Archinect - News

Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Ruth Carter to give keynotes at 2024 AIA Conference

2024-04-05T11:47:00-04:00

Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Ruth Carter have been announced as keynote speakers for the upcoming AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2024. Gupta will deliver his speech to the Washington D.C. conference on June 7th, with Carter delivering her speech on June 8th.

Gupta is the Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN, where he reports on health and medical news domestically and internationally. “Since 2001, Gupta has covered some of the world’s most important public health and safety stories, including the COVID-19 pandemic — reaffirming his role as a trusted guide to millions of viewers navigating between facts and fiction,” the AIA said.

Meanwhile, Carter is an Academy Award-winning costume designer most well-known for her work on Marvel’s blockbuster film Black Panther, where she made history as the first Black person to win the category. “Her career in film and television spans over three decades, collaborating with prolific directors like Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, and Ava DuVernay,” A...

Jacinda Ardern, former New Zealand Prime Minister, will headline at the 2023 AIA Conference on Architecture

2023-05-04T15:25:00-04:00

Another international head of state will follow last year’s A’22 keynote speaker Barack Obama in headlining the upcoming AIA Conference on Architecture in San Francisco after the Institute announced that former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern will be in attendance at the event.

The 42-year-old Ardern, who was inaugurated in 2017 as her country’s youngest-ever Prime Minister, will speak to attendees on June 10th, likely on subjects related to her tenure as New Zealand’s leader and her ongoing support for the rights of women across the globe.

The AIA says: "Ms. Ardern’s focus on people, kindness, and what she has called 'pragmatic idealism' saw New Zealand achieve some of the lowest losses of life experienced by any developed nation through the pandemic."

Earlier on Archinect: Obama's remarks at the 2022 AIA Conference on Architecture speak on the intersection of inequality and sustainable design

Ardern is now serving in several advisory roles, including as a board member ...

Barack Obama to speak at the 2022 AIA Conference on Architecture

2022-05-31T17:56:00-04:00

Former U.S. President Barack Obama has been announced as the surprise headline speaker on Day 3 of this year’s A’22 Conference in Chicago.

Obama will join for a moderated conversation about a yet-unnamed topic at the close of the conference’s Friday session on June 24th at the McCormick Place Convention Center.

His appearance follows that of his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, who spoke at the A’17 conference about the importance of equity and diversity efforts in the world of professional design. The President’s appearance comes just a few months removed from the groundbreaking of the TWBTA-designed Obama Presidential Center complex in Chicago's Jackson Park which is scheduled to open in 2025 following years of delay.

Obama’s legacy and impacts as it relates to the fields of architecture and urban planning are still being examined by scholars, but he was influential in mandating new stan...

Valorizing the Normal: Reflections on the 2016 AIA National Convention, ft. special guest Fred Scharmen on Archinect Sessions #65

2016-05-26T18:22:00-04:00

Donna, Ken and Fred all converged in the meatspace that was the AIA National Convention last week in Philadelphia—to explore the massive Expo floor, visit local architecture, vote on resolutions and watch those keynotes (!) by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Neri Oxman and Rem Koolhaas. Spoiler alert: Rem's was the most boring.

For more information about the resolutions up for debate at the convention, check out our episode with Gregory Walker covering unpaid internships and WTC-truthers.

And don't forget to check out our ongoing coverage of the 2016 Venice Biennale – we collaborated with the Taubman students setting up the US Pavilion, have a bunch of interviews with curators in the Features, and will soon be publishing dispatches from Venice to the News.

Listen to episode 65 of Archinect Sessions, "Valorizing the Normal":

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus + Terry Gross replace Kevin Spacey as AIA keynote speakers

2016-05-12T13:15:00-04:00

Going for the obvious choice, the AIA has replaced Kevin Spacey, who had to cancel his appearance, with thespian Julia Louis-Dreyfus as its first day keynote speaker for the 2016 Philadelphia convention on May 19th. Dreyfus will be interviewed by NPR's Terry Gross. As the AIA noted on its official convention website, "In her personal life, Julia is a social activist who is passionate about climate change, water conservation, children’s education, and the power of design. Important topics that we connect with, too." Neri Oxman and Rem Koolhaas are still scheduled for keynote speakers on days two and three, respectively.

All the latest on the AIA: