Honors and awards
AIA South Carolina Selects 11 for Honors in the Palmetto State
AIA South Carolina honored 11 projects at its recent annual conference in Greenville, S.C. as distinguished works of architecture within the state. From a field of 93 entries, a jury of architects selected 3 projects for Honor Awards, and 8 for Merit Awards. Project types range from large corporate facilities to residential projects. Seven of the projects are new buildings and four are renovations or additions.

Poll
Check on Small Business Redefinition
The Small Business Administration intends to redefine a small business by the number of employees rather than in terms of yearly gross receipts. Currently, an architecture firm receives the small-business label if its gross receipts are under $4 million per year. Under the proposed rule, an architecture firm would be allowed up to 50 employees and no more than $7 million in gross receipts each year to be considered a small business. Tell us whether this will adversely affect your business, so that the AIA may better formulate a position in discussions with the Small Business Administration.

AIA Leaders Visit Morgan State University’s New Design Studio
AIA President Gene Hopkins, FAIA, and Executive Vice President/CEO Norman L. Koonce, FAIA, joined Paul L. Taylor, AIA, past president of the National Organization of Minority Architects and assistant professor and program coordinator of Morgan State University’s newly established architecture and environmental design program in Baltimore to observe Taylor’s Design Studio V. Hopkins remarked on the importance of embracing the growing diversity that is enriching the profession and supporting the next generation of young architects. Koonce encouraged the students to pursue their architecture education and invited them to visit the AIA building in Washington, D.C. While Morgan State is a historically black institution, it has served students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.

neighborhood WATCH
Community Involvement:
Easy as ABC in Cincinnati
Local architects and businesses sponsor kids’ architecture exhibition
AIA Cincinnati and the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati have teamed up with local architecture firms and other businesses to produce “Architecture by Children,” (ABC) a public exhibition of work at the Downtown Public Library, April 24–May 1. ABC gives K–12 students the opportunity to learn about architecture directly from local designers and architects who make presentations at participating schools each January. Students can develop an understanding of the role of the architect and how architects affect all our lives through the design and development of our shared environment.

Liability Reform Issues Gain Traction in South Carolina, Ohio
Tort reform efforts are gaining steam in South Carolina and Ohio, where the AIA components have joined broad coalitions to see that changes are made to their state’s liability laws. Among the provisions the architects are seeking to impose are statutes of repose—measures that bar actions against architects and engineers after a certain period of time following the completion of services or substantial completion of construction.

PROJECT WATCH
HOK Offers Plans for Expansion of New York City’s Javits Center
Phase II includes new home for NY Jets
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Governor George Pataki unveiled plans by Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) on March 25 for expansion of the Javits Center tradeshow and convention complex on Manhattan’s West Side. The architects see the revamped “convention corridor” as a key element in the long-term development of midtown. HOK’s New York City office has been working with the center, which opened in 1986, for the past eight years.

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

Your Kiplinger Connection (members only)
The economy: Jobs are opening up as businesses grow confident. The current 4.5 percent growth will slow starting in July, though. Tech: Spyware is out there; here are some tips to protect yourself. Energy: Gas prices keep going up, and Bush has few options otherwise.
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 15 | March 22 | March 29 | April 5

best practices (members only)
Steel Prices Disrupting Construction, Scheduling
Responses to an AIArchitect poll of readers show overwhelmingly that the skyrocketing price of steel is throwing construction budgets and schedules off track in all building types and markets. High overseas demand and a weak dollar mean that the price of everything from beams to bolts is increasing measurably by the day, forcing the redesign or postponement of projects on the boards and increasing tension between contractors and owners. Here is a sampling of the comments members submitted on how they are coping with the crisis.

Heads Up: 2004 BW/AR Awards Submissions Due April 21
Do you have a project in which design excellence achieved important objectives for your client? Did it grow out of collaboration between architect and client? If so, enter it in the 2004 Business Week/Architectural Record Awards competition. Submissions are due April 16; late submissions are due April 21.

Take Part in Build Boston 2004’s Diversity Focus Group
To follow-up on “2020 Vision: A Diversity Conference for Design Professionals,” the diversity conference held at Build Boston in November, the Boston Society of Architects is planning a one-day focus group on diversity for Build Boston 2004. Conference planners now are developing a workshop on the value of adopting inclusive firm cultures to foster diversity, therefore they are looking for individuals to present real-life case studies. If your firm has an innovative culture that has resulted in a more inclusive and diverse staff, please e-mail your name, firm name, and a short description of your firm culture to BSA Deputy Director Nancy Jenner, njenner@architects.org, by April 12.

2004 Call for Entries: National Award for Smart Growth Achievement
Applications for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s third annual National Award for Smart Growth Achievement are due June 1. This competition is open to local or state governments and other public-sector entities that have incorporated smart growth principles to create places that respect community culture and the environment, foster economic development, and promote a better quality of life for this and future generations.

ArchVoices Collects 180 Submissions to Essay Contest
One-hundred eighty people responded to the call to submit their work to the ArchVoices Essay Competition. Organizers report that they received entries from young professionals in 35 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and 12 other countries (nearly twice as many as last year): Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. See what these young professionals have to say by visiting the ArchVoices Web site. The readers’ choice poll ends April 15.

AIA CAREER CENTER
Here Are This Week’s Featured Opportunities

Hot Off the Press: AIA Guide to Chicago by Alice Sinkevitch, Hon. AIA. Chicago is justly celebrated as the birthplace of Modern architecture, and the AIA Guide to Chicago (2004, Harcourt Inc., ISBN: 0156029801) offers the premier guide to the city.
Order the brand new edition today from the AIA Store. $30 retail/ $27 AIA members.

Tour Chicago, June 10–12: The AIA 2004 National Convention and Expo offers myriad professional and public tours of the Windy City. See the complete list and sign up now to get the best selection of convention tours, seminars, and workshops.

What Are Architects in Education Doing? Read about the upcoming Teachers’ Seminar at Cranbrook Academy, July 8-11, cosponsored by the AIA and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, plus the group’s ongoing case studies program.

Check Out the Free Online Courses From the 2004 Grassroots Conference: AIA eClassroom has just released three new courses featuring keynote speakers from this year’s AIA Grassroots Leadership conference. Hear EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt; pollster Frank Luntz, PhD; and Richard Jackson, MD, MPH, senior advisor to the director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Try Airborne Express Risk-Free: New customers who are AIA members receive their first shipment free. Just call 800-MEMBERS (800-636-2377), 8 a.m.–7 p.m. EST. For more information and benefits, visit the AIA Advantage site.

Technical Support Unparalleled in the Industry: MASTERSPEC provides free technical and specification support to its users. Find out about the other benefits.

Consider Disability Coverage for Your Office: If you become disabled and cannot work, the AIA Trust Business Overhead Expense Plan helps pay your office expenses while you recuperate. Click here for specific information about this program. For information about all AIA Trust programs, visit their Web site.