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Filtering by Tag: Conference
Colt Brock, Assoc. AIA, has written a helpful and thorough guide for young designers attending the AIA annual conference. Click the button below to learn about student tickets, recommended sessions and tips for navigating the event itself.
Given the success of AIA Continental Europe’s two 2023 Conferences – Sicily in the Spring and Chinon in the Fall – it was disappointing to discover AIA CE had nothing planned for Spring 2024. It looked like waiting for the Sofia Conference in October was going to be a wearisome experience…
But AIA CE is a chapter with multiple, regional sections, and the Italian Section - with a plethora of enticing cities just awaiting a chance to show off - came to the rescue with its own ‘Mini Conference’ this March. It was only two days, promised only 10 HSW continuing education units and signed up only 25 architects, but due precisely to this smaller scale and relaxed atmosphere, it was a learning experience packed with a great deal of FUN.
Bologna was once described as the ‘City of Towers’. Alas – the towers have been falling by the wayside, and first impressions found instead that Bologna was a ‘City of Porticos’. Or should that be ‘City of Extended Porticos’, or maybe ‘City of Colonnades’, or even ‘City of Arcades’? Let us not quibble; the citizens of Bologna call them porticos without hesitation, and even UNESCO celebrates the term. They are everywhere.
Also, the citizens of Bologna being practical people without a local source of marble paved their porticos with cheap, durable terrazzo. However, for some reason no one refers to Bologna as the ‘City of Terrazzo’. Along with the porticos, terrazzo is everywhere, and the combination works exceedingly well.
To its enthusiastic visitors – including those not burdened with an architectural perspective - Bologna is unequivocally the ‘City of Food’, and the Mini Conference organisers capitalised on this; first, with a ‘Historical Walking & Food Tour’ ending in a ‘Wine & Food Tasting’ and, second, with a sponsored luncheon/lecture the next day in one of Bologna’s most popular seafood restaurants.
As excellent as the food was, the Mini Conference was not without serious content. The event organiser, Morgan Danner AIA, described her work in expeditionary construction based at the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAFAC) in Naples.
To paraphrase her, expeditionary construction is, ‘construction that is for expeditious purposes in assisting military operations or emergency response teams in forward deployed environments; environments usually remote or austere in location, or have been disrupted by war, crises, manmade or natural disasters, or undergoing civil unrest’.
Whereas one might expect military operations to require cost effective design, superior logistics and expedited construction, Danner’s emphasis on applying the same criteria to disaster relief and emergency responses was a satisfying diversion that earned instant respect.
Other speakers included Marc Di Domenico AIA speaking on behalf of one of the event sponsors, the Institute of Design International, established by Domenico in Florence. AECOM, another event sponsor (and consultant to NAFAC), also spoke on how it approached sustainability issues in its projects.
A highlight of the weekend was a tour entitled ‘The Red City with its Porticos and Stairs’, which reached parts of the city still undiscovered by the attendees. Bologna, in addition to its towers, porticos, terrazzo and food, has been a historic ‘City of Learning’ and remains a university town complete with both modern and ancient libraries and laboratories as well as an impressive catalogue of scientific discoveries.
While the façade of Bologna’s Basilica of San Petronio in the city’s main piazza remains strangely unfinished due to city and papal rivalries dating back centuries, architects have been proposing solutions for its completion since the Middle Ages.
Their submittals are kept in a special room in the Basilica that was opened for the group’s architectural inspection. Seeing a Palladio competition drawing was an extra special treat, although his plan was too faint to capture in the photograph.
If you are not aware of AIA CE’s conferences and regional events but are looking for a user-friendly way to earn continuing education units while indulging in a European city break, look them up on AIA CE’s website HERE. These international conferences are a bargain, and AIA UK members are always welcomed.
Written by L D King, AIA
All Photos by L D King, AIA (unless noted otherwise). Late change - the original ‘Leaning Tower of Bologna’ photo now replaced with one by Royce Lanier AIA. Other Bologna tower pictures offered as replacements are included in the slide show below. Photos by Lorraine King AIA, Royce Lanier AIA, Sergio Danese AIA and Rada Doytcheva FAIA.
The 2nd and last wine / food tasting of the long weekend with lingering attendees. Photo by the waiter!
AIA Continental Europe held its latest bi-annual conference in Girne, North Cyprus, from 29 Sep to 2 Oct 2016. Whereas this latest CE event generally followed the traditional conference format – a series of tours, seminars and lectures interspersed with lunches, dinners and networking opportunities – the Girne Conference also added a new, parallel event to the format, while North Cyprus lent its own particular flavour to the mix.
Student Charrette - The CE Chapter held its first Student Design Charrette during the Girne Conference at the nearby Girne American University. The students and faculty came locally from the American University, Cyprus International University and other invited schools of architecture in Spain, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Some of the students attending these universities came from even more diverse locations in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, insuring a multicultural atmosphere.
The 4-day Charrette focused on the adaptive reuse of the Old Bazaar in the centre of Girne. Selected conference attendees mentored the students over the 4 days, and all conference attendees were able to interact with them during evening sessions and the jury presentations. This allowed students and attendees alike to benefit from this alternative method of exploring Cypriot culture.
The Student Charrette was sponsored locally by the Girne American University, the Cyprus International University and Girne Municipality, with support from Graphisoft. As part of its mandate to promote education, additional financial support came from Laufen, which – along with the London Roca Gallery – also sponsors the UK Student Charrette held this October.
North Cyprus – Girne is a city with a long and fascinating history. Perhaps better known by its English name, Kyrenia, the Mediterranean harbour town has been home successively to ancient Egyptians, Hittites, Persians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Lusignans, Genevans, Venetians, Ottomans and most recently the British. It is certainly a good place to observe the effect of different cultures on the built environment over time; however, the current divide between the two halves of Cyprus also rendered a special poignancy to universal cultural identity issues.
Antiphonitis Monastary, part 12th , part 15th Century Byzantine Monastary, in the remote Karpaz Peninsula, North Cyprus
Since the civil strife and mass relocations of citizens in the 1970s, the island of Cyprus has been partitioned between the Turkish speaking populations in the north and the Greek speaking populations in the south. South Cyprus (the Republic of Cyprus) is predominately Greek Orthodox, and is part of the EU; however, North Cyprus (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) is Muslim, and is recognised internationally only by Turkey.
Although there is positive talk of reconciliation and reunification, the current relationship with South Cyprus remains unresolved. In the context of the volatile eastern Mediterranean, peaceful North Cyprus has a vague feeling of remoteness, even isolation, but this can be misleading. As the welcome and participation of the local government and institutions in the conferenced demonstrated, the country is energetic, well-educated and keen to encourage visitors and cross communication. For whatever reason, the attendance at this year’s conference was a little less than for previous ones. Those that did not attend missed a compelling experience.
Seen positively, the smaller group gave an intimacy to the conference that was well appreciated. Most of the group stayed in one hotel – a large, well-run resort hotel complete with a Mediterranean beach, multiple pools, a casino, a conference centre, etc. – and were able to eat together, learn together, and chill out together while tightening bonds of friendship. Without a doubt, the feel good factor, nurtured by Turkish hospitality was high.
AIA UK Board Directors, Chris Musangi, AIA, and Lorraine King, AIA, relax in the Cyprus sunshine.
Two lectures on historical architecture familiarised the conference with local heritage. A panel of speakers from both sides of the divided city of Nicosia, spoke on the difficulties and challenges of town planning in a city split down its centre by a barricaded, international border - the Green Line - and called for reinforcement of their bi-communal, team work recommendations.
Local lecturers and guides were supplemented by Continental Europe AIA members speaking of their own experiences on universal topics such as adaptive reuse of buildings, sustainability, rural architecture and decay, acoustic environments, public spaces and floating bridges. As is customary with CE Conferences, two chapter sponsors – Graphisoft and Swiss Pearl – gave short talks. See HERE for full Conference programme and other details.
Conference tours were taken to see the Old Bazaar and historical harbour of Girne and the vernacular buildings in the nearby Karmi Village. In Nicosia, a walking tour explored architectural highlights in North Nicosia, before crossing the Green Line into South Nicosia, to experience the different architecture and atmosphere between the North and South sides of the city
Tower 25 / White Walls by Atelier Jean Nouvel, South Nicosia
Special reference should be made to the Conference Committee, including, Ali Yapicioglu, AIA, (Chair) and Bari Wetmore Salathe, AIA, with help from Sandra Zettersten, AIA. The Student Charrette Coordinator was Dr Balkiz Yapicioglu. All in all, the conference generated a grand total of 19.75 (+ 4 for Monday extension) CEUs along with many memories of good friends, brilliant weather and a brilliant programme.
The AIA Continental Europe chapter held their bi-annual meeting/conference in Vienna from 1-4 October and approximately 70 people attended. The conference was excellently organised by CE’s Les Jordan, AIA who said that the London Conference had set a very high bar!
Highlights of the trip included a guided tour of Otto Wagner’s Postsparkasse, a talk and tour of Vienna University that included buildings by Peter Cook, Zaha Hadid, and the surprisingly good lecture building by Laura Spinadel/BUSarchitektur. There were also interesting presentations by 3XN Architects, and by the very talented Thomas Pucher of his eponymous firm.
There was also a walking tour of historic Vienna to give some balance to the modernist weekend. On our free night, Heather and I visited the Spanish Riding School to see a combination concert of the Vienna Boys Choir and a show of the Lipizzaner horses – magic! – While others managed to get tickets to the renowned Vienna opera.
The weekend was friendly and fun. For those that haven’t gone on a CE tour – try one! Upcoming conferences are in Barcelona (Spring ’16) and Cypress (Autumn ’16).
Author: Lester Korzilius AIA RIBA