AIA President Outlines Ambitious Programs

Every year the incoming president of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects announces an ambitious agenda that includes a slate of new programs and old programs revitalized. And every year, achievements fall short of the president’s hopes.

This year will be different, said newly installed LA/AIA president Raymond L. Gaio. Announcing a host of fresh initiatives designed to make the chapter more effective both in its internal organization and its public outreach, Gaio is poised to galvanize his 2,000-plus membership during his one-year term.

“As we enter the decade of the ‘90s, let us strive to be positive, perceptive and conceptual,” Gaio exhorted his board of directors in his first official memo. “Through open debate let us reach consensus so that LA/AIA can progress, serve, assist and be a positive influence on and contributor to both the membership and the public.”

Gaio’s main thrust is to urge architects to look beyond themselves, to provide leadership in helping resolve conflicts generated by issues such as growth, development and concern for the urban environment.

“In an arena filled with interest groups ranging from developers to community activists, most of whom spend much of their time screaming and yelling at one another, architects can play a valuable peacemaking role based on their professional expertise and their commitment to making Los Angeles a better place to live,” Gaio wrote.

These brave words are backed up by several new programs Gaio has proposed to the chapter. These include:

--A long-range planning committee that will survey the membership and anticipate developments and initiatives needed during the 1990s.

--The establishment of neighborhood assistance teams that will help community groups clarify their concerns over development in their districts.

--Creating biannual public forums on the environment in which a wide range of experts from many fields would debate ways to enhance the social and aesthetic health of the greater Los Angeles region.

--Develop international contacts, particularly with architects in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, to encourage the exchange of information.

--Setting up local AIA committees within the city’s 15 councilmanic districts, to give each area a greater sense of representation and bolster the identity of members in the less affluent sections of Los Angeles.

--Organize a “Mentors’ Hotline” of retired AIA members to advise younger architects faced with challenges such as setting up a new practice, picking a professional partner or surviving a mid-life career crisis.

Gaio believes that his term in office, though brief, has several advantages that will make his programs more effective than those proposed by his predecessors.

“Firstly, we’ve moved our offices from the Pacific Design Center to the Wiltern Building on Wilshire Boulevard, a more central location,” Gaio said. “Secondly, we have a strong new staff in place, headed by executive director Christine Meyer. Thirdly, we have a new board that reflects the demographic diversity of Los Angeles. This board is young and includes several women and members of minority groups, mirroring the fact that our chapter membership in now 60% comprised of minorities and women.”

Although not a practicing architect, Gaio has a long record of service to the profession. Following graduation from the University of Notre Dame, Gaio organized the AIA’s national “Grassroots” programs designed to improve the leadership skills of the Institute’s state and chapter presidents.

Currently Gaio heads his own management consultant firm that advises architects and related professionals in the operation and marketing of their services.

This wide experience in dealing with the profession gives Gaio a refreshing frankness in confronting the local chapter’s problems.

“Designers have not made their voices heard where it counts in Los Angeles because they’ve often been reluctant to take stands that might imperil their client relationships,” he said. “This is a very shortsighted view, that diminishes our repute in the community. Architects, who care deeply about the city, have to stand up and be counted.”

Gaio rounds out his credo with a quote from his father, that he would like to adopt as the LA/AIA’s slogan for the 1990s: “You’re put on earth to do more than just breathe the air.”