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AIA Does L.A.

This year’s theme: Architecture on the Edge: Innovation, Engagement, Inspiration.

Meaghan O'Neill -- Interior Design, 4/21/2006 12:00:00 AM

When the 2006 Annual Convention of the American Institute of Architects heads to Los Angeles, June 8-10, approximately 26,000 architects and design and construction professionals will gather to talk shop. And with this year’s theme "Architecture on the Edge: Innovation, Engagement, Inspiration," it’s unlikely there will be any pause in the conversation.

What's in store? Some 800 companies will be exhibiting products and services at the Los Angels Convention Center. Several architects and civic leaders will address attendees on topics such as housing, real estate, green buildings, and home design trends. In addition, more than 75 special events will be held, and 100 professional tours of world-renowned architecture and homes will be offered, including opportunities to visit some of the area’s most extravagant beach houses, local architects’ homes, and Hollywood Hills homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. VIP tours of Los Angeles landmarks will include the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, the Crystal Cathedral, Paramount Studios, and the Biltmore Hotel.

Special programs will include the AIA Home Design Trends Survey, hosted by AIA economist Kermit Baker and practicing architects. The Survey will address trends and issues such as, what are today's clients asking for in home design?

At Green Housing Now: The Nuts and Bolts of Design, architects will discuss the latest tools for implementing green housing and emerging design trends through case studies and examples of projects displaying excellence in the field. A panel of experts will analyze the latest trends in residential design and examine where opportunities exist at the 2006 AIA Housing and HUD Awards. Panelists on Outside the Not-so-big House will take into account the burgeoning trend toward expanding a house’s footprint by way of landscape design. The program will address what is needed for a unified home and yard, in order to create better design, flow, and personalized spaces.

Additional presentations will address building green, designing for accessibility, and how design can be integrated into emergency preparedness and rescue.

A complete program guide for the convention is available online.