2016 Directory

17 W e were welcomed to the Conference by PeggyMcDonough Jan, AIAUtah and Russell Davidson, FAIA, our 2016 Na- tional President. To set the stage for the conference, the Keynote Address was given by James Timber- lake, FAIAwho’s work and practice are blazing the trail for architects of the future. His firm is a leader in practice based architectural research and innovative buildings. Based in Philadelphia, he was proud to announce that his office is 100% naturally ventilated, and by very creative means. His work and his talk were truly powerful. After the Keynote Address, we were able to choose between several workshops featuring Jhane Barnes - Bio Influences in Design, Renee Cheng, FAIA - Integrated & Research-oriented Practices, Donna Laquirdara-Carr, PhD - Smart Markets & Industry Trends and Stephen Swisher, AIA - EcclesTheater: Creating a Downtown District through Public Private Development. I chose to attend the Renee Cheng and Stephen Swisher workshops. Renee currently teaches at the University of Minnesota and is heavily involved in collaborative techniques to integrate design with emerging technologies. Her current work in Integrated Project Delivery (IDP) has been published by the American Institute of Architects and her work and research with the General Services Administration has just begun. Stephen Swisher was joined by a team of two which included a representative of the development authority and a property owner. It took the vision and cooperative collaboration of these three and many others to develop the new EcclesTheater and the 111 SouthMain Street Office tower. Both projects were realized as a result of patience, perse- verance and vision. We later toured these facilities and celebrated the successes with wine and hors d’oeuvres in the lobby of the EcclesTheater. The AIA/WMR business meeting was convened right before lunch. We elected a new Treasurer, Mark Ryan, AIA fromAIA Las Vegas and approved the resolutions submitted for the regional By-Laws. We were also introduced to two Jason Pettigrew Scholarship recipients. Friday afternoon’s Keynote address featured R. Steven Lewis, FAIANOMAC, a second genera- tion architect fromDetroit. He focused on “Our Changing Impact as Architects” largely from a diversity perspective. Steven later chaired a round table where the collaborative efforts of civic leaders has led to a plan that will improve the livability of Salt Lake City. The overriding virtue for citizens in Salt Lake City is that they are content to do it “right" rather than do it “right now.” Contributors to this discussion included Robert Gow, JD, Salt Lake CountyMayor BenMcAdams, Molly O’Neill, AAICP and Alan Bright, FAIA. Saturdays’ workshops included our own Stephen Dynia, FAIA - Design in theWesternMountain Region, Jose Galarza, Erin Carrier, AIA and Jorg Rugemer, Associate AIA - Regional Relevance and Resilience: Lessons from the U. Nick Sirup, FAIA - Redefining Place and Craig Hartman, FAIA - 111 SouthMain Case Study. I attended Stephen’s presentation and was amazed at the quality of work that his offices provide. His work and thoughtful gestures were very well received. I then was captivated by a presentation by Craig Hartman, FAIA of the San Francisco office of SOM. Craig presented several wonderful projects including the office tower affectionately referred to as 111 SouthMain. This building was only able to be completed by virtue of the use of an innovative hat truss which escalated building costs substantial- ly, but allowed a truly remarkable structure to reach fruition. 111 SouthMain now gracefully compli- ments the Salt Lake City skyline. Craig also shared his vision with his work on the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California. Ed Vance chaired the Demystifying Fellowship workshop and in closing, Russell Davidson inspired us all to be the best we can be. I did not attend the Awards Gala and have not been able to access the listing of those honored. I was gratified to see 11 architects fromWyoming in attendance and will encourage greater participation in the years to come. Next stop, AIA Las Vegas!! b Forward - Making Lives Better, AIA WMR Conference BY DAN STALKER , AIA WYOMING PRESIDENT-ELECT AIA Utah hosted this year’s AIA/WMR Conference. The theme of “Forward - Making Lives Better” was used to inform and inspire attendees with an array of gifted speakers, tours and social gatherings. Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace Convention Center was a marvelous venue where regional ideas were discussed and visions for the future were cast.