Last night, the AIA announced the official opening of its China chapter and office in Shanghai. This is the organization’s sixth international chapter and its first in mainland China.
The DC Center China, a foreign trade office launched by Washington, D.C., mayor Vincent Gray two years ago, is providing the office space and staffing. AIA Shanghai will focus on expanding AIA membership in China, providing membership benefits, and serving as the local voice of the design profession.
“We are thrilled to be opening a chapter in Shanghai that will serve all of mainland China,” Greg Yager, AIA, senior vice president of RTKL and lead representative of AIA Shanghai said in a press release. “Today marks the beginning of a very long and mutually beneficial relationship between AIA and China.”
Officials from AIA Shanghai and AIA National held an opening celebration at One Xintiandi in Shanghai where the institute’s president Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, and secretary Rich DeYoung, FAIA, delivered the chapter’s charter.
“Opening this office in Shanghai is an important step in serving our Chinese and China-based architects and cultivating and expanding partnerships between AIA and China,” said Dreiling in the press release. “Having a permanent presence through the AIA Shanghai office will expand AIA’s engagement in the Chinese market and send a strong signal about our commitment to China.”
Homepage image used via a Creative Commons License with Flickr user Mariusz Kluzniak.
