work on the boards
Despite Normal December Slowdown, Inquiries Hint at Stronger Start to 2004
Billings at architecture firms took their normal seasonal drop in December, with almost 30 percent of firms reporting a decline in billings. While architecture firm billings routinely drop in December, this is the third straight monthly decline, and the fifth in the last six months. The bright light in this month’s report was the reasonably strong increase in inquiries for new work. While this indicator also is typically weak in December, this year it actually rose slightly from the November reading.

THIS JUST IN
RFQs for Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Center on the Mall Due February 20
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund seeks expressions of interest and qualifications from design teams interested in being considered for the design of an underground educational center on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This will be a two-stage selection process with interviews before a panel granted in the second stage to selected teams. Obtain full information on the project, requirements for submitting design team qualifications, and deadlines on the Memorial Fund's Web site. All inquiries should be made by e-mail to vvmf@vvmf.org. (Please, no telephone calls or faxes.)

World Trade Center Memorial Unveiled
A 13-member jury on January 14 revealed their selection of “Reflecting Absence,” a memorial design by New York City Housing Authority architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker, to honor the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks and the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. The design encompasses two reflecting pools that mark the spot of the towers’ footprints, surrounded by a large plaza filled with vibrant greenery.

Oregon Architects Recognized for Excellence in Design
Outstanding projects from Oregon and beyond were honored by a nationally recognized jury and Portland’s mayor at the 2003 AIA Portland Design Awards Gala, the centerpiece of Architecture Week, the chapter’s annual civic celebration of the built environment. The entries spanned the globe from downtown Portland to Istanbul and Kazakhstan, highlighting the reach of Oregon’s architecture practices.

States Enact Design-Build Legislation in Many Forms
Law and policymakers searching for cost-effective methods to procure and deliver public services, such as capital improvements and new construction, increasingly are turning to the design-build delivery method. The approach has not been uniform; while some states have eagerly embraced design-build and have enacted statutes that authorize its widespread use, other states simply have authorized specific demonstration projects. The AIA Government Affairs Department’s research shows that 29 states introduced a total of 95 bills last year.

AIA Utah Mourns Loss of Brent Richards, AIA
Architect killed January 7 in Guatemala
The members of AIA Utah sadly report that Brett Richards, AIA, 52, president of Richards Bott Architects in Ogden, was shot and killed January 7 in Guatemala. Richards, his wife, parents, brother, and sister-in-law were participating in a group traveling to sites in Central America referred to in the Book of Mormon. When their bus was stopped by thieves, Brett rose to see what was going on, was shot, and died on the bus. Coincidentally, the United Nations announced that day that it had agreed to help Guatemala with its spiraling crime problem.

PROJECT WATCH
Free Library of Philadelphia Selects Safdie for Renovation, Expansion of Central Library
The Free Library of Philadelphia has selected Moshe Safdie and Associates Inc. to design the renovation and expansion of the city’s Central Library on historic Logan Square. The internationally renowned Boston-based firm will join with Philadelphia-based Francis Cauffman Foley Hoffman, associate architect, while Feingold Alexander + Associates and Kelly/Maiello Inc. of Philadelphia will partner on the historic preservation portion of the project. The architects hope to return the original structure—designed by Horace Trumbauer and Julian Abele, patterned after an 18th-century French government palace, and completed in 1927—to its original grandeur.

The AIA Angle
The AIA Angle, the AIA members’ source for government news, offers these stories in the latest edition: 2004 Promises Crowded Federal Agenda: Lawmakers to take up transportation funding, energy legislation, corporate taxes, and public-private competition. Procurement Tops Annual Survey of Components' Priorities: Other key issues include taxes on professional services, statewide building code adoption, tort reform, and interior design practice acts. Interior Design Bills Expected in 2004: Anticipated legislation in Arizona would include several elements not supported by the AIA’s national public policies. For these stories and more, visit the AIA Angle Web page.

AIA Officer Nominations Open; Filing Date Is April 12
Twelve architects already have declared their candidacy for three national AIA offices.

Your Kiplinger Connection (members only)
The economy: The coming year will see continued growth, albeit with struggling retailers, and a weak dollar driving exports. State finances: Public/private project funding is becoming popular with cash-strapped states. The office: Trouble on the horizon: cell-phone cameras?
AIArchitect offers AIA members exclusive access to three stories a week to help them manage their practices and plan for the coming year. Nonmembers may subscribe to The Kiplinger Letter.

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