News from the Colorado Chapter of The American Institute of Architects | 02.19.25
In this Newsletter:
Architect’s Day and legislative update
Share your One Good Idea
Feb 26 happy hour in Fort Collins
March 5 Business of Architecture roundtable discussion
March 6 Designing for Extreme Environments: Antarctica event
March 11 West Virtual Connect: Prefabrication
March 12 COTE webinar: People, Planet, Design
March 13 Architect’s Ski Day and happy hour
Liz Hallas, FAIA, and Thomas Walsh, FAIA
Partner news
National news
Premier Partner spotlight: IMEG
AIA COLORADO NEWS
ArchitectsDay4 |
ArchitectsDay2 |
AIA Colorado 2025 Day at the Capitol
Building upon our success last year in support of our practice act renewal, AIA Colorado returned to the state capitol this year to meet with legislative allies and share our expertise on policy issues important to the architecture profession. We had a group of twenty members across four different committees to talk about construction defect lawsuit reform and to advocate for taller single-stair multifamily residential buildings in Colorado. Improving access to housing in Colorado is a high priority for both the legislature and the governor. Read the recap and see photos from the day here.
Share your One Good Idea
Scott Rodwin, AIA, 2025 AIA Colorado President, invites AIA members to embrace the theme of his presidency: making every member’s professional life 5% easier. While it may sound like a small, incremental change, achieving it will be neither easy nor insignificant. He is asking each of you to share one good idea that can benefit other members. It can relate to any aspect of the profession, and your level of experience doesn’t matter. We’re going to crowdsource ideas from the most qualified group we know — you. Share your One Good Ideahere.
Wednesday, February 26th, 5 – 6:30pm, join AIA Colorado members in the North for a time of fun and conversation at Social. So that we can look forward to seeing you, please RSVP here.
Thursday, March 6th, OZ Architecture will lead a presentation and discussion of the firm’s work over the past decade supporting climate change research in Antarctica, the world’s coldest, windiest, driest and most remote continent. The session will include the Director of University of Colorado’s design-build program, the Colorado Building Workshop, and general contractor Bespoke Project Solutions. The program will address topics of Project Acquisition, Teaming Strategies, Design for Equity and Wellness, Off-grid High-performance Design, Prefabrication and Design for Logistics optimization. Submitted for 1 LU|HSW. More information and RSVP here.
Tuesday, March 11th, join AIA Colorado West Director Andi Korber, AIA, and connect virtually with Western Slope AIA members for a time of conversation. The topic will be prefabrication use in the mountains and rural areas. There will be a brief presentation by John Riley, COO of Peak3, to get the conversation started, following by Q+A and discussion. RSVP here.
Wednesday, March 12th, join AIA Colorado’s Committee on the Environment for an informative webinar presentation titled “People, Planet, Design: A Practical Guide for Realizing Architecture’s Potential” by Corey Squire, AIA. This session will explore how a practice can meaningfully address climate, health, and equity on every project. This has been approved for 1 LU. More information and RSVP here.
Thursday, March 13th, join AIA members for a day on the slopes of Snowmass, informally touring a variety of projects located mountainside and in Snowmass Village, followed by après happy hour at the base of the mountain. More information and RSVP here.
AIA elevates Liz Hallas, FAIA, and Thomas Walsh, FAIA, to the College of Fellows
Liz Hallas, FAIA,Anderson Hallas Architects, and Thomas Walsh, FAIA,Fentress Architects, have been newly elevated to the College of Fellows, one of the highest honors bestowed by AIA. Read more about their elevations, including thoughts from their sponsors as well as the chair of the AIA Colorado Fellowship Nominating Committee, here.
Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, and Meryati Blackwell, AIA, on Architect-ing
Marlon and Meryati Blackwell, of Marlon Blackwell Architects, join Adam Wagner on the show as he discovers how Marlon’s global journey and deep southern roots shape his architectural voice, and explore Meryati’s transformative experiences from leaving Malaysia for college in Miami to working in London. Delve into their design philosophy, which blends local context with innovative form. Plus the conversation uncovers insights from their presentations at the 2024 AIA Colorado Practice and Design Conference.
Liz Babcock, City and County of Denver, Executive Director, Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CASR). Monday, February 24, 12:15pm
Rossana Hu, University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design, Chair and Miller Professor of the Department of Architecture Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, Co-Founder. Monday, March 3, 12:15pm
Zeina Koreitem, Southern California Institute of Architecture, Faculty, MILLIØNS, Co-Founder. Monday, March 17, 12:15pm
Lectures are held at the Second Floor Gallery, CU Denver. More info and RSVP here.
Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) Rocky Mountain Region upcoming event
Taking place Thursday, February 20th, from 4 – 6pm, in Denver, join DBIA for “Leveraging Design in Design-Build: Successful Tactics for the Design Team.” Dive into how design can be elevated in the Design-Build delivery method. Registration is free for AIA members. View event flyer here and additional information and registration here.
Denver’s Single Stair Housing Challenge Awards Event
Thursday, March 6, at 4:30pm, join for an evening celebrating the incredible designs submitted to this year’s challenge. These projects push the limits of mid-rise housing in Colorado, rethinking building codes to create more vibrant, walkable urban neighborhoods.
The event will showcase innovative housing designs and include the announcement of competition awards, testimonials from select jurors, and a keynote address by Darrell Watson, offering valuable insights into the future of housing policy and urban design. Join us for this inspiring celebration of creativity and progress! RSVP here.
Decoding Design: Activating Health & Wellbeing through Architecture & Interiors
Tuesday, March 11, at 4:30pm, join Denver Architecture Foundation and AIA Colorado members to hear from two thought leaders in the emerging field of neuroaesthetics who will each explain their research and findings, and describe the interactions of our “ancient” brain wiring, our neurotransmitters, our nervous systems, and the universal appeal of achieving homeostasis in our public and private spaces. AIA members canregister as members to receive a discount. This session has been approved for 1 LU|HSW. Learn more and RSVP here.
Call for Nominees – Landmark Preservation Commission
Denver Landmark Preservation is currently seeking nominations to fill upcoming vacancies on the Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC). The commission is specifically seeking nominations from property owners or residents of historic landmarks or historic districts, and people who are involved with architecture, design, construction, or planning. A general job description for LPC members can be found here. Please contact Nikolaus Remus, AIA, to be nominated.
The Jeff Harner Awards are open for submissions
The Jeff Harner Awards program was created by Garrett Thornburg in 2007 to honor the memory of Jeff Harnar and help continue his groundbreaking work in the area of contemporary design in the Southwest. In 2018, the award program was expanded to include Unbuilt Work and Landscape Architecture. In 2020, the program was further expanded to include: Contemporary Architecture in the Southwest, Unbuilt Architecture, Unbuilt Landscape Architecture, Student Architecture Award, and Student Landscape Architecture Award. Four of the six Jeff Harner Awards are open to submissions for work designed for the Four Corners states (AZ, CO, NM, UT). The student awards for 2025 expand on the Four Corners states to include work in the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion of West Texas, and the Sonoran and Mojave Desert ecoregions of Southern California and Southern Nevada. Submission deadline: March 24, 2025. Learn more and submit here.
Career Corner
The AIA Colorado Job Board is updated daily. Job hunting? Take a peek to discover new opportunities. Hiring? Post your single job for 30 days. Connect with qualified candidates. Here are a few featured job openings:
The newly released 2023 report of The Architect’s Journey to Specification details key findings on how architects learn about materials, interact with product manufacturers, and make informed material selections. It’s the only report that reveals the specification habits, needs, and preferences of decision-makers in architecture firms. View at AIA.
10 Must-have leadership skills for running a successful architecture firm
Now perhaps more than ever, architecture needs great leaders to address the changes and challenges facing the profession. Whether you aspire to lead your own firm, are on the path to senior management, or are already helming a company, here are 10 qualities and strategies that five proven practice leaders below have identified as instrumental to their success. Read at AIA.
Premier Partner Spotlight
With a history that dates back over 100 years, IMEG Corp. grew from several firms coming together under one uniting vision: people-centered engineering. As a national engineering and design consulting company IMEG intentionally localized a focus to serve carefully chosen regions and markets, allowing them to put relationships and communities first, without sacrificing expertise.
IMEG’s specialties are high-performing building systems, infrastructure, program management and construction-related services, but the secret to the success is found in a deep bench of 1,600 team members. For IMEG, people-centered engineering is about more than the people served — it’s representative of the engaged employee culture they’ve worked hard to create. IMEG believes in investing in their people and their professional futures through continuous training, community involvement and the ability to develop a niche specialty.
Allied Members are better known as trusted industry colleagues and members of AIA Colorado—they’re the interior designers, the kitchen specialists, the engineering partners, and more who make up our AEC community in Colorado. View AIA Colorado’s Allied Member Directory.
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