The American Institute of Architects (AIA) will this year celebrate 150 years of shaping American communities – and lives. The focus of the yearlong celebration, “Celebrating the Past, Designing the Future,” seeks to remind people about architecture’s ability to connect, inspire, and empower people and communities.

The celebration will include a poll of America’s Favorite Architecture, the first-ever National Architecture Week, and Blueprint for America, a collection of AIA-funded community service projects across the country that bring architects and the public together to address community needs related to design and livability.

The AIA was founded in 1857 when 13 architects got together to create an organization that would promote the scientific and practical perfection of its members and elevate the standing of the profession. Until this point, anyone who wished to call him- or herself an architect could do so. The history of the AIA is, in many ways, the history of the profession and field of architecture, one that continues to have a dramatic impact on the lives of ordinary people.

“Before the AIA was formed, there was no formal way to recognize an architect,” said R.K. Stewart, FAIA, AIA 2007 president. “AIA has earned a reputation for providing guidance, service, and standards to architects around the world over the past 150 years, and through the actions of our members, that reputation has never faltered.”

For 150 years, architects have used the design process to help citizens find their voices and realize a vision for beautiful, safe, and livable communities.

For 150 years, members of the American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people, knowledge, and tools to create better design, and through such resources and access, they help clients and communities make their visions real. Go to www.aia.org

Blueprint for America is the cornerstone of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 150th Anniversary Celebration. Comprised of 156 community service projects funded by the AIA, Blueprint for America brings architects and the public together to address community needs related to design and livability. From downtown revitalization projects to affordable housing modules, Blueprint for America inspires people to think about the way architecture impacts their daily lives. Once completed, case studies from individual Blueprint projects will be compiled and shared with local officials interested in implementing similar programs in their communities. The completed piece titled, “Blueprint for America Mosaic: A Gift to the Nation,” will be presented in 2008. For more information, visit www.aia150.org.

“Over the last six months the AIA has donated $2 million dollars to fund community grant projects,” said David Downey, CAE, Assoc. AIA Managing Director, Center for Communities by Design. “Projects range from bus-stop extreme makeovers to a new expressway corridor in Brooklyn.”