Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Happy New Year to all in the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) family. We hope that your 2022 is off to a good start, despite the ever-changing challenges of this pandemic. In this season of change and new beginnings, we are hopeful for what 2022 — and beyond — has in store for the BSA.

This year, we continue the development of a new five-year vision for the BSA, mobilizing the architecture community and industry at large to focus on addressing two of the most critical societal challenges — climate and equity.

While we know that these challenges are not solely architecture’s to solve, we believe that our professional community can offer a unique and powerful set of tools. We are motivated and excited to harness this potential and do our part.

The data is clear, and the challenges are formidable. Buildings account for nearly seventy percent of carbon emissions in urban environments, and if concrete were its own country, it would be the world’s third-largest carbon emitter. The BSA seeks to be a strong driver of change for a sustainable and resilient built environment.

Inequity is deeply ingrained in our built environment, and in the architecture field. We know that the profession needs to be actively inclusive to meet Greater Boston’s enormous, critical challenges. Acknowledging these conditions has led the BSA to focus our work on addressing the inequities in access and oversight that have prevented the full involvement of all members of our communities in designing, developing, and thriving in our built environment.

We invite you to join us as we embark on a new strategic direction. As we move forward, we give thanks for the visionary leadership of our predecessors Gregory Minott AIA and Ted Touloukian AIA, whose work and advocacy have laid a much-needed foundation to address the challenges ahead. We are also thankful for the continued dedication of the incredible BSA staff, under the leadership of Eric White Hon. AIA, Lesley Slavitt, and Billy Craig.

Be on the lookout for updates from the BSA in the coming months. We know that we can’t do this work without you. We look forward to meaningfully engaging our community’s unique perspectives and skills to build a more resilient, more sustainable, and more equitable Boston.

Sincerely,