The AIAS statement displays values that I practice and explore as a designer. Architecture and technology is ever-evolving, so why shouldn’t our designs reflect this advancement? As a fourth year architecture student who has been involved in the experimentation of design theory, I have become fascinated with the idea of innovative design reflecting that of our times.
Both AIAS and design studios have influenced me to take designs one step further, to break the boundaries and constraints of the field that have not been explored before. In previous Grassroots and other AIAS conferences, keynote speakers such as Jeanne Gang and Anthony Vanky begin to reflect on such ideologies, essentially inspiring students such as myself to strengthen a type of design vernacular that reflects architectural evolution.
Forms of a design begin to be manipulated to reflect innovations in technology as well as innovations in architectural theory. Boundaries are stretched and new ideas are explored. My personal approach to design is one that embraces architectural evolution.
As architectural practice evolves, so do the interests of today’s design students. In August, my chapter at Ball State University held a college-wide call-out meeting for potential students interested in AIAS; we had over 130 architecture students attend the meeting, one of the highest numbers that we have seen at the college. Such passion for furthering one’s architectural education reflects a progressive change in times.
AIAS’s mission statement is “advancing leadership, design, and service among architecture students.” This particular statement is achieved through the exploration of architectural evolution and advancement. Leadership, design, and service among architecture inevitably changes over time, and our involvement in AIAS is a leading example of how we as young designers start to view a new form of architecture.
