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YAF Connection January 2012 Issue - Scale in Architecture
Citation preview
CONNECTIONYOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM
CELEBRATING20
1991
2011
YEAR ANNIVERSARY
SCALE IN ARCHITECTUREAIA OHIO VALLEY REGION
AIA GULF STATES REGION
JANUARY 2012
VO
LU
ME T
EN
ISS
UE O
NE ISSUE 10.01
Disclaimer: This publication is created by Young Architect members of the American Institute of Architects. Views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors.
CONTENT
04 NEWSYAF News
Letters and Program Details for 20 Summit
06 EDITOR'S NOTEScale in ArchitectureDeepika Padam, AIA shares her favorite projects from 201110 PERSPECTIVE
Un-Competition ProjectMarc Teer, AIA questions the value of design competitions as a business launching strategy 12 DESIGN
Bigelow ChapelSteven Dwyer, AIA shares the design process and client feedback for the project16 CONSTRUCTION
The Venture-Funded ProfessionWyatt Frantom, AIA shares the details of
DriDOCK and Galveston Green Build 22 BOOK REVIEWSuccess by Design by Jenn KennedyAlexander Lungershausen, AIA reviews the book about 25 California architects23 BOOK REVIEW
Success by Design by Jenn KennedyBrock Martinson offers his review of the book
about 25 California architects
25 DESIGNCape Russell RetreatBrandon Frazier Pace, AIA talks of a project set in a densely wooded setting close to water
34 DESIGNL.B. Landry High SchoolAmanda Rivera, AIA and Jenny Pelc, AIA share their experience working on a tight schedule
30 DESIGNCoahoma County Higher Education Ctr.
Brett Cupples, AIA talks of a project that had to work around an 'imposing' historical mansion
44 DESIGNGreen Forest Middle SchoolChris Baribeau, AIA shares the story of a school that preserved a campus' existing green space
38 DESIGNHongqiao International Medical City
Brent Hughes, AIA talks of a master planning design competition leading to a real project
48 DESIGNMemphis Veterinary Specialists Facility
Matt Seltzer, AIA shares the story of working with a client with a pre-conceived project plan
FEATURING GULF STATES REGION
YAF 20 SUMMIT
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fig. 8a - INSTALL WALL PANELS fig. 8b - INSTALL ROOF AND EAVE PANELS
5.1 INSTALL WOOD FORMWORK AND PERIMETER BRACING
6.1 POUR CONCRETE OVER POLYSTYRENE BLOCK FORMWORK6.2 REMOVE WOOD FORMWORK AND RE-USE
5
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6.3.2 - PERIMETER SECTION
PAN
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SIDE PORCH WIDE PORCH
▼ 2 Bedroom, 1 Bath, 824 Square Feet
▼ 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1111 Square Feet
▼ 4 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1398 Square Feet
▼ 2 Bedroom, 1 Bath, 816 Square Feet
▼ 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1107 Square Feet
▼ 4 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1344 Square Feet
fig 5.1.1CUT-AWAY PILING:Footing Sleeve w/ Insulated Formwork and Reinforcing
▼
3SCAFFOLDING CAN BE LEASED FOR USE IN SINGLE UNIT PRODUCTION OR PURCHASED FOR RE-USE IN MULTIPLE UNITS, AMORTIZING THE COST OVER VOLUME
WOOD FORMWORK CAN BE RE-USED AS PERMANENT WALL BACKING WHERE APPLICABLE AND/OR UP-CYCLED AS A FINISH MATERIAL IN THE UNIT
WOOD FORMWORK
POURED, REINFORCED ELEVATED CONCRETE SLAB, DIAMOND POLISH FINISH
GALVESTON BUILD
GREEN
fig 6.1.1CUT-AWAY PILING: Reinforced Concrete Footing
▼
5 1/2” TRANSCON STRUCTURAL INSULATED WALL PANEL
POURED CONCRETE
11” EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE, R-55
3 1/2” TRANSCONPANEL, R-16
SCHEDULED SIDING1/2” X 6” STUDS
WOOD FORMWORK REMAINS AS PERMANENT PANEL BACKING AT WALLS
POROUS DRAINAGE MEMBRANE
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FOAM / STEEL DAM INSERTED IN PILINGS TO STOP CONCRETE FLOW
Shaded “TAB” indicates depth of Wall Panel “Docking” to Foundation▼
The driDOCK elevated foundation system, much like the structural underbody of your automobile, serves as a chassis for a variety of potential architectural “makes and models”; literally providing the foundation for flexible floor plans and a design customized to your preferences.
THE STRUCTURAL INSULATED PANELS ARE INHERENTLY LIGHT-WEIGHT AND SIZED IN ORDER TO BE MANAGED BY ONE PERSON
ONCE SEATED IN THE WALL TRACK, THE PANELS ARE MANUALLY HOISTED TO VERTICAL AND ANCHORED WITHIN THE SLAB-TO-SILL “DOCKING” DEPTH
THE PANELS ARE THEN JOINED IN PLANE BY A TOP-TRACK FASTENING
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53 EVENTAIA OVR Unconvention 2011Brian McAlexander, Assoc. AIA and Gregory Spon Assoc. AIA share details of sessions at this event for emerging professionals
56 LEADERSHIPReflecting on 2011
Adam Palmer, AIA reports on the outcomes of YAF under his Chairmanship in 2011 59 LEADERSHIP
2012 YAF Advisory CommitteeMeet the leaders of Young Architects Forum at the AIA national level62 LEADERSHIP
Looking Ahead at 2012The incoming Chair, Jennifer Workman, AIA
shares her story and YAF plans for the year 64 LEADERSHIPYAF Communications Advisory GroupMeet the 2012 advisors for YAF publications
65 LEADERSHIPYAF Communications Sub-Committee
Meet the editorial team of YAF and apply for open positions for 2012
FEATURING OHIO VALLEY REGION
Map Showing Locations of Article Contibutors for this Issue. US Map Source: www.cardhouse.com
News
STAY CONNECTEDYAF at AIAYAF's Home webpage. www.aia.org/yaf
AIA ArchiblogThis blog provides YAF-related news in real time. Get involved in the discussion! www.blog.aia.org/yaf
YAF KnowledgeNetA knowledge resource for awards, announcements, podcasts, blogs, and valuable articles. The archives of YAF Connection and the Young Architect Award winners' entries... This resource has it all!www.network.aia.org/AIA/YoungArchitectsForum
Architect’s Knowledge ResourceThe Architect's Knowledge Resource connects AIA members and others to the most current information on architecture, including research, best practices, product reviews, ratings, image banks, trends, and more. It's your place to find solutions, share your expertise, and connnect with colleagues. www.aia.org/akr
YAF on LinkedInStay connected with the YAF leadership and all the young architects you meet at the convention, and get involved in group discussions.www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=2066423
YAF on TwitterFollow YAF on Twitter @AIAYAF
YAF on FacebookBecome a Fan of AIA Young Architects Forum on Facebook.
Know Someone Who’s Not Getting The YAF Connection?Don’t let them be out of the loop any longer. It’s easy for AIA members to sign up. Update your AIA member profile and add the Young Architects Forum under “Your Knowledge Communities.”
• Go to www.aia.org and sign in.• Click on “For Members” link next to the AIA logo on top.• Click on “Edit your personal information” on the left side
under AIA members tab.• Click “Your knowledge communities” under Your Account
on the left• Add YAF.
CALL FOR ARTICLESWould you like to submit articles for inclusion in an upcoming issue?Contact the editor at [email protected].
AIA AMENDS CE REQUIREMENTSThe American Institute of Architects (AIA) has amended its continuing education membership requirement to incorporate 12 hours of health, safety, and welfare (HSW) continuing education hours (CEHs). For details read Resolution 2011-01 at www.ncarb.org.
LETTERSReader comments from the University of Houston graduates from 2008 to 2011 with ages between 22 and 32 for the November issue of YAF Connection themed Collaborations.
I think it would be great to get it (Connection) online in more of a blog format that integrates with Facebook and Twitter. The articles would be searchable and it would be a more sustainable approach that would spread to a broader audience. Perhaps you could develop a YAF page through Architizer. ENYA (Emerging New York Architects) has an Architizer page started but they could do more with it:http://w w w.architizer.com/en_us/firms/view/emerging‐new‐york‐architects/2266/. A Facebook page would also be great if there is not one in place already. Articles and information could be released on a consistent basis that would strike the News Feed. We live in an age now where snippets of information are more enticing than publications. The bleak but honest reality of today's bloggy youth! I find most of (the above) comments to be true. However, I like physically holding pamphlets, newsletters, etc. I find that I soak up more information from a newsletter when its in my hand rather than on a computer. It's so much easier to scroll down on a page than flip through a book, so I will ignore less and read more if it's 3D. With that said, I say keep the hardcopy newsletter. I like everything about this publication, but I find it to be long. But this may be based on the number of times a year its published? There seems to be a lot of featured articles/articles of interest and each of them seem long themselves. I personally tend to read an article if its shorter and has pictures as I am stimulated visually and usually skip articles that have no pictures unless I find the title to be of great interest. I may be only of a select few that does this. I find news coverage and event coverage and facts and figures more useful to me than opinionated articles.
I completely agree with a more blog‐like interaction approach. I tend to take in lots of information from various sources at singular moments via RSS or similar feeds. Taking the time to sit through an entire publication is a bit daunting.
I am also not sure of the identity of the organization. I have a hard time understanding the approach to the word "Young". I see some graphics. Some articles aiming towards a younger crowd. But most images are terribly uninteresting and have an overly AIA feel. Not in a good way. Lots of old white guys in these pictures. Lots of pictures of people over 50. And those under are dressing like bankers! ties??? Where are the hipsters? Where are the H&M shoppers? The image on pg15 is a great example. Old white men talking. Young interns glued to their monitors. Empty memories of caffeine on the desk. How does this image help attract the audience? Why are the people writing from
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YAF 20 SUMMITAt the AIA Grassroots Conference of 2012, YAF will host the YAF 20 Summit to commemorate the 20 year anniversary and to set the goals for the upcoming years. The participants will include invited COF and AIA members, Young Architect Regional Directors, and YAF Advisory Committee (AdCom). Complete the survey leading up to the summit and you might win a trip to join the Summit in Washington DC! See details on page 20.
Brief SummaryThis year the Young Architects Forum celebrates 20-years of serving Emerging Professionals at the development stages of their careers. In recognition of this milestone, leaders from all levels of the Architectural profession will gather for the YAF20 Summit to examine issues effecting young Architects today. Join us at Grassroots Conference for an interactive presentation detailing the outcomes identified during the YAF20 Summit. Nurturing Emerging Professionals is key to the long term future of the profession. Learn strategies for communicating and engaging Emerging Professionals in your component.
Learning Objectives1. Identify the importance of support for Emerging Professionals and how local components have developed programs to provide this support.2. Learn about successful programs being implemented around the country to strengthen and support Emerging Professionals as they establish themselves in their careers.3. Compare and contrast how Emerging Professionals view the challenges for the future.4. Discover how to communicate and engage with Emerging Professionals in your component.
Full Program Abstract“Young Architects” are defined as those licensed ten years or
less. This demographic consists of more than 40% of all licensed, AIA members. This year the YAF celebrates its 20th anniversary.
In recognition of this milestone, the YAF Advisory Committee has organized the YAF 20 Summit, a Grassroots preconference session, to bring together leaders from all levels of the Architectural profession to reflect, learn and celebrate from 20 years of achievements of the YAF. The Summit will serve as a forum for attendees to engage in a dialogue about issues facing young Architects and the future of the profession. Some of the top issues include: mentoring, leadership, career advancement, work/life balance, public awareness and relevance of licensed Architects, collaboration and integrated practice, and the long term effects of the poor economy.
Our proposed Grassroots session will feature select YAF leaders who participated in the YAF 20 Summit. We will outline the top issues affecting young Architects and other key outcomes from the Summit. The presenters will then discuss best practices for support of young Architects and other Emerging Professionals. We will also provide examples of programming and strategies for communicating and engaging Emerging Professionals at the local components. The dialog will continue with an interactive discussion between a moderator, presenters, and the audience.
Indiana, Louisiana, and South Carolina? Where's NYC, LA, Boston, and Portland? Perhaps they are targeting the "heartland" of America, but there are more obvious places that have a good young market. And why are they founders of companies or people with 16 years of experience? I'm just not sure if this justifies the "young." And the articles don't have to be 100% about direct architecture. What about the latest ipad/phone app that's useful to the field? There's tons of interests that we all share. Tap into that. Break that AIA mold. Overall I'd say it is interesting. Unfortunately, there are other journals that grab my limited attention a bit better. Couldn’t have said it better… Well, as you said the term young needs to be redefined, also architecture. I feel that for our generation the career path is a bit broader than in the past. I have friends who have 2 or so years of experience [of course paired with an awesome education] and already have their own firms in NYC, struggling but doing really interesting stuff. That’s pretty young to me. Also, another question would be: is this publication addressing the Houston market, or does it attempt to be more comprehensive… I think everyone's idea of having this in a blog format would be beneficial. I can tell you that it will take a long time before I get around to reading an attachment like this, but if I can subscribe to it in Google Reader, I'll at least peruse it every day.
Send your letters to the editor at [email protected].
THEMES FOR 2012 YAF CONNECTIONIssue 10.01 January Scale in ArchitectureIssue 10.02 March Imagery in ArchitectureIssue 10.03 May Design ExpressionIssue 10.04 July Neighborhood ArchitectureIssue 10.05 September TravelIssue 10.06 November Green Building
2011 AIA YOUNG ARCHITECTS AWARD BOOK AVAILABLE TO PURCHASEYAF has published a book as a compilation of the work and achievements of this year's AIA Young Architects Award winners. To order your copy, visit lulu.com and search "AIA 2011 Young Architects Award", or go to this link:www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/aia-2011-young-architects-award/10503669
By Deepika Padam, AIA
Deepika Padam, AIA, LEED AP bd+c is the Communications Advisor for the National AIA Young Architects Forum. Brought up in India and a graduate of University of Michigan, she is a Senior Designer and Project Manager with Heller Manus Architects based in San Francisco, California.
WHAT HAS CAUGHT your attention lately? With information
overload from journals, books, blogs and social media, it can
get challenging to filter objects of our interest. It gets easier
when something catches your eye, jumps out at you. Personal
preferences and subjectivity of design cause the variation in what
one might find to be ‘successful’ architecture. The question of
purpose of architecture, and how the buildings serve the people
and communities eventually drive the success as we delve deeper
into the varied approaches to design and construction. But there is
something to be said of that one moment when something jumps
at you as an outstanding project, a force that begs your attention
following that love at first sight.
I fall in love almost every day. I am sure a lot of us do without
always realizing it. Our “type” may be different, but we are all lovers
of architecture for sticking to the profession through thick and thin.
What defines your type? Do you have a type? Does size really matter?
As we pose the question of what catches one’s attention, the
scale of projects may range from cities, urban parks, central business
districts, high rises, mixed-use complexes, corporate or commercial
buildings, and residential neighborhoods to single family homes. I
shuffled through the recent history of my blog in pursuit of what
caught my eye in the year 2011. I was surprised to see a pattern in
the scale of the projects that intrigued me. They are little jewels,
either set within nature or have a strong tie with landscape whence
it is difficult to define whether they are interventions, architecture
or landscape architecture. My words may not do the justice, so to
be concise I will get right into my favorite projects from 2011 and
urge you to check them out. You might find yourself as much in love
as me!
Editor's NoteSCALE IN ARCHITECTURE
Roadside Reststop Akkarvikodden
Lofoten, Norway
By Manthey Kula Architects
(via designboom.com)
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Waldseilgarten Mountain Resort
Pfronten, Bavaria in Germany
(via gizmag.com)
Dovecote Studio
Snape, Suffolk, England
By Haworth Tompkins
(via designrulz.com)
Ornithological Observatory
Logroño, Spain
By Manuel Fonseca Gallego
(via landezine.com)
Banyan Drive Treehouse
Los Angeles, CA
By Rockefeller Partners Architects
(via architecture4us.com)
Marilyn Moyer Meditation Chapel
Portland, OR
By EVA Architecture
(via evapdx.com)
Sunken Pedestrian Bridge
Netherlands
By RO & AD Architects
(via inhabitat.com)
Seljord Lookout Points
Bjørgeøyan, Seljord, Norway
By Rintala Eggertsson Architects
(via architizer.com)
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Banyan Drive Treehouse
Los Angeles, CA
By Rockefeller Partners Architects
(via architecture4us.com)
Seljord Lookout Points
Bjørgeøyan, Seljord, Norway
By Rintala Eggertsson Architects
(via architizer.com)
Rollercoaster
Beijing, China
By Interval Architects
(via architizer.com)
National Museum of the Marine Corps
Quantico, Virginia
By Fentress Architects
(via archdaily.com)
and designers all across the globe still want to go out on their own and
see their work realized. For so many of them, there are very few ways
to get that first project, and frankly most young architects’ only idea
for how to launch a practice is to win a design competition. I agree
with Charles Holland who recently wrote a popular blog post stating
that competitions are “massively wasteful of your time and resources.”
(Fantastic Journal, September 1, 2010, Charles Holland, “Dear Other
Architects.” http://fantasticjournal.blogspot.com/2010/09/dear-other-
architects.html) Perhaps even more troublesome is the vacuum that
they create for the designer. Competitions create an environment
that is completely independent of the (wonderfully useful) messy
constraints of making real architecture, and they rarely offer the
designer any accountability for defining the design problem.
Instead of pursuing design competitions, architects should be mining their own communities for design problems, getting to know their local leaders, and growing a real practice- with work constrained only by their imagination and their abilities to navigate the realities of realizing work.
This approach doesn’t only pertain to prospective young
practices. In fact more and more, I’ve realized that some of the
architects and practices that I admire most have done just this to
establish, grow or sustain their own practices. They don’t just sit
around waiting for the phone to ring. Instead, they are hustling-
dreaming up new projects and not taking NO for an answer.
For example, I recently heard a story about Tadao Ando who
tried to convince the mayor of Osaka to build an underground civic
center that he had dreamt up- he and his staff would show up at
the mayor’s office every week unannounced, trying to convince
the mayor to build it. Similarly, in June, Architect ran an article on
BIG that included a description of a mixed-use project that they
invented and then pitched to the newly elected mayor to try to get
it built. (Mark Lamster, “Up, up and away,” Architect Magazine, June
20, 2011. http://www.architectmagazine.com/architects/up-up-and-
away.aspx) And in the early 90’s Rem Koolhas toured the country
to promote his SMLXL book, noting that at the time there wasn’t
enough work to support their firm, so they developed the book to
By Marc Teer, AIA
Marc is an architect at Gensler in Chicago, an Assistant Adjunct Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Founder of Black Spectacles- the world’s first online library of software courses designed exclusively for architects.
PerspectiveU N - C O M P E T I T I O N
PROJECT: How to Start a Firm
How to Start a Firm in our Generation’s Worst Economic Climate:
The Un-Competition Project
THERE IS A fantasy that is perpetuated as we come out of
school that suggests it is admirable, noble and possible to launch
a practice by winning design competitions. Many young architects
and designers admire this direction because some of our most
highly celebrated architects have pursued this precise path- only to
realize their work much later in their career.
This is backwards. Architects should instead start out by going into their own communities, searching for design problems to solve, and offering their solutions.
After up to six years in school and tens of thousands of dollars,
architects are really well trained at identifying problems through
their ability to think critically, and we are really good at coming up
with compelling solutions to these problems. But the purpose of
these skills is usually not for discovering design projects; instead
they are intended for working within a pre-defined project. There
are two important opportunities that are missed when we assume
that these highly trained eyes are only for solving design problems.
First, our communities lose out. If the only people looking for
design problems to solve in our communities are developers or
governmental organizations- our communities are losing out. So
often, the project and all of its opportunities come to the architect
in a nice box with a note on it saying, “please make this box pretty.”
Most if not all of the opportunities to redefine/re-characterize the
project are gone. The truth is that identifying and defining a design
project is just as much of a design exercise as solving the design
project itself. Yet business and financial people are the ones who are
out looking for “design opportunities,” and they rarely have design-
minded folks helping them search. If instead, architects are out in
their communities identifying design problems that need solving,
then we can have a much more profound impact on the built
environment.
Secondly, architects lose out. Everyone knows its hard to run
a practice these days, not to mention start one, but architects
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http://www.blackspectacles.com/?p=847
keep their firm afloat. It is this design-entrepreneurship that is
inspiring yet rarely talked about in our profession.
So with the help and support of the Chicago Architectural
Club, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and AIA Chicago, I
developed and launched The Un-Competition Project to shine a
light on design entrepreneurs across the globe. It asks designers
who have gone out into their communities, identified a design
problem, solved it, and figured out how to get it built to create a short
documentary of their project. These projects will be considered by
an international jury that includes architects and designers who
have founded their own firms: Gregg Pasquarelli (Shop Architects),
Mark Sexton (Krueck & Sexton), Mark Schendel (Studio Gang), Julie
Hacker (Stuart Cohen & Julie Hacker Architects), and Karla Sierralta &
Brian Strawn (Strawn.Sierralta). It also includes Behance co-founder
Matias Coreo, IDEO Senior Designer Lawrence Abrahamson, and
Cristiano Ceccato (Zaha Hadid Architects).
Entries to The Un-Competition Project do not take the
traditional form of physical or digital presentation boards, but are
required to be two-minute video documentaries that are then
posted to Black Spectacles’ Facebook page. The intent is to create
a collection of stories celebrating design entrepreneurship that can
be shared among members of the design community and that will
provide inspiration and mentorship for architects and designers of
all ages.
Following the Un-Competition Project, the Chicago
Architectural Club (CAC) is developing an event called “Build On:
Inspiration and Knowledge for Making Entrepreneurial Ideas
Happen.” The event will feature a description and announcement of
the winners of the Un-Competition Project and as the centerpiece,
the CAC will solicit members of the design community to bring their
un-realized entrepreneurial ideas to the event for feedback and
discussion with the jury and audience, with the hope of inspiring
and enabling members of the architectural and design community
to make their ideas happen.
In many ways The Un-Competition Project and Build On, are about celebrating architects and designers who are doing more than coming up with great ideas; they are acting upon them. Like Behance co-founder Scott Belsky writes, “Ideas
are worthless if you can’t make them happen.” (Scott Belsky, Making
Ideas Happen (London, Penguin, 2010), 8.) We need to change the
mentality that architects should be honing their design skills in the
vacuum of ideas competitions. Instead, we need to get out into
our communities and take action on our ideas- and as Bruce Mau
recently put it- “get in the game.” (Bruce Mau, “You Can do Better,”
Architect Magazine, January 3, 2011. http://www.architectmagazine.
com/architects/you-can-do-better.aspx)
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By Steven R. Dwyer, AIA
Steven Dwyer, AIA, LEED AP is an Associate Vice-President at Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc. (HGA) and practices as a Senior Project Designer focusing on work in arts, community and education. He has been an active member of AIA Minnesota’s Committee on Design and AIA MN's Architecture Minnesota.
DesignB IGELOW CHAPEL :Un i t ed Theo logy Sem inary o f t he Tw in C i t i es
medieval cathedrals. Furthermore, we studied modern buildings for
insight, such as the beautiful use of light in Steven Holl’s Chapel of
St. Ignatius at Seattle University, among other spaces.
Thinking beyond strictly Christian architectural solutions, the team sought to create a sense of spirituality through a trinity of qualities: intimacy, warmth, and light. We began to give structural forms to these three qualities through
Building Information modeling. As with every project, we began our
design process in three dimensions, studying scale, context and form
through a series of models that become progressively more detailed
as the design evolved. “Part of the process was to understand how
forms, shapes and massing related to the surrounding 1960s brick
buildings,” Joan says. Once we developed an exterior language
that worked with the campus, we moved to an interior exploration
through models to create a sense of intimacy and spirituality.
Early interior models suggested wrapping the sanctuary in
straight-edged wood panels to create an intimate scale. In further
modeling, the panels evolved into six curving forms that stretch up
and down the sanctuary’s interior glass curtain wall on the west side,
across the ceiling and then to the other side. The curving panels
intimated a warmer interior character that helped diffuse light.
From modeling, we moved into a research and development
phase with John Cook, who articulated how the building was
constructed. The wood panels, for instance, involved intensive
technical finesse to convert to reality. A single big-leaf maple log
from the Pacific Northwest provided the primary source. After
researching the technical expertise of different mills, the team first
shipped the log to a German mill where it was peeled and sliced into
1/32-inch-thick veneer strips. From there, the log went to another
mill in Indiana, where the strips were glued together. Finally, the
team worked with a Minnesota-based millwork company to laminate
the strips within a sandwich of 1/8-inch-thick acrylic to protect the
wood from degradation. Exterior material also involved extensive
research and development. Soranno wanted the look of Italian
stone, but knew the actual material would be costly. Instead, we
ordered 50 Italian stone pieces as samples for a prototype material.
THE BIGELOW CHAPEL answers the client’s request for spiritual
space that could serve all faiths on this multi-denominational
campus. Clad in textured stone and infused with warm interior light,
the chapel has become the architectural focus of an unassuming
campus that lacked a separate chapel throughout its history. In
addition to offering a spiritual sanctuary for students and faculty,
the chapel has reached out to the larger community as a “spiritual
invitation to worship,” according to the client’s request.
Since its founding 44 years ago, the Theological Seminary of
the Twin Cities had occupied simple brick buildings on its small
suburban Minneapolis campus. A classroom building, library,
administration building and dormitory comprised the facilities
for 225students representing a diversity of faiths. The seminary
utilized a multipurpose room as its improvised chapel. When
a former student donated $1 million for a new worship space,
seminary president Wilson Yates initiated a fund-raising campaign
to complete a $3.1 million chapel that would add a new kind of
experience to campus. He asked for a flexible, “spiritual” space that
would be warm, intimate and accommodating to different worship
styles. “We wanted a chapel that would convey the transcendence,
mystery, and power of God,” Yates said.
The 5,300 SF, single-story building, which connects to an
existing classroom building on a $3.1 million budget, includes a
2,200 SF sanctuary with flexible seating, narthex, processional hall,
two gardens on the north and south end, a 42-foot bell tower and a
chaplain’s office/mechanical wing.
Under the design leadership of Joan Soranno we began the
Bigelow Chapel design process through Research Immersion.
We sought to learn everything possible about the client, context,
history, and culture. We spent time on the campus talking with
administrators, faculty, students, and community members. Our
team (Soranno and me) did extensive research on the seminary’s
primary affiliation, The United Church of Christ, as well as other
denominations represented on campus. We also looked for
inspiration in other churches. We paid close attention to how the
use of light and shadows created intimacy within the grandeur of
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They cast the samples into molds, and then developed additives and a color base to create 4,000 precast-concrete panels that resemble the
original stone’s warm textures and nuances.
Clad in custom precast panels, the chapel sits horizontally on its site. A 42-foot-high bell tower at the south end creates a vertical counterpoint
that meets the library’s height across a rolling lawn. A glass curtain wall, with a rhythmic pattern of vertical glass fins that recalls masonry fins on
existing buildings, defines the western façade.
Inside the sanctuary, the translucent maple panels radiate warmth while the curving wood frame wraps visitors in a gentle embrace to
create an intimate environment for reflection and prayer. The interior/exterior glass fins further diffuse light from the curtain wall and skylights,
introducing a weightless quality. A processional hall, open to the sanctuary, spans the building’s length along the eastern side. Light streaming
through clerestory windows further infuses the interior, while maple floors and quilted-maple ceiling panels reinforce the tranquil interior.
Because many visitors seek spiritual uplift in nature itself, we positioned two large windows within the sanctuary. A south window frames a
meditation garden and a single muscle-wood tree, while a north window frames a white oak tree. The lawn between the chapel and library serves
as a third garden.
“When guests walk through the chapel and suddenly get to the sanctuary, everyone becomes silent. They are truly touched or moved by the
space itself. Inevitably they say, ‘this is truly a holy space. I could worship in this space.’”—Wilson Yates, President, United Theological Seminary of
the Twin Cities.
YAFCONNECTION0 1 '1 2
All images by Paul Warchol. All renderings by Steven Dwyer.
CORN
ER O
UT-R
IGGE
R A
5 1/2” WALL PANEL TRACK LOCATION
(4) #10 DRILL POINT SHEETMETAL SCREWS THROUGH TRACK, CORNER OUT- RIGGER, AND INTO SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP.
1/2” x 6” STUDS, WELDED ALL AROUND
(6) #10 DRILL POINT SHEETMETAL SCREWS THROUGH CORNER OUT-RIGGER, TRACK AND INTO WALLSIP PANEL, TYP.
(8) #10 DRILL POINT SHEETMETALSCREWS THROUGH CORNER OUT-RIGGER, INTO SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL,TYP.
GALV. 14 GA BRAKE METAL
3 1/2” SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL
GALV. 11 GA GUSSETT, 3 1/2” X 3 1/2”, W/(3) 3/4” FILLET WELDS EACH LEG.
PANE
L OUT
-RIG
GER
5 1/2” WALL PANEL TRACK LOCATION
(4) #10 DRILL POINT SHEETMETAL SCREWS THROUGH TRACK, PANEL OUT-RIGGER, AND INTO SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP.
1/2” x 6” STUDS, WELDED ALL AROUND
(6) #10 DRILL POINT SHEETMETAL SCREWS THROUGH PANEL OUT-RIGGER, TRACK AND INTO WALLSIP PANEL, TYP.
(8) #10 DRILL POINT SHEETMETALSCREWS THROUGH PANEL OUT-RIGGER, INTO SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP.
GALV. 14 GA BRAKE METAL
3 1/2” SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL
CENT
RAL P
ANEL
SUP
PORT
(8) #10 DRILL POINT SHEETMETAL SCREWS THROUGH CENTRAL PANELSUPPORT, AND INTO SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP.
1/2” x 6” STUDS, WELDED ALL AROUND
JOINT BETWEEN (2) SUBFLOORPANELS
GALV. 14 GA BRAKE METAL
3 1/2” SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL
(8) #10 DRILL POINT SHEETMETAL SCREWS THROUGH CENTRAL PANELSUPPORT, AND INTO SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP.
CORN
ER O
UT-R
IGGE
R B
(3) #10 DRILL POINT SHEETMETAL SCREWS THROUGH CORNER OUT-RIGGER, AND INTO SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP.
(2) #10 DRILL POINT SHEETMETAL SCREWS THROUGH CORNER OUT-RIGGER, AND INTO SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP.
1/2” x 6” STUDS, WELDED ALL AROUND
(8) #10 DRILL POINT SHEETMETALSCREWS THROUGH CORNER OUT-RIGGER, INTO SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP.
GALV. 14 GA BRAKE METAL
3 1/2” SUBFLOOR SIP PANEL
4’-0” x 12’-0” Structural Insulated Panels, typical; as provided by Transcon Steel▼
PANEL TYPE P1, TYP
PANEL TYPE P2, TYP
4
1.1 DRIVE FIBERGLASS PILES1.2 LEVEL-CUT PILES
FOU
NDA
TIO
N
2.1 INSTALL LATERAL PILE TIES2.2 ERECT SCAFFOLDING FOR PANEL CENTER SUPPORT
SLAB
SU
PPO
RTS
SIP
BRID
GIN
GIN
SULA
TIO
N
4.1 INSTALL STRUCTURAL INSULATED WALL PANEL TRACKS4.2 PLACE CNC-CUT POLYSTYRENE INSULATED FORMWORK BLOCKS ON SIP SUB-FLOOR
fig. 3b - PANEL OUTRIGGER
fig. 3c - CENTRAL PANEL SUPPORT fig. 3d - CORNER OUTRIGGER B
fig. 3a - CORNER OUTRIGGER A
Foundation pilings for housing in marine and coastal conditions have traditionally been
composed of wood, steel, or concrete, but each of these materials prove ill-suited to the exposures
to moisture, saline, and other coastal conditions. For instance, wood pilings not only rot, but may
contain harmful preservatives that leach into the water; steel pilings corrode by rusting which
may also contaminate the water, harming the coastal ecologies unnecessarily. While reinforced
concrete is robust and provides the most enduring foundation, moisture can permeate through the
concrete to the internal rebar, causing corrosion, spalling the concrete away, and ultimately
deteriorating the structural integrity of the piling.
The driDOCK elevated foundation system, on the other hand, utilizes fiberglass pilings that
are resistant to mold, rot, rust, and fire; are impervious to insects, pests, and destructive
marine growth; do not corrode or leach harmful chemicals into the surroundings, so they are
environmentally friendly; and they not only last a lifetime, but are virtually maintenance-free.
A NEW CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM for GULF COAST RECOVERY HOUSING and SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY of the GALVESTON GREEN BUILD
3.2 BRIDGE SUB-FLOOR PANELS BWTEEN LATERAL TIES AND CENTER SCAFFOLD SUPPORT3.3 INSTALL WALL PANEL SUPPORTS AND OUTRIGGERS
1
2
3
SHOTGUN
▼ 2 Bedroom, 1 Bath, 864 Square Feet
▼ 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1106 Square Feet
▼ 4 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1394 Square Feet
24’-0” TYPICAL
Galveston Green Build :A New Paradigm in the Construction of Coastal
Housing
The Galveston Green Build is a new construction system for elevated Gulf Coast housing, in times of recovery and
otherwise.
Utilizing pre-fabricated construction technologies, means and methods, including
driDOCK ©, a proprietary elevated foundation system, the Galveston Green
Build project functions as a kit-of-parts that, combined with local resources, can provide
for efficient and economical construction of low-income housing … housing that can withstand the environmental conditions of
5 1/2” WALL PANEL TRACK LOCATION3 1/2” SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL1/2” x 6” MTL STUDS, WELDED-ALL-AROUND
GALV 11GA GUSSET, 3 1/2” x 3 1/2”, w/ (3) 3/4” FILLET WELD, EA LEG
(6) #10 DRILL-PT SHEETMTL SCREWS THRU CORNER OUTRIGGER, TRACK, AND INTO WALL SIP PANEL, TYP
GALV 14GA BRAKE MTL
(4) #10 DRILL-PT SHEETMTL SCREWS THRU CORNER OUTRIGGER, TRACK, AND INTO SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP
(8) #10 DRILL-PT SHEETMTL SCREWS THRU CORNER OUTRIGGER AND INTO SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP
1/2 x 6” STUDS, WELDED-ALL-AROUND
(4) #10 DRILL-PT SHEETMTL SCREWS THRU TRACK, PANEL OUTRIGGER, AND INTO SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP
5 1/2” WALL PANEL TRACK LOCATION
(6) #10 DRILL-PT SHEETMTL SCREWS THRU PANEL OUTRIGGER, TRACK, AND INTO WALL SIP PANEL, TYP
3 1/2” SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL
(8) #10 DRILL-PT SHEETMTL SCREWS THRU PANEL OUTRIGGER AND INTO SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP
GALV 14GA BRAKE MTL
1/2” x 6” STUDS, WELDED-ALL-AROUND
(8) #10 DRILL-PT SHEETMTL SCREWS THRU CENTRAL PANEL SUPPORT AND INTO SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP
JOINT BETWEEN (2) SUB-FLOOR PANELS
3 1/2” SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL
GALV 14GA BRAKE MTL
(8) #10 DRILL-PT SHEETMTL SCREWS THRU CENTRAL PANEL SUPPORT AND INTO SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP
1/2” x 6” STUDS, WELDED-ALL-AROUND
GALV 14GA BRAKE MTL
(8) #10 DRILL-PT SHEETMTL SCREWS THRU CORNER OUTRIGGER AND INTO SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP
(2) #10 DRILL-PT SHEETMTL SCREWS THRU CORNER OUTRIGGER AND INTO SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL, TYP
3 1/2” SUB-FLOOR SIP PANEL
PILING YOKE TIE TEMPORARY SCAFFOLDING
WOOD PILE TIES
STRUCTURAL INSULATED SUB-FLOOR PANEL
INSULATED FORMWORK BLOCKS
WALL PANEL TRACKS
3.1 INSTALL STRUCTURAL INSULATED SUB-FLOOR PANELS
The most ironic and most disheartening similarity between the Galveston hurricane of 1900 and the recent hurricane Ike is that the means and methods of constructing housing on the Island has changed very little during that century; even today, it remains largely assembled stick-by-stick.
University of HoustonGerald D. Hines College of ArchitectureGreen Bulding Components
ELEVATED FOUNDATION
driDOCK
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By Wyatt Frantom, AIA
Wyatt Frantom, AIA, LEED AP served as the 2010-11 Texas Regional Liaison of the AIA Young Architects Forum. Wyatt resides in West Hollywood and is an Architectural Designer with Gensler LA while independently pursuing Fabricated Modular Building Systems and Applied Research in Design.
ConstructionTHE VENTURE -FUNDED PROFESS ION
since before the ‘Machine Age’ (Theory and Design in the First
Machine Age, Reyner Banham). What may have first been put into
manifesto by Walter Gropius at his 1920s Bauhaus, was championed
by the likes of Charles and Ray Eames and Jean Prouve’, and has been
enthusiastically preached by most generations of architects since.
But architectural students of recent years have seen the promise of
bringing concept-to-market firsthand through their own purchase
of reasonably-priced, mass-produced home implements; from
colanders to garlic presses, orange zest graters to toilet brushes all
designed for ‘bigger’-box brand Target by architect Michael Graves.
Whatever the provocation in recent years, the premise of
‘Intellectualizing Property’ for the built environment has never been
more accepted as general rule by architects.
One of the more dramatically successful recent ventures is
the University of Houston Green Building Components (UHGBC),
an initiative within the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture.
The mission of the Green Building Components program is to design, develop, and commercialize green building components and systems across architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) Industries, thereby increasing the presence of sustainable technology in the built environment. Dramatic because, since its inception two short years ago, the
program has produced 20 market-ready products; a handful of
which are already on shelves.
As recipients of venture-capital and granted endowments,
more academic programs like the UHGBC are beginning to function
commercially, offering an ideation process unlike any that could be
found in the industrial sector by taking unique advantage of the
multi-disciplinary synergies within the University setting. At the
University of Houston, that includes the Colleges of Technology,
Engineering and Business; culminating in a process that folds
architecture into marketing, industrial design and mercantile
manufacturing into business management. Under the formative
leadership of Joe Meppelink, director of the UHGBC, the program
has been generously supported by the Houston Endowment, the
Meadows Foundation, as well as independent industries seeking a
CREATING MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ENGINES FOR INCUBATING NEXT
GENERATION SOLUTIONS
With world markets teetering towards potential penultimate
upset, world banks finding themselves ironically ‘bankrupt’, the
term ‘welfare state’ taking on new meaning as one country is
bailed-out and deficit-indebted to others, countries standing rife
with unemployment, and movements like the Tea Party, Occupy
Wall Street, and Arab Spring serving as evidence of the growing
unrest in many cultures and countries… Throw into that mix recent
(seemingly) globally-escalating natural disasters, and the Mayan
mythos of counting-down towards absolute Armageddon on
December 21, 2012 becomes ever more convincing.
Regardless of what one may believe, however, one cannot deny
that we do, in fact, live in difficult times and times that are made all
the more difficult by virtue of there being more of us living in them.
There are more than 7-billion human beings populating our planet;
and this alone increases our combined risk to the catastrophic
impacts of the natural disasters mentioned.
In these, among other ways, our mode of human living is
unsustainable. As they say, we are ‘living outside of our means’.
Yet, necessity truly is the mother of invention and in the
realm of the built environment, need is pushing architects to
engage in the world around us like never before. The increased
need for housing in general, not to mention disaster-relief and
low-income, is a dark reality of our profession today. The need for
habitation beyond lowest-common-denominator, code-stunted,
and thought-fixed shelters is spurring invention into new building
products, prompting innovation into fabrication technologies and
construction techniques … and ultimately providing real solutions
to those very real needs.
The University of Houston Green Building Components – Poised
to Re-Fabricate the Built Environment
It’s been eight short years since the publication of refabricating
ARCHITECTURE by Kieran-Timberlake, but then, the tenets of
democratizing good design has been the aspiration of architects
{ }
FORM
WO
RK
FIN
ISHE
D EL
EVAT
ED
FOU
NDA
TIO
N
SLAB
PO
UR
JUSTADD
WATER
fig. 8a - INSTALL WALL PANELS fig. 8b - INSTALL ROOF AND EAVE PANELS
5.1 INSTALL WOOD FORMWORK AND PERIMETER BRACING
6.1 POUR CONCRETE OVER POLYSTYRENE BLOCK FORMWORK6.2 REMOVE WOOD FORMWORK AND RE-USE
5
6
7
8
6.3.2 - PERIMETER SECTION
PAN
EL E
NCL
OSU
RE
3
SIDE PORCH WIDE PORCH
▼ 2 Bedroom, 1 Bath, 824 Square Feet
▼ 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1111 Square Feet
▼ 4 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1398 Square Feet
▼ 2 Bedroom, 1 Bath, 816 Square Feet
▼ 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1107 Square Feet
▼ 4 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1344 Square Feet
fig 5.1.1CUT-AWAY PILING:Footing Sleeve w/ Insulated Formwork and Reinforcing
▼
3SCAFFOLDING CAN BE LEASED FOR USE IN SINGLE UNIT PRODUCTION OR PURCHASED FOR RE-USE IN MULTIPLE UNITS, AMORTIZING THE COST OVER VOLUME
WOOD FORMWORK CAN BE RE-USED AS PERMANENT WALL BACKING WHERE APPLICABLE AND/OR UP-CYCLED AS A FINISH MATERIAL IN THE UNIT
WOOD FORMWORK
POURED, REINFORCED ELEVATED CONCRETE SLAB, DIAMOND POLISH FINISH
GALVESTON BUILD
GREEN
fig 6.1.1CUT-AWAY PILING: Reinforced Concrete Footing
▼
5 1/2” TRANSCON STRUCTURAL INSULATED WALL PANEL
POURED CONCRETE
11” EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE, R-55
3 1/2” TRANSCONPANEL, R-16
SCHEDULED SIDING1/2” X 6” STUDS
WOOD FORMWORK REMAINS AS PERMANENT PANEL BACKING AT WALLS
POROUS DRAINAGE MEMBRANE
12GA STEEL
10” O.D. FIBERGLASS PEARSON PILING
#3 REBAR
FOAM / STEEL DAM INSERTED IN PILINGS TO STOP CONCRETE FLOW
Shaded “TAB” indicates depth of Wall Panel “Docking” to Foundation▼
The driDOCK elevated foundation system, much like the structural underbody of your automobile, serves as a chassis for a variety of potential architectural “makes and models”; literally providing the foundation for flexible floor plans and a design customized to your preferences.
THE STRUCTURAL INSULATED PANELS ARE INHERENTLY LIGHT-WEIGHT AND SIZED IN ORDER TO BE MANAGED BY ONE PERSON
ONCE SEATED IN THE WALL TRACK, THE PANELS ARE MANUALLY HOISTED TO VERTICAL AND ANCHORED WITHIN THE SLAB-TO-SILL “DOCKING” DEPTH
THE PANELS ARE THEN JOINED IN PLANE BY A TOP-TRACK FASTENING
ELEVATED FOUNDATION
driD
OCK
©. A
ll Ri
ghts
Res
erve
d: U
HGBC
, The
Uni
vers
ity o
f Hou
ston
, Joe
Mep
pelin
k, W
yatt
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ntom
, Jua
n de
Leo
n.
YAFCONNECTION0 1 '1 2
19
almost 25-percent of the city’s population, died.
Hurricane Ike made landfall in the same month, September,
of 2008. While the Galveston Seawall protected the City from
storm wave attack, the Island was flooded by a storm surge that
is reported to have reached 20-feet in some areas. Any loss of life
would have been beyond measure, but more than 75-percent of
the structures in the community were damaged as a direct result of
the storm, leaving approximately 1,400 families displaced from their
homes and from their livelihoods; and resulting in more than 29,000
requests for Individual Assistance from FEMA to rebuild. Hurricane
Ike had become the third costliest storm to ever make landfall in the
United States.
Because of the extent of the damage, it had been estimated that
a substantial number of homes required total rehabilitation in order
to be livable and, in many other cases, were abandoned outright.
The City of Galveston’s adopted International Residential Code
required that any residential structure sustaining damages in excess
of 50-percent of the building’s pre-disaster improvement value must
be razed or replaced; what would be, if fully enforced, a harsh blow
to a city so defined by its historic and vernacular architecture.
The most ironic, and more so disheartening, similarity between
these two catastrophic storms is that the means and methodologies
for constructing housing on the Island had changed very little
during the period between them. And the housing, currently being
erected today, remains assembled largely as it was a century ago,
‘stick-by-stick’.
To apply DriDOCK©, just add water.
A year after Ike made landfall, in September of 2009, I joined the
UHGBC initiative as a research assistant professor; having formerly
served as a Design Studio Lecturer within the College and having
been invited to join the program by long-time friend and colleague,
and UHGBC Director, Joe Meppelink.
That year, our research team (comprised of myself, Joe
Meppelink, and student research assistant Juan de Leon) would
work jointly to develop a housing prototype for the nearby island
of Galveston, in the context of a city that had hardly yet begun to
rebuild in the aftermath of Ike.
The Galveston Green Build project would also be largely based
upon the research and development of prefabricated housing
systems that Joe and I had collaborated upon over the prior six-
years. Teaming up at times with other designers (Onezieme Mouton,
Adam Janusz), that prior work had been physically prototyped,
exhibited, published, and ultimately garnered several awards;
having been showcased in a number of home design iterations,
including the FRAMEwork© house and the dogTROT©, with patent-
pending building assembly components such as the SCREWjack©,
design-based approach to innovation through such a public-private
partnership.
These are partnerships that are becoming big business,
such as the awarding of a $1.35 million contract from the City of
Houston for 17-units of one such UHGBC product, The SPACE (an
acronym for ‘Solar Powered Adaptive Containers for Everyone’)
container. About a year-and-a-half ago, Meppelink’s research team
and industry collaborators (Metalab, Harvest Moon Development,
ttweak), responded to and won an RFQ from the City of Houston
for mobile solar generators for hurricane response. In the case of
those purchased by the City of Houston, the SPACE containers
will serve in the emergency relief and recovery efforts of natural
disasters. “The next time we have a big power outage like those
experienced during hurricane Ike,” states Meppelink, “the solar
powered containers will be deployed around the city to provide
off-grid, stable power for emergency medical supplies, emergency
equipment, communications and so on.”
“We view it as a mobile field office.” Meppelink adds, “ … with
3.5-kilowatt photovoltaic arrays and battery storage, the SPACE
containers are about two to two-and-a-half times more powerful
than any solar generator we’ve seen with a comparable footprint.”
And that’s the real invention of the SPACE container, an articulating
racking system that allows the solar array to fold flat to a 16-inch
profile on top of the container, allowing it to pass under freeway
bridge clearances. Given their portability, the SPACE containers
could be deployed by helicopter, crane-truck or a slide-off trailer
up-and-operating in 20 minutes. When not fulfilling their primary
function of relief and recovery, however, the SPACE containers serve
the purpose of supporting neighborhood centers, fire stations, city
parks and Houston’s school districts.
Products such as the SPACE container and other UHGBC
projects (see more at www.uhgbc.org) are not defaulting to a check-
the-box approach to developing and teaching sustainable design
but are developing the next generation of sustainable building
materials and components through solutions to real world issues.
And the student researchers participating in the projects are not only
learning what it means to bring a product-to-market or managing
intellectual property, but are more importantly recognizing that
engagement with the world-at-large is essential to truly provide for
its needs.
Galveston Green Build – A New Paradigm in the Construction of
Coastal Housing
In September of 1900, Galveston was in the eye of a hurricane
that is still considered the worst natural disaster in U.S. history when
measured by human loss of life. In one night, 8,000 people, what was
and destructive marine growth; and do not corrode or seep
harmful chemicals into the surroundings. The pilings are not
only environmentally friendly in this regard, but virtually last a
maintenance-free lifetime.
While a vernacular appearance was given to the Galveston
Green Build prototype home, purposefully so, the system’s
modularity allows each home to be customized with degrees of
variation in overall footprint, floor plan configuration, and of course
in their architectural treatment. Much like the structural underbody
of your automobile, the driDOCK© serves as a chassis for a variety
of potential architectural “makes and models”; literally providing the
foundation for a design customized to the owner’s preferences.
The Galveston Green Build project utilizing the driDOCK©
system has been permitted to construct a three-bedroom, two-bath,
1200 SF housing prototype in Galveston which will serve as both a
model home and community resource center for assisting residents
in obtaining one of these homes through the city and/or federal
relief efforts. As the recent benefactor of an independent land grant
on the Island, the Galveston Green Build is now actively meeting
with potential building partners in the effort towards realization.
So as we countdown through 2012 … I venture to say that we
will remain faced with similarly challenging economic tribulations
and tragic natural disasters to those experienced in recent years.
As other interpretations of the Mayan’s prophetic parables
suggest, a more optimistic turn of events may be predicted upon the
‘end date’ … one of enlightenment. If nothing else, that’s something
worth believing in.
CLIPlock©, and SMARTframe© among others.
What would be developed for the Galveston Green Build
initiative was a new construction system for elevated Gulf Coast
housing, in times of recovery and otherwise. The concept of
elevated coastal housing wasn’t itself a paradigm shift, but the
use of pre-fabricated construction technologies and means and
methods in that area was. The Galveston Green Build system, non-
traditionally, functions as a kit-of-parts that, combined with local
resources, can provide for efficient and economical construction
of low-income housingand housing that can withstand the distinct
environmental conditions of the Gulf Coast. But the real invention
of the ideation process was the driDOCK© system, a proprietary
elevated foundation system.
Foundation pilings for housing in marine and coastal conditions
have traditionally been composed of wood, steel, or concrete, but
each of these materials have proven ill-suited to the exposure of
moisture, saline, and other coastal conditions. For instance, wood
pilings not only rot, but may contain harmful preservatives that
leach into the water; steel pilings corrode by rusting which may
also contaminate the coast or water table within which it is placed,
harming the coastal ecologies unnecessarily. While reinforced
concrete is robust and provides the most enduring foundation,
moisture can with time permeate through the concrete to the
internal rebar, causing corrosion, spalling-away the concrete, and
ultimately deteriorating the structural integrity of the piling.
The driDOCK© elevated foundation system, on the other
hand, utilizes fiberglass piling assemblies that are resistant
to mold, rot, rust, and fire; are impervious to insects, pests,
YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM
HAVE SOMETHINGTO SAY?
WE’RE LISTENINGTAKE OUR SURVEY AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU REALLY THINK
Click here to complete the YAF survey for a chance to WIN A TRIPto join us at the YAF Summit in Washington DC on March 6 - 7!
YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM
HAVE SOMETHINGTO SAY?
WE’RE LISTENINGTAKE OUR SURVEY AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU REALLY THINK
Click here to complete the YAF survey for a chance to WIN A TRIPto join us at the YAF Summit in Washington DC on March 6 - 7!
YAFCONNECTION0 1 '1 2
21
By Alexander Lungershausen, AIA
As a Senior Associate, Alexander Lungershausen, AIA covers all architectural needs at THA Architecture from project architecture and special office research to the assembly of Specifications. He is based in Portland, OR.
Book Review“SUCCESS BY DES IGN”by Jenn Kennedy
coversheet promises.
This is one of those books you wished you had when you
started out in this profession. I would definitely recommend this
read to anyone who is playing with the idea of starting a practice
as it, beyond the aforementioned, also greatly alleviates the fears
of the unknowns of running “the” business. It will give you plenty
of inspiring encouragement to follow your heart and to develop a
business in this very competitive market.
Check out www.architectsuccess.com, for testimonials and
some teasers as well as a link to a YouTube compilation which offers
a great visual on three of the heroes of this great compilation.
JENN KENNEDY’S BOOK “Success by Design” is a collection of
conversations with 25 California architects. It is a successful attempt
to open the practice of architecture to an interested audience,
covering a lot of ground to bring the reader a taste of the breadth of
this profession. Personal images lead into the sections (Jenn is also
a photographer), followed by text and a couple of pages of great
and well-selected project imagery. Early career highlights show
key moments of each architect’s professional development and are
intermingled with personal memories of how most of them found
this art to be their true calling.
The reader will encounter architects that build in all sizes, from
residences to skyscrapers, and who developed their niches within
this wide profession ranging beyond building design from interior
design and specialized consulting to urban design. Each architect
offers unique advice on what it takes to grow your own business,
and it is interesting to read how many ways there are to start a
successful practice. In addition, the book offers creative advice on
how to weather the economic downturns typical for this profession,
as well as how to recession-proof your business locally and globally.
At times practitioners share why their offices failed and what their
biggest mistakes were. The bottom line, and this reappears often,
is that you need to get out there and make your own mistakes
firsthand.
The tone throughout all interviews is positive and encouraging,
which is great to see in a career where you can easily get lost. The
people depicted here clearly tried their best to realize personal
ability, which in the end has lead to success. More importantly,
however, this book shows that success and happiness can be found
in places often other than the pedestals of design leadership which
we were teased with during our education. The recurring message is
to truly look to identify who you really are, to accept your strengths,
and to market these; and there are many ways to do this.
If I had to offer constructive criticism it would be that, at
times, the sections read as a bit formulaic in the attempt to pack
too much information into the available space. I also think that
the content is much more interesting and engaging than the
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23
By Brock Martinson
Brock Martinson, LEED AP BD+C graduated from North Dakota State University with an M. Arch. and is a Project Manager for CSHQA Architects in Boise, Idaho.
Book Review“SUCCESS BY DES IGN”by Jenn Kennedy
Kennedy gives us several examples of firm leaders who have chosen
to focus their attention on design while trusting the expertise of
their staff or partners in regards to their firm’s finances and business
management. Kennedy also shows us examples of the opposite type
of firm in which the founding partner is a skilled businessperson but
recognizes the need to surround themselves with talented designers.
Kennedy is able to illustrate the importance of recognizing that each
of these components is necessary for a firm to be successful, but
both criteria don’t need to be met by the same person.
Kennedy also delves into the methods of acquiring work
that each firm employs, and again readers are presented with
a surprisingly consistent message. Community involvement,
networking, reputation, and doing quality work are all recurrent
themes that can be found in each profile. Kennedy is able to
demonstrate the shared traits of these successful firms, regardless of
the firm’s size or market focus.
Throughout the book, the diversity of firms and leaders that
are profiled is particularly interesting. Kennedy has pulled together
a collection of firms ranging in size from less than five people to
several thousand. By presenting examples across the full gamut of
firms and firm leaders, Kennedy allows readers see what the shared
experiences and approaches are that have led to each individual’s
ascent.
One weakness of the book is the length of each profile leaves
the reader wanting more. With only a handful of pages per architect,
there are many details that the reader does not get to experience.
However, Kennedy does do an excellent job of giving examples
of each firm’s work, both built and conceptual. This allows for an
enlightening glimpse of the quality of work produced by each firm
and revealed a great deal about their values and sensibilities.
While “Success by Design” is not intended to be a business
primer, it does offer valuable insight into the experience and
perspective of different firm leaders. Each profile paints a picture of
the struggles and successes that are inherent with firm ownership. It
is a compelling book that is able to share valuable lessons on how to
build and maintain success in a firm of any size.
“SUCCESS BY DESIGN, Revealing Profiles of California
Architects” by Jenn Kennedy is a refreshing look at twenty-five (25)
architects who have successfully built thriving practices over the
course of the last several decades by focusing on their values and
strengths during market ups and downs. In a time when so much of
what is reported regarding the profession of architecture is centered
on high unemployment and sagging markets, Kennedy gives us a
look at a group of architects who have pursued their passion and
succeeded. Throughout the book, Kennedy explores a range of
factors that have led to the success of the individuals profiled;
including the paths that each took to lead their firms, a discussion
of whether they possessed a business or a design focus, and a
wonderful presentation of diversity in age, gender, and experience
amongst the different firms.
Each profile begins with a description of the background and
influences of the architect being profiled. The range of backgrounds
presented illustrates there is no set path to leading a firm. For
example, Kennedy states that Art Gensler, the founder of the prolific
firm bearing his name, knew from age five that he would be an
architect and will own his practice. On the other hand, Kennedy
presents the story of Beverly Prior of Beverly Prior Architects, who
wasn’t immediately sold on architecture as a profession, but has
since built a successful practice of over twenty people. Kennedy
shows us that for the group of individuals profiled, starting their own
firm wasn’t necessarily their childhood dream or lifelong goal, but
in many cases grew out of recognizing market needs that weren’t
being fulfilled, or of a desire to design on their own terms. In each
case, regardless of what the motivation for starting their own firm,
the architects profiled emphasized the importance of focusing on
their strengths in building their practices. This is a tangible lesson
for anyone in today’s market considering starting a firm or trying to
move up the leadership ranks at an existing firm.
Kennedy’s method of interviewing each architect is clearly
consistent. The architects profiled have been able to build sustainable
practices by putting their energy into those activities that fit their
skills and hiring or partnering with others who complement them.
FeaturingA IA GULF STATES REG ION
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By Brandon Frazier Pace, AIA
Brandon Frazier Pace, AIA, LEED AP is a founding partner of Knoxville-based Sanders Pace Architecture. A graduate of University of Tennessee and Yale University, Brandon is an Adjunct Lecturer at Tennessee and has been a Teaching Fellow at Yale.
DesignCAPE RUSSELL RETREAT,Sharps Chapel, Tennessee
View of pavilion in early fall – the water is let down in the reservoir so it creates a rocky shoreline with water in the distance. Interior lighting spills through the openings within the cedar skin to give the pavilion a lantern effect. Image Credit: Jeffrey Jacobs Photography
PANELS TO BE SHOP FABRICATED, TYP.
TOP OF STEEL - +9’-9”
TOP OF STEEL - +1’-3”
2X6 BLEACHED SPRUCEROOF JOIST
RIPPED 2X6 BLEACHEDCEDAR BLOCKINGSUPPORTS ROOF JOIST
2X6 BLEACHED SPRUCECEILING JOIST
2X4 BLEACHED CEDARWALL PANEL MEMBER,TYP.
2X6 FLOOR JOIST
PATTERN CONTINUES
PATTERN CONTINUES
PANEL 1 PANEL 2 PANEL 3 PANEL 4
RIPPED 2X6 BLEACHEDCEDAR BLOCKING -ALIGN W/ INTERIORPANEL FACE
PANEL SYSTEM - DETAILSPANEL SYSTEM - INSTALLATION
TRANSVERSE SECTIONWEST ELEVATION
ROOFTOP MOUNTEDPHOTOVOLTAIC CELL
RAINWATER HARVESTINGCOLLECTION CISTERNBEYOND
LOCKABLE SYSTEMS, STORAGE, ANDAMENITIES UNIT
PANELS TO BE SHOP FABRICATED, TYP.
TOP OF STEEL - +9’-9”
TOP OF STEEL - +1’-3”
2X6 BLEACHED SPRUCEROOF JOIST
RIPPED 2X6 BLEACHEDCEDAR BLOCKINGSUPPORTS ROOF JOIST
2X6 BLEACHED SPRUCECEILING JOIST
2X4 BLEACHED CEDARWALL PANEL MEMBER,TYP.
2X6 FLOOR JOIST
PATTERN CONTINUES
PATTERN CONTINUES
PANEL 1 PANEL 2 PANEL 3 PANEL 4
RIPPED 2X6 BLEACHEDCEDAR BLOCKING -ALIGN W/ INTERIORPANEL FACE
PANEL SYSTEM - DETAILSPANEL SYSTEM - INSTALLATION
View from Water. Image Credit: Brandon Pace
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the appropriate systems that would satisfy both the client’s
functional requirements and our design goals. As these systems
were developed, cost related spreadsheets were routinely updated
and presented to our client in order to keep the project within
budget. In this way the value engineering process was absorbed
into the design phase. As the design progressed, the intimate
relationships formed between the design team and the construction
subcontractors, fabricators, and carpenters proved valuable as both
groups were able to communicate regarding possible construction
hurdles and collaborate to reach design solutions. This approach
helped to fulfill a goal of completing the construction of the project
within a 6 week timeline.
The finished pavilion consists of a lightweight 3x3 steel
frame fitted with steel tabs to accept wood framing members. A
concrete core drill was used to create pockets within the rocky soil
for concrete footings, thus keeping the site impact to a minimum.
The skin consists of a series of 1’x10’ cedar panels backed with insect
screen. For ease of construction, these panels were fabricated off
site and hung from the wood framing members that extend from
the steel frame. Smaller cedar members are inset and staggered
within full height members to give rigidity to the panels while still
allowing for cross ventilation and required flowage through the
structure in the event of flooding. These staggered panels lend a delicate pattern to the skin, camouflaging the pavilion within its densely wooded setting. Towards the water view, the cedar skin dissolves and becomes a series of screen panels allowing unobstructed views to the water and mountains beyond. A
single 8’x8’ sliding screen panel provides direct access to the water.
A butterfly roof directs captured rainwater to a 400 gallon cistern
located beside the structure, while an internal charcoal filter and
ultraviolet light treat the water for potable use. A single rooftop
mounted 125 watt photovoltaic cell feeds power to batteries
located within a secure storage locker. DC appliances and fixtures
are fed directly by the battery while an inverter located within the
storage locker allows for AC appliances such as a coffeemaker to be
plugged in.
As it turns out, the completion of this initial project led to the
continuation of the client’s original plan for the site. In 2010 we were
once again contacted by our client, this time for the design of the
house to be located on the same piece of property. Construction
began in the Fall of 2011 with an anticipated completion date of
Summer 2012.
Project Team:
Brandon F. Pace, AIA, LEED AP (Principal in Charge)
John L. Sanders, AIA, LEED AP
Michael A. Davis, LEED AP
IN 2008 A CLIENT (Suzanne Shelton and Corinne Nicolas)
approached Sanders Pace Architecture with an interesting request.
We had recently worked with the client on the conversion of a
vacant downtown warehouse building into the corporate offices
of her marketing group. She enlisted our help to assist her in
finding a lakefront piece of property for personal use. As the
home of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), east Tennessee
enjoys an abundance of beautiful lakefront property. The first
piece of property researched fulfilled an important requirement
that allowed the property owner to retain rights for development
of the shoreline. TVA typically retains ownership of the first 20 feet
of elevation along most of their shorelines. So when this piece of
property became available, the client made an offer hoping to soon
build a vacation cabin for her and her family. As the recession took
a grip on the economy soon after purchase, the plans for the house
were put on hold.
A few months later the client contacted us again. Although
she still wasn’t prepared to take on the house project, she wanted
to know if we would be interested in designing a structure at
the water’s edge, one which would serve as a staging area for
summertime activity. After careful research of TVA restrictions within
a flood flowage easement we began the design process. While the
restrictions described something more akin to a pre-manufactured
gazebo, both Sanders Pace and our client saw an opportunity to
do something more. Language within the restrictions limited the
size of the structure while flowage requirements limited the extent
of enclosure. Our initial concepts proposed a small structure open
on three sides with the fourth side serving to fulfill programmatic
requirements including a sink, refrigerator, and ample lockable
storage. As the president of a marketing group whose clients include some of the leading green energy and sustainable building groups in the world, our client saw this project as an opportunity to “practice what she preached.” She asked us to research systems which would allow the structure to function completely off the grid, with the capacity to collect and treat water while also collecting and storing the energy needed to power all systems and equipment within the structure. With
our goals now clearly defined we faced a significant challenge – how
to get a unique project like this built on a rural patch of land with
limited access on a relatively modest budget.
A small scale project with a high degree of complexity required
a unique approach to design and construction. As the design
progressed, fabricators and related consultants eventually became
extensions of the design team as we worked to resolve issues
related to materials and assemblies. Similarly, rainwater harvesting
and solar energy subcontractors worked with us closely to develop
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ROOF ASSEMBLY
KYNAR FINISH METAL ROOFING OVER 2X6 SPRUCE FRAMING RESTS UPON A STEEL TUBE FRAME. INTEGRATED GUTTER AND SCUPPER DIRECT WATER TO RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM. 1KW PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL ATTACHED TO ROOFTOP PROVIDES OFF-THE-GRID POWER TO THE STRUCTURE.
WALL ASSEMBLY
PERMEABLE 2X4 CEDAR SCREEN BACKED WITH INSECT SCREEN CREATES PRIVACY WHILE ALLOWING PASSIVE VENTILATION AND VIEWS TO THE SITE BEYOND.
FLOOR ASSEMBLY
5/4 IPE DECKING WITH PENIFIN FINISH OVER 2X8 STRUCTURAL JOISTS ATTACHED TO CLIPS WELDED TO STRUCTURAL STEEL FRAME.
STRUCTURAL STEEL FRAME
3” X 3” TUBE STEEL FRAME SET INTO SITE DRILLED AND CAST CONCRETE PIERS
RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM
400 GALLON CISTERN COLLECTS RAINWATER FUNNELLED FROM THE BUTTERFLY ROOF. WATER IS PUMPED AND TREATED WITH INTERNAL CARBON AND UV FILTERS FOR POTABLE USE.
SERVICE CORE CONTINUOUS WOOD COUNTER WITH BUILT-IN REFRIGERATOR AND SINK DOUBLES AS SLEEPING SURFACE. INTEGRATED STORAGE LOCKER CONCEALS PV BATTERIES AND PERSONAL ITEMS.
Approach from Land. Image Credit: Brandon Pace
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View from Water. Image Credit: Jeffrey Jacobs Photography
An approach view showing how it looks with the water at full elevation. the solid part is where the storage/kitchen module is located, it opens up on the two sides and the front. The adjacent land is owned by TVA so there will never be a construction project on the land you see beyond. Image Credit: Brandon Pace
Education Building. Image Credit: James Patterson
Courtyard. Image Credit: James Patterson
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The project consists of two phases for 14,800 square feet
of renovation and 12,700 square feet of new construction. With
a construction cost of $4.5 million phase one was completed in
2009. The existing campus at the edge of town had two disparate
buildings around an imposing historical mansion, formerly home to
the daughter of the city’s founder. The recently-renovated mansion,
which is both revered and loathed for its place in local cultural
history, sits on the highest point of the bluff. The two buildings to the
side and rear of the mansion, a classroom building and gymnasium
originally built for a catholic school, drop down two stories toward
the delta.
To start the project the two existing buildings were fully
evaluated. The classroom building’s foundation and structural
components had been compromised and it had to be replaced.
The gymnasium building, on the other hand, was stable with
no apparent structural deficiencies, but the envelope was to be
renovated to prepare for phase two interior renovations. Creating a
A NEW PROJECT filled with possibilities is every design
professional’s desire. When I was offered the position of project
manager and designer for the Coahoma County Higher Education
Center, I eagerly embraced the responsibility. Having several years
of experience I was ready for the challenge as team leader on a
complex project with multiple clients, complicated renovations
and new construction, on a site laced with historical overtones.
The Coahoma County Higher Education Center is a satellite
campus for special programs and non-traditional students located
in Clarksdale, Mississippi, a small Delta city known for its cultural
and musical heritage. The facility serves as a community and
educational center for the state of Mississippi with four users: Delta
State University, Coahoma community College, the city of Clarksdale
and Coahoma County. The complex meets the varied needs of all
four entities, by including a 150-seat conference center, classrooms,
distance learning facility, resource center, demonstration kitchen
and administrative offices.
By Brett G. Cupples, AIA
Brett G. Cupples, AIA is an Associate at Duvall Decker Architects in Jackson, Mississippi with 15 years experience leading institutional, educational, commercial and residential teams as manager and architect. He is symposium coordinator for Mississippi Celebrates Architecture 2012 for AIA Mississippi.
DesignCOAHOMA COUNTY H IGHER
EDUCAT ION CENTER , MS
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Mansion with Education Building Beyond. Image Credit: James Patterson
Finding qualified subcontractors also proved taxing for the
contractor. Some could not meet the quality standards and some
just walked away. A qualified mason was eventually identified to
complete the work. Additionally the first roofing Subcontractor
used most of the copper in unacceptable installations: poorly
folded material, incomplete flashing and joints and face-applied
anchors were evident throughout. These failures and deficient work
conditions were carefully identified by our team and detailed in field
reports. As a result, the contractor eventually hired a qualified roofer
and replaced 9000 pounds of copper. Though three hours away, we
visited the site often to protect the owner’s interest. The construction
was not completed on schedule, but we still continued frequent site
visits to ensure the project was constructed as designed.
Yet, not everything about the process was trying. As a young
architect, I was surprised to find myself in the position of a teacher
several times during the construction. We recognize in our firm that the architect is becoming the keeper of knowledge; the tradesman’s craft is learned on the job and passed down from one generation to the next, while an architect’s knowledge is mostly learned from reference material. If we don’t know, we can usually seek and find the answer. Because we are observing
a decline in the way that construction craft is passed down to today’s
tradesmen, we find ourselves in an interesting position of knowing
what should be, but not knowing exactly how to make it. Often
we empowered the subcontractors to advance their capabilities
by working with them to maintain a high level of expectation. In
almost every instance, that subcontractor’s craft and confidence in
his ability was elevated.
The result is a successful project where the owner’s expectations
are met or exceeded and the tradesmen can carry forward the pride
new campus that married well with the mansion’s historical context
was our challenge. For many reasons many new buildings that attempt to emulate the historical aesthetic fail to achieve the richness of the original structures. This tends to devalue the stature of the historical structure. Therefore we decided that the new building should be contrasted as a respectful frame for the mansion – a progressive intervention deferring to the mansion but with an equal internal integrity.
The client group was surprised by a contrasting design as
they had all assumed that any new building would resemble the
original. However, as we presented and developed the design the
client representatives became excited about the project’s planning
and future possibilities. Even though the new building designs are
modern, some became advocates for the project recognizing that
our planning enriched the site historical narrative. Though the
building components were simple, the local economy and the lack
of contractors, subcontractors and labor in the area made it difficult
to award a construction contract. Achieving a successful bid in the
poor Mississippi Delta economy required an extraordinary effort
on the part of the architect to find bidders. A committed general
contractor was ultimately identified although the difficulties of
building in this remote part of the state still presented challenges
throughout the project. The site was demanding for the contractor,
as the soil in this area is highly expansive clay which dictated the use
of reinforced concrete pilings and grade beams for the foundation.
The new foundation steps two stories up the bluff, so the grade
beams were constructed in stages. This work occurred during the
winter months and Mississippi’s winters are wet. The contractor
encountered many rainy days, which, coupled with the lack of
skilled labor, caused many delays in this phase of the project.
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of their achievement. The new classroom building that replaced
the compromised structure is aligned with the city grid to link the
campus with the community. The renovated and new buildings are
knit together with bridges and outdoor walkways that celebrate the
bluff and create a center courtyard. An amphitheater formed along
the bluff and between the existing and new buildings mirrors an
outdoor stage at the Blues Museum, which is located at the end of
a main city street directly across town. The new public courtyard
creates a performance and gathering space for the campus and
the city’s special festivals and events. In a landscape with very
little change of elevation, the project gives the bluff prominence.
The historic and new components of the campus come together
through careful site planning, complementary shapes and materials,
and engaging indoor and outdoor spaces. In 2011, the project received a Merit Award from the Mississippi Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and Honor Award from the Brick Industry Southeast Region.
Bridge Overlooks Courtyard with Views in Both Directions along Bluff. Image Credit: James Patterson
Conference Center with Mansion Beyond. Image Credit: James Patterson
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By Amanda Rivera, AIA and Jenny Pelc, AIA
Amanda Rivera, AIA, LEED AP and Jenny Pelc, AIA, LEED AP are licensed architects with Eskew+Dumez+Ripple in New Orleans. Outside the work environment, Amanda serves as Area Coordinator for Architecture for Humanity, while Jenny serves as an IDP Auxiliary Coordinator and a resource for emerging professionals.
DesignL .B . L ANDRY H IGH
SCHOOL , New Or l eans
The programmatic needs of a high school operation were just
a portion of this facility which also sought to provide community
benefits to the surrounding neighborhood. The school includes
a 650-seat auditorium, two gymnasiums, media and vocational
technology labs, and a large library. In addition, the first floor of an
entire wing of the facility is a school-based health center which was
funded by a grant from the Louisiana Public Health Institute. L.B.
Landry performs double duty as a community center with isolated
public entrances to the gymnasium, health clinic and media centers.
The institution also provides educational facilities for vocational
trades such as welding, masonry, cosmetology, set design, sculpting,
culinary arts, special education as well as general life skills. In a low-
income neighborhood, like much of Algiers, these opportunities
were critical to the program and critical to the future of New Orleans.
The athletic wing houses a weight room, training room and dance
room. With all of these unique components it was imperative that
our team understand the complexities required by each of these
specialized spaces. Among our consultants, the team coordinated
with an acoustician to properly design the auditorium, classrooms,
band room and choir rooms. Such a programmatically and
technically complex design challenge represented a tremendous
opportunity for the young team at our studio to quickly grow
professionally.
A priority of Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, as well as the Recovery
School District, was to provide this infrastructure in an appropriate
and environmentally responsible way. The benefits of sustainable
design goals in schools are well understood – improved academic
performance, reduced sick days for teachers and students, faculty
retention, and student education. For a school previously referred
to as "academically unacceptable" by the State before the storm,
these sustainable efforts were critical to bringing this school back
on-line in a way that was both meaningful and productive to the
future generations it would serve.
We developed this 210,000 square foot facility to achieve LEED
for Schools Silver Certification, which is anticipated to have been
attained by the time this story runs. Solar panels at the roof level
IN THE FIRST few years after the devastating Hurricanes of 2005
hit the Gulf Coast, the core concerns in New Orleans were of failing
levees, reduced population, and increased crime. The city certainly
has changed from the one we knew before 2005. We have new
challenges, and we have been forced to look some of the older,
more rooted challenges squarely in the eyes – such as educational
shortcomings, racial segregation, and deep, political corruption. But
with all of these challenges come new opportunities for those of us
in the design community. The residents who are here now may not
represent the masses of the past, but those who are here now are
here because they deliberately choose to be. The attitude of those who continue to reside in the New Orleans is characterized by obstinate determination, dedication to our future, unwavering pride for our rich culture, and an undeniable understanding that change is necessary. We want to see this
city resurrected because it is our home – whether a more recently
acquired home or one we have resided in for many years.
One of the most tide-shifting changes has occurred
within the New Orleans school system. In the Summer of 2007,
Eskew+Dumez+Ripple was presented with the opportunity to
design one of the five new schools as part of the Louisiana Recovery
School District's (RSD) “Quick Start” program. The L.B. Landry High
School site represented a much needed 900-student facility for
an historic, but somewhat struggling, neighborhood that would
benefit from the integrated community features.
As one can imagine, in a city that lost a significant portion of
their public institutions and services in a matter of 48 hours, design
and construction schedules were extraordinarily ambitious. Under
the direction of the firm’s principals, our energetic team of budding
architects and designers quickly began work to design and bid the
project in a nine month period. At a macro level, our young team was
exposed to the process of design and the art of developing design
priorities imposed by an unyielding deadline. At a more micro level,
the political dynamics of an RSD development in an ever-recovering
city presented a quick tutorial in high risk projects as well as
significant client and regulatory agency communication.
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States. At a time when so many of us and our treasured neighbors
lost significant aspects of their lives, our team was honored to
take such an active role in filling a major void for this particular
community. L.B. Landry High School represents the positive results
of collaboration and community resiliency that emerged from a
national tragedy.
Of the 13 architectural design team members assigned to this project, seven were, or still are, undergoing the ARE process. This rapid timeline and the significant number of hours required to execute the assignment created an opportunity for accelerated experience accumulation and allowed several team members to finish their licensure exams shortly thereafter. Truly a hotbed for learning and professional
growth – as cited by research published in Forbes Magazine, The
New York Times, and others - living in New Orleans during such an
intense period of design and construction has significantly altered
the career paths of these individuals. Many of us will be forever
grateful.
heat water for use inside. Solar Tubes provide tunneled sunlight into the two gymnasiums, reducing the use of artificial lighting. All windows are designed to maximize sunlight, some with light shelves, and are positioned appropriately depending on their location in the building relative to their solar exposure. The building uses very little electricity and has
been proven to date to be right on target with the anticipated energy
consumption goals. With the assistance of motion sensors, interior
light levels are automatically adjusted according to the amount
of natural light. All classrooms have sufficient luminance without
the use of artificial lighting. Also, a supplemental grant from Global
Green allowed for a 20,000-gallon underground water storage tank
which collects rainwater and directs it to the surrounding native
landscape where it provides irrigation.
Upon completion of construction, this facility was warmly
received by the neighbors who immediately accepted it as “their”
facility. Anyone who has been to New Orleans knows that it is the
people who make our city unique among others in the United
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All images courtesy of Eskew+Dumez+Ripple
By Brent Hughes, AIA
Brent Hughes, AIA, LEED AP is an architect in Gresham, Smith and Partners’ healthcare design studio at Nashville. His leadership and passion for healthcare design has elevated GS&P’s industry position in international healthcare markets, sustainable design practices, and patient safe design principles.
DesignHONGQIAO INTERNAT IONAL
MED ICAL C I TY, Shangha i
the entire medical city was designed with a consistent architectural
aesthetic. Even with this established style, each facility was
uniquely articulated to provide enough differentiation to make
each destination distinct in order to enhance a patient-friendly
environment through intuitive wayfinding. The campus is further organized to minimize the institutional feel that is associated with most healthcare facilities by creating a park-like setting that can be enjoyed by patients, visitors, hospital staff, and the nearby occupants of large commercial and residential blocks.
The size and scope of the campus is scaled to meet the growing
needs of Shanghai. Because the medical city is expected to grow
quickly, the design team developed a phased approach for the entire
site with expected completion over the next ten years. Designing
for the future ensures the goals determined by the design team are
maintained throughout the development of the site.
Innovative Sustainable Design Strategies
To support the medical campus’ goal of establishing a healthy
and safe environment, the design of the Hongqiao International
Medical City incorporated multiple sustainable and green building
philosophies. By integrating technology, building systems, water
conservation, energy recovery, energy production and management
of the campus waste stream it is possible to reduce the medical
city’s carbon footprint well below that of a conventional healthcare
campus.
An enhanced building envelope, planted roofs, and high
efficiency mechanical equipment will offset almost half of the
building’s carbon footprint. A double skin façade consisting of two
glazed skins, with solar shading devices within the cavity, provides
a higher insulating value for the exterior envelope thus mitigating
solar gain and decreasing cooling loads while allowing for natural
ventilation. Planted roofs, in addition to contributing to the campus’
park-like setting, will aid in building insulation systems as well
as storm water management, and the heat recovery mechanical
equipment will also reduce the new hospital’s mechanical demands.
IN THE SUMMER of 2009, Gresham, Smith and Partners was
invited to participate in a master planning design competition for
a first-of-its-kind healthcare campus in one of the world’s busiest
cities. GS&P’s team of architects, planners, and engineers spent two
intense months designing the winning entry.
There were three goals for the master plan competition that
shaped the design for the new medical city. First, the innovative
healthcare campus aimed to showcase China’s future healthcare
delivery system highlighted in part by their commitment to cutting-
edge technology. Second, the medical city campus was designed
to be a civic landmark within the rapidly-growing city of Shanghai.
Finally, there was an emphasis on a sustainable design that would
minimize environmental impact for the new healthcare campus.
International Healthcare Showcase
Outlined in the competition criteria, the primary objective
of the new medical city was to create a landmark, first-of-its-kind
project that would be used as a new healthcare precedent for China
and the rest of the world. The Hongqiao International Medical
City will encompass more than five million square feet of space
and will include over 3,000 inpatient beds. Three different acute
care facilities were brought together in order to share resources
and synergy. Smaller centers of excellence were created to attract
world renowned Western healthcare providers looking to establish
themselves in Asia.
In order to maximize cutting-edge but often costly diagnostic
and treatment equipment, a shared support facility was planned for
the core of the new campus. Inpatient and outpatient facilities ring this core support facility, and bridged connectors span from hospital to hospital allowing the public access to amenities and specialty functions. Subterranean links allow staff members to move patients between shared modalities that are located below large open public plazas.
Civic Landmark
In an effort to create the landmark the city of Shanghai desired,
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Additional sustainable strategies include maximizing day
lighting, total energy co-generation, geothermal heat exchangers,
solar collection and a campus-wide bio-mass system. These systems
will not only allow the medical city to conserve energy but also
allow them to produce energy by diverting waste systems. These
strategies will help close the process loops already in place on the
campus and will result in a 95-percent carbon reduction.
These green design techniques coupled with the architectural
aesthetic of a healthcare oasis will help establish the Hongqiao
International Medical City as a sought after destination for
innovative and transformative care that caters to the healthcare
needs of international clientele and the local community.
Project Team:
Principal-In-Charge Kevin Kim, AIA
Project Designers Jeffery Kuhnhenn, AIA, Gregory Wieland, AIA
Project Architect Brent Hughes, AIA
Project Coordinator Claire Wallace, Assoc AIA
Project Engineer David McMullin, PEAll images courtesy of Gresham, Smith and Partners
By Chris Baribeau, AIA
Chris Baribeau, AIA is a principal at Modus Studio in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Prior to opening his own architectural practice, Chris worked in the office of Marlon Blackwell Architect. Chris is the recipient of the 2011 AIA Arkansas Emerging Professional Award.
DesignGREEN FOREST M IDDLE
SCHOOL, Green Forest , AR
The Green Forest Middle School is a modern, two-story
educational building located in the small agricultural community
of Green Forest, Arkansas. The 29,014 square foot building acts
as both a hub and backdrop for students and the inhabitants
of the greater community by defining a landscaped plaza in
the heart of the campus. Modern façade articulation of metal
panel and concrete block re-imagines the use of durable, low-
maintenance, and cost effective materials that are common to
school construction. Powerful architectural elements define
entry, inspire movement through the building, and contain
key educational components in a fun, practical and sustainable
way. The design is resolved through the use of economical and
intelligent materials combined to enrich the existing campus
through the interaction of people, space, form, and color—both
internally and externally.
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YAFCONNECTION0 1 '1 2projected box becomes a deep window seat suitable for students to
engage with the books around them. Economically sized classrooms
with custom millwork and large windows for daylight and fresh air
flank the wide corridors of the first and second floors. Custom steel
lintels with room numbers mark the threshold of each learning
space. The north end of the second floor corridor resolves into
another projected window seat box and provides a respite from the
busy hallway and secondary stair.
The Special education learning component of the new school
is located on the northeast corner. This area has its own garden,
covered porch entry and services providing a private, safe, and
comfortable atmosphere for the practical applications of teaching
daily resource classes. This element is also conceived as a projected
box, providing spatial relief to the eastern façade that is adjacent
to the football field and acts as a compositional balance for the
structure.
As a building located in the geographic center of the campus,
all elevations are carefully composed with the play of concrete block
and metal panel to dynamically address each approach. These
durable, low-maintenance materials are common to economical
school construction, but are creatively used to provide a unique
design aesthetic. As a base material the standard-sized, sandblasted,
stack-bond concrete block is used instead of split-face block, which is
the most typical material for school construction. This smooth block
keeps the building friendly to students and other users occupying
the landscaped gathering spaces around the building. The standing
seam shed roof of the building channels all water to the east side
in continuation with the natural hydrology of the site while also
providing a compositional shell embracing the main volume of the
new structure.
The context of the greater campus was also addressed in terms of aesthetics and safety as the project includes development of a new pedestrian plaza connecting the middle school and high school across the primary street of Philips avenue. Prior to the new design, the street was shut down
from all vehicular access during school hours. The new street design
carefully controls vehicular movement speed, maximizes circulation
for parking and bus loading and creates a tree-lined boulevard to
beautify the primary school zone.
The Green Forest Public Schools receive monetary support from
the state department of education and with our management and
shepherding of the project, maximum state support was secured by
meeting and exceeding the state requirements while holding on to
the belief that educational space should and can be inspirational
through good design.
RESTING IN A wide valley among the Ozark Mountains, this
new two-story middle school is located in the small agricultural
community of Green Forest, Arkansas. Upon initial evaluation of the
proposed site the design team recognized the importance of the
existing central green space to the campus as a common area, used
often throughout the day as a gathering place for middle school
and high school students during lunch, and before and after school.
Furthermore, it is a transitional space consistently traversed by all
students and members of the community as it is the access to the
campus football field and acts as a plaza for the old CWA gymnasium,
art and music, cafeteria, and agricultural buildings on the campus.
In the early master planning stages the school's desire to fill in
the entire green space with a one-story classroom building, which
would have eliminated the central outdoor space of the campus,
was averted by proposing a modern two-story building capable of
preserving two-thirds of the available exterior space as a student
commons and community plaza. The sustainable design was
executed through the use of economical and intelligent materials
combined to enrich the existing campus through the interaction of
people, space, form, and color—both internally and externally.
The western façade of the building addresses the primary
approach. The structure is a poignant new presence in the newly defined plaza space, poised to receive students and visitors under the 16 foot high cantilever of the white standing seam roof that acts as a unifying shell over the entire building. This covered zone is an event space serving the school and the
greater community. The landscaped plaza uses native plantings to
define a functioning rain garden and the organically constructed
alumni garden that contains the relics of carved concrete pavers
with signatures from the early graduates of the public school
system. A new processional sidewalk leads to the building entry,
marked by the cantilevered library box clad in red metal panel, the
school’s signature color.
Inside the main entry is a spacious atrium with a floating stair and a large skylight above creates a pivotal location of light and movement as the primary hub of circulation. The vertical red wall of the elevator is a beacon, emphasizing the signature color as the catalyst for activity. The exposed structure of the building reveals the bones as an innate educational component and provides more relief of volume in the entry and reception areas as well as the corridors connecting the individual classrooms.
Upstairs, the library and circulation spaces open to the entry
below. Floating above the entry with the outward projection of
a pop-out window box is the library, conceived as a transparent
platform overlooking the plaza and high school to the west. The
Project Team:
Josh Siebert, Assoc. AIA Chris M. Baribeau, AIA
Chris M. Lankford Austin L. Chatelain, Assoc. AIA
Julie K. Chambers, AIA Leanne R. Baribeau, AIA
All images by Rett Peek
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planning to detailing.
How was your firm selected for the project?
For the MVS project, the owner originally hired a couple of
other architects, who had each proposed schematic concepts.
They decided not to move forward with those proposals, and then
interviewed another round of architects, including us. The interview
process was very intensive. Rather than a single meeting, the owner’s
team of 3-4 people met with us and other firms 3-4 times over the
course of a couple weeks. They were very intent upon a time frame,
and had extremely fixed notions of the program and the layout of
the spaces. It wasn’t a typical project where we needed to do a great
deal of programming and predesign work. Rather, the clients had
been dreaming of the project for a long time, and were very precise
with their thoughts on workflow, detailing, and materials. The Lead Surgeon had taken a recent vacation and ‘relaxed’ by drawing upper and lower floor plans of the building, in addition to developing a schematic 3D model of the building. We said we’d
be able to base the design on their concepts and schedule, and they
hired us.
What was your process for arriving at the design concept?
We started by focusing on the plan aspects of the building.
We don’t always do this, but we knew that if we didn’t show the
owner how their spaces fit on the site, and how they related with
one another, we’d never progress to discussions about materials,
sectional issues, or other details. Although the site was a “flag”
lot with many trees along a drainage creek, there were multiple
easements and setbacks that reduced the buildable area of the lot
significantly. This area made a triangular-shaped trapezoid, with an
arc for one side. The plan drawn by the Owner showed a treatment/
surgery area at its core, encircled with circulation and specialized
treatment areas. We took the buildable area on the site, and placed
the treatment area at its core. Then we wrapped a single-loaded
corridor and room module around the treatment room, which came
close to generating a triangular volume. We thought – why not?
THE PROJECT IS a freestanding 18,500 square foot building for
Memphis Veterinary Specialists (MVS). Design began in March, 2010
and the building was completed in June, 2011. The construction
budget was $3.2 million, which amounted to less than $175 per
square foot. MVS is a referral-based veterinary practice with expertise
in emergency surgery, exotic animals, orthopedics, oncology,
dermatology, dentistry, and diagnostic treatment. The facility was
required to provide 24-7 treatment and care for the animal patients
with design considerations similar to that of a human hospital within
a smaller footprint., The program included spaces for treatment,
surgery, specialty procedure rooms, recovery, and intensive care
areas, as well as a full range of diagnostic capability is provided
onsite, including a pharmacy/laboratory, ultrasound, endoscopy,
radiology, and CT imaging.
How would you describe your firm’s design philosophy?
Trust the design process. Take each project on its own merits
and opportunities. Maybe it’s better to just describe the process
than to call it a philosophy. We start by digging into a client’s
business or lifestyle through a meeting we call a visioning charrette.
It’s conducted a lot like a “squatting” programming exercise that CRS
(now a part of HOK) perfected in the 60’s, but we look for different
data. We camp out with the clients holding an intensive discussion
that lasts anywhere from a half day to three days. We don’t really talk
about materials or square footage; we talk about routines, stories,
business goals and ideals – really soft stuff about the client that may
be invisible or not readily apparent.
After the visioning charrette, we combine the information we
gathered with site and program research and have a discussion. The
project team gathers around a table with all this raw data on it and
identifies what’s important about the project. Then we prioritize
strategies that connect all the important issues and create a concept
with options, or multiple concepts. We critically evaluate the options
as a group and usually with the client and develop a concept to
advance. The goal is to take the concept and strategies for each
project and use them to guide decision making processes from site
By Matt Seltzer, AIA
Matt Seltzer, AIA is an architect with archimania in Memphis, Tennessee. He works with collaborative design teams that practice on a broad range of project types and scales. He holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Architecture degrees from Rice University, and has worked in Houston and Philadelphia.
DesignMEMPHIS VETER INARY
SPEC IAL ISTS FAC IL I TY
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chemicals used in surgery, and pet hair on the flooring, wall, and
even ceiling materials. The Owner group self-built mock-ups and
tested materials in their existing clinic. The coordination of materials
and textures also had to hold up aesthetically while meeting the
budget, but the Owner didn’t approve anything without a healthy
dose of due diligence.
Describe your personal experience on this project.
When we landed the job, and created the in-house project team,
we had a group of people that doesn’t get to work together very
often. The team had chemistry, and we had a good time working on
it together. Collaborating to make something better than you ever cold have made it individually is one of the reasons I love practicing architecture.
What lessons did you take from this process?
We’d all agree that the harder we as architects work on a
project, the better the outcome. We found that the owner’s efforts
and commitment to the project accelerated the schedule, and
improved both the design and the building. The Owner/Architect
team integrated well and pushed each other. We can’t wait to find
another client willing to work that hard on a project.
Project Team:
Andrew Parks; Barry Yoakum, FAIA; Christopher McRae; David Pang; Edith Tinker; Greg Price;
Kayce Williford, Associate AIA; Matt Seltzer, AIA; Scott Guidry, CSI; Stephanie Wexler-Malone,
IIDA; Susan Dalhoff; Tim Michael, AIA; Todd Steele, Associate AIA; Todd Walker, FAIA
The partial second floor allowed us to bring light in through roof
monitors to the areas that did not have exterior windows, so the
triangle worked. The concept grew out of a series of pragmatic responses to the realities of the site and the program.
Was the client immediately receptive to the design?
The owner approved the basic arrangement of spaces fairly
quickly as the spaces were organized using the plan the owner had
developed while on vacation. The plans were revised to respond to
critical clearance and circulation issues relative to equipment and
procedures, but remained faithful to our original schematic plans.
We discussed material options with the owner continuously
throughout the design process. They were interested in a gritty,
visceral exterior, and had very exact requirements for the interior
finishes, due to the nature of their work. We proposed a few
strategies for the exterior materials: a couple options with very taut
glass and metal skins, each with a mixture of weathering and non-
weathering finishes, and a version with smooth concrete panels
with metal and glass infill for the first floor spaces, and a cor-ten
steel wrapped upper portion of the building. The owner loved
the concrete and cor-ten option and approved it with very little
discussion. In addition to satisfying the client’s desire for the look
and feel of the building, it responded to the site, and had an impact
from the street upon approach.
Aside from the routine sustainability and design review we use
for materials, all the interior finishes had to be subjected to what
became known as the “test.” This involved putting urine, feces, blood, All images by © Jeffrey Jacobs Photography. All drawings by archimania.
FeaturingA IA OH IO VALLEY REG ION
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an architectural code consulting firm with offices in Cincinnati,
Ohio and Berkeley, California.
• Hal Munger, FAIA who has a long history of service to the AIA,
including a term as National Treasurer, Ohio Valley Region
Director, AIA Ohio President and AIA Toledo President.
The discussion ranged from the success and disappointments
of running one’s own firm to handling your career during a deep
recession. One panelist offered a key insight to fellowship stating,
"You don't start your career in architecture seeking fellowship. If you do what you love and stay dedicated to the profession it will naturally happen. Someone from the College of Fellows will put their hand on your shoulder and sponsor you." This
session was a great opportunity for emerging professionals to rub
elbows and engage seasoned professionals in a warm, friendly and
close atmosphere.
Having the Convention and Unconvention together allowed us
to have nine reviewers for the Speed Portfolio Review. These were
not job interviews but rather critiques of portfolios and resumes for
Emerging Professionals. You may remember how helpful critiques
were in school, but when was the last time you had an honest
critique of your portfolio? There was also discussion of paper versus
digital format. While some liked the embrace of technology, others
wanted paper to flip through while talking to the interviewee.
THE UNCONVENTION BEGAN with a simple premise: “get
Emerging Professionals to convention.” First, our Unconvention team
brainstormed possible reasons why they would not attend. These
reasons ranged from personal to educational interests: time away
from work and home, cost of registration, cost of stay, transportation
means, and relevant programming. Then, we developed solutions to
each possible issue.
We scheduled the event for a Friday & Saturday keeping the
time away from the office to just one day and giving up one day of
the weekend. To address costs we applied for and won grants from
the AIA College of Fellows Emerging Professionals Grant and the
AIA Trust. Kaplan and NCARB provided in-kind donations with two
complete ARE learning systems and five ARE vouchers. AIA Ohio, AIA
Kentucky, and AIA Indiana provided funding as well. We sent out a
survey asking what topics were of interest to Emerging Professionals
(EPs) and developed programming around survey results.
After Friday morning's Convention Keynote by De Leon &
Primmer, the Unconvention kicked off with “The Road Less Taken...
Is That the Road to Fellowship?” This was a much anticipated session
that looked at life experiences, career choices and what Fellowship is
and how one can get there. Fellows from AIA Indiana, AIA Kentucky
and AIA Ohio participated on the panel to answer questions and
offer advice about how to plan for and manage an architecture
career during the up and down cycles that affect the profession
and construction industry. This was an excellent career planning
guide for Emerging Professionals and a great introduction for what
to expect in the profession. Wayne Mortenson, Associate AIA, 2012
NAC Chair, did a fantastic job of moderating the session and injecting
enthusiasm and comic relief for the early morning attendees.
The panelists included:
• Michael Schuster, FAIA, LEED AP is the founder and principal of
MSA Architects and president-elect for AIA Ohio.
• Sheila K. Snider, FAIA, who has been appointed the College of
Fellows Representative to the Ohio Valley Region for 2010 through
2014. She is the past president of AIA Indiana.
• David S. Collins, FAIA is the president of The Preview Group, Inc., an
By Brian McAlexander, Associate AIA and Gregory M. Spon, Associate AIA
Brian McAlexander, Associate AIA is the current AIA Ohio Valley Regional Associate Director and sits on the National Associates Committee (NAC). Gregory M. Spon, Associate AIA is the current AIA Ohio Associate Director and 2012 -2013 AIA Ohio Valley Regional Associate Director and will serve on the NAC.
EventA IA OVR UNCONVENT ION 2011
Portfolio Review - Brian McAlexander and Bruce Sekanick. Image Credit: AIA OVR
on a daily basis. The three panelists, from a variety of backgrounds
and from firms of different sizes participated in a moderated, open
discussion. It was a great chance for attendees to hear about some
of the non-design related issues critical to a firm’s vitality and growth
in today’s market. Topics covered included setting strategic goals,
marketing, contracts, and client retention among others.
What else is on the minds of EP's? The ARE of course! Which
section in particular? Structures! So we held a 4 hour study session
lead by not one but three Structural Engineers. Our thanks to Shell +
Meyer Associates for volunteering to lead the session.
We wrapped up with presenting prizes, Kaplan study guides
and five ARE vouchers. Thanks to everyone who stayed till 3:00 PM
on a Saturday afternoon! We hope everyone learned something,
met new people, and had a great time!
This event did not come out of nowhere; what developed sprang
from an existing program, the AIA Ohio Emerging Professionals
Retreat which itself had come out of an earlier program, the AIA
Ohio Associate Director Summit from years prior. Where the Summit
was restricted to the Local Associate Directors and State Associate
Director, the Retreat opened up to all EP leadership. The Retreat
then opened to all EP's and became the Unconvention. It has been
an evolutionary process that began 6-7 years ago.
Although the OVR Unconvention was an evolution of
programming, we believe it can be produced much more quickly
in other regions. What took us several years to evolve, you can
engineer in a single year. In the next few months we will dissect the
Unconvention using actual attendance, expenses, and attendee
survey to determine our successes and not so successful outcomes.
Learn from us and go out and produce your own Unconvention!
Unconvention team:
Brian McAlexander, Assoc. AIA
Greg Spon, Assoc. AIA
Jack Baumann, AIA
Melissa Seig, AIA
Michael Neureither, Assoc. AIA
Kate Brunswick, Hon. AIA, CAE
The session Overcoming Millennial Stereotypes: How to
Champion Your Project as a Young Designer looked at EP's leading
a project and some of the different values of generations working
in architecture firms. They used an actual project, a school for
Beavercreek, as a study of the dynamic interaction of different
generations.
Friday night was capped off by Dinning by Design Tours, two
of which ended at the Neon Movies for Pecha Kucha Night. The
Unconvention wanted to reach out to the public, connecting them to
the architects and introducing the convention to the locals. PK Night
seemed a great way to end the night and bring in a wider audience.
We teamed up with Pecha Kucha Night Dayton and provided five
of the eight speakers. Two of those speakers were Unconvention
speakers and one was a Convention keynote speaker, Dan Maginn,
AIA of El Dorado Inc. His hilarious take on the installation of the Ikea
PS Pendant lamp will long be remembered.
On Saturday while the Convention was wrapping up and heading
out to tours, the Unconvention was deep into its programming. The
much anticipated session Alternate Career Paths in Architecture was
moderated by Lee Waldrep, who has moderated several panels on
the topic including one at AIA National Convention in New Orleans.
The panel was quite large and included those who had specialized
within the profession and those who had taken their knowledge
and training and applied it to other fields like home inspections and
comic strip writing. The authors of Architext (http://architexts.us/)
provided some much needed comic relief and strangely appeared
in silhouette form whenever photographed.
Martin Smith, AIA from NCARB and Sandra LaFontaine, AIA, the
AIA Ohio State IDP Coordinator, discussed with attendees the IDP
and licensure processes and participated in a lengthy question and
answer session.
At the EP Roundtable Lunch Emerging Professionals from the
region had an open discussion about their past, future, and the
changes that are occurring in the profession.
The Architecture as Business session provided EPs with a chance
to hear from a panel on the business decisions that firms face
Janet Pike, Hon. AIA
Jason Shelly
Jane Treiber
Terry Welker, AIA
The silhouetted profiles of the authors of Architext with panelists of Alternate Career Paths in Architecture. Image Credit: AIA OVR
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Pecha Kucha Night at the Neon Movies. Image Credit: AIA OVR
Portfolio Review. Image Credit: AIA OVR
By Adam Palmer, AIAAdam Palmer, AIA, LEED AP is a Project Manager and Associate with Schmidt Associates, Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana. Adam served as the 2011 Chair of National YAF Advisory Committee and is serving as the Past Chair in 2012.
LeadershipREFLECTING ON 2011
Young Architects Award Book – In conjunction with the College
of Fellows’ awards of the Young Architects Award, the YAF created a
corresponding book to celebrate and further recognize the award
recipients. It was produced in a limited run for the winners, but is
available to purchase for those interested.
Regional Representation Changes – In an effort to enhance the
value and recognition of the regional representatives of the YAF, it
was decided to change their title from Regional Liaison to the Young
Architect Regional Director (YARD). This change was another step
in encouraging the interaction with the Regional Boards to foster
better communication and utilization of the YARD network. We also
hope this step will further support our desire to have the regional
leadership select the YARD for their regions when the position is
open.
IN 2011 THE YAF actively strengthened its relationships with
the AIA Board of Directors, the National Associates Committee and
their long standing relationship with the College of Fellows.
Several activities consumed the energies of the YAF:
Ideas Competition 2010 – This year’s design competition was
a joint effort with the AIA Committee on Design (COD). It was
sponsored by Toto and challenged the submitters to explore the
concept of Universal Design. The award recipients were announced
at the AIA National Convention in New Orleans.
Mentoring Initiative – A Webinar Series of four sessions was
organized. The series covered the topics of: Getting Work, Operating
Profitably, Doing Good Work, and Talent and Culture. The sessions
are available to download and for continuing education credits.
YARD Meeting at AIA Grassroots Conference, February 2011
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YAF Advisory Committee Changes – Two of the AdCom positions,
the YARD Advisor and the Communications Advisor, were changed
from one year terms to two year terms. This change was initiated in
an effort to further improve the YARD network and the value of the
YAF to the AIA and the profession.
Grassroots and Convention Programs – YAF hosted one
program at Grassroots, which we presented twice during the
conference. This program highlighted leadership and mentoring
programs that are going on across the country. At Convention we
hosted two workshops and one program. These celebrated the
Young Architect Award winners and discussed the value of design.
We had an opportunity to host a Legacy Lunch, where we invited
many former YAF AdCom members to join us for lunch. This was a
great opportunity to meet with some of the past YAF leadership.
Council of Emerging Professionals (CEP) – Formed of YAF,
NAC and AIAS representatives, this year witnessed improved
communication and collaboration among the groups. The CEP was
charged with 10 milestones during initial formation, and the YAF has
worked with the other CEP members to respond to them in 2011.
YAF Fall Retreat and WEAVE – In November, AIA Chicago hosted
our first face-to-face Fall Retreat in many years. This gave us the
opportunity to have a productive Transition Meeting, welcoming
the new AdCom members for 2012, and begin the leadership
transition for our next year of activity. The AdCom also took this
retreat opportunity to perform the WEAVE and begin looking at how
we align and can be further aligned with the AIA Strategic Plan.
YAF Connection – The YAF Connection transitioned from a
newsletter to an e-magazine this year with improved content and
outreach. Six bi-monthly issues were published, each carrying a
unique theme. A valuable addition to the publication is the Fellows’
Corner that is devoted to stories by or about AIA Fellows.
YAF Session at AIA Grassroots Conference, February 2011
YAF Legacy Lunch at AIA National Convention, May 2011
YAF Advisory Committee Transition Meeting, November 2011
Regional Board Engagement - The AdCom and the YARD’s will
continue to discuss with the regional boards and the regional
leadership members about the proposal that the regions should be
engaged in selecting the YARD for their respective regions.
Grassroots and Convention programs – The YAF will host a
roundtable discussion and presentation during the 2012 Grassroots.
This will be a presentation of the outcomes from the YAF Summit 20.
The YAF is also hosting two programs at the National Convention in
Washington, DC.
YAF Connection - Our E-Magazine will continue to be the source
of information for Young Architects and any others interested in
leadership and mentoring of our profession.
Social Media – We will continue to develop the YAF KnowledgeNet
site and share information through our Twitter and Facebook
accounts to further expand our presence and share information
and opportunities that are of importance to the recently licensed
architects.
Council of Emerging Professionals – We will continue to be
actively engaged in the development of the CEP and the growth of
Emerging Professionals at all levels.
Leadership Institute – We look forward to beginning the
discussion and planning of the Leadership Institute. This program
will provide attendees an opportunity to increase their effectiveness
and personal involvement and leadership of their communities.
Upcoming ActivitiesThe first major activity that the YAF is very excited about in the
upcoming months is the YAF Summit 20. The Summit 20 will take
place the day before Grassroots 2012 begins. This event is being
planned to commemorate the first 20 years of the YAF, while utilizing
the opportunity to learn what the key topics of concern are for the
recently licensed architects. Similar to the Summit 15, we will be
involving a variety of speakers and attendees, to keep the discussion
as informed as possible.
The Advisory Committee and the YARDs will meet at the 2012
Grassroots conference for their annual meeting. We will be discussing
the year’s upcoming planned activities as well as opportunities to be
mentors and leaders in our communities and within the profession.
Throughout the year we will continue to have our conference
calls. Our Chair, Vice Chair and Past Chair have a weekly call with AIA
Staff. The AdCom and YARDs have monthly calls to share knowledge
and information throughout the YAF network. There are also sub-
committee calls among the volunteers.
The YAF will continue to work on many activities throughout
the upcoming year including the following:
Ideas Competition 2012 – This is again a joint effort with the AIA
Committee on Design (COD). The competition will have a focus on
a community development project. The sponsor this year is USG.
The competition submissions will be displayed at the Spring COD
conference in Columbus, Indiana. The submissions will be juried
at this time, as well as voted on by the public for a People’s Choice
award.
Mentoring Initiative – We are looking forward to developing the
next round of webinars. These will incorporate a variety of
influential COF and YAF speakers. This 2011 year-end report was created by the YAF 2011 Chair, Adam Palmer, AIA for the national AIA Board of Directors. It was published in College of Fellows Fellowscope 91 released in December 2011.
2011 and 2012 YAF Advisory Committee members, Left to Right: Derek Webb AIA, Joseph Benesh AIA, Virginia Marquardt AIA, Matthew Dumich AIA, William J. Stanley, III FAIA (COF Liaison), Brad Benjamin AIA, Jennifer Workman AIA, Kevin Fitzgerald AIA (AIA Staff), Adam Palmer AIA, Deepika Padam AIA, Jason Dale Pierce AIA. Not pictured - Sean Stadler AIA. Picture taken at AIA Chicago during YAF AdCom Fall Transition Meeting.
Image by Erin Murphy AIA (AIA Staff)
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The Young Architects Forum (YAF) Advisory Committee (AdCom) consists of eight young architects working in association with the College of Fellows (COF) Executive Committee. The YAF AdCom is specifically charged with carrying out national level YAF programs and serving as liaison with other AIA committees and allied organizations.
Leadership2012 YAF ADV ISORY
COMMITTEE
Chair: Jennifer Workman, AIAJennifer A. Workman, AIA is a licensed architect for Good Fulton & Farrell Architects in Dallas,
Texas. Jennifer received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and focused
her studies on various museums throughout the world. These early analyses assisted her when she
was selected by GFF to work alongside Morphosis Architects on the design of the new Perot Museum
of Nature & Science in their Los Angeles office. Following almost two years in California, she returned
to Dallas, Texas to work on the construction site of the iconic museum.
Aside from the museum, Jennifer’s most important contributions to the profession have come
in the form of her volunteer work for the AIA at the local, state, and national levels. In Dallas, Jennifer
has devoted her time to the Dallas Tour of Homes, Publications Committee, Honors Committee, and
Publicity Committee. She has served as a chair on the Associates Committee, the Young Architects
Forum, and the Ken Roberts Delineation Competition which is one of the longest architectural
drawing competitions in the world. At the Texas Society of Architects she served four straight years
as a voting board member as the Dallas Director and the Texas Regional Associates Director to the
National Associates Committee. She also served on the jury for the Texas Architectural Foundation
and was involved with the Membership Services Committee, Honors Committee, the Continuing
Education Committee, and served as a Publicity Committee Chair for the TSA Convention in Dallas in 2011. Nationally, Jennifer is serving as the
2012 Chair of the Young Architects Forum. She has been involved with the YAF since 2009 when she became the Communications Advisor serving
as the editor for the bi-monthly publication which was sent to over 22,000 members.
Vice Chair: Brad Benjamin, AIABrad Benjamin, AIA, LEED AP is an architect and the founder of Radium Architecture, a firm in
Greenville, SC, which works to bring purpose to the built environment by designing more sustainable
& socially responsible places. He graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in
Design, a Bachelor of Science in Construction Science and Management, and a Masters of Architecture.
Brad has consistently demonstrated exceptional initiative, enthusiasm, and commitment on
the local, state, regional, and national levels for the AIA. He has served on the National Associates
Committee, the AIA Board Knowledge Committee, the Strategic Planning Advance, the Emerging
Professionals Companion Advisory Committee, and the YAF 15 Summit committee. He currently
serves as state IDP Coordinator and Past President for AIA Greenville. Brad is a previous recipient of
the AIA’s Associate Member of the Year Award. Keenly aware of the importance of architecture in his
community’s growth and development, Brad has made a personal commitment to lend his creative
talents and problem solving abilities to many local community boards and organizations to which he
serves as an exceptional representative of his profession. He serves on the United Way, Leadership
Greenville Board of Regents, Pecha Kucha Night Grenville, and Architecture for Humanity Greenville.
Past Chair: Adam Palmer, AIAAdam Palmer, AIA is a Project Manager and Associate with Schmidt Associates, Inc. in Indianapolis,
Indiana. Adam is a registered Architect in the State of Indiana (2002). Adam received both his Bachelors
of Environmental Design (1995) and his Bachelors of Architecture (1997), from Ball State University.
Adam maintains his NCARB Certification and is a LEED Accredited Professional.
Adam has been fortunate to have had opportunities to practice architecture in a variety
of firm types, sizes and disciplines. Adam has also worked on a variety of building types and sizes,
including health care and education projects. The projects have ranged from a few hundred square
feet renovations to thousands of square feet of multi-story, new construction projects. These various
projects have provided him the opportunity to also serve in a variety of roles for his clients including:
master planner, designer, architect, project manager, program manager and owners’ representative.
Adam's primary interests rest in mentoring, leadership, licensure, practice management and
technology. Adam has served on the local level as the President Elect of the Central Kentucky Chapter
prior to moving to Indianapolis. In Indianapolis he is currently serving as a Delegate for the Indianapolis
chapter. At the regional and national level, Adam served with the Young Architects Forum (YAF) as a
Regional Liaison to the Ohio Valley Region for four years. Adam then went on to serve as the 2010 Vice‐
Chair, and subsequently the 2011 Chair of the YAF National Advisory Committee. During his tenure as the YAF Chair, he served as a juror on various
award juries. Adam has also served on Board of Directors for a variety of organizations outside of the AIA.
Programs Advisor: Matthew Dumich, AIAMatthew Dumich, AIA is a licensed Architect and project manager with Valerio Dewalt Train
Associates in Chicago, Illinois. His professional experience includes new and renovated commercial
and mixed-use buildings. Matt has a collaborative approach to the design and management of each
project working closely with his clients, consultants and contractors. Matt holds Bachelor and Master
degrees in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM) and serves on the Board
of Trustees for the UWM Alumni Association. In 2008 he was honored with the Graduate of the Last
Decade (GOLD) Award from the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning.
Matt is dedicated to promoting design quality, professional development, and networking for
emerging design and construction professionals. He currently serves on the AIA National YAF Advisory
Committee and the AIA Chicago Board of Directors. Previously, Matt was the YAF Regional Liaison
for Illinois and Chairman of the AIA Chicago YAF. In 2011 he Chaired the AIA National Membership
Marketing Task Force focusing on engaging emerging professionals. Matt is the founder of the AIA
Chicago Bridge mentoring program and the AIA Illinois Council for Emerging Professionals. He is
frequently invited to speak about architecture and design at local, state and national conferences. Matt
was recognized with the 2011 Building Design + Construction 40 Under 40 award.
Young Architect Regional Directors Advisor: Jason Dale Pierce, AIAJason Dale Pierce, AIA, LEED AP currently sits on the Young Architects Forum Advisory Committee as
the Young Architect Regional Directors Advisor. Jason received his Professional Architecture degree from
Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. He is a member of the AIA Practice Management Knowledge
Community and sits on the editorial board for aecKnowledge. He recently served as Co-Chair of the
AIA San Francisco Mentorship Committee and chaired the Long Range Planning committee for AIA
California Council in 2010. He also served as Vice President of the Academy of Emerging Professionals
with AIA California Council from 2008 through 2009. A former recipient of the National Jason Pettigrew
Memorial ARE Scholarship and honored with the AIA San Francisco's Associate of the Year Award in
2008, Jason also served as the YAF Regional Director for Central States from 2003 through 2005.
A project architect with HOK in St. Louis he is currently working on the modernization of the Byron
G. Rogers Federal office building with the United States General Services Administration in Denver,
Colorado. Jason strongly believes in strengthening mentorship in the profession and strives to develop
this need in everything he does from his day to day work with his project team, his involvement in
his local AIA chapter all the way up through his position on the National YAF Advisory Committee.
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Communications Advisor: Deepika Padam, AIADeepika Padam, AIA, LEED AP is a Senior Designer/Project Manager with Heller Manus Architects
at San Francisco, CA. Her previous professional experience is with the firms of Neelkanth Chhaya,
Payette Associates, Perlman Architects, and Tate Snyder Kimsey in varied roles of Designer, Architect,
Project Manager, and Sustainability Director. Her design experience includes civic, educational, public,
commercial, and mixed-use facilities. She is passionate about green building and is responsible for LEED
Certification of multiple projects. Deepika received her Bachelor of Architecture from the Guru Nanak
Dev University and Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan. She is NCARB certified.
Deepika served as the AIA Las Vegas President in 2010, the first woman to serve as President with
the Chapter. She served as the USGBC Nevada President in 2009 and taught LEED classes for many
years. Deepika is the Founder and Past Chair for AIA Las Vegas Emerging Professionals/Young Architects
Forum. She has Chaired many committees and initiatives with local chapters of AIA and USGBC. She has
organized educational workshops at regional level, and regularly sits on design juries for architecture
schools. Deepika is the Communications Advisor for AIA National YAF, serving as the Editor for YAF
Connection bimonthly e-magazine and Young Architects Award Book. Deepika was awarded AIA
Nevada Associate Award in 2007 and the AIA Nevada Young Architect Award in 2008. She has been
named Who’s Who of Las Vegas by In Business and featured in the Las Vegas Business Press. Deepika is interested in increasing global ties of AIA
and her professional life while staying connected with her passion for design excellence. She enjoys writing, blogging, and making presentations.
Events Advisor: Virginia Marquardt, AIAVirginia E. Marquardt is an architect at DLR Group’s Santa Monica, California office with experience
leading educational, justice, and municipality teams as a project manager and project architect. She
has held leadership positions at the local level as AIA-Phoenix Metro’s Associate Director, Emerging
Professional Director, YAF Committee Chair, Board of Director, Secretary and Treasurer and has been a
member of Architecture Week, Membership and Advocates committees. At the regional level, she was
AIA-Western Mountain Region’s Young Architect Regional Director from August 2007-2011. In 2009,
Virginia was asked to serve on the sub-committee for the 2010 AIA-National Convention Education
Committee reviewing abstracts and in 2010 as the Emerging Professional representative for AIA’s Center
for Integrated Practice Leadership. Currently, she is serving as the Events Advisor for AIA National YAF
and sits on the AIA-National’s Education Committee.
She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Louisiana Tech University (cum laude) and is
a licensed professional in Arizona as well as a LEED accredited professional and Construction Document
Technologist (CDT). Virginia is the recipient of AIA-Arizona’s Young Architects Citation Award (2009)
and AIA-Western Mountain Regions’ Jason Pettigrew Associate AIA Memorial Leadership Scholarship,
(2005).
Public Relations Advisor: Joseph Benesh, AIAJoseph R. Benesh, AIA, NCARB, CDT, LEED AP, is currently a K-12 Focus Market Leader and Project
Manager for RDG Planning + Design in Des Moines, Iowa. In this role, Joe is responsible for the
design, documentation, and overall project management of buildings spanning a variety of sizes and
complexities. He actively participates in marketing and project leads, develops presentations, fosters
and nurtures client relationships, facilitates project scheduling and budgeting, as well as bidding and
construction administration.
Joe has been actively involved in AIA member groups and initiatives for more than twelve years,
serving in a variety of leadership positions at the local, state, and regional levels. He will serve as the
2012 AIA Iowa Director of Public Relations and the Young Architects Forum Public Relations Advisor. In
2010 Joe promoted the addition of a large subsection of the AIA Miami website redesign to Emerging
Professionals. Joe has also held leadership positions with the AIA National Associates Committee.
Joe received his Bachelor of Architecture from Iowa State University. He holds an NCARB certificate
and is currently licensed in Illinois and Florida.
created programs about mentorship, leadership, and networking
for the architects licensed ten years or fewer. My venture to create a
successful YAF program in Dallas caught the attention of the national
YAF and in 2009 I was selected as the Communications Advisor to
the YAF Advisory Committee. While serving as Communications
Advisor I was named the Dallas Director to the TSA Board. As the
Director it was important for me to wear two hats: that of my
chapter but also as a young architect and the youngest member of
the board. After serving for two years as both the Dallas Director
and the Communications Advisor, I was elected as the national YAF’s
Vice Chair. This past year I served as the Chair for the AIA Dallas Ken
Roberts Architectural Delineation Competition and the Publicity
Committee for the TSA Convention which was in Dallas in 2011. It
has been important for me be a part of the AIA at the local, state
and national levels because each one makes its own impact on the
profession.
As Chair of the YAF my biggest role will be to host the YAF 20
Summit at AIA Grassroots in Washington DC this March. The Summit
is open to invited guests who are leaders in the field of architecture
and interested in guiding the direction of the YAF through the next
5 years. It is a crucial time to determine a young architect’s needs
as 45% of AIA membership consists of baby-boomers who will
need succession plans as they retire from committees, boards, and
the profession. The YAF needs your involvement in several of our
endeavors in 2012; most important is your response to our survey
(see Page 20). This survey is to help the YAF understand who the
architects licensed ten years or less really are and what issues they
are facing. Additionally, we ask a question for you to answer: What
is the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity that young
architects will face in the next 5 years? Selected responders will be
given the chance to attend the 20 Summit in DC this March and
participate in the planning of the next 5 years.
The Young Architects Forum is the voice of architects in the
early stages of their career and the catalyst for change within the
profession. I hope you will follow our activities as we aim to make
your experience with the AIA as fruitful as possible.
By Jennifer A. Workman, AIA
Jennifer A. Workman, AIA is the 2012 Chair of the National Young Architects Forum. She has served on the YAF Advisory Committee since 2009. Jennifer is a licensed architect with Good Fulton & Farrell Architects in Dallas, Texas.
LeadershipLOOK ING AHEAD AT 2012
AS I TAKE on the role of the 2012 Chair of the Young Architects
Forum, I have to be fully aware of the 22,000 AIA members we
represent. If it weren’t for the energetic and talented group of
architects licensed ten years or less who serve on committees at the
local, state, and national levels, we wouldn’t have made the progress
we have today. As the YAF celebrates its 20th anniversary, the Forum
is at a pivotal moment in its history. Though it’s imperative for the
YAF to move forward, it is also vital to do so in a way that recognizes
the Forum is part of an extraordinary story to which we owe an
obligation of care.
My journey to the national YAF began in Dallas in 2005 when
I went to work for Good Fulton & Farrell Architects. They gave me
every chance to make what I wanted out of my career through
projects and professional service with the AIA. Without that
support I wouldn’t have gone far in this volunteer organization. I
worked with several different project types before finding a love in
institutional projects. In 2008 I was given the opportunity to work
alongside Morphosis on the new Dallas Perot Museum of Nature &
Science. I spent almost two years in their Los Angeles office working
on the design and then went to work full time on the construction
site. It has been an immeasurable experience to help create what
will become one of Dallas’ most iconic projects.
Aside from the museum, I have the most pride in my
development with the AIA. In 2005 I joined the AIA and saw the need
for emerging professionals to have a voice on committees and boards
at AIA Dallas. I became the chair of the Associates committee and
instituted the A.R.E. Success Team which helped almost 30 interns
become licensed within 7 months. It was then that I won the Dallas
AIA’s Associate of the Year Award. The following year I became the
Regional Associate Director (RAD) to the Texas Society of Architects
(TSA) which allowed me to be a voting member on the TSA board and
represent all interns in Texas at the National Associates Committee
(NAC) in Washington D.C. During this time as RAD, I served on
the TSA Continuing Education, Membership and Services, and
Honors Committees. Once I achieved licensure, I reinstituted
YAF in Dallas, which had been abandoned over the years. I
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East Skylight looking at Dallas Perot Museum of Nature & Science tower. Image Credit: Jennifer Workman
LeadershipYAF COMMUNICAT IONS 2012 ADV ISORY GROUP
Donna Kacmar, FAIADonna Kacmar, FAIA is an award winning architect and an Associate Professor at the University of Houston
College of Architecture where she teaches design studio, coordinates the technology curriculum, and runs the
Material Research Collaborative. She is currently the treasurer of the Architecture Center Houston Foundation
and a State Representative to the College of Fellows.
Nicholas Peckham, FAIANicholas Peckham, FAIA, LEED AP began his understanding of world issues while
attending the United States Merchant Marine Academy. There he got a firsthand
view of Earth and her cultures while working on merchant ships. Going to graduate school at Penn with Lou Kahn for
the M. Arch and the PhD program with Bucky Fuller firmed up the understanding, “We are all in this together.” Nick’s
worldview shaped his practice. He co‐founded Peckham & Wright Architects in 1978. www.PWArchitects.com shows
some of his work.
Robert Selby, FAIARobert I. Selby, FAIA is a Principal in private practice since 1971 and has taught in the design division of the
School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1984. He retired from the faculty
in May of 2009 and continues with his practice. He has served on the AIA board at local, regional and national
levels. He served as a Regional Representative of the AIA College of Fellows from 2007-2010 and is currently
editor of Fellowscope, the electronic newsletter of the COF.
William J. Stanley, III, FAIAWilliam J. Stanley, III, FAIA, NOMAC is the founding Principal of Stanley, Love
Stanley, P.C. Mr. Stanley is the Bursar of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, the Past
President of AIA Georgia and the 1995 recipient of the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Citation. In 1999, AIA Georgia
bestowed upon him the Bernard Rothschild medal – the state’s highest award. AIA Atlanta awarded him the
Ivan Allen Senior Trophy in 2011, given to architects who make great service contributions to the community.
Brett Charles Taylor, AIABrett Charles Taylor, AIA, LEED AP is a graduate of Norwich University in Vermont. He is an associate director
with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Chicago working primarily in the Middle East region. Brett has served the
AIA as the YAF Illinois Regional Liaison, the YAF Regional Liaison Advisor for the AdCom, and on the AIA Chicago
executive board.
Sean Stadler, AIASean Stadler, AIA, LEED AP is a Design Principal and Associate Principal at WDG
Architecture. A graduate of Kent State University, Sean is currently serving on the AIA DC Board of Directors and
Kent State University’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design’s Professional Advisory Board. He has
served as the Chairman of the AIA National Young Architects Forum (YAF) and the Intern/Associate Committee
(NAC), and is a recipient of the 2011 AIA Young Architects award.
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LeadershipYAF COMMUNICAT IONS
2012 SUB -COMMITTEE
Editor-in-Chief: Deepika Padam, AIADeepika Padam, AIA, LEED AP is a Senior Designer/Project Manager with Heller Manus Architects at San Francisco.
She has served as the AIA Las Vegas President, AIA Nevada Executive Board Member, and USGBC Nevada
President. Deepika is the current Communications Advisor for AIA National YAF, serving as the Chief Editor for
YAF Connection and Young Architects Award Book. Her writing has been published in local and national journals
and she has been recognized with awards for service to the profession.
Managing Editor: Christina Noble, AIAChristina Noble, AIA, LEED AP owns her practice, Contour Architecture, located in Phoenix, Arizona. Christina
has served as the Editor for AIA National Associates Committee publication, Forward. She currently serves as the
Forward Senior Director and Chair of the Forward Advisory Board. Her writing has appeared in Texas Architect
Magazine, The Arizona Republic, and Forward: Architecture and Design Journal.
Assistant Editor: Josh Flowers, AIAJosh Flowers, AIA, LEED AP is the 2012 President of AIA Memphis and the YAF Regional Liaison for the Gulf
States Region. A registered architect and licensed attorney, Josh is General Counsel of Hnedak Bobo Group in
Memphis, Tennessee. Josh received Bachelor of Architecture and Juris Doctor Degrees from the University of
Tennessee where he served as editor of the Tennessee Law Review. He is a national speaker and writer on legal
issues related to architectural practice.
Assistant Editor: Bonnie Sen, AIABonnie Sen, AIA, LEED AP is an architect at Gensler in Washington, DC. Originally from India, she grew up moving
around the United States, and believes this is the reason she has permanent wanderlust. She has previously
served in the editorial sub-committee for AIA National Associates Committee's newsletter, AssociateNews.
Graphic Designer: OpenMarketing Manager: OpenNews Editor: Open
Contact the editor at [email protected] if you are interested in an open position.
Thanks to YAF Connection Sponsor: AIA TRUST
Starting Out? Need Help? Call AIA TrustJust starting out? Going it alone? Enjoy the support of the AIA Trust and its all-new webinar of programs and special offers for new starter firms. If you’ve started
your own firm within the last year, then help is on the way. In this 8-minute webinar, AIA Members who are starting firms can learn about AIA Trust programs designed for firms including some very special new benefits such as free insurance, fee waivers, free publications, and more!
Visit the all-new AIA Trust website www.TheAIATrust.com to benefit from a wealth of resources such as risk management white papers, articles &publications; liability insurance data and comparisons; SATs for LU credits-and now a special program overview with new money-saving benefits designed for the new “starter” firm! Please note that firm eligibility requirements and some limitations apply. got questions? call 202-626-7376 or e-mail: [email protected]
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YAF Connection March 2012 issue will be a “Visual Journal” of your favorite photographs, sketches and artwork. Send your images to the editor at [email protected] by January 31.
For the love of... PICTURE PERFECT
2012 YAF ADVISORY COMMITTEE
2012 ChairJennifer Workman, AIA
Vice ChairBrad Benjamin, AIA, CSI, LEED AP
Past ChairAdam W. Palmer, AIA, LEED AP
Programs AdvisorMatthew M. Dumich, AIA
Communications AdvisorDeepika Padam, AIA, LEED AP bd+c
Young Architect Regional Directors AdvisorJason Dale Pierce, AIA, LEED AP
Events AdvisorVirginia Marquardt, AIA, LEED AP, CDT
Public Relations AdvisorJoseph R. Benesh, AIA, CDT, LEED AP
College of Fellows LiaisonWilliam J. Stanley, III, FAIA, NOMA
AIA Board RepresentativeWendy Ornelas, FAIA
AIA Staff Director, Emerging ProfessionalsErin Murphy, AIA, LEED AP
The American Institute of Architects Young Architects Forum1735 New York Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20006
http://network.aia.org/AIA/YoungArchitectsForum
WHAT IS THE YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM?
The AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF) gives AIA
members who have been licensed 10 years or less
a voice throughout the Institute. Approximately
23,000 AIA members are represented by the
YAF; our 25 volunteer leaders are Young Architect
members in the AIA national, regional, state,
and local components.
YAF programs, activities, and resources serve
young architects by providing information
and leadership; promoting excellence through
fellowship with other professionals; and
encouraging mentoring to enhance individual,
community, and professional development.
All YAF members receive a national publication,
the bimonthly Connection newsletter. Members
also receive electronic communications from the
YAF social networking accounts on Facebook and
LinkedIn. Additionally, they have access to the YAF
page on the AIA.org website.