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AIA releases new Guides for Equitable Practice supplement, outlining ways to advance equity and justice through architectural practice

2022-05-09T17:49:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA), in collaboration with the University of Washington and the University of Minnesota, has published a supplement to their Guides for Equitable Practice, a framework for understanding and building equity in the architecture profession. Titled “Justice in the Built Environment,” this latest edition serves as a guide for architecture and design professionals looking to do more to advance justice through their design work.

"This new resource is designed to empower architects to use their problem-solving skills to create welcoming spaces for all,” said AIA Executive Vice President/Chief Executive Officer Lakisha Ann Woods. “It also provides perspectives and insights on how architects, in all types of workplaces, can help advance equity in their place of employment, projects, and in society.”

The new supplement also offers guidance on actions that individual practitioners and firms can take to advance equity. The document notes that there are at ...

Renée Cheng named dean of University of Washington's College of Built Environments

2018-03-14T16:05:00-04:00

Renée Cheng has been named dean of the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments, President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Jerry Baldasty announced today. Her appointment, set to begin Jan. 1, 2019, is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents. Cheng is professor and associate dean of research at the University of Minnesota, where she has developed award-winning curricula and recently has been directing an innovative graduate program linking research with practice and licensure.

"The College of Built Environments is a unique collection of disciplines that together, have unparalleled access to, and impact on, the lives and well-being of each and every community around the globe," Renée Cheng said. "I am honored and excited to join the College of Built Environments and work with new and existing partners, in the greater Seattle area and elsewhere, to collectively make the greatest positive impact."

University of Minnesota Launches New Degree: High School to Licensed Architect in Seven Years

2013-01-19T17:55:00-05:00

"Anything we can do to expedite the speed with which people can get licensed is a good thing," says David Cronrath, AIA, Dean of the University of Maryland's School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. "What Renee [Cheng, Professor and Head of the University of Minnesota's School of Architecture,] has done is establish a roadmap which a lot of people can follow. And, I think, of course they will."

Starting this spring, the School of Architecture, at the University of Minnesota's College of Design, will offer a new concentration in research practices within their master of science in architecture degree (MS-RP) for students starting the fall of 2013. The program aims at halving the amount of time from high school to licensure for architects--from an average of 14.5 years to 7.

By offering this model, the School of Architecture nudges the profession toward true culture change, one that expects all students to be licensed upon graduation, regardless of their final career choices. It also takes advantage of recent changes to the National Council of Architectural Registration Board's Intern Development Program and Architect Registration Examination, and leverages the historically strong connection between practice and academy in the Minneapolis/St Paul community.

Architect Magazine is out this January with a piece featuring the MS-RP degree. The article details the wo...