A report from the AIBD Conference Committee
On August 17th and 18th the AIBD Design & Build Conference was held at the Historic Courtyard by Marriott in the heart of downtown, Philadelphia. The adjacent Philadelphia City Hall and Masonic Temple provided an astounding architectural display for AIBD along with its industry partners to host the 2018 summer conference.
As is the tradition with AIBD, the summer conference included meetings held by the AIBD Board of Directors, the NCBDC Council and AIBD’s elite, the College of Fellows. During the Conference, the new Board of Directors was announced including the inductee of the new 2018-2019 President of the American Institute of Building Design, Karen Kassik-Michelsohn from Anchorage, Alaska.
The conference kicked off with a series of education classes using both conference days focused on BIM technology, ICF products by BuildBlock, interior residential water management by M-D Pro-Prova, contemporary design styles, and the latest technology to help manage your business.
Using the Philadelphia backdrop, the architectural tour walked AIBD members through the quaint cobblestone streets of a 19th-century village just west of Washington Square. The tour educated designers on the classes of living in Philadelphia from the larger streets housing the wealthy class, from the middle-class housing and to the alleys of the worker housing. In a two-part adventure, the tour extended to the nearby Masonic Temple showcasing the most architectural wonders in design according to architects, artists, engineers, and scholars. It was indeed a fascinating display of detail.
Picking up from recent summer conferences the Compass Club appreciation dinner was held at the shoreline of the Schuylkill River displaying 19th-century boathouses and an astounding panoramic view of the city of Philadelphia. If you have attended any of AIBD’s conferences, you have experienced the unique camaraderie of networking and socializing with AIBD members, the best institute in the United States for any residential designer. There is no better place to gather education, experience, ideas, and inspiration. And along the way, you will enjoy the company and laughs with your colleagues that you will cherish for a lifetime.
In a dramatic finish to the conference, the American Residential Design Awards (ARDA) banquet dinner gala was a flawless event. It was an inspirational evening of the best architecture in residential design hosted by the comedic stylings of AIBD’s own, Allen Beaumont, and featured a special appearance by Rocky (Steve Mickley). It was a magical evening that included the announcement of new inductees into the College of Fellows, the presentation of the Honor Award of Excellence and finally, the prestigious Designer of the Year Award.
The AIBD Conference Committee now turns its focus on two upcoming events, the second of a series of training classes for AIBD’s newest benefit to a residential designers’ career advancement, the Certified Residential BIM Manager training and certificate program to be held near Denver, Colorado at Greenwood Village on September 13th and 14th. The AIBD Design & Build Conference continues its tour moving on to Salt Lake City, Utah on November 15th and 16th.