Sue Alden FAIA

As recognized by her 1998 elevation to the AIA College of Fellows, N. Sue Alden FAIA (BArch UW 1951) specialized in the development and incorporation of building codes into design at a time when few of her colleagues knew about codes. 
Her experience as a project architect and manager with NBBJ for live-performance theaters, high technology research centers, and prototype designs for Trident missile-servicing facilities facilitated this work.  She headed an AIA/DCLU committee to find ways to improve the permitting process by clarifying procedures and shortening process time.  As a member of joint committees of AIA Washington Council and Architects and Engineers Legislative Council/AELC, she guided the monitoring and prioritization of AIA lobbying efforts for proposed legislation at the state level affecting the profession and the environment. 

Sue influenced code development in both state and national jurisdictions (Amended Uniform Codes).  Through her work with students and faculty at the University of Washington (with her husband Richard Alden, who served on the UW Architecture faculty), she emphasized the need to understand and incorporate code regulations early in the design process to avoid re-design issues later on. 

As a managing associate in one of the largest architectural firms in the nation at NBBJ, she served as a positive role model to aspiring women architecture students.

References:  
*N. Sue Alden, DoCoMoMoWeWA
*N. Sue Alden, Dynamic National Archive