work-on-the-boards
April Report Continues Positive Stretch
in Firms’ Business Activity
Employee compensation at all levels
seen as major concern
Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA, reports that the upsurge in design activity that began around the beginning of the year continued in April, with almost 29 percent of firms reported increased billings in April, while only 9 percent reported declines. Particularly encouraging, Baker says, is that the strong business conditions are broad-based across the profession. Still, compensation remains a hot-button issue for the profession, the Work-on-the-Boards panel indicates.

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.

Friends of the High Line Unveils Preliminary Designs
Design team creates a “wilderness landscape atop an engineered structure”
New York City and Friends of the High Line are offering a first look at preliminary designs by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (architecture) and Field Operations (landscape architecture), the team selected last fall to convert the elevated rail structure to public open space on Manhattan’s West Side. The High Line, built in the 1930s as part of the West Side Improvement Project, represents one of the Big Apple’s largest investments in transportation infrastructure. No trains have run on the structure since 1980.

from the president’s office
150 and Still Counting
AIA President Douglas L Steidl, FAIA, talks about how the AIA’s 150th anniversary in 2007 offers a unique opportunity for new advocacy and public awareness initiatives that have the potential of changing our profession and the world.

Southwest D.C. Preservation Initiatives Receive Over $100,000 from NTHP
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has awarded 11 grants to record and promote the historical significance of the southwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Awarded from the Trust’s Monument Mitigation Grant Fund, a partnership of Monument Realty, the D.C. Preservation League, and the D.C. Historic Preservation Office, the funds will be used to educate residents about the history of this region of the city and mid-20th century architecture, and to improve public open space in southwest D.C.

Tune in to AIArchitect for Continuous Convention Coverage
Beginning Thursday, May 19, AIArchitect will post continuing coverage of the events taking place at the AIA National Convention and Design Expo in Las Vegas, including the election results. Save this link and check in with us often.

Center for Architecture Exhibit Probes Affordable Housing, Past and Present
The dearth of affordable housing in New York City and the need to find solutions to the difficult issue form the heart of “Policy and Design for Housing: Lessons of the Urban Development Corporation 1968–1975,” a new exhibit at AIA New York Chapter’s Center for Architecture. The program features the Urban Development Corporation’s housing programs for people of limited incomes and probes how affordable housing can still be built today. The opening program features speakers from the original UDC staff and Frank Braconi of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council of New York. A full-day symposium at The Graduate Center, CUNY, follows on June 11.

project watch
Rec Center Has Students Climbing Up a (Rock) Wall
The Wade King Student Recreation Center of the Western Washington University in Bellingham, by Opsis Architecture with Executive Architect BJSS Duarte Bryant, offers a sustainably designed, $17.5-million, student-funded facility that responds to a “holistic notion of student life,” says Opsis Partner James Meyer, AIA. The 98,000-square-foot facility, which anchors the campus’s new south academic core, offers an enticing physical environment for exercise, making it even more of a focal point of campus activities.

Your Kiplinger Connection (members only, AIA.org login required)
The economy: Raw materials costs to stay high.
Small business: An easing of OSHA rules?
Taxes: Current break in effect to continue.
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?
April 18 | April 25 | May 2 | May 9

best practices
A Basic Guide to Surety Bonds
Design professionals often are asked by an owner/client to assist in obtaining the services of a contractor to build projects either through a public bidding process or by invitation. Typically, owners want to know how they can protect themselves in the event that a selected contractor fails to satisfy the requirements for entering into the contract or does not construct the project in accordance with the plans and specifications. In general, writes Curtin International Insurance and Bonding Agency President John Curtin, the answer is to use bonds issued by a surety.

SBIC’s Ecobuild America Conference Offers the Latest in Green
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) invites all to attend the Ecobuild America 2005 conference, June 20–23, at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Convention Center in Orlando. The conference, serving the architecture, engineering, and construction communities within the green building market, offers educational sessions, tutorials, and cutting-edge information from national vendors. Attendees will find up-to-date solutions for their current projects: sustainable building materials, energy-efficient products and services, solar solutions, options for livable communities, water conservation strategies, and a particular emphasis on sustainable growth. SBIC members in good standing are also eligible for a 10 percent discount on all registration fees. For more information, visit the Ecobuild America Web site.

National Trust Auctions Unique Treasures
The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) is holding its annual auction May 1–31 in honor of National Preservation Month. More than 100 items currently are listed in the online auction catalog, with more to be added throughout the month. A sampling of offerings include a private tour and reception at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House in Alexandria, Va. (valued at $1,600); a tour for 10 people of the Cottage at the President Lincoln and Soldiers’ Home National Monument in Washington, D.C., led by Richard Moe, Hon. AIA, president of NTHP (no dollar value assigned); 20 gallons of American Tradition interior or exterior paint ($480); a three-day getaway to Galveston Island, Tex. ($894); and assorted furniture, stemware, books, CDs, DVDs, and memorabilia. Bids for the items are being accepted now on the Trust’s Web site. (Pictured is the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va., which has donated a getaway stay to the auction.)

AIA CAREER CENTER
Here Are This Week’s Featured Opportunities

Niemeyer and Beyond: Brazil’s Modern Architecture, by Elisabetta Andreoli & Adrian Forty (Phaidon Press Limited, 2004), studies this diverse land’s rich vein of Modern architecture, from first blush in the 1920s to the present. Brazil’s Modern Architecture is available now to AIA members for the special price of $60 ($75 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 is still open for the AIA 2005 National Convention and Design Expo.

Press Tap News Service: Reporters from The Wall Street Journal to Michigan Construction News have signed on to get full access to AIA’s news service. Post your news today.

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.

Visit the ARCOM/MASTERSPEC Booth #3149 for a free gift; Expo education; the latest in specification automation, including links to drawings; and special AIA and show discounts. Also attend training seminars and earn AIA LUs.  Contact ARCOM at 800-424-5080 or arcom@arcomnet.com for details.

Save Time! AIA.org now features a trouble-shooting Knowledge Base to address your AIA Contract Documents software questions quickly and efficiently.

Consider Long Term Care for You and Your Spouse: The AIA Trust Long Term Care Quote plan offers you competitive quotes from the leading national carriers for extended care. Click here for specific information about this program. For more information about all AIA Trust programs, visit their Web site.