290 Congress Street, Suite 200 • Boston MA 02110 • 617-901-4685

March 26, 2020
His Excellency Charlie Baker
Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Governor Baker,
Thank you for your individual leadership and the tireless work of your administration
throughout this COVID-19 crisis. The scope of this pandemic is beyond anything we have
experienced in our lifetime, and the architecture community appreciates your steady hand
during this challenging time.
As residents of Massachusetts and leaders of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American
Institute of Architects (AIA MA), a component of the American Institute of Architects, we stand
firmly behind the steps you’ve taken to protect the public; to keep the people of our community
safe; and to support workers and businesses alike. The citizens of Massachusetts are resilient
when we work together. With smart and steady leadership, we are confident that we will
bounce back stronger than before.
In Massachusetts, architects are entrusted with the responsibility to protect health, safety and
welfare in the built environment. We will abide by all public health declarations aimed at
minimizing and preventing the spread of COVID-19. As leaders of AIA MA, we stand ready to
work with you to overcome this pandemic; to stabilize our communities; and to build a healthy
and equitable future together.
Through rigorous education and experience, licensed architects acquire the critical skills
necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare in the built environment. There are
currently more than 4,000 licensed architects living in Massachusetts and over 3,400 with
reciprocal licenses to practice in the state. Many of these individuals possess extensive
experience directing complex public health projects, from initial planning through construction
administration, for both public and private clients.
Please see below for several specific ways in which architects can be of assistance:
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Evaluate vacant or underutilized property for temporary hospitals and testing centers
Assist with documenting and retrofitting the buildings or other facilities identified as
viable hospital facilities
Serve as a resource advisor

AIA Massachusetts is the consortium of the Boston Society of Architects,
the Central Massachusetts Chapter of the AIA and the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the AIA

290 Congress Street, Suite 200 • Boston MA 02110 • 617-901-4685

Our membership stands ready to assist the Commonwealth in this unprecedented health crisis.
Further, the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry has directly felt the
impact of this pandemic. Projects across the country, including critical infrastructure projects,
are being delayed and entire offices are closed or requiring employees to work from home. To
ensure that essential projects continue to move forward, during construction and in order to
assure a pipeline of future development, we request that you designate architecture as an
essential business under certain limited circumstances. This will allow architects to continue
protecting public health, safety and welfare in the built environment. Specifically, we ask that in
any situation where a general contractor or other construction trade is designated as an
essential business, the architect also be designated as an essential business.
Designating architecture as an essential business will ensure that critical services continue to be
available to the public. The professional services provided by an architect, including construction
observation and administration, are necessary to the successful, timely completion of these
essential projects. To ensure that projects continue to meet building codes requirements and
the expectations of public owners and clients, architects must be permitted to be on site to
perform their contractually required professional services.
Architects throughout Massachusetts stand ready to work with you to slow the spread of
COVID-19. Elected leaders like you are keeping Americans healthy and safe, and preparing our
economy to recover fully.
Please contact John Nunnari, Executive Director of AIA MA, jnunnari@architects.org, 617-9014685 for more information. We sincerely look forward to this opportunity to work with you to
protect public health, safety and welfare and to jointly help our community.
Sincerely,

Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham AIA
President, AIA Massachusetts

AIA Massachusetts is the consortium of the Boston Society of Architects,
the Central Massachusetts Chapter of the AIA and the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the AIA



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