AIA24 Conference on Architecture & Design

It’s just about time for my yearly pilgrimage to AIA24, Conference on Architecture & Design – I’ve lost count of how many of these I’ve attended, and for the best of reasons. Taking place in Washington D.C. June 5th through June 8th, the countdown is taking place and I am excited to check in with friends I see almost exclusively at this event. This will be the second time I’ve attended this event In Washington D.C. and it is one of my favorite cities that hosts this event. In fact, when I was in DC attending the 2012 conference, I ran into AIA Gold Medal winning architect Steven Holl in the hallway of my hotel and as luck would have it, I just happened to be carrying a book of his that I had just bought, and he saw it, and then signed it for me (proof) – you just never know who you are going to see or run into!

This year is a bit of a change up for me and I am excited about it. For the first time in as long as I have the patience to think about, I am going simply as myself and in no official capacity. No blogging or podcast responsibilities! I plan on treating this conference like the good old days and just absorb as much knowledge, camaraderie, and product knowledge as I can while I am there. I am still trying to convince Andrew Hawkins, podcast cohost and convention partner in crime to come along as well as he and I know how to have a good time in each others company – which is really at the root of that these sorts of trips are all about.

To this effect, I wrote a post back in 2015 about the value of having a partner to go with you on these sorts of adventures, and I sang the praises of how Andrew was my partner … or “wife” and let me tell you, Andrew hates this post! He doesn’t disagree with the sentiment, but the title stuck with him for longer than either of us could imagine, and someone (me) keeps bringing it up when talking about going to conventions!

Back to 2024 and the fact that I am going to the conference and I am going to try and meet with as many people as I possibly can – so if you are going, or if you are thinking about going, let’s see if we can’t get something organized and create some memories that for all you know, I could be writing about with the next few years (but in a way that you like, not like Andrew being my convention wife ..).

There is also something pretty interesting that the AIA is doing this year but there is a time limit in place to reap the rewards you most certainly deserve. They are running a contest where you get to show off your big brain and your creative genius by sharing a napkin sketch, a MidJourney visualization – or almost anything else that you can create and sharing it on your Instagram account with the tag #DesigningTogetherAIA24 and #contestentry then tagging @AIANational and you could win $2,000 AND an Ultimate Pass (worth up to $1,899) which is basically an all expenses paid (and then some) trip to come do Bob-type stuff in Washington DC.  Go here for all the contest rules and a proper rundown of how you can win – chance are you can use something you’ve created as a part of you normal creative process and share it.

Here are some key details: The week after the contest closes, we will choose (1) first prize winner and two (2) second prize winners. We will announce all three (3) winning finalists no later than May 10, who will be offered an Ultimate Pass to AIA24! The first prize winner will be announced live on stage during AIA24 and will receive the $2,000 cash prize!

The contest begins at 12:00:01am Central Time on March 27, 2024 and ends at 11:59:59pm CT on May 3, 2024.

Here are some examples of some images that could be submitted into the contest – I created all of these myself as a process of doing my job so I didn’t have to do anything special for these to be used as a submission.

Napkin Sketches – or in this case these were sketched in a sketchbook and on a roll of trace paper. Since the idea of the contest is to share the boundless possibilities of the AEC industry’s collective creativity, just about anything that you create where the purpose is to share and articulate an innovative process or idea articulate a idea from your sketchbook, trace paper conversations, or napkin inspirations are viable candidates for considerations.

You can also use platforms like MidJourney to help create visualizations from the prompts you create – which is a different sort of creative process and typically requires several iterations to achieve the intended final product. I have been using this platform for quite awhile now, mostly so that I can have an ongoing understanding of emerging technologies, and secondarily because it is wildly entertaining!

Idea (prompt): architectural drawing where the left hand side is hand-sketched but as the image pans across transition the drawing into a prismacolor rendering for the middle-third and the last one-third of the drawing is a technical computer-aided drawing, –ar 16:9 –v 5.0 –s 250

Idea (prompt): view of an architect’s atelier, warehouse office space, artistic, looking down at a drafting desk that is surrounded by 5 other drawing tables indicating hierarchy, people sitting at each desk working on technical drawings in the style of Tom Whalen –v 5.0 –s 250 –ar 16:9

Idea (prompt): Capture a compelling moment where an architect stands before a wall adorned with technical drawings and study models of buildings, passionately communicating their ideas to a captivated room full of people. This visual prompt will convey the essence of architectural inspiration, innovation, and the power of effective communication. Artwork in the style of Maurice Sendak –ar 16:9 –v 5.2 –s 250

AIA24 Conference on Architecture & Design

If you are coming to AIA24 please let me know, I’m sure I would be up for getting something organized where we can meet in person and have a proper conversation. If you are on the fence about attending, let this be the sign that pushes you into action to come to the conference! Look around your desk, check your sketchbooks, skim through your AI visualization accounts, and get something entered into the contest because A) why not? and B) you could actually win something worth your time.

Cheers – and hopefully I’ll see you soon in Washington, D.C.