• Grassroots 2006: The AIA is holding its annual Grassroots Legislative and Leadership Conference 8-11 February in Washington, DC. This is when architects from across the nation meet with our national Senate and House legislators to lobby for issues important to AIA. Issues that we will be advocating for include allowing Small Business/Association Health Insurance plans, improving tax credits to foster restoration of older properties to meet the need for affordable housing and to encourage community revitalization, supporting development of legislative requirements for high-performance, energy-efficient “green” buildings in both the public and private sectors, and broadening the permissible use of “cash” tax accounting for architects. More information is available online at www.aia.org/gov under the 2006 Grassroots Legislative & Leadership Conference/Capitol Hill Visits.
• AIA 150: The sesquicentennial celebration of AIA is scheduled for 2007. Activities in the State will be planned to promote our celebration with the public. Amy Bailey, our immediate Past-President, is coordinating these efforts.
• Code Issues: Our well informed code afficionado, Jerry Tepe, reports that the new NFPA Life Safety Code has incorporated the NFPA Building Codes into the new edition and that there are requirements for sprinklers in residential construction. Stay tuned for what this means when the State Fire Marshal moves to adopt the new Code.
• Licensing Board: Chris Williams recently attended one of our Board meetings to let us know that the Licensing Board is planning on issuing requirements for continuing education requirements for architects in New Hampshire. It’s often a challenge to make time for seminars and other educational programs, but the issues related to design and construction are becoming more complex with so many more options, materials and techniques available. A requirement for continuing education is a blessing in disguise, since it can only help the profession as a whole.
• Young Architects Committee: The younger architects and interns have been active this past year, with many thanks to Shawn Bolduc. Promoting the Young Architects Design Competition, administering the SKILLS USA High School Architectural Drafting Competition, arranging walking tours and gatherings for members and posing Architectural Registration Exam questions each month are important in the growth of our young architects. Drew Queen will be our new Associate Director, and there is already a gathering planned for 8 February, 6:00 pm at Foodee’s Pizza in Concord.
• Intern Development Program: It is often too easy in our busy practices to leave it to our interns to sink or swim. Tom House has been key in resurrecting the State’s Intern Coordinator this past year, and is developing a website for emerging professionals, is promoting a Mentorship Program, and is pursuing an ARE Prep and Seminar Program.
• Programs: The Program Committee has planned our monthly programs for the next year, starting with tours of the Derry and Londonderry Town Halls and a discussion on Quality in Architecture on 23 February. This will be followed by a visit to the NH Aviation Museum on 30 March. Visit the AIA NH website, www.aianh.org, Calendar of Events to see what events are coming up.
• Continuing Education: This is a new challenge that we hope to implement this year. Providing educational programs and seminars for our members on design and technical topics of interest on a quarterly basis will expand opportunities for improving our knowledge. Plans are in the works for hosting the film “My Architect” with speaker Nathaniel Kahn in early March. Keep an eye on this new series!
• Sustainable Design: The Environmental Guild had another successful IDID Conference this past year at the Highlands Center in Crawford Notch. Plans are in the works for the next IDID Conference to be held in October of this year. We need to encourage more New Hampshire architects to take advantage of this program.
• Learning by Design: Walking tours are planned for students at four public schools this year, and a Learning by Design Graduate Program, including a neighborhood walking tour, is planned in July at Keene State College. Volunteers are desperately needed to assist with these programs and not just architects! We could certainly use the help and expertise of interior designers, landscape architects, and others in this endeavor. It should be noted that Bruce Hamilton was instrumental in obtaining a grant last year for the Walking Tours Program, and the program received a National Merit Award from the American Architectural Foundation. The outreach efforts to the public by our members to help educate them about architecture is to be commended!
• Public Relations: A Speaker’s Bureau that includes a list of architects and topics that architects are able to speak about has been compiled, and a brochure has been prepared. We will be sending the brochure to over 500 organizations in the State. The hope is that it increases our interaction with the public and helps educate them about architecture and the construction process.
• Healthcare Costs: We have heard from many of our members about exceedingly high increases in health insurance costs. A Health Benefits Survey is being prepared to help us identify the issues. This will aid us in lobbying our State and National legislators for changes in laws that would benefit the professional design community. Your participation in this survey is critical.
