AIA, Architects International Group/Mid East by Barie Fez-Barringten

AIG/ME:
By Barie Fez-Barringten: AIA/NCARB
www.bariefez-barringten.com

In 1993 I named Architects International Group/Mid East when the AIA requested we not use our original name of AIA/Arabian Gulf chapter. We were designated by the AIA as a provider of continuing education, which is still valid today.
It all started in 1992 when King Faisel University hosted the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) representative to speak and have lunch.
Knowing that our Dean, Abdul-Aziz Al-Saati, was a graduate of a US University, and, a former AIA associate member, I chided as why we did not bring an American architect’s association, the AIA, to Saudi Arabia. Why always the British? He immediately agreed.
I had already transferred my AIA membership to the newly established AIA International status and was in touch with the AIA about that subject.

I wrote and the newly established International division if we could establish an International Chapter in Saudi, and, they (Virgil Carter, then the VP of Education for the AIA) said yes, and supplied me with a list of AIA members in KSA. In fact several AIA executive board members wrote letters of encouragement and advice. They, as Virgil Carter, gave us rules and protocols to be followed and provided workbooks and start-up information.

I contacted all of the AIA members on the AIA Saudi list and invited them to a first start- up meeting at the Desert Inn. I was a non-military but official member and had a special pass and could invite guests. Of course they expected most to eat. My Egyptian and Philippino waiters were very patient with me. About twenty came, including one young Saudi from Jeddah. Later one of the Saudis from Jeddah who was contemplating starting a Jeddah section told me it would be too much work. Several American professional AIA members showed up including David Hatch, Michael Schuetz, and one, who later married the KFU Turkish department head, and others. All agreed on the idea. At that very first meeting we not only collected dues but also volunteered as officers, a next meeting date, and, some tasks that we should complete before we meet again. This team was truly an excellent professional group.

I contacted the Saudi Chamber of commerce about Saudi architect’s licenses and associations and learned that they were not adverse to us organizing and welcomed helping AIA get established. As long as we had the Governor’s permission, we did not need a special license to operate. The Governor’s permission was that license. It was our educational association and not-for-profit status. Several years later the Saudi Chamber even hosted and catered several of our meetings.

I contacted Bill Brew, US consulate who also agreed to help get us established and suggested I contact Hassan Ali Al-Jabber and gave me his phone number and an introductory letter to the Governors office requesting permission to organize and meet.

After our initial and agreeable meeting with Hassan, Mike wrote a letter to Prince Mohammed and we received an official letter from the Prince. Hassan only asked that we request their permission for each and every meeting, especially if it involved female members. So as to keep ourselves protected and safe from the possible religious police, especially in Hotels who might raid such meetings.
Thanks to the kind invitations and coordination by Dr. Abdulhamid Shalaby I had been regularly attending Engineering society meetings in the Carlton Hotel which had the correct size meeting room and an open buffet directly outside the meeting room.

Unfortunately, the very date that we planned and announced our first meeting, the hotel management decided to convert the meeting rooms into a “Mexican Restaurant”. They did agree to make their very large ballroom available and over one hundred people showed up and about 98 registered. To meet our visitors we organized a battery of greeters, sign up forms, and a procedure for giving out information, signing, and collecting dues, giving receipts, etc. Additionally we had great speakers, such as the US consulate, Dr Jamel Akbar, and, several others.

I decided to have a newsletter and got a team of volunteers to edit, design, print and distribute the letter. Al-Yahya was one of the early computer and design volunteers. Roger Reyla was our editor. Later we saw that the British AIA chapter copied our design. He was able to get a Philippine news editor to regularly announce and write stories about us and our meeting in the local English language papers. David Hatch volunteered to be our secretary and executed the complicated and specific correspondence with the AIA. John Sleep volunteered and set up our entire purchase requisition, member ship fee and accounts listing. His job was so well done that his predecessor at his company, Hani Al-Maimani was able to learn and use it till 2000. John also established our bank account at the Saudi British Bank. Joe Sanchez enthusiastically had AIA black sport shirts made up and Armando Uson volunteered and for a little money, to build our membership, elite and contact lists. Rene Caldeo coordinated various special outings along with Shalaby. Amran also arranged for various speakers.

Wanting to involve the few women in the kingdom, Christina, Mrs. Brew and Louise Schuetz an architect from ARAMCO had meetings with women at the consulate and Desert Inn. The women were not really interested and did not understand the idea of an AIA chapter. So we decided to simply open our regular meetings to all. No women ever came regularly except one. The formation and the creation of AIA/ME and how it evolved to form the AIG/ME is a story of courage, valor and personal sacrifice on the part of a handful of individuals who truly believed that together we could do what alone we could not. It was also a learning and opportunity tool for strangely disenfranchised expats to use our time in Saudi to make something nobler than the meager money-grabbing jobs we each had. It was a chance for Rene to reach beyond and eventually start his own business with the Holiday Inn as one of his prime clients; for Roger to strike out and become a vice president of a paint company; for Cisco to experience being more than a clerk typist and become an administrative assistant; and so on. I could name Saudi, Philippino, Indians, etc. whose jobs and careers were changed by their experience and contacts made in the organization.


The very fact that we quickly turned our back on ARAMCO endorsement and sponsorship gave us an edge with all of our private vendors, contractors and professional firms. They saw in us a true torch for the good of the profession without links and debt. Not even to the government. It was a no-strings-attached organization, blessed by the Royal Family and operating with in the rules and regulations of the kingdom. The local consulate endorsed and contributed to our success and so did a small handful of people at the AIA. But soon the AIA crated and we changed our name to AIG/ME which only helped to spurn us on and upward within the kingdom to become its very own International Architectural Organization promoting high professional ethics and standards for the architectural profession. I remember Bill Brew even telling me how this experience enhanced his experience in Saudi. He involved his wife and home in what we were doing. About one year into all this the AIA’s attorney somehow decided that having a chapter in KSA was not appropriate and forbid our continued use of the AIA name, etc. This flew in the face of those in Washington, particularly Mr. Virgil Carter, that encouraged and promulgated our start up. It certainly did not bode well with several of our Saudi AIA associate members. Most continued and helped us grow and develop. It was a cause worth supporting. A great experiment and worthwhile uplifting of the profession. A year later Russell Kuhne invited me to speak at the first International meeting in Paris. Rashid Saad Al-Rashid accompanied me and helped network amongst the other members in Paris.

I developed Organization charts, committee and job descriptions to define every ones duties and give the group some semblance of order and structure. Many of the committees did not last and disappeared. The ones that lasted were the speakers committee, which eventually was chaired by Shalaby, and the sponsors committee, which was chaired by Garth Compton. He loved to have dinner out and so his dinners were free and he did get many sponsors who were able to pay for the printing and distribution of the newsletters and the cost of on renting the place to meet.
Shalaby was able to make special arrangement s with the father of one of our students who was the Maitre’d at the Al-Ghosibi Hotel. This resulted in us having perfect accommodations at a reasonable price, free cakes for our birthdays, hand delivered to our door by either father or son, and a hotel discount card for great dinners in the hotel at half price, and half off on laundry. Also, one of our members, an architect from Bangladesh and his wife joined AIG/ME who was part owner of the Chinese restaurant, which took over the downstairs Korean restaurant on Dhahran Boulevard.


There were many groups and pockets, which evolved. Roger Reyla was constantly bailing me out with one and another person who had their feathers ruffled by some thing some one said. No one liked to be called and asked how he or she was doing about something they said they would do. And yet that is exactly what made the group so special. Arturo worked for Rene and my class at KFU visited his office. And some times we prayed with some of the {Philippino boys. Arturo made this AIG/ME his life’s work. Speaking of which so did I. Aside for teaching and several weekly ministry meetings and writing several articles for learned journals this effort occupied most of our time. I was either on the phone, writing. Or meeting. Our group became so respected that I was invited to Juror a new building of a major finance companies new headquarter building on the Corniche originally designed by Doxiades.

The US consulate established a special section in its library for our AIG/ME books and source material including Sweets Catalogs. We bought continuing education manuals and courses for our members and each month we had great speakers. Our speakers were the most notable Saudi architects, planners, and engineers. Their comments were published in our newsletter and local newspapers. We had board meeting in the desert Inn and our house. While he was in the kingdom, Bill Brew even invited us to hold our board meeting in his villa, and provided special snacks, drinks and sometimes dinner. Mohammed and the Al-Ghosibi Hotel could no longer allow us to meet because our numbers were too small and often unreliable so we eventually moved our meetings to the Al-Nimran Hotel. A small hotel nearby managed by a British man. The food was excellent and so were the facilities. The size and price was right. Our meetings flourished in this place.

Saudi Arabia’s professional population is inconsistent and varies. So do the number of people ready, willing and able to join and be active. After a few years I noticed the numbers of AIA professional Architects had greatly diminished and the number of people willing to help as well. It was clear we needed a paid person who could do all the necessary duties of calling, taking minutes, completing the newsletter, collecting member ship fees, printing membership cards and certificates, etc. It would ultimately take two persons; Zahid and Cisco. Zahid was a Pakistani national who was a secretary at KFU, and, for a couple of years was already typing my manuscripts. Cisco was a secretary for Petrocon and recommended to me by Garth
Compton. His wife is a Philippina and they knew Cisco socially. After the departure and changes of locations and jobs of people like Mike Schuetz, David Hatch, John Sleep, Roger Reyla, etc. it was left to Hani Al-Maimani, Garth, and Cisco to really operate the organization. When I announced my departure Garth was able to enlist Roland Radd to take my position; and, I attended the meeting in which he was elected by the board.


For many that spoke from the podium in front of our assembled group public speaking was not their strong suit. This gave them the opportunity to rewrite a paper, or prepare a speech. Often what they said was published and certainly appreciated by our group. A team even formed a committee to find and seek new products. For our non-teaching practicing professionals this was a good time to present their work. Several of our speakers were reinvited and became members of AIG/ME such as Al-Suhaimi, Rashid, Suhair Fayez, Zaidan, etc. Even for them AIG/ME was an opportunity. There was a certain group of Saudi architects who completed their degrees in the USA and welcomed AIA. For them it was kind of an affirmation and reconciliation of a commitment they had made in the past. The gist of the AIA’s attorney’s objection was that the AIA should serve its members and not is a missionary do-gooder organization. In the end with just a hand full of USA Architects remaining in the kingdom his prognosis was a kind of prophecy. Cisco was motivated by his extra earnings so long as Garth was able to get sponsors to foot the bill to pay his fee and cover meeting and printing expenses. The original team and our vision was so precious. The friendship of Armando Uson, Roger Reyla, Rene Caldeo, and so many others will always be one of the highlights of my life. We had bonded and had a loyalty toward our purposes and each other’s welfare. Even Zahid and especially, Mike who hung -in to his final minutes in KSA. I recall him coming to my apartment in his t-shirt and sweat in the midst of moving to handover some documents.

To the extent Armando could he was determined to build a computerized listing of all our members, attendees and VIP’s. He did all of this at the peril of his job. He was employed by my friend Rene Caldeo who eventually left the Egyptian firm in which he was the chief architect to go on his own doing projects for Holiday Inn. Not before he called me in to help with the crisis between Armando. I saw Armando in the Philippines and Armando would come to my apartment in the middle of the night to keep me up to date on what was happening in his office and personally. Roger Reyla, kept the peace between these fellows including Cisco de los Santos and the Saudis and Americans. Wee quite a team; loyal and faithful to each other and the idea of helping each other professionally.

We had so many comical things happen as well; as the case where on Saudi Professor from Jeddah who transferred to KFU wanted so much to be on the AIG/Me board. How we had to convince and prove to him that people such as me, Mike, Hani, etc. were doing all of this for free. He finally excused himself and then started contacting me for other reasons having to do with his employment at the school. I recall before one trip to the states Zahid requesting my buying him a supply of Viagra and anther when Cisco requested I buy his wife a supply of panty hose.
The entire effort did accomplish one very important objective, it gave us all a status amongst the professional, US and Saudi Government and Royal Family which none of us would have ever had. We had a special thing going. I used to mention at every meeting “that together we can do what alone we cannot”. We amassed all of our newsletters and to every guest speaker and gusts we gave a bound book of our newsletters.

The last version was titled:
AIG/ME: Architect’s International Group of the Mid-East;
AIA Continuing Education;
“Six years prelude toward the future”
Whoever spoke or attended our board or general meetings knew that I was passionate about our mission and this venture’s success. John Turner of KFU from Houston Texas always belittled what I was doing by saying that no groups can meet and I was violating some kind of l was. Yes we had our share of detractors. One American Harlan of ARAMCO who called us a "good ole boys" group. At the end we had over 1500 names on our contact list and were mailing our newsletter to England, France, and Hong Kong, USA and all over the Gulf. We collected and sent in the credits so that our members got their AIA continuing education credits. We behaved well and kept our independence from any one sponsor or another. Our AIA group set the standards and provided the Universities and US and Saudi Chamber with important professional and product information including valuable AIA documents and literature. Many joined the AIA who would not nor ever heard of the AIA. After Paris and even here in the USA we have never heard any further word from the AIA headquarters.

Dr. Sami Angawi, a member of the Saudi council for National Dialog and a well-known architect spoke at our meetings several times. He lived in the US for several years and has spoken out about various political events including the assassination of Israeli’s assassination of new Hamas leader Abdelaziz Al-Rantissi. Our members and speakers were key figures in the government and from prominent Saudi families.

Another name that crops up in the news is Mustafa Abdulquader al-Ansari. While I do not recall ever knowing him I have certainly met and known many from his family as my students and members of AIG/ME. Ali al-Ansari was the deputy minister of the Dammam chamber of commerce and brother of al-Ansari the General Manager of “Sunset Beach Resort”. I knew them both and very well. I dealt for many years with Sunset Beach as we visited and used their facilities. Azmi was lifetime members and let us use his cabin years ago and CDE was doing the design of the remodeling and expansion of the facility. Winston worked there for several years and brought the American engineer from Tennessee who was sent to us from The Krahn’s in Riyadh. The general secretary was an Indian Christian who visited our Al-Khobar apartment and is now back in his home in Bangalore.

When we were about to start our AIA chapter the deputy minister of the Dammam Chamber opened his library and gave us reprints of the ministerial resolutions governing associations and professional licensing. As a result we were able to intelligently to Prince Mohammed and later to gain access to chamber facilities to meet and belong to t ht chamber as an association and AIA provide of continuing education. I founded and published its first News Letter May 1, 1994
Inaugural meeting attended by over 100 at the Carlton Hotel and after having received an endorsing letter from; Prince HRH Mohammed Bin Fahad Bin Abdulaziz Many other meetings in the Al-Ghosibi and al Nimran Hotels.

Key Speakers,Active Members & Sponsors:

• Bill Brew: US consulate
• James Akbar: KFU and head of Al-Umran Association (I am a member)
• Abdulaziz al-Saati
• Jamal Nazzar al-Mulhem: Mayor of Al-Khobar: Over the years I was to often visit his office just in front of the old Dhahran Shopping center.
• Roger Reyla: editor
• Mike Schuetz: vice president
• John Sleep: Treasurer
• Robert Outland: Education
• Roger Akoury
• Joe Sanchez: Membership
• Roland Radd: Design
• Naji j. Karkour
• Pervaiz Butt:
• Yahya al-Nazzer: Graphic Designer: KFUPM faculty and good friend.
• Rene Caldeo
• Essam Omran
• Hani alMaimani
• Samer Zamel
• Cisco de los Santos
• Abdulhamid Shalaby
• David Hatch: secretary
• Garth Compton
• Othman Sulaiman
• Roger Taylor
• Hisham Mortada
• Armando Uson
• 
  
• With speakers such as:
• Tariq Hajj
• Roland Radd: Chief Architect of SCADO
• Rashid Saad alRashid

• Mohammed alSaati
• Abdulaziz alSuhaimi
• Esam Nagru
• Saad alDijani
• Zuhair Fayez
• Mohammad Abolnour
• Abdullah Bokhari
• Ali Shuaibi
• Ahmed Omar Radi
• Sami Angawi
• Adelaziz alKhedheiri
• Mohammed alHumaidi
• Lionel Pritchard
• 
  
• Sponsors
• Dow Chemicals
• Steelcase/Riyadh House
• Zamil Steel
• Hemple Paints
• HAKA office furniture

,