ROUND TABLE: Future of Architects’ Profession
01.09.22 (17:00 – 18:00)
Main Conference Hall
Architect Thomas Vonier FAIA RIBA is a senior partner in Chesapeake Strategies, based in Paris and Washington DC, advising organizations on innovations in the building, design, security, and urban sectors. Vonier led research resulting in landmark reforms in embassy design implemented by the US Secretary of State. He served as president of the International Union of Architects (UIA), the only global organization representing the world’s 3.2 million architects, from 2017-2021, and was the national president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). As an accredited delegate to COP 21 (Paris), COP 22 (Marrakesh), COP 26 (Glasgow), and to UN Habitat III (Quito), he led work to show how architecture and urban design help to meet the challenges of rapid urbanization, regional conflict, human poverty, and extreme weather. A frequent speaker on built environment issues, he was featured in the Atlantic CityLab program with Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and New York mayor Mike Bloomberg. He received the Henry Adams Award for research on public museums and was a research affiliate with the Laboratory of Architecture and Planning at MIT.