CivicLAB, a new Program at Baltimore AIA

CivicLAB

Program Abstract

Message from Session Leader Klaus Philipsen, FAIA

Session Descriptions

Program Details

Apply Online: CivicLAB Application (PDF Form)

Download complete informational PDF

CivicLAB
to advance leadership development

AIABaltimore introduces CivicLAB (Leadership. Architecture. Baltimore), a series of participatory educational sessions that will help to mobilize members interested in taking on or expanding leadership roles in their communities, their professional lives, and in academia in order to help guide and implement public policies that ensue healthy, livable, sustainable, and high quality built environments for future generations. These sessions will introduce participating architects to opportunities for civic engagement across the full spectrum of their careers. We invite the chapter's emerging leaders to expand their role in learning how to respond to critical issues facing our communities and the profession.

The goals of CivicLAB are to promote opportunities and skills for civic engagement by architects and to build a network of leaders. The program will explore core topics that affect our profession and the region within which we practice. During monthly sessions, participants will learn about approaches to advocacy from proven leaders who have impacted communities at local and national scales. Participants will learn tools of engagement and the impact of architects in multiple areas of advocacy. Group activities and assignments will illustrate how we can make a positive change within our community. AIABaltimore’s membership includes leaders who have been successful at leading initiatives through the AIA and other institutions, and who are valuable assets to CivicLAB.

The Importance of Training New Architect Leaders

Thanks to the increasing awareness of environmental and social justice concerns, as well as a general realization that the built environment, indeed, plays a huge role in the well-being of both the planet and its people, architects are presented with a huge opportunity and responsibility. As professionals who are trained to coordinate many disciplines and solve problems holistically through the integrated approach of design, we are uniquely positioned to address these concerns. But even for us generalists, truly integrated design requires that we move out of our comfort zone and into areas which are adjacent and outside our fields of training. Learning to engage community and achieve acceptance; to influence legislators and the regulatory framework; how our designs fit into the bigger picture; how to reform established methods and procedures for better outcomes -- these skills are not only essential for progress in our society, but are increasingly necessary for personal advancement in our industry.

AIABaltimore has stepped up to this challenge and offers a program that teaches these very skills to our young, promising emerging professionals. This new and unique program, which is partly funded by a grant from The American Institute of Architects, relies upon local business leaders to nominate and sponsor promising young architects. AIABaltimore is one of the leaders in the nation in its level of committee activism and involvement in a wide range of topics relevant to the profession. We can only remain successful if we foster and support new talent. Please think of the talent you have discovered and nominate one or several people. Please support them with your encouragement and tuition. All sessions involve several architect leaders and are interactive.

- Klaus Philipsen, FAIA, CivicLAB Session Leader

CivicLAB Session Descriptions

1. CITIZEN LOBBYING
Tuesday, January 24: Chris Parts, AIA, LEED AP

We will build on the many avenues for citizen lobbying and ways to navigate the regulatory process. Whether your goal is to create focus on a specific local issue, or to pursue a greater cause, your voice can have a powerful impact. Like architects, legislators need to be generalists, so your assistance with specific, well-founded information will enable them to make informed decisions and policy. We will provide an understanding of the legislative process and share strategies that have been effective in creating policy and affecting regulations. We will discuss opportunities to advocate, make connections, build support, create an effective message, and stay engaged. These opportunities enable us to lead by example and be proactive in our aim to create better buildings and communities.


2. ECONOMIC BENEFIT
Thursday, February 16: Jim Determan, AIA

We will identify the realms of economic benefit for which architects have been and continue to be called upon to advocate. These include benefit to the profession, community, nation and planet. Economic benefit is the wheelhouse of legislators. If they understand that good design is good business, elected officials, media and corporate leaders become allies. This session will present successful strategies and practices that have resulted in positive economic impact. We will discuss how to identify opportunities to engage, organize, and enlist change agents, as well as the many avenues of effective advocacy.


3. THE ART AND PRACTICE OF URBAN DESIGN:
THE MESSY PATH TOWARDS DESIGN EXCELLENCE
Tuesday, March 27: Gordon Ingerson, AIA, LEED AP

We will discuss the methods used to generate, and then realize, urban design concepts in the real world quest to achieve a sense of place. We will cover the general principles and goals of good urban design at all scales, from the private to the public realm, and from the point of view of different participants in the process -- developers, politicians, public officials, and community representatives -- as well as designers. Case studies will illustrate positive and negative outcomes in the real world. Participants will create their own urban design process which will then be compared with both a theoretical idealized process and the real world methods as they were actually applied – in response to the needs of constituents, funders, and authorities. Participants and panelists will discuss how their proposals might be improved, and how their suggestions might have improved the real world process. Emphasis will be on discovering how the designer can accept and use an untidy formula to achieve superior results for the entire community while elevating the profession.


4. SUSTAINABILITY, SMART GROWTH AND PRESERVATION
Tuesday, April 24: Klaus Philipsen, FAIA

We will learn through best practice examples why sustainability needs to be achieved, both on the building level as well as the community and regional level. We will discuss how the skills of urban design and place-making can be employed to achieve sustainability, and how smart growth and historic preservation are elements in this quest. We will not focus on the extremely broad field of green design tools, but rather on how new “design thinking” can help us reach a full integration of the many fragments. We will discuss the various arenas in which sustainability, preservation and smart growth are significant, and how to become an active player instead of an observer. We will learn how sustainability and preservation actually result in smart growth, and how these requirements are not added nuisances for architects but the very gateways to Design Excellence.

Civic Lab Program Details

Application and Selection Process

Participation in CivicLAB will be limited to a maximum of 20 participants: AIABaltimore members recruited from the emerging professional demographic within the chapter (Associate AIA or AIA members within their first 10 years of licensure). Participants will be selected on the basis of a nomination and statement of interest. Criteria for acceptance to the program will include prior involvement in community organizations or expressed interest in increasing one’s involvement. Each participant should be sponsored by a member firm, as evidenced by a signature below from a representative of the firm; however, scholarships will be available for members who are unemployed or employed by non-member firms. Architects may self-nominate.

Time Commitment
The monthly sessions will be held from 5pm – 7:30pm January -- April 2012 in the AIABaltimore Gallery. Applicants are expected to attend all four meetings:

Tuesday, January 24; Thursday, February 16; Tuesday, March 27; and Tuesday, April 24.

Light supper will be provided.

Additional meetings and opportunities may be suggested after the program begins.

Tuition and Funding

Tuition is $100 per participant and covers food, administrative fees, and other miscellaneous meeting expenses. Scholarships are available to participants for whom funding is a challenge. Tuition is due after applicants are selected for the program and prior to the first session in January.

Further Information

If you have questions, please contact executive director Karen Lewand, Hon. AIA, at 410.625.2585 or klewand@aiabalt.com.

Deadline

Completed applications and nominations are due by 3 p.m., Monday, December 12 to:

AIABaltimore
11 1/2 W. Chase St.
Baltimore, MD 21201

Fax to 410.727.4620
Email: klewand@aiabalt.com

Each applicant will be notified of selection results in early January 2012 or before.



Download the CivicLab Application here, and submit a paperless application.