National Architecture Week 2019

National Architecture Week 2019 takes place later this month: Sunday, April 21 through Saturday, April 27 to be exact. Architecture Week is an online celebration of architecture sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) intended to draw attention to the ways architects positively impact everyone’s life. The AIA will post articles, photos, videos, and resources via its Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter channels that align with daily themes throughout the week. The institute encourages all of us to likewise participate by sharing our own content on all social media platforms and using the hashtags #ArchWeek19 and #blueprintforbetter. 

The AIA has assigned each day of Architecture Week its own theme: 

Sunday, April 21, 2019 

Architects in our communities 

We will celebrate the ways architects design public spaces that positively impact our lives. 

Monday, April 22, 2019 

Sustainability & Resilience #EarthDay2019 

Happy Earth Day! We are sharing how architects design sustainable projects that will help us reach our 2030 Commitment goals. 

Tuesday, April 23, 2019 

Affordable Housing 

Cities across the world are facing affordable housing challenges and architects are developing solutions. We will share information about several of the solutions. 

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 

Architecture Education 

What can we do to inspire more young people to pursue a degree and career in architecture? We will highlight the work architects are doing to introduce architecture to young people. 

Thursday, April 25, 2019 

Civic Engagement 

Architects can make a huge impact in their communities through civic engagement. We will share information about what architects are already doing and how those interested can get involved.

Friday, April 26, 2019 

Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion 

We are committed to building a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive profession. We will highlight the work architects are doing to help us reach our equity, diversity, and inclusion goals. 

Saturday, April 27, 2019 

Architecture & Technology 

How will technology like artificial intelligence impact the profession in the near future? We’ll explore this and more. 

In my opinion, the AIA can and should do more to promote public awareness of the campaign. I’m not as engaged in AIA goings-on as I have been in the past, but I suspect I’m not alone among AIA Eugene members who have heard next to nothing about Architecture Week this year. I consider myself to be generally well-informed when it comes to architecture news, so the absence of press about Architecture Week is puzzling to me. 

The celebration doesn’t coincide with the 2019 AIA Conference on Architecture, which takes place June 6-8 in Las Vegas, nor does it correspond with next week’s biennial Oregon Design Conference at Salishan Resort.(1) Compounding matters, at least one AIA component (Central Oklahoma) commemorated its own Architecture Week earlier this month, as did prominent firm Gresham Smith. Couple this confusion with the lack of buzz about National Architecture Week 2019 and the net effect is considerably less than inspiring. Given that one of the AIA’s primary mandates is to be the voice of our profession, I find this troubling. 

I do plan on doing my part, primarily through my Twitter account. I’ll post at least one tweet per day, each aligning with the AIA’s daily theme. National Architecture Week is an opportunity to remind ourselves and the communities we serve why architecture is important and why good design matters.

(1)  Of course, if all these events did overlap, attendance at either the AIA Conference on Architecture or the Oregon Design Conference would suffer.