Colorado Architecture News | 10.02.24

News from the Colorado Chapter of The American Institute of Architects | 10.02.24

In this Newsletter:

AIA COLORADO NEWS

Full conference schedule now available

View all sessions for this year’s Tech Connect, taking place November 13th, and GENERATE 2024 Practice + Design Conference November 14 – 15. We are pleased to share with you the keynote speakers, breakout session details, and Tech Connect event info. Regularly priced registration is open through October 31st.

View Schedule
Register Here

ARCpac and ARCsdc announce 2024 recipients of campaign contributions

ARCpac and ARCsdc accept contributions from AIA members and use these funds to support state legislative race candidates who support the architecture profession. Issues affecting the architects at the capitol are non-partisan and we have allies on both sides of the aisle. Read on for the list of candidates supported in 2024.

Call for Nominations | 2025 AIA Colorado Board of Directors and AIA National Councils

We are seeking AIA Colorado members to serve on the AIA Colorado Board of Directors and as state representatives to AIA national councils. The AIA Colorado Board provides stewardship of the nonprofit and is responsible for collaboratively setting the direction of the organization through consensus driven governance, policy-making and strategic planning. The national councils are peer group networks who provide insight from our state into their programming and strategy to the national level of the Institute. 

Ideal candidates are AIA members who are strategically minded, service-oriented, and capable of identifying and responding to industry trends—to enhance and propel the profession and to help members excel in their areas of practice. AIA Colorado is committed to broadening equity, diversity, and inclusion to create a stronger profession. Towards that end, the nominating committee will make every attempt to recommend a diverse, strategy-driven, and competency-based slate of candidates. For more information, go here.

Add your firm to the new AIA Colorado firm directory!

AIA Colorado staff often receives inquiries from clients looking to hire architects from firms of all sizes across Colorado. Our goal with this Firm Member Directory is to help you get discovered and connect with potential projects. We’re excited to launch this new directory, currently in its beta phase. This means we’re still fine-tuning the features and gathering feedback to ensure it meets your needs. Join now and pay nothing for the rest of the year! See the directory here and join here.

J.E.D.I. seeking neurodiversity member profiles

The J.E.D.I. Committee invites neurodivergent members to share their unique perspectives for an upcoming profile. If you’re neurodivergent experiences have influenced your work in architecture and design, we want to hear your story. Help us raise awareness and inspire positive change within our community! To get involved, please contact AIA Colorado Communications Director, Jon Bell.

Health Horizons 2024

This October 15th, join the Academy of Architecture for Health and Women in Healthcare for an engaging half-day symposium on the future of healthcare. We will explore emerging industry-wide issues including challenges faced by nurses and clinicians, increasing costs and construction schedules, and technological advancements like Artificial Intelligence. Together, we will discuss both the challenges and opportunities ahead, seeking to navigate these changes while prioritizing the human experience.

This event, held at the CSU Spur facility in Denver, is tailored for those in care delivery and healthcare facility design and construction, with continuing education credits provided for a variety of disciplines. The day starts with networking and a light breakfast, followed by guest presentations and a lively panel discussion. After a brief break, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a design thinking workshop and envision the future of healthcare together. More info and register here.

AEF celebrates scholarship recipients

On September 12th, representatives from the Architectural Education Foundation (AEF) celebrated several scholarship recipients at a luncheon at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The honored recipients are: 

AEF, in partnership with AIA Colorado, offers traveling and professional development scholarships to advance the interest of the profession of architecture in the State of Colorado. See a list of past recipients here and learn more about AEF and donate to the organization here.

AIA Colorado Events

Emerging Professional AE Happy Hour with SEAC

October 17th, from 5 – 7pm, join emerging professional members from AIA Colorado and Structural Engineers Association of Colorado (SEAC) for a happy hour at Wynkoop Brewery.

RSVP here

Affordable Housing in Denver: Tour and Panel Discussion

Tuesday, October 22nd, from 4 – 5:45pm, the AIA Colorado Denver Local Advisors will be hosting a tour and panel discussion on the topic of affordable housing in Denver. The event will offer three 30-minute simultaneous site tours of projects in the Sun Valley neighborhood and be followed by a panel discussion highlighting the opportunities and challenges our community has in setting up affordable projects as we all aim to solve the housing issues in Denver. The panel will focus on how affordable projects come to life and the challenges of making them a reality. A reception and Q&A with the panel and tour hosts will follow. This will be an exclusive event for AIAColorado members and reservations are limited! Event has been approved for 1.5 LU|HSW.

RSVP here

Historic Preservation Tour – Larimer Square

Thursday, October 24, at 4pm, join Denver Local Advisors for a tour of the historic preservation and restoration to Denver’s Larimer Square. The tour will look at the $20 million-dollar exterior restoration and preservation improvements of the downtown historic 1400 block of Larimer Street between 14th and 15th Streets. Constructed between 1860 and 1880, the block includes 18 historic building facades, containing over 50,000 sq ft of interior space, and pedestrian streetscape. This tour has been approved for 1 LU|HSW.

RSVP here

Code Class: 2021 IBC Multi-Family Construction

Friday, October 25, at 8am, attend an overview of the requirements for multi-family dwellings in the International Building Code. Type V-A construction may be the most difficult type of construction to build a structure by. This seminar discusses the design, construction and inspection of Group R-2 occupancies including, building planning, fire-resistive rated construction, fire protection requirements and means of egress requirements. This full-day program includes lunch. This class has been for approval for 7.0 AIA CES Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) learning unit hours.

RSVP here

AIA 2030 Commitment: Breaking Boundaries with Embodied Carbon

Monday, October 28th, 5 – 6:30pm, at The Alliance Center, join the AIA Colorado Committee on the Environment (COTE) for the third member education session. 

A few of the topics discussed will include:

A Q+A session will follow the presentation. Watch Session #1 here and Session #2 here.

RSVP here.

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MEMBER NEWS

Join Alan Ford, FAIA and his co-authors, Tuesday, October 8th, from 4 – 6pm, for a book launch party at Run for the Roses, located in Denver’s Dairy Block, to celebrate the release of “Creating the Regenerative School.” For more info and to RSVP, email Beth@PowersProducts.com.

Partner News

Upcoming CAP Fall lecture series

  • Thursday, October 3, 12pm – Brittany Utting and Daniel “DJ” Jacobs, Rice University, Assistant Professor and University of Houston, Instructional Assistant Professor HOME-Office, Founders 
  • Thursday, October 10, 12pm – Kate Yeh Chiu, Materials and Applications, Executive Director yyyy-mm-dd, Co-Founder
  • Thursday, October 24, 12pm – Jorge Otero-Pailos, Columbia GSAPP, Professor, Director of the Master of Science in Historic Preservation and PhD in Historic Preservation Program

Lectures are held at the Second Floor Gallery, CU Denver. More info and RSVP here.

Where is Denver’s Chinatown? 

From October 9, 2024 – August 9, 2025, History Colorado Center invites visitors to uncover the history of the neighborhood, discover what happened to it, and help imagine what it might become. Once located in the area known today as Lower Downtown (LoDo), Denver’s Chinatown was one of the largest in the American West during the late 1800s and early 1900s. It provided a welcoming space for Chinese people in Colorado who built a community and celebrated their culture against a backdrop of frequent ignorance, hostility, and violence. The exhibition will invite visitors into this thriving cultural community through historic personal family photographs and objects, artifacts from the museum collection, a portrayal of a typical home, and artistic reimaginings of the neighborhood. More info here.

Mindful Materials Denver Event

October 23rd, come discover new materials, learn about the power of collaboration to scale our individual work to reduce the embodied impacts of the built environment, and learn about Gensler’s Product Sustainability Standards. Event is in-person at Gensler’s Denver office and offers 1 LU|HSW. Register here.

Nominations now open for 2025 Mayor’s Design Awards!

Since 2005, the Mayor’s Design Awards have honored projects throughout the city for excellence in architecture, urban design, and place-making. The awards are presented to Denver homeowners, business owners, nonprofits, artists, and others for their creative contributions to Denver’s built environment through excellence and innovation. Many different types of projects are eligible. Mayor Mike Johnston and the Department of Community Planning and Development are seeking nominations for the Mayor’s Design Awards to be handed out in early 2025. Nominations are due Friday, November 1, 2024. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony early next year. Nominate a project 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:

AIA Colorado Job Board

NEWS AT NATIONAL

Women’s Leadership Summit 2024

Registration is open! Get your ticket to the industry’s premier leadership training event dedicated to accelerating women into leadership positions in architecture, design, and the allied building industries. WLS convenes the industry’s largest network of women who are breaking down barriers and manifesting the careers they want—while making a difference in the world. You’ll meet, network with, and learn from an extraordinary lineup of renowned speakers, trailblazing leaders, and industry experts who will share pathbreaking ideas to tackle challenges and lead change. Register at AIA



Recent disaster: Hurricane Helene response and recovery

Hurricane Helene recently swept through the southeastern United States, rapidly intensifying to a Category 4 storm before making landfall on the Florida panhandle. Its powerful winds and heavy rains caused widespread damage in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, reaching inland communities far from the coast. In its wake, Helene left many communities without power, homes destroyed, and, tragically, lives lost. AIA is actively working with state and local chapters to support impacted communities. See updates on you can help here.

AIA Membership Demographics Report

This report is a benchmark to measure changes in AIA’s member demographics. It includes member-reported data for all AIA membership categories plus demographics for the AIA Board of Directors, AIA Strategic Council, and AIA headquarters staff. View at AIA

Call for Proposals to present at AIA25 closes October 23rd

Submit your proposal for an educational session or architectural tour at AIA25 in Boston! AIA is looking for ahead-of-the-curve educational content from a diversity of voices, career stages, and industries. Start submission here.

Premier Partner at AIA24

Please welcome the newest AIA Colorado Premier Partners, K3 Technology, as we look forward to their ongoing support and involvement serving Colorado’s architecture community.

K3 Technology, a Denver based Information Technology Solutions Provider (ITSP/MSP) that was recently named a Colorado Company to Watch and recognized as one of Americas Fastest Growing Companies on the Inc. 5000 list. While many technology providers have a “come one, come all’ approach, we have a dedicated focus on the AECO and Creative industries. Why? Because we don’t think technology should be a bolt-on item to your business, it should be integrated into making you a better, more efficient, more profitable company. The only way to do that is by trying to understand your business as well as you do, and we can’t do that if we spread ourselves across multiple industries. View K3 Technology Website

Allied Member Events

NanaWall Walking Tour

Join Allied Member NanaWall for a tour of operable glass systems around McGregor Square. Food, networking, and an AIA credit are all a part of this open-house event taking place Tuesday, October th, from 4 – 6pm, at Tom’s Watch Bar in Denver. RSVP here

Looking for Additional Resources?

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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