Archimedes once said, “Give me a long enough lever and a place to stand, and I will move the earth.”
It’s graduation season, and I’m thrilled to congratulate and welcome the architecture class of 2022 to what is next.
Graduates from all fields tend to emerge from school believing they can change the world. For the class of 2022, especially, there is much in the world that needs changing. They have completed their studies in the midst of a global pandemic. They understand as well as anyone how quickly the world can change—for better and for worse. Design thinking, the heart of an architecture education, is a considerable lever.
Architects, through design, positively change the world community by community. It is central to our social contract: We shape the built environment for health, safety, and well-being.
AIA is striving to make the profession a solid place to stand for the current and next generations of architects. Historically, we have left much room for improvement, especially for women and people of color.
NCARB’s latest By the Numbers report sets out some disappointing, if improving, statistics. In 2020, the proportion of individuals completing the Architectural Experience Program who identified as non-white or Hispanic reached 43%. That’s a record high and a 16-point increase over the past decade. However, the improvement is uneven—coming mostly from the Asian and Hispanic or Latino populations, leaving African Americans and other underrepresented groups behind. As NCARB puts it, “The proportion of African American candidates in the profession has seen little change over the past decade and continues to be underrepresented when compared to the U.S. Census data.”
AIA is committed to doing better. We’re working to introduce the profession to K–12 students—issuing updated lesson guides and other tools for educators, parents, and pupils. Our popular Build the Block game for middle and high school students is now web-based and available to chapters to incorporate into their local K–12 initiatives.
At the college level, we’re focused on strengthening community college pathways and supporting talented students through scholarship programs that are achieving record levels of support. A highlight is the 2021 Diversity Advancement Scholarship, which was awarded to 12 students entering architecture school. Each of the students will receive $4,000 per year toward tuition for the next five years, totaling $20,000 each.
Last summer, AIA welcomed six students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to serve as paid interns for the renovation of our national headquarters building. Virtually embedded with the design team, these students gained real-world experience while offering invaluable insights into designing a post-COVID workplace of the future. A toolkit we’re releasing will guide firms in developing their own inclusive internship programs.
At the organizational level, we completed two major audits of AIA National’s overall governance structure and Honors & Awards processes, and we will be working in 2022 toward implementing best practices to break down barriers to participation and recognition.
We have a long way to go, of course. But I’m encouraged that the steps we’re taking now will bear fruit. Because equity, diversity, and inclusion aren’t just goals. They are requirements—indispensable to achieving the profession’s earth-changing potential.
There’s a lot of untapped talent out there that deserves a chance to make an impact. To change the world, let’s make the architecture profession a solid place to stand.
