work-on-the-boards
Firms End First Quarter on an Up Note
Most firms expect to grow over the next five years
AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA, tells us that the upturn in business conditions at architecture firms picked up its pace in March, as almost a third of firms reported increased billings compared with February levels, while only 10 percent reported declines. Firms in all regions noted strong business conditions. The monthly Work-on-the-Boards survey of panelists also reveals that business conditions at firms are solid, and most have a positive outlook for the long term.

GSA Honors Its “Best of the Best”
The U.S. General Services Administration honored the 16 winners of the 2004 GSA Design Awards March 24 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Selected from 143 entries, this year’s recipients “are models that creatively meet everyday functional needs and address the challenges of providing a quality federal work environment at the best value to the taxpayers,” says GSA Administrator Stephen A. Perry.

Check Out These Exciting New Additions to the Convention Program
Due to popular demand, the AIA has added some exciting new continuing education opportunities to the roster of the AIA National Convention in Las Vegas, May 19–21. AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA, has agreed to convene a panel to help your firm—large or small—gain an advantage in today’s economic climate. Other new workshops will have you exploring construction of the Great Pyramid from a project manager’s point of view; examining the plan to bring the 2012 Summer Olympics to New York City with Olympic Village Designer Thom Mayne, FAIA; and seeking lessons learned from the 2001 structural collapse of the World Trade Center. And you might want to consider arriving a day early to take the newly added all-day pre-convention workshop on Wednesday, May 18. It offers a hands-on introduction in a computer-lab setting to the new AIA Contract Documents software. (Hurry for this one—only 32 people can take part!)

Robert P. Madison Creates Architecture Scholarship for African Americans
Fund honors RPMI’s 50 years of practice
Robert P. Madison, FAIA, has faced challenges throughout his lifetime to overcome prejudice and setbacks. A man who has never yielded to the obstacles set before him, he now is making the path easier for those who will follow.

GSA Searches for New Chief Architect
Applications due by May 27
The U.S. General Services Administration is searching for a new Chief Architect for its Public Building Service, headquartered in Washington, D.C. The new Chief Architect replaces Ed Feiner, FAIA, who retired from the PBS in January. Applications are due by May 27 and may not be made online. The Chief Architect directs a staff of 65 in the nation’s capital and is responsible for 337,000,000 square feet of office space and $3 billion of design and construction work currently in progress, including the Federal Building in San Francisco, designed by Morphosis (shown).

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.

project watch
Duke University and Frank Harmon, FAIA, Team Up to Create “Smart House”
The Duke Engineering Living Technology Advancement (DELTA) Smart House is the idea of a group of Duke students who wanted to create “an environmentally friendly student residence that could double as a laboratory for studying and developing green building technologies.” More than 40 engineering students worked with environmental design and divinity school students, faculty, and staff to research and identify sustainable elements they wanted to incorporate into the house as part of a research project.

Your Kiplinger Connection (members only, AIA.org login required)
Gassing up: Price per gallon will hit $2.40 by Memorial Day; back to $2 by Labor Day. HR: With Rx prices soaring, it’s time to review your company’s drug benefit plan. Travel: You’ll soon need your passport to get back from Canada or Mexico.
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 21 | March 28 | April 4 | April 11

best practices
Keep Your Emotions from Affecting Your Negotiating Behavior and Results
“Clients hire professionals to produce results—not to develop close relationships,” Negotiations Strategies’ publisher Michael Strogoff, AIA, tells us. “Expect respect during a negotiation. If you want friendship, look elsewhere.” In this article, Strogoff offers six steps, when negotiating, to keep your emotions from adversely affecting your results.

Can’t Join Us at the Convention This Year?
Take part in these two live Webcasts from Las Vegas
If you can’t join your colleagues in Vegas, perhaps you would like to be there in spirit by taking part in these two live Webcasts, presented on Wednesday May 18 as part of the AIA/CES Registered Provider Conference held in conjunction with the AIA National Convention and Design Expo. Both hour-long Webcasts—“Nine Shift: From Cheating to Collaboration” and “Forecasting Programs and Markets”—are offered by the conference’s keynote speakers and offer one Learning Unit. One livecast offers a free book to the first 100 people registering—check it out!

Voice Your Opinion on Diversity Within the Profession
“Attendees at last year’s AIA National Convention resolved that diversity is crucial to a strong architectural profession, yet certain groups of people are under-represented,” notes AIA Community Team Vice President Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, in a recent e-mail message to AIA members on behalf of the AIA’s Diversity Committee. “As a first step to addressing this important issue, AIA leadership needs your input. Please take the next 5-10 minutes to answer a series of questions about yourself and your experiences in school and in practice. “The survey—being conducted independently by the Holland & Knight Corporate Diversity Counseling Group—will be posted until April 29. The results will be anonymous and incorporated into a demographic data audit of the profession to help us establish a current reference point. Please feel free to share this link with your colleagues, former classmates, and friends,” Dreiling concludes. Click here to access the survey and more detailed information.

Electronic Version of the National CAD Standard™ Now Available
Version 3.1 of The U.S. National CAD Standard™ (NCS) includes a CD containing all 960 pages of the standard in an Adobe PDF file. This searchable electronic version makes it easier to verify that construction drawings are NCS-compliant. Currently, more than 4,000 design firms throughout North America use the standard. NCS Version 3.1 includes the AIA CAD Layer Guidelines and the Construction Specification Institute’s Uniform Drawing System. The NCS—the result of an agreement among the AIA, CSI, and National Institute of Building Sciences—also authorizes NIBS to license CAD software developers to include the NCS content within their applications. AIA members currently may join task teams being formed to prepare for the next NCS revision cycle, which will be under way by summer. (To join, visit the NIBS Web site). Visit the CSI Web site to learn more about a half-day NCS Workshop by Charles Rick Green, AIA, on April 19 at the annual CSI convention in Chicago. To purchase the electronic version of the NCS, visit the AIA store.

AIA CAREER CENTER
Here Are This Week’s Featured Opportunities

Great Client Gift: House Transformed: Getting the Home You Want with the House You Have by Matthew Schoenherr (Taunton Press/AIA, 2005) offers seven keys to the ideal remodeling project, from the whole house to a small corner. House Transformed is available now to AIA members for the special price of $25.60 ($32 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 still 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.

See the New AIA Ad Campaign: The current series of network radio advertisements runs April 18-May 2. For more details on all aspects of the 2005 AIA ad campaign, including periodicals advertising, visit the AIA Members Section of AIA.org.

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.

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.