2016 Directory

8 WYOMING ARCHITECTURE .16 | www.aia-wyoming.org A s architects, we often find ourselves engaged with the daily struggle of meeting client needs, winning plan review battles at the Development Services office, and trying our best to keep up with the latest design trends and technologies. Oftentimes, this keeps us from being engaged in other, but nearly as important, professional activities. Sure, our priorities are with our clients, those directly requesting our services and paying our fees. However, because the nature of the profession touches so many other lives, to stay effective to our clients, influential in our com- munities, and relevant as a profession, we need to make time to become engaged in activities that are both vital to solving the problems of the built environment which we grapple with every day while also serving the purpose of furthering our knowledge and expertise as design professionals. Mention the word “advocacy” to an architect and quite often the response you will get ranges from that of eyes glazing over to outright disdain. Yes, politics is seen as a dirty word in many circles and because of its association with advocacy and lobbying, it therefore tends to taint those efforts as well. While there are those architects that enjoy the process of political advocacy, and fully subscribe to the modern political proverb of “If you’re not at the table, you’re probably on the menu,” there is a myriad of other ways to be engaged in advocacy. Advocacy for the profession, yes, but also advocacy for healthy communities, for adequate workforce housing, for better education, for equity and inclu- sion. The key is to find what drives your passion and engage. We’ve recently all heard the heartbreaking stories of the devastating flooding in Louisiana, with more than 60,000 homes damaged and waterlines as high as 10 feet. Volunteer leaders and staff that make up the AIA’s Disaster Assistance Program not only lent their sympathy to the victims, they also became engaged as well, led by members of AIA Baton Rouge, and coordinating with local and state chapters in Louisiana and the local Disaster Assistance Committee, to seek out ways in which architects could assist and support those affected by the tragedy. As architects, they felt compelled to become engaged in the rebuilding process, and help out a community in such dire need. Tragedy is often an unfortunate catalyst that spurs people into action, but it is not the only worthy reason to become engaged. This past year, with the supply of long-term rental worker housing at a critical state in Colorado, Utah, and California mountain communities, Vail Resorts pledged $30 million toward employee housing projects where its ski areas are powerful economic drivers. The money is intended for partnerships with resort towns to help expedite the process of planning, permitting and building affordable multiple-unit complexes in the mountains, typi- cally a very slow process that can often take several years. This private investment presents a potential opportunity for architects to step up and become engaged in the process of helping lead these discussions, assisting with identifying scarce land resources, and facilitating the planning and devel- opment of these much-needed facilities. Education is another realm that the architectural profession touches in very tangible ways. AIA President Russ Davidson announced at this year’s AIANational Convention in Philadelphia an initiative which will catalogue all the ways architecture and design is being introduced and taught at the K-12 level, with the goal of promulgating those best practice programs for implementation across the country and beyond. This presents a tremendous opportu- nity for architects to become engaged with future generations to communicate the value of good design and architecture in the development of the built environment, and the vital role architects play in those efforts. Unfortunately, many students aren’t even aware of what architects actually do, so this initiative presents a wonderful chance for outreach and education—an effort that could have generational influence. The architecture profession will always need proponents to engage in political advocacy to help shape public policy regarding the design and development of the built environment, but there are so many other ways architects can engage their communities to have a positive influence. The key is to find your passion, or even sometimes look outside your comfort zone for opportunities to make a difference. As Woody Allen was once quot- ed, “Showing up is 80 percent of life.” Architects need to find what it is they can contribute to their community, and then “ShowUp!” b AIA WESTERN MOUNTAIN REGION DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE BY PATRICK PANETTA, AIA WMR REGIONAL DIRECTOR, AIA STRATEGIC COUNCIL En·gage To Participate or Become Involved In