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The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is the professional organization for architects in the United States. Organized in 1857, the Institute conducts various activities and programs to support the profession and enhance its public image, including periodically awarding the AIA Gold Medal and the Architecture Firm Award.

Contents 1 Historical background 2 Membership 3 Honors and awards 4 Opinion Surveys 5 See also 6 Notes 7 External links

In the 1800s, anyone (masons, carpenters, bricklayers, etc.) could claim to be an architect; no schools of architecture or architectural licensing laws existed.

On February 23, 1857, a group of 13 architects in New York City (Richard Upjohn, H. W. Cleaveland, Henry Dudley, Leopold Eidlitz, Edward Gardiner, Richard Morris Hunt, J. Wrey Mould, Fred A. Peterson, J. M. Priest, John Welch, Joseph C. Wells, and Charles Babcock) met to form the organization (originally New York Society of Architects) with Richard Upjohn as its first president.

The mission statement was modified in 1867:

"The objects of this Institute are to unite in fellowship the Architects of this continent, and to combine their efforts so as to promote the artistic, scientific, and practical efficiency of the profession."

The short-lived Western Association of Architects (WAA) in Chicago, which championed licensure for architects, merged with the AIA in 1889.

In 1898, the Institute moved to Washington D.C. where a large number of public building projects were being commissioned by the federal government, to be paid for with funds controlled by Congress. The AIA was headquartered in the Octagon, a historic house built in 1799, and Glenn Brown became executive secretary.

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts was established in 1910.

The AIA membership has grown to over 80,000 with more than 300 state and local chapters, called components, in the U.S., UK, Europe, and Hong Kong.

membership classifications:

• AIA (architects--by law, only those with professional licenses may be titled "architects")
• Associate--designated as Assoc. AIA--(licensure candidates; those with degrees in architecture; those working in a learning capacity under the supervision of an architect; or architectural faculty)
• International Associate--designated as Int'l Assoc. AIA--(those licensed as architects internationally but not legally allowed to practice architecture in the United States)
• FAIA (Fellows of the AIA)
• Emeritus --designated as AIA-E--(retired licensed architects)
• Allied Member (marketing professionals, engineers, photographers, contractors, landscape architects, etc. Those folks who work in affiliated industries to architects. At some local chapters this category is termed "Affiliate Member.")
• Student--Not a National AIA membership; most students are "local chapter only" members.

Allied and student members may choose to be members only at their local chapters; allied members can also choose National-only membership. All other membership categories are required to pay dues to their local, state and National chapter.

Louise Bethune was the first woman member.

Awards for architects licensed in the United States

Honors Program:

• Gold Medal
• Architecture Firm Award
• AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Architectural Education

Institute Honors:

• Honor Awards for Architecture - new and restoration projects anywhere in the world
  • Architecture
  • Interior Architecture
  • Regional and Urban Design
• Twenty-five Year Award - projects that "have stood the test of time for 25-35 years"

Achievement:

• Young Architects Award
• Edward C. Kemper Award
• Thomas Jefferson Awards
• Whitney M. Young Jr. Award

CoSponsored:

• AIA/HUD Secretary's Housing and Community Design Awards
• AIA/ALA Biennial Library Building Awards
• AIA/Housing Committee Awards

Membership Honors

• Fellowship
• Honorary Fellowship
• Honorary Membership

The institute released an opinion poll in 2007 of the favorite pieces of American architeture. The top favorites were:^[1]

• Empire State Building
• The White House
• Washington National Cathedral.
• Thomas Jefferson Memorial

• American Architectural Foundation (AAF)
• American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS)
• Association of Collegiate Schools for Architecture (ACSA)
• National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)
• National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)
• Architectural Record - official magazine of the AIA
• eOCULUS - bimonthly e-zine of the AIA New York Chapter

1. ^ "In the Eye Of the Beholder" Wall Street Journal Feb 7, 2007 B1

• American Institute of Architects - official website
• Honors and Awards