2012 AIA Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture Recipients
The AIA has selected three recipients for the 2012 American Institute of Architects Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture. Alexander Cooper, FAIA, Daniel Feil, FAIA, and Robert Peck, Hon. AIA, will recieve the 2012 Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture at the 2012 AIA National Convention and Design Exposition in Washington D.C.
The award recognizes “private-sector architects who have established a portfolio of accomplishment in the design of architecturally distinguished public facilities (category 1); public-sector architects who manage or produce quality design within their agencies (category 2); and public officials or other individuals who by their role of advocacy have furthered the public’s awareness and/or appreciation of design excellence (category 3).”
Follow us after the break for more on the recipients.
AIA 2012 Institute Honors for Collaborative Achievement
The AIA recently awarded CultureNOW and Rice Design Alliance the 2012 Institute Honors for Collaborative Achievement. The award, which recognizes and encourages distinguished achievements of allied professionals, clients, organizations, architect teams, knowledge communities, and others who have had a positive impact on or advanced the profession, will be presented at the 2012 AIA National Convention and Design Exposition in Washington, D.C. More details after the break.
Call for Submissions: AIA Diversity Recognition Program
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Diversity Recognition Program seeks submissions featuring exemplary efforts to diversify the architecture profession. The jury will select up to 12 submissions as diversity best practices meriting the following recognition: AIA Diversity Recognition Program Award, Profiled in AIArchitect and on the AIA Diversity Web page, Acknowledgment at the AIA National Convention: Diversity Recognition Program Awards Presentation and Diversity Recognition Program Exhibit. The AIA must receive all submissions by March 1, 2012. For more information, please visit their website here.
AIA selects Mortimer Marshall for the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Board of Directors has selected Mortimer Marshall, Jr., FAIA as recipient of the 2012 Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award for exemplifying the profession’s responsibility toward current social issues.
After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Marshall founded The Marshall Group in 1982 and has a long history of providing services to the AIA. In the 1980’s, Marshall became the first African-American to attain board membership with the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). Marshall is also an active member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA).
AIA selects George Baird recipient of 2012 Topaz Medallion
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Board of Directors and the Association of Collegiate Schools for Architecture (ACSA) has selected George Baird, Intl. Assoc. AIA recipient of the 2012 AIA/ACSA Topaz Award for excellence in architectural education. Baird is known for his extensive association with the University of Toronto’s architecture school and for being one of Canada’s most celebrated architects. His award-winning firm Baird Sampson Neuert was founded in Toronto in 1972.
U.S. Community Design Trends highlight Infill Development
As the depressed economic state of the U.S. continues, home trends shift from large residential subdivisions towards small scale infill development projects. The 2011 American Institute of Architects (AIA) third quarter Home Design Trends Survey reflects the current desires of today’s buyer towards affordability, access to public transportation, commercial opportunities and job centers.
VJAA receives 2012 AIA Architecture Firm Award
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Board of Directors (BOD) selected Minneapolis based firm VJAA for the 2012 AIA Architecture Firm Award. The internationally recognized design firm was noted for their “research into material innovations and digital practice tools.”
“VJAA creates a place and purpose-specific architecture founded on broad societal, technological, and artistic values. Their work eloquently demonstrates the creative possibilities of joining environmental innovation, material exploration, and a thoughtful and economical response to site and program,” stated Andrea Leers, FAIA, of 2007 Firm Award recipient Leers Weinzapfel Associates in her recommendation letter.
The AIA highlighted VJAA’s Charles Hostler Student Center in Beirut, Lebanon and Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life at Tulane University in New Orleans. Leers continues to describe, “In an era frequently characterized by architectural indulgence and excess, VJAA is creating architecture of refinement and restraint.”
Along with AIA Gold Medal winner Steven Holl, VJAA will also be awarded in May at the 2012 AIA National Convention in Washington, D.C.
Reference: AIA
Video: Culture of Craft / AIA Committee On Design
The experts at studio/216 have shared with us the Culture of Craft – a pilot for an AIA Committee On Design (COD) series about The Value of Design. The non-profit AIA committee spent this past year discussing this topic, hosting two conferences in Seattle and Japan. In this film, architects Tom Kundig FAIA, Bob Hull FAIA, Annie Han, Prentis Hale and Roy McMakin discuss the value of craft and design in theory and in practice.
This film was created by studio/216.
Steven Holl awarded 2012 AIA Gold Medal
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Board of Directors has awarded Steven Holl, FAIA with the annual AIA Gold Medal. The Gold Medal represents the highest award an architect may receive, honoring their “humanist approach to formal experimentation.” The world renowned architect and Columbia University professor continues to inspire and influence the practice and theory of architecture.
In a recommendation letter, Harry Cobb, FAIA, of Pei Cobb Freed stated, “What, in my view, especially commends him as a candidate for the Gold Medal is his brilliantly demonstrated capacity to join his refined design sensibility to a rigorously exploratory theoretical project.”
The AIA highlighted two of Holl’s projects – Linked Hybrid in Beijing and Vanke Center in Shenzhen – stating they are “emblematic of his approach to architecture and his innovative method of design inquiry.”
“I am grateful, I am still beginning and I consider this award shared with all my collaborators. I feel this award is a positive advocacy to make theoretical explorations and experimental works. I was on the way to my final review at Columbia University when I received the call from Washington D.C. and felt it connected to my teaching and efforts toward education. I remember John Hejduk’s statement that teaching is a social contract, and I remain committed to teaching.”
- Steven Holl, FAIA
The award will be presented at the AIA Convention in Washington D.C. in May, 2012.
You can watch our interview with Steven Holl and see his projects here.
Call for Submissions: 2012 AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Project Awards
The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) and its Top Ten Green Projects awards program recognize the benefits of sustainable design and acknowledge architects as leaders in the creation of environmentally responsible design solutions. Now in its 16th year, the program is one of the best known sustainable design recognition programs in the nation.All architects licensed in the United States are eligible to submit entries, regardless of project size, budget, style, building type, or location. New buildings and renovations/restorations are eligible. Projects must be built and completed after 2002 and at least three months prior to the submission deadline, which is January 23rd. More information on the call for submissions after the break.
AIAS FORUM 2011 To Be Held In Sunny Phoenix Arizona
The annual AIAS FORUM meeting for 2011 will take a break from the snow of the past two years (2009 Minnesota, 2010 Toronto) and be held in sunny downtown Phoenix, Arizona. FORUM is the annual meeting of the AIAS and the premier global gathering of architecture and design students. The conference provides students with the opportunity to learn about important issues facing architectural education and the profession, to meet students, educators, and professionals with common interests, and to interact with some of today’s leading architects through keynote addresses, tours, workshops and seminars, last years FORUM was attended by over 1,000 young and ambitious architecture students and AIAS members. This years Keynote Speakers will be Jeffrey Inaba, founder of C-Lab and former project manager with Rem Koolhaas and OMA, Brad Lancaster, author of www.harvestingrainwater.com, and University of Californa, San Diego architect and professor Teddy Cruz.
AIA Embraces Transparency in Design
Earlier this month, a Washington D.C District chapter opened their doors to the streets near Chinatown and the Penn Quarter. The office joined other East Coast chapters in the movement promoting visibility, transparency and sustainability in architecture.
“It’s a clear, simple and concise concept,” says Thomas Corrado, project architect with Hickok Cole, the Washington firm that created the design. “The idea was about how to make the space a connection between architecture and the person on the street.”
The design exposes the inner workings of the chapter, building curiosity and creating an opportunity for conversation to the pedestrians passing by.
Frank Gehry Turns to Asia as Development Slows in the U.S.
Star architect, Frank Gehry, attempts to survive the decline of U.S. growth by turning to Asia. The Architecture Billings Index illustrates the decreased demand for design serves in America by plunging from 51.4 in August to 46.9 in September. According to the American Institute of Architects, a score less than 50 indicates a decline in billings.
Continue reading for more detailed information.
New Commitments for Environmental Transparency
An increasing trend towards sustainable construction within the building industry has resulted in a steady stream of “green” products into the marketplace. It is not uncommon to see products labeled with numerous claims that are certified by previously unheard of governing bodies. Industry leaders recently gathered in Toronto at Greenbuild to focus on avenues to increase the transparency of such claims made in the marketplace, and develop an integrated information source to reduce confusion and increase reliability.
Some of the players that are beginning to influence the conversation include the US Green Building Council and the US Forest Service, both of whom are advocates for increased regulation and standardization of Environmental Product Declarations. Architecture 2030 has also introduced a new initiative aimed at the reduction of dependency of fossil fuels in the building life cycle, reductions in greenhouse gas embodies products, and an overall reduction in energy consumption to carbon-neutral by 2030. With the latest update to the AIA 2030 Commitment, these new initiatives mark an increasing awareness of the overall building life cycle costs and their impact on our environments.
Gehry Technologies to Transform the Building Industry through Technology
Update: The AIA has expressed their support for Gehry Technologies’ strategic alliance (reported last night on ArchDaily). “We applaud this enterprise by Gehry Technologies and the Board who are comprised of many AIA members because it is estimated that as much as 30% to as much as 50% of all time, money, materials and resources that go into a construction project do not add value to the final product,” said AIA President, Clark Manus, FAIA. “The AIA has long been advocating for tools such as Business Information Modeling and methodologies like Integrated Project Delivery that can help reduce the inefficiencies in construction projects. We are anxious to see the progress though this effort that will be beneficial for both the industry and clients.”
Today Frank Gehry, co-founder and chairman of Gehry Technologies (GT), announced plans to further his vision to ‘transform the building industry and the practice of design’. In an effort to redirect the profession back to solving both clients’ and communities’ problems Gehry has gathered together some of the world’s most prominent designers: David Childs, Massimo Colomban, Zaha Hadid, Greg Lynn, Laurie Olin, Wolf D. Prix, David Rockwell, Moshe Safdie, Matthias Schuler, Patrik Schumacher, Ben van Berkel, and Richard Saul Wurman to serve on Gehry Technologies’ board of advisors.
“I am dedicated to giving architects better control of the process so they can deliver the fruits of their imagination, which is what our clients expect. I have gathered a group of my friends together who believe in this mission as much as I do and who can help me find the solutions that will ultimately lead to better buildings throughout the world,” stated Gehry.
AIA 2030 Commitment
The AIA has recently updated its 2030 Commitment Reporting Tool, a tool that assists in providing firms a method to track the predicted energy use of their complete design portfolios. Since buildings are the largest contributor to the production of greenhouse gases and represent nearly half of the total annual production, this tool provides an avenue to address and exercise our responsibility in the creation of the built environment.
In order to increase the relevance and better suit the needs of firms, the AIA has expanded the toolset to include additional building types, additional code equivalents, distinctions between new construction/renovation and interior work, and a mixed use calculator.
AIA Emphatically Urges Looser Credit, Notes 30% Drop in Architectural Employment Since 2008
The AIA has issued a “comprehensive look yet at the built environment’s role in economic recovery, highlighting six specific policy steps that will generate jobs and help grow the American economy.” Coming on the eve of President Obama’s major jobs initiative, the report cites George Mason University economist Stephen J. Miller in arguing that every $1 million in new construction spending supports “28.5 full-time, year-round-equivalent jobs.”
Miller and the AIA blame tight credit markets blocking potential progress in this area. The publication, “The Built Environment’s Role in the Recovery,” is issued with this problem in mind. “We’re putting these recommendations forward now because it’s time for the Administration and Congress to get real about creating an environment in which people are willing to lend and borrow,” said AIA President Clark Manus, FAIA, quoted in a recent AIA press release. “When credit flows to worthy projects, it unleashes the job creation potential of the American economy.”
PRD 845 / Studio Ma
Architect: Studio Ma, Inc.
Design Team: Christiana Moss, Dan Hoffman, Christopher Alt, Robert Des Rosiers, Jonah Busick, Brad Pfahler
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Project Year: 2008
Project Area: 24,000SqFt
Project Cost: $3.5M
Contractor: UrbanEdge Builders
Client: Greenroof Development Company LLC
Civil Engineer: Evans, Kuhn & Associates
Structural Engineer: Rudow + Berry
Soil Consultant: Foree & Vann
Mechanical Engineer: Associated Mechanical Engineers
Electrical Engineer: Woodward Engineering
Landscape Architect: Levinson Studio
Photography: Michael Weschler Photography
AIA Consensus Construction Forecast Predicts Continued Decline, Followed by Modest Recovery
The AIA Consensus Construction Forecast predicts that spending for nonresidential and commercial construction will continue to decline before a modest recovery in 2012. The reason for the continued decline, of course, is due to the overall uneven economic recovery. The hesistency on the part of lenders to finance construction projects, the weak financial position of governments at all levels, and rising costs of key building material commodities all restrain the nonresidential and commercial construction sectors.
Overall, many sectors of the building industry are seeing a decline this year followed by a slight rebound. The nonresidential sector is projected to decline 5.6 percent this year and recover at 6.4 percent in 2012. The commercial sector will see a 6.5 percent decline this year and rebound approximately 12 percent next year. Manufacturing facilities will see a steep decline at almost 16 percent, with a rebound of 8 percent. While the stable institutional sector will see the least amount of decline at 3 percent and rebound at 4 percent.
With such a week recovery, most businesses and institutions are refraining from building new facilities. However, spending on renovations of existing facilities has remained strong. Unstable home prices, unusually severe weather conditions, rising energy costs, concern over growing debt, and the rising national unemployment rate (up from 8.8 percent in March to 9.2 percent in June) have made consumers extremely nervous. This also threatens international markets that have seen rapid growth in recent years.
For a more thorough breakdown of the AIA Consensus Construction Forecast refer to this chart by following this link: http://info.aia.org/aiarchitect/2011/charts/consensus-survey/july/july.html
[via AIA]
AIA Spearheads New Initiative to Revive Stalled Buildings
The American Institute of Architects is spearheading a new initiative aimed at reviving the numerous stalled projects across the country. Since a significant portion of the US economy is construction based – measuring $1 out every $9 of total GDP output – it is imperative to get the industry back on track in order to revive the economy. However, the current obstacle many developers are facing is the lack of lending available by the banking system.
One method that the AIA is implementing in order to circumvent the unwillingness of banks to invest in real estate is to harvest investment from pension funds, and construction consortiums. The AIA is currently compiling a database of stalled buildings that will serve as a menu for potential investors. Any new and innovative methods for jump-starting the design and construction industry will undoubtedly be welcomed, as a recent survey of 700 firms discovered that 63% have at least one stalled project with an average value of $50 million. The results from this pending investigation are expected within the next couple of months.
Photographs: wikimedia commons user: Navy2004
2011 CAE Educational Facility Design Awards
AIA recently made us aware of this year’s CAE Educational Facility Design Awards. The purpose of the design awards program is to identify trends and emerging ideas, honor excellence in planning and design, and disseminate knowledge about best practices in educational and community facilities. Check out the list of 13 after the break, including several of the firms we have previously featured.
