Our SENSIBILITY is informed by environmental factors across many scales – local, regional, and global – as such, individuals often vary within an ensemble. As designers, we have the ABILITY to shape our profession and our surroundings – despite a growing number of complex forces exerting their influence. Collective reflection upon the cause-and-effect of our SENSIBILITIES is required to have a positive impact upon the trajectory of our practice and the settings we create. 

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The design community has the ability and responsibility to draw inspiration from and respond to both the material and immaterial of our current era while addressing the complex emotional and aesthetic influences that affect us all. Tangible issues of materials, form, and context make up our buildings and cities and possess inherent visual, tactile, and even olfactive qualities that stimulate our senses. Intangible topics of technology, compensation, and social equality add to the complex navigation of today’s field. The people we engage - clients, consultants, or colleagues - all bring varying perspectives that we must be cognizant of to maximize their potential.  An acute degree of consciousness is required to fully understand and respond to these factors accordingly.

It requires SENSIBILITY but with action; it requires SENSABILITY.

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Lyndley Kent, AIA

AIA Iowa Convention Committee Co-Chair

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Eric Neuhaus, AIA

AIA Iowa Convention Committee Co-Chair