HIGHLIGHTS:
Upcoming awards submission opportunities
AIA Minnesota moves to Riverplace
Upcoming volunteer opportunities

Column from AIA Minnesota EVP/Executive Director Mary-Margaret Zindren

“Our move to Riverplace Main Hall, Suite #238 – a cozy nook designed by Alchemy – is a big change – and already proving to be a good one.

It is set within massive complex of airy, bustling community spaces, redesigned beautifully during the pandemic by Perkins&Will and set in an urban neighborhood alive with students, remote workers and their dogs, and people meeting up for coffee, a drink, or dinner and/or a movie. During every day of our first six days at Riverplace, we have run into members of the architecture community at FRGMNT coffee shop, which is just below our office in the atrium. Each time, they came over for a visit. It’s a great new reality.

The downsizing of the office space itself reflects much of the way work has changed in the last decade. At only 750 sf, the new space is three times smaller than the former Crown Roller Mill space. It celebrates the joy of architecture, the value of design, and presents a compelling and legible story about what architects do to make a difference. The strategy of re-use is both low-carbon and a materially low-cost solution that both conserved resources and raised community involvement. We hope it creates inspiration for similar process-focused work.

The office is the result of collective efforts of Alchemy team members and other architects, designers, students, and industry partners who sought out materials for creative reuse, offered up remnants, and shared ideas.”