WASHINGTON – Dec. 4, 2018 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is joining forces with Avitru to help members of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) obtain the specification skills they need to be successful in the workplace.
Beginning today, AIA is providing AIAS members with a free license to the cutting-edge specification tool: MasterSpecⓇ. By using the technology, students will develop the critical specification skills they need to be practicing architects.
“The nation’s future architects deserve good tools to succeed in the design and construction economy,” said AIA EVP/Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy, FAIA. “Providing AIAS members with access to MasterSpec® is just one of many ways we can ensure the success of architecture’s next generation.”
MasterSpec®—a product of AIA—is a comprehensive research and selection platform that is used by major architecture firms and small practices alike. Architects routinely use the tool to research, evaluate and specify products for inclusion into their designs. Products specified are unbiased and objective.
“The AIAS strives to enhance the architectural education experience for its members by equipping them with experiences that reflect what they’ll one day see in practice,” said AIAS Executive Director Nick Serfass, FAIA. “The AIA has long been a strategic partner with the AIAS in this endeavor. Today, that partnership expands to include Avitru in order to grant greater student access to AIA’s MasterSpec®, a critical tool they’ll use in the spec-writing process out in the real word.”
AIAS members can request access to MasterSpec® by signing up for a SpecBuilder Cloud account online. Avitru’s cloud-based application SpecBuilder Cloud instantly connects to the MasterSpec® building product database. In addition to MasterSpec® content, AIAS members will also have access to over 900 research briefs on building products.
“As part of their rigorous education, architecture students want exposure to the most current technology tools used in the profession,” said Avitru CEO Jim Contardi. “Intelligent product selection is core to the practice of architecture. Masterspec® offers exactly that by providing a flexible technology platform that allows for the creation and use of project specific content, from anywhere, at any time, with the most-up-to-date product research available. It’s the reason it’s the most widely used specifier on the market today.”
Founded in 1857, AIA consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through more than 200 international, state and local chapters, AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public wellbeing.
AIA provides members with tools and resources—including a discount to AIA’s product MasterSpec® as part of a membership benefit—to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation, and world. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards.
About the AIAS
The American Institute of Architecture Students is a non-profit, student-run organization dedicated to programs, information, and resources on issues critical to architecture and the experience of education. For more information, visit aias.org or call Kimberly Tuttle at (202) 808-0036.
From conception to construction, AVITRU empowers architects, engineers, contractors and owners to make better, faster decisions. As the developer of MasterSpec® a trusted and comprehensive master guide specification system, Avitru has leveraged its position in the market to launch a cloud-based platform that enables the collaborative exchange of expert knowledge to design, build, and operate a better built environment. With some of the most highly regarded experts in the industry, the Avitru team is committed to construct a world where better building leads to better lives. Previously known as ARCOM LLC, Avitru LLC is a portfolio company of Alpine Investors and a strategic partner of the American Institute of Architects. Follow Avitru @avitrusoftware and learn more at www.avitru.com.