Archinect - Features

Six Views on the Future of Architectural Licensure

2024-09-09T08:45:00-04:00

Throughout the Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series, our explorations into U.S. architectural licensure have included a variety of views beyond our editorial team, including ten views on licensure from Archinect readers shared at the midpoint of our series.

Beyond reader insights, our series has heard from individuals who, whether through their research, experiences, or roles in relevant organizations, have developed strong views on how U.S. licensure stands today and how it could evolve in the future.

Below, we set out six such viewpoints from voices already featured in our series, painting a variety of possible futures for architectural licensure that range from strategic evolution through radical reframing and reorganization.

Architectural Licensure Is Becoming More Diverse, but Barriers to Equality Remain

2024-09-03T12:08:00-04:00

According to recent data, the demographics of candidates on the path to architectural licensure are beginning to counter the longstanding underrepresentation of women and people of color in the profession. However, deeper studies of the licensure experience reveal ongoing disparities along gender and race on exam pass rates, completion time, financial burdens, and external support.

In this latest edition of Archinect In-Depth: Licensure, we explore how architectural licensure could evolve to address these inequalities, including perspectives with NCARB CEO Mike Armstrong, NOMA President Pascale Sablan, and architect, author, and Archinect contributor Melvin L. Mitchell.

AIA|LA's Carlo Caccavale on Setting the Tone For Architectural Practice in Los Angeles

2020-02-04T12:05:00-05:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) was founded in 1857 by a group of architects in New York City led by Richard Upjohn. In the more than 160 years since, the organization has grown to over 90,000 members and now represents the interests of professional architects across the country. Nationally, AIA undertakes a variety of initiatives aimed at elevating the professional and economic standing of licensed architects and designers, efforts that include lobbying for legislation, setting ethical and professional standards for practitioners, and pushing for greater sustainability, diversity, and equity among its membership and the work they take on.

The national organization is complemented by state and local chapters, which offer support and organizational infrastructure to keep professional architects engaged with regional issues. The AIA Los Angeles (AIA|LA) chapter is no exception. Created as part of the Southern California chapter of the AIA in 1907 following the establishmen...

A Black Architecture Education Experience

2019-04-23T10:52:00-04:00

Recently I experienced a changing incident with a professor who was reviewing my work alongside that of my classmates after a pin-up. He was excited about all the work and decided to issue individual comparisons to architects in the field. He went down the line commenting to my [white] classmates: "You could be like Eisenman,” "You could be like Frank Gehry," etc. When he got to me, he failed to think of an architect who looked like me, and instead said that I could "be like Obama," because there aren’t many black architects.

Slow Reasoning for Fast Times: A Review of "New Investigations in Collective Form," The Open Workshop's Newest Monograph

2019-04-18T15:39:00-04:00

New Investigations in Collective Form, the newest monograph for The Open Workshop, is a timely book at a moment which feels short on time. Our best plans for combating the challenges facing the built environment will not come from the fixity nor the haste of any independent practice, but rather the meticulously thought up and drawn out plans of The Open Workshop and any other individuals willing to venture out into the collective.

Join us in celebrating New Investigations In Collective Form: The Open Workshop, the latest book by Neeraj Bhatia at Archinect Outpost on Friday, April 26, 7–9pm.

Keith Krumwiede will give a short introduction to kick off the event, followed by a panel conversation between Neeraj Bhatia, Noémie Despland-Lichtert and Jimenez Lai.

The book can be preordered here for pickup at the event, or shipping immediately after the event. Please go here to RSVP for the event.

Garrick Jones of Ten to One on How to Fold Pro Bono Work Into Your Business Model

2019-04-15T13:32:00-04:00

In only six years, Ten to One Architectural Design Studio has built up an impressively high volume of projects, many of which are offered up as pro bono services. Working across a diverse range of budgets, scales and types, the New York-based firm is motivated by a commitment to public architecture, and bringing design equity to underserved communities—an aim that was further codified after the 2016 election, the firm's founder Garrick Jones says.

While providing free architectural services can be tough, especially for a small firm, the benefits are worthwhile. In this week's Studio Snapshot, we talk with Jones about how him and his team of four manage to make it work.

Soapbox: Race

2018-02-14T09:00:00-05:00

Soapbox is a weekly series delivering a curated set of lectures, talks and symposia concerning contemporary themes but explored through the archives of lectures past and present. With the plethora of lectures, talks, symposia and panels occurring world wide on a daily basis, how can we begin to keep up and if not, find them once they are gone? Soapbox looks to assemble a selection of recent, archived and outlier lectures surrounding a given theme. Soapbox looks to curate this never-ending library of ideas into an engaging and diverse list of thoughts and provocations. Soapbox is just that, a collection aimed at discovering the occasional needle in a haystack.

Soapbox: Black in Design

2018-02-07T12:00:00-05:00

A look at 22 talented immigrants expanding the definition of American architecture

2017-07-04T13:40:00-04:00

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” read the famous lines inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. Housing nearly 20% of all immigrants in the world, the United States is a famously diverse country and, when at its best, incredibly welcoming. This Fourth of July, we’re celebrating this proud tradition by taking a look at architects from around the world who’ve made America their home.

Discussing the role of jargon and difficulty with Harvard GSD's K. Michael Hays + Lisa Haber-Thomson

2017-06-09T10:30:00-04:00

Why are introductory architecture courses often packed with dense, off-putting jargon? It’s a question I didn't anticipate asking an esteemed architectural historian and current Harvard GSD professor, yet after I unintentionally offended K. Michael Hays by publicly airing my annoyances with jargon and difficulty as part of a recap of a review of his new online course, I realized that I needed to ask it. In fact, I owed it to the Professor; it’s unfair to criticize someone’s teaching style if one hasn’t thoroughly experienced it, although I've taken courses taught by others that used a similar approach.

How can architecture become more diverse? On May 5th, L.A. AIA's "Encompass" conference addresses this question

2017-05-04T11:44:00-04:00

Although there's always a few ignorant and ignoble members of any profession, architecture is primarily made up of progressively-minded, ethically-bound professionals. So why is architecture so white, male, and socioeconically monolithic? More importantly, how can these statistics be changed?