Alberta Association Of Architects

AAA History: Beginnings, Progress, Present The AAA has been in Alberta since the province was formed. The AAA was established by the Architects Act of Alberta, 1906, which was one of the 77 bills passed during the first session of the Alberta legislature. The AAA was created to regulate the practice of architecture in Alberta. The AAA has gone through several major steps in its history. Esther Marjorie Hill, from Edmonton, faced a lot of opposition but succeeded in becoming the first Alberta woman to register as a professional architect in 1926. The Banff Sessions started in 1956 when the first ‘refresher course’ was held at Banff (AB). The biennial conference remains a major draw for interior designers and architects from Alberta and North America. Freda O’Conner was elected the AAA's first female president in 1974—as it turned out, she was the first woman president of an architect's association in the whole country. The AAA established itself firmly in 1981 when Duggan House became the AAA's new headquarters. The legislation was then changed in 1982 so that interior designers could get licensed by the AAA. The AAA has been in existence for over a century and is still fulfilling its mandate. The AAA has therefore introduced the Tom Sutherland Award in memory of Tom Sutherland, a pillar of the community (Alberta Association of Architects, n.d.). The Advocacy Committee was also created to be of more help to the licensed architecture and interior design professionals in Alberta.