18 WYOMING ARCHITECTURE .22 | aia-wyoming.org 2022 AIA Conference on Architecture By Britney Sulzen, Assoc. AIA As AIA Wyoming's Associate Director, I was fortunate to attend this year’s AIA Conference on rchitecture 2022 (A’22) in Chicago. I was one of a handful of individuals from Wyoming in a crowd of over 9,000 architects who attended the Conference. A’22 was an exceptional event designed to encourage architects to explore new ways of thinking and inf luence design-forward thinking. The city of Chicago was presented through multiple tours and lectures and was an amazing backdrop for the Conference and all the speakers. As an Associate and a young person in the world of architecture, I was truly amazed by the amount of information and resources presented and provided during the conference. A’22 had so many inf luential and important keynote speakers, such as President Barack Obama, Lakisha Ann Woods, AIA’s new Chief Executive Officer, and many local architects from the Chicago area. Most of the keynote speakers discussed the importance of architecture and the inf luence architects have in the current economy as society grapples with the uncertainty of the future. The first keynote, titled “Paradigm Shift,” was an interview between Madame Architect Founder Julia Gamolina and Lakisha Ann Woods, AIA’s new CEO, regarding a historic moment for AIA and the architectural profession. Ms. Woods spoke to a new way of thinking about equity and sustainability in the architectural profession. Later in the conference, I attended a “Women in Design Social” where several women gathered to share ideas and encourage one another. I had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Woods about AIA Wyoming’s chapter and some of the challenges we face being a smaller chapter, but that we are just as important, have so many wonderful ideas and have a great AIA community that supports each individual member and non-member. I was eager to boast about our chapter and our many successes. Though our numbers are small, we are mighty, and our strength is seen across the AIA community. The second keynote was titled “The Changemakers” and discussed design at the intersection of personal agency and human impact. The discussion contained the most pressing issues in design, climate-positive work at multiple scales, and new education models for young architects. I found this incredibly interesting as I am passionate about architecture and how it has grown and changed in just a few years. Some of the discussion referenced listening and accepting new ideas from younger professionals. The encouragement and design work being created by students in school is amazing, to say the
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