Martine Dion Elevated to the AIA College of Fellows
SMMA celebrates Earth Day with the news that Martine Dion, Principal and Director of Sustainable Design, has been elevated by The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2018 Jury of Fellows to the College of Fellows, earning the distinction of FAIA.
During Dion’s 18 years at SMMA, she has led over 40 LEED, energy efficiency, and zero energy analysis projects, evidencing her collaborative approach to building strong and sustainable communities. She leads the firm’s sustainable design practice, applying it to both client work and the firm’s internal culture. In particular, Dion was the driving force for SMMA to be named a signatory firm on the AIA 2030 Commitment, a national framework to support the goal of carbon-neutral building design by 2030.
“Martine introduced SMMA to sustainable design nearly 20 years ago, before many of us understood our responsibility to sustainable practice. I admired Martine from the outset for being so steadfast and unapologetic about sustainable choices, but never judgmental. She was impassioned about sustainable design at a time when it took courage, patience, persistence and a sense of humor! Her leadership still inspires me to continue learning, to understand our environment more completely and follow her example.” –Brian Lawlor, PE, Principal, Executive Vice President
Throughout all aspects of her practice, her service in the AIA, and her volunteer outreach, Dion is moving the profession, AEC market, client corporations, and the general population to understand the value and imperative of creating a path towards architecture that is resilient and regenerative to its surroundings.
“Martine is constantly working across industry and professional disciplines to improve not only SMMA’s practice, but our peers’ as well. She recognizes that no one person or company will solve the tremendous environmental challenges we face without cooperation and knowledge sharing.” –Alex Pitkin, AIA, Principal, Senior Vice President, Director of Institutional Practice Studios