TRIBUTE
Stephen Kliment Dies at 78
Stephen A. Kliment, FAIA, former editor in chief of Architectural Record, noted writer, lecturer, teacher, and proponent for minority architects died September 10 while traveling with family in Bavaria. The cause was cancer, said his wife. “A professor in heart and demeanor, Kliment had both an understated presence and an overwhelming zeal for the profession of architecture, architecture itself, and those who advanced the cause of the profession,” AIA President Marshall E. Purnell said in remembrance.

First “Navigating the Economy” Podcast Offers Expert Professional and Personal Advice
AIA responds to economic turmoil with tools and resources
The AIA is organizing resources and collaborating with seasoned colleagues, financial experts, and knowledgeable leaders in other organizations to help its members safely navigate through rough economic times. As part of this effort, AIA Communications and Marketing Managing Director Phil Simon talked to Kiplinger Managing Editor Melissa Bristow on September 19 about the state of Wall Street and the general economy, as well as immediate steps architects can take for their personal and professional financial health. You can tune into their conversation via a 15-minute podcast on the newly created Navigating the Economy resource page of the AIA’s Web site. Check this new page often; each week, different experts will share tips to help you protect your firm and yourself. And stay tuned to AIArchitect every week to stay in touch with additional efforts being developed.

Vertical Cities Exhibition Open at The Skyscraper Museum
Vertical Cities, an exhibition that opened this summer at The Skyscraper Museum in New York City, compares and contrasts skyscrapers in The Big Apple and Hong Kong. The exhibition uses Google maps, photographs, film, architectural drawings, computer animation, and large-scale models to convey Hong Kong’s skyscrapers and contrast the structures with those of New York. Vertical Cities runs through February 2009.

Designers Sought for National Eisenhower Memorial in D.C.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission (EMC), a congressionally chartered commission in Washington, D.C., seeks lead designers and associated firms to submit portfolios for designing the National Eisenhower Memorial by October 8. The announcement, available on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site, says that design services will be procured through the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Design Excellence Program.

“Shape of America” Web Site Welcomes the Plaza Hotel
On September 22, the AIA’s Shape of America project—a series of Web-based short films showcasing a selection of the 150 structures chosen by the public as America’s Favorite Architecture—welcomed Henry Hardenbergh’s beloved turn-of the-20th-century Plaza Hotel in the Big Apple as one of its featured projects. Designed to expand public dialogue about architecture and how it affects our lives, the site features AIA architects sharing insight and personal anecdotes about architectural masterworks, in turn encouraging public discussion of the buildings using interactive features such as how to vote for the next buildings to be highlighted, architectural blogs, a system to rate the films, and an RSS feature alerting viewers when the site is updated with new material. The Plaza Hotel joins with Disney Concert Hall (inaugurated September 8), USAF Cadet Chapel, Philips Exeter Library, Empire State Building, Houston’s Pennzoil Place, Fenway Park, and the Hearst Castle—with new arrivals anticipated every two weeks. Visit ShapeofAmerica.org to see these videos for yourself. And after viewing, please consider continuing the conversation by forwarding to your friends, colleagues, and clients—or start blogging! (Photo from the www.nyc-architecture.com Web site.)