Presidents Message – Fall 2020

Flexibility.  As 2020 nears the end, this is the word I have heard repeated more than ever before.  Owners are taking hard looks at existing inventory.  They are leaning on the AEC community to help provide insight on how they can safely reopen facilities, how they design new structures and how they update existing structures.  DBIA is an organization that brings together knowledge bases from the entire AEC community. Now more than ever, DBIA is needed to be the resource.

Flexibility was evident at our first ever virtual National Conference.  Three days of powerful sessions interspersed with virtual DJs, yoga and games.  From the keynote by John Foley to the closing panel session focused on design excellence, flexibility was a recurring theme.  As virtual meetings have become the norm, our region has also shown its flexibility by increasing collaboration between the chapters.  Attendance at our events is at an all-time high.  The pandemic has not prevented our region from bringing its members great content such as:

• Pedestrian Simulation Modeling for COVID
• The Subcontractor in DB – Roles, Responsibility and Successful Timelines
• Owner’s Pipeline
• Higher Education Outlook
• Carbon, Community and Construction
• Navigating the New Normal
• Attorney’s Forum for COVID-19

Flexibility is the backbone of Design Build.  At its roots, it encourages innovative and creative solutions to be explored.  If done right, it allows the team to adapt quickly to change.  We are primed for a big year in 2021.  COVID has set the stage, and Design Build is ready to respond.

Colin Anderson, DBIA
Inland Northwest Chapter President