Connection
YAF chair’s message:
Never stop thinking big:
A look back on the Practice Innovation Lab as YAF develops a new 5-year strategic initiative
As I wrap up my year as chair of the Young Architects Forum and enter my last year on the committee, I cannot help but think back to how I got my start. In 2018, I stepped onto YAF’s Advisory Committee in the role of community director. But before that, and most relevant to this Connection’s theme, I attended the AIA’s Practice Innovation Lab (PIL) in October 2017. For those of you still unfamiliar with the PIL, plenty has been written about the experience, the outcomes, and the process both on the AIA website and within the pages of previous Connection issues, and I encourage you to read those articles by fellow contributors. Something that hasn’t been made obvious in much of this coverage is that the Practice Innovation Lab also marked the beginning of a five-year strategic initiative for the Young Architects Forum. If you do the math, you’ll realize that those five years will come to an end later in 2022. As I write this, the YAF leadership is moving full steam ahead with a steering committee to conceptualize and plan a multi-part summit that will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Young Architects Forum through a future-focused event that reevaluates the needs of young architects and pushes boundaries to propel the profession forward. While the Practice Innovation Lab was largely meant to spark inward innovation relevant to the profession of architecture, this new “Summit
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30” looks outward toward the convergence of climate change, technology, and society in the next 100 years. What will the world look like in the year 2130? How can the profession of architecture evolve to meet the demands of our future communities and climate? What technology has been invented to support these efforts and provide for both planetary and human health? What do architects need to start doing today to proactively address these changes instead of passively reacting once there is no other choice? These are all questions that the steering committee is asking, and we look forward to providing opportunities for you to help us explore the answers throughout 2022. In the meantime, I have been reflecting on the legacy of the Practice Innovation Lab and asking myself what lessons we should bring with us into the future. Two takeaways come to mind: one, that the YAF has a unique ability to initiate and bring about real change within our profession, and two, that true innovation is the result of hard work, perseverance, foresight, and sure, a little bit of luck. As young architects, we occupy a unique space in the AEC industry. We have completed a master’s or professional bachelor’s degree in architecture, we have passed the AREs
