December 19, 2008
  PROJECT WATCH
Roanoke’s Unabashedly Contemporary Taubman Museum of Art Opens
Randall Stout Architects’ museum fits in neatly with Deconstructivist stylings and, in several ways, with its neighbors too
The sight of silver steel appendages creeping over the traditional red brick masonry buildings in downtown Roanoke, Va., is an announcement for residents and visitors alike: This small, Southern city is courageously investing in contemporary architecture and its cultural life. The new Taubman Museum of Art, designed by Los Angeles-based Randall Stout Architects, opened last month, an expressively sculptural forest of arcing steel expanses and ruddy zinc limbs, anchored by a jagged glass atrium.

Member Suspended for Violating AIA Code of Ethics
The National Ethics Council (“Council”) has suspended the membership of Illya G. Alexieff, AIA, for three years for violating Rule 2.104 of the Institute’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (“Code of Ethics”).

Rule 2.104 states:
“Members shall not engage in conduct involving fraud or wanton disregard of the rights of others.”

MEMBER TO MEMBER
Malecha Urges a New Way of Seeing Sustainability
Architects poised to take the lead at a time when the fundamental structures and systems of our culture are in redesign
Speaking at the 2009 Ecobuild conference in Washington, D.C., on December 10, AIA President Marvin Malecha, FAIA, called for new perspectives on sustainable building. Malecha envisions sustainable design as a broad-based attempt to make wholesale adoption of environmental context the primary energy performance and aesthetic driver of design. By failing to make this transition, architects might make themselves irrelevant. By seizing upon it, he sees them leveraging their critical, creative, and design-oriented expertise into collaborative leadership roles that are desperately desired.

Reflections on an Extraordinary Year
Marshall E. Purnell, FAIA, has some parting thoughts he would like to share with fellow AIA members as he leaves the office of AIA President after what he terms “the most extraordinary year of my life.”

It’s the Economy, Architect! Negotiate on Value, Not Time/Cost
Negotiation Strategies for a Bear Market is the latest offering from the AIA Negotiating the Economy page on AIA.org.
Negotiations consultant Michael Strogoff, AIA, emphasizes that principals use downtime in a slow market to evaluate your firm’s value, leverage your time in bringing in work and developing strategic partnerships with other firms, and leverage your staff’s time and abilities. Increasing your value (not decreasing your fees) is the soundest negotiation strategy of all, he says.

For more AIA resources on negotiating the current economic slowdown, visit AIA.org.

Happy Holidays!
In celebration of this glorious season, AIArchitect This Week will not be published on December 26 and January 2 to give staff (and avid readers!) some time with family and friends. Look for the next issue on January 9, 2009, when we will reveal the recipients of the 2008 AIA Honor Awards.

The AIArchitect staff wishes all a joyous holiday season and health, peace, and well-being in the new year.

  

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This is where you will find the latest happenings in the Institute, the profession, and the wider world of building design and construction. The News Zone also carries commentary from AIA elected representatives as well as major new commissions, completions, and openings.