DunderMifflin Corporate Architects

A Small Firms Feelings about AIA..

2005-12-02T11:17:00.000-06:00

After researching about the alternative choices to the AIA, we found similarities in many of the responses. Many of the participants felt that either the AIA was too expensive, with nearly 300 a year due in national dues, and another near 200 dollars in local dues, or they just felt that the AIA did not cater to their firm type or size. With that in mind, we sought out members of the AIA to find out their feelings on these issues.

One of our most insightful interviews was with members of a small Minneapolis based firm which deals in mainly residential architecture. From our interview, we learned that while they are members of AIA, there are some parts of AIA that do not fit their firm’s needs as well as they hoped.

"The AIA is a good resource for us to use to find insurance companies that specialize in small firms, getting our message out to other architectural firms by way of Sparks or Architecture Minnesota. We also participate on committees and attend lectures. It is a useful organization for a small firm. It would be helpful if they had more information on salaries and other means of compensation that we could use when evaluating our employees or trying to hire great employees."

By way of this firm, we see that AIA truly is good for a small firm, or at least this firm. However, other comments about some of the services AIA provides shed some light on the fact that with such a large firm, many things can become too generalized for the firms that specialize in certain areas.

Just like any large scale organization, it seems that parts of the AIA are difficult to maintain at a very specific level of detail. More of a one size fits most. However, its size and database abilities are a much desired aspect.

Schrute . Out.

A Quick Look at the AIA

2005-12-01T19:56:00.000-06:00

The AIA is by far the largest architecture professional organization available. Therefore, its organization, committees, accomplishments and other aspects of it are quite numerous. If more in depth information is sought, it can be found on their website at www.aia.org.

AIA Facts at a Glance:

Mission Statement: The American Institute of Architects is the voice of the architecture
profession is dedicated to:

· Serving its members
· Advancing their values
· Improving the quality of the built environment

Membership: 74,000+
Founded: 1857
Dues: $272 (licensed architect)
Publications: e-newsletters, AIA architect
Numerous others to be found on their website: http://www.aia.org/about_pubs

The Exhibition Hall: An International Bazaar for Architects?

2005-11-29T15:39:00.000-06:00

When you go to the State Fair, what is the first thing you look for? I go right to the food. Some go right to the Mighty Midway, some to the DNR Fish Pond (my second stop) and some to the animal buildings. The one thing the majority of us have in common is this: we hate the bazaar. Even the State Fair hates the bazaar. It is tucked away in some little corner of the fair so no one can see it. The only reason it is there is so that the Fair can collect rent from the vendors for the 12 days they are there. So why is it, then, that the AIA MN convention puts it version of the International Bazaar smack in the middle of the proceedings?

With plenty of free pens and brochures, I felt like I was walking down a busy downtown street, dodging panhandlers. Does architecture consist of metal panel roofing meant to look like asphalt shingles (one of the more ridiculous products), or is it more? When we get together to celebrate our profession and further our own development, do we really want to do it like this? Or do we want to entertain ourselves more intelligently. Heck, if we were looking for quirky products, we could have just walked down to the “other” convention just meters away.

Things like lectures from Glass companies also waned on my patience, these being merely extend versions of the exhibition hall, except they had you stuck in a room with no where to run to. You had to listen. Or sleep. But then, that’s not very professional.

This was not all the AIA Minnesota Convention had to offer, of course. We were treated to pieces like the one my colleague detailed below. When we get a chance to see exemplary architectural design and practice, we learn. When we celebrate the work of the young up and comers, we learn.

The convention was informative, and it was good to see some familiar faces. I learned a lot from people who had something to say, not something to sell.

Dwight. Out

... And So Much More....

2005-11-27T23:01:00.001-06:00

Well, the Convention Center was hot this past week. The Center was home to many fine displays. A good one, if you weren’t able to get a peek at it, was the Four Views of SALA Architects, Inc., this year’s recipient of the AIA Minnesota’s Firm Award.
While our blog topic wasn’t immediately addressed within this program, I did see, through these different viewpoints, the characteristics that the AIA regards as important within a firm in order to be a recipient of the AIA Firm Award. And these characteristics of the firm are also characteristics of the organization of the AIA itself. The characteristics of SALA that I believe lead to their selection as the firm award include the continuing education/experience of employees through their ambassador program, peer mentorship within the firm, the active firm member culture, and the publication of books by employees within the firm that are directed at the greater public. One final characteristic of the firm that I find congruent with the AIA is the firm’s dedication of bringing architecture and design to a greater audience of clients and really promoting the value of architects within the community at large.
The qualifications for the award, “advancement of the profession in the areas of technology, service and design” is easily seen in the presentation of the firm according to the four views, and possibly shows that the character of the employees of a firm that leads to the firms selection of the award is also seen in the members of the AIA itself.

You all come back now, ya hear?

2005-11-27T22:04:00.000-06:00

Branches of the AIA: The Minnesota Architectural Foundation

The following information was colleted from an interview Susan Blumentals-FAIA at the AIA Minnesota convention on 11-20-05.
The Minnesota Architectural foundation is the “educational arm of the AIA”. It is non profit and completely supported by donations. The exhibit itself was a fundraiser. A raffle for a car and other prizes. To enter cost $50. The other place they collect money is an annual mailer asking for funds from the AIA membership. The money collected goes to five funds.

1. Wigington Minority Architectural scholarship

For two minority students in CALA

2. Thomas F. Ellerbe Scholarship

For two students in their last semester of graduate school at CALA

3. Beverly Hauschild-Baron Leadership Fund

Money to sponsor an event speaker at the AIA convention

4. Ralph Rapson Traveling Fellowship

$10,000 for travel and research for an architect in practice

5. General Fund

The operation of the organization

Sponsoring art exhibits, book signings and cataloging the Rapson papers.

The organization is run by 11 people. Six are elected by members of the AIA Minnesota (Susan Blumentals is among them). The five additional members are then selected by the committee of six.
Much of the information from this interview can be accessed from their web site at http://www.aia-mn.org/foundation/index.cfm. There is also a link to it from the AIA Minnesota homepage.

4 Architect's Opinions on the AIA

2005-11-20T22:57:00.000-06:00

These comments are from four architects who were asked to talk about their experiences with the AIA. Three of the architects work at a large Minneapolis firm, two of which are principles. The fourth architect is a partner in another Minneapolis firm. All four are currently members.

Architect #1: (Female - principle)

Joined to initially get the letters (AIA) after her name so she would not be mistaken for an interior designer. She said that it gave her credential with contractors and clients.

Architect #2 (Female – project manager + human resources)

Her initial impressions of what the AIA is, was “white guys in suits.” When she moved to Minneapolis she did not know any one and the organization was a good place to meet people in a new town. She joined committees and actually got her current job through a contact she made there.

Architect #3 (Male- principle)

Said that the AIA is targeted towards small firms. Additionally, 80% of all firms contain 10 or less employees. He went on to mention the following benefits for members:

Standard contractual forms
Continuing education
Awards programs that serving as marketing tools
Lobbying the legislature, (PAC) political action committee

His firm pays the AIA dues for all of their employees, which totaled $90,000/year.

Architect #4 (Male principle in a different firm)

He had a good quote saying that the AIA is,”bunch of people who know how travel together.” He was referring to when architects travel together they speak a common language and prefer to see many of the same places.

We met with SARA tuesday, don't tell my wife!

2005-11-19T11:43:00.000-06:00

Let me start by telling you more about SARA...the Society of American Registered Architects.

SARA was founded in 1956. According to their website, SARA follows "the Golden Rule and supports the concept of profitable professionalism for its members. SARA offers a variety of membership services and programs, including a professional referral service, seminars in conjunction with its annual convention, professional and student design awards competitions and issues development to strengthen and protect the interests of practicing architects. Members also gain from professional recognition among peers, design expertise referral, personal involvement at all levels within the Society, camaraderie among fellow members, individual achievement recognition, and a College of Fellows."

One of the areas that the organization says it addresses is the image of architects to the general public. However through our research of the organization, we have not found specific references or instances where the organization is striving towards this goal. However, with our recent interview with Carl Gramentz, member of the Minnesota Council of SARA, Carl emphasized what we believe to be SARA's most important philosophy of "architect helping architect." One of the main goals of its annual conventions and monthly council and chapter meetings is to focus upon strengthening the organizations peer network.

Carl Gramentz is currently serving as the treasurer of the Minnesota Council of SARA which consists of 15 members statewide. He is a sole practioner out of MInnetonka for the past 25 years specializing in residential remodeling projects as well as additions. Prior to being a sole practioner, Carl was an architect at Supervalu where he also was a member of AIA. His membership with AIA was paid for by his employer. After leaving Supervalu and opening his own practice, the cost of joining the AIA was not economically feasible. Carl believed that his skills as an architect were not financially accessible to a large enough client base and wanted to keep his and fees low to allow his skills to be accessible to a broader range of possible clients. Therefore the annual fee that the AIA charged ($600) did not fit within his business philosophy and resulting financial capabilities.

Carl became associated with SARA for several reasons besides looks. First off, the organization is small and he finds it real personable. When a member of the AIA, Carl felt that it was too large and that he did not belong. Prior to joining SARA, Carl missed the opportunites that taking part in an organization offered but felt fees were too expensive. When he encountered SARA, it was the ideal fit. The yearly fees of $225 and the intimacy of the SARA, are you thinking what I am thinking, attracted Carl enough to join and he has been a member ever since. Carl really finds the benefits of the organization to be the philosophy of "architect helping architect." He feels comfortable asking other members of the organization personal questions about his practice and feels the openness the organization promotes makes the group feel that much more intimate, something he felt he could not get out of the AIA.

While we do not see the immediate contributions the organizations is making to the image of the profession as a whole, we do see the value of the organization to its members such as Carl Gramentz who takes full advantage of the relationships formed with other members of the organization.

I need a smoke.

SARA contacts:
Melissa Graftas, President, melissa@bdparchitects.com
Wayne Dahlberg, Vice President & Secretary, wayne@bdparchitects.com
Carl Gramentz, Treasurer

2005-10-28T09:28:00.000-05:00

The Association for Women in Architecture:

A telling sign that the AIA is not just for old white men?

When it was first created in 1922, the Association for Women in Architecture was a professional student organization for women studying architecture and it was named Alpha Alpha Gamma with chapters around the country, including one here in Minneapolis, their Beta Chapter.

Prior to becoming a national organization, the group was first founded in 1915 at Washington University by four women who were not allowed to participate in the male-run student organizations within the school of architecture. The group gained momentum and numbers until 1922 when it went national.

In 1948, at one of its national conventions, Alpha Alpha Gamma produced the Association of Women in Architecture and the Allied Arts. This was due to the fact that many of the original members of Alpha Alpha Gamma were now members of the profession and they needed a voice in that realm as well. AAG then became the scholastic affiliate for the AWAA. Two years later, at the height of its growth, the organization boasted eight national professional chapters of the AWAA and seven of AAG.

Since then, for the most part, the acceptance of women into not only the profession, but also those professional organizations related to architecture, has been on a slow increase. That has led to the decline in numbers and availability of groups such as the AWA.

The decline was such that in 1975, on the Los Angeles Chapter remained, and in order to increase memberships, the no longer limited it to only women, and changed their name to The Association for Women in Architecture, with a purpose of supporting women in architecture from either gender.

With the organization in such decline since the middle of the 1900s, is this a sign that the other organizations, mainly the AIA, have accepted women and are no longer in any way exclusionary? Or is this only a sign that it is very hard to maintain a national organization and only the very strongest survive?

“The Association for Women in Architecture – Los Angeles, a smaller, more personal and more affordable professional organization, offers you a vehicle for greater connection to the design community and a greater voice as a woman within it.”

On their website, the AWA – LA still calls for the need to support women in the field, and even raises money for an annual scholarship. If the support of women in other professional organizations were equal, would there be a need for this type of scholarship?

With an update soon to follow, with interviews of local women involved in professional organizations, I leave this topic up for discussion to all of you…

AWA: from Their Website:

http://www.awa-la.org

Membership Benefits:

Regular events – lectures, tours, panel discussions, etc.
Quarterly newsletter
Annual membership directory
Networking and referral opportunities
Mentoring and mutual support
ARE study groups
Book Salon and discussion forum

Dwight, signing off.

NOMA: National Organization of Minority Architects

2005-10-27T18:22:00.000-05:00

Hey you guys,
I found a good alternative to the AIA. NOMA is pretty intersesting because the 12 founders of the organization decided to start the organization at the 1971 National AIA convention. NOMA has just recently hyped up their website a few months ago and now provides a pretty extensive listing of online resources, firms, and its regular newsletter.

Check out their link to their website, they are pretty clear in their ‘Organization’ heading who they are about and what they are trying to do. Their current mission includes the need to showcase the excellence in talent of minorities to the greater architectural profession and to create unity among minorities and its members so that their voice has a backing and can influence the issues that they see as problems within the practicing profession such as speaking “against apathy, bigotry, intolerance and ignorance; against abuse of the natural environment; and for the un-empowered, the marginalized and the disenfranchised.”

What I find interesting, my fellow bloggers, is this need for a separate organization. I might ignorantly ask “why were they not able to accomplish what they wanted within the AIA?” It seems that the AIA is the most ‘powerful’ organization (especially in numbers)” in affecting the architectural practice why not try to affect changes from within? Of course I have no idea what the situation was during 1971 to cause their decision, but I do wonder what is the current situation within AIA and if the problems that first initiated the new organization to break away from the AIA still exist.

Not knowing all of these facts I am left to speculate reasons. The main idea that comes to mind is in creating a name for oneself. One important note that NOMA talks about in its history is that the 12 founding architects of the organization quickly came up with NOMA’s logo and started a newsletter. While the AIA may have influence, it may have been more important for them to create their own identity that people can unite under and feel pride in belonging to a specific group of people. I do know that the AIA has a specific Knowledge Community of “Diversity and the AIA” and if you go the link you will see how disinteresting it feels (in terms of their image on the website). But it in their language it does seem to address some of the topics that NOMA has mentioned in their mission and state of purpose.

As far as the interest of the sharing of information and knowledge and the power of blogging on the internet, as part of one of its initiatives of unifying and networking the organization and the minority environment, NOMA’s website is sporting a new forum section. It looks like it is new since the beginning of July of this year, and like us it hasn’t gotten much momentum and is not getting any action. According to the forum statistics it has 32 registered users with 54 posts and 31 different topics.

I’ve registered myself in the forums as ‘OfficeB’ and as soon as my email is confirmed I will start posting questions upon their blog and hopefully be sparring enough that I get comments. Look for links to this in the near future. I will drop the name to this blog too to see if we can get some cross-pollination of posts from their members. Hopefully within these posting we will get views of the members and why they are in NOMA and find out if the members of NOMA are also participating in the AIA as well. If this is the case it will be interesting to see what specifically members get out of each of the organizations or if they are being satisfied with just one. Yet to be determined. Signing off, and I'm out.

2005-10-27T16:56:00.000-05:00

Association of Licensed Architects (ALA)

The ALA have similar goals to the AIA even using some of the same terminology such as contribute to the general health, safety and welfare of the general public. There is a major difference in the make up of their membership. Their members include licensed and non-licensed architects. Including non-licensed architects seems to be acknowledging that there are a number of people who work in the profession that have who are not licensed who desire to be part of an organization and have some representation. Additionally, people in the industry or related fields are welcome to join. Although the organization is based in the Midwestern United States near what seems to be its membership base it is an international organization.
Another factor that it differentiates itself from the AIA with is its cost. It describes itself as “…the most affordable and productive” which seems to be saying that the AIA costs too much and does too little.

Facts at a Glance:

Motto: “Architects united to advance the profession of architecture”
Membership: 1166 (October 2005)
Founded: 1999
Dues: $80.00 (licensed architect)
Publications: Licensed Architect
Circulation of 6500 issues
Contact Info:
Address: ALA PO Box 687
Barrington, IL 60011
Phone #: (847)-382-0630
Website: http://www.licensedarchitect.org/
Email: ala@licednsearcitect.org

Membership Benefits:

Information
Education
Research
Networking
Referral Services
Professional Practice Techniques

SARA, not dwight's make-believe girlfriend, an actual alternative to the AIA

2005-10-26T15:06:00.000-05:00

SARA - Society of American Registered Architects (est. 1956)
www.sara-national.org

SARA actually has a council that exists in Minnesota. Out of the five offices (i.e. president, vice president, etc) , three of the seats are held by individuals from the same firm. (BDP Architects, Duluth). Also, 4 of the five seats are held by professionals from Duluth. Carl Gramatz, ARA, appears to be a sole practioner from Minnetonka as there is no firm associated with his name on the site. I will call him and try to set up an interview preferably in person. I will also email Melissa Graftaas. She is the President of the Minnesota Council (similar to an AIA chapter) and is with BDP Architects in Duluth (Her email address is melissa@bdparchitects.com).

Students are also able to join SARA, ironically, as 'student members.'

Rather than blogging on what is contained on the website, I will do a follow up blog when we have interviewed current members.

2005-09-30T11:23:00.000-05:00

What has two thumbs and likes to blog?

Topic 9/29/05

2005-09-29T18:09:00.000-05:00

Duane Kell stated that out of 140,000 registered architects in the United States only 75,000 belong to the American Institute of Architects (AIA). This means that there are roughly 65,000 registered architects, that for various reasons, belong to a different professional organization or none at all. Our group is interessted in the motivations behind the reasons for joining or not joining the AIA and/or other professional organizations.

Intentions:

- Research alternative professional organizations specific to architecture
- Interview members of AIA
- Interview registered architects who belong to alternative professional organizations
- Interview registered architects not participating in a professional organization
- Catalog data encountered in interviews and research to determine particular motivations for joining or not joining a professional organization.

Possible Research Topics

2005-09-22T13:30:00.000-05:00

Possible Topics:
Alternative Professional Organizations other than AIA...