Winners of the 2023 AIA Associates Award, Hallie Crouch and Jeremy Gentile weigh in on how the practice of architecture must evolve to meet the challenges of today.

Hallie Crouch, Assoc. AIA
courtesy Hallie Crouch, Assoc. AIA

Hallie Crouch
Associate Principal, Director of Strategy
Bialosky, Cleveland

“Architecture has risen to become an advocacy profession. In the past, it was primarily one of form-making, function, and beauty. Today, architecture is not practiced in a vacuum. It is rooted in our most dire hills to climb: safe schools, an evolved workforce, affordable housing, homelessness, equitable communities, food insecurity, conservation, and climate change. We have begun to put advocacy at the forefront, but the true change will happen as our global design community treats social-good projects not as pet projects or community service, but as essential, life-saving, and life-changing architecture.”

Jeremy Gentile, Assoc. AIA
courtesy Jeremy Gentile, Assoc. AIA

Jeremy Gentile
Manager of Architecture, Design, and Construction
Sonesta International Hotels, Chicago

“While we are thought leaders and problem solvers, we rarely seem to focus this same energy on reimagining our profession. The looming hurdle in addressing the challenges of today is an internal one: talent. We have no shortage of brilliant designers and tacticians, both established and emerging, but our upcoming generation faces new [obstacles]. Yes, we are beginning to discuss barriers to entry with the cost of education and exams, but we don’t hark enough on post-graduation challenges. Once students graduate to their first firm, many quickly experience burnout. As someone who pursued design management over traditional paths, in part for these reasons, I worry we’re risking losing a generation by not engaging in new ways.”

This article first appeared in the May/June 2023 issue of ARCHITECT.