Architext | Spring 2021
This Issue:
Thanks to Our Generous Newsletter Sponsors
President’s Message
Rachel Haynes, 2021 AIA Central Pennsylvania President
Tippetts/Weaver Architects, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Welcome to the crisp snap of spring in the air!
I am excited for a fresh start of meeting again and celebrating each other. The work of our members, both professionally and personally, continues to inspire me. I love the collaborative energy we have fostered this past year. We’ve hurdled over numerous challenges for the common goals of advancing our colleagues, careers and ability to enrich our communities. For those who have volunteered their time, thank you for continuing to generously give, mentor and enliven our band of architects. For those just coming out of their shells, salutations to a whole new year. We would be thrilled to have you share your insights and join us on our board, committees and at events.
Let us move confidently onwards and upwards, together.
Spring Lecture featuring Thomas Phifer, FAIA
Thomas Phifer, FAIA will make a presentation titled “Four Museums” on May 12th for the 2021 AIA Central PA Spring Lecture. Thomas Phifer and Partners is a decorated 24 year old firm based in New York City. The suggested donation is $10 although it is free to attend. Pre-register by May 10th
Thomas Phifer, FAIA
Since founding Thomas Phifer and Partners in 1997, Thomas Phifer has completed an expansion of the Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland, an expansion of the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, the United States Courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah, the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Raymond and Susan Brochstein Pavilion at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and numerous houses in the Hudson River Valley of New York State.
Ongoing projects include the Museum of Modern Art and TR Warszawa Theatre in Warsaw, Cine Colombia headquarters in Bogotá, an outdoor performance pavilion in Austin, a student center and an International Studies Center for Indiana University in Bloomington, and the South Battery Park City Resiliency Project in Lower Manhattan. Thomas Phifer is also engaged in private residences in Portugal, Texas, Maine and New York.
Since 1997, Thomas Phifer and Partners has received four Design Excellence awards from the General Services Administration and more than 20 honor awards from the American Institute of Architects, as well as numerous national and international citations. His projects have been published and exhibited extensively in the United States and overseas. A monograph on the work of Thomas Phifer and Partners was released in 2010 by Skira Rizzoli.
Thomas Phifer received the prestigious Rome Prize in Architecture from the American Academy in Rome in 1995 and was awarded the Medal of Honor from the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2004. He was elected as an Academician of the National Academy of Design in 2011. In 2013, Mr. Phifer received the Arts and Letters Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2016, he was honored by the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects with the President’s Award and by the Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation. He also gave the 2016 keynote lecture at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. In 2019, he was awarded the National Design Award in Architectural Design from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Mr. Phifer is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and serves on the boards of the Architectural League of New York and the Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation.
Thomas Phifer has served as a visiting professor at numerous architecture schools, including the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Cooper Union, University of Southern California, University of Texas, University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. Mr. Phifer has been appointed the William Henry Bishop Visiting Professor of Architectural Design and the Louis I Kahn Visiting Professor of Architectural Design, both at the Yale School of Architecture. Mr. Phifer received his Bachelor of Architecture in 1975 and his Master of Architecture in 1977, both from Clemson University. In 1977 he studied at the Clemson Architecture Center in Genoa, Italy. AIA Central PA is soliciting Sponsors for our 2021 lecture series – Sponsorships at the $2,500, $450, & $250 levels are available. The lecture series are cherished opportunities for the AIA and our community to gather and engage with national leaders in the profession and learn about inspiring projects from around the world.
AIA National Small Firm Exchange (SFx) – 2021 Quarter One Report
The SFx Member Group’s mission is to advance the mutual interests of architects practicing within small firms. Entering the 3rd and final year of my term on the national Small Firm Exchange I have continued to see the group successfully pivot in response to the global pandemic’s impact on our profession.
The 2021 AIA Conference on Architecture will now be virtual and held on June 17th, July 8th, July 29th, and August 19th with a series of immersive, connected digital experiences with leaders in architecture and beyond. You can expect visionary keynotes, impactful education, new product demos, and collaborative spaces, all designed to address firms’ business needs due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and racial inequities. With a large proportion of attendees being from small firms there will be a slew of content addressing SFx concerns. Roman Mars, host and creator of 99% Invisible, will be our host.
The National SFx board structure is evolving from a regional representational format to a state format and as a large state PA will have a permanent board position. Please reach out if you would like to be considered for the 2022-2024 SFx Board or the less intense State Representation position. It has been a privilege to represent AIA PA on the AIA National SFx over the last 3 years and I have learned a great deal about the tools available to AIA members and benefited from the inspiring conversations with other small firm representatives from around the country.
We are continuing to focus on connecting with other arms of AIA, including Knowledge Communities and other Member Groups, to raise awareness of small firm issues and connecting small firms with the tremendous tools and support available through AIA. A particular emphasis has been and will continue to be how to enhance sustainable design efforts at small firms including the 2030 Challenge.
Learn More about AIA National SFx Activities
Sincerely,
Chris Dawson, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Central Pennsylvania Architects Foundation Fund (CPAFF) Scholarship is now Open!
Applications are being accepted for the 2021 Architects Foundation Fund (CPAFF) Scholarship.
Students currently attending a NAAB accredited school, and also living in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder or York Counties are encouraged to apply.
Learn More about CPAFF & Apply
Call to support the study of Architecture
The built environment supports, shelters and shapes our lives. Architects are a critical component of the design and construction industry that defines our present and future. The CPAFF Scholarship Fund is an excellent opportunity to support the profession and its future.
In 2020 CPAFF, in conjunction with AIA Central PA and AIA National , facilitated the award of five scholarships to architecture students from Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder or York Counties.
CPAFF Recipients
- Beverly Harper Brockway. Penn State University | Bachelor of Architecture, Minor in Landscape Architecture
- Juli Petrillo. University of Pennsylvania | Master of Architecture
AIA Component Grant Scholarship Recipients
- Samuel Mauray. Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology | Associates Degree in Architectural Technology
- Colin White. Thomas Jefferson University | Bachelor of Architecture
- Jasimine Yachasz. Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology | Associates Degree in Architectural Technology
With our partners and donors, we seek to continue to support and expand our efforts in assisting students in their study of architecture in NAAB accredited institutions.
Donate to the Central PA Architects Foundation Fund
