Murrye Bernard, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP – Contributing Editor – Page 6 – News – What’s New at AIANY and the Center for Architecture.

The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) announced two NYC-based members who have been named Fellows, David Koren, FSMPS, CPSM, Assoc. AIA, Associate Principal, Director of Marketing, Perkins Eastman, and Bernice Bako, FSMPS, CPSM, Director of Marketing, Turner Construction…

Terrence O’Neal, AIA, who has served Community Board 6 (CB6) since 2009, was recently appointed Chair of the Land Use & Waterfront Committee by CB6 Chair Mark Thompson, Sr. V.P. at Capalino & Company…

Brien McDaniel, who was the Director of PR for FXFOWLE, was appointed Assistant Director of Communications at the Museum of Modern Art…Jenna McKnight has resigned as News Director at Architectural Record to become Editor-in-Chief of Architizer; Laura Raskin will serve as interim news editor for Record…

R. Anthony Fieldman, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, formerly a Principal in Perkins+Will’s New York office, has founded a new practice, RAF|T…

Carlos J. Cardoso, AIA, has been named a Partner at Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners…Perkins Eastman has promoted Christine Schlendorf, AIA, to Principal..

Save A Sample!, the industry’s nationwide annual design recycling drive, announces Farah Ahmad as its 2013 Coordinator…

Mancini•Duffy/TSC welcomes Keiko Kim, LEED AP, and Christina Coppotelli Daly as Business Development Directors, and Kim Sly as Marketing Director…The Durst Organization appointed Joy Habian as the new Director of Marketing…

Spontaneous Interventions: design actions for the common good is the theme of the U.S. Pavilion at the 13th International Venice Architecture Biennale (08.29.12 – 11.25.12). This year’s event is organized by the Institute for Urban Design (@IfUD) of New York City, and many of the team members and participants are based in NYC.

Full list of participants and projects: http://spontaneousinterventions.com/projects/

Team members: http://spontaneousinterventions.com/team/

ArchDaily’s roundup of projects with images: http://www.archdaily.com/249209/u-s-pavilion-at-the-venice-architecture-biennale-announces-designers-and-participants/

ArtInfo’s Q&A with Cathy Lang Ho, the commissioner of the pavilion and New York-based architecture writer and editor and board member of the Institute for Urban Design: http://artinfo.com/news/story/817142/is-counterculture-getting-mainstream-curating-the-venice-architecture-biennales-guerrilla-us-pavilion

AIA New York State announced the 2012 Design Award recipients, presented in several categories. Adaptive Reuse/Historic Preservation: TWA Flight Center by Port Authority of NY and NJ and Beyer Blinder Belle Architects + Planners (Award of Excellence); Arthouse at the Jones Center by LTL Architects, and House #9 by Frederic Schwartz Architects (Awards of Merit); Dream Downtown Hotel by Handel Architects, and New York City Center by Ennead Architects (Citations for Design). Commercial/Industrial, Small Projects: Malin + Goetz by Bernheimer Architecture (Citation for Design). Commercial/Industrial, Large Projects: One Bryant Park by Cook+Fox Architects (Award of Merit), and The High Line Building by Morris Adjimi Architects (Citation for Design). Institutional: Won Dharma Center by Hanrahan Meyers Architects (Award of Excellence), Cornell University, Human Ecology Building by Gruzen Samton-IBI Group, and John Jay College of Criminal Justice by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (Awards of Merit), BMW Guggenheim Lab by Fiedler Marciano Architects, The Lunder Building by NBBJ, Natural History Museum of Utah by Ennead Architects, Two Structures for Long Dock Park by Architecture Research Office/ARO, US Courthouse by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, and Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners (Citations for Design)…

…Interiors: Hamilton Grange Teen Center by Rice+Lipka Architects, Loft for a Writer and a Painter by Cooper Joseph Studio, and Marc by Marc Jacobs Showroom by Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects (Awards of Merit), Chanel Soho by Peter Marino Architects, Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center by Rockwell Group, The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan 1811-2011 by Cooper Joseph Studio, and JetBlue Headquarters by HLW International (Citations for Design). International: Mizutu Museum of Art by Studio SUMO (Award of Excellence). Pro Bono Projects: Guatemala Bench by Snohetta (Citation for Design). Residential, Single Small: Small House in an Olive Orchard by Cooper Joseph Studio (Award of Merit), Sagaponac House by Tsao + McKown Architects (Citation for Design)…

…Residential, Multi-Family: The Dillon by Smith-Miller and Hawkinson Architects, and The Hegeman: A Solution for Supportive Housing by Cook+Fox Architects (Awards of Merit), 48 Bond Street by Deborah Berke + Partners, and 57 Irving Place by Audrey Matlock Architect (Citations for Design). Sole Practitioner: Transformer Loft by Studio Garneau (Citation for Design). Unbuilt, General: Embassy Compound of the United States of America by Davis Brody Bond (Award of Excellence), Diagonal Tower, Yongsan International Business District by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (Award of Merit), The Seneca Art and Culture Center at Ganondagan by Francois deMenil Architect (Citation for Design). Unbuilt, Under 10 Years: Magok Waterfront: Inter-City by Unitedlab (Citation for Design). Urban Planning/Design: East River Waterfront-Esplanade and Pier 15 by SHoP Architects, and National September 11 Memorial by Handel Architects, with Davis Brody Bond as Associate Architect (Awards of Excellence); Victor Civita Plaza/Eco Park by Davis Brody Bond and Webb Chapel Picnic Pavilion by Cooper Joseph Studio (Citations for Design)…

FIGMENT, the AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) announced the finalists for the third annual 2012-2013 City of Dreams Pavilion Design Competition: A Cloud in a Tree, by SAMPLES (Julien Boitard and Richard Nguyen); Fodder Form Pavilion by HuycKurlanDowling (Teddy Huyck, Alexis Kurland, Conner Dowling); The Enneper Pavilion by Maria Mingallon; For Rent by MTWTHFSS (Edward R. Blumer and Pete Storey); and Head in the Clouds by LID design collaborative (Jason Klimoski and Lesley Chang)…

Ten projects were honored at the Public Design Commission’s 30th Annual Awards for Excellence in Design, including the Construction of the Squibb Pedestrian Bridge

Over Furman Street between Brooklyn Bridge Park and Squibb Park by HNTB; Construction of the CityPoint Retail Facility and DeKalb Market by Cook + Fox Architects, Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture and ORE Design + Technology; Construction of Riverside Park South, Phase V by Thomas Balsley Associates and Sage and Coombe Architects; Construction of Three Carriage Houses for the Staten Island Historical Society by Rice+Lipka Architects; Construction of an Addition to the East Elmhurst Community Library by Garrison Architects; Construction of the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis and Learning by Peter Gluck and Partners, Architects; Installation of The Passage: A Moving Memorial by Mary Miss (at Memorial Green, Staten Island Courthouse by Ennead Architects); Reconstruction of the Flatbush Avenue Entrance and Terrace Café (Brooklyn Botanic Garden) by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates and Architecture Research Office/ARO; Construction of Governors Island Park and Public Spaces, Phase I, including the Installation of Day Is Done by Susan Philips by West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture, Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, Pentagram, and Tillotson Design Associates, Bard Center for Curatorial Studies and Susan Philipsz; and a Special Recognition Award for Central Park Conservancy’s Plan…

The Washington DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) has announced a shortlist of design-build teams for a temporary pavilion on the campus of historic St. Elizabeths Hospital that includes Davis Brody Bond with KADCON…

The James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation announced the appointment of Frederick Bland, FAIA, managing partner of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, as its new chairman (outgoing Chairman John H. Stubbs will remain on the Board)…The Board of Trustees of the New York School of Interior Design has appointed David Sprouls as the college’s seventh president…Rob Speyer, president and co-CEO of Tishman Speyer, was tapped to become the chair of The Real Estate Board of New York…

2012 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. Please submit story ideas by the deadlines indicated below to Kristen Richards, Hon. AIA, Hon. ASLA: kristen@ArchNewsNow.com.

Fall: Learning Curve [closed]

Winter: In Sickness and In Health / Health & Well-being
Why and how the healthcare industry (providers, pharma, etc.) is investing in architecture.—What are the trends? —Issues: generational; demographic; sustainability; technology. —Case studies
Submit story ideas by 07.27.12

07.27.12 Call for Entries: 2012 Healthcare Design Magazine Remodel/Renovation Competition: Pediatric Environments and Facility Art Programs

07.30.12 Call for Entries: Your Sanctuary Photo Contest—Danze/Dwell

07.31.12 Call for Nominations: 2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize

08.03.12 Call for Entries: 2012 Subway Show: Design by New York

08.08.12 (Extended) Call for Applications: 2013 Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellowship

08.10.12 Call for Presentations: 2013 Environments for Aging Conference, 04.07.13 – 04.10.13, New Orleans

08.10.12 Call for Entries: AIANYS ARE Scholarship

08.15.12 Call for Entries: IMT Excellence in Energy Code Compliance Award

08.20.12 Call for Entries: 2012 AIANYS Honor Awards

08.24.12 Call for Entries: 2013 AIA Honor Awards

08.30.12 Call for Submissions: Forward, the Architecture and Design Journal of the National Associates Committee

08.31.12 Call for Entries: 2012 YAF/COD Ideas Competition—Young Architects Forum

08.31.12 Call for Nominations: 2013 TED Prize

09.10.12 Call for Entries: 2012 Cleveland Design Competition: Transforming The Bridge

09.14.12 Request for Proposals: adAPT NYC

09.15.12 Call for Applications: Fitch Foundation Mid-Career Grants

09.15.12 Call for Applications: Richard L. Blinder Award

09.21.12 Call for Applications: NYC Best for Business Infographic Competition 2012

09.24.12 Call for Applications: IDP Firm Awards

10.01.12 Call for Entries: Architecture at Zero: AIA San Francisco / PG&E / UC Merced

10.08.12 Call for Entries: 3rd Annual ENYA Merit Award

10.14.12 Call for Entries: Enlightening Libraries: Student Design Competition—AIAS/Kawneer

10.19.12 Call for Entries: Gowanus by Design WATER_WORKS

10.31.12 Call for Entries: The Battery Conservancy: Draw up a Chair Americas Design Competition – Portable Outdoor Seating for the Battery

11.16.12 Request for Applications: 2013 Sustainable Design
Assessment Team Program (SDAT)

07.31.12: adAPT HPD Pre-Submission Conference: The NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) held a pre-submission conference at the Center for Architecture to answer questions about the adAPT NYC Competition. For more information and to download the RFP, visit www.nyc.gov/HPD/adAPT. All questions received at the conference and via e-mail will be answered and made public in mid-to-late August.

Kaye Matheny, Deputy Commissioner, HPD, describes the site.

Daniel Fox

07.27.12: A public lecture and viewing party was held at the Center for Architecture for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics. The event was organized by the AIANY Global Dialogues Committee and led by Committee Co-chairs Bruce E. Fisher, AIA, and Jeffrey A. Kenoff, AIA. The event drew nearly 600 during the course of the night, more than almost any other event we’ve ever had at the Center. The first-half lecture stretched the Center’s audio-visual capabilities with video produced by John Mcintyre, ANZIA, and a Skype call-in, and the high-quality widescreen projection was one of the largest in the City.

Alkis Klimathianos of Kohn Pedersen Fox, discusses the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Daniel Fox

Murrye Bernard

07.24.12: Design Trust for Public Space, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving New York’s public spaces, released the Five Borough Farm: Seeding the Future of Urban Agriculture in New York. The book provides a detailed survey of New York City’s urban agriculture movement, and “provides a roadmap for public- and private-sector partners to leverage existing programs and expand urban agriculture citywide.”

Susan Chin, FAIA, Design Trust Executive Director, and Regional Director and 2013/14 Vice President-elect of the AIA.

Dave Ratzlow

David Bragdon, Director, NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, left, and Andrew Manshel, President at Jamaica Capital Corporation.

Dave Ratzlow

07.23.12: AIANY First Annual Golf Outing at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey

(l-r): Chris Blackadder, Kenji Ota, Joe Candella, and Michael Strauss, President, Center for Architecture Foundation.

Jessica Frankl

(l-r): James Gorman, AIANY Board Member David Piscuskas, FAIA, and John Simoni.

Jessica Frankl

07.19.12: The AIANY Historic Buildings Committee and AIANY Interiors Committee organized a tour of the Portico Gallery at The Frick Collection, with Selections of Meissen Porcelain from Henry H. Arnhold’s Promised Gift and Two Sculptures by Houdon. The tour guide was Nathan Hoyt, FAIA, who led the project while Principal and Director of Interiors at Davis Brody Bond.

John Arbuckle

NY New Visions & Port Authority Talk Progress at WTC

Event: World Trade Center: Update/Timetable/Issues
Location: Center for Architecture, 12.09.10
Speakers: Quentin Brathwaite, AIA, AICP — Assistant Director, Office of Program Logistics, WTC Construction, Port Authority of NY and NJ; Carla Bonacci, AIA, PP — Assistant Director, WTC Construction, Port Authority of NY and NJ
Respondents: Jordan Gruzen, FAIA — Co-chair, NYNV; Allen Swerdlowe, AIA — NYNV; William Schacht, AIA — NYNV
Moderator: Ernie Hutton, FAICP, Assoc. AIA — Co-chair, NYNV
Introduction: Ernie Hutton, FAICP, Assoc. AIA — Co-chair, New York New Visions (NYNV); Jack Nyman, AIA — Director, The Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute, Baruch College, CUNY
Organizer: New York New Visions; AIANY Planning & Urban Design Committee; APA New York Metro Chapter; Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute (Baruch College, CUNY)

More than nine years have passed since the 9/11 attacks and the rebuilding process has seemed slow. However, during the past 18-24 months, decisions were made, infrastructure installed, and construction has progressed both below and above grade. Panelists close to the action from New York New Visions (NYNV) and the Port Authority of NY and NJ (PANYNJ) recently convened to discuss what has been accomplished and what is to come.

Quentin Brathwaite, AIA, AICP, assistant director of the Office of Program Logistics at PANYNJ, communicated the complexity of the project. Nine programs must fit on 11 acres, which involves coordinating multiple construction schedules while remaining mindful of commuters and visitors. The Memorial plaza is slated to open on the 10th anniversary of 9/11; the Memorial Museum beneath its surface is well underway; and of the four tall towers, steel has been erected up to the 52nd floor of 1 World Trade Center (formerly Freedom Tower), and progress on Tower 4 is visible.

Meanwhile, planning on a smaller scale includes projects such as the Streetscape program, featuring sidewalk patterns and new bollard designs. It is intended to “create a unified vision for the site,” according to Carla Bonacci, AIA, PP, assistant director at PANYNJ, “integrating the Trade Center back into the fabric of the city.” Designers have currently completed several mock-ups.

Safety and security is an obvious concern, and Jordan Gruzen, FAIA, co-chair of NYNV and resident of neighboring Battery Park City, expressed the importance that measures being taken will not make experiencing the site feel oppressive. Although Brathwaite acknowledged that “there is an intense energy building” toward the opening of the site and the buildings, he believes the planners are well prepared for the momentous occasion. To follow the progress of the WTC, visit http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/index.html.

Murrye Bernard, LEED AP, is a freelance architectural writer and a contributing editor to e-Oculus.

Leong Leong’s Reflective Fields for Retail

Event: New Practices New York 2010 Winner Presentation: Leong Leong
Location: Center for Architecture, 12.15.10
Speakers: Christopher Leong, Assoc. AIA & Dominic Leong — Principals, Leong Leong
Sponsors: Lead Sponsors: Dornbracht, MG & Company; Valiant Technology; Sponsors: Espasso; Hafele; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Media Sponsor: The Architect’s Newspaper

Philip Lim Seoul Flagship Store.

Leong Leong

Brothers Christopher Leong, Assoc. AIA, and Dominic Leong always knew they would work together, and, after stints with other firms, they formed Leong Leong in 2009. While designing interiors for retailers, they’ve explored using diagrams to organize and define space. When applied to a different site conditions, this strategy produces very different outcomes.

For the 3.1 Phillip Lim store in Los Angeles, Leong Leong transformed a former auto-body shop by articulating the interior with curving walls constructed of acoustic foam covered with spiky pyramids. The curves organize the space by creating enclaves, each with a different atmosphere as they are lined with lush wall-coverings like leather herringbone. In the fashion flagship typology, Christopher explained, “design becomes part of the brand itself.” To establish a cohesive look for Lim, the brothers adapted the figure from the L.A. store and cropped it to fit the smaller floorplate for the Seoul flagship. They installed mirrors along the perimeter walls to create a reflective field and visually extend the space. Instead of pyramids, the foam walls are textured with cones.

The Leongs also applied this evolving diagram to a tiny 6-foot-by-10-foot W/ storefront in Chinatown for the installation Turning Pink. Utilizing a stereographic technique, they created a reflective field by constructing a figure from rigid pink insulation, cutting voids into each surface, and setting them against mirror-lined walls. Another experiment in temporary architecture was the Siki Im Concept Store for the Building Fashion competition. Leong Leong designed a pop-up store within the former sales trailer for Neil M. Denari Architects’ HL23 on the High Line. With a budget of only $5,000, they chose spray foam insulation as the main material, since it has both an organic and industrial quality, according to Dominic. Foam coats a ramp within the trailer, creating an experience for visitors, rather than highlighting the clothing — an opposite approach from typical retail designs.

Currently, Leong Leong is designing a winery in California, a historic townhouse renovation in Chelsea, and collaborating with Phillip Lim on more retail interiors. They hope to continually explore the “field potential” of their organizational diagrams and take them beyond interior spaces.

Murrye Bernard, LEED AP, is a freelance architectural writer and a contributing editor to e-Oculus.

AIANY New York Chapter 2011 Board of Directors includes: Margaret O’Donoghue Castillo, AIA, LEED AP, President; Joseph J. Aliotta, AIA, LEED AP, First Vice President/President-Elect; Abby Suckle, FAIA, LEED AP, Vice President for Public Outreach; Jill N. Lerner, FAIA, Vice President for Professional Development; Mary A. Burke, AIA, IIDA, Vice President for Design Excellence; Umberto Dindo, AIA, Secretary; Kenneth D. Levien, AIA, Treasurer; Kirsten Sibilia, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, Director for Publications; Megan Chusid, Assoc. AIA, Director for Educational Affairs; Lance Jay Brown, FAIA, Director for Programs and Strategic Planning; Margery Perlmutter, Esq., AIA, Director for Legislative Affairs; David S. Penick, Director for Industry Affairs; Marcy Stanley, Hon. AIA, Director for Development Affairs; Mark Behm, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, Associate Director; Lori Mazor, AIA, Public Director; Stanley T. Allen, AIA, Public Director for Educational Affairs; Craig Schwitter, PE, Public Director for Professional Affairs; Santiago Rivera, AIAS, Director for Student Affairs; Anthony P. Schirripa, FAIA, IIDA, Immediate Past President; Ernie Hutton, Assoc. AIA, FAICP, Alternate Director for Public Outreach; Carl Galioto, FAIA, Alternate Director for Professional Development; David Piscuskas, FAIA, Alternate Director for Design Excellence; Rick Bell, FAIA, Ex Officio/Executuve Director; and Michael S. Zetlin, Esq, Ex Officio/Legal Counsel…

The winners of Interior Design Best of Year 2010 include: in the category of Green, Burgess Group by SmithGroup (Best of); Educational, NYU-Department of Linguistics by 1100 Architect (Merit), and NYU Stern School of Business Concourse by Perkins+Will (Merit); Healthcare: SMALL, Oasis of Health by Karim Rashid (Best of); Hospitality: HOTEL , Hard Rock Hotel + Casino by MarkZeff (Merit), and St. Regis Mexico City by Yabu Pushelberg (Merit); Hospitality: HOTEL RENOVATION, Fairmont San Francisco Penthouse Suite by Champalimaud (Merit); Hospitality: BAR/LOUNGE, The Colony by ICrave (Merit); Hospitality: CAFE, Uptown Cafeteria and Support Group by Moschella + Roberts (Mertit); Hospitality: RESTAURANT, The Wright by Andre Kikoski Architect (Best of), and The Collective by ICrave (Merit); Institutional, Battery Park City Library by 1100 Architect (Merit); Kitchen & Bath, Fractal Pad by Architecture in Formation (Best of), and Midtown Minimal by Workshop/apd (Merit); Office: LARGE, Confidential Trading Firm and Panduit World Headquarters by Gensler (Merit); Office: LARGE RENOVATION, Grey Group (Best of), Guess Headquarters (Merit), and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe NY (Merit) by STUDIOS Architecture, and Oglivy & Mather by Gensler (Merit); Office: MID-SIZE, Hyundai Capital America by Gensler (Merit), and Confidential Trading Firm by OWP/P I Cannon Design (Merit); Public Space, 184 Kent Ave. by Slade Architecture (Merit)…

In the category of Residence: APARTMENT, SoHo Penthouse by Shelton, Mindel & Associates (Best of), Fractal Pad by Architecture in Formation (Merit), 15 Central Park West by D’Aquino Monaco (Merit), and Gorelik Residence by Walzworkinc (Merit); Residence: FREESTANDING HOUSE, Leicester House by SPG Archtiects (Merit), and Sufside Residence by Steven Harris Architects and Rees Roberts + Partners (Merit); Residence: MODERN FARMHOUSE, Villa San Spirito by Steven Harris Architects and Rees Roberts + Partners (Best of), Modern Farmhouse by Betty Wasserman Art and Interiors (Merit), and Vermont Weekend Retreat by Shamir Shah Design (Merit); Residence: MODERN BARN, Barn House by D’Apostrophe Design (Best of); Residence: MULTI-UNIT DWELLING, The Lucida by S. Russell Groves (Merit), and The William Beaver House by Tsao + McKown Architects (Merit); Residence: URBAN HOUSE, Warren Street Residence by Ghislaine Viñas Interior Design (Best of); Retail: FASHION, David Yurman Townhouse by Gabellini Sheppard Associates (Best Of), Christian Louboutin Miami by 212box (Merit), and The Room at Hudson Bay Company by Yabu Pushelberg (Merit); Retail, Brother + Sister by MarkZeff (Merit); and Showroom, Avenue Road by Yabu Pushelberg (Best of)…

McGraw-Hill Construction announced 2010 Best of the Best Awards including Brooklyn Bridge Park (Piers 1 & 6) by Michael van Valkenberg Associates, in the category of Landscape/Urban Planning…

The five winning projects to be featured in Storefront for Art and Architecture, Architizer.com, and Actar Publisher’s “Total Housing 01: Apartments” include Tiago Barros and Pratt Institute (instructors Robert Langhorn, Julie Torres Moskovitz, and Corey Yurkovich)…

Seongbuk Gate Hills, a collaboration between Joel Sanders Architect and Haeahn Architecture, has been honored with a Korean Architecture Award 2010 Merit Award… The winners of the third annual DawnTown Miami Design competition include Amphibian by Stantec, Vicky Chan, AIA, Alex Zulas, and Liange Otero Colon… The peer-review publication Best Lawyers has named Michael T. Sillerman of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, LLP as the “New York Area’s Land Use & Zoning Lawyer of the Year” for 2011.

Robert A. M. Stern, FAIA, has been named the 2011 recipient of the Richard H. Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture… Material ConneXion and Culture & Commerice, Inc. congratulate former Founder & CEO George M. Beylerian on receiving the 2010 Design Visionary Award for the Museum of Arts and Desgn…

01.01.2011 will launch Cooper Joseph Studio, a partnership between Wendy Evans Joseph, FAIA, LEED AP, and Chris Cooper, AIA, LEED AP…

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT/SUNY) will begin offering an MA degree in Sustainable Interior Environments in fall 2011…

Susan J. Pogoda is the new Deputy Commissioner of Legal Affairs at the Department of Buildings…

01.05.11 Call for Applications: CUP Teaching Artists and Designers

01.07.11 Call for Submissions: EP: 2011 AIA Emerging Professionals Exhibition

01.10.11 Call for Nominations: Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards

01.14.11 Call for Entries: StreetFest: Festival of Ideas for a New City

01.14.11 Call for Proposals: USGBC 2011

01.15.11 Call for Entries: 2011 FIGMENT/ENYA/SEAoNY City of Dreams Pavilion

01.15.11 Call for Submissions: International Design Awards — Designer of the Year

01.18.11 Call for Proposals: Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award

01.21.11 Call for Proposals: Making Policy Public

01.23.11 Call for Entries: Kenny’s Bathroom Competition

02.04.11 Call for Entries: AIANY Design Awards 2011

02.11.11 Call for Entries: The Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers

Firms Bend the Tools for Design

Event: Bending the Tools/Re-Scripting the Rules: Innovation, Craft and Methodology in Digital Practice
Location: Center for Architecture, 11.22.10
Panelists: Tom Clancy — Owner, Valiant Technology; David Ruy — Ruy Klein; Marc Kushner, AIA — Founder, Architizer & Principal, HWKN Architects; Joe MacDonald, Assoc. AIA — Principal, Urban A&O; Augustus Wendell, Assoc. AIA — Principal, Kim Wendell Design; Michael Szivos — Principal, softLAB
Moderator: Andrew Blum — Writer
Introduction: Matthew Bremer, AIA and Marc Clemenceau Bailly, AIA, New Practices Committee Co-chairs
Organizer: AIANY New Practice Committee
Sponsors: Lead Sponsors: Dornbracht, MG & Company and Valiant Technology; Sponsors: Espasso, Hafele and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Media Sponsor: The Architect’s Newspaper

Struts for the Cairo Tower designed with CATIA by Urban A&O.

Urban A&O

Is digital technology an efficient means to an end versus drawing by hand? Has it become an integral part of the design process? Andrew Blum, a writer with expertise in technology and urbanism, posed this question to a panel of designers, an IT consultant, and the founder of Architizer.

Tom Clancy, owner of Valiant Technology, sees technology as a useful tool to streamline the work process, and he encouraged architects to become untethered by “ditching the server.” Online file share sites and portable gadgets like laptops, iPads, and smart-phones allow architects to be more present on the job.

Technology also serves as a tool to gain recognition for firms. The social networking website Architizer bring focus on projects, explained co-founder Marc Kushner, AIA. It provides a platform for architects to reach a wider audience. Featured work is often picked up by blogs read by non-architects, i.e., potential clients, he claimed.

Technology has no doubt changed the way firms operate, but it has also shaped the design processes of several emerging firms. For example, softLAB writes its own customized Maya Embedded Language (MEL) scripts for projects, which allows them to create and modify repetitive geometries, according to Principal Michael Szivos. With this software, they designed more than 2,400 custom, laser-cut triangular chipboard panels for their pAlice installation at 21 Monitor Street in Brooklyn. Joe MacDonald, Assoc. AIA, principal of Urban A&O, believes that aerospace software like the Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application (CATIA) offers a level of precision through parametric modeling that could not be achieved by hand. He revels in this process; though screenshots of models may look “ugly,” he believes they communicate volumes.

David Ruy of Ruy Klein does not see technology as a way to “scientifically legitimize” his firm’s work, but rather as a way to “condition our imaginations.” He advocates that firms achieve a balance at the intersection of architecture, nature, and technology. Whether one believes technology is simply a means to an end or an essential part of the process, Szivos summed it up: “I hope design is fetishized and not the technology.”

Murrye Bernard, LEED AP, is freelance architecture writer and contributing editor to e-Oculus.