Murrye Bernard, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP – Contributing Editor – Page 31 – News – What’s New at AIANY and the Center for Architecture.

2009 Oculus Editorial Calendar
If you are an architect by training or see yourself as an astute observer of New York’s architectural and planning scene, note that OCULUS editors want to hear from you! Projects/topics may be anywhere, but architects must be New York-based. The themes:

Spring Issue: Elevating Architecture / Design Literacy for All. Closed.

Summer Issue: AIANY 2009 Design Awards and AIANY/BSA Biennial Design Type Awards. Closed.

Fall Issue: Carbon Neutral Now. The new green frontier, carbon neutrality, researched, explored, planned, and designed at all scales by New York architects.
06.01.09: Suggestion Deadline

Winter Issue: Health & Architecture. Architecture designed to promote fitness, health, and wellness will be profiled. Projects selected from within this growing field will demonstrate sensitivity to generational and demographic issues, sustainability, and technology.
08.01.09: Suggestion Deadline

If you have suggestions, please contact OCULUS editor-in-chief Kristen Richards.

02.20.09 Call for Presentations: ASLA 2009 Annual Meeting and EXPO
The 2009 ASLA Annual Meeting theme will be Beyond Sustainability: Regenerating Places and People. Proposals for consideration are now being accepted online. The meeting and EXPO will be held 09.18-21.09 in Chicago. Speakers selected to present at the meeting will receive a complimentary full registration ($450 value) and one-night hotel stay ($250 value; ASLA retains the right to assign the hotel).

03.06.09 Call for Entries: International Public Competition for an Architectural Project for Exploratory Science Museum in Brazil
State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil announces a two-phase competition open to any registered architect. The exploratory science museum will be approximately 5,200 square meters situated on a 28,000-square-meter site, prominently located at the edge of campus. The estimated budget for the is around $5 million.

03.23.09 Call for Entries: Temporary Outdoor Gallery Space (TOGS) 2
Art Alliance Austin announces its second installment of the ideas competition TOGS 2. Through a continued partnership with AIA Austin and Austin Foundation for Architecture, Art Alliance Austin is now also partnering with AIANY. The competition will generate proposals for temporary space for the exhibit of fine art, which ultimately will enhance Art Alliance Austin’s annual outdoor art festival “Art City Austin” by providing gallery space for selected artists. A Grand Prize of $1,000 will be awarded to the winning design. Second- and third-prize winners will be awarded $500 and $250 respectively.

03.27.09 Call for Entries: Designing in Teheran
This international competition, open to designers and architects, calls for the design of two multi-story buildings set in Teheran, Iran. The goal is to collect ideas and identify solutions that will provide the best and most coherent integration of the structures in the local urban and commercial setting while maintaining a clear identity. The spaces will be used for commercial premises and offices. The total prize money is Euro 30,000.00.

01.31.09 through 5.10.09
Building Brainstorm

Building Brainstorm.

Courtesy Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Building Brainstorm is a building design and construction studio that presents special building challenges for children to research and solve. Through hands-on and inquiry-based activities, children investigate aspects of city planning, architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, and green design. Kids and adults will experiment with building materials, and engineering problems, as well as researching the effects of color, light, patterns, and texture through their in-depth explorations of the art and science of the built environment.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum
145 Brooklyn Avenue at St. Marks Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn

02.05.09 through 3.28.09
Out My Window

“Out My Window.”

Courtesy Design Trust for Public Space

Gail Albert Halaban created this exhibition for her photo urbanism fellowship from the Design Trust for Public Space. Over the past year and a half, Albert Halaban has created a series of portraits in private homes across the five boroughs, focusing on the views that shape New Yorkers’ everyday lives. Incorporating photojournalism and its anthropological approach, Albert Halaban also finds precedence in the characters of Edward Hopper’s universe, using architecture to suggest the inner psychology of her subject and the subtle interactions of urban life.

Robert Mann Gallery
210 Eleventh Avenue, NYC

In this issue:
· AIANY Announces 2009 Board of Directors
· Architects Urged to Join Community Boards
· Center for Architecture Exhibition Designers Shortlist — Open Call!
· AIANY, ENYA Launch ARE Boot Camp
· AIA Helps Architects Navigate the Economy
· Now is the Time to Declare Candidacy for AIA Offices
· AIA 2009 National Convention Launches New Website, Early Bird Rates

AIANY Announces 2009 Board of Directors
President: Sherida E. Paulsen, FAIA
President Elect: Anthony P. Schirripa, AIA, IIDA
Vice President, Design Excellence: Illya Azaroff, AIA
Vice President, Professional Development: Joseph J. Aliotta, AIA, LEED AP
Vice President, Public Outreach: Margaret Castillo, AIA, LEED AP
Secretary: Abby P. Suckle, FAIA, LEED AP
Treasurer: Kenneth Ricci, FAIA
Director, Publications: Kirsten Sibilia, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP
Director, Educational Affairs: Robin Guenther, FAIA, LEED AP
Director, Programs and Strategic Planning: Lance Jay Brown, FAIA
Director, Legislative Affairs: Michael Kwartler, FAIA
Director, Industry Affairs: Carl Galioto, FAIA
Director, Development Affairs: Marcy Stanley
Associate Director: Venesa Alicea, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP
Public Director: Margery H. Perlmutter, AIA
Public Director, Educational Affairs: Urs Gauchat, AIA
Immediate Past President: James McCullar, FAIA
Alternate Director, Design Excellence: Lori P. Mazor, AIA
Alternate Director, Professional Development: Gerard Geier II, FAIA, LEED AP
Alternate Director, Public Outreach: Ernest Hutton, Jr., Assoc. AIA, FAICP
Ex-officio/Executive Director: Rick Bell, FAIA
Ex-officio/Legal Counsel: Michael S. Zetlin, Esq.

Architects Urged to Join Community Boards
Architects, designers, and planners are urgently needed on every community board in the city. Design professionals are essential community board members as they bring what is often the only subject-specific trained mind and voice to the debate about the suitability of proposed projects in their neighborhoods. David Helpern, FAIA, a relatively new member of Community Board 8, will be hosting a breakfast in his office with Margery Perlmutter, AIA, on Friday, 01.23.09 at 8am at 21 East 4th Street to answer questions for those thinking of applying. RSVP to Susan Garrett at s.garrett@helpern.com.

Applications are taken through February and decisions are made in March (though in some boroughs they may accept applications into May).

For more information, visit the following websites:
Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr.: http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/en/gv/community/index.htm

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz:
http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/pages/Community_Board/getinvolved.htm

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer: http://www.mbpo.org

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall: http://www.queensbp.org/content_web/CB/cb_new.shtml

Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro: http://www.statenislandusa.com/

Center for Architecture Exhibition Designers Shortlist — Open Call!
As part of a new program, architects with experience in exhibition design may apply to design upcoming exhibitions at the Center for Architecture. As a Center for Architecture Exhibition Designer, designers will work with curators, graphic designers, and the Center staff to create exciting, immersive, and interactive exhibitions for the general public and design professionals. The submission deadline is 02.06.09. Submit an expression of interest, qualifications, and a pdf portfolio to Jonah Stern, Exhibitions Coordinator, jstern@aiany.org. Submissions will be reviewed by Rick Bell, FAIA, Executive Director; Cynthia Kracauer, AIA, Managing Director; Rosamond Fletcher, Director of Exhibitions; and members of the Exhibitions Committee. Shortlisted firms will be asked to submit a hardcopy portfolio, which will be displayed in the Center’s library.

AIANY, ENYA Launch ARE Boot Camp
AIANY and the Emerging NY Architects Committee (ENYA) announce the ARE Boot Camp. This is a pilot program of seven Saturday courses designed to jump-start ARE preparation for interns and associates. Registration is open and the first course starts 02.07.09. Visit: http://www.aiany.org/are for details.

AIA Helps Architects Navigate the Economy
Visit the Navigating the Economy page on AIA National’s website, and under the “Gain Financial Leverage” subhead you will find links to FedBizOps, a site for federal RFP opportunities, and RFP/DB, a proprietary source for private sector work. The site features the latest on practicing abroad, including: a checklist of tips put together by the International Practice Knowledge Community; “Opportunities Overseas,” a podcast presented by Department of Commerce Senior International Trade Specialist Mark Wells speaking with AIArchitect Executive Editor Doug Gordon, Hon. AIA; podcasts and Webinars with AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA; member-to-member tips, and more.

Now is the Time to Declare Candidacy for AIA Offices
Elections for the AIA’s next first vice president/president-elect, vice presidents, and treasurer will be held in April at the AIA 2009 National Convention and Expo in San Francisco. The deadline for declaring candidacy is 5:00 p.m., 02.27.09. AIA members interested in declaring their candidacy should contact AIA General Counsel Jay Stephens or Senior Director, Governance Administration Pam Day, Hon. AIA.

AIA 2009 National Convention Launches New Website, Early Bird Rates
Register online for the AIA 2009 National Convention and Design Expo to take place 04.30-05.02.09 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. New web features this year include an interactive convention guide and enhanced seminar schedule that allows attendees to design their convention curriculum using new keyword and drilldown search options. Themed “Diversity: Practice in a Complex World,” more than 350 continuing-education opportunities will be offered with over 70 tours. Register on or before 02.17.09 to take advantage of early-bird rates. (This year, the AIA is offering an additional 5% discount to all AIA members who register by 02.17.09 using the promo code, “MEMBER.”).

The 2009 recipients of the AIA Institute Honor Awards include the following projects by NY-based firms: Basilica of the Assumption by John G. Waite Associates, Architects; The New York Times Building by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and FXFOWLE Architects; and the Salt Point House by Thomas Phifer & Partners; 2009 Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture: The Heckscher Foundation for Children by Christoff:Finio Architecture; School of American Ballet by Diller Scofidio + Renfro; and the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center by Lyn Rice Architects; 2009 Institute Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design: Foshan Donghuali Master Plan by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; and Orange County Great Park by TEN Arquitectos…

The all-American shortlist to design the new £275 million U.S. embassy in London includes NY-based firms Richard Meier and Partners; Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects; Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates; Pei Cobb Freed & Partners; Perkins+Will; and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; the jury includes New Yorkers Frances Halsband, FAIA, and James Carpenter… Four design teams have been shortlisted for the National Eisenhower Memorial, including NY-based Rogers Marvel Architects…

James G. Rogers, III, FAIA, one of the founding partners of Butler Rogers Baskett Architects, has established James G. Rogers Architects (JGRA) in South Norwalk, CT… Fred Rodriguez, RA, has joined The Switzer Group as a Senior Designer… Dale Alan Greenwald is a new associate principal at Cannon Design…

Spring Issue: Elevating Architecture / Design Literacy for All. Closed.

Summer Issue: AIANY 2009 Design Awards and AIANY/BSA Biennial Building Type Awards
02.06.09: Registration Deadline

Fall Issue: Carbon Neutral Now. The new green frontier, carbon neutrality, researched, explored, planned, and designed at all scales by New York architects.
06.01.09: Suggestion Deadline

If you have suggestions, please contact OCULUS editor-in-chief Kristen Richards.

01.13.09 Call for Entries: 2009 Lumen Awards / IES Illumination Awards
The IES Illumination Awards (formerly the International Illumination Design Awards) recognize professionalism, ingenuity, and originality in lighting design based on the individual merit of each entry. The judging system is based entirely on how well the lighting design does or does not meet the program criteria.

01.30.09 Call for Entries: Richard Kelly Grant
Established by the NY Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society in 1980, this grant was originally conceived as a scholarship program and later opened to young persons working in lighting in North America.

02.06.09 Call for Submissions: Center for Architecture Exhibition Designers Shortlist — Open Call!
The Center for Architecture is creating a shortlist of designers for upcoming exhibitions. Center for Architecture Exhibition Designers will work with curators, graphic designers, and Center staff to create exciting, immersive, and interactive exhibitions. Submit an expression of interest, qualifications, and a pdf portfolio to Jonah Stern, Exhibitions Coordinator, jstern@aiany.org.

02.09.09 Call for Entries: 2009 New York City Cultural Innovation Fund Competition
The Rockefeller Foundation annually awards $2.7 million in grants — ranging between $50,000 and $250,000 — to spur and support cultural innovation in NYC’s creative sector. Project categories include: creative engagement with the issues shaping NYC’s future cultural and civic agenda; programming and premieres of new artistic work in the visual, performing, and media arts; new partnerships among cultural organizations, community-based institutions, universities, and the private sector; and interventions designed to confront bottlenecks and limitations to the expansion of cultural vitality.

02.15.09 Call for Proposals: Andes Sprouts Society Sustainable Studio Design Competition
ASsociety farm is looking for submissions for three resident/studio structures for its expanding artist in residency program. Freestanding structures will house resident artists as well as enhance existing farming activities. ASsociety resident artists will develop media art projects with crossover activities in organic farming. This call-out encourages collaboration between artists, architects and engineers to demonstrate and promote unique, functional, and inspiring approaches to sustainable design and post-crash housing technologies.

02.23.09 Call for Entries: 2009 NYC Student Lighting Competition
NYC design students are invited to participate in a citywide lighting design competition to explore light as an art form, demonstrate light as a stimulus, and prove light is a valuable medium.

03.06.09 Call for Applicants: Van Alen Institute New York Prize Fellowship
The Van Institute seeks critical inquiry and experimental practices that expand conventional definitions of public architecture. Fellows receive three-month residencies where they generate projects on the significant issues shaping public life and the built environment. Five project areas include: Land Use and Development, Forms and Materials, Information and Communication in partnership with the Social Science Research Council, Systems and Ecology, and Culture and Politics. The Prize includes project support, stipend, work and gallery space, and publication in the Institute’s annual series Projects in Public Architecture.

Opening 1.29.09, 5:30 pm
Manhattanville: On the Cusp of Change

Sixth graders interview Manhattanville residents for their exhibition.

Courtesy PS 161

On the eve of Manhattanville/West Harlem’s transformation from an industrial district into Columbia University’s 21st-century campus, 100 sixth-grade students from PS 161 are weighing in. In their exhibition, the students present photographs, interviews, and writing that document their neighborhood before it changes permanently. As part of their on-going two-and-a-half year study about architecture — sponsored by the Center for Architecture Foundation’s Learning by Design:NY program — the sixth graders spent the fall of 2008 learning about the history and architecture of Manhattanville. They researched documents, maps, and photographs; they conducted neighborhood walks and on-the-street-interviews; and they documented the area of the proposed expansion plan through photography and writing.

PS 161
499 West 133rd Street, NYC

In this issue:
· AIA Awards Top Honors
· Malecha Sworn in as 85th AIA President
· AIA Launches Rebuild & Renew
· NCARB to Launch Electronic Reporting, Supervisor Guidelines

AIA Awards Top Honors
The AIA Board of Directors voted to give the 2009 AIA Gold Medal to Australian architect Glenn Marcus Murcutt, Hon. FAIA. Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects was selected to receive the 2009 AIA Firm Award — the highest honor bestowed on an architecture firm. For outstanding work in the field of architecture education, the AIA named Adèle Santos, FAIA, to receive the 2009 Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education Award. Barbara Nadel, FAIA, was honored with the Edward C. Kemper Award for her significant contributions to the profession of architecture through service to the Institute. Clyde Porter, FAIA, was awarded the 2009 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award.

Malecha Sworn in as 85th AIA President
Marvin J. Malecha, FAIA, dean of the College of Design at North Carolina State University, was sworn in as the 85th AIA president on 12.05.08 at the new Foster + Partners-designed courtyard of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

AIA Launches Rebuild & Renew
As the new administration plans an economic recovery package that focuses heavily on infrastructure building, architects can have a critical role in ensuring that President-elect Obama’s proposals have wider impact and long-term benefits for the nation. To that end, the AIA has launched Rebuild & Renew to offer the skills and experiences of American architects to the next administration. It provides perspective on several points, including ways to fund the modernization and rehabilitation of the nation’s schools; increasing incentives for green commercial, residential, and government building construction; providing funding transit and mixed-use development; and preserving historic buildings.

To spread the message and put this agenda before Congress and the new President, the AIA is asking its members to take these four steps:

· Learn more about the Rebuild & Renew agenda.
· Contact members of Congress to urge them to support the plan.
· Send information about projects that are being held up by the economic crunch to the AIA. The Institute can let Congress and the new administration know what can be done to help.
· Record a video message for President-elect Obama inviting him to harness the knowledge of architects to green communities and the economy.

NCARB to Launch Electronic Reporting, Supervisor Guidelines
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) will officially launch the electronic Experience Verification Reporting system (e-EVR) on 12.31.08. Electronic submissions will replace paper submissions as the standard way interns submit experience reports to complete the Intern Development Program (IDP). The e-EVR is intended to make it easier for interns to submit experience reports and track their progress, and for supervisors to review and approve them.

NCARB has also developed the IDP Supervisor Guidelines to assist supervisors in the crucial role they play in the careers of interns. The guidelines are available to download on NCARB’s website. NCARB’s Supervision Task Force and the Committee on the IDP developed the Supervisor Guidelines and received input from the American Institute of Architects (AIA); American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS); Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA); Society of Design Professionals (SDA); AIA’s National Associates Committee (NAC); and Council of Architectural Component Executives (CACE).

New York Construction Best Of ’08 Winners include: Project of The Year, Prudential Center by Morris Adjmi Architects (Exterior Architect) and HOK Sport (Arena); Best Adaptive Re-Use Project, Betances Community Center and Boxing Gym by Stephen Yablon Architect; Best Airport Project, Jetblue Terminal 5 At JFK International Airport by Gensler; Best Cultural Project, Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center by Grimshaw Architects (Design Architect) and Davis Brody Bond Aedas (Architect-of-Record); Best Cultural Project, Award Of Merit, African Burial Ground National Monument by Aarris Architects…

(con’td) Best Green Project, Bank Of America Building (One Bryant Park) by Cook + Fox (Design Architect), Adamson Associates Architects (Executive Architect), and Gensler (Interiors Architect); Best Green Project, Award Of Merit, National Audubon Society Home Office by FXFOWLE Architects; Higher Education Project, Award of Merit, Peter B. Lewis Library, Princeton University by Gehry Partners; and Thomas Jefferson Hall, United States Military Academy Library And Learning Center by STV Architects with Holzman Moss Architects…

(cont’d) Best Interiors Project, Reed Smith Conference Center by Gensler; Best Marine Project, Hoboken Ferry Terminal And Clock Tower Restoration by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners; Best Marine Project, Award of Merit, Hudson River Park Pier 86 Restoration; Best Mass Transit Project, Myrtle-Wyckoff Station Complex Rehabilitation by Dattner Architects with Domenech Hicks & Krockmalnic; Best Mass Transit Project, Award of Merit, Pelham Parkway Station Rehabilitation by Dattner Architects…

(cont’d) Best New Office Project, Spector Group Long Island Offices by
Spector Group; Best Park/Landscape Project, Public Farm One by WORKac; Best Pre-K-12 Education Project, North Shore Hebrew Academy by Spector Group; Best Public Works Project, Award of Merit, Grand Avenue Bus Depot and Central Maintenance Facility by diDomenico and Partners; Best Renovation/Rehabilitation/Restoration Project, The Plaza Hotel by
Costas Kondylis & Partners (Lead Architect) and Walter B. Melvin Architects (Landmark Architect); Best Renovation/Rehabilitation/Restoration Project, Award of Merit, Bronx Zoo Lion House Reconstruction by FXFOWLE Architects…

(cont’d) Best Residential Project, 40 Mercer Street by Ateliers Jean Nouvel (Design Architect) and SLCE Architects (Production Architect); Best Residential Project, Award of Merit, YVES by Ismael Leyva Architects; Best Retail Project, Ermenegildo Zegna Flagship Boutique by Peter Marino & Associates; Best Small Project (Under $10 Million), Brooklyn Academy Of Music Canopy by H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture, and Museum Of Modern Art Home Delivery Installation including BURST*008, SYSTEM3, Cherry Lee Architects, Haack Höpfner Architects, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, and KieranTimberlake Associates; and Best Technology/Systems Project, Woodbridge Statewide Traffic Management Center by HNTB…

Winners of the 96th Annual Building Awards by the Queens Chamber of Commerce include: Vincent Riso of The Briarwood Organization, Lifetime Achievement Award; Rehabilitation award winners in rehab up to three stories; low-rise addition; multi family: Whitestone Manor Condominiums by Gerald Caliendo, Architect; rehabilitated public space: Queens Theatre in the Park by Caples Jefferson Architects; one-family detached, up-to-3,000-square-feet rehabilitation: Colea residence by John Carusone, Architect; readaptive use, alternating mixed use rehabilitation, residential commercial/industrial: The Classic at Kew Gardens, by M. Studio; industrial rehabilitation: Super- Tek Products by Stoll & Stoll Architects; rehabilitation for single residence, one-family detached, over 3,000 square feet: The Russo residence by Frank Petruso Architect; readaptive use, alteration or addition, in a single residence, one-family detached, over-3,000 square feet: Dr. Kuma residence by AIN D&D Corp; commercial interiors rehabilitation: Very Well Café by Nury Design Inc.; rehabilitation for interior of a single residence, one- or two-family attached: Gary Hentzi and Argie Collie Residence by Laura Heim Architect; rehabilitated health-related facilities: New York Blood Center by Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects…

QCC Building Award winners in the New Construction category include: multi-family, high-rise: 14- 25 Broadway Condominiums by Gino Longo, AIA; single residence, one-family detached: Joseph Musso Residence by JLS Designs; single residence: Linda Chen Residence by John C. Chen Architect; interior industrial, new construction landscape, new construction industrial: New York Times printing plant by Newbury Design Associates and Dario Designs, Inc.; interior public buildings and new construction public buildings: Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Natatorium and Ice Rink by Handel Architects in association with Kevin Horn & Andrew Goldman Architects; family residence, one- or two-family attached: Shu Zen/Ke Wan/ Li residence by John C. Chen Architect; commercial: Plaza at Little Neck Hills by Frank Petruso, Architect; green: Center at Maple Grove Cemetery by Peter Gisolfi Associates; office, interiors office: Two Court Square, the Citigroup Building by Kohn Pedersen Fox…

Architecture critic and historian Ada Louise Huxtable, Hon. AIA, has been awarded the Louis Auchincloss Prize (see Sighted)… Peter Gisolfi, AIA, ASLA, was honored for outstanding professional achievement by The Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of New York…

The Washington, DC Historic Preservation and Review Board has unanimously approved Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners‘ design for an 11-story residential addition to the landmark Washington Hilton Hotel…

Bill Lenart, AIA, is promoted to associate principal at Callison… Hoffman Architects named Cari Tate marketing coordinator… RMJM Hillier will now operate under the name RMJM in North America…

Spring Issue: Elevating Architecture / Design Literacy for All. Closed.

Summer Issue: AIANY 2009 Design Awards and AIANY/BSA Biennial Building Type Awards
02.06.09: Registration Deadline

Fall Issue: Carbon Neutral Now. The new green frontier, carbon neutrality, researched, explored, planned, and designed at all scales by New York architects.
06.01.09: Suggestion Deadline

If you have suggestions, please contact OCULUS editor-in-chief Kristen Richards.

01.14.09 Call for Ideas: Lighting up the Gesù
As part of an ideas competition, the Quartier des spectacles Partnership, the Gesù, and the City of Montreal’s Design Montréal agency invites designers and creators to submit lighting, architecture, and scenographic proposals that will reveal the unique personality of the Gesù. Montreal’s only entirely baroque church housing the oldest operating performance hall in Quebec. Cash prizes include: Grand prize: $10,000; Second prize: $5,000; Third prize: $3,000; and Public choice award: $2,000.

01.15.09 Call for Entries: Greener Gadgets Design Competition
This competition challenges established design firms, emerging designers, and design students to develop new and innovative solutions that address issues of energy, carbon footprint, health and toxicity, new materials, product lifecycle, and social development. The top 50 entries will be published on the web for voting and commenting, and top finalists will be showcased live at the Greener Gadgets Conference (02.27.09 in the McGraw-Hill Conference Center) for judging by an expert panel. Winners will be showcased on Core77.com, GreenerGadgets.com, CE.org, and Inhabitat.com. Cash prizes include: Grand Prize: $3,000; Second Prize: $1,000; and Third Prize: US$1,000.

01.15.09 Call for Entries: 2009 Gensler African-American Internship & Scholarship
This program aims to recognize the best emerging talent among African-American college students in architecture programs and raise awareness about the profession to African-Americans. Open to African-American students approaching their final year in a NAAB-accredited program, once nominated by their academic institution, applicants are selected through a juried application process. Two finalists will be awarded scholarship funds, paid directly to their college or university, toward the cost of their final academic year. One winner will also be awarded a paid summer internship in a Gensler regional office, where he or she will be paired with a Gensler mentor.

01.23.09 Call for Entries: Cut&Paste Digital Design Tournament 2009
The competition is for an annual, live 16-city digital design tournament. This year, 3-D design and motion design contests have been introduced. The 2009 tour will begin in North America in February, and Europe and Asia will follow. The Global Championships, which will feature a winner from each of the 16 participating cities, will take place in NYC in June 2009. One Grand Prize winner from each category in each city (48 in all) will receive an expenses-paid trip to NYC for the Global Championships.

03.03.09 Call for Entries: In the Pursuit of Housing
This biennial awards program, sponsored by the Boston Society of Architects and Architectural Record, gathers and exhibits a wide range of housing designs proposed for urban, suburban, and rural communities by architecture students and recent graduates. Selected work will address the challenge of housing the world’s population, with particular interest in projects that are innovative, socially progressive, and sustainable. In addition to a juried exhibition, awards may be given to projects that exhibit exceptional clarity of intention and thoughtfulness of resolution.

In this issue:
· 2009 OCULUS Editorial Calendar
· IALD, USDOE Memo of Understanding

2009 OCULUS Editorial Calendar
If you are an architect by training or see yourself as an astute observer of New York’s architectural and planning scene, and/or you have ideas, projects, opinions — or perhaps a burning desire to write about a topic below — we’d like to hear from you! Deadlines for submitting suggestions are indicated; projects/topics may be anywhere, but architects must be New York-based. Send suggestions to OCULUS editor Kristen Richards.

Spring: Elevating Architecture / Design Literacy for All
An examination of our urban connections that foster design excellence, and the need for arts education at all levels to support the public demand for a sustainable and beautiful environment. Suggestion deadline: December 12, 2008

Summer: AIANY 2009 Design Awards and AIANY/BSABiennial Building Type Awards
Registration deadline: February 6, 2009

Fall: Carbon Neutral Now
The new green frontier, carbon neutrality, researched, explored, planned, and designed at all scales by New York architects. Suggestion deadline: June 1, 2009

Winter: Health & Architecture
Architecture designed to promote fitness, health, and wellness will be profiled. Projects selected from within this growing field will demonstrate sensitivity to generational and demographic issues, sustainability, and technology. Suggestion deadline: August 1, 2009

IALD, USDOE Memo of Understanding
The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in November 2008 to work cooperatively toward improving the efficient use of energy by lighting equipment and systems. The MOU emphasizes the importance of minimizing the impact of energy use on the environment in support of DOE Solid-State Lighting (SSL) programs on lighting quality. The four key points are as follows:
· Promoting lighting design principles and technologies that improve lighting quality, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability.
· Developing and disseminating technical information to assist the lighting design community in the assessment and specification of SSL and other efficient technologies to support DOE programs on lighting quality such as ENERGY STAR® and SSL Quality Advocates.
· Jointly facilitating forums in which lighting designers can exchange ideas and information with DOE and provide input to DOE lighting program planning.
· Encouraging professional lighting designers to participate in DOE lighting projects, such as GATEWAY demonstrations, with particular attention to helping DOE assess lighting quality.