 |
|
|
| |
| 
|
| |
The AIA Announces Recipients of Practice Academy Pilot Program Grants
|
| |
|
For Immediate Release |
|
|
|
| |
Washington, D.C., July 24,
2006 — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announces the
recipient of a new grant program to develop Practice Academy pilot
programs. The Practice Academy is a new collaboration among the
AIA, the architectural academy, and architecture firms to provide a
framework for a rigorous internship for students and architectural
interns. The intent of the Practice Academy is to stimulate life
long learning for architectural professionals, beginning with
interns, through the partnership of academics and practitioners.
The grant program totals $90,000 and each of the selected schools
of architecture will receive a total of $30,000 over the next three
years to support the development of their proposed program.
The selected programs are from the Boston Architectural College,
Iowa State University, and the University of Cincinnati. “The
expectation is high for the three selected programs as the future
of the practice academy programs will be determined by the success
of these pilot programs. We look forward to working with them over
the next three years to help them achieve excellent results,”
said Andrew Pressman, FAIA, Practice Academy advisory committee
member.
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.”
Because the BAC already supports a program which integrates
practice and education, the advisory committee was confident that
this was the right forum for such an exploration. Practice Academy
advisory committee member, Ann Chaintreuil, FAIA, stated, “Not
only will we be able to see the development of a robust program
which integrates practice and education, but we will also get an
idea of how BIM may affect the academy and how architecture is
taught in schools across the country.” It is intended that the
reports from the BAC will be distributed to other schools of
architecture so that they can follow the BAC’s lead in this
initiative.
"The BAC has historically built long-term mutual understandings
between educators and practitioners about how students can be best
educated by combining academic and practice-based learning. This
AIA grant enables us to assess how emerging BIM technologies can
enhance three-dimensional learning as professional design education
evolves for the 21st century," said Ted Landsmark, Assoc. AIA,
President, BAC; President, ACSA.
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.”
Marjorie Callahan, AIA, Practice Academy advisory committee member
stated, “We understand that there are other community-based
programs in the country, but this proposal stood out as unique as
it includes all of the players—students, faculty, interns,
practitioners, and the community. Now, there will be an opportunity
for every student to build a relationship with a firm.”
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.
“Expanding access to architecture education to those without
an architectural background and bringing them up to speed quickly
to be able to participate fully in an architectural degree program
is a laudable goal. This program greatly expands the possibility of
multi-disciplinary backgrounds for architects,” said Tom
Mathison, FAIA, Practice Academy advisory committee member. Again,
it is intended that Cincinnati’s program will serve as a model
for other schools of architecture seeking to engage practitioners
in education.
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, represented the AIA; Marjorie Callahan, AIA, and Andrew
Pressman, FAIA, represented ACSA; and H. Carleton Godsey, FAIA, and
Gordon Mills, FAIA, represented NCARB. In addition to selecting
from submitted proposals candidates for the Practice Academy pilot
program, the advisory committee is responsible for reviewing the
progress of the pilot Practice Academy programs and assisting in
the development and review of the Practice Academy Guidelines,
developed from feedback from the pilot programs. The committee
receives staff support from Suzanna Wight, AIA, Emerging
Professionals Director at the AIA.
About the Intern Development Program
The Intern Development Program started in 1976 as a pilot program
developed by the AIA and the National Council of Architectural
Registration Boards to ensure the continued support of interns by
the changing profession of architecture. IDP is a profession-wide,
comprehensive training program that is focused on the professional
development of architectural interns. Through a series of required
activities, IDP enables participants to acquire knowledge,
understanding and skills that form the core competencies related to
successful architectural practice. IDP is structured in a way that
effectively responds to the training needs of architectural interns
by providing a wide range of resources, established progressive
benchmarks, advice and mentor guidance throughout the extensive
internship process.
About The American Institute of Architects
For almost 150 years, members of The American
Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their
communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and
sustainable buildings and cityscapes. AIA members have access to
the right people, knowledge, and tools to create better design, and
through such resources and access, they help clients and
communities make their visions real.
|
|
|
|
|
