work-on-the-boards
Business Conditions at Architecture Firms Show Normal December Swoon
Identifying new projects and attracting new staff rank as top business concerns for 2005
Billings at U.S. architecture firms were very soft in December, reflecting their typical year-end slowdown due to staff time off, poor weather, and difficulty in getting client approvals during the holiday season to move ahead on projects, says AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. Even with this normal downturn, however, commercial/industrial firms reported unusually weak billings in December. Also, firms are generally expecting improving business conditions this coming year. However, when asked to name their biggest business-related concern for 2005 firms were split between concerns generally associated with a strong economy and those generally associated with a weak economy.

Profession Mourns Loss of Ehrman B. Mitchell Jr., FAIA
With great sadness we report that Ehrman B. Mitchell Jr., FAIA, the 1979 President of the Institute and half of the internationally renowned firm Mitchell/Giurgola of Philadelphia, passed away January 18. He was a week shy of his 80th birthday. AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Norman L. Koonce, FAIA, remembers Mitchell as “a great influence on this organization during a time when its leaders were challenged by the pressures of newly developing technology, the influx of the Baby Boom into the profession, and the growing need for environmental sensitivity in designs and building products . . . He served the profession with dignity and integrity and will be deeply missed.” AIArchitect will share further tributes and details for memorial services next week.

Three Architects Win 2005 Jefferson Awards
Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, Chicago; Diane Georgopulos, AIA, Boston; and Charles Atherton, FAIA, Washington D.C., have been selected to receive the AIA 2005 Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture. The Thomas Jefferson Award recognizes excellence in architectural advocacy and achievement by private-sector architects who design public facilities, public sector architects, and public officials or other individuals who advocate for design excellence.

Five Honored by the Institute for Distinguished Contributions to Architecture
The AIA has selected three individuals and two groups as recipients of the 2005 Institute Honors for Collaborative Achievement. The award, to be presented in May at the AIA National Convention in Las Vegas, recognizes and encourages distinguished achievements of allied professionals, clients, organizations, architect teams, knowledge communities, and others who have had a beneficial influence on or advanced the architectural profession.

Five Exemplary Individuals Receive Young Architects Award
The AIA has selected five outstanding Young Architects, defined as professionals who have been licensed 10 years or fewer regardless of their age, to receive the 2005 Young Architects Award. This award honors individuals who have shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession early in their careers. This year’s recipients are impressive in their broad range of contributions—mentoring and teaching, sustainability, chapter leadership, and design excellence.

REMINDER
Your Grassroots Representatives Storm Capitol Hill February 10
One of the primary objectives of the annual Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference is for AIA component leaders to take the AIA’s messages directly to the Capitol Hill offices of your members of Congress. Component officers and executives will prepare for Hill visits February 9 to make their February 10 visits maximally effective. Go to the Grassroots portion of AIA.org for more information on the conference, which also includes leadership workshops and issues discussions through February 12. (Attendees can register on-line—registrations are due
January 21.)

Virginia Awards for Design Excellence Reflect a Growth in Global Practice
Sixteen projects by architects across the region were honored with Awards for Excellence in Architecture presented by the Virginia Society AIA. Selected from a field of 148 submissions, the award winners varied widely from a low-budget rehabilitation of a former meat-packing plant into a community center for inner-city youth to an exquisitely detailed boarding/breeding complex for thoroughbreds in Albemarle County. Several projects—new research center in Spain, plans for a visitors center in France, a resettlement community for refugees in India, and an American embassy in Kenya—give evidence of an increasing global reach for the region’s architects.

project watch
Historic D.C. Theater Reincarnated
New life given to theater and theater company alike
By all accounts, it seemed as though the curtain had closed for good on Washington, D.C.’s historic Tivoli Theater. Designed by New York architect Thomas W. Lamb and built in 1924 by owner Harry Crandall, the Italian Renaissance Revival theater was for many years one of Washington’s premiere movie houses. Located in the once tony neighborhood of Columbia Heights, the theater enveloped 2,000 patrons in opulence and splendor. After the devastating 1968 riots following the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Tivoli remained open but was heavily scarred. Unfortunately, the subsequent suburban exodus knelled its demise. In 1975, the Tivoli enjoyed its last encore. For decades it stood dormant, a monument to the neighborhood’s past grandeur.

Need to catch up on recent editions of AIArchitect This Week?
December 20 | January 3 | January 10 | January 17

 

best practices
Why Would a Client Want to Negotiate a Balanced Agreement?
Clients who insist on using their own agreement forms usually adopt a tough negotiating stance when design professionals propose modifications, notes Negotiating Strategies Publisher Michael Strogoff, AIA. Don’t waste your time and good will responding directly to these reasons, regardless of your client’s motives, he says. Instead, give your client incentives for modifying its agreement.

COF Seeks Nominations for Secretary
The 2005 College of Fellows Nominating Committee is soliciting nominations for 2005–2007 Secretary, to be presented for consideration at the annual COF business meeting at the AIA Convention and Expo in May 2005. Nominations should include:

  • Cover letter—no longer than two standard pages—with name, address, telephone number, and a description of interest and understanding of the position
  • Executive summary or resume, not to exceed five pages, which includes a list of significant AIA activities and accomplishments
  • A maximum of three letters of recommendation forwarded to the chair of the nominating committee. Address letters to Nominating Committee Chair, AIA College of Fellows, 1735 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20006-5292, by February 4, 2005. For more information, contact Pauline Porter, 202-626-7521.

New q Now Online
The Winter 2005 edition of the nac-q, the National Associates Committee quarterly journal, is up and running on the AIA Web site. While the journal addresses many of the issues of particular concern to associate members, including intern development programs and balancing life and work, this issue additionally contains a number of “where do I fit in?” articles contributed by Associate members. One of many of note is “No One Ever Mentioned to Me that I Was Different,” by Ana Guerra, Assoc. AIA, the 2005 Associate representative to the AIA Executive Committee. Read the
q today.

AIA Officer Nominations Open; Filing Date Is March 18
Eight architects already have declared their candidacy for three national AIA offices.

AIA CAREER CENTER
Here Are This Week’s Featured Opportunities

Architect, Arlington, VA
Architect, Boulder, CO and Sacramento
Architect, Carlsbad, CA
Architect, Fairbanks, AK
Architect, Northwest OH
Architect, Paso Robles/Santa Maria, CA
Architect, Pittsburgh
Architect, Rocklin, CA
Architect, Tacoma, WA
Architect, Toledo
Architect, Tucson
Architect/Building Technology Professional, Orlando & Miami
Architect (Education Studio), San Luis Obispo, CA
Architect/Grad. in Architecture, San Diego
Architect/Intern Architect, Baltimore
Architects, Indianapolis Metro Area, IN
Architects, Phoenix
Architects of All Levels, Dallas
Architectural Designers, Boston
Architectural Engineer/Scientist 3—Job Code 2004, Tullahoma, TN
Architectural Intern, Franklin, TN
Architectural Job Captain, Tucson
Architectural Librarian & Manager, Property Info Center, Cambridge, MA
Architectural Project Manager, Boca Raton, FL
Architectural Team Lead, Nashville
Base Building Architect, New York City
Building Performance Specialist, Pittsburgh
CADD Manager, Boston
Campus Planner, Baltimore
Design Project Manager, Metropolitan Boston Area
Designer, New York City
Designer, Project Architects & Project Managers, Reston, VA
Designers & Architects, Modesto/ Sacramento, CA
Director of Health Care Studio, Sacramento
Entry-Level Architect, Long Island, NY
Executive Editor—Contract Documents, Washington, DC
Graduate Architect, NJ
Healthcare Construction Architect, San Francisco
Healthcare Market Leader, Midwest
Healthcare Project Architect/Project Manager, Baltimore
Healthcare Project Manager, Madison
Home Performance Specialists & Researchers, Pittsburgh
Interior Designer, Richmond, VA
Intermediate/Senior Level Architects, Washington, DC
Intern Architect, Savannah

Intern Architect/Architect, Sarasota, FL
Intern Architect/Project Manager, Atlanta
Job Captain, Los Angeles
Junior Architect/Project Architect, Millbrook, NY
Junior & Intermediate Designers, New York City
Junior/Senior Intern Architects, Raleigh
Justice Architects, Atlanta
Manager, Architectural Services, Yardley, PA
Office of the Architect of the Capitol, Springfield, IL
Planners/Architects/Landscape Architects, Baltimore
Program Manager, Outreach—Center for Communities by Design, Washington, DC
Program/Project Manager, Sacramento
Project Architect, Raleigh
Project Architect, Sterling, VA
Project Architect/Designer, Boston
Project Architect: Hi-Rise Residential, Las Vegas
Project Architect/Manager, Helena, MT
Project Architect—Office, Cincinnati
Project Architect/Project Manager/Job Captain, Las Vegas
Project Architects, St. Louis
Project Architects/Job Captains/ Interns/CAD Technicians, Charlotte & Dallas
Project/Construction Manager, Los Angeles
Project Manager, Baltimore
Project Manager, Dallas
Project Manager, Denver
Project Manager/Architect, Raleigh
Project Manager/Architect, West Palm Beach, FL
Project Manager & Architectural Interns, New York City
Project Manager & Project Architect, Chicago North
Project Manager, Architecture, San Luis Obispo, CA
Project Managers/Job Captains, New York City
Project Operations Manager, St. Louis
Residential Architect, Pittsburgh
Residential Designer, Boise/Sun Valley, ID
Resource Architect (2 Positions), Washington, DC
Senior Architect/Project Manager, Baltimore
Senior and Intermediate Designers, Newport Beach, CA
Senior Designer, Baltimore
Senior Designer, Phoenix


Visit the AIA Career Center to view/post openings. You can sort the complete list by keyword, category, job level, job type, and location.

This service is brought to you as an AIA-member benefit. The email list used to deliver AIArchitect This Week is maintained exclusively for that purpose by the AIA national component.

To keep up with the universe of information the AIA gathers exclusively for members, visit the AIA's Web page.

AIArchitect This Week is published by the AIA, 1735 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20006. Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects. Home page

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You receive this e-mail at:
%%TO_EMAIL%%
because your address is on file in the AIA's membership database.

To change your e-mail address, send an e-mail with your name, AIA member number, old e-mail address and new e-mail address to AIA Information Central. Or make the changes yourself.

To remove your email address from this distribution list—but not from the AIA membership database—simply click here.

Note: If you are receiving this email at multiple addresses and want only one, simply go into the email you want eliminated, and then follow this link.

 

Columns
From the President’s Office
Work-on-the-Boards
Calendar
Consensus Forecast
Economics

 
 

Come Fly with Us:
On the Wings of Modernism: The United States Air Force Academy, by Robert Allen Nauman (University of Illinois Press, 2004) explores the symbolism of Modern architecture in post-WWII America and incorporates photographs of the project and site by Ansel Adams and William Garnett. Now available from the AIA Store at the special AIA member price of $36 ($45 retail). Visit the AIA Store site or call 800-242-3837, option #4.

Check Out These New Programs: AIA eClassroom now has available 25 programs from the 2004 national convention and 4 new programs from the recent international partnerships conference in New York City.

AIA Members Save with United Parcel Service (UPS): Save up to 20 percent on U.S. and international overnight air shipping with UPS, the world’s largest package-distribution company.
Call 800-325-7000, ext. 7600. Reference No. C-000-070-0037.

AIA Government Advocacy News: Join the list to receive the biweekly e-mail newsletter, a member benefit offering the latest local, state, and federal government actions impacting architects.



Limited Offer—Connect to ArchiWire Free:
Take advantage of free use of Archiwire, the Institute’s new online news resource, while it lasts. The AIA will begin charging a small per-release fee in early 2005, so register online now and build a portfolio of your firm’s news.

Free Continuing Education: After reading the standards and other information on environmental issues and products, references, and more in each MASTERSPEC topic, licensed users can access online tests to earn AIA/CES learning-unit hours.

Save Time! AIA.org now features a trouble-shooting Knowledge Base to address your AIA Contract Documents software questions quickly and efficiently.

Members-Only Life Insurance: The AIA Term Life Insurance Program for Firms offers AIA member firms specially negotiated rates and benefits. For instance, if you employ 10 or more people, you are eligible for guaranteed enrollment, with a benefit of up to $50,000 per person. Click here for specific information about this program. For more information about all AIA Trust programs, visit their Web site.