Edward A. Feiner, FAIA,
whose 35-year federal career includes serving for the past nine as chief
architect of the General Services Administration Public Buildings Service
(GSA PBS), retires from that post January 31. Effective February 1, Feiner—well-known
among his AIA colleagues for his exuberant defense of design excellence,
as well as his signature Western boots—will take on a new position
in the private sector as director of office operations for the Washington,
D.C., office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
“Ed has been a passionate and effective advocate for design excellence
in the public realm,” said GSA PBS Commissioner F. Joseph Moravec. “His
commitment to the proposition that our public buildings should reflect
America’s highest ideals has helped GSA become one of the nation’s
premier patrons of architecture.”
“Ed Feiner has done an excellent job of raising the bar on architecture
in the public realm,” agreed AIA President Douglas L Steidl, FAIA.
Still with an eye to the future
“The decision to retire from federal service was very difficult since
there is so much more to do to foster a more positive relationship between
the American people and our government,” Feiner says. “Architecture
and design play important roles in quality of life issues and truly affect
how we live, work, play, and conduct ourselves as part of a democratic
community. Giving physical form and communicating, through architecture,
the values, hopes, and aspirations of our society is the ‘legacy’ of
great public buildings.
“Everything is about timing. Periodically it is important to change
leadership so that new people can innovate, expand, and give new life
to important efforts. I felt that the current political and career leadership
of GSA, as strong advocates, would ensure the continuation and expansion
of the Design and Construction Excellence Programs. As Bob Peck and others
helped get this program started, Joe Moravec and Steve Perry have helped
it flourish.
“It was also time for me to try something new in my own career.
By joining the internationally renowned architectural practice of SOM,
I felt that my ‘canvas’ could be expanded well beyond the
limits of federal construction. I see my participation in architectural
practice as another opportunity to help more clearly establish our profession’s
leadership role in providing a creative and responsible ‘vision’ for
a fantastic future for ourselves and our children.
“So, in the end, it was the right time to make a move. I am confident
that GSA’s leadership role in quality public architecture will endure
and I hope that I will continue to contribute in a positive way to the
profession that I love.”
Feiner is a 1995 recipient of the AIA Thomas Jefferson Award for Public
Architecture. A graduate of New York City’s Cooper Union and the
Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., he has received countless
other professional honors, including the 1997 Cooper Union Presidential
Award for Advancement of American Architecture and the 2003 National
Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum for his achievements
with the GSA Design Excellence Program. In 2004, he was the first recipient
of the Society for Marketing Professional Services Client of the Year
award.
The American Architectural Foundation honored GSA PBS with the 2004
Keystone Award, recognizing its remarkable contribution to design that
enhances the quality of life and community identity and making particular
note of its Construction and Design Excellence programs. Feiner was instrumental
in creation of those programs, which strive to bring landmark status
back to federal buildings across the country, most notably courthouses,
and help bring communities closer together by acting as civic centers.
Among the many examples of the Design Excellence program’s success
are the Sandra Day O’Connor Federal Courthouse in Phoenix, by Richard
Meier & Partners with Langdon Wilson Architects, and the environmentally
sensitive design for the San Francisco Federal Building by Morphosis.
Feiner has commissioned with other such notable architects as Ross Barney-Jankowski,
Pei Cobb Freed, Michael Graves, Charles Gwathmey, Cesar Pelli, Antoine
Predock, and Moshe Safdie.
GSA PBS has begun a national search for a new chief architect who will
continue GSA’s commitment to design and construction excellence
and best value for the American taxpayer, Moravec says. “We will
bring the best talent we can to GSA to continue the strong work that
has become the hallmark of our Design Excellence program,” he says. “We
have created a state-of-the-art federal program at GSA and are determined
to stay at the head of the pack.”
New direction, same values at SOM
In his new role at SOM, Feiner will oversee the operations of the firm’s
Washington, D.C., office and work on large-scale projects. With his experience
in upholding the design standards and overseeing project delivery for
the GSA Design and Construction Program, which currently has more than
$12 billion of work in progress in all 50 states, Feiner’s experience
is an excellent fit for SOM, says Gary Haney, AIA, SOM partner-in-charge
of the Washington, D.C. office. “His priorities are consistent
with the values of SOM. We asked him to join us when we heard he was
planning to retire from government service,” Haney says.
“After 30 years of working in the public sector, I am very excited
to work for such a distinguished firm,” Feiner says. “I could
not imagine a better opportunity—I will be working with some of
the leading designers in the nation, if not the world.”
To avoid conflicts of interest, Feiner will not be responsible for marketing
to the GSA, given the prominence of his role there, an SOM release clarifies.
—Douglas E. Gordon, Hon. AIA
Copyright 2005 The American Institute of Architects.
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