AIA Wisconsin Honors 10
From a sculptor’s studio in Switzerland to a technology and trade school in Milwaukee, the 10 award-winning projects chosen for AIA Wisconsin’s 2005 Design Awards program reflect innovative design from the Badger State. The jurors honored four projects with honor awards and three with merit awards. Three others received special recognition.

Emerging Technology: Phytoremediation in Site Reclamation
An interview with Niall G. Kirkwood, professor and chair, Department of Landscape Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design
According to the Ecological Engineering Group’s Web site, “Phytoremediation combines the Greek word ‘phyton’, (plant), with the Latin word ‘remediare’, (to remedy), to describe a system whereby certain plants, working together with soil organisms, can transform contaminants into harmless and, often, valuable forms. This practice is increasingly used to remediate sites contaminated with heavy metals and toxic organic compounds.” AIArchitect interviewed Professor Niall G. Kirkwood, chair of the Harvard Graduate School of Design’s landscape architecture department and founder and director of the Center for Environment and Technology, an education initiative at the GSD that focuses on site analysis, remediation, and sustainable reclamation issues, about this promising technique.

Lisa Kennedy, AIA, Golden in Wisconsin
Lisa L. Kennedy, AIA, of Whitefish Bay, Wis., was selected to receive AIA Wisconsin’s 2005 Golden Award, the highest honor that the chapter can confer upon a member architect. Kennedy’s selection is a reflection of her significant contributions to the AIA at the local, state, and national levels; her distinguished service to the profession on licensing and other government affairs issues; and the inspiration she has provided other architects to get involved and make a difference in shaping their profession and their communities.

Restore America Awards Grants to 12 Community Revitalization Projects
National Trust, HGTV team up for third year of multimillion dollar program
National Trust for Historic Preservation President Richard Moe, Hon. AIA, and HGTV President Burton Jablin announced May 12 that the third year of the multimillion dollar “Restore America: A Salute to Preservation” partnership will focus on the role that preservation plays in the revitalization of communities and will support community re-investment projects in 12 cities through on-air and online programming and grants. The grants are intended to further the restoration or rehabilitation of a historic structure for residential use and may be used for professional services or bricks-and-mortar expenses.

YAF Recognizes Achievements of AIA Young Architects
The YAF hosted Bright Lights, Big City, its second annual pre-convention summit—geared specifically for young architects licensed 10 years or fewer—at the AIA national convention May 18 in Las Vegas. The AIA Practice Management Knowledge Community offered YAF-recommended workshops in the morning, while Bright Lights, a discussion with two of the profession’s newest design stars, highlighted the afternoon. In Big City, the summit’s final segment, the YAF recognized the achievements of many young architects.

There’s Good News, and There’s Bad News
CNN Money electronic magazine, reported May 18 on a Gallup poll that asked more than 1,000 children, aged 13–17, “What kind of work do you think you will do for a career?” When the kids were asked to give their top three choices, architecture ranked in the top 10 overall, along with teacher, lawyer, doctor, sports, science/biology, business, the military, engineering, and nursing. That’s the good news.

project watch
On-time Arrival: Independence Air Terminal
Low-cost airline inspires high-impact budget-conscious design
Optimism surrounded the launch of Independence Air’s service from Dulles Airport, and that hopefulness extended to design plans for the airline’s new Virginia hub. But, soon enough, amid financial turbulence, officials at the low-cost airline thought they had to do away with elaborate plans for their new terminal. DMJM’s project team assured them that they could rethink the project to get the exciting and brand-conscious scheme they all envisioned.

Your Kiplinger Connection (members only, AIA.org login required)
Housing: Red-hot markets are spawning adjustments.
Health: Demand for elderly care is up; supply of care-givers is down.
The economy: The outlook, again, is good.
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?
May 9 | May 16 | May 23 | May 30

best practices in risk management
Another Fine Mess: The Onerous Contract, Part I
AIA Risk Management Committee members James B. Atkins, FAIA, and Grant A. Simpson, FAIA, tell us that the primary objective in contracting for professional services is to negotiate a fair agreement with provisions that are reasonable and in accordance with acceptable practice standards. AIA standard forms of agreement, our insurance agents, and legal counsel are available to guide us in this effort. However, there are times when we encounter clients with requirements that go beyond our reasonable abilities and limitations. This article will touch on the options available for risk management when we are faced with unreasonable demands or if we have already agreed to a tough contract. Next week, Part II will outline these options in detail.

AIA eClassroom Presents Calatrava from the Convention
If you missed this year’s convention keynote address by 2005 AIA Gold Medal recipient Santiago Calatrava, you can now see the hour-long lecture that won him three standing ovations, and can earn 1 CES credit to boot. AIA eClassroom presents “Santiago Calatrava Works his Magic,” as a video presentation with slides. It requires a high-speed Internet connection. AIA members may take the course for $29.95 ($59.95 nonmembers). For more information, visit the eClassroom site.

Philly’s Memorial Hall to Get New Lease on Life
Please Touch Museum, the Children’s Museum of Philadelphia, is working with local architect Kise Straw & Kolodner to restore the National Historic Landmark Memorial Hall in Fairmont Park as a new home for the growing museum. Purportedly the first Beaux-Arts building constructed in the U.S., the 128-year-old Memorial Hall, designed for the 1876 Centennial celebration, subsequently served as home to the Philadelphia Art Museum, one of the nation’s first public museums. Some historians believe that the hall, designed by Hermann J. Schartzmann, greatly influenced the design of Berlin’s Reichstag. Representatives from Kise Straw & Kolodner will offer tours of the building June 6–9 prior to its closing for renovations. The Please Touch Museum plans to reopen in Memorial Hall in 2007.

AIA CAREER CENTER
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