Updates from Terri Hogan Dreyer, President of AIA New Orleans
(These updates have also been sent out via our newsletter, which we encourage you to sign up for)
Good Afternoon, AIA Members: Happy Holidays & Happy New Year to all! First, I want to thank each and every one of you for the immense support that I have received as this year’s AIA 2020 New Orleans President. I am humbled and honored to have elected and have grown immensely from this experience. There is indeed a laundry list of circumstances and events that has made this year a significantly challenging year for us all, but the one thing that I know for certain is that it has proved how resilient we are as a city, as architects, community leaders, and as individuals. I want to recap and celebrate the many achievements from this year: · Launched the AIA 2030 RISING: Symposium for Climate & Equity, a four-part webinar series focused on the different scales of impact in which architects and planners can engage to make meaningful contributions to the profession and their communities when designing towards a more resilient and equitable future. This series led to a 300% increase in architects who have signed up for the challenge, including AIA 2021 President Julie Babin! · Launch of the Storytelling Series, which will continue for members to learn more about their cohorts in the industry. · Design + Practice Exchange: Design to Change, AIA + WIA New Orleans & WIA Austin joined to host a two-day symposium of compelling conversations and design presentations, centering the voices of women in architecture. · Virtual Design Awards Ceremony (the first and hopefully last virtual format!), thank you to Bryan Batt for so eloquently representing the local community of Architects and congratulations to all the WINNERS! · Steve Dumez awarded the AIA Louisiana Medal of Honor · Offered 42 + CEUs · Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Committee and their important work for our members · Advocacy Committee, thank you to Jason Richards, Chris Johnson, Jessica Walker and Dominic Willard for your phenomenal representation and hard work. · Search for the Executive Director, we have narrowed down our search and are enthusiastic to select our new ED! As I pass the baton to the 2021 AIA New Orleans President, Julie Babin, I hope and know with Julie’s leadership that we will continue our momentum and drive to keep fighting for women, minority and small business involvement within the architecture industry. I will be holding myself accountable to continue this fight, and although 2020 is coming to an end, our work does not end here! The goals I will continue to advocate for : · Continue tracking and benchmarking data for the AIA 2030 Challenge · Increase AIA Board Memberships, including FAIA, NOMA, and WIA members, to increase diversity within the AIA – we need representation of a section cut of ALL of our memberships to continue our success for the future. This is crucial for our older and younger members to work together to learn and grow within our profession. YAF has and will continue to chart a course for a more collaborative profession. Thank you Javier and Efren! · Architecture representation with our local, state and national government agencies My final goal is to continue to fight for a more equal representation of women and minorities in the profession. Although data is showing a significant increase in females and minorities entering architectural programs, the number of women that become registered, achieve upper management levels, become partners and own architectural firms has not increased at the same rate as their male architectural counterparts. Currently, only 17% of registered architects are women, yet almost half of the students in architectural programs in the U.S. are women and of those women as of today less are women owned businesses and even less for minorities. [Women in Architecture, AIA, 2020] We know by now that we have to improve. And we are taking significant measures to do so, but we must continue this momentum into 2021. “We see that the longer a woman continues to work in and contribute to architecture, the narrower her opportunities become for recognition and community building with other women”. [Where are the Women? Measuring Progress on Gender in Architecture, Nicholson, 2020] “Your success will not be determined by your gender or your ethnicity but only by the scope of your dreams and your hard work to achieve them” – Zaha Hadid Welcome 2021, Terri Hogan Dreyer 2020 AIA New Orleans President Good Afternoon Members and Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I hope all of you are staying safe, wearing masks, practicing social distancing and cleaning offices to carefully re-enter the local atmosphere! While we take time to reflect and honor our service members, we have decided to share with you what has been happening behind the scenes at AIA NOLA. We are looking at a re-entry date of June 1 to open up the AIA Design Center. We are hoping to start by having both Aran and Lauren work there and see how the City handles the reentry before working on any in-person meetings or seminars. We will follow the City and State’s guidelines for any large group gatherings. The AIA has put out a thorough guidelines for the Re-entry (click here to access) and we are uploading the tool to our website for you to download. We are vigorously working to bring relevant, thoughtful content to our webinars while investigating different types of webinar software and A/V equipment for the Design Center to assist in elevating the webinar experience. My vote is to procure a better A/V system to allow for content as well as the typical talking head imagery. From our 2020 board strategic plan for 2020 workshop, we identified that outreach and communication to our members needs more attention. Our website is the main feeder for information and it has been difficult to navigate. It is in need of a holistic calendar with all events local, state and national with an emphasis on the ability to spotlight all of our members, architects, associates and professional affiliates with their talents and sponsorships. Board member Javier Marcano and Content and Communications Coordinator Lauren Oglesby are spearheading this effort and we are grateful for their support. We are launching the Redesigning Space Virtual Exhibition which explores the collaborative way in which we live work and play after COVID-19. How both public and private spaces will change and how the human condition will transform. Our preliminary start date is June 8. More information is forthcoming. Storytelling Series: This is a webinar series we started to delve into the different paths of the architecture profession and introduce our membership to each other. We have Angela Morton, the AIA Lousiana State Board President coming up on May 29 (register here), and many more celebrities in our community who have agreed to participate. Stay tuned! In addition to the our re-entry announcement, we have allocated dates for events that, whether through the web or in-person, we are committed to achieving this year for our members. The only one that may have to be re-thought is the bowling tournament, as we are awaiting rules on large gatherings Events include: Per our last virtual Member Meeting, AIA Louisiana is requesting volunteers for the following committees and nominees for the State Board. Nominating If any of you are interested please contact myself or Aran Donovan, our Interim Director who has worked tirelessly for all of you during this time. I realize this is a healthy amount of information, but we have much to share. AIA has been working for you. It is the only member association that is also a lobbying firm for architects and our profession. I am proud and honored to be your 2020 President and look forward to seeing all of you in person, and if I can and you will let me, give you a hug. Sincerely, Terri Dreyer 4/7/20 Good Afternoon Members, As information moves so quickly these days, we want to keep you informed on what we know and give you links to information that we don’t fully know. Knowledge is power, and we hope to ensure that our members can be as powerful as possible when charting new territory for their future, business and profession. In speaking with many members, most firms are working remotely while trying to maintain productivity. There is an expectancy of about a 20-30 percent drop in productivity due to stress, implementation and added responsibilities from working from home. This drop in productivity will decrease within the next weeks as routines are established (You can watch our recent webinar on remote work for some tips navigating the new normal). Video Conference calls are the rage and many are wishing they bought stock in Zoom. Our firm has established a check-in once a day where we discuss projects. The call is only 15 minutes, but it provides feedback and positive communication about projects as well as a sense of inclusion desperately needed at this time. And, although our firm is working remotely, our operations manager, Ian, and myself come into the office to work for a few hours and check on the computers. Work is progressing in some cases and slowing in others, yet there are forecasts from AIA National that our profession will bounce back in the third and fourth quarter. Last week I participated in a meeting hosted by Timothy Hawk, on the AIA Government Advocacy Committee, and he described the many actions that AIA National has been doing to assist and engage Congress, ICC, state, and local communities for the future safety of the public, environment and profession. Listed below are the highlights of the meeting and what initiatives are being generated: Our top priority is climate change and AIA will be a national leader on this front. Vivian Loftness FAIA, LEED AP, CPHC and university professor Paul Mellon stated that air is fueling the spread of these types of diseases and we must double down on environmental impact governance and advocacy. I firmly agree with this statement and AIA New Orleans is committed to upholding and creating opportunities for this purpose. As for local information we have found that several websites and emails reports have been the most helpful : Finally, if you’re a board certified architect and one of your top specialties is healthcare, please reach out to Kathleen Gordon at [email protected]. The AIA LA is putting together a list of architects who may be able to step up and help, if need be, in keeping with the AIA Code of Ethics. Although I have started drawing again, which has been incredibly calming to my personality, it apparently has not been enough for my eleven year old daughter Lucia. Last week she requested that we put up our camping tent in the backyard because she was moving out. She needed space and wanted to “get out for a while”. Lucia lived out in our backyard for 4 days and nights, deciding to come back into the house on Sunday. She missed her room but requested we keep the tent up in our backyard so she could “get away and have some alone time.” Independence and ingenuity are a definite requirement for our current state of affairs; so is personal time, so if you need to, follow Lucia’s example and take care of yourself and grab some alone time… Thank you and be in touch. Terri Hogan Dreyer President of the AIA New Orleans 3/24/20 Dear Members, This past week has been complicated and frenetic to say the least! We hope all of you are staying safe and have used our information for working from home, sites for trusted current information, and SBA financial information. Several issues have surfaced that need clarification, and we want to provide you with the most trusted and current information. MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL & THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS We spoke with Mayor Latoya Cantrell last Thursday. The mayor requested a teleconference with AIA New Orleans, AGC, ASCE, and several of our affiliate organizations to ensure that our professions are considered essential personnel and that continuing New Orleans infrastructure and capital work during this difficult time for our city is absolutely critical. Architecture, engineering, and construction for both public and private work is to remain on course, specifically infrastructure and capital projects, but we must conduct our business as safely as we can for our community. This includes the combined Department of Public Works (DPW) and Sewerage and Water Board Joint Infrastructure Program projects, Capital Projects, NDR-HUD Green Infrastructure projects, as well as DPW maintenance projects. City of New Orleans capital projects currently has 17 projects under construction valued at more than $75 million dollars. Work will be continuing with these projects. Between maintenance projects and the Joint Infrastructure Program, we currently have 26 DPW projects under construction valued at nearly $160 million dollars and work is continuing on all of these projects. Second: for Construction, the safety and well-being of the crews working at these sites is paramount, and contractors must do what is necessary for crews to work safely by washing hands, practicing social distancing on sites, and furthermore staying home if they are feeling sick. Finally: in the next 60 days, The City of New Orleans will have approximately $200 million dollars of Joint Infrastructure projects going out to bid and $20 million dollars of capital projects going out to bid. Within the next several weeks, the much anticipated staff augmentation RFP will be re-released for bid. The City plans to continue with their quarterly industry days; the next one will be done via webinar sometime in April. All RFP’s and bid openings will be teleconferenced until further notice. This is wonderful news in today’s climate, and AIA New Orleans assured the mayor that as a profession, we will do what we can to assist during this time. AIA New Orleans offered services for committee work, planning and whatever other essential tasks or strategies that may require our help. There will be a follow up meeting in the future as this teleconference is being put on her media calendar of events. Thank you, Mayor Cantrell! WHAT THE AIA IS DOING: The last two weeks have been full of change. We are here for you and your business to help you get through this difficult time. We have taken several steps to streamline information so it comes to you in a factual and timely manner. Finally, thank you for your time and commitment to our AIA component and our profession. Change is difficult but essential to the survival of our profession, and I look forward to working with you all as we adapt to these new circumstances. Terri Hogan Dreyer 3/12/20 Hello all, Yesterday, a state of emergency was declared both in Louisiana and New Orleans in response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. More information on the virus in New Orleans can be found here. General information on the virus can be found on the CDC’s website here. We take these developments seriously and are carefully considering steps both within our office and with regard to upcoming committee meetings and events. We will reach out with more information as decisions are made. Within your firms, we ask that you have conversations about office hygiene (cleaning surfaces and washing hands), encouraging sick employees to stay home, holding conference calls instead of in-person meetings, and creating a flexible work environment and remote work where appropriate. The CDC has a guide for Employers and Businesses here. We’ll post updates when we have them. Please keep an eye on local media and NOLA Ready for any developments. 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Updates from AIA New Orleans Staff
3/26/20 We have reformatted our COVID-19 web resources to reflect the amount of information we have been receiving from local, state, and national outlets. Please feel free to email if you have a resource or tip: [email protected] 3/17/20 In response to the spread of COVID-19, the staff of AIA New Orleans/NOAF will be working remotely until further notice. We are available during business hours via email, phone, or social media, and encourage you to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns. Our website will be kept current with any event postponements or cancellation, and this webpage will be continuously updated as new resources are made available to our membership. General questions may be sent to [email protected] Thank you for your understanding as we work together to serve our community. We hope you are staying healthy and safe during this challenging time. [accordion-item title="AIANO Staff Update 3/26/20"][/accordion-item][accordion-item title="AIANO Staff Update 3/17/20"]
You can reach us by phone at: 504-525-8320.[/accordion-item]