Editors note Beresford Pratt, AIA

Editor’s note:

If the whole is greater than the sum of parts

I am deeply honored to step into my first year as the Young Architects Forum Communication Director. I enthusiastically hope to build on the great work and legacy of past Connection editors-in-chief. Over three years ago, I strived to achieve a career milestone of becoming licensed, and I found myself shortly afterward asking the all too common question for many young architects across the nation, now what? Eager to make a sustainable impact, I joined the Young Architects Forum as the Young Architect Regional Director for the Mid-Atlantic region. This opportunity connected me to a national enclave of equally driven young architects tackling some of the most challenging and constantly evolving issues. Whether it is climate action, citizen architects, justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, or practice innovation, the Young Architects Forum is committed to leaning into these topics with passion, nimbleness, and an emphasis on sharing ways emerging professionals can leave an impact.

Our first quarter focuses on climate action. A critical role in our cumulative efforts in climate action is driven by relativity. Each one of us is called to make an impact. However, what that may look like in scale or approach may be unique to our resources available, circles of influence, culture, and geography. The resolution to address climate change is multifaceted. It draws on parallels and synergies of being a citizen architect, justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and practice innovation. It is no secret that climate change disproportionately affects BIPOC communities and people who are most vulnerable. These can often be influenced by policy, and hundreds of architects showcased our role at the AIA Grassroots conference earlier this year. We advocated for our lawmakers to create and build legislation for climate action. In tandem, new practice models and technologies are helping us find new ways to combat the challenges of climate change through design. Now more than ever, our industry is calling to bring these issues front and center to develop meaningful ways to swing the pendulum to cleaner, greener, and more sustainable built environments.

In this issue, you will find thought pieces, as well as actionable and accessible ways designers, architects, and allied professionals across the nation, shared to do their part in championing climate action. Aristotle once said that the “whole is greater than the sum of parts.” The diversity of topics from sourcing sustainable materials, water conservation, leveraging technology, soft skill development, and more showcase how climate action solutions are multifaceted. While this is not a small, simple, or quick endeavor, our contributions can create lasting change because of our holistic and unified efforts. I encourage you to consider taking one or two ideas from this issue and applying them to your practice, daily life, or personal conversations.

Editorial committee call

Q2 2021: Call for submissions on the topic of citzen architects, civic engagement, mentorship, and young architect awards. Connection’s editorial comittee welcomes the submission of articles, projects, photography, and other design content. Submitted content is subject to editorial review and selected for publication in e-magazine format based on relevance to the theme of a particular issue.

2021 Editorial Committee: Call for volunteers, contributing writers, interviewers and design critics. Connection’s editorial comittee is currently seeking architects interested in building their writing portfolio by working with our editorial team to pursue targeted article topics and interviews that will be shared amongst Connection’s largely circulated e-magazine format. Responsibilities include contributing one or more articles per publication cycles (3–4 per year).

If you are interested in building your resume and contributing to Connection please contact the editor in chief at: aia.beresford.pratt@gmail.com