The AIA and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion named the Alberti Program: Architecture for Young People, in St. Louis, as this year’s honoree in the AIA Diversity Recognition Program. Now in its eighth year, the award program recognizes practitioners, AIA chapters, educational institutions, and other organizations that have expressed a commitment to increasing diversity and representation within the architectural profession.
An educational outreach initiative of the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, the Alberti Program introduces students ages 8 to 15 to architecture and design. It operates year-round as a weekday camp during the summer and as a Saturday afternoon program during the academic year, and is tuition-free. Participants are selected by their school principals and teachers. University students and faculty lead the curriculum, which emphasizes hands-on experiences and has an environmental focus.
This year’s award was judged by: Gregory Burke, AIA, AIA Diversity Council (2015-2016); Brent Castro, Assoc. AIA, 2012-2013 AIA Students vice president; Roland Day, AIA, AIA Diversity Council (2014-2015); Bryan Lee, Assoc. AIA, NOMA Louisiana vice president; and Tiffany Millner, AIA, AIA Diversity Council (2014-2015). The Alberti Program and its initiatives will be featured in the AIA’s Diversity and Inclusion booth at the 2016 AIA National Convention in Philadelphia in May.
Previous honorees include 2015 co-winners Carnegie Mellon University affiliate Urban Design Regional Action for Minorities, or UDream, in Pittsburgh, and Sorg Architects, in Washington, D.C., which recently merged with local firm DLR Group.
