2010 AIA Institute Honor Awards Recognize Excellence in Architecture, Interiors, and Urban Design
Washington, D.C. – January 19, 2010 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected the 2010 recipients of the Institute Honor Awards, the profession’s highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in architecture, interior architecture and urban design. Selected from over 700 total submissions, 28 recipients located throughout the world will be honored in June at the AIA 2010 National Convention and Design Exposition in Miami.
More information and images regarding these projects can be found here: http://www.aia.org/practicing/AIAB082029. You can see this press release online here: http://www.aia.org/press/releases/AIAB082118
2010 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture
The jury for the 2010 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture includes: Richard L. Maimon, AIA, (chair), KieranTimberlake; Jeanne Gang, FAIA, Studio/Gang Architects; Sam Grawe, Editor-in-Chief, Dwell Magazine; Jeffrey Lee, FAIA, Pearce Brinkley Cease & Lee P.A.; Justine N. Lewis, AIAS Representative; Miguel A. Rivera Agosto, AIA, Miró Rivera Architects; Mark Simon, FAIA, Centerbrook Architects & Planners; H. Ruth Todd, AIA, Page & Turnbull Architects and William R. Turner, Jr. Assoc. AIA, Shears Adkins Architects.
Alice Tully Hall; New York City
Diller Scofidio + Renfro, FX FOWLE Architects
The redesign of Alice Tully Hall transforms the venue from a good multi-purpose hall into a premiere chamber music venue with street identity and upgraded functionality for all performance needs. The sloped underside of Juilliard's expansion serves as a canopy framing the hall, its expanded lobby, and box office. The opaque base of Pietro Belluschi's building is stripped away to reveal the hall's outer shell and a shear one-way cable net glass façade puts the hall on display.
Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture; Columbus, Ohio
Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects
Asserting the belief that a school of architecture has a commitment to teach by example to both students within and the community at large, the architectural form and urban positioning of the new school is strategically active and interactive. The building form is generated by enclosing, defining and confronting the spaces and existing buildings of the larger site. Studios overlook the newly captured spaces. Students are in the midst of the urban activity which they will study and will eventually help form and influence.
Beauvoir; Biloxi, Mississippi
Albert & Associates Architects
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina ripped the piers out from under the porches causing structural failure of the entire front porch and the roof over the front porch, as well as compromising the integrity of the chimneys. Failure of the roof over the front porch also caused extensive damage to adjacent interior ceilings. Ultimately, the mansion had barely survived the worst weather event in its 153 year history with a severely compromised foundation and an overly vulnerable envelope. The jury said of this project, “A wonderful, archetypal house with significant history has been brought back from the dead. This project transcends the typical restoration project – restoring Beauvoir was truly a labor of love and it shows in every detail of the home.”
Brochstein Pavilion and Central Quad; Houston
Thomas Phifer and Partners
Centrally located on Rice University’s campus, the Raymond and Susan Brochstein Pavilion was conceived as a destination for students and faculty to interact and share ideas in a relaxed environment. Carefully sited at an important intersection of campus pathways to create a new hub of activity, the Pavilion encourages interaction without interrupting pedestrian movement through campus. The Brochstein Pavilion is capped by a steel trellis structure which protects the building and extends in all directions to cover and shade the surrounding seating terrace.
Camino Nuevo High School; Los Angeles
Daly Genik
A winding form for the 30,000 square foot, 18-classroom building maximizes the space available on the oddly shaped site. Additionally, by single-loading the one, main classroom building, two important social and sustainable functions were accomplished with simple solutions: direct visual connections are established between the classrooms and the inner courtyard and natural light flows into each classroom from both the windows on the street side and courtyard side. The courtyard has become the hub of the school.
Campus Restaurant and Event Space; Stuttgart, Germany
Barkow Leibinger Architects
The pavilion provides a new central cafeteria and event space for a Stuttgart-based industrial campus. When programmed for events the space functions as an auditorium with seating for 800. A floating roof hovers over the central dining space and mezzanine that are placed in an excavated hollow. The intention was to create a polygonal leaf-like canopy that wide-spans over column-groups. Aesthetically, the roof as a fifth facade, is carefully organized with skylights, and air-vents, as it is highly visible from the mid-rise office buildings adjacent to it.
Macallen Building; Boston
Office dA, Inc. and Burt Hill
As a pivotal building in the urban revitalization of South Boston, the Macallen’s design required a reassessment of conventional residential typologies to produce an innovative and sustainable building that worked within a developer’s competitive budget. The Macallen is fully integrated— in structure, and sustainability— and is replete with sustainable features to make it the first LEED gold certified building of its type in Boston.
Outpost; Central Idaho
Olson Kundig Architects
Set in the remote and harsh high desert landscape of Idaho, Outpost is an artist live/work studio and sculpture garden for making and displaying art. The architects chose a readily available construction material – concrete block – for the primary structure; commercial builders were able to quickly and cheaply assemble the building. Interiors are exposed and unfinished. The footprint of the building is the limit of intrusion into the landscape – a simple, clearly defined space within the landscape.
Serta International Center; Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Epstein | Metter Studios
The project is a 90,000 square foot world corporate headquarters for Serta International Mattress Company located on a 20-acre Illinois prairie site. The building has been designed to facilitate equal access to natural light, ventilation and views of the wetlands for all employees. To accomplish this, the floor plan has been layered from a glass edged public circulation path on the east, to an open office area on the west toward the wetlands. The design also takes advantage of the variations in the topography of the site, to weave together the building and the landscape into a strong holistic composition.
Skirkanich Hall; Philadelphia
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
Located in the heart of the University of Pennsylvania, Skirkanich Hall is home to the Bioengineering Department. It is an infill building that functions as a connector by creating a new public quadrangle and entry for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Movement and interaction is emphasized with generous circulation spaces that offer places to sit and gather. To subtly stand out from the red brick buildings next door, a new kind of brick was developed through an extensive process to balance texture, color, durability, and stability.
Step Up on 5th; Santa Monica, California
Pugh + Scarpa
The new 46-unit mixed-use building provides a home and support services for the mentally disabled homeless population. The main façade made from custom water jet anodized aluminum panels creates a screen that sparkles in the sun and glows at night, while also acting as sun protection and privacy screens. The project incorporates energy efficient measures that exceed standard practice, optimize building performance, and ensure reduced energy. The design emerged from close consideration and employment of passive solar design strategies that make this building 50 percent more efficient than a conventionally designed structure.
TKTS Booth and the Revitalization of Father Duffy Square; New York City
Perkins Eastman, Choi Ropiha, and PKSB Architects
The new TKTS Booth, including the redevelopment of Father Duffy Square, creates a new center for Times Square. The project began in 1999 with a design competition to re-design the popular TKTS booth. The transformation of the public space of Father Duffy Square by the Plaza architect allows for increased pedestrian traffic and more prominence for Father Duffy’s commanding statue. “With its elegant conception and realization, its refined design stands up to the cacophony of Times Square; this is as much a 21stCentury art piece as a building,” said the jury.
Urban Outfitters Corporate Campus; Philadelphia
Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd.
The design of the Urban Outfitters Corporate Campus, housed in five rehabilitated buildings in the historic Philadelphia Navy Yard centers on utilizing the factory characteristics of the buildings—industrial materiality, open volumes, and access to daylight—to repurpose the buildings’ major function from production to creativity. The synthesis of four measures—art, culture, economy and environment—results in the transformation from a public, production-based yard to a private, creativity-based one.
Yale University Art Gallery, Kahn Building Renovation; New Haven, Connecticut
Polshek Partnership Architects
Completed in 1953, the Kahn Building is widely considered to be the visionary American architect’s first masterpiece and a significant turning point in the history of American museum architecture. The renovation of the landmark building reestablishes its original purity and integrity, restoring many original design features that had become altered or obscured over the years. Roofed over in the 1970’s to create additional gallery space, an exterior courtyard has been restored as an open exterior sculpture space.
2010 Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture
The jury for the 2010 Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture includes: Daniel H. Wheeler, FAIA, (chair) Wheeler Kearns Architects, Inc.; David H. Hart, FAIA, Utah Capitol Preservation Board; Audrey A. Matlock, AIA, Audrey Matlock, Architect; Audrey Stokes O'Hagan, AIA, Audrey O’Hagan Architect and Clive R. Wilkinson, AIA, RIBA, Clive Wilkinson Architects.
The Cathedral of Christ the Light; Oakland, California
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP and Kendall/Heaton Associates, Inc.
The Diocese challenged the design team to create a building for the ages. As a result, the 1,350-seat sanctuary, with its side chapels, baptistery, health and legal clinics, and dependencies, will honor its religious and civic obligations to the Catholic Diocese and the city for centuries to come. The Omega Window resonates with the surrounding structure metaphorically and physically through its experimental use of light, re-imagining a 12th-century depiction of Christ from the façade of Chartres Cathedral in France through over 94,000 pixels cut into the Window’s triangular aluminum panels.
CHANEL Robertson Blvd.; Los Angeles
Peter Marino Architect
Zoning restrictions dictated preservation of an existing building, which was stripped down to the bare wood frame. Through the open street façade a gently rising promenade passes through three distinct “zones” to a semi-obscured stair hinting at continued exploration above. The U-shaped first floor is organized around an exterior courtyard with a plaster façade punctured by 17 uniformly sized openings. The unifying courtyard is present in each ‘room’, but always freshly orientated in both plan and section.
Craftsteak; New York City
Bentel & Bentel Architects
The architect’s ultimate goal was to shape, within the one hundred year old shell of this previous National Biscuit Company bakery building, a simple yet texturally and spatially rich interior that integrates the context with the food service both functionally and metaphorically. Inspired by chef and owner Tom Colicchio’s culinary approach of uncomplicated respect for the ingredient, all furnishings and fittings, such as the walnut and steel dining tables, were designed to celebrate their materials and the simple craftsmanship used to assemble them.
Data; Omaha, Nebraska
Randy Brown Architects
The client is one of America’s leading providers of mailing lists, marketing data, sales leads and research data. The client’s challenge to the architect was to create a fresh new design for their office that expresses who they are. The design focused on three elements: an etched glass conference room wall expressing the company’s data, a cut and bent wall/ceiling form which connects the office together and galvanized metal shed wall panels to express both ideas of technology and the Midwest rural vernacular of the company’s founding location.
Exeter Schools Multipurpose Space; Exeter, Missouri
Dake Wells Architecture
The challenge was to design a single space that functions well as a cafeteria, practice gym and performance hall. Solving the acoustic challenges of these varied uses led to a solution derived from a sushi roll - absorptive on its outermost layer with a thin, reflective inner layer. Attention is paid to detailing the wood panels to distribute sound appropriately for performances while protecting light fixtures and mechanical systems for use as a gymnasium.
Historic Central Park West Residence; New York City
Shelton, Mindel & Associates
This project called for combining two untouched, disparate penthouses (circa 1920) in one of Manhattan’s noted landmark beaux-arts revival buildings to create one cohesive, seamless residence. It had to retain the best of the historic past, while still being appropriate to our time. Additional goals involved taking full advantage of the four exposures of light, mezzanine, conservatory, rooftop access and views of Manhattan’s Central Park. In addition, the architect provided for the philanthropist owner a residence easily maneuvered and divided into “public” and “private” spaces for work and family.
Vera Wang Boutique; Soho, New York City
Gabellini Sheppard Associates
Customers enter as performers on a stage, stepping into the elevated, double-height proscenium at the front of the store. The spatial sequence unfolds down a full-width, white Corian grand stair, which transitions into the more intimate display and changing area at the rear of the space. With LED backlighting, the steps appear to float; they double as seating for special events or a display riser with translucent acrylic platforms. Reflecting the juxtapositions that characterize Vera Wang’s fashion design, the material palette is based on a series of complementary contrasts.
2010 Institute Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design
The jury for the 2010 Institute Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design includes:John F. Torti, FAIA, (chair), Torti Gallas & Partners, Inc.; Lance Jay Brown, FAIA, Lance Jay Brown Architecture & Urban; Brenda Scheer, AIA, University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning; Edward K. Uhlir, FAIA, Uhlir Consulting, LLC and Debby Wieneke, Habitat for Humanity of Benton County, Inc.
A Civic Vision for the Central Delaware River; Philadelphia
Wallace Roberts & Todd
Currently cut off from the city by the intrusion of I-95, this riverfront plan emphasizes the ecological and economic value of the waterfront and sets forth a framework that the city can follow to generate new, cohesive, and sustainable development. This new growth will be organized around parks and open space, providing access to the river and a new movement system. For the ability of the plan to accommodate the future needs of the city and its people, this project has received numerous endorsements.
Connections: MacArthur Park District Master Plan; Little Rock, Arkansas
Conway+Schulte Architects
The planning concept optimizes the park’s latent economic, environmental and social potential through improvements to the district’s neighborhood infrastructure, enhancing the delivery of ecological and urban services. The planning goal is to align the park’s capacity to sponsor denser and higher quality mixed-use housing fabric throughout the district with improvements to the park grounds. Rather than treat MacArthur Park as a discrete project, planning for the district’s four neighborhoods extends the park’s landscape into a larger urban landscape network with MacArthur Park as the anchor.
Greenwich South Strategic Framework; New York City
Architecture Research Office
The architecture firm developed Five Principles to define a vision for the future of Greenwich South as a dense, reconnected, mixed-use neighborhood and lynchpin for Lower Manhattan. Each principle is comprised of a set of clear objectives to be achieved within these goals. In addition to establishing principles and setting goals, the firm also identified a series of clear opportunities for action—from the subtle, genius and immediate to the huge, radical and visionary—to achieve these goals.
The U.S. House Office Buildings Facilities Plan and Preliminary South Capitol Area Plan; Washington, D.C.
Wallace Roberts & Todd
The U.S. Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C. is one of the most significant and sensitive places in our country. Within it, the U.S. House of Representatives is its largest component. The House Office Buildings Plan and South Capitol Area Plan defines a vision for fulfilling the current and future space and functional needs of the House, serves as the basis for organizing, budgeting, and funding its long-range capital improvements, and establishes an interface with the future re-development of the South Capitol District from the U.S. Capitol Complex to the Anacostia River.
Monumental Core Framework Plan; Washington, D.C.
U. S. Government
The Monumental Core Framework Plan is a proposal sponsored by two federal agencies, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, to transform federal precincts surrounding the National Mall into vibrant destinations and to improve connections between the city, the National Mall, and the waterfront. The Plan proposes a series of sector-by-sector strategies that are designed to protect the National Mall, create distinctive settings for cultural facilities and commemorative works, overcome barriers between the National Mall and the surrounding city, and enhance the monumental core of Washington as a symbolic and sustainable place to work, visit, and live.
Ryerson University Master Plan; Toronto, Ontario
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects
While the Master Plan was developed to deal effectively with the Ryerson University (RU) campus’ deficiencies, it ultimately foregrounds Ryerson as a city building, and a model for the 21st Century urban university. Each goal of the Master Plan is defined by a series of principles, and together, they form the flexible framework which will guide the growth of Ryerson University. These goals are: urban intensification, people first (pedestrianization of the urban environment) and a commitment to design excellence.
Savannah East Riverfront Extension; Savannah, Georgia
Sottile & Sottile
The design process evolved over a five-year timeframe including multiple public charrettes between the city, citizens, property owners and development interests. The Civic Master Plan for the East Riverfront Expansion was implemented by the city in 2006. It defines 54 acres located to the immediate east of Savannah’s National Landmark Historic District along the Savannah River. New city blocks, parks, public spaces and a 2000 foot river walk extension are currently under construction. The initial private sector build out is expected in 10 years at an estimated cost of 800 million dollars.
About The American Institute of Architects
For over 150 years, members of the American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. By using sustainable design practices, materials, and techniques, AIA architects are uniquely poised to provide the leadership and guidance needed to provide solutions to address climate change. AIA architects walk the walk on sustainable design. Visit www.aia.org.
AIA Announces recipients of the Young Architects Award
& Collaborative Achievement Award
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently announced the recipients of two different awards;
Young Architects Award and Collaborative Achievement Award: The Young Architects Award recognizes professionals who have been licensed 10 years or fewer regardless of their age. This award honors individuals who have shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession early in their careers.
The other award, the Collaborative Achievement Award recognizes distinguished achievements of allied professionals, clients, organizations, architect teams, knowledge communities, and others who have had a beneficial influence on or advanced the architectural profession.
Click the links below to see the press release and a larger write up about these awards and the recipients:
Young Architects Award press release:
http://www.aia.org/press/releases/AIAB082335
More info on the recipients here:
http://www.aia.org/practicing/awards/AIAB082221
Collaborative Achievement Award press release:
http://www.aia.org/press/releases/AIAB082289
More info on the recipients here:
http://www.aia.org/practicing/awards/AIAB082151
The AIA will be announcing the 2010 list of newly elevated fellows in the coming days.
More Than 800 Architects Serving in Elected and Appointed Positions
Positions include mayors, city council members and planning commissioners
Washington, D.C. – February 4, 2009 – As part of a commitment to increasing the number of architects running for political office or serving on appointed boards/commissions, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) passed a resolution honoring and supporting "citizen architects." At this year's AIA national legislative Grassroots Conference there will be a Citizen Architect panel focusing on the importance of civic engagement for the architecture profession. A recently completed AIA survey revealed that there are at least 850 architects – more than one percent of total membership – who are serving in an elected or appointed role.
Examples of the level of engagement:
- 6 mayors
- 36 environmental board members
- 48 Community Development commissioners
- 51 Building Codes Board members
- 53 city council members
- 54 zoning board members
- 84 architectural design review board members
- 92 Historic Preservation commissioners
- 158 planning commissioners
"The results of the survey, and the enthusiastic outreach from membership concerning this initiative, is helping the AIA pinpoint the target audience for programs that will give architects tools in their public lives and provide tools to help those who have not yet made that step, but are interested in getting more engaged with their community," said AIA director, Local Relations, Brooks Rainwater.
A Citizen Architect directory is currently being developed and there will be a Citizen Architect Exchange at the AIA National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco. Click here for more information on AIA Local Relations.
AIA Selects 10 Communities for Community Assistance Program to Promote Long-term Sustainability
Washington, D.C., January 27, 2009 — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Center for Communities by Design has selected Los Angeles, Cleveland, Indianapolis, SE Tennessee Valley, Tenn., Virginia Beach, Va., Orange, Mass., Port Angeles, Wash., Hilo, Hawaii, Beatrice, Neb. and Eagle River Valley, Colo. as ten communities to receive technical assistance under the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program in 2009. The collaborative SDAT brings together architects and other professionals assembled from across the country to provide a roadmap for communities seeking to improve their sustainability — as defined by a community's ability to meet the environmental, economic, and social equity needs of today without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Read the rest.
AIA Applauds Confirmation of Secretary of Housing & Urban Development
"Shaun Donovan brings a wealth of experience and accomplishments to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. His background as an architect, his support for well designed housing, and his record in promoting energy efficiency and sustainable development show that he is committed not only to building but to building better," said AIA vice president, Government & Community Relations, Paul Mendelsohn. "We enjoyed working with him when he was head of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and look forward to working with him on the critical issues facing our nation's communities."
AIA Selects Recipients of Thomas Jefferson Public Architecture and Collaborative Achievement Awards
The American Institute of Architects has named the 2009 recipients of the Thomas Jefferson Award; Philip Freelon, FAIA, LEED-AP, Roger Boothe, AIA, and Donald Stastny, FAIA.
The Thomas Jefferson Award recognizes excellence in architectural advocacy and achievement in three categories: Private-sector architects who have established a portfolio of accomplishment in the design of architecturally distinguished public facilities; public-sector architects who manage or produce quality design within their agencies; and public officials or other individuals who by their role of advocacy have furthered the public's awareness and/or appreciation of design excellence.
The AIA also named the recipients of the 2009 Collaborative Achievement Award. This award recognizes distinguished achievements of allied professionals, clients, organizations, architect teams, knowledge communities, and others who have had a beneficial influence on or advanced the architectural profession. This year's recipients include; Peter Aaron, The Architecture Handbook, Guy Nordenson, Metropolis Magazine, DOCOMOMO US, and the Berkeley Prize.
Architects Encouraged by Initial Stimulus Draft, but Says More Needs to Be Done
AIA Calls for Balance between Advancing "Shovel Ready" Projects with Need for Long Term Design and Planning
Washington, D.C. — January 16, 2009 — As Congress begins considering the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) expresses encouragement of the initial draft version of the bill released yesterday by the House Appropriations Committee – but believes that Congress needs to do more to ensure that the stimulus achieves its goals of job creation and a 21st century infrastructure.
The draft proposal advocates for energy-efficient upgrades for a cross-section of buildings, which account for nearly half of all U.S. energy use, including schools, homes, federal and private sector buildings, and healthcare facilities.
Recently, the AIA sent detailed recommendations to Congress and the transition team outlining specific measures for the design of 21st century schools, green commercial, residential and institutional buildings, historic preservation projects, transit and mixed use development projects that will lead to the creation of 1.6 million jobs in the construction industry.
In order to achieve the President-elect's stated goal of energy-efficient upgrades for 75% of all federal buildings, the AIA believes that there needs to be more money than the proposed $6 billion that have been allocated in the proposed bill. There should also be more incentives to green commercial office buildings that will lead to the creation of more private sector jobs, as well achieve greater energy savings.
"While optimistic that the proposed stimulus bill is going to help accelerate the greening of our nation's homes, buildings and communities, we strongly urge Congress to ensure that the plan provides for long-term projects in addition to ‘shovel ready' projects," said AIA vice president, Government and Community Relations, Paul Mendelsohn. "By also looking at what projects can be implemented over the next two years, we have a tremendous opportunity to make a positive impact on our built environment that will last for decades."
Eight of the leading design professional groups have sent a letter to Congress urging that the plan include a mix of "shovel-ready" and long-term projects.
The AIA has stringent criteria for determining the actual energy-efficiency of buildings and has a local presence in almost 300 communities nationwide. With relationships with governors, mayors and county officials, the AIA is offering its resources and consultation to the new administration to help ensure the American tax payers will get the greatest benefit from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
What Has AIA Arizona Done For You Lately?
Limitation of Liability
AIA Arizona, working with three other groups representing engineers and surveyors, persuaded the Arizona Supreme Court to uphold a design professional's right to limit its liability exposure by contract. In an amicus ("friend of the court") brief written by affiliate member P. Douglas Folk, AIA Arizona explained why limitation of liability clauses are widely used in architectural services contracts and provided examples of their use in many standardized industry contract forms. By agreeing in advance how much of a financial loss they will bear, design professionals and their clients are better able to balance the risks, duties and potential benefits of an architect or engineer's services.
The case of 1800 Ocotillo, LLC v. The WLB Group, Inc., asked the Arizona Supreme Court to decide whether limitation of liability terms violate the anti-indemnity statute or public policy in Arizona. The court was also asked to decide whether these terms are an assumption of the risk, which can only be decided by juries according to Arizona's Constitution.
For additional information about this case, contact AIA Arizona at 602-252-4200 or Attorney P. Douglas Folk at 602-222-4400.
AIA Develops Plan to Stimulate Economy and Create 1.6 Million Jobs in Building Sector
Recommendations Call for Funds for the Planning and Design of Energy Efficient Construction Projects
Washington, D.C. — January 14, 2009 — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast projects an 11 percent decline in design and construction activity in 2009. To revitalize the building sector, which accounts for about one in every ten dollars of the United States GDP, the AIA developed the Rebuild and Renew Plan, which details its recommendations for the allocation of funds in President-elect Obama's economic recovery plan. The AIA is calling on the new administration and Congress to create policies that ensure these monies are spent on the planning, design and construction of energy efficient, sustainable buildings and healthy communities that are advantageous for both the environment and economy. If implemented correctly, the nearly $100 billion plan would create 1.6 million jobs throughout the design and construction industry.
Recent reports estimate that the economic recovery package may total as much as $800 billion, with at least $350 billion dedicated to infrastructure projects. However, the AIA's recommendations call for longer planning and design periods for projects to help ensure that they are carried out in the most effective, cost-efficient manner and that funds are not poorly spent due to the projects being hastily planned and executed. Providing funding for projects across 24 months will ensure a steady stream of funds for job creation over the likely life of the recession.
"President-elect Obama's economic recovery package provides us with the opportunity to leave a lasting imprint on our built environment with projects that improve the safety of the existing infrastructure and increase energy efficiency, so long as these projects are undertaken with the utmost attention to smart design and planning," said Christine McEntee, Executive Vice President and CEO of the AIA. "The Rebuild and Renew plan has garnered significant interest from the transition team and key Congressional leaders, and outlines initiatives to build better, safer and healthier communities while creating jobs and stimulating economic growth nationwide that can lead to long-term economic vitality."
The plan is comprised of five key policy areas for immediate attention: 21st century schools; green commercial, residential and institutional buildings; historic preservation projects; transit, mixed use development and complete streets projects; and tax relief for businesses. Highlights from the plan include:
- 21st Century Schools — As the costs of energy and construction materials continue to increase and budgets get tighter, education agencies are further delaying or canceling major projects to repair and modernize school buildings. The AIA is calling for the federal government to invest $25 billion in districts across the country to repair, modernize and green school buildings. Additionally, it is proposing $700 million for pilot programs that would provide grants for the development of model school campuses that support 21st century teaching and learning in the each region of the country. This proposal would create more than 445,000 jobs across the industry.
- Green Buildings — The current economic crisis presents an opportunity to build better public, residential and commercial architectural designs. This requires investing in the types of full-scale retrofits that can significantly reduce a building's carbon footprint. The AIA is calling for the federal government to provide $30 billion for energy efficiency upgrades and modernization for federal, state and local public buildings; residential, commercial, industrial and healthcare facilities; and green affordable housing. Appropriating these funds would result in the creation of 430,000 jobs. In addition, the AIA is calling for increasing the size of the energy efficient commercial buildings tax deduction from $1.80 per square foot to $3.00 per square foot and this recommendation was just endorsed by the Environment America Research & Policy Center.
- Transit and Livable Communities — A lack of investment in our infrastructure system since the New Deal has limited economic growth and jeopardized the safety of American citizens. As Congress prepares to create legislation that stimulates the economy the AIA believes that it is important to invest at least $12 billion for transit facilities and operations, since they greatly enhance the economic development, sustainability, safety and livability of communities. Funding for transit-oriented projects will create compact, walkable communities that mix housing, retail, office space and other amenities around high quality train systems and create approximately 375,000 jobs for the building and construction industry.
- Historic Preservation Projects — The preservation of historic buildings already in the development phase will create more work for the building industry and generate positive economic returns in the communities surrounding them. The plan calls for the appropriation of at least at least $30 million to the under-funded Save America's Treasure program for bricks-and-mortar preservation projects. The plan also calls for another $100 million in grants to be provided through the State Historic Preservation Officers and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers for non-federal public and nonprofit historic sites.
- Tax Relief for Businesses — By accelerating the depreciation of energy-efficient heating, ventilation, air conditioning, or commercial refrigeration property installed in nonresidential property or residential rental property, businesses of all sizes would be able to improve their operations, reduce costs and reduce energy consumption. The AIA is also calling for elimination of a requirement that businesses that perform government work have three percent of their payments withheld.
For more information on the AIA's Rebuild and Renew plan, or to download the full report, please visit http://www.aia.org/rebuildandrenew.
Steep Decline Predicted for Nonresidential Construction Activity in 2009
Commercial sector to be hardest hit; lower building materials costs
Washington, D.C. — January 14, 2009 — As the overall U.S. economy continues to struggle, nonresidential construction spending is expected to decrease by 11 percent in 2009 in inflation adjusted terms. Commercial projects including office buildings and retail establishments will see the most significant decrease in activity. On the positive side, prices have dropped for key construction commodities. These are highlights from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast, a survey of the nation's leading construction forecasters.
"As profits for businesses have fallen and the ability to get credit to finance projects has become far more difficult, construction plans have been put on hold or canceled outright in recent months," said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. "This is not expected to turn around anytime soon and it's likely to get worse before it gets better."
Click here for full report:
http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek09/0116/0116n_consensus.cfm
2009 AIA Honor Awards Recognize Excellence in Architecture, Interiors, and Urban Design
Washington, D.C. – January 8, 2009 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) have selected the 2009 recipients of the AIA Institute Honor Awards, the profession's highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in architecture, interior architecture and urban design. Selected from over 700 total submissions, 25 recipients located throughout the world will be honored in April at the AIA 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco.
2009 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture
The 2009 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture recognize nine unique projects. The types of projects range from cathedrals to trend-setting residential projects. These projects have a tremendous impact on the social and physical fabric of the communities they serve. Many were designed with budget constraints and a number of projects were a reuse of existing buildings or an integration of old with new. Jury members include: Jury Chair David Lake, FAIA, Lake | Flato Architects; Carlton Brown, Full Spectrum of New York; Michael B. Lehrer, FAIA, Lehrer Architects; James J. Malanaphy, III, AIA, The 160 Group, Ltd; Paul Mankins, FAIA, Substance Architecture Interiors Design; Anna McCorvey, AIAS Director, Northeast Quad; Anne Schopf, FAIA, Mahlum Architects; Suman Sorg, FAIA, Sorg and Associates, P.C.; and Denise Thompson, Assoc. AIA, Francis Cauffman.
Basilica of the Assumption, Baltimore
John G. Waite Associates, Architects PLLC
Restoration of the Basilica of the Assumption (also known as the Baltimore Cathedral), a major architectural landmark and masterpiece of the Federal style, removes a century and a half of obscuring alterations to bring back Benjamin Henry Latrobe's concept of luminosity and spatial configuration. The now fully functioning cathedral again serves the people of Baltimore while reclaiming one of America's most brilliant architectural designs, by its first professional architect; one that greatly influenced the development of the country's architecture.
Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, California
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
The Cathedral of Christ the Light resonates as a place of worship and conveys an inclusive statement of welcome and openness as the community's symbolic soul. The glass, wood, and concrete structure ennobles and inspires through the use of light, material, and form.
Charles Hostler Student Center, Beirut, Lebanon
VJAA
The Hostler Center integrates social gathering spaces for students and faculty with sports facilities, a theater, and underground parking. Challenging the idea of a single large-scale building and similarly scaled open plaza, the project instead proposes multiple building volumes interconnected into a continuous field of habitable space by its gardens and green roofs.
The Gary Comer Youth Center, Chicago
John Ronan Architects
This 74,000-square-foot youth center, located in one of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods, demonstrates a commitment to social progress in providing a constructive environment for area youths to spend their after-school hours. The center provides support for the programs of a 300-member drill team/performance group for children of ages 8 to 18 and provides space for various youth educational and recreational programs for disadvantaged children to better their chances of success in life.
Horno3: Museo del Acero, Monterey, Mexico
Grimshaw Architects
Horno3: Museo Del Acero comprises a full restoration of a once-derelict 1960s blast furnace. The abandoned furnace structure and cast hall are the centerpiece of the museum, housing an interactive exhibit that brings the old furnace to life, allowing visitors the unique experience of touring inside this piece of industrial history.
The Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life, New Orleans
VJAA
The challenge was to transform a rigidly compartmentalized and environmentally inefficient building into a dynamic, sustainable new university center. Only the existing concrete structure was retained, saving roughly $8 million in construction cost. The project was successfully completed for $189/SF, 14 months after Hurricane Katrina. Many of the sustainable design strategies used (canopies, shutters, balconies, and fans) were adapted from climate-responsive architecture traditional to New Orleans.
The New York Times Building, New York City
Renzo Piano Building Workshop and FXFowle Architects
The New York Times Building incorporates many transcendental themes in good architecture—volume, views, light, respect for context, relationship to the street—with a design that is open and inviting, providing its occupants with a sense of the city around them.
Plaza Apartments, San Francisco
Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects & Paulett Taggart Architects, in association
Located on a prominent corner in an improving San Francisco redevelopment area, this new, mixed-use project provides permanent housing for the chronically homeless as a pilot project of Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Dept. of Public Health's "Housing First" program, which is a cornerstone of the city's 10-year plan to end homelessness. The sustainably designed 9-story building provides 106 highly efficient studio apartments with on-site mental and physical health services for the residents.
Salt Point House, Salt Point, New York
Thomas Phifer and Partners
Constructed of elegantly efficient and economical materials, this 2,200-square-foot house in New York's Hudson Valley is sited on a meadow with views to a small private lake. The house is carefully sited to take advantage of the prevailing summer breezes. Strategically placed operable windows and ventilating skylights allow the breeze to flow through the home.
2009 Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture
The 2009 Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture recognize 10 projects. The jury was drawn to projects that skillfully used natural light and provided unique architectural approaches to common design problems. Jury members include: Jury Chair Mark P. Sexton, FAIA, Krueck & Sexton Architects; Joan Blumenfeld, FAIA, Perkins + Will; Elisabeth Knibbe, AIA, Quinn Evans Architects; Arvind Manocha, Los Angeles Philharmonic Association; and Kevin Sneed, AIA, OTJ Architects.
Barclays Global Investors Headquarters, San Francisco
STUDIOS Architecture
Barclays Global Investors' new headquarters office embraces innovation within a professional environment through thoughtful, sophisticated design and provides the infrastructure necessary to meet the firm's significant technological demands. The design encourages collaboration and interaction, interspersing break areas within work areas, and offers a variety of meeting spaces.
Chronicle Books, San Francisco
Mark Cavagnero Associates
Chronicle Books, a popular San Francisco-based publishing company, needed a new home. Chronicle Books' new home now reflects their strong communal values, fosters innovation, and responds to their unique relationship to books. In support of the office's workflow, new circulation between floors provides intuitive access and visual connections. The varied spaces create an open, charged social atmosphere while preserving personal space for quiet and concentration.
The Heckscher Foundation for Children, New York City
Christoff:Finio architecture
Commissioned by the Heckscher Foundation for Children, this project transforms a stoic neo-Georgian townhouse built in 1902 in New York City into a modern interior for the foundation's administration, providing offices, a boardroom, and small conference spaces. By incising a shaft of daylight from the ground floor to rooftop, the organization of the building's activity is centered on a single gesture of light and space.
Jigsaw, Washington, D.C.
David Jameson Architect
Recycling a single-story suburban house located on a busy corner site, Jigsaw introverts itself in a continuous spatial flow around an open air courtyard carved from the home's remains. A matrix of spaces is linked by movement through them as stories merge and spaces relate to each other as they rise and fall in a series of interlocked puzzle-like volumes.
R.C. Hedreen, Seattle
NBBJ
R.C. Hedreen Company's new office goes beyond practice to a transformative experience that creates a new kind of environment for conducting business. The project called for a complete remodel of the second floor in Seattle's 1927 Art-Deco Olympic Tower building and transitioned the company from a small, traditional office space to a large, open environment offering functionality and sophistication.
School of American Ballet, New York City
Diller Scofidio + Renfro
The expansion project for the School of American Ballet is located in the facilities of the official training academy for the New York City Ballet. The 8,200-square-foot project includes the addition of two new dance studios within the space of two existing ones. Like nesting dolls, each of the new studios is housed in the volume of the existing.
Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, New York City
Lyn Rice Architects
The Sheila C. Johnson Design Center establishes a new 32,800sf campus nexus for Parsons The New School for Design by uniting and comprehensively re-organizing the street-level spaces of the school's four discrete buildings around a new campus quad. The center performs as an expansive urban threshold that draws together the school's creative programs and its vibrant Greenwich Village context.
Tishman Speyer Corporate Headquarters, New York City
Lehman Smith McLeish
The Corporate Headquarters for Tishman Speyer Properties is located in the historic Rockefeller Center. The project relocated Tishman's corporate office and consolidated business units in this flagship space, which is one of the firm's signature properties. Modifications to the 1931 building created dramatic spaces that highlight the firm's forward-thinking mission, mirrored most prominently by their Modern art collection.
Town House, Washington, D.C.
Robert M. Gurney, FAIA
Built like its neighbors, over a century ago and part of a continuous network of buildings in a historical district, this town house has been completely renovated. Floor openings with bridges, skylights, and a three story galvanized steel wall animate the spaces and integrate the floors vertically. Exposed brick walls, painted white are juxtaposed to blue epoxy floors. Glass and steel elements compose the spaces and unify a diverse but consistent palette of materials, resulting in a Modern spatial quality within a traditional town house typology.
World Headquarters for IFAW—Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts
designLAB architects
The World Headquarters for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) established a precedent for a new work environment that is also a model for sustainable, low-impact development for the surrounding region. The desired building was to be transparent and open to reflect their honesty and communication. It was to be contemporary to reflect their global advocacy, yet inspired by the local vernacular. The result is a remarkable synergy of inhabitation that is reflected in the project at all scales.
2009 Institute Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design
Six projects were selected to receive the 2009 Institute Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design. The projects range from singular buildings with an impact on the urban context, to zoning codes and master plan projects, to designs for entirely new cities. The 2009 Institute Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design Jury included: Jury Chair Jonathan J. Marvel, AIA, Rogers Marvel Architects PLLC; Samuel Assefa, Assoc. AIA, City of Chicago, Department of Planning and Development; Tim Love, AIA, Utile Inc. / Architecture + Planning; Ivenue Love-Stanley, FAIA, Stanley Love-Stanley PC; and Stephanie Reich, AIA, City of Glendale, Planning Division.
Foshan Donghuali Master Plan, Guangdong, China
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
With unremitting high-rise development threatening Foshan's Old Town, city officials sought ways to conserve the ancient area while simultaneously creating a sustainable, modern central district able to meet the inevitable need for growth of a burgeoning city of 3.5 million. The plan is built at a density able to support a new, transit-oriented, mixed-use downtown while at the same time defraying the costs of preserving and restoring the vibrancy of the city's historic Old Town and Temple. The Foshan Plan aims at providing a new model for historic conservation and revitalization that can apply throughout China.
Orange County Great Park, Irvine, California
TEN Arquitectos
Orange County California's Great Park will bring over 1,400 acres of urban parkland to the city of Irvine and the surrounding region. Planned on the former site of El Toro Air Force base, this large tract of undeveloped land will include a man-made canyon that runs through the park and will support a diverse range of active and passive programs. A great lawn, sports park, botanical gardens, and several arts and cultural facilities, including a large outdoor amphitheater will be programmed into the park.
Between Neighborhood Watershed & Home, Fayetteville, Arkansas
University of Arkansas Community Design Center
This 43-unit Habitat for Humanity residential project is a pilot LEED-Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) to be built for $60/sq ft plus infrastructure costs. The objective is to design a demonstration project that combines affordability with best environmental practices as designated by the U.S. Green Building Council. Porchscapes is a Low Impact Development (LID) project funded under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Section 319 Program for Nonpoint Source Pollution. LID is an ecological stormwater management approach that sustains a site's predevelopment hydrologic regime with treatment landscapes distributed throughout the project.
Southworks Lakeside Chicago Development, Chicago
Sasaki Associates, Inc. and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP
Located in Chicago's historic Southside neighborhood, the former South Works steel mill site is the largest vacant site for redevelopment in the city. At more than 600 acres and with 1.5 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, the site offers a milestone opportunity to create an innovative and sustainable new community that will be compact, pedestrian-oriented, and closely tied to transit, which will connect people to the lakefront for the first time in over a century.
The Central Park of the New Radiant City, Guangming New Town, China
Lee + Mundwiler Architects
The Central Park of the New Radiant City covers 2.37 km2 in Shenzhen, China. The city was selected as Communist China's first foray into capitalism because of its proximity to Hong Kong. Shenzhen flourished during the 1980-90s rapid industrialization, which destroyed much of the natural environment and significantly increased pollution levels. Many migrant workers flocked to Shenzhen to work in the booming industries.
Treasure Island Master Plan, San Francisco
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Bold moves set the framework for the redevelopment of Treasure Island. A complex and thoroughly articulated urban design and architectural plan establishes relationships among buildings, public open space, transportation, views, and natural forces, creating a compact, transit-oriented community with a commitment to sustainability unparalleled in the San Francisco Bay Area.
If you would like to learn more about these projects or view images of them, please contact Matt Tinder at mtinder@aia.org.
About The American Institute of Architects
For over 150 years, members of the American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. By using sustainable design practices, materials, and techniques, AIA architects are uniquely poised to provide the leadership and guidance needed to provide solutions to address climate change. AIA architects walk the walk on sustainable design. Visit www.aia.org/walkthewalk.
|
