The AIA Chicago 2010 Professional Development Conference combines forward-thinking industry education with actionable concepts you can implement immediately to get your practice and career moving forward. Gain a wealth of knowledge, refine your professional skills and network with your peers during this solid day of presentations by outstanding industry leaders.

Online registration is now closed. You may pay at the door for the Peter Bohlin presentation.

Keynote speakers

Breakfast Plenary: "Moving Forward: Design Entrepreneurship"

James Cramer, Hon. AIA, Hon. IIDA, The Greenway Group
Jim Cramer is the author of three bestselling books on professional practice leadership, and is foresight advisor and management consultant to architecture and professional service firms worldwide. Along with Dr. Jonas Salk, he founded the Design Futures Council in 1994. He is founding editor and publisher of DesignIntelligence, and the author of numerous articles about leadership, creativity, change, and organizational design. His work has been featured in BusinessWeek and Architectural Record. Cramer is a former Executive Vice President and CEO of The American Institute of Architects.

Luncheon Plenary: "Charting the Recovery in the Design Professions"

Kermit Baker, Ph.D., Hon. AIA, AIA Chief Economist
Kermit Baker is the AIA's chief economist as well as senior research fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. As chief economist, Baker analyzes business and construction trends and examines their impact on AIA members and the architecture profession. His department published the Architectural Billings Index, a major indicator for the economy and the construction industry; the Consensus Construction Forecast of nonresidential construction activity twice a year; a quarterly Home Design Trends survey; monthly Work-on-the-Boards surveys; and compensation reports.

Evening Plenary: "The Nature of Circumstance"

Peter Bohlin, FAIA, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; AIA Gold Medalist 2010
A month before Peter Bohlin received AIA's Gold Medal this June, a monograph on his firm's work, titled The Nature of Circumstance, was published by Rizzoli which described the firm's work as "profoundly humane architecture that celebrates a sense of place, context, ecological sensitivity, and an innovative use of materials." Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, founded in 1965, has offices in Wilkes-Barre, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, and San Francisco. The firm designed Chicago's first Apple store and is now building a second one.

Architecture critic Paul Goldberger, Hon. AIA, wrote recently in The New Yorker that "Bohlin is known as an architect's architect, whose work is widely admired by colleagues but who hasn't made the leap into fame. Usually, the AIA gives its gold medal to people who have achieved greater celebrity… But Bohlin's work for Apple is beginning to make him into something of a public figure." Goldberger also wrote that "Bohlin has never stopped designing houses, even though they require vast amounts of time and he can make more money on bigger civic and commercial projects, because he likes the way that a house can bring serenity into people's lives."

Note: you may attend Peter Bohlin's presentation without attending the full day conference.

Educational sessions

Keynotes

Opening Keynote – PRACTICE - 1 LU

"Moving Forward: Design Entrepreneurship"

• James Cramer, Hon. AIA, Hon. IIDA, The Greenway Group, Inc., DesignIntelligence

Lunch Keynote – ECONOMY - 1 LU

"Charting the Recovery in the Design Professions"

• Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, Chief Economist for AIA

Evening Keynote – DESIGN - 1 L/HSW

"The Nature of Circumstance"

• Peter Bohlin, FAIA, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; AIA Gold Medal 2010

Practice Track

Trends in Practice Management and Delivery - 1.5 LU/HSW

Has the time come for Integrated Project Delivery? Where are we with Building Information Modeling? Who is using design/build—and who leads it? And what do you know about the P3 model that originated in Canada?

• Paul Petska, Affiliated Engineers, Inc.
• Charles Smith, AIA, OWP/P | Cannon Design
• Joel Klahn, Gilbane
• Roger Johnson, Children's Memorial Hospital

Retrofitting, A Growing Market for Architects - 1.5 LU/HSW

The market for retrofitting existing building is tremendous. Not just buildings we think of as "historic" but all existing building are candidates for a sustainability upgrade that will benefit the owners—and their architects.

• Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, Remodeling Futures Program, Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard University
• Mike Jackson, FAIA, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

The Nimble Path of Negotiation: Communicating Your Value - 1.5 LU

What is the value of an architect to potential clients? Learn how to improve the way you explain what architects do, the services you offer, and why your fee is money well spent.

• James Cramer, Hon. AIA, Hon. IIDA, The Greenway Group
• Laura A. Fisher, FAIA
• Ellen Dickson, AIA, Bailey Edward Architecture

Marketing Architecture: Using Words and Images to Your Best Advantage - 1.5 LU

How well are you telling the world about your work? What’s the best way to use words and photos to explain what you do, how you do it, and what you can do for your clients.

• David Seide, Assoc. AIA, Defined Space
• Jill Polack, Story Studio
• Bud Dietrich, AIA, Harold Forrest Dietrich Architects LLC
• Amy Hawkinson, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP

The Green of Green Track

Energy @ Home I: Integrating Energy Raters in the Residential Design Process - 1.5 LU/HSW/SD

Learn how energy raters can be integrated into each phase of projects that normally do not have access to mechanical engineers. Raters can inspect the project during construction, perform an energy audit after construction, educate you and your clients about incentives for energy conservation, and help prioritize energy upgrades.

• Cheryl Noel, AIA, Wrap architecture
• John Porterfield, eZing, Inc.
• Paul Knight, Domus PLUS

How to Select and Design Alternative Energy Systems - 1.5 LU/HSW/SD

Electricity, sun, geothermal: what to consider? How do you select the right system, size the system, estimate cost and write performance specifications?

• Tate Walker, AIA, Energy Center of Wisconsin
• Joe Gordon, Solar Service Inc.
• Paul Fishbein, Indie Energy

Energy @ Home II: Modeling Energy Usage for Small Residential Projects - 1.5 LU/HSW/SD

Learn about software options for modeling the energy usage of small residential projects and how these projects can address the 2030 Challenge. What are the trade-offs in these tools between ease-of-use and accuracy of data?

• Nate Kipnis, AIA, Nathan Kipnis Architects, Inc.
• Scott Rappe, AIA, Kuklinski + Rappe Architects

Specifying Green Products in the Real World - 1.5 LU/HSW/SD

You and your client want to do the right thing, but what goes on behind the walls of your project? Especially for small projects, how can you and the contractor find products from commonly available sources to support sustainable construction?

• Keith Dinehart, Goldberg General Contracting Co.
• Avraham Mor, IALD, Lightswitch Architectural
• Rick Baumgarten, Lee Lumber

Architects Taking the Lead Track

Successes and Lessons From the Diaries of International Architects - 1.5 LU/HSW

Could your firm take on projects outside the U.S.? What do you need to know about working in other countries? Hear from those who have already done so and from an international liability expert.

• Jim Gervang, director of international practice, Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA (San Francisco)
• Peter Exley, FAIA, architectureisfun, Inc.
• Patricia Saldaña Natke, AIA, UrbanWorks, Ltd.
• Grant Uhlir, AIA, Gensler

Valuing Life Cycle Cost Analysis for Clients and Architects - 1.5 LU/HSW/SD

How can you and your clients make the best decisions about systems and equipment? Where is the data and how can you use? Did you know that AIA recently published the AIA Guide to Building Life Cycle Assessment in Practice?

• Prof. Russell Gentry, Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology, College of Architecture (Atlanta); project director for the AIA Guide to Building Life Cycle Assessment in Practice

Reducing Energy Use: Meeting the 2030 Challenge and Other Initiatives - 1.5 LU/HSW/SD

How are we advancing the 2030 Challenge? Are you on target to meet the 2030 Commitment? What tools have been developed so you can start right now?

From national AIA: The profession is confronting the fact that buildings are the largest single contributor to production of greenhouse gases and almost half of the total annual production. As architects, we understand the need to exercise leadership in our role in creating the built environment. Consequently, we believe we must alter our profession’s actions and encourage our clients and the entire design and construction industry to join with us to change the course of the planet’s future. Altering current practices of design and construction to realize significant reductions in the use of natural resources, non-renewable energy sources, and waste production and promote regeneration of natural resources will require a multiple-year effort.

Raising public awareness, understanding the science in the solutions, and empowering people to try new technologies requires leadership and innovation. Therefore, we commit our firms to take a leadership role in reducing the energy consumption in the built environment by adopting the AIA 2030 Commitment.

The goal is net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

• Rand Ekman, AIA, OWP/P | Cannon Design
• Eileen Pedersen, Assoc. AIA, Perkins+Will
• Vuk Vujovic, Assoc. AIA, Legat Architects, Inc.
• Nate Kipnis, AIA, Nathan Kipnis Architects, Inc.
• William Sturm, AIA, Serena Sturm Architects, Ltd.

The Case and Place for Pro Bono and Reduced Fee Projects in Your Practice - 1.5 LU

AIA encourages pro bono projects and has published guidelines and a new contract document to help you. Hear from firms that have a long-standing commitment to community endeavors.

• John Syvertsen, FAIA, OWP/P | Cannon Design
• Ashley Marsh, OWP/P | Cannon Design
• Catherine Baker, AIA, Landon Bone Baker Architects

Conference schedule-at-a-glance

CES Credits: Participants may earn up to 9 CES Learning Units (some qualify for HSW and SD credit).

Conference venue

Renaissance Chicago Hotel
One West Wacker Drive (at State Street)
Chicago, Illinois

The hotel is readily accessible by public transportation: Metra, CTA

A discounted rate of $25 for valet parking will be available at the hotel.

Download a conference brochure

Conference Planning Committee

• Barry Bebart, AIA
• Meghan Brown, Assoc. AIA
• Rik Master, AIA
• Paul Petska
• Scott Rappe, AIA
• Dawn Schuette, AIA
• Lynette Stuhlmacher, Assoc. AIA

Sponsors

AIA Chicago thanks the following businesses for their contributions to the 2010 Professional Development Conference.

Frieze

Column

Pedestal

Interested in being a sponsor? Contact Joan Pomaranc at 312-376-2720 or pomarancj@aiachicago.org.