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Page 32 — COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL — February 18-March 3, 2015
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I t doesn’t require much
distance to look back at
2014 and realize what
a milestone year it was for
The American Institute of
Architects Colorado Chapter.
After completely restructur-
ing the organization and its
governance model, the board
of directors took several bold
steps to refocus and reener-
gize the organization to better
serve its members.
A new strategic plan was
adopted to emphasize access
to quality educational pro-
grams and opportunities,
strengthen advocacy efforts
from municipalities all
the way to the Capitol in
Washington, D.C., and to
extend outreach efforts to not
just other architects, but also
to colleagues in allied profes-
sions and organizations, local
community and government
leaders and the general public.
These efforts have helped to
make AIA Colorado a model
organization among other AIA
components in the country.
At the first board meeting of
2015, members agreed it was
time to take another step for-
ward and break from looking
inward at our organization
and profession, and instead
look outward and take an
active role highlighting the
importance and value of archi-
tects and good design in our
communities.
Nearly every single building
has an architect and a team
of engineers and consultants
who, together with their
clients and the local com-
munity members, design the
places that
impact our
daily lives
and experi-
ences. The
work that
architects do
affects every-
thing from
social inter-
action to
energy con-
servation to
the economy.
Developers
can attest to
the value of good design when
it comes to their occupancy
and lease rates. Teachers and
parents can confirm that stu-
dents learn better in schools
designed to their scale, with
thoughtful attention to spatial
configurations and acoustics.
Doctors can tell you how the
design of their office or hos-
pital impacts their patients’
health and healing. In my
office, we often hear from
clients that their patients get
the most comfort from the
simple touches of the space
that help set them at ease and
make them feel “at home”:
a sunny spot in the waiting
room, a view of the sky dur-
ing a procedure, a comfort-
able chair. Clients tell us staff
turnover decreases when
their employees are working
in efficient and well-designed
spaces, saving significant staff
training and orientation costs.
Too often what makes the
headlines is not the posi-
tive impacts architects have
in their communities, but
rather, how one or a few select
professionals have hijacked
design to serve their own pur-
poses. Trading their desire to
enhance the well-being of the
public for their desire to be a
name brand, they hurt others
who work tirelessly to pro-
mote the basic tenets and eth-
ics of the profession. I believe
most architects strive to leave
behind a legacy not of a glossy
oeuvre, but rather a legacy
that rests on the knowledge
of having made a difference
to the people who experienced
their buildings and the spaces
they helped create.
This year, AIA Colorado
looks forward to taking the
opportunity to broaden the
conversation and tell the sto-
ries of those who are having
an impact in Colorado’s com-
munities.
Angela M.T.
Van Do, AIA
2015 president,
AIA Colorado
T he 2015 Jury of
Fellows from The
American Institute of
Architects (AIA) selected 147
AIA members to its prestigious
College of Fellows, an honor
awarded to members who have
made significant contributions
to the profession. Of those
147 elevated, four are AIA
Colorado members.
Amy Burkett, FAIA; John
Cottle, FAIA; Jeff Olson,
FAIA; and Keat Tan, FAIA will
be honored at an investiture
ceremony during the 2015
AIA National Convention and
Design Exposition in Atlanta
May 14-16.
The Fellowship program
was developed to elevate those
architects who have made a
significant contribution to
architecture and society and
who have achieved a standard
of excellence in the profession.
Election to Fellowship not only
recognizes the achievements
of architects as individuals,
but also their significant
contribution to architecture
and society on a national level.
Out of a total AIA
membership of more than
85,000, approximately 3,200
are distinguished with this
honor. The elevation to
fellowship is conferred on
architects with at least 10
years of membership in
the AIA, in one or more of
the following nomination
categories:
1. Promoted the aesthetic,
scientific, and practical
efficiency of the profession
2. Advanced the science and
art of planning and building
by advancing the standards
of architectural education,
training and practice
3. Coordinated the building
industry and the profession
of architecture through
leadership in the AIA and
other related professional
organizations
4. Advanced the living
standards of people through an
improved environment
5. Made the profession of
ever-increasing service to
society
Amy Burkett, FAIA
(BurkettDesign) was
nominated in category two.
John Cottle, FAIA (CCY
Architects) was nominated in
category one.
Jeff Olson, FAIA (Fentress
Architects) was nominated in
category two.
Keat Tan, FAIA (gkkworks)
was nominated in category
one.
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