. AIA members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct that assures clients, the public, and colleagues of an architect's dedication to the highest standards in professional practice.[2]

There are five levels of membership in the AIA:[3]

  • Architect members are currently licensed to practice architecture in the United States.
  • Associate members are not licensed to practice architecture but they are working under the supervision of an architect in a professional or technical capacity, have earned professional degrees in architecture, are faculty members in a university program in architecture, or are interns earning credit toward licensure.
  • International associate members hold an architecture license or the equivalent from a licensing authority outside the United States.
  • Emeritus members have been AIA members for 15 successive years and are at least 70 years of age, or they are at least 60 years of age and fully retired, or they are incapacitated and unable to work in the profession.
  • Allied members are individuals whose professions are related to the building and design community, such as engineers, landscape architects, or planners; or senior executive staff from building and design-related companies, including publishers, product manufacturers, and research firms. Allied membership is a partnership with the AIA and the American Architectural Foundation.

There is no AIA membership category for students, but they can become members of the American Institute of Architecture Students.

The AIA’s most prestigious honor is the designation of a member as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. This membership is awarded to members who have made contributions of national significance to the profession. Slightly more than 2,600, or 2% of all members, have been elevated to the AIA College of Fellows. Foreign architects of prominence may be elected to the College as Honorary Fellows of the AIA.[4]

[edit] Structure

The AIA is governed by a Board of Directors and has a staff of over 200 full-time employees.[5] Although the AIA functions as a national organization, at its heart are some 300 local and state components providing members with the essential local focus that reflects the nature of their professional lives. The components are spread throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Japan, and Hong Kong.[6]

[edit] Service

By speaking with a united voice, AIA architects influence government practices that affect the practice of the profession and the quality of American life. The AIA constantly monitors legislative and regulatory actions and uses the collective power of its membership to participate in decision making by federal, state, and local policy makers. To serve the public at large, the AIA's community-based programs work in concert with federal legislators and local governments to elevate the design of public spaces, protect the nation's infrastructure, and develop well-designed affordable housing for all Americans.

[edit] Professionalism

The AIA serves its members with professional development opportunities, contract documents that are the model for the design and construction industry, professional and design information services, personal benefits, and client-oriented resources.

In contributing to their profession and communities, AIA members also participate in professional interest areas from design to regional and urban development and professional academies that are both the source and focus of new ideas and responses. To aid younger professionals, an Intern Development Program, Architect Registration Exam preparation courses, and employment referral services are frequently offered by local components.[7]

[edit] Public education

The AIA attempts to meet the needs and interests of the nation's architects and the public by raising public awareness of the value of architecture and the importance of good design. To mark the AIA’s 150th anniversary and to showcase how AIA members have helped shape the built environment, the AIA, in conjunction with Harris Interactive, released findings from a public poll that asked Americans to name their favorite 150 works of architecture.[8]

Two of the AIA’s public outreach efforts, the Blueprint for America nationwide community service initiative marking its 150th anniversary and the Sustainability 2030 Toolkit, a resource created to encourage mayors and community leaders to advocate environmentally friendly building design both earned an Award of Excellence in the 2007 Associations Advance America Awards, a national competition sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership.

[edit] Honors and awards

The AIA has a long tradition of recognizing individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements in support of the architecture profession and the AIA.[9]

Honors Program:

Institute Honors:

  • Honor Awards for Architecture - new and restoration projects anywhere in the world
    • Architecture
    • Interior Architecture
    • Regional and Urban Design
  • Twenty-five Year Award

    This award, recognizing architectural design of enduring significance, is conferred on a project that has stood the test of time for 25 to 35 years. The project must have been designed by an architect licensed in the United States at the time of the project's completion.[10]

Achievement:

Cosponsored:

  • AIA/HUD Secretary's Housing and Community Design Awards
  • AIA/ALA Biennial Library Building Awards
  • AIA/Housing Committee Awards

Membership Honors:

  • Fellowship
  • Honorary Fellowship
  • Honorary Membership

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e History of The American Institute of Architects. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  2. ^ Become a Member!. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  3. ^ Rules Of AIA Designations. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  4. ^ AIA College of Fellows. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  5. ^ AIA Board of Directors. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  6. ^ Local Components of the AIA. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  7. ^ AIA Knowledge Communities. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  8. ^ America's Favorite Architecture. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  9. ^ Awards Handbook. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  10. ^ Twenty-five Year Award. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.

Coordinates: 38°53′46″N 77°02′30″W / 38.89611, -77.04167