AIA Seattle's observance of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of The American Institute of Architects, part of a nation-wide celebration in 2007 and beyond, highlights architects' community endeavors and collaborations to achieve livable communities, using care for water resources and natural systems as a guiding principle. Sections below describe planning for elements of the observance, expressed in timeline format, starting with the future.

Sustaining the AIA150 Drive:
2006-07-08 + beyond:
Case Studies > Workshops > Project Proposals
In an ongoing way and with the advice and counsel of the Mayors Panel led by AIA Seattle Hon. Member Alan Merkle, the AIA150 Strategy Team will review case studies and highlight various ones for publication, including regular feature in The AIA Seattle Architect and in a special AIA150 section of the AIA Seattle web site. Ultimately the Mayors Panel will join in jurying the proposals and help choose some for further development via
* a series of workshops in late 2007
* work toward implementation in 2008 and beyond

Birthday/Earth Day Sequence (part of AIA worldwide Architecture Week)
4/12-14/07: On the Water case studies considered as part of AIA Seattle/AIAS-UW 07 Design Dialog II. Review by Mayors/Councilmembers Council will focus attention on new projects and possibilities for application of sustainable design principles in Puget Sound communities.

ON THE WATER/Call for Entries
Entry deadline 2/14/07, submittals due 4/06/07

ON THE WATER/On the Road
9/20/06: AIA150 Seattle+ CoChampion Marga Rose Hancock Hon. AIA goes 'on the road,' with visits to and temporary residence at design firms and waterfronts throughout the Puget Sound area.

AIA Livable Communities Conference
Walking Working Water: Connecting Urban and Environmental Issues with Design Opportunities
9/14-17/06: Elements of the Conference, especially Waterfront Welcome Walking Tours 9/14 and Mobile Workshops 9/16 focus design attention on projects 'On the Water,' as an introduction to stories of architects at work in and with their communities in addressing natural systems issues as part of achieving sustainability.

112th Birthday Party/AIA150 Kickoff
8/03/06: AIA Seattle 2005-06 President Randy L. Everett AIA, AIA150 Champion Peter David Greaves AIA, and Bellevue Mayor Grant Degginger welcomed AIA Seattle Members at the newly-opened Bellevue City Hall, and there announced plans for AIA Seattle's AIA150 observance, on the 112th anniversary of the signing of the charter for AIA in Seattle and Washington (by then-AIA Secretary Daniel Burnham), on August 4, 1894.

Mossroots 06: Board launches AIA150 planning
6/27/06: As envisioned at the annual Mossroots strategy session 6/27, AIA Seattle 2006-07 programs will focus on local observance of AIA's nation-wide celebration of the organization's 150th anniversary, and the realities of 'one AIA.' Planning with AIA Seattle Committee Chairs and staff continues unfolding at meetings 7/26 and 8/23.

AIA Blueprint for America funds 'On the Water'
4/06: As part of the AIA150 "Blueprint for America" observance of the 1857 founding of The American Institute of Architects, AIA Seattle's 'On the Water' has received funding for a program mobilizing community design projects on waterfronts throughout the greater Puget Sound region.

Projects initiated by various constituencies within AIA Seattle beginning in 2004 have established a focus on the connection of Puget Sound communities with water – at all scales: from wetlands-sensitive residential development to watershed reclamation programs (e.g. the Duwamish, a Superfund site in Seattle's South Park community) and harborfront initiatives in cities along Puget Sound – including major urban design opportunities around Seattle's central waterfront in the quest for alternatives to the aging and earthquake-damaged Viaduct. Through a series of community workshops, publications, and conferences, AIA Seattle and partners – various community groups, kindred design and building organizations, students in the state's two schools of architecture, and K-12 youth – AIA150Seattle will highlight architects' community endeavors and collaborations to achieve livable communities, using care for water resources and natural systems as a guiding principle.