Iceland Wants an Oil Change
Hydrogen joins hot water as a renewable energy source for the mid-Atlantic island
When you think of Iceland, you might think of glaciers. But would you think of volcanoes? This island nation is a mere 40,000 square miles between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the United Kingdom. Despite being called “Iceland,” the nation is, ironically, quite hot. It sits on a geological hot spot, resulting in volcanoes, lava, and geysers that melt ice to form numerous rivers, lakes, and waterfalls. With so much water on hand, Icelanders see a unique chance to finally dispatch their oil dependency, or, as they humorously say, kick their oil habit. What would it take? Can they do it?

At 50, the AIA Conceives the Gold Medal, Receives Roosevelt’s Gratitude
In 1907, AIA members could be proud of their young Institute’s accomplishments. And they showed it by presenting the first AIA Gold Medal—to a Briton—and accepting stewardship of the White House, on invitation from President Teddy Roosevelt.

1909–1917: The Institute Comes of Age in the Nation’s Capital
As the Teddy Roosevelt era segued into the Taft and then Wilson administrations, the AIA found itself in the enviable position of advisor in the formation of a federal council of fine arts, and selection of the Lincoln Memorial and its site. During this Golden Age, the AIA held its first West Coast convention, approached a membership of 1,000, and inaugurated a feisty new Journal that took whacks at U.S. public buildings policy right on its cover. And, sadly, the Institute mourned the loss of one its most prestigious members just before he was to receive the AIA’s second Gold Medal. Do you know who he was?

AIA Washington Chooses 10 for Civic Design Awards
AIA Washington awarded 10 local projects the chapter’s Civic Design Award for superior design and commitment to creating civic spaces with a sensitivity to design and usability. The Civic Design Awards program identifies public projects that are hallmarks of civic design. Projects receiving Honor Awards not only embody design excellence, but also show creative risk-taking and problem-solving. Civic projects earn the Merit Award by exemplifying their particular type of civic space, while the Citation Award acknowledges quality design based on individual reasons.

Engineers Focus on “Girl Power”
New book aims to inspire more females to consider engineering
Women engineers traded signatures and congratulations February 21 on the publication of the new book Changing Our World: True Stories of Women Engineers, by Sybil Hatch, published by the American Society of Civil Engineers, 2006. Through its engaging 256 pages, Changing Our World aims to inspire a new generation of females to consider careers in engineering. The book, launched at a reception at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., during Engineers Week, is the first product of the Extraordinary Women Engineers Project Coalition.

Architecture on the Edge: Innovation . . . Engagement . . . Inspiration
This year’s convention promises to be bigger and better than ever
The AIA 2006 National Convention and Design Exposition will be held June 8–10 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This year’s theme is “Architecture on the Edge: Innovation . . . Engagement . . . Inspiration,” and no other city in the world boasts as wide a range of innovative design as Los Angeles. The convention will explore innovation in design, construction, and beyond; examine the challenges of the public realm; and inspire fresh visions of a preferred future for the profession and for the built environment.

WEb watch
Great Site Takes You to LA
If you would like to get in the proper architectural frame of mind for the 2006 AIA National Convention and Design Expo in Los Angeles, June 8–10, you might want to take a journey or two to the City of Angels courtesy of photographer Martin Schall. Schall is a German engineer who takes lots and lots of photos on his yearly excursions to LA, and he has placed about 1,000 of the beauties on his Web site. Dear to our hearts, he has organized them according to architect (yay!), architectural style, date of construction, and use. He even throws in some nifty LA facts, plus an interactive site map of downtown buildings that link to photos of the buildings themselves. You-are-here.com truly is a site to behold. If you’re in the mood for a European vacation, visit Schall’s European site. (Pictured is Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1917 Hollyhock House. Photo © Martin Schall.)

Your Kiplinger Connection (members only, AIA.org login required)
Foreign investors: Port terminal-phobia aside, foreign investment is a critical part of our economy.
Retail: Supermarkets and product-quality marketing are out; box stores, specialty shops, and feel-good selling are in.
Weather: New systems will mean six more hours’ warning on major storms.
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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Bone Up on Health-Care Buildings: Building Basics for Healthcare Facilities, by Richard L. Kobus, AIA; Ronald L. Skaggs, FAIA; Michael Bobrow, FAIA; Julia Thomas, and Thomas M. Payette, FAIA, part of the series on specialized design projects, provides the essential information needed to initiate designs for acute care hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, and specialty centers. The book lists for $69.95; AIA members may purchase for $62.95. Order online or phone 800-242-3837, option #4.

Widen Your Scope: “Expand Your Practice: Six New Scope of Services Documents,” taught by James C. Jankowski, FAIA, James B. Atkins, FAIA, will use actual case studies to show you how to contract for historic preservation, security evaluation and planning, facility support, commissioning, value analysis, and LEED certification. This course is available through March 10 at a 10-percent-off discounted price of $89.05 AIA members/$121.95 nonmembers (regular price: $98.95 AIA members/$134.95 nonmembers) and offers 1.5 HSW LU-hours.

Early Bird Registration Ends March 15. Architecture on the Edge: June 8–10 in LA! Register by March 15 for early-bird rates. Explore “Innovation . . . Engagement . . . Inspiration” in the City of Angels.

Early Warning: The 2005 CES Audits will be emailed in late February/early March. To update your email address, call the AIA Membership Department, 202-626-7565. Access your transcript. Also, have fun in the sun in March at AIA Miami’s 2006 Design Technology Expo.

New ads: The AIA has developed a new creative approach for our 2006 advertising campaign. The next series of network radio advertisements runs February 20–June 5. For details on all aspects of the AIA’s advertising campaign, visit the Members Section of AIA.org.

Special savings on all Dell Products. Call 888-323-6062. Account code AIA; access key AIADELL99. Or access your AIA Premier Dell.com Web site, www.dell.com/AIA. Enter account code AIA and access key AIADELL99 (case sensitive). Your AIA discount automatically will be applied.

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.

Integrated Practice: Technological change is one catalyst accelerating radical improvement through the entire construction industry, from owner to architect to contractor to facility manager, through the full length of the project and building lifecycle. Learn more about how this change will transform architectural practice into Integrated Practice at www.aia.org/ip.

Press Tap News Service: Reporters from The Wall Street Journal to Michigan Construction News have signed on to get full access to AIA’s news service. Post your news today.

Cover Personal and Business Expenses if Disability Strikes: The AIA Trust Personal and Business Overhead Disability Plans will cover all your expenses while you recuperate. Find out more about this program. For more information about all AIA Trust programs, go to their site.