As I’m writing this, the holiday season has just concluded, and a new year has commenced. While I’m not a fervent New Year’s resolution fan, I do enjoy setting intentions. Each year, our board experiences growth in some way, and this year, we are setting an intention to expand public outreach while recognizing two key aspects: collaboration with our fellow industry professionals and our advocacy for Idahoans.

We are excited to bring some new events to the state, starting with Build a Better Idaho Week scheduled for April 22-26, aligning with Earth Day. The event is comprised of three components:

• Online webinars with an in-person keynote on Friday, culminating in a happy hour in Boise.
• Local social events hosted by each geographical AIA Section.
• An online and printed showcase spotlighting innovative construction projects in Idaho.

We extend a warm invitation to contractors, developers, policy-makers, building officials, engineers, designers of all kinds and homeowners to join our webinars, presentations and in-person events. Your questions about the industry and insight into how architects can better serve you are eagerly anticipated.

Educational webinars will concentrate on building materials and health, resilience strategies, efficient resource utilization and the most effective energy-efficient strategies for Idaho.

While the webinars focus on education, the section events promise to be lighthearted and enjoyable. Some sections will organize golf tournaments, others will host casual happy hours and some may arrange tours of innovative local buildings. Keep an eye on our social media channels, flyers and community calendars for details as April approaches.

Our case studies will showcase recently completed Idaho projects that leverage innovative technology, design strategies and materials.

Architects, akin to doctors, bear the responsibility of serving their communities. We invest substantial time in education — both academically and in the field — acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for our roles. Beyond comprehending the intricacies of buildings, we work to enhance our communities’ quality of life and safeguard public health, safety and welfare. With a 72-year legacy in Idaho, AIA has been committed to this cause for 160 years.

In 2024, our intention is to wholeheartedly serve the people of Idaho. Advocating for our clients and all project stakeholders, often the Idaho public, is our duty. This includes school children, teachers, nurses, judges, police officers, EMTs and anyone utilizing public buildings. Success for us is not just in creating safe buildings but ensuring they are functional, affordable, beautiful, sustainable, durable and conducive to human health.

When individuals in Idaho allocate their hard-earned savings or contribute tax dollars to a construction project, an architect plays a crucial role in guiding the process throughout the design and construction phases, ensuring that the financial investment is optimized to its fullest potential. Collaboration and synergy with proficient and forward-thinking contractors become paramount in attaining this level of success.

Through our new programming, we seek to engage with Idaho residents, developers, contractors, policy-makers, officials and more. We anticipate building connections, sharing our work and learning from the community. Your insights will guide us in our pursuit of continuous improvement. Join us on this journey! 

Lindsey Love is the president of AIA Idaho for 2024. She grew up in the Tetons, is very attached to the Rocky Mountain landscape and appreciates the agricultural, ranching and outdoor heritage. Her goals in life are to help shift the construction industry to be more sustainable, spend as much time outdoors as possible and learn to surf. Lindsey attended a liberal arts college in Washington but soon transferred to an architecture school in Montana to be closer to home and embark on a career path of learning to design and build in the most holistically natural ways. She has spent a lot of time building along the way with a variety of materials and systems. Her theory is that if you can understand the physics of building with mostly natural materials in the coldest, snowiest and most earth-quake-prone places, then you can probably figure out how to build a durable building in most places.

She is passionate about creating more affordable homes to support multi-generational communities as well as sharing, through trades training, the empowerment she’s gained through construction.
Lindsey co-founded Love | Schack Architecture in 2015 and has recently started a consulting company, Regenerative Building Solutions, to help architects and contractors who wish to improve comfort and health and reduce toxins, pollution, energy use and embodied carbon in buildings.