AIA Arizona :: Events - Architect Week

Architecture Week is a celebration of architecture in Tucson and is presented annually by the American Institute of Architects - Southern Arizona Chapter (AIA-SAC). AIA-SAC will host this year’s annual self-guided tour, lecture series, mall exhibits, KIDSTRUCTION, 2nd annual CANSTRUCTION® along with a other events emphasizing the influence of architecture in our community.

The goal of architecture week is to promote a greater appreciation for architecture within the general public while also heightening the awareness of environmental aspects and/or systems that can be integrated into homes and other buildings to help mitigate impacts on this earth. All events are designed to educate, entertain and raise public awareness and appreciation for architecture.

The 2011 AIA Southern Arizona Architecture Week, taking place between September 24 and October 2, 2011, will focus on the theme “ARCHITECTURE (520) LIVE Local DESIGN Local,” highlighting locally designed desert architecture of today and the past several decades. All activities, events, and presentations that take place during Architecture Week will touch on the vital issues pertaining to local building in the desert.

Architecture Week is scheduled to include:

CANSTRUCTION® (520): I CAN you CAN we all CAN be local! A project founded by the Society for Design Administration (SDA), Canstruction competitions result in thousands of hungry people being fed, a greater awareness of the issues surrounding hunger, and a spotlight being placed on the design and construction industry giving back to the communities it helps build.

Hosted this year in the center court of the Park Place Mall, the CANSTRUCTION (520) build will kickoff early in the day on Saturday, September 24, 2011 bringing together architecture and engineering offices throughout Tucson in a competition to design and build sculptural installations using only canned food. The creative sculptures will be on display in the Park Place Mall during the week from September 24—October 2.

On Friday, September 30th, honors will be awarded to the most creative CANSTRUCTION entries in a ceremony open to the public at the Park Place Mall center court at 6:00 p.m. The creations will be dismantled at the end of Architecture Week and all cans collected from the installations will be donated to the Tucson Community Food Bank. One CAN Make a Difference!

“ASK AN ARCHITECT” - FREE ARCHITECTUAL CONSULTATION SERVICES—What do architects actually do? Why should I hire an architect? How much will it cost? I have a design problem, can you give me some advice? Ask any question related to architecture and get an answer from a registered architect. As part of the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Architecture Week 2011 events, registered architects will donate to the public one hour of free architectural consulting services.

On Saturday September 24th from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sunday September 25th from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Park Place Mall center court, architects will meet with you to discuss residential or commercial design issues and concerns. The public is encouraged to bring ideas, thoughts and concerns along with any sketches, site plans, photos or other materials and “Ask An Architect.”

LECTURE SERIES AND WALKING LECTURE TOURS: The Architecture Week Lecture Series will be broken up into two parts in 2011. Saturday lectures are planned to be hosted again in the Dorothy Rubel Room of the Helen S. Schaefer Poetry Center on the U of A campus while the evening lectures will be held at the newly reopened Murphy-Wilmot Library.

During three evenings of the week local architects will be hosting small talks relevant to smaller scale architectural work and good design for our region. The intent is to inspire community members in the accessibility of good design both in the community and at home.

Then, on Saturday, October 1, the AIA will host several more academic lectures and walking lecture tour(s) by Tucson’s most prominent authorities on the history of Tucson architecture, and our desert climate. The talks will support the theme of “ARCHITECTURE (520) LIVE Local DESIGN Local,” showcasing why the best architectural solutions are so appropriate for this region, and how good architecture can both positively impact lives and create a more sustainable built environment in Tucson and our region.

AIA ARCHITECTURE FIRM BOARD EXHIBITS: Continuing the theme, AIA offices from all over Tucson will prepare display boards of their own work to be exhibited in the Park Place Mall. Offices will be asked to gear the focus of the displays toward themes including—Energy, Water, Density, Shade, Earth, Solar, Reuse/ Re-Adaptation, Urban Infill, Land Use Urban Planning, Car, the Modern Streetcar and more. Further, some offices will exhibit LEED buildings related to Education, Government, Fire/ Police, Medical, Residential, and Commercial projects. The exhibit, along with KIDSTRUCTION and CANSTRUCTION, will be on display at Park Place Mall from Saturday, September 24 through Sunday, October 2nd. The exhibits will be dismantled early on Monday, October 3rd.

KIDSTRUCTION: KIDSTRUCTION is a design/build competition among middle school students sponsored by the Southern Arizona Chapter of the Society for Design Administration (SACSDA) as part of the AIA Southern Arizona Architecture Week. SACSDA provided the leadership for this successful event when AIA Southern Arizona Chapter's Architecture Week Committee Chairman asked the organization to design a children's event. The event takes place during Architecture week every year. In order to compete, teams from Tucson's middle schools have to design and build structures based on a theme—”Tucson’s Architectural Treasures … Going Green?” The student entries have to be built using only business cards, toothpicks and glue and must fit on a 12" x 12" base. Design entries will be on display in a local mall from Saturday, September 24th through Sunday, October 2nd. The display will be dismantled late on Sunday, October 2nd. Judges for the event have included representatives from the University of Arizona's College of Architecture, the City of Tucson, the SDA local chapter and local businesses. Awards have been presented to the students by Mayor Bob Walkup, the director of Rio Nuevo and other local business representatives.

ARCHITECTURE TOUR: The final event of Architecture Week, this year's self-guided tour will open projects that exhibit "ARCHITECTURE (520) LIVE Local DESIGN Local" for the public to experience. The tour will highlight many years of thoughtful desert architecture in the Tucson regions. Architecture Week event information and Tour tickets will be available at various ticket outlets. Ticket outlets will be listed once tickets have been distributed for purchase. Architecture Tour tickets may also be purchased online. For more ticket information see links to the left or call the AIA Southern Arizona office at 520-323-2191.