October 1996

President's Letter: State of the Chapter

 

THIS HAS BEEN A GOOD YEAR for Houston architects by most accounts. The persistence of a strong economy has translated into financially healthy times in our offices. The only drawback I've found to this great news is that it's become somewhat harder to get people together for AIA meetings and events unrelated to the need to produce all this work. Still, we've managed to accomplish a lot so far this year. Some of the noteworthy points:

We continued delivering the message of inner city revitalization developed in "Designing for Change" through visits to public officials. We were acknowledged for our efforts through a proclamation passed by the Downtown District board of directors and honored by the City of Houston at the recent city birthday party.

We enjoyed the best Celebrate Architecture gala yet, with a record amount of money raised for the Houston Architecture Foundation, and a most entertaining honoree, Linda Ellerbee.

We continued the Design Construction Forums, gathering various industry groups together to discuss issues from Electronic Documents to Green Architecture.

We were delighted by this year's Sandcastle Competition in Galveston. The event was the most financially successful in its ten year history.

We nominated members for service on public boards and committees where architects' voices are greatly needed. We thanked officials when we were selected to serve, and admonished them when we weren't.

We resumed "Inside the Firms", the open house tours of each other's offices, offering an informal venue for getting together with colleagues.

We collaborated with allied industry groups to create the first Technology Expo in Houston (coming in January '97 at the George R. Brown Convention Center).

We planned an Educator/Practitioner Forum to take the Boyer Report from reflection toward implementation of ideas to reconnect schools and offices in a meaningful way.

Under the leadership of the Housing Committee, we launched the Community Design Assistance Center, to match community based organizations who need architectural services with architects who can provide them, and to fund recoverable grants for architectural fees.

We started a column in Perspective to highlight the public service contributions of architects.

We've done other great work in our committees:

The Young Architect's Forum has designed and built a sorely needed and enthusiastically received SPARK park for Piney Point Elementary, representing an admirable level of public outreach we would all do well to emulate.

The Practice Committee has reinvented itself with a useful series of meetings designed to assist firms through the learning curve on issues such as marketing, contracts, accounting, and human resources.

The Residential Committee has continued its well-attended "free lunch program", had a very successful home tour, booth at the annual Home Show, and client seminar on home remodeling.

The Health Committee has expanded their monthly schedule of seminars and tours, and continued their annual gala.

The Urban Design Committee has planned a series of events to capitalize on the broadcast of "Back From the Brink", a public television program on city revitalization produced by the American Architectural Foundation.

The Architecture for Kids Committee has continued to sponsor the annual Michael Meyers design competition for high school students and to deliver their creative message through Architecture is Fun to school children who may not be aware of what we do.

Which brings me back to the issue of assessing how we're doing in our lives spent rushing from meeting to meeting and deadline to deadline. In our effort to be good architects and service providers to our clients, are we also remembering to make time for the gestures which can't be measured on an office's balance sheet?

It's been those times I've taken a step outside the routine, when attempting to explain what design is to a class of ten year olds, for instance, that I've been reminded of why I became an architect in the first place. Those are enriching moments; not just for the kids, but actually mostly for us. Please volunteer some time in a classroom; for a few hours spent you can revitalize your spirit and recapture your enthusiasm for our profession. Maybe we should pay them to let us do that!

Susan Labarthe, AIA

Executive Director's Letter

This fall is ripe with opportunities for architects to influence public policy. The Development Ordinance (Chapter 42 of the Code of Ordinances) is under revision. For the first time, a separation between urban and suburban standards is being actively pursued. Joe Webb, AIA, President Elect of the Chapter, represents you on the revision committee. He holds monthly briefings on the progress of the re-write and invites all interested Chapter members to bring experiences with the current ordinance and ideas for improvement to these meetings—the first Tuesday of each month in the Chapter office at 6 pm.

Drayton McLane wants a downtown baseball stadium to keep the Astros in Houston. He has said that a downtown stadium has worked "magic" in those cities that have one—redevelopment, economic growth, increased attendance at the games. The effect of Camden Yards on Baltimore isn't magic. It is the result of a carefully developed long range plan for Baltimore which began 20 years ago and included the Inner Harbor development, the aquarium, and targeted assistance for the revitalization of mixed income inner city housing. Baltimore's rail system stops at the gate of Camden Yards. The parking needs of baseball fans are integrated with the parking needs of the downtown businesses. That kind of thing can happen in Houston, too, but it won't be magic. It will be the result of a collaborative effort among people who understand both physical and economic planning. Are you one of those people? Do you want to shape AIA Houston's point of view on the downtown stadium? Call Jim Hill or Rives Taylor, chairs of the Urban Design Committee. Or come to the next meeting of the committee to volunteer to participate on a task force. The Committee meets the third Wednesday of each month at noon in the Chapter office.

HISD has a space problem. The bond-election-voting-public turned them down because they neither appreciated the magnitude of the problem nor the relationship of appropriate space to learning. Who is better equipped to clarify the solutions to these problems than architects? But those who actually design schools and fit appropriate spaces to learning needs of children will not have a chance at that level of problem solving until the public perception changes. Can you help with that? Are you willing to give some time to a Task Force to determine how AIA Houston can positively affect public education in Houston? Call Suzanne or the Chapter office to volunteer.

Architects are highly respected by the public. Your knowledge and insight can influence public opinion. You have power—if you choose to use it. One of the reasons AIA Houston exists is to do things together that you either can't or won't do alone. The problem seeking/problem solving methods that you use in practice work just as effectively on public policy issues.

The oft quoted Boyer Report says: "Perhaps never in history have the talents, skills, the broad vision and the ideals of the architecture profession been more urgently needed. The profession could be powerfully beneficial at a time when the lives of families and entire communities have grown increasingly fragmented, when cities are in an era of decline and decay rather than limitless growth, and when the value of beauty in daily life is often belittled." Here's your chance. Are you ready?

Martha Murphree, Hon. AIA