[ Report on the first year's event ]

October 11th through the 14th the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives hosted its first biennial symposium in conjunction with the Indiana and Kentucky chapters of the American Institute of Architects annual meetings. The event focused on all facets of the built environment (including architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, community planning and design education) and its influences on the quality of life in a community. The primary themes of the symposium were Preserving the Past, Educating the Future and Planning the Future. The symposium was partially funded by the AIA as a part of its AIA150 Blueprint for America initiative, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the AIA.

The inaugural event was held on Thursday evening featuring a viewing of the film A Place to Be by Charles Guggenheim at Yes! Cinema. The film documents I.M. Pei’s design process for the East Building of the National Gallery of Art. The movie was followed by a discussion session moderated by Ball State’s Irving Distinguished Professor, ret. Tony Costello, FAIA.

Friday’s session at the Columbus Learning Center opened with keynote speaker Marsh Davis President of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. Mr. Davis’ presentation focused on historic preservation and its importance to the future. Following the keynote session attendees had the opportunity to speak with various vendors and exhibitors regarding their products and services while enjoying a wonderfully catered brunch. After the brunch participants had a choice of touring healthcare facilities, fire stations, or landscape & urban planning sites. The afternoon session featured Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce President Jack Hess and Columbus Redevelopment Commission Executive Director C. Edward Curtin discussing Columbus’ urban planning philosophy and new developments within the city. Friday’s events were concluded with a walking tour of the city’s public art and a reception at the Irwin Gardens, featuring a brief presentation by landscape architect Charles Birnbuam, FASLA.

President-Elect of AIA Marvin Malecha kicked-off Saturday’s events with a presentation concerning architectural and design education. Following the keynote session attendees participated in two consecutive breakout sessions based on the themes of the symposium. Included in the first breakout session was a charrette presentation by Ball State design students on re-imagining uses for the Columbus Post Office. Concluding the morning breakout session, members of AIA Indiana and AIA Kentucky held their annual meetings. The afternoon’s keynote address was presented by New Mexico State University’s Dr. Lowell Catlett, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics. Dr. Catlett’s talk focused on conceptualizing design without limits. Saturday closed with an Awards Banquet at the Commons Centre where outstanding architects and projects from the last year were honored by both the Indiana and Kentucky chapters of the AIA. The banquet closed with a panel discussion featuring Bill Brown, Bill Gilchrist, Charles Birnbaum and Nancy Wells with moderator Tony Costello.

The symposium closed on Sunday with a focus on the religious architecture of Columbus. Attendees were invited to attend worship services at Columbus’s architecturally significant churches.

As a part of the symposium the CIAA hosted exhibits highlighting the themes of the conference. The “Educating the Present” exhibit was held at the Commons and featured designs by the award winning architects, firms and buildings involved in Columbus. The “Preserving the Past” exhibit could be viewed at the Columbus Learning Center during the symposium and contained materials regarding Charles Sparrell’s work in Columbus as well as other historical works in the city. Finally, the “Planning the Future” display was showcased at the Columbus Area Visitors Center.