AIA Announces Second Request for Proposals

The AIA is pleased to announce the second request for proposals for the Practice Academy Initiative to prepare students for architectural practice and professional advancement through partnerships between the academy and firms. Goals of the Practice Academy are to develop mutually beneficial programs for students, interns, faculty, and practitioners and to challenge or transform our preconceptions about the boundaries between academia and practice.

Grants of up to $10,000.00 will be awarded for a one-year period to support new initiatives and/or for special initiatives that are part of an existing program. Programs may begin in Fall 2009 or Spring 2010, with planning undertaken in the preceding semester. Either an architecture firm or school may submit a proposal for the Practice Academy Initiative. Proposals are due April 20, 2009. See complete submission requirements, AIA 2009 Practice Academy Request for Proposals.

Practice Academy Pilot Programs 2006-09
In 2006, the AIA issued the first request for proposals for practice academy models to support the growth and development of emerging professionals. Three programs were selected and have been developing concurrently over a period of three years, with a total of $30,000.00 provided for each three-year program. A brief overview of these programs is provided below. More information will be provided later in 2009.

The Boston Architectural College (BAC)
The BAC was selected to undertake a Practice Academy devoted to understanding and teaching current developments in computer-aided design technologies, also known as Building Information Modeling (BIM). As stated by Len Charney, Director of Practice at the BAC, “Building Information Modeling is much more than simply technology; it lies at the heart of a fundamental cultural shift involving an ability to lead the AEC industry in a highly-integrated design and project environment…The incorporation of BIM as a powerful digital simulation tool not only validates the design program and intent; moreover, it confirms the architect’s role as the single party in the entire building process who most broadly understands the needs and linkage between all constituencies.”


Iowa State University
The proposal from Iowa State University seeks to engage practitioners and students and faculty to contribute to projects in the local community. Jason Alread, assistant professor at Iowa State University and Nadia Anderson, lecturer at Iowa State University stated, “To become successful architectural practitioners, emerging professionals must do more than master a set of skills…The goal of the Iowa State University Practice Academy is therefore not simply to incorporate elements of architectural practice into architecture education, but rather to develop a model that moves in both directions between education and practice to create a network of understanding that will become a foundation for future growth and learning in its graduates.”


University of Cincinnati
A practitioner-led workshop series called “Jump-Start” is the selected Practice Academy proposal from the University of Cincinnati. The advisory committee was excited by this proposal from a university with a long-standing history for a strong co-op program. “Tomorrow’s architect must be a reflective practitioner, with the capacity to analyze and effect change to better address the needs of stakeholders, and to adapt to rapidly changing conditions... This foundation is also essential for students, particularly as they make the transition from academic institutions to architectural practice,” stated Barry Stedman, Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati.


To read the full press release, visit the AIA Press Room.

About the Practice Academy Advisory Committee
The Practice Academy advisory committee is comprised of representatives from the AIA, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). Ann Chaintreuil, FAIA, Barbara Laurie, AIA, Thomas Mathison, FAIA, and Casey Nixon, Assoc. AIA, representing the AIA; Marjorie Callahan, AIA, and Andrew Pressman, FAIA, representing ACSA; and H. Carleton Godsey, FAIA, and Gordon Mills, FAIA, representing NCARB. In addition to serving in an advisory capacity for the pilot programs described above, the committee will serve as the selection committee for new proposals submitted in 2009. The committee receives staff support from Catherine Roussel, AIA, Director, Education at the AIA.