Join us for two virtual #EQxD2020 Symposium Planning Workshops to chart our path for 2020!

LAUNCH

The EQxD Core Team began this year excited to explore the evolving connection between just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive architectural practices and processes and an emergent paradigm in our industry that mandates we promote (or prioritize) the well-being of the communities we currently serve, those that have been often overlooked, and the longevity of life on our planet. In short, we hoped to expand our exploration of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion at all levels of architectural practice, which allow us to create better architecture and actively shape new systems for a better society and shared future in which we can all thrive . By coming together, we hoped to reconnect and learn from one another to find salient intersections between the ways in which we work and relate to one another and our abilities to make a lasting difference in the world. We looked forward to understanding your challenges while also being inspired by your stories, your work, and your commitment to making positive changes, large and small, in your communities. We still do. 

RECALIBRATE

With our daily routines on pause, and perhaps irrevocably altered, each of us have experienced the imperative to reflect on what’s most important, to let go of the things that aren’t, and to foster (virtual!) communities that will enable us to be more effective leaders in an evolving context. We also acknowledge that, while our values are unchanged, the current climate has likely caused shifts in what deserves our attention at this particular moment. With this in mind, we would like to come together somewhat sooner than expected to explore our shared agenda and key themes for the #EQxD2020 Symposium (scheduled for November 6-7, 2020). The goal is to work together to build an event that rejuvenates and inspires each of us to continue to have meaning and influence in our practice.

FOCUS

What makes us feel authentic? What makes us whole? What drives each of us personally and professionally in this extraordinary moment? What are our responsibilities to our families, our colleagues, and our communities? How will this renewed sense of purpose and urgency shape our collective agenda moving forward? What can we learn from one another and colleagues in allied industries now to ensure that we’re better prepared to champion justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion?How might our time together at the symposium be leveraged to promote lasting, positive changes in ourselves, our families, our communities, our workplace, and our industry?What topics are most critical and/or essential to this dialogue?

DIALOGUE

Please join us to collectively Chart Our Path for 2020. We will be holding two workshops that will explore what guides us as individuals and as a community, as well as to identify the most important issues to address and focus on when we come together later this year . Please use the form linked below to indicate your interest and availability. CHART OUR PATH: EQXD 2020. These are extraordinary times. We welcome your participation in planning the next phase of Equity by Design’s work to promote the J.E.D.I. agenda! We look forward to collaborating with you.EQxD Core Team

LEARN MORE ABOUT

#EQxD2020 Symposium: Practice, Proccess, Paradigm Nov 6 + 7

Thanks to our #EQxD2020 Early Bird Sponsors

As a special #EQxDV Pre-Symposium Workshop - We are offering an additional session prior to the Symposium. Please note that registration is separate from the 11/3 Saturday Symposium programming. So, you don’t have to be signed up for #EQxDV to register for this event. Those who are attending on Saturday and arriving early are encouraged to register for this additional event.

AIA Guides to Equitable Practice

Are you interested in building a more equitable workplace, but unsure of how to start? Do you have expertise on an equity issue that could benefit others? Join us to learn how to leverage the AIA’s new Guides for Equitable Practice to transform your career and your firm!

Participants will gain hands-on experience exploring key concepts addressed in the first release of the Guides, including assessment techniques and actionable strategies for improving workplace culture, promoting cultural competence, mitigating implicit bias, and achieving pay equity.  Together, we will collaborate to devise implementation strategies at multiple scales, and to imagine the possibilities for their use by current and future leaders at all levels of practice.

Presenters:

Emily Grandstaff-Rice, FAIA - AIA National Board - Director at Large and Chair AIA Equity and Future of Architecture Committee

Annelise Pitts, AIA - AIA Equity and Future of Architecture Committee

Karen E. Williams, AIA - AIA Equity and Future of Architecture Committee

About the Guides to Equitable Practice -

Based on the recommendations from the AIA Equity in Architecture Commission Report, the guides will provide architects and firms with guidance on best practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion principles, and how those values can be a part of any architectural practice. They will address such issues as career progression, work culture, leadership development, pay equity, talent recruitment and more. Topics under work culture include attention to specific areas such as professional ethics and sexual harassment.

More Info about the Guides

Pricing + Registration:

AIASF Member $35

General Admission $40

Lunch will be provided prior to the workshop.

CEUs - 3.75 AIA Learning Credits will be provided

Learning Objectives -

• From this session, participants will be actively engage peers in a number of participatory design exercises intended to facilitate reviewing both completed guides and templates for future publication,

• From this session, participants will evaluate content clarity and practicability and surfacing critical issues that have yet to be addressed.

• From this session, participants will gain knowledge on how to apply the guides to equitable practice their own respective practices, beginning with assessment and following with actionable ways to implement frameworks to address key topics covered in each chapter

• From this session, participants will understand the overall structure of the guides as a resource to advance equitable frameworks to apply to professional practice.

First-time registrants for AIA Programming :

Everyone is welcome to attend our programs. You do not need to be an AIA member to register, but you will need to create an account on the aiasf.org website here (you will need this to sign up for all AIA events); AIASF members will automatically have a profile on the AIASF website. You do not need to be an AIA member to register with the website or to attend events - everyone is welcome. While logged into your account, complete your registration by clicking the "register" button at the top right of this page.

If you have any difficulties creating a profile on the AIASF website, logging in, or registering for an event, please contact the AIASF reception at info@aiasf.org.

Quarter 2 Topic: Articulating your Values

This year, EQxD will be featuring Quarterly Topics for deep dive rumination, discussion and action! Quarter 2 Topic for Discussion: Articulating your Values and is worth 1.5 AIA LU.

EQxD "U" Workshop Q2 - How to Become a Change Agent

How do the industry’s most influential change agents move from identifying a problem to making a lasting impact? Workshop participants will be invited to learn from the experiences of thought leaders who have shifted the status quo in their work within the urban context of San Francisco and the Bay Area.

These leaders will guide participants through tools and techniques while offering them an opportunity to put those skills into practice in a hands-on workshop. Attendees will develop a framework of steps: how to frame a problem, engage others to ideate and find solutions, and leverage networks to implement change as a Call to Action for desired, transformational outcomes.

Meet the Change Agents Panel

Garrett Jacobs - Executive Director Open Architecture Collaborative

Garrett’s architectural journey began in post Katrina New Orleans. With a passion for social justice and connecting people, Garrett focuses his energy on organizing the allied design professions in reflective community work. He has over six years of organizing experience from community design build projects, to running an international network of volunteer chapters, and even a national network of municipal civic technologists. Garrett led the reorganization of the Architecture for Humanity Chapter Network and is currently the founding Executive Director of the Open Architecture Collaborative working to inspire, rally and support designers to challenge the status quo of design services.

Maia Small - Urban Design / Design Review Manager at San Francisco Planning Department

Maia Small is a Senior Planner Architect at the San Francisco Planning Department where she leads the design review team and provides architectural expertise in the development of building form, open space, and policy in long-range planning. Maia was a partner in Thurlow Small Architecture from 2006 to 2013 where she designed and managed architecture and urban design projects for commercial, institutional and municipal clients.  Prior to her private practice, she worked for Bernard Tschumi Architects in New York and Mark Cavagnero Associates in San Francisco. Maia completed her Master of Architecture at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. She has also taught architecture at Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the University of Tennessee.

Jennifer Jones, CAE IOM - Executive Director, AIA SF

Jennifer Jones, MS, CAE, IOM serves as Executive Director of AIA San Francisco (AIASF), one of the largest AIA Chapters in the nation representing 2,200+ members in San Francisco and Marin County. As executive director, her core responsibilities relate to long‐term organizational stability and success of AIASF, which includes establishing and maintaining internal and external partnerships, guiding strategic planning, formulating policy, and leading administration in the interest of architect and allied professional membership. Jenn has an MS in Public Service & Nonprofit Management from DePaul University, and was a 2006 DePaul Public Service Fellow. Jenn has been honored for her accomplishments in association management by PR Newswire, Association of Media & Publishing, International Association of Business Communicators, and Association TRENDS. She is currently managing the Friends of Harvey Milk Design Competition for rethinking the use of the historic plaza in the Castro District.

Change Agent Panel Moderator and Workshop Facilitator

Lilian Asperin, AIA Associate and Project Director, WRNS Studio

Lilian values a firm culture that embraces collaboration, connection to the community, risk taking and fostering talent. As an Associate and Project Director for WRNS Studio’s San Francisco office, she helps lead the design process and build teams that deliver aspirational outcomes. Lilian attended the University of California, Berkeley and graduated with honors. After completing her studies, Lilian worked at architecture firms around the Bay Area, including Stanley Saitowitz, the City of San Francisco’s Bureau of Architecture, SOM and NBBJ. A leader within the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), she organized the first-ever Hackathon for MOOC’s as part of the Pacific Regional Conference and continues her involvement with the organization as Council Program Chair. Lilian also acts as Co-Chair of AIA San Francisco’s Equity by Design, a call to action for both women and men to realize the goal of equitable practice and communicate the value of design to society.

Learning Objectives - 1.5 AIA CEU/LU

1. Participants will be able to analyze data from career dynamics survey results, identify issues and frame problem statements related to pinch points in career dynamics.
2. Using examples shared by session leaders and question prompts participants will developmethods for engaging others to find solutions to identified problems.
3. Participants will determine how to identify resources and prioritize workflow into immediate, short-term and long-term milestones.
4. Participants will propose a quantifiable solution to identified problem or opportunity, and develop actionable steps for implementation of solutions in a larger scale.

#EQxDChangeAgents Event Agenda

6pm - 6:15pm Registration and Networking

6:15 - 7pm Change Agent Intro & Panel Discussion

7pm - 7:30pm Change Agent Workshop

7:30pm - 7:45pm Report Back & Conclusions

7:45 - 8pm Networking and Clean-up

Articles to read before the event:

Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail

Your Company's Secret Change Agents

Social Design Pathways via ImpactDesignHub

Want A Stronger Work Ethic? Learn How To Raise Informal Leaders

Four Elementary Forms of Sociality Impacting Trust and Relationships

Booklet on the MSRP

Friday, 5/15/2015  (5:00 PM - 6:00 PM)

Georgia World Congress Center - Room B407 (LEVEL 4) Atlanta, Georgia

Through recent research, Work-life flexibility has emerged a key element of defining success for men and women in large and small firms. Flexibility is likely the most important, and easiest concrete measure firms can implement. This session will show both the how and why flexibility is essential to retain talent.

Panelists:

Lilian Asperin Clyman, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Project Director, WRNS Studio; The Missing 32% Project Co-Chair, Albany, California

Emily Grandstaff-Rice, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Associate, Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts

Kelly Hayes McAlonie, AIA LEED AP

Director of the Capital Planning Group , University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York

Rosa T. Sheng, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Senior Associate, AIA San Francisco Board of Director, The Missing 32% Project Chair, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, AIA San Francisco, Albany, California

WE310 Equity by Design: Knowledge, Discussion, Action! 

Inspired by the sold-out October 18th Symposium in San Francisco, this workshop will feature the most popular break-out topics from each knowledge area: Hiring and retention, growth and development, meaning and influence. This energizing half-day workshop will begin by reviewing the findings from the 2014 Equity in Architecture Survey.  What is a Hackathon? You'll use design thinking skills in a rapid prototyping format and competition setting with an elevator pitch to present your initiative for best practices relating to talent recruitment, work/life flexibility, career advancement and transparency, mentorship, negotiation and more. 

Happy Hour at Studio No. 7 - 5/13 @ 5:30-7:30

Location: Studio No. 7 at 393 Marietta Street N.W. Atlanta, GA 30313

Following the WE310 EQxD Workshop, participants will be invited to a complimentary Happy Hour  (5:30pm-7:30pm) at Studio No. 7 for Jury deliberations and Awards. If you can't make the workshop, we will have registration and minor fee to attend Happy Hour event so that you can catch up on the highlights of the Hackathon! Proceeds beyond costs of the event go to funding the 2016 Equity in Architecture Survey.

Happy Hour registration includes networking, a recap of the EQxD Hackathon, Jury results and award announcements accompanied by an assortment of wines and appetizers inspired by Latin American and Asian cuisine that is seasonal and prepared with craft and care. 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST.

AS OF MONDAY, May 11th. HAPPY HOUR IS SOLD OUT.

Satisfaction: Workplace Innovations to Attract, Develop and Keep Talent.

What is Satisfaction? What are the factors surrounding talent retention in firms? Is it work culture or diverse teams? Working on good design projects? Having a Transparent Promotion Policy? Role models in leadership positions? High salary? Meaningful work? 

While nearly half of today’s graduates from architecture programs are women, they make up only 25% of practitioners, and 17% of partners or principals in architecture firms. In the Hiring & Retention, we will examine survey results on the initial employment and retention of architectural professionals as it relates to gender equity. We will highlight “pinch points” around major career and life milestones at which women are more likely to leave a firm.  Our research has shown that those who believe that their daily work is aligned with long-term career goals are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, and less likely to be looking for new employment opportunities.

This workshop will further explore what people need in the short term (ie.,happiness) vs. what they truly need for a meaningful career (that they may not even realize yet). We will have 3 feature panelists from various Bay Area firms to review our early survey findings and discuss their work culture as it relates to job satisfaction and retention.

This will be followed by a series of small group exercises, using design thinking tools, to generate strategies for transforming workplace culture in order to increase sponsorship/mentorship opportunities, provide fair and unbiased criteria for advancement, counter tendencies of in-group favoritism, promote diversity in teams, and to develop meaningful roles for all employees.  

Workshop Agenda

• 6pm-6:30pm Networking/Refreshments
• 6:30-7pm H&R Survey Findings/Panel Discussion on Satisfaction w/Q&A 
• 7pm-7:50 Break-Out Groups 
• 7:50-8:10pm Group Presentations/Report Back
• 8:10pm- 8:30pm Conclusion/Q&A

AIA CEUs - 2.0