The AAJ Fall Conference is Gearing Up

WASHINGTON — The Academy of Architecture for Justice (AAJ) will hold its 2012 Fall Conference on Oct. 10-12, 2012, at the Toronto Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Canada.

Architects from across the country will gather to learn, share and discuss relevant topics in the field of justice facility design.

Highlights of the conference include opening plenary speaker George Baird, Intl. Assoc. AIA. Long recognized for his association with the University of Toronto’s architecture school, Baird also is one of Canada’s most celebrated practicing architects. Baird is also the recipient of the 2012 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education.

Keynote speakers include William Blair, chief of police, Toronto Police Service as well as the Honourable Heather Forster Smith, chief justice of the Superior Court of Justice with introduction by Stephen Rhodes, deputy minister of correctional services, Province of Ontario.

In her welcoming letter, Elizabeth Minnis, AIA, chair, AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice Advisory Group, she states:

“The AIA Knowledge Community has more than 2,000 members throughout the United States and Canada. We have active components in San Francisco, New York and Boston and we would like to continue to grow these local networks, add new cities, and strengthen our national presence. The annual conference is our primary event where we provide educational, enrichment and networking opportunities, provide tours of recent projects in the host city and celebrate design quality through our annual Justice Facilities Review Awards Banquet.”

Correctional News recently had the opportunity to visit HOK’s San Francisco-based office and meet with Architect Catherine Chan, who is a member of the current AAJ advisory group (AG). She will take the helm from Elizabeth Minnis and become the AG chair for the 2013 fall conference to be held in Portland, Ore. Chan emphasized that the AAJ is committed to embracing the spirit of developing a dialogue within all communities.

The 2012 AAJ Advisory Group consists of the Chair Elizabeth Minnis, AIA,
from the Division of Capital Asset Management in Boston, Mass.; Vice Chair Catherine Chan, AIA, from HOK, San Francisco, Calif.; Linda Bernauer, AIA, from Dewberry, Dallas, Texas; Enrique Macia, AIA, of AECOM, Coral Gables, Fla.; and Herbert Roth, FAIA, Roth + Sheppard Architects of Denver, Colo.