By Justin Tollefson, AIA, President of AIA Montana
The year 2020 has been a year of events that have shone a bright light on the health of our planet, the health of its people, and the health of our relationships with one another. It’s alarming because climate change, the COVID pandemic, and racial injustice paint a bleak picture of our collective health. Fortunately, there is a tremendous amount of work being done to counter these situations and we, as architects, have the great opportunity to be a real and positive force for change.
In past newsletters, you’ve heard me relay messages and information from AIA that promote architects being active leaders and architects advocating for change. I think it is the best thing I can do in the newsletters’ platform, as there is a lot of great work being done by the American Institute of Architects, and I want to help my AIA Montana comrades know about it. So, in pursuit of a healthier world, I’d like to amplify one of AIA’s most important and inspiring campaigns — The Blueprint For Better.
While the Blueprint for Better has been in existence for a while, the campaign was officially launched in October 2020. In AIA President Jane Frederick’s announcement, she summarizes that “we’re inviting AIA members, architecture professionals, civic leaders, and the public to help transform the practice of architecture to achieve a zero-carbon, resilient, healthy, just and equitable future — Blueprint for Better not only inspires, but it also instructs and connects. The campaign provides the tools and resources architects need to change your practice and make the business case to clients, communities, and civic leaders.”
The campaign astutely addresses three audiences as critical partners (the public, civic leaders and architecture professionals) and offers three direct methods to “answer with action” via articles, resources, and direct links to actionable items you can join in on.
For more information visit https://blueprintforbetter.org and browse the content. I encourage you all to join me and join the campaign.
Justin Tollefson, AIA, President of AIA Montana
This story appears in the 2020 Directory of The Montana Architect Magazine.
