AIA Finishes Strong in Spring Legislative Session

Passage of historic tax credit and millions in the budget for public improvements

On May 31st at 9:30 PM, the state legislature left Springfield having passed a budget with overwhelming support from both sides in both Chambers. When the legislature returns for veto session in November, another election will be over and the political landscape may be vastly changed.

Knowing that all of AIA Illinois' political and strategic strength will be focused in the 2019 spring legislative session on the renewal of the Architecture Practice Act (which sunsets every 10 years), we knew we would try to be as aggressive this session as possible to move the ball forward in many areas of importance to our members.

PASSIONATE PERSISTENCE

Years of relationship-building and months of agenda-shaping culminated in threading two amendments through three committee hearings in two days, then passing the bill in both chambers on the same day. After having introduced the bill nine years in a row, architects can finally celebrate the passage of a statewide Historic Preservation Tax Credit.

PLUS THESE SUCCESSFUL POLICIES

We stopped SB 2897 which would have created practice rights for interior designers. While we disagreed with interior designers on their scope of work ideas, we did work with them to pass SB 335, an amendment to the Mechanic Lien Act which was mutually beneficial to all of us.

We passed SB 2328 working with the Illinois Municipal League to update the local QBS law.

We passed SB 2773 working with environmental groups to finance clean energy projects.

We passed HB 4790 which encourages more compost use in public works projects.

We passed SB 3031 which makes it easier for CDB to administer and for design and construction teams to achieve LEED standards in state and university projects.

We passed HB 5593 through the House allowing school organizations to do a pilot program on design-build. The bill moved in the Senate to the stage immediately preceding a vote.

A "NO" IS ONLY A "NOT YET"

Our initiative to reform school energy performance contracts via SB 3198 could not overcome the opposition and did not pass. We learned a lot of valuable lessons and engaged more of our members in the issue. We are not giving up.

We continue to sound the alarm about the lack of a comprehensive capital budget. While we did not expect there to be one passed this spring, it is still desperately needed. No revenue source and an election around the corner added up to a non-starter with this topic.

However, we didn’t come up empty in the budget negotations:

• There’s $54 million in the budget for the Quincy Veterans Home;

• $172 million for neighborhood improvements related to the Obama Presidential Library including a new station at 59th street;

• $400 million for deferred maintenance needs;

• $100 million for emergencies;

• $75 million for higher education facilities;

• $30 million for the state fair coliseum;

• $29 million for open space grants; and

• $50 million for high speed rail.

These advocacy wins can be credited directly back to you as a member; starting with each member's dues contribution to the AIA PAC, through individuals who pick up the phone to make a call to staff or to a legislator about a roadblock, to those who participate in our Prairie Grassroots Lobby Day, and ultimately to those Citizen Architects who develop a relationship with elected officials at home. Your AIA membership provides you with a Springfield headquarters that is within eyesight of the State Capitol, as well as staff and lobbyists who carry your best interests forward every day. AIA Illinois is truly "empowered by membership to champion the profession of architecture."

Architects Announce 200 Great Places

"An incredible balance of designers, periods, building types and settings to successfully show the depth and breadth of our state’s Great Places"

More than eleven years after the original “150 Illinois Great Places” were named by AIA Illinois, Illinois' architects have added more Great Places to the list in honor of the State’s 200th birthday. Each of the 200 Great Places are accessible to the public, holds significance for local communities and creates a unique experience for visitors.

“Illinois’ Bicentennial in 2018 was the perfect opportunity to take a stronger look at more contemporary architecture than we were able to do with the first 150, which went all the way back to the beginning of Illinois civilization,” said Kim Kurtenbach, AIA, architect with BLDD Architects and 2018 AIA Illinois Board President. “As before, it was difficult to narrow the list to only 200. Separately and in total, our 200 Great Places are more than just examples of good or even great design – they are a testament to humanity’s need to shape their environment in a way that is often both vibrant and equitable.”

All of the 200 Great Places are featured in a new website. AIA Illinois also created a new Instagram account @ilgreatplaces.

Each of the newly named Places will also receive a special commemorative plaque.

Jeanne Gang’s Aqua Tower in Chicago and Bill McDonough's Method Manufacturing Facility in the Pullman National Monument are modern projects that join the Great Places list which already includes designs by renowned architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe.

The Aqua Tower’s design has been described as “lyrical gracefulness,” while it broke a ceiling of sorts with the distinction as tallest building to date designed by a female architect; The Method Factory turns 21st century manufacturing on its head with its total immersion in eco-friendly design.

Downstate gets its contemporary spotlight too, including gems like the Champaign Public Library designed by Ross Barney Architects and built in 2008; and the Doudna Fine Arts Center in Charleston designed by Antoine Predock as a "crystalline formation that...is a new arrival point and gateway that both unifies the arts and reaches out to the community.”

“Illinois holds a unique place in the history of American architecture and our people lead with a strong tradition of design innovation that is recognized worldwide,” said Governor Bruce Rauner. “The AIA list recognizes Great Places all around our state and tells the collective story of great imagination, sheer will, and skill.”

The Illinois Great Places recognition program was created in 2007 to commemorate AIA’s 150th anniversary and was designed to broadly include the “built environment,” which includes landscape and engineering places, as well as architecture. A majority of the original list--including schools, churches, offices, court houses, museums, and planned communities--were historically designated places, with many others having been built in the late 20th century. Many of the newest additions represent 21st century development.

Nominations came from AIA members from all parts of the state and were selected by each of the state’s AIA chapters by region. Nominations were weighed against criteria including the AIA’s “10 Principles of Livable Communities:” they must be publicly accessible, pedestrian-friendly, designed on a human scale, and provide vibrant, public spaces, among meeting other requirements.

“Illinois has achieved an incredible balance of designers, periods, building types and settings to successfully show the depth and breadth of our state’s Great Places,” said Mike Waldinger, Hon. AIA, Executive Director of AIA Illinois.

ABOUT THE ILLINOIS BICENTENNIAL

On Dec. 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state in the union. The Illinois Bicentennial is a yearlong celebration of what has been BORN, BUILT & GROWN in the state and a reminder of why we are #IllinoisProud.

Citizens are encouraged to participate in the celebration by visiting the Illinois 200 website and using the hashtag #IllinoisProud. Partners and event and project managers planning activities between Dec. 3, 2017, and Dec. 3, 2018.