Author: Emily Nemens

In this issue:
· Renew or Miss Out!
· AIANY Launches New Practices New York 2010
· AIA Calls on Architects to Review International Green Construction Code (IGCC)
· AIA Seeks Architects for TV Feature on Kitchens & Baths
· IES Training Comes to the Center for Architecture
· Passing: Der Scutt, 1934-2010

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Renew or Miss Out!
Associate, Architect, and International Associate members: don’t forget to renew your membership by 03.31.10. If you don’t want to miss any issues of Architectural Record, recording of CES credits on your transcript, member rates for programs, and other member benefits, act now. Visit www.aia.org/renew to renew today.

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AIANY Launches New Practices New York 2010
The 2010 New Practices New York competition is underway! Tuesday, 03.30.10, the Center for Architecture will host an information session with New Practices Committee Co-chairs Matthew Bremer, AIA, and Marc Clemenceau Bailly, AIA, and 2008 winner Sandra Wheeler of Matter Practice. Entrants’ $100 registration fee is due by 04.23.10, but registration will be open until the end of April ($50 late fee between 04.23.10 and 04.30.10). New Practices are defined as architecture and design firms that were founded after 01.01.04, and firms must be located in NYC. Visit aiany.org/newpractices for more details.

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AIA Calls on Architects to Review International Green Construction Code (IGCC)
Last June, AIA, the International Code Council, and ASTM International unveiled the Sustainable Building Technology Committee (SBTC). The SBTC was tasked with creating a new construction code for the future of green building.

The International Green Construction Code (IGCC), as it has developed, is now complete in draft form. AIA’s role in the development of this document ensured that architects had a say in what, and how, future buildings are designed. Last week, AIA President George Miller, FAIA, called on members to further influence this important document by weighing in on the draft. AIA has set up a website to read, review, and comment on the first public version. Subsequent drafts will also be available at this site.

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AIA Seeks Architects for TV Feature on Kitchens & Baths
Every quarter, AIA issues a Home Design Trend Survey, based on the work of 500 architecture firms that concentrate on the residential sector. The last report, issued 03.09.10, showed that kitchen and bathroom designs were more modest than before. However, according to AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Ph.D., Hon. AIA, because “kitchens remain the nerve center of the home, doing more with less space is a key consideration. Integrating kitchens with family space remains a design priority, as does including areas devoted to recycling, pantries, computer workstations, and spaces devoted to recharging laptops, cell phones, and PDAs.” AIA National’s media relations team is looking for architect members in the tri-state area that have recently completed kitchen or bath projects that reflect these trends, for possible inclusion in a CNBC television feature. If you are interested, contact Scott Frank, sfrank@aia.org

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IES Training Comes to the Center for Architecture
Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES), a provider of integrated performance analysis software and consulting services for sustainable building design, will be hosting training courses at the Center for Architecture starting in April. These courses will be held over two days, 04.07-08.10, and will focus on BIM and performance analysis, utilizing IES’s Virtual Environment software.

Attendees can earn up to 12 Learning Units (LU), of which 9 also qualify for Health, Safety and/or Welfare (HSW) and Sustainable Development (SD) credits. The sessions cover a number of workflows that can be used to move from BIM to Performance Analysis, using Revit and/or SketchUp, and to analyze energy consumption, daylighting, and LEED assessment for select credits. For additional information, visit www.iesve.com.

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Passing: Der Scutt, 1934-2010

It is with sadness that the family of Der Scutt, FAIA, shares the news of the architect’s death on Sunday, 03.14.10. Scutt, born in Reading, PA, on 10.17.34, attended Wyomissing Polytechnic before attending Penn State and subsequently Yale University at the encouragement of Philip Johnson.

Following Yale, he spent three years running Paul Rudolph’s office in New Haven before joining Kahn & Jacobs in 1965, where he was the principle architect for One Astor Plaza in NYC. Scutt later joined Swanke Hayden Connell Architects, where he was the partner in charge of design from 1976 to 1981, leading NY projects including Trump Tower, 520 Madison Avenue, Continental Insurance Corporation Headquarters, and Northwest Mutual Life Insurance Company Headquarters in Milwaukee. He was the design consultant for the Grand Hyatt Hotel in NYC, at which time he formed a relationship with developer Donald Trump.

“My father was absolutely a developer’s architect and he prided himself on respecting the wishes and goals of the owner while injecting his own style and design expertise,” says Hagen Scutt, AIA, senior architect for Der Scutt Architect.

Scutt established his own firm in August 1981 and was awarded a number of commissions, including the 55-story United Nations Plaza Tower luxury condominium, the 57-story Corinthian luxury condominium, The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation United States Headquarters in NYC, and the Roure Bertrand Dupont United States Headquarters in NJ. He later became known for his major high-rise office building renovations, including 505 Park Avenue, 625 Madison Avenue, 575 Lexington Avenue, 1633 Broadway, 57 West 57th Street, 823 United Nations Plaza, 555 Fifth Avenue, and the World Corporate Headquarters of International Flavors and Fragrances.

Scutt died at his home in Manhattan at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Leena Liukkonen Scutt, his son and colleague, Hagen Scutt, his daughter, Kirsti Scutt Edwards, and four grandchildren. Der Scutt Architect will continue operation under the leadership of Hagen Scutt.

Event:Panel Discussion on New Architecture in Historic Neighborhoods
Location: AIA National Headquarters, 03.03.10
Speaker: Tersh Boasberg — Chair, Historic Preservation Review Board, Washington, DC; Anne McCutcheon Lewis, FAIA — Architect, Washington, DC; Sherida E. Paulsen, FAIA — Principal, PKSB architects, NYC; Robert Tierney — Chair, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission; Introduction by Anthony Schirripa, FAIA, IIDA — 2010 AIANY President
Moderator: Rick Bell, FAIA — Executive Director, AIANY
Organizer: AIANY with AIA DC and AIA National

Listen to the panel:
[podcast]http://www.e-oculuspodcast.com/podcasts/AIA_podcast_episode0011_Context.mp3[/podcast]

Synopsis:
Preservationists and practitioners from New York and DC met at the AIA’s National Headquarters to discuss the approval process for new architecture in the cities’ historic districts.

Related Links:
“Historic Districts of Columbia, Meet the Old Neighborhoods of New York,” e-Oculus, 03.09.10.

In this issue:
· Historic Districts of Columbia, Meet the Old Neighborhoods of New York
· Get Ready for 2010 AIA Convention
· Membership Reminder
· AIA Adds New Resources
· Go Green Expo Returns to NYC

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Historic Districts of Columbia, Meet the Old Neighborhoods of New York
By Emily Nemens

Event: ContextContrast — Panel Discussion on New Architecture in Historic Neighborhoods
Location: AIA National Headquarters, 03.03.10
Speakers: Tersh Boasberg — Chair, Historic Preservation Review Board, Washington, DC; Anne McCutcheon Lewis, FAIA — Architect, Washington, DC; Sherida E. Paulsen, FAIA — Principal, PKSB architects, NYC; Robert Tierney — Chair, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission; Introduction by Anthony Schirripa, FAIA, IIDA — 2010 AIANY President
Moderator: Rick Bell, FAIA — Executive Director, AIANY
Organizers: AIANY; AIA National; AIA DC

To celebrate the opening of “ContextContrast: New Architecture in Historic Districts, 1967-2009” in the new gallery at the AIA National Headquarters building, heads of New York’s and DC’s historic district commissions spoke about their cities’ regulatory processes in a program organized by AIANY, with the support of AIA National and AIA DC. Paired with two practitioners from New York and DC, the conversation illuminated the similarities and differences of fitting new architecture into historic neighborhoods in these two cities.

Robert Tierney, who has chaired the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission since 2003, spoke of the Greenwich Village Historic District, Hugh Hardy’s, FAIA, answer for the hole on 11th Street (a townhouse was destroyed in the March 1970 Weathermen explosion). The proposed infill, with its pivoted two-story element, sparked eight months of debate, but was ultimately approved. Sherida Paulsen, FAIA, a former LPC Chair and commissioner, added the perspective of someone attempting to get plans approved by the commission — a process that often takes months, if not years.

From Washington, Tersh Boasberg, the chair of the Historic Preservation Review Board, contributed his city’s perspective. There are a few clear differences between NYC and DC. In DC, they preserve façades and have a semi-formulaic strategy for heights, setbacks, and cornice lines on many of L’Enfant’s historic streets. The District’s height requirements — more contingent on street width than on the commonly held belief that nothing can top the height of the Capitol Dome — have built a largely horizontal city, with new architecture often vying to push the skyline up, even if just a few stories. The approval process — called “compatibility” in DC, as opposed to New York’s “appropriateness” — is one of trial and error. He spoke of a modern home in Cleveland Park that came to the board three times. The third time, Boasberg recalled, they decided, “if we were serious about Modern architecture, we better approve it.” Before long, it was picked up by HPRB detractors as an example of how historic district designation was “no protection for your properties.” He shrugged at the loss and smiled to the audience, as if to say, “You win some, you lose some.” But with thousands of historic buildings in both cities, finding the proper balance between new and old is a fight worth fighting.

“ContextContrast” is on view at AIA National Headquarters, 1735 New York Avenue, through 04.28.10. The exhibition, which originated at New York’s Center for Architecture last fall (developed jointly by AIANY and the Landmarks Preservation Commission, with the support of the New York Landmark Preservation Foundation), looks at “appropriateness” in historic districts, and how new architecture can insert itself into historically hallowed ground.

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Get Ready for 2010 AIA Convention
Registration for the 2010 AIA National Convention, “Design for a New Decade,” 06.10-12.10 in Miami, FL, is now open! Register by 03.29.10 to get the early bird pricing. First-time members who joined AIA between 05.03.09 and 06.12.10 are eligible for a complimentary convention registration. AIA is also accepting applications to volunteer as a door and session monitors in return for complimentary registration. Click here download the application

The deadline to submit a resolution for consideration at the convention is this Friday, 03.12.10 at 5:00pm. Read the submission package here, and contact Pam Day, Hon. AIA, at pday@aia.org or 202.626.7305 with any questions. For more 2010 Convention details, visit the convention website.

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Membership Reminder
Haven’t had time to renew for 2010? You have until 03.31.10 to renew your AIA membership without penalty. Visit aia.org/renew to start the process today, and come to programs at the Center for Architecture to make the most of your membership. Members receive free or discounted admission to AIANY/Center for Architecture programming — much of which offers AIA Continuing Education Credits — and access to partnership programs with other New York cultural institutions. AIA also gives members access to resources that can help you compete in today’s market and that will keep you informed of critical professional issues in the field.

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AIA Adds New Resources
Last week, AIA announced that it will hire two new resource architects who will focus on accessing sustainability resources and assisting young architects. William Worthen, AIA, will serve as Director, Resource Architect, for Sustainability. Worthen, a vice president of Simon & Associates, Inc., Green Building Consultants, San Francisco, sits on the USGBC’s Implementation Advisory Committee (National LEED Advisory Board) and the Mayor’s Green Building Task Force in San Francisco. He will help members gain access to information on sustainable design and construction, and will help AIA reach its long-term goals of carbon neutrality by 2030.

Kevin Fitzgerald, AIA, PMP, a former associate at Robert A.M. Stern Architects in New York, will work with AIA’s resources for young architects and architecture students: the Young Architects Forum, the National Associates Committee, American Institute of Architects Students, and work on growing a new national resource, the AIA Center for Emerging Professionals.

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Go Green Expo Returns to NYC
AIANY is a sponsor of New York’s eco-friendly event, Go Green Expo, coming to Pier 92, 03.19-21.10. Eco-friendly companies, services, and products will be on display with more than 200 exhibits. Speaker session topics range from greening your business, eco-entrepreneurs, and living eco-logically, to discussions on the state of our environment, green jobs, eco-fashion, and living a healthy, natural lifestyle. Sponsored by CBS Television, The Home Depot, and co-located with the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, you can purchase tickets in advance at http://www.gogreenexpo.com/ and pay $10 for the entire weekend (normally $25) with promo code AIANYC. This also gets you complimentary access to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show located next door.

In this issue:
· Roundup: Grassroots Legislative and Leadership Conference
· ContextContrast Exhibition, Programming Travel to DC
· AIANY Welcomes New Policy Director

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Roundup: Grassroots Legislative and Leadership Conference

AIA New York Chapter leadership joined peers from around the country for the 2010 Grassroots Legislative and Leadership Conference, 02.03-05.10 in Washington, DC. Along with workshops, keynote addresses, and inspiring political speeches from ArchiPAC leaders and government officials (see Rhetorically Speaking), AIANY made its way to Capitol Hill for the AIA’s annual Lobby Day.

The agenda for Lobby Day was presented as a literal blueprinted poster, the Blueprint for Economic Recovery. The document, crafted by AIA National, outlined five major agenda items with tangible action items: helping struggling communities rebuild by supporting community development block grants; making credit more accessible for construction projects to initiate more architecture commissions; encouraging green building by increasing the Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction from the current $1.80 per-square-foot to $3 per-foot; providing economic relief to small employers by reducing COBRA requirements; and encouraging the modernization and renovation of America’s schools for the 21st century. Leaders from the AIANY Chapter joined their colleagues to visit Senators and Congressional representatives from their states and districts. The New Yorkers paid visits to the offices of Congresswomen Carolyn Maloney and Nydia Velazquez, Congressmen Charles Rangel and Jerrold Nadler, and Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Clinton.

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ContextContrast Exhibition, Programming Travel to DC
The exhibition “ContextContrast: New Architecture in Historic Districts, 1967-2009” traveled to Washington, DC, and was installed at the AIA National Headquarters. The exhibition opening, on02.04.10, coincided with the AIA Open House, during the Grassroots Conference. Next Wednesday, 03.03.10, AIANY, with AIA|DC, and AIA National, will host a program entitled “Panel Discussion on New Architecture in Historic Neighborhoods,” with leading preservationists, government officials, and architects from both Washington, DC, and New York. AIA President George Miller, FAIA, stated: “I am excited for our nation’s architectural and political leaders to see how New York has successfully addressed this ever-present issue. We can all learn from ‘ContextContrast’s’ examples.” AIANY and the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission, which supported the installation in Washington, are planning to travel the exhibition to other venues.

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AIANY Welcomes New Policy Director
This week Jay Bond joined AIANY as the Chapter’s new policy director. Bond, who previously served as the Senior Policy Advisor for the NYC Council’s Land Use Committee Chair, and has experience working with the Queens Borough President and the New York State Assembly, will be spearheading the Chapter’s advocacy efforts, local legislative agenda, and relations with city government. Bond is reachable at jbond@aiany.org and 212-358-6116.

Event: First Annual Oculus Lecture on Design — Moshe Safdie: Megascale, Order an Complexity
Location: Center for Architecture, 02.04.10
Speaker: Moshe Safdie, FAIA — Principal, Moshe Safdie and Associates
Moderator: Fred Schwartz, FAIA — Principal, Frederic Schwartz Architects
Organizer: AIANY Oculus Committee

Interview:
[podcast]http://www.e-oculuspodcast.com/podcasts/AIA_podcast_episode0010.mp3[/podcast]

Synopsis:
After his presentation, architect Moshe Safdie, FAIA, had a conversation with Fred Schwartz, FAIA, at the Center for Architecture.

Related Links:
“Safdie Delivers Treatise on the Future of Architecture & Urbanization,” e-Oculus, 02.23.10.

In this issue:
· UrbanSHED Winner Announced
· Hanley-Wood Wins National AIA Contract

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UrbanSHED Winner Announced
On Thursday, 01.21.10, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, AIANY President Tony Schirripa, AIA, IIDA, NYC Building Commissioner Robert LiMandri, City Planning Chair Amanda Burden, FAICP, Hon. AIANY, Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Building Congress President Dick Anderson, and Downtown Alliance President Elizabeth Burger convened at a steel pipe-and-wood sidewalk shed outside Metrotech in downtown Brooklyn. Inside 3 Metrotech, the Mayor announced “Urban Umbrella” as the urbanSHED International Design Competition winner, and congratulated the winning designers. Young Hwan Choi, a first-year student at the University of Pennsylvania’s architecture program, was one of three Stage I finalists announced in October. He then partnered with engineer Sarrah Khan, PE, and architect Andrés Cortés, AIA, founders of the design firm Agencie Group, to refine the design to the technical specifications required to make it safe and constructable on NYC’s streets. The winners will receive $10,000, and the Downtown Alliance has committed to build a prototype of “Urban Umbrella” on a construction site in downtown Manhattan this summer. View more images of the winning design, and all the entrants online at urbanshed.org, or visit the Center for Architecture’s Helfand Gallery to view models of the three finalists, along with competition boards featuring other notable designs, on view until 02.10.10.

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Hanley-Wood Wins National AIA Contract
Starting in 2011, AIA members across the country will start receiving Architect magazine, a publication of Hanley-Wood. Previously, Architectural Record, a McGraw-Hill publication, had been the organization’s magazine, but the 10-year contract expires December 2010. Hanley-Wood will also be responsible for digital media efforts, and discussions are underway about its role in AIA’s national convention.