As 2016 draws to a close, ASAI Vice President, Corey Harper, is in the throes of planning for Architecture in Perspective 32. Corey will succeed Carlos Cristerna as President of ASAI in 2017, and he looks forward to welcoming ASAI members in Houston from October 19 – 21 for an exciting, jam-packed annual conference.
As Carlos and prior Presidents can attest, there is a lot that goes into planning a strong conference for our membership. Corey is hard at work contacting potential sponsors, lining up speakers, reaching out to universities and partnering with local architecture organizations to shape three days teeming with education, professional development and networking.
Our ASAI home base in Houston will be at the Hotel Zaza, located in the heart of the city’s Museum District and directly adjacent to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. It will be a short walk to Rice University, home to one of the country’s leading architecture schools.
For those who have never ventured to Houston (or Texas for that matter), here are some facts to help acquaint you…
- Houston is America’s fourth largest city, trailing New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
- According to several studies, it is also America’s youngest city, as well as its most ethnically and culturally diverse.
- Diversity is a contributing factor to Houston’s bustling restaurant scene, with accessible options from every ethnicity saturating the city.
- The Trust for Public Land ranked Houston first among the nation’s 10 most populous cities in total acreage of parkland and third in park acreage per capita.
- Houston’s Museum District is home to 20 world-class museums and institutions, all within walking distance from one another. Similarly, it’s Theater District houses resident professional companies in all four areas of performing arts: ballet, opera, symphony and theater.
- The Texas Medical Center, located a short distance from the Houston Museum District, is the largest medical complex in the world. The first heart transplant was performed in Houston, and Life Flight was also founded in Houston.
- Dubbed the Energy Capital of the World, Houston is home to 5000 energy-related firms. It also houses NASA’s Johnson Space Center, spurring its nickname, “Space City.”
- Houston’s vibrant architectural community prizes buildings designed by architects such as M. Pei, César Pelli and Philip Johnson.
With the new year approaching, we are excited to share more details of AIP 32 as plans cement, sponsors sign on and the agenda takes shape. In addition to a first-class sketch tour, we will have a lineup of speakers keen on sharing their perspectives of the importance of architectural illustration, the future of our industry and the ways in which art and architecture are inextricably linked. Join us in Houston on October 19th for an AIP that can’t be missed.
