Washington State Architects Become Lobbyists for a Day This Friday, Timothy Buckley, AIA, principal and sole employee of Greenstone Architecture, in Vancouver, Washington, will drive two hours north to Olympia, the state capital. There, he and about 50 other architects from around the state will meet face to face with lawmakers to discuss issues related to the architecture profession. “We’re closing the office for the day,” Buckley quips. Photo courtesy Wikipedia On February 19, dozens of architects in Washington State will head to Olympia to meet with lawmakers. Related Links: Lobbying Tips for Architects AIA Members Lobby Congress Newsmaker Interview:
Photo courtesy Stan Bowman Stan Bowman Want to be a real participant in this business called democracy—lobby on an issue that matters to you! Not only will you help bring about positive change, you also will get more satisfaction out of advocacy than you ever imagined. Like anything else, the more you know about how to lobby, the better you will be. It’s not as hard as it sounds; in fact, if you can make a phone call or write a letter, you can lobby. With a few guidelines you can effectively lobby anything. 1. Know Your Issue The most
Long before the athletes go for the gold at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, native son Omer Arbel won the commission to design the medals the winning competitors will sport around their necks. Trained as an architect, Arbel divides his time equally between designing buildings and objects since founding his own firm, Omer Arbel Office, in 2005. The medals, however, are a first for Arbel, whose industrial design projects consist mainly of furniture and lighting. “We’ve never done anything like this before,” he admits. Photo courtesy Vanoc/Covan Click on the slide show icon to see additional photos. Arbel’s design
Architectural Record announces the launch of the Leicester B. Holland Prize, an annual competition that recognizes the best single-sheet measured drawing of an historic building, site, or structure prepared to the standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), or Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) of the National Park Service (NPS). The prize honors Leicester B. Holland (1882-1952), FAIA, chairman of the AIA’s Committee on Historic Buildings, head of the Fine Arts Division of the Library of Congress, and co-founder of the HABS program in the 1930s. It is supported by the Paul Rudolph Trust,
In a unanimous January 2010 decision, the California Building Standards Commission approved “Calgreen” as the first mandatory statewide green construction code to be adopted in the United States. “The code will help us meet our goals of curbing global warming and achieving 33 percent renewable energy by 2020, and promotes the development of more sustainable communities by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency in every new home, office building or public structure,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the January 2010 announcement. Photo: State of California, Office of the Governor Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger pushes for adoption of “Calgreen” in
Job Creation Focus of Ambitious Agenda February 4th was Capitol Hill Day for AIA executives, board members, and component leaders. This year the objective of the annual lobbying effort was to demand that Congress take up an agenda that would, among other things, free up credit, expand tax incentives that encourage energy-efficient construction, and provide relief for small businesses. The excursion was part of Grassroots 2010, the AIA’s yearly leadership conference. Setting the stage for the visits were rousing speeches by Representatives Kathy Castor (D. Florida) and Ed Perlmutter (D. Colorado), along with Adolpho Carrion Jr., director of President Obama’s
Photo courtesy Environmental Works Jan Gleason While many architects take on the occasional public service project, sometimes pro bono, Jan Gleason made an entire career based on creating innovative sustainable buildings for nonprofit community organizations. The Seattle architect called herself a “social worker in three dimensions,” and she specialized in child-care centers, affordable-housing projects, medical clinics, and community centers. Gleason died January 6 of lung cancer. She was 61. Born in New York City, Gleason grew up in Port Chester, New York. She received her bachelor’s degree in social science from Cornell University and her master’s degree in architecture from
Developer Dai Zhi Kang, chairman and CEO of the Shanghai Zendai Group is a small, gentle man with a super-sized vision—to create a world-class multi-cultural center for art and commerce in his hometown’s Pudong district. Image courtesy Shanghai Zendai Group Click on the slide show icon to see additional photos. “In China, art is mixed with daily life,” explains Zhi Kang. “I want to interpret this tradition into a new aesthetic for Chinese architecture.” So rather than erect a stand-alone museum, a concept he deems foreign in China (therefore not likely to be embraced by locals or investors), he worked
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