Angela Brooks, FAIA, Reports Back from the AIA Strategic Council

National //byline Angela Brooks, FAIA – AIA Strategic Councilor February 25, 2025 Serving her first year in a three-year term as an AIA Strategic Councilor, Angela Brooks, FAIA, updates members on the Council’s work, and seeks member input. Background: The AIA Strategic Council is a think tank dedicated to producing forward-thinking research on behalf of the architecture profession. It anticipates future trends in architecture. It advances the profession by informing the AIA Board of Directors and other AIA bodies of important professional issues and opportunities. The work of the Council is primarily done within committees and study groups, which meet monthly, bi-weekly or weekly, depending on their work. I’m looking for your input to help inform AIA Strategic Council work: “Beyond Buildings: Visionary thinking for the future….” What will the role of the architect be in 20 years?  How can the AIA support the architects of the future?  I believe the architect’s role will be expanded as we address the world’s most pressing challenges. The 2024 Strategic Council goals include creating a bigger tent and helping society recognize the value of our work, collaborating with those who realize the power of design to solve problems…and how do we structure agreements and compensation for some of these non-traditional services? Share your ideas with me at brooks@brooksscarpa.com with the subject line ‘The Architect of the Future’.  Let’s shine a light on our impact! Below is just a sampling of an architect’s impact on society, beyond buildings, stories that can be told now: Created a movie ‘Face of a Nation: What Happened to the World’s Fair?’ showcasing the importance of design to a world-wide audience. Created non-profits to write policy, develop programs and affordable homes, a pathway for others to follow. Led planning departments that successfully reorganized and implemented actionable, funded policies for the improvement of under-resourced communities, a pathway for others to follow. Appointed to the Mayor to help execute funding for major infrastructure projects, appointed by the City Council to provide advice on new zoning tools to create more walkable neighborhoods and more affordable homes. Chosen by the City to provide professional services related to envisioning a better future with sea-level rise, culminating in a free online tool and a second book available world-wide. Chosen by the city to research, develop and present best-practices and goals for a revamped zoning code to be implemented for future increased residential density and improved built form as future transit is planned. Actionable steps issued by the Strategic Council’s Climate Responsive Design & Leadership Study Group: The future is now when it comes to facing challenges related to extreme weather conditions around the globe. ‘Climate Corner’ is a two-pager with actionable steps anyone can take today and reminders of key resources that exist to assist your efforts. The topic of this Climate Corner is: Designing for Urban Heat. Study Group Updates as of February 2025:**These updates are a current snapshot of each study group and are not all-inclusive of work done to date or work planned for the coming months**AIA of the Future is wrapping up an informal SWOT analysis and obtaining feedback from various internal AIA sources, such as volunteer leaders and CACE, as well as external sources including NOMA and ASLA. Architect of the Future is in the midst of their ‘Discover, Gather, Inspire’ phase to help them envision the profession 20 year from now. By integrating equity, wellbeing, and the business of architecture into their study group framework, they hope help AIA shape a future where architects are seen not just as designers but as key agents of societal progress. Climate Responsive Design & Leadership is collaborating with CCADE, COTE, and other KCs to identify, curate, and amplify the information that practitioners need to realize the vision of Design Excellence established by the Institute. Next steps include integrating ‘what’s on the horizon’ within this climate lens. Connected Communities is collaborating with the AIA Advocacy team and the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) to look at the impact and perspective Chief City Architects can bring to the topic of equity in housing. The group is also assessing the implications of technology on housing equity and potential collaboration opportunities with Communities by Design and AIA Trust. Digital Architecture is advancing the AI Resolution to help ensure AIA takes a leadership role in shaping AI adoption, ethics, and industry guidelines. In the coming weeks, they will explore various avenues including AI ethics, authorship, contracts, and business implications. Resilient Practice Models is exploring ‘research in practice’ and how firm culture catalyzes evolution of practice. They will be collaborating with the AIA Research department and the Digital Architecture study group as they outline their next steps. 10-year Valuation and Future Blueprint is utilizing AI to help synthesize past Council work and has reviewed both the Council bylaws and Members Voice Task Force findings. Next steps include analysis of this information and exploration of potential future improvements to the internal Council framework and final report outlines.  

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