The AIA convention comes to Boston tomorrow! Boston has the highest per capita number of architects. As in other cities and other times, clients for high-profile projects often shop elsewhere for their designers. The vision of outsiders can be more daring, free from an inhibitive sensitivity to the clutter of context and memory. But the outsider's unfamiliarity with local climate, code, construction methods, and first and foremost, the peeps also carries an economic impact that seems often to be overlooked. The Boston Convention Center, where the convention will be held, the Stata Center, and the ICA have each proved a mix of flash and flaw. What is the solution? A case study of a client trusting and challenging a local architect is the birth of the Wieden + Kennedy building in Portland, Oregon, launching pad for Allied Works Architecture.
