Dear Members:
Welcome to AIA24!
Wow! As we reach the midpoint of the year, it’s inspiring to take some time to reflect on our collective accomplishments and look forward to the exciting months ahead. Let’s celebrate the vibrant activities that have defined our year so far: from the dynamic discussions on the Inner Harbor, to the successful Lecture Series, to the discussions and exploration of our profession at our annual Civic Lab and the revitalization of Happy Hours by our Emerging Professional committee. Just this week I enjoyed catching up with colleagues and contractors at our Architects and Contractor Breakfast. This time the topic was the business we are all in, kicked off with an up to date assessment of the economy by Anirban Basu, followed by a discussion on how we both, the construction industry and design professionals did to adjust to both the 2008 financial crisis and the recent slowdown during the start of the pandemic. It was interesting to hear about what people did to adapt, and what they were planning on doing going forward. As we have already done so much, I want to thank the staff at AIA Baltimore for being there to organize events, and keep the chapter moving.
This month starts off with the biggest event the AIA does – our Conference on Architecture! I encourage you to take advantage of it being so close. I hope to see / talk with you in D.C. either at an inspirational keynote (in order of date June 6th, 7th, 8th: Arthur C. Brooks, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Ruth Carter), The AIA Maryland Chapters’ Happy Hour on June 6th, or just walking the Expo floor. This year the Conference presents a wonderful opportunity to support component firms, some of our members discussing what they find passionate about within the field and network within our area.
June also brings the first days of summer, the City pools just opened up, the Harbor is swimmable, and baseball is in full swing (Go O’s!). Looking forward, our chapter will embark on a strategic planning effort to guide us over the next three years. Stay tuned for surveys that will ask your opinion on what we can do to help improve our chapter and keep it relevant for all the members. With the AIA conference around the corner, soon followed by our Inaugural Summit, Golf Outing, BAF’s Doors Open Baltimore event in the fall AIA Baltimore’s Design Awards (Oct. 18 a Shakespeare Theatre), and the NOMA conference in Baltimore, the rest of the year looks to be as eventful as the first half. Let’s continue building on our successes as we move forward together.
Sincerely,
Ryan Jordan Pfarr, AIA
2024 President, AIA Baltimore
