AIA Memphis Honors Six Outstanding Projects
AIA Memphis members honored some of their hometown architecture firms for contributions to excellence in design, the profession, and the community on February 5 at the chapter’s annual black tie “Celebration of Architecture” Gala, which also featured a silent auction to support the chapter’s Architects for Education program offering a variety of opportunities for 4th–12th graders.

AIA NATIONAL CONVENTION
Cirque du Soleil Show at the MGM Grand a Vertical Epic
Entertainment architect Mark Fisher, known for designing spectacular stages for rock concerts and Super Bowl shows, has created a theater at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas with no stage. Instead, for the Cirque du Soleil show KÀ, Fisher has created an environment in which acrobats perform on tilting and rotating platforms, leap off balconies into midair, and fly over a bottomless pit.

MIT’s OPEN Prototype House Initiative to Test New Model for Creating Homes
School of Architecture leads consortium with builder Bensonwood Homes to collaborate on prototypes
The OPEN Prototype Initiative, led by the MIT Open Source Building Alliance (OSBA) and Bensonwood Homes, announced on February 28 that they will work with a roundtable of industrial leaders to “develop a new model for creating more responsive, adaptable, higher-quality, cost-effective homes.” Members of the initiative are predicting that demographic and market pressures in the years ahead will finally force a change in how we design, build, and integrate technologies into housing.

AIA, EPA Sign Memorandum of Understanding
The AIA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding February 10 at the Institute’s annual Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference. By signing the agreement, the two groups signal that they intend to advance the informal cooperative working relationship that exists between them. EPA and the AIA have previously collaborated on mutually beneficial projects, including the development of the Environmental Resource Guide (ERG), launched by the AIA in 1992 with EPA funding. Pictured, AIA President-elect Kate Schwennsen, FAIA (left); AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Norman L. Koonce, FAIA (right); and EPA Acting Administrator Stephen L. Johnson (second from right) look on as the AIA president puts his “Douglas L Steidl, FAIA” on the agreement. Photo © Sonnie Mason.

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

project watch
New Science Center Shines in Des Moines
Located in Des Moines’s rapidly growing cultural district, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership’s new Science Center of Iowa is destined to be a landmark structure when it opens in May. Sited on two city blocks in an area that recently housed rundown and abandoned warehouses, the new $62 million, 117,000-square-foot center will offer the community a modern, technologically sophisticated science center; an outdoor festival plaza for demonstrations, exhibits, and community use; and a landscaped park with water features and native Iowa flora.

Your Kiplinger Connection (members only, AIA.org login required)
The economy: Businesses will increase spending this year by 9 percent. Business costs: Steel prices rising again this month. Shipping: Inland cargo depots will be commonplace by 2010.
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.

Need to catch up on recent editions of AIArchitect This Week?
February 14 | February 21 | February 28 | March 7

best practices
New Guidelines Save a Third More Energy than Standard 90.1-1999
A new technical resource is now available to guide owners and architects toward improved energy performance in office buildings of up to 20,000 square feet—specifically, 30 percent better performance than equivalent buildings built to the minimums prescribed by ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999. Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings offers an integrated design-construction-occupancy process, recommendations and case studies by climate zone, and specific recommendations for implementation.

AIA Calls for Clear Rules in Accessibility Guidelines
The AIA will urge the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to ensure that the newly proposed Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) are adopted and enforced in a way that is “consistent, clear, and certain.” The comments come in response to DOJ’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the new ADAAG, published by the U.S. Access Board in July 2004. Comments are due by May 31.

No Foolin’: April 1 is the Deadline for Architectural Graphic Standards Details
Beyond practical information and generic drawings that answer architects’ basic questions, the 11th edition of Architectural Graphic Standards will offer innovative details and case studies intended to inspire excellence in both the performance and the poetics of building design. The new AGS will be organized around the UniFormat classification system; and the editors currently are searching for innovative details appropriate for inclusion in all eight sections: Substructure, Shell, Interiors, Services, Equipment and Furnishings, Special Construction and Demolition, Building Sitework, or details that incorporate universal design principles. Submit your detail by April 1 and you could become a prospective contributor to AGS and earn three learning units. See guidelines at AIA.org.

AIA CAREER CENTER
Here Are This Week’s Featured Opportunities

“Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!”:
Lost Border: The Landscape of the Iron Curtain by Brian Rose (Princeton Architectural Press, 2005) celebrates the transformation that has occurred since the 1990 dismantling of the Berlin Wall. Lost Border is available now to AIA members for the special price of $32 ($40 retail). To learn more or purchase, visit the AIA Store or call 800-242-3837, opt. #4.

Viva AIA! Join your colleagues May 19–21 in Las Vegas: Registration and housing is now open for the AIA 2005 National Convention and Design Exposition.

Check Out These New Programs—with Transcripts: AIA eClassroom now has available 12 of the most popular programs from the 2004 AIA national convention with full transcripts.

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: Read about the AIA’s comments in response to the Justice Department’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the new ADAAG.

See the New AIA Ad Campaign: The next series of network radio advertisements runs from March 14–28. For more details on all aspects of the 2005 AIA ad campaign, visit the AIA Members Section of AIA.org.

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.

Consider Accident Coverage for Accidental Injuries: The AIA Trust High Limit Accident Plan protects you financially for accidents occurring at home, at the office, on vacation, or in your car or a taxi. Insurance just in case! Click here for specific information about this program.
For more information about all AIA Trust programs, go to their site.