Aga Khan Awards Nine Muslim Projects of Excellence
Addressing the contemporary needs of environment, collaboration, education, and use of modern technology, the 2007 Aga Khan Award for Architecture recognized nine projects September 4 for how they improve living conditions in poor countries. Given every three years since 1977, the Aga Khan Award will share $500,000 among the awarded projects. The awards, named for the spiritual leader of the Shiite Ismaili Muslims—15 million people living in 25 countries—were announced by Malaysia Prime Minister Abdulla Ahmad Badawi in a ceremony at the Petronas Twin Towers, winner of a 2004 award.

New ‘AIA Associates Award’ Added to Institute Honors and Awards Program
Formerly known as the Associate of the Year Award under the jurisdiction of the National Associates Committee (NAC), the Board of Directors approved a request from the NAC to elevate the stature of the award to one of the Institute Honors for Professional Achievement awards. To keep the AIA Associates Award on a similar schedule as the other professional achievement awards, the nomination deadline is October 26. Any component, member of the national AIA Board of Directors, Knowledge Community, or College of Fellows may nominate one or more individuals. The recipients will be recognized at the 2008 National Convention and Design Exposition in Boston. For more information about the eligibility requirements and nomination process, visit the Honors and Awards Web site.

COMPONENTS AT WORK
Aloha! AIA Honolulu’s Online Voting a Success for People’s Choice, Members’ Choice Awards
AIA Honolulu has successfully completed a year-long project that utilized online Web voting to combine its chapter’s AIA Members’ Choice Award with its First Annual People’s Choice Award, all part of the chapter’s Design Awards. The chapter’s First Annual People’s Choice was launched this August to celebrate AIA150. On August 28, AIA Honolulu hosted a gala event of more than 200 members and business associates to present both awards. The voting process was generated by the chapter’s inviting Web display of 41 Honolulu nominated projects that used one Web template for both awards. The online voting was also instrumental in member involvement and public outreach. (The Web template has now been duplicated by 20 AIA chapters, with 11 additional chapters presently looking into on its construction and
implementation.

New Autism Center in Lynchburg, Va., Needs Your Help
Design competition calls for entries for memorial brick site elements
Opening this fall in Lynchburg, Va., the Rimland Center will be the first of its kind autism treatment, training, and networking facility. The group is sponsoring its own design competition to create memorial brick walkways, a wall, and a special sign that will honor the countless children and families who have faced autism, and memorialize Dr. Bernard Rimland, founder of the San Diego-based Autism Research Institute and Defeat Autism Now!. The center will take donations for individual, personalized bricks to fund the cost of the memorial elements. Entries are due October 15.