Ignacio Reyes, AIA, NCARB, is the new president of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects.
Reyes, the son of Cuban immigrants, grew up sketching buildings from a South Florida seawall. “Drawing these buildings, I wondered what I would have done differently,” he says. “I loved challenging preconceived ideas and offering different solutions.”
He overcame childhood poverty to graduate from Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University’s School of Architecture with honors and has now practiced architecture for more than 25 years. Reyes, of West Palm Beach, is the global director of business development, marketing and strategy for LEO A DALY architects, leading the firm’s growth nationally and internationally.
“I believe architecture plays a fundamental role in culture, whether by responding to a particular cultural experience or helping to shape new cultural expressions,” Reyes adds. “The architecture of ancient societies helps us gain insight into its people’s culture in profound ways, perhaps more than any artifact. To a great extent, we are what we build. I think the same is true in today’s world, and I wonder what our architecture will tell future societies about us.”
Reyes is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Board, the Design Futures Council, the Urban Land Institute, the Society for College and University Planning, and the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects, headquartered in Tallahassee, represents the interests of more than 3,900 members in Florida and the Caribbean. Members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct that assures the client, the public and colleagues of an AIA-member architect’s dedication to the highest standards in professional practice.