Season’s Greetings and Gratitude 2025

Reflecting on 2024, I want to express heartfelt gratitude to our member volunteers, whose dedication, skills, and generosity have been the foundation of our chapter's success. Balancing busy careers and personal commitments, these individuals create a vibrant and engaged architectural community that inspires us all.

Our achievements this year are a result of the collective power of our volunteers and members:

Our Membership is Growing

We're delighted to share that AIA Maine's membership continues to grow. In 2024, we saw a 6% increase in membership, placing us in the top 25% of all AIA chapters nationwide - a testament to the value and community we provide.

Design Committee. Our Design Committee reached new heights in 2024, refining the annual Design Awards Program and hosting a spectacular event in Portland that drew over 250 attendees. Additionally, AIA Maine proudly hosted the New England Architecture Awards Program this year. With 190 submissions and 30 awards granted, we were thrilled to celebrate the region's exceptional talent. Notably, three of the awards went to Maine-based firms, underscoring our state's high caliber of architectural work.

Programs Committee. Building on last year's success, the Programs Committee hosted a second Continuing Education day, offering 8 hours of valuable learning tied to our Annual Meeting. Our speakers brought thoughtful conversation to over 70 members in attendance.

Committee on the Environment (COTE). In 2024, COTE continued to lead with impactful programming, including a knowledge-sharing session about using mass timber in projects, a tour of the TimberHP Mill, a conversation about upfront carbon calculating by integrating BEAM into your workflow, and a discussion about whole-life carbon assessment. COTE continues to advance design practices that enhance the built environment's design quality and environmental performance. 

Emerging Professionals Committee. In addition to maintaining a robust library of study materials and affordable access to Black Spectacles, the Emerging Professionals Committee continues to host well-attended monthly coffee meetings, fostering connections among Maine's newest members of the architectural community. 

Legislative Affairs Committee. With the help of Pierce Atwood, AIA Maine's Legislative Affairs Committee continues to track and coordinate action on all legislative proposals that impact the profession and acts as the conduit to state and federal leaders on items of importance.

Fellowship. AIA Maine remains committed to supporting members on the path to Fellowship. Our Fellowship Committee offers mentorship to guide candidates through the nomination process, resulting in one new Fellow in 2024. Congratulations, Jesse Thompson, FAIA!

Beyond committee work, our Board of Directors prioritized efforts to advance the profession and support Maine's architectural community by continuing its funding of architectural education in Maine by providing donations to the University of Maine at Augusta's Bachelor of Architecture program and ACE Mentors of Maine and by providing relevant programming throughout the year. Find a full recap of 2024's programming below.

Thank you for being part of AIA Maine. Your support fuels our efforts and strengthens our community. I look forward to 2025 as AIA Maine continues growing, innovating, and finding new ways to meet our membership needs.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a successful, fulfilling new year!

Jeannette Schram
Executive Director, AIA Maine

2024 Programs

January

  • Aging In Place: Presented by: Jill Johanning, AIA

  • Allied Plus Lunch + Learn: Presented by TimberHP. Solving Performance Demands with Wood Fiber Insulation

February

  • Allied Plus Lunch + Learn: Presented by Versatex. PVC 101: The Benefits & Uses of Cellular PVC Trim

  • 2024 Design Awards Interactive Webinar + Tutorial

March

  • Mass Timber Lessons Learned Knowledge Sharing Session

April

  • AIA Strategic Council Report

May

  • TimberHP Mill Tour

  • Allied Plus Lunch + Learn: Presented by GO Logic | Design for Manufacturing and Assembly

May

  • Design Awards Celebration

September

  • Mary Ben Bonham, Miami University, presents “Bioclimatic Double-Skin Facades

  • COTE Presents: UPFRONT CARBON CALCULATING, Integrating BEAM into your workflow

October

  • New England Architecture Awards Celebration

November

  • Whole Life Carbon Assessment: Understanding Holistic Emissions Accounting

  • AIA Maine Fall Social at Maine Beer Company

December

  • Day of Learning 

    • Emma Kelly, ASLA - COLLAB Landscape Collective - "How To Win LA Friends and Influence Kick-Ass Sites: Basic Principles of Landscape Design to Apply at Every Scale"

    • Timothy Lock, AIA, Management Partner - OPAL - “Project presentation and tour of The Smith Center for Education & Research at Wolfe’s Neck Farm.”

    • Therese Graf - Director, Landscape Architecture, MASS Design Group -“One Health Approaches for Climate Resilience”

    • Emily Ebersol, RA - Architect, MASS Design Group - “Designing For Choice and Voice: The Neighborhood Birth Center at Community Movement Commons”

    • Tim Love, FAIA - Principal, utile - "The Advantages of Single-Stair Housing"

  • Annual Meeting

  • Maine Architecture Week 2024 - Maine Home + Design and AIA Maine for Maine Architecture Week, an end-of-year celebration of architecture in the State of Maine.

    • A Design Theory conversation with Maine Home + Design and Eric Sokol, Principal of Winkelman Architecture.

    • A Design Theory conversation with David Matero, AIA of David Matero Architecture and Maine Home + Design.

    • A conversation between two architects, Ryan Scipione, AIA of MJM&A and Lauren Rosenberg, AIA of LR/ARC.

    • Eric Wittman, AIA of Knickerbocker Group and Maine Home + Design will discuss the importance of the hand sketch.

    • A conversation between two architects, Jessica Jolin, AIA of Mobile Studio Design and Zel Bowman-Laberge of ZEL.

AIA MaineJeannette Schram