Eight Beautiful Buildings Win 2005 Library Awards
Projects meet disparate client needs
Every other year, representatives from the AIA and the American Library Association gather to celebrate the finest examples of library design by architects licensed in the U.S. The 2005 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards honor eight disparate projects, ranging in size from an architecture school library to the central facility for a major city. All of the winning designs share successful resolution of their patrons’ needs into harmonious and beautiful designs.

Meet the Ten Candidates for AIA Office
Elections for the Institute’s next first vice president/president-elect, vice presidents, and treasurer will be held in May at the AIA 2005 National Convention and Design Expo in Las Vegas. The candidates’ statements are now available. Readers also should note that members at the 2004 convention voted for a bylaws change that allows for election of four vice presidents for two-year terms (instead of three vice presidents for one-year terms). This bylaws change affects the voting procedure this year.

Pictured from left, with the positions they seek: James A. Gatsch, FAIA, first vice president; Robert E. Middlebrooks, AIA, vice president; Jerry K. Roller, AIA, vice president; Norman Strong, FAIA, vice president; Ronald J. Battaglia, FAIA, vice president; RK Stewart, FAIA, first vice president; Robert I. Selby, FAIA, vice president; Michael Broshar, AIA, vice president; Angel Saqui, FAIA, vice president; and Tommy Neal Cowan, FAIA, treasurer.

Commission of Fine Arts Names New Secretary
Thomas Luebke, AIA, takes the reins at design oversight organization
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts has named Thomas Luebke, AIA, its new secretary, replacing Charles H. Atherton, FAIA, who served in that capacity for 44 years and retired last May. The only independent agency with oversight of federal and District of Columbia design decisions, the commission also approves the siting and design of all American memorials, national and international.

Members’ Voices
The inside scoop on what to do in Las Vegas
(in addition to convention-going and continuing-ed programs, of course!)
AIA Las Vegas members offer their best suggestions for what to do and see when you’re in town for the AIA 2005 National Convention and Design Expo May 19–21. From the finest view of the Strip to the best shows in town (both paid and free) to where to take the kids, it’s all here!

Japanese Modernist Master Kenzo Tange Dies
Kenzo Tange, Hon. FAIA, the 1966 AIA Gold Medalist and 1987 Pritzker Prize recipient, died in his Tokyo home March 22. He was 91. At the forefront of transforming Tokyo into the megalopolis it is today, Tange embraced the International Style from the outset while blending those industrial precepts with the forms and traditions of his native Japan. Tange first aspired to pursue architecture when, as a teenager, he saw Le Corbusier’s rejected design for the League of Nations, he would often tell interviewers. Following that dream, in the late 1930s he worked in the offices of Kunio Maekawa, who had studied under Corbusier.

project watch
EE&K Architects Ups the Ante with a Vertical Metropolis for MGM
New York City’s Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut & Kuhn Architects is planning and designing a $6 billion, 18-million-square-foot vertical development called the MGM MIRAGE Project CityCenter for MGM MIRAGE Corporation on the Las Vegas Strip. The 66-acre metropolis will be built between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo hotel casinos and will be a mixed-use cosmopolitan center of hotels, luxury condominiums, and shopping—all within an urban setting.

Your Kiplinger Connection (members only, AIA.org login required)
Stocks: Oil will be back to $45/barrel by fall, when stocks should show solid growth. Here are some to consider. Regs: Easing of federal regulations on coastal development, hazardous waste, and more on the horizon. Business costs: Plan for big bottlenecks that will slow materials shipping in July–October.
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?
March 7 | March 14 | March 21 | March 28

best practices
Electronic Document Management for the Small Office
John TeSelle, AIA, tells us that electronic document management has great potential to benefit a small firm, because every efficiency counts when staffing is limited. Explore ways in which simple software tools can reduce the amount of time and paper spent on document production and processing and improve communications with clients and contractors as well.

Call for Participation:
NAAB School Visits
Applications due April 15
Each year, the AIA nominates 10 practitioners to serve as Institute representatives on National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) school visits. All nominees are encouraged to participate in an NAAB orientation at the convention in Las Vegas, Friday, May 20, 1:30–3 pm. NAAB schedules the team visits, which generally occur during February and March. Nominees serve a four-year term (2006–2009) and may be assigned to one five-day school visit (Saturday–Wednesday) annually. Spanish-speaking practitioners are needed, and diversity among team members is desired. If you have an appreciation of architecture education issues, submit a letter of interest and one-page resume no later than April 15 to Catherine Roussel, AIA, director of education. For more information, call 202-626-7417.

2005 UIA World Congress in Istanbul to Focus on “Cities: The Grand Bazaar of Architecture”
The XXII World Congress of International Union of Architects (UIA) will take place July 3–7, 2005, in Istanbul. Held every three years since 1948, UIA world congresses offer platforms where the global agendas of architecture can be discussed. The 2005 congress, hosted by the Chamber of Architects of Turkey, will convene under the theme “CITIES: Grand Bazaar of Architecture.” Keynote speakers include an architecture  Who’s Who” in international practice today. Visit UIA online for program and registration information.

AIA CAREER CENTER
Here Are This Week’s Featured Opportunities

Master for Organization:
MasterFormat 2004 Edition: Master List of Numbers and Titles for the Construction Industry, published by the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and Construction Specifications Canada (CSC), tells where specific subject matter is located in the most significant revision of MasterFormat in its 40-year history. The MasterFormat Master List is available now to AIA members for the special price of $127.20 ($159 retail). To learn more or purchase, visit the AIA Store or call 800-242-3837, opt. #4.

Register for the Convention By April 15 and Save! Register for the full convention by April 15 to save $45 and increase your chances of getting the workshops, tours, special events, programs, and travel and hotel accommodations you want.

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

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.

Two Years of Continuing-Education Credits? Under the AIA Commended Professional Liability Insurance Program, insureds can satisfy continuing-ed requirements through self-study. Get more information about Design One, the AIA Trust’s comprehensive insurance program for AIA firms, and the continuing-ed program.
For more information about all AIA Trust programs, go to their site.