economics
AIA Component Leaders Rate Business Conditions as Fair to Good in Their Areas
Moderately experienced architecture staff in greatest demand; residential remains strongest sector
This year is shaping up as a good one from a business perspective for most architecture firms, says AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. And, given the recent trends in business activity, next year looks to be even better. AIA component leaders recently reported on business conditions in their areas, and most provided positive assessments.

book review
Imagining Ground Zero: Official and Unofficial Proposals for the World Trade Center Site
Internationally renowned and respected architecture critic Suzanne Stephens, PhD, currently serving as special correspondent to Architectural Record, has worked with architecture writers Ian Luna and Ron Broadhurst to create a living history of arguably one of the most compelling architecture stories of all times: the rebuilding of New York City’s World Trade Center site after terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, destroyed the buildings and took thousands of lives. In the just-released Imagining Ground Zero: Official and Unofficial Proposals for the World Trade Center Site, Stephens and company offer a beautifully illustrated presentation of ongoing design alchemy: transforming hatred and destruction into firmness, commodity, and delight.

New Initiative Helps Affordable Green Development Bloom
Aiming to “transform the ways communities think about, design, and build affordable homes,” The Enterprise Foundation/Enterprise Social Investment Corporation and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), along with the AIA; the American Planning Association; and other corporate, financial, and philanthropic organizations, have launched the Green Communities Initiative, a five-year, $550-million commitment to build more than 8,500 environmentally friendly affordable homes nationwide.

project watch
Architects Transform Store Into Himalayan Museum and Cultural Center
At its opening in fall 2004, the Rubin Museum of Art (RMA) will have completed the transformation of the former Barney’s New York 150 West 17th street location into a new museum and cultural center for Himalayan Art. The architectural center of RMA is the staircase designed by Andree Putman—an iconic element of Barneys that inspired the transformation from department store to museum—that spirals from the main floor up a five-story tower housing the collection and temporary exhibitions. Richard Blinder, FAIA, of Beyer Blinder Belle is leading the project.

The Getty Campus Heritage Grants for Colleges and Universities
Awards to be used for historic preservation
The Getty Grant Program announced earlier this year the recipients of the 2004 Campus Heritage Grants. The beneficiaries include buildings in a range of historically significant styles, from the Beaux-Arts tradition of Morehouse College in Atlanta to the Romanesque, Italianate, and Neoclassical academic buildings of the University of Maine in Orono. Bronx Community College, New York City, is the recipient of this year’s largest grant, $228,000, and will use the funds for a conservation master plan for its original campus designed by McKim, Mead & White.

art watch
Liquid Wood Flows in Santa Monica Park
“Liquid Wood,” a 12-foot-long sculpture constructed of recycled parallel wood beams, has become the star of the City of Santa Monica’s fourth annual Public Art Exhibition in Cloverfield Park. Lawrence Scarpa, AIA, principal of Santa Monica’s Pugh + Scarpa, created the bench-like form to investigate “the relationship between the organic and the synthetic.” The concept grew out of Scarpa’s interest in exploring opposing notions of wood as a construction material and wood as an organic material. “It is a completely compelling and elegant piece. If you go to the park you can see children swarming all over it, and at the same time, the bench has great sophistication,” says Marc Pally, program director of the California/International Arts Foundation. Scarpa himself characterizes Liquid Wood as just the first of many art projects crossing the boundary between art and architecture. The sculpture will be on display through mid-November. These ideas are also evidenced in the firm’s Co-op Editorial project, which received a 2004 AIA Honor Award for Interior Architecture. (Photo courtesy of the architect.)

Your Kiplinger Connection (members only, AIA.org login required)
Economy: Shakeups are coming.
Energy: Oil, natural gas, electricity still climbing.
Tech: New wireless system by 2007.
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?
September 13 | September 20 | September 27 | October 4

best practices (members only)
Project-Specific Education Programs Teach Relevance
The Architectural Foundation of San Francisco works closely with high schools and area design and construction professionals to bring real-world experiences to high school students through a mentoring program. One of the more important lessons in showing students the real work-a-day world, explains AFSF Executive Director Alan R. Sandler, is that everyone on the design and construction team works together and each contributes to making the project successful. (Login required.)

AIA eClassroom Offers Five New Courses
Distance-learning programs cover wide range of topics
AIA eClassroom has just added five new distance-learning programs to its extensive repertoire of continuing education classes for architects. These courses are derived from the highest-rated continuing-ed programs held at the 2004 AIA National Convention in Chicago and range in topic from green roofs to facilities management. Check out the list today.

Reminder: Topaz Nominations Due October 29
Nominations are due October 29 for the AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. The annual honor is awarded jointly by the AIA and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) to pay homage to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to architecture education for at least 10 years and whose teaching has influenced a broad range of students. Any individual who has spent at least a decade primarily involved in architecture education (primarily in North America) is eligible, and can be nominated by any colleague, student, or former student. For more information, contact Cynthia McCollum, AIA Honors and Awards, cmccollum@aia.org or 202-626-7586, or visit the AIA Honors and Awards Web site.

Register Now for the ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo
Landscape architects to gather in Salt Lake City Oct. 29–Nov. 2
The ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo offers landscape architects the opportunity to celebrate achievements, network, gain new ideas, and explore the newest products and services. Among many exciting theme session presenters is Grant Jones, FASLA, founder of Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects. The November 2 closing general session features remarks by Peter Walker, FASLA, on his many projects and work around the globe, including the World Trade Center Memorial. For more information and to register online, visit ASLA’s Web site.

AIA CAREER CENTER
Here Are This Week’s Featured Opportunities

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