We will make an opportunity to make a difference!

Dear Memberships, Colleagues, and Friends,

After serving over four years with AIA Japan (AIAJ) as a board member, secretary, and vice-president, I feel extremely honored to be writing this message as the 2021 president of AIAJ.

As one of the international chapters, we have seen much growth over those years: we have become a General Incorporated Association (Ippan Shadan Hojin) in 2017, new branding was launched in 2018, and the Three-Year Strategic Plan was established in the following year. A variety of online lectures and events were also held despite the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

It was our dedicated officers, boards, and committees consisting of passionate volunteers for promoting architects in Japan who set a new vision for further growth and fought for the new challenges to serve the memberships, friends, and general public on a greater scale. Many significant things have been thankfully accomplished not only domestically but also internationally. Now AIAJ is a very strong and active chapter along with seven International chapters: Canada, Continental Europe, Hong Kong, Middle East, Shanghai, and UK.

As the 2021 president, I will continue to adapt our strategic plan and take steps forward to ensure our memberships to get more benefits and new activities to participate in, enhancing personal growth and helping improve their career development. This year is the final stage of the 2019-2021 Three-Year Strategic Plan. We will complement the existing committees by launching new committees, councils, and counsels in order to strengthen our foundation in cooperation with AIA National and International Regions as well as to cultivate our own initiative:

 

1.Managing Groups

  • Executive Committee

  • Accreditation / Strategic Planning Committee

  • Membership Committee



2. Advisory Groups

  • Honorable and Fellow Council (Advisory and Nomination)

  • Legal Counsel

 

3. Supporting Groups

  • Public Relationship Committee

  • Sponsorship Committee

  • CES Committee

 

4. Core Activity Groups

  • Architecture Tour Committee

  • Design Awards Committee

 

5. Strategic Task Groups

  • Int`l Associate and Associate Committee

  • EP / AXP Advisor Committee

  • Program / Event Committee

  • Regional Representative Committee

 

The new organization makes it possible for every member to play an active role, and further we can be more sensitive to the individual’s and Japan chapter’s needs for promotion of our profession in this community. Additionally, we will build and develop relationships with organizations such as the Japan Institute of architects (JIA), the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), Urban Land Institute (ULI), other AIA chapters in the U.S and the International Region, and more if possible!

I will also assure that we pursue our commitment to Climate Action so that the general public can be alert to future environmental changes and understand the significance of our role as advisor for sustainable and resilient design to solve environmental issues in Japan.

Together with officers, board members, volunteer memberships, and friends, we can make a difference in significant ways.

In closing, I am deeply grateful to our past leaders and volunteers for their devotion to AIA Japan. It is their hard work: immense alignment behind the strategy, which has paved the way to achieve our goal. I also truly appreciate our memberships’ and general public’s understanding and constant support. I look forward to another successful year, working together to deliver on our promises.

Sincerely,

 

Segene Park, AIA
2021 President of AIA Japan

 

Segene Park, AIA Bio

Having fallen in love with architectural design, Segene entered the College of Architecture, Design and Art in the University of Illinois at Chicago and joined the Annex 5 in Epstein as a project designer after graduation in 2003. The Annex 5 was an Epstein’s in-house architectural design studio dedicated to providing an architecturally sensitive clientele with a socially focused sense of design. His creativity and punctuality contributed to the team success; his designs brought the numerous awards and were published in Architectural Record, New York Times Online Edition, AIA Magazine, and other publications.

In 2007 he joined Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM), Chicago, a global architectural, urban planning and engineering firm. His work extended to overseas projects on diverse scales. One of the remarkable works was his 354m-tower in Russia; it was exhibited in Venice Biennale in 2008 and introduced as a new form of Russian modern architecture of that time.

After marriage and relocation to Tokyo, Japan his interest in design further expanded into urban planning. He entered the department of the Urban Design and Planning in Nikken Sekkei, Japan’s biggest and global design firm of around 3,000 employees, in 2015. There soon he started to lead Nikken’s urban planning team, continuing to win three major international architecture/masterplan competitions. Those projects were also published in ArchDaily and other major publications in Russia. In 2020 his team was again awarded with the Urban Awards for Best Comfort Class Complex for another architecture/urban planning project in Moscow.

So far, he has been involved with different kinds of worldwide projects on all scales: architectural designs for residential building, office, hotel, museum, convention center, high-rise building, super tall building, and sustainable building, landscape design and urban planning; however, Segene is still a young architect. More unique and glamorous works of both architectural design and urban planning will be incorporated into his portfolio for many years to come.

In addition, he has been a member of the Cliff Dwellers (CD) in Chicago since 2005 and served as the CD Arts Foundation committee member in 2008 - 2012. The CD Arts Foundation's mission is to support the arts by providing arts-oriented organizations and individuals with grants, by helping present performances at the Club, and by sponsoring an annual music competition. He was also a member of the Chicago Architectural Club in 2006 and the Lions Club International, Seoul, Korea in 1995. A wide variety of his experiences in those clubs prepared him to be a president of AIA Japan.