The 2024 NOMA Conference was held from October 24-27 in Baltimore, Maryland, bringing together students, industry professionals, and leaders in architecture for a three-day event. The conference offered a wide array of topics, from infrastructure development to leadership strategy, all within the architecture and design space. With seminar-style sessions, informative tours, and social events each evening, NOMA created an immersive experience that was both thorough and engaging.
As a rising business professional, I never imagined myself in this industry. Nothing against architecture and development, but it wasn’t a field I felt aligned with until joining Scottmoore as a Project Manager. Here, I've been given opportunities to truly immerse myself in this realm, shedding mental barriers as I learn and engage with each new experience. Events like the NOMA Conference are crucial to peeling back layers of unfamiliarity and providing insight into the architectural field.
The most impactful part of this exposure has been connecting with individuals from all backgrounds and experience levels in the industry. Among the sessions I attended, one that particularly resonated with me was centered on a public health-focused development project. The project involves creating a health facility in an underserved neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, with a strong emphasis on research and community engagement. This commitment to cultivating communities aligns deeply with Scottmoore’s values and my own goals, and these types of sessions foster a powerful sense of connection and shared mission with like-minded individuals.
The event that stood out most to me was the social mixer held on the Thursday =night at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. This thoughtfully chosen venue allowed us to explore the museum’s space, fostering a strong sense of camaraderie among attendees. I appreciated the effort NOMA put into sourcing diverse speakers and selecting locations where minority professionals in architecture could feel inspired and represented.
One of the most unique experiences during the conference was a sketch tour led by Eric Jenkins at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Jenkins introduced us to timed sketching exercises, progressing from ten-minute sketches down to just three-second sketches. He also guided us through an exercise where we could only use a certain number of lines, gradually decreasing the count. His message was clear: understanding the subject in a conceptual way is often necessary before diving into the details. This approach reinforces a valuable skill for design professionals, helping us zoom in and out of detail during the design phase, or even earlier in the creative process.
To add another perspective, Scottmoore’s Design Intern, David, also attended the conference and shared his insights:
"Best way to solve ill structure is with ill structure,’ a quote given to us by Eric J. Jenkins, licensed architect and author of Drawn to Design. He guided us on a sketch tour where we learned about the purpose of sketching. He related it to life in many ways and used simple sketches to describe how a little can go a long way. He referenced his quote stating that the best way to solve ill structure is with ill structure. He interpreted it as to fix an unknown problem, you must create another, and in that way, the imbalance breeds a solution. This is just a portion of the depth and information provided during the conference.
There were topics that people outside of architecture may not recognize, such as cohousing, which was explained with the phrase, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ In short, it's a small community where residents inhabit separate units but interact as one unified body. This concept promotes collaboration over isolation and enhances personal interactions. Many aspects of the conference inspired encouraging tactics that we could consider implementing in New Orleans. We had the chance to meet professionals who respect New Orleans, but all shared a view of the city as a place in need of growth. The NOMA conference inspired ideas and strategies we hope to integrate into our approach to community and design."
Reflecting on the NOMA Conference, I am grateful for the connections, insights, and expanded perspective on what architecture and community design can achieve. This experience has shown that impactful change often comes from fostering collaboration over isolation, a concept emphasized in David’s recount of the cohousing model and echoed throughout the conference. The event didn’t just educate—it forged a sense of shared purpose with others in the field, inspiring strategies that I hope to bring back to Scottmoore. I look forward to integrating these lessons into our work, contributing to projects that elevate and enrich communities, and embracing a more collaborative approach that aligns with our mission and values.
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