Parlez-Vous Architect? Small Projects Practitioners Will Translate for Clients
“An impromptu strategic charrette informed my latest parti for the façade of your post-Modern residential unit.” Huh? Most homeowners don't know the "archispeak" so convenient to architects’ internal shorthand use. The Small Projects Practitioners Knowledge Community is developing a glossary to help translate technical words like "program" into user-friendly words like "wish list," which also could help define design work and services. For example, when architects talk about "developing a complete set of construction drawings," the message could be: "let's make a record of all the decisions we'll be making to get the project built and use a set of drawings to communicate these decisions to the builder." To make this effort as complete and useful as possible, SPP is asking you to provide suggestions for phrases and definitions to be incorporated into the glossary. Please forward your submissions to spp@aia.org.

It’s Almost Time for Build Boston 2006
Conference and exhibition November 14–16 in Seaport World Trade Center
This year’s Build Boston offers an array of 225 workshops and seminars addressing significant industry issues such as project delivery and project management, marketing and public relations, financial management and firm management, codes, contracts, facility management, and the full range of design and construction issues of importance to architects and other building-industry professionals. Additionally, Build Boston brings together more than 350 leading suppliers of building products and services to demonstrate their newest products. Online registration still is open, and admission to the tradeshow is free. For more information on this year’s schedule of events, visit the Build Boston Web site.