Author: Emily Nemens

In this issue:
· Last Chance to Apply for 2010 Community Board Positions
· 2010 Call for Nominations: AIA College of Fellows
· Join AIANYS on a 2010 Committee
· Passing: Cheri Melillo, Hon. AIA

Last Chance to Apply for 2010 Community Board Positions
Architects, urban designers, landscape architects, and urban planners are urgently needed to join NYC’s Community Boards. Half of Manhattan’s 600 community board seats are up for appointment in 2010, and this Friday, 01.15.10 (postmarked), is the application deadline for positions. Community board members represent their neighborhood’s interests on a range of issues, including development, land use, zoning, and the delivery of city services, and the professional expertise of architects can be a valuable asset. While it is a major time commitment, and the application process is a competitive one (the Manhattan borough office is anticipating three applications for every open spot), it is an opportunity to shape one’s neighborhood and give back to the community through effective community-based planning. Details on applying to one of Manhattan’s 12 community boards can be found here. Information on applying in other boroughs can be found on AIANY’s advocacy page.

2010 Call for Nominations: AIA College of Fellows
The AIANY Chapter Fellows Committee is accepting recommendations for nominees to fellowship. Advancement to the AIA College of Fellows is granted for significant achievement in design, preservation, education, literature, and service. Fellowship honors architects who have been members for 10 or more years and who have made contributions to architecture and society on a national level. (View the list of AIANY members who are fellows here).

The process starts with this call for recommendations, submitted to the AIANY Fellows Committee (the 2010 committee includes: Stanley Stark, FAIA, Chair, HDR/CUH2A; David Burney, FAIA, NYC Department of Design & Construction; Michael Gabellini, FAIA, Gabellini Sheppard Associates; Frank Greene, FAIA, Ricci Greene Associates; Peter Samton, FAIA, Gruzen Samton; and Sylvia Smith, FAIA, FXFOWLE Architects). The committee, responsible for facilitating the candidacy process, will assess the submitted suggestions, make their own invitations, and recommend candidates for Board approval, with the Chapter’s final nominations being sent to AIA National in early fall 2010. The Fellowship Committee will be accepting recommendations through 02.05.10, and portfolio invitations will be sent out shortly thereafter, with an information session organized on portfolio submission later in February. Visit the Fellows Committee page for more information on the committee, the timeline, and the full procedure of the nomination process. Contact the committee or Suzanne Mecs (smecs@aiany.org) if you need help connecting with a member.

Join AIANYS on a 2010 Committee
AIA New York State is looking for new members for eight of its committees: Associates; Convention Steering; Government Advocacy; Membership Inclusiveness; Planning; Budget & Finance; Personnel; Public Advocacy; and Student Award/Scholarship.

In 2009, the Associates Committee worked to improve communications and relations with associates, and developed programming for associates at the AIANYS convention. Long-term goals include helping AIANYS address the needs of interns (workplace, IDP, and licensure). The Convention Steering Committee prepared AIANYS for the 2009 conference in Rochester, while the 2010 committee will help select presentations and speakers for the 2010 convention in Buffalo.

The Government Advocacy Committee works in Albany to promote the legislative interests of architects, including the Chapter’s annual Lobby Day. In 2009, their efforts also included the successful support of the Historic Preservation Tax Credit, which promotes the rehabilitation of historic buildings.

The Membership Inclusiveness Committee works towards increasing the diversity of membership by reaching out to minority members, students, educators, and non-traditional practitioners.

Both the Planning Budget & Finance Committee and the Personnel Committee help the staff of AIANYS operate the organization while maintaining a balanced budget.

The AIANYS Public Advocacy committee identifies advocacy initiatives to pursue at the state level.

The Student Awards/Scholarship Committee oversees an annual Awards program for NYS architecture students.

If you are interested in joining any of these committees, please Heidi Benjamin at hbenjamin@aianys.org for more information.

Passing: Cheri Melillo, Hon. AIA
By Patricia M. Leyden, CDFA

With distinction from Northwestern University, Cheri C. Melillo, Hon. AIA, received her BS in Theater in 1971. Her career encompassed acting and 24 years as administrator Butler Rogers Baskett Architects (BRB). While employed at BRB, during her membership in the Society for Design Administration (SDA), Cheri created and was editor-in-chief of the SDA award winning news journal, SkyLines. She also instituted the SDA’s Lunch-Time Tours and Administrative Round-Table Program.

During her tenure as the SDA’s National Public Relations Chair, she developed the internationally renowned food charity “CANstruction.” She served as Volunteer President and Executive Director of CANstruction for 17 years. It was her passion and a true labor of love. She mentored teams of architects, engineers, and students who competed to design and build self-supporting sculptures made with cans of food. The results are displayed to the public as giant pop art sculptures in each city where a competition is held. The public is invited to donate canned food to view the exhibitions. When the structures are dismantled, all of the canned food is donated to local food banks. At the time of her death, more than 140 cities from the U.S. to Australia were participating by holding competitions. Thirteen million pounds of food have already been donated to food banks.

Cheri’s vision of introducing students to the design/build professions by bringing CANstruction into school systems is now becoming a reality. Students incorporate art and design, math, geometry, engineering, 3-D rendering, construction, and project management. CANstruction will have the ability to stimulate the next generation of construction professionals, while teaching them the importance of performing community service.

In 2000, Cheri was made an Honorary Member of the AIA for her work in developing, marketing, and promoting CANstruction. In 2009, on behalf of CANstruction, she accepted the Creativity of the Mind Award from “The Odyssey of the Mind,” and a Public Service award from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). She was an honoree at the 2009 City Harvest Practical Magic Ball in NYC, and in the past has been honored by The Food Bank for NYC and The Society for Marketing Professional Services. This past fall, she was nominated for the New York Post Liberty Award in the Lifetime Achievement category.

Cheri was the “go to” person on a wide range of subjects and she always had an answer to any question — be it about HR or administrative issues, or organizing the easiest way to track professional credits. She developed an effective tracking system for professional development hours and gave it to SDA National to offer as an organization product. If Cheri did not have the answer, she knew whom to ask and she would make sure that that the answers were shared with us all.

Cheri always gave 100%. Through her hard work and dedication CANstruction will live on, and every year we will remember her and miss her presence as we work on putting the competition together. We are all the better for having known her — her sense of humor, her incredible energy and knowledge, and her presence. She touched all of our lives in so many positive ways and we will all be the poorer for her absence.

Cheri was born on 02.04.49, in Muskego, WI. She is survived by her husband Bruce E. Melillo, son Brion John van Over, mother Rosalind Couture, and brother Gary Couture.

The family has requested that contributions in Cheri’s name be made to CANstruction at www.canstruction.com.

Patricia M. Leyden, CDFA, is the President of the NY Chapter of the Society for Design Administration and Vice President of Administration at WSP Flack+Kurtz.

In this issue:
· Helfand dedication tomorrow
· urbanSHED Update
· AIA Inaugural Round-Up
· Interior Architects Donate Outerwear
· States Go Greener
· Passing: Daniel Rowen, FAIA

Helfand Gallery dedication tomorrow
On Wednesday, 12.09.09, at 5 pm the Center for Architecture will honor Margaret Helfand’s, memory, unveil the new plaque that hangs in the Margaret Helfand Gallery, and celebrate the inaugural year of the Margaret Helfand Spotlight Series, which was made possible by the generous supporters of the Margaret Helfand Fund. Margaret Helfand, FAIA, passed away in 2007 after a battle with cancer. An immensely talented architect and leader, she was instrumental in the creation of the Center for Architecture, and served as AIANY’s president in 2001. (Read more about Helfand’s life and work here.) Please RSVP to sdeprez@aiany.org or 212-358-6118.

urbanSHED Update
The three finalist teams, KNE Studios, Young Hwan Choi, and Xchange Architects, have been hard at work to further develop their designs, which were selected from more than 150 submissions at the 10.07.09 Stage I Jury for urbanSHED. The designers have paired up with Arup, Agencie Group, and Weidlinger Associates, respectively, and the teams have met with the urbanSHED Technical Advisory Group to promote the structural integrity and constructability of their designs in advance of the Stage II jury. (Listen to urbanSHED jurors/commissioners Robert Limandri, Amanda Burden, FAICP, Hon. AIA, and Janette Sadik-Khan, Hon. AIANY, discuss the three finalist designs — urban Cloud, Urban Umbrella, and Tripod(MOD)ule — in a podcast posted here.) The final jury will meet on 12.17.09; the three finalists will be featured in the Helfand Gallery showcase at the Center for Architecture in late December. Stay tuned for details about the exhibition, designer presentations at the Center for Architecture in January, and, of course, the announcement of the grand prize winner!

AIA Inaugural Round-Up
Tonight is the inauguration of AIANY’s 2010 Board of Directors. Sherida Paulsen, FAIA, 2009 AIANY President, will be passing the gavel to Anthony “Tony” Schirripa, AIA, IIDA. The two leaders will talk about their presidential themes, with Paulsen giving a recap of “Design Literacy for All,” and Schirripa previewing his theme “Architect as Leader.” The AIANY board will welcome seven new members, including two new positions: Public Member and Student Director. The inaugural will also celebrate the changing of the Center for Architecture Foundation’s Board, with leadership passing from Roberta Washington, FAIA, to Jean Parker Phifer, FAIA.

AIA National also recently inaugurated its new leadership. On 12.04.09, George Miller, FAIA, and AIANY presidential alumnus (2003) became president of the AIA. Miller, who was president of the AIA New York Chapter in 2003 when the Center for Architecture opened, also served on the AIANYS Board, and served on the AIA National Board. He is the first NYC-based architect to head the AIA since 1971.

Interior Architects Donate Outerwear
With winter upon us, it’s a perfect time for Ted Moudis Associates to launch its annual coat drive, in association with New York Cares, an NYC nonprofit dedicated to mobilizing community leaders to become volunteers. New York Cares has set up sites around the city — NYPD precincts, and during morning rush hours at Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, and the Port Authority Bus terminal, among other locations — to gather coats, jackets, hats gloves, scarves, and other outerwear. Moudis is making it even easier, and will collect winterwear in their offices at 79 Madison Avenue as well. Contact Brittany McGann (212-561-2036) or Lauren Ackerman (212-561-2039) with any questions.

States Go Greener
The National Governors Association convened 07.17-20, 2009 in Gulfport, MI. Washington State’s Governor Christine Gregoire had recently signed carbon neutrality legislation into law, which, forwarded by AIA WA, was based on the AIA National model for carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030. She encouraged her peers to adopt similar measures, and by the end of the conference, the NGA had accepted the 2030 goal as part of their 2010 Energy policy.

Since then, states have passed another hurdle: the Council of State Governments recently approved the Energy Efficiency/Zero Greenhouse Gas Emission Buildings bill as the new model legislations for states. Based on AIA’s 2030 Carbon Neutrality goals, this bill came out of the Energy and Environment Task Force, which voted to use AIA’s recommendations on both new and renovated buildings as a means of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030. To learn more, visit http://www.aia.org/press/AIAB079729.

Passing: Daniel Rowen, FAIA

The White Apartment.

Courtesy Frank Lupo

Daniel Rowen, FAIA, principal of Daniel Rowen Architect, passed away after a battle with neuroendocrine cancer on 11.17.09 at the age of 56. After graduating from the Yale School of Architecture, he worked for Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, where he met Frank Lupo, FAIA. In 1985, Rowen and Lupo formed New York Architects, which later became Lupo Rowen Architects in the early 1990s. In 1995, they formed separate sole proprietorships, Frank Lupo Architects and Daniel Rowen Architects. Lupo went on to become an associate principal at FXFOWLE Architects, and Rowen moved his practice from NYC to East Hampton in 2003.

e-Oculus spoke with Lupo about his relationship with Rowen and the legacy he leaves behind.

e-Oculus: What was Rowen like both as a colleague and as a friend? Can you share an anecdote?
Frank Lupo, FAIA: Dan Rowen was a confident, self-assured, and logical individual who was guided by a very disciplined and sophisticated design aesthetic. He enthusiastically collected beautiful things. He collected the cards in seat pockets from various airlines that detail evacuation instructions. He collected (in order of scale) post cards, art books, fine art photography, vintage furniture, vintage racing cars, art, and real estate.

The other thing he most assuredly collected were great friends, in East Hampton, here in New York, and around the country.There was no separating his exacting and sophisticated aesthetic sense as an architect from that of a friend. He brought his uncompromising “Design Police” eye to all aspects of his life right up to the end.

e-O: What was his favorite project and why?
FL: Of the work we produced together I would have to say it was the White Apartment because it was the most radical departure for us at the time. It took our design sense to its extreme limit. Dan and I also enjoyed being pushed by the client to reach a Zen minimalist extreme. He enjoyed dealing with the clients because they, too, embodied the minimal aesthetic we achieved. You can see the influence of that project on subsequent projects in his own practice — Martha Stewart Omnimedia and the Gagosian Galleries.

e-O: Rowen was a disciple of Charles Gwathmey, FAIA, who passed away earlier this year. How did he respond to the news?
FL:Dan and Charles were extremely close during the time that he worked for Charles in the early 1980s. When we established our own practice in 1985 we were literally around the corner from Charles’s office on 10th Avenue. Dan would keep in touch with Charles, but over time schedules diverged. In the end it was a shock to Dan and a solemn reminder of his own mortality since Dan was undergoing chemotherapy. Ultimately, he was physically unable to attend Charles’ memorial to say farewell.

e-O: Rowen is known for his Modern designs. What Modernist ideas do you think were closest to him?
FL:Many of the underlying tenets of Modernism were the principles that Dan learned and absorbed at Charles’s side: Functionlism; plan logic; purity of form; complexity of space; and the interplay of light. Charles also imparted an appreciation for a Modernism punctuated by a sophisticated palette of color and materials.

e-O: As a NY-based architect with many works in NYC, what role did the city play in his designs?
FL:Dan’s work was in many was a reaction against the city that was out of his control. Dan was able to bring a rigorous order to achieve perfection in interior living and work environments, in contrast to the chaos and the scale of the city.

e-O: How do you think Rowen would like to be remembered?
FL:I think he would want to be remembered for the clarity, vision, and simplicity of his architecture. Dan stuck to an aesthetic that was not about chasing the latest trend. He meant for his work to be timeless and enduring, and I believe he achieved that.

For more information, see “Daniel Rowen, an Architect Who Favored Modernism, Dies at 56,” by Fred Bernstein, The New York Times, 11.23.09.

Event: Discussion of urbanSHED jury selections, 10.07.09
Location: NYCTV studios, 10.13.09
Speakers: Robert D. LiMandri — Commissioner, NYC Department of Buildings; Amanda M. Burden, FAICP, Hon. AIA — Chair, NYC Department of City Planning; Janette Sadik-Khan, Hon. AIANY — Commissioner, NYC Department of Transportation; moderated by Susanna Sirefman — Competition Advisor
Producer: New York City Department of Buildings
Organizers: New York City Buildings Department; American Institute of Architects New York Chapter; with Alliance for Downtown New York; New York Building Congress; Illuminating Engineering Society New York Chapter; Association for a Better New York Foundation. Additional support from the Structural Engineers Association of New York; the Municipal Art Society; NYC Department of Planning; NYC Department of Transportation.

Interview:
[podcast]http://www.e-oculuspodcast.com/podcasts/Podcast_urbanSHED.mp3[/podcast]

Synopsis:
Jurors/ New York City commissioners Robert LImandri, Amanda Burden, and Janette Sadik-Kahn discuss the three finalist designs — Urban Cloud, Urban Umbrella, and Tripod(MOD)ule.

Related Links:
“Around the AIA,” by Emily Nemens, e-Oculus, 12.08.09.

In this issue:
· AIA Proposes Big Changes for Commercial Buildings in IECC
· How Green Is It? The Industry Offers Tools to Tell
· Export Alliance Construction Provides Opportunities North of the Border
· Call for designers/exhibition designers

AIA Proposes Big Changes for Commercial Buildings in IECC
With the 2010 International Energy Conservation Code’s public comment session open, environmental advocates, including the AIA’s sustainability team, have been working hard to have their voices heard in defense of greener, more energy efficient buildings. In early 2010 the International Code Council will finalize the code. Changes include a major revision of the code’s chapter on commercial buildings, requiring them to be more energy efficient. The proposed revision also includes changes to the code’s mechanical system requirements, and improvements to fenestration and opaque walls. The IECC committee narrowly approved these changes, and AIA is readying itself for the final action hearings. The deadline for public comments is February 2010, and the first action hearings will be next May, in Dallas. Visit the ICC’s website for more details.

How Green Is It? The Industry Offers Tools to Tell
A recent AIArchitect article offered a rundown of the different means of evaluating green building products. Because it is hard to tell how well a product actually performs from manufacturer’s label alone (many of those manufacture-determined ratings can be found at ecoScorecard), Building Green, an industry leader in the effort to sift through products has developed a subscription service, the GreenSpec directory. Building Green is far from the only resource in the pack. Check out The Construction Specifications Institute’s GreenFormat product rating tool, the ICC’s Sustainable Attributes Evaluation and Verification (SAVE) program, the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program, and two resources from the Underwriters Laboratories (UL): the Environmental Claims Validation program and the Database of Validated and Certified Products.

Export Alliance Construction Provides Opportunities North of the Border
American architects and general contractors are invited to participate in the “Export Alliance Construction” annual trade event for Canadian product and manufacturing companies. Next year’s conference will meet in Montreal, Canada, 01.31-02.01.10. Export Alliance Construction, which is organized by a number of Canadian partners including the Ministry for Economic Development, the World Trade Centre of Montreal, and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Commission of Canada, gives Americans the opportunity to meet with Canadian manufacturers (see a list of manufacturers here). Through the Ministry of Economic Development, a number of U.S. participants will be able to attend the conference, expenses paid. To apply for this opportunity, contact Laurent Waessa at the Quebec Government Office in New York, at 212-843-0973 or laurent.waessa@mri.gouv.qc.ca. The registration deadline to be considered for funding is 12.11.09.

Call for Graphic & Exhibition Designers
The Center for Architecture is excited to be creating two new “shortlists” for designers. The call for exhibition designers is in its second iteration, after a successful 2009 Not Business as Usual Exhibition Designer Shortlist, which generated three of this year’s exhibition designs: A Space Within: The National September 11th Memorial and Museum (Incorporated Architecture & Design); New Practices San Francisco (Matter Practice); and ContextContrast: New Architecture in Historic Districts, 1967-2009 (Moorhead & Moorhead). This year, the Center for Architecture is also launching a graphic designer shortlist, for individuals who will work with the Center staff to generate print and electronic materials. In both cases it’s a priority for the Center to highlight the work of AIANY Chapter members. Current members are invited to apply, and AIANY encourages non-members to submit and join. New members will receive member benefits for 2009 and all of 2010.

To have your work considered, submit an expression of interest, qualifications, and a PDF portfolio (max 10 pages) to Jonah Stern, Exhibitions Coordinator (jstern@aiany.org) by Monday, 12.21.09. Late submissions will not be accepted. The 2010 Shortlist will be announced in January, and selected firms will be included in a library exhibition in February 2010.

In this issue:
· Get involved in New York City!
· Women’s Senate Network Welcomes AIA
· Save the Dates for AIA New York State
· AIA Releases More Online Contract Documents
· Diagrams Look at Licensure
· NCARB Releases Stats on the States

Get involved in New York City!
AIANY is encouraging members to join their local community boards, and it’s offering resources to help. The deadline for applications for the 2010 Community Boards is fast approaching — 01.15 in Manhattan — and applicants are required to attend a community board meeting before applying. Click here to see when and where the last meetings of 2009 will be held in Manhattan, or find community boards in the other boroughs here . Stay tuned to the AIANY Advocacy Page to learn details of a December info session with Shaan Khan, Director of Community Affairs from Borough President Scott Stringer’s Office. To read more about how to join a community board in Manhattan, click here.

Women’s Senate Network Welcomes AIA
Female politicians of the U.S. Senate met on 10.18.09 in NYC for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s (DSCC) Women’s Senate Network policy forum. Leaders from the business and nonprofit sectors met with senators, including Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). AIA brought a delegation to the forum, led by AIA EVP/CEO Christine McEntee. Along with AIA Vice President Pam Loeffelman, FAIA; Beverly Willis, FAIA; Marnique Heath, AIA; Frances Halsband, FAIA; and Shirine Boulos, AIA, the group spoke about energy and design issues. Read more about the conference here.

Save the Dates for AIA New York State
AIA New York State (AIANYS) has announced that the 2010 Lobby Day will be 04.20.10, and the annual AIANYS convention will be 10.14-16.10. AIA Buffalo/Western New York will host. Read more at www.aianys.org.

AIA Releases More Online Contract Documents
In the last issue of Around the AIA, we announced Contract Documents on Demand, digital versions of 16 of the most popular AIA contract documents. On 11.03.09, AIA released three new software documents:

· C191-2009 Standard Form Multi-Party Agreement for Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)
· B108™-2009, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect for a Federally Funded or Federally Insured Project
· Standard Form of Architect’s Services: Programming

Read more about the important releases here.

Diagrams Look at Licensure
Stairway to Architecture is a new website graphically representing the architectural profession in diagrams by Matthew Arnold, AIA. A profile of the country’s architecture schools — with number of applicants, class size, and accreditation rate — is based on National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) statistics. Data from AIA New York State’s 15,000+ active, licensed architects shows the rate of licensure and trends in accreditation. For example, statistics show that in 2009, the average amount of time between graduation and licensure was over 11 years — quite a jump from 1983, when the Architect Registration Exam (ARE) was introduced and the “average” test-taker had been out school for less than five years.

NCARB Releases Stats on the States
Another set of numbers was recently released from NCARB. Its 2009 survey of state architectural registration boards counted 101,673 architects in the U.S (not including the close to 118,000 reciprocal architects, or architects with licenses in more than one state). California leads the pack with more than 20,000 registered architects (15,816 residents); New York follows at a distant second with 15,023 — 8,780 are New Yorkers. Read more about the NCARB survey here.