The AIA’s annual conference is coming to San Francisco’s Moscone Center this week. From June 7 to 10, the Conference on Architecture will feature a daily keynote, expo hall, and plethora of ways for attending architects to earn AIA credits. AIA executive vice president and CEO Lakisha Woods said: “Our 2023 conference promises to provide the tools, resources, and connections needed to create a better world for us all.”
On June 8, Walt Disney Imagineering president Barbara Bouza will present on how Disney Imagineering’s multidisciplinary team brings the theme park experience to life, and the expo hall will host a Block Party with live entertainment. Day two will feature an Autodesk-sponsored panel moderated by the company’s executive vice president of AEC design solutions Amy Bunszel. Panel participants include administrator of the General Services Administration Robin Carnahan, EHDD president and CEO Jennifer Devlin-Herbert, and DPR Construction board of director member Eric Lamb. The keynote schedule will wrap up on June 10 with a presentation from former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardnern.
Throughout the conference there are ample opportunities for project tours, seminars, practicums, and additional ways to earn AIA credits. From the slate of tours, notable events include Frank Lloyd Wright’s Marin Civic Center (June 8, 12:30 p.m.); Central Subway: Connecting Communities & Neighborhoods Through Public Transportation (June 9, 1:00 p.m.); and Uphill & Down: Hiking the Cliff House & Sutro Baths (June 10, 10:30 a.m.)
For additional credits in the classroom, here are some sessions that might be of interest to attendees: Public Architects Symposium (June 7, 8:45 a.m.); Carbon Crash Course/Charrette (June 7, 1:00 p.m.); Twenty Years of Refabricating Architecture: A Professional & Industry Perspective (June 7, 10:00 a.m.); Deconstruction, Not Demolition (June 7, 4:00 p.m.); Social Housing in America: Will Architects Answer the Call? (June 8, 2:00 p.m.); Champlain Towers Collapse: Professional & Legal Implications for Design Firms (June 9, 2:00 p.m.); Curating Buildings: The Art of Architecture at the Met (June 9, 2:00 p.m.); The Design & Impact of Public Restrooms (June 9, 4:00 p.m.); Demolition is a Dirty Word: A Story of Transformation (June 10, 10:00 a.m.); and Decarbonizing Historic Landmarked Skyscrapers: Challenges & Rewards (June 10, 10:00 a.m.).
If you need a break from the conference itself, San Francisco is booming with forthcoming and recently completed projects worth checking out. Possible destinations include the George and Judy Marcus Hall for the Liberal and Creative Arts by Mark Cavagnero Associates; the Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground by Jensen Architects; the recently restored pagoda at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park; James Corner Field Operations’s Presidio Tunnel Tops; the neighborhood-scale development at Mission Rock; and, of course, William Stout Architectural Books.
For museum-goers, (a)way station, an installation by Paul Kariouk and Mabel O. Wilson, will be on view at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art through June 11.
Elsewhere in the city, San Francisco Design Week will feature events from June 6–17.
The Architect’s Newspaper has a booth at the AIA conference. Stop by Booth #6460 on Friday, June 9, to meet with AN executive editor Jack Murphy.
