Last month, under Foster + Partners’ tessellated canopy at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, Elizabeth Chu Richter, FAIA, was inaugurated as the 91st President of the AIA. A Chinese-born architect from Corpus Christi, Texas, Chu’s contributions include an award-winning public radio series, “The Shape of Texas,” in addition to her role as CEO of Richter Architects and several leadership roles in the AIA.
Elizabeth Chu Richter. Image © William J Stewart Photography
She succeeds the 90th President, Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA. In setting a course for the AIA and the profession’s future, she identified three issues that merit close attention. The first is the challenges of a global economy that is increasingly urbanizing: “The message is clear: We must be prepared to apply our talents anywhere and anywhere.” The second is an informed public: “Few understand the impact [architecture] has on their lives. Every building has a story. Let’s tell them!” Thirdly, Richter sees an obligation to emerging professionals: “As a profession, each of us has an obligation to help all the bright, passionate, and creative young women and men to succeed. They are the profession’s future.”
Image courtesy Richter Architects
Richter was born in Nanjing, China, and grew up in Hong Kong before her mother brought her and five siblings to America, eventually settling in Dallas, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974 and won the 2001 AIA Young Architects Award for her work as a designer and also an ambassador of the profession. In 2007, she was President of the Texas Society of Architects as has also served on AIA’s National Board of Directors as a regional director representing Texas. Her firm won the 2011 Texas Society of Architects Firm Award.
“As architects, we use our creativity to serve society — to make our communities better places to live. Through our profession and our life’s work, each of us has shaped and re-shaped the ever-changing narrative that is America in both humble and spectacular ways,” said Richter, who will represent over 85,500 AIA members, “We have created harmony where there was none. We have shown we can see what is not yet there. We have shown we have the courage to grow, to change, and to renew ourselves.”