What the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Has to Offer to the Public

by SweisKloss
May 5, 2022

Even if you're not an architect, designer, or student, you may have heard of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), a respected organization founded in 1857 and now has more than 90,000 members of licensed architects, emerging professionals, and aligned partners who are committed to the excellence of our built environments. AIA is a membership-driven institution, but there's one event that is a real gem and is available to non-members, which is the AIA Los Angeles Arch Tour Fest.

The unique event is back this spring and runs Thursday, May 12 – Sunday May 15. It is an in-person series of visits for small groups and is guided by the architects or designers of the project. This year’s tour itinerary includes places in Santa Monica, such as the Proper Hotel (remember our blog about the Proper Santa Monica?), as well as some LA case study homes and a Getty View Residence, which looks stunning.

We are excited to see that the Arch Tour Fest includes the Santa Monica High School Discovery Building. The 260,000-SF structure is five levels, and according to the AIA tour information, it is “designed as a ‘loft’ building with a flexible, open column grid, raised floor for air supply, power and data and non-load bearing walls which can be reconfigured over time. Sustainable features include ‘living’ green walls, displacement ventilation, roof top photovoltaic and solar thermal arrays. The classrooms are filled with natural light, and many have operable glass walls to connect to commons areas.” Some of us at SweisKloss have kids who go to Samohi and appreciate this wonderful addition to the campus.

Another tour highlight will be to see the Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) Arts & Recreation Center. This facility has been 10 years in the making. HOLA and LA Department of Recreations and Parks partnered to develop an after-school “clubhouse” to expand their non-profit STEAM programs to 4,000 underserved families. An interesting architectural aspect is that shipping containers were used as the center’s primary building blocks to help minimize construction waste and embodied energy. There is also a performance pavilion “which hosts the Los Angeles Philharmonic-affiliated Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA) and a community-based Intergenerational Orchestra.”

This tour fest only happens once a year, and it is well worth taking the time to do. Individual tour tickets or full passes (10 tours) can be purchased. Get more info by clicking here.