Local Architect Embarks on Mission as 2017 AIA Florida President to Communicate Value of the Profession

Award-winning architect, Joyce Owens, AIA, RIBA, is proud to announce her term as president of AIA Florida, which began on January 1. Based in Tallahassee, AIA Florida is a chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ranks as one of the nation’s largest state components. Owens is the third woman in the history of the organization to be selected for this prestigious leadership position.

“While it may be significant that I am one of three women who have held this position in a century old professional organization, it is not my focus. My priority is to raise awareness of architecture with an emphasis on good design,” said Owens. “My theme for the year is Communicating Value—that is the value that architects and architecture bring to our communities.”

After returning to Florida from London, England, where she worked for fifteen years at the award-winning architectural practice that she co-founded, Owens was surprised to discover a difference in the level of respect she was given as a design professional from what she was accustomed to while working abroad. As President of AIA Florida she hopes to work towards changing that perception.

One of her goals this year is to work with the members of AIA Florida to advocate the value of architecture and the profession to the public at-large. “Architects are the ones who must promote and explain the architectural profession, which is respected by the public, but not really understood,” said Owens. And she believes it is important for architects to communicate their value simply, without use of professional jargon.

Owens graduated from Notre Dame University with a degree in architecture before winning a Rotary Foundation scholarship to study in London, where she decided to return to work. As co-founding partner at the London-based award-winning, globally recognized firm, Azman Owens Architects, she worked for clients such as recent London Mayor Boris Johnson, late renegade British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, fashion guru Isabella Blow and Swiss luxury retailer TAGHeuer. The partnership was named one of the 13 Top Emerging Architectural Practices in UK in the April 2000 Architectural Review. Owens’ work has been published in books, magazines, and news sources. She has won awards from the UK’s Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), as well as other international design competitions.

Owens returned to the U.S in 2004, and opened her practice, Architecture Joyce Owens, LLC, in 2007. Since reestablishing herself in Southwest Florida, she has been recognized for her volunteer work with AIA Florida Southwest, public architecture and design exhibitions and local award-winning projects.

As a consummate advocate for the profession of architecture, Owens has served as an architectural columnist for the USA Today 10 Best and the Gannet owned Fort Myers News-Press and regularly speaks at conferences and symposiums sponsored by the Sarasota Architecture Foundation and various local organizations.

Since 2014, Owens served as AIA Florida Vice President of Communications and in 2016 as President-Elect. She previously served as President of AIA Florida Southwest as well as an active member and officer of Florida Foundation for Architecture’s Board of Trustees.

For more information, contact Joyce Owens at (239) 275-5773 or visit http://www.architecturejoyceowens.com/.

ABOUT ARCHITECTURE JOYCE OWENS
Joyce Owens is the principal architect at Architecture Joyce Owens LLC, aka Studio AJO. Her client list extends through the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy. She has offices on Sanibel and in Fort Myers, Florida. Before opening Studio AJO, Joyce was a co-founding partner at the London-based firm Azman Owens Architects, where she worked for clients such as recent London Mayor Boris Johnson, the late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, fashion guru Isabella Blow and Swiss luxury retailer TAGHeuer. Her work has been published in books, magazines, and news sources. She has won awards from the UK’s Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), as well as other international design competitions. Joyce graduated from Notre Dame University with a degree in architecture before winning a Rotary Foundation scholarship to study in Rome and London. She was an architectural columnist for the Fort Myers News-Press and USA Today 10 Best. Most recently, Joyce was named as the 2017 President of AIA Florida. http://www.architecturejoyceowens.com/

ABOUT AIA FLORIDA
The Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects, headquartered in Tallahassee, represents the interests of more than 3,400 members in Florida. Members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct that assures the client, the public, and colleagues of an AIA-member architect’s dedication to the highest standards in professional practice. The AIA Florida celebrated its 100th year in 2012. http://www.aiafla.org/

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