eOCULUS 02.06.06

Editor's Note: If you couldn't feel it in the weather, Staten Island Chuck predicted an early spring (who cares about that other rodent somewhere in PA?). This week introduces a couple of new columns. Rhetorically Speaking provides a place for political commentary and The Measure is an avenue to voice your opinion on timely architectural issues. Please contribute regularly! I'd also like to welcome web aficionado Mauricio Alexander to the e-O team.

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD

Aristocracy or Democracy?
Photo by Adolf Cluss courtesy of the Goethe Institut

The movement towards greater democracy in city planning presents both a crisis and climax in the profession. Democracy demands that all have equal voices, yet the tradition of urban planning recalls a need for visionaries to define the city through formal relationships and spatial organizations. Perhaps the goal of education and practice should focus on reestablishing trust in the planning profession as a conduit for social representation.

The future of planning as a discipline and its role in shaping tomorrow's cities was debated at Columbia University's GSAPP January 30. Reinhold Martin, Assistant Professor of Architecture at Columbia, moderated the discussion. Participants included Professor Robert Beauregard of Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy, Raymond Gastil, Director of the NYC Department of City Planning's Manhattan Office, and Kenneth Reardon, Chair of the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University.

Planning solely addresses social issues abdicating responsibility from formal design. Lost is the element of the profession responsible for providing structure, orientation, and sense of place. The future of urban planning lies in the ability to accomplish both.

"Being an architect means creating a context for culture. Architecture competing with art is a disease," proclaimed Kenneth Frampton. This was one of many broadsides he aimed at the commercialization of architecture during a discussion between Frampton, Columbia's Ware Professor of Architecture, and William Saunders, editor of Harvard Design Magazine (HDM), at the Municipal Art Society on January 24.

The program, "Commodification and Spectacle in Architecture: A Harvard Design Magazine Reader," took its name from the new HDM publication of the same title (University of Minnesota Press, 2005). The book, with an introduction by Frampton, includes 10 essays by an international roster of design pundits compiled by Saunders over the last six years that examine the pro's and con's, the why's and wherefores of the current craze in "architainment" and the "starchitect" syndrome. As Saunders summarized, some "bemoan a lack of gravitas, and propose options to tune out of the media-ization of architecture"; others celebrate "buildings used to sell things."

Saunders's leading question to Frampton: "Where do you draw the line between exciting and engaging, and the frivolous; sound-bites vs. reflectiveness?" Framton left no doubt about which side of the fence he sits on: "Icons are determined by surface [images], a star system, a pecking order that the media either over or under criticizes…the Bilbao effect: hire Gehry because he's 'it'—it's not about the architecture." He said Koolhaas is "too impatient." On the "cult" of New Urbanism: "…ersatz kitsch colonialism for the modern middle class." When asked if grand, 19th century buildings, while spectacular, were more authentic, Frampton responded, "It's about structure—without an armature it can't be a heroic structure—it is spectacle without public consideration." Perhaps his harshest criticism was about political, social, and environmental responsibilities being overlooked in both educational and professional spheres of design.

Interior rendering of Alice Tully Hall with resin-cast lights behind wood veneer.
Diller Scofidio + Renfro

We're all gluttons for punishment.
Courtesy of Columbia University GSAPP

The overriding goal for the Lincoln Center Redevelopment Plan, as presented by Elizabeth Diller, principal of Diller Scofidio + Refro, is to highlight the successful sections of Lincoln Center while animating existing desolation. Throughout her lecture at Columbia University February 1, Diller addressed constituents, the city, community, preservationists, professionals, and academics individually. Every entity represents considerations for a plan intending to infuse additional program, provide a new urban strategy, use innovative materials, and stay true to historical intent.

The redevelopment plan, designed by Diller Scodidio + Renfro with FXFowle, attempts to permeate the existing fortress-like "Urban Acropolis" by engaging the neighborhood. Infusing program along a cultural spine on 65th Street will attract residents as well as those attending shows. Sinking drop-off lanes and opening more access points to the central square will create a transition zone between the city and the center. Increasing density by reworking North Plaza—embedding trees for a shaded performance space and incorporating an accessible grass roof above a restaurant—will draw youth to the otherwise elderly destination. Pedestrians will visually interact with those attending shows through new glass façades of Alice Tully Hall and Julliard. Alice Tully Hall sound quality will improve due to resin-cast lights behind wood veneer providing a red glow as lights dim.

The Hearst Tower is already an icon, a daring new element on midtown's skyline. The Hearst is New York's first office tower to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating from the U.S. Green Building Council; LEED Gold status is expected. Foster and Partners along with Adamson Associates Architects (architects of record), Flack + Kurtz (mechanical/engineering/plumbing), and Tishman Speyer Properties (development manager), challenge New York builders to rethink how skyscrapers fit into ecosystems.

The Hearst employs structural steel with 90% recycled content, recycled 85% of demolition waste from the original Joseph Urban building's interior, and uses locally manufactured materials. The roof collects rainwater for storage and reuse in building systems, contributing to a net saving of 1.7 million gallons of water per year. Polyethylene tubing within the lobby floor conducts water for efficient heat control. High-albedo roofing pavers and sidewalks help counteract heat-island effects. Substances that produce vapors or deplete ozone are minimized; there are few volatile organic compounds and no hydrochlorofluorocarbon refrigerants. Low-emission glass reduces solar radiation. A system of sunlight-harvesting lighting controls and motion sensors contribute to overall energy-efficiency.

The tower's appearance represents a frugal solution to a structural challenge. The shifted core frees up larger frontal floor space for office use. The 1.7 million-cubic-foot atrium is lit through clerestory windows and glass roofing. Asymmetrically aligned escalators lead past the "Ice Falls" water feature, helping to cool the massive space in summer and humidify it in winter.

Bill Millard is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in Oculus, Icon, Content, and other publications.

Boardwalk at Pier 1
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.

Brooklyn Bridge Plaza in the Winter
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.

As people crowded around a model, architects from Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc. described the thinking behind the design of 85-acre Brooklyn Bridge Park at the Urban Center February 3, hosted by the Architectural League. The master plan, two decades in the making and blessed by the Empire State Development Corporation, will make the five five-acre piers that jut out from the shoreline a primary recreational.

A 10-acre "safe-water zone" will protect the marina from rough East River currents, allowing visitors to kayak and swim. Undulating hills will create views of the river and Manhattan skyline while dampening the often-earsplitting Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

About 10 percent of the park will be leased to private developers as a mixture of luxury housing, commercial space, and a hotel. Though the plan ignited fierce opposition from some local groups and politicians, the privately run space will subsidize the $15.2-million cost of maintaining the park through taxes and development and resident fees.

Bryan Keogh is a graduate student in business journalism at New York University and an intern with Crain's New York Business.

Sustainable New York City, published by the Design Trust for Public Space with the NYC Office of Environmental Coordination (OEC), explains why municipalities should integrate sustainable development into everyday operations. High Performance Infrastructure Guidelines, published by the Design Trust for Public Space with the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC), details how to create sustainable city streets, sidewalks, utilities, and urban landscapes. Design professionals and city representatives gathered at the Center for Architecture January 24 to celebrate the release of both publications with presentations highlighting exemplary sustainable design.

Dean Cavallaro, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, presented the development of stepped fish ponds to facilitate the migration of glass eels from Staten Island to Cuba and back in the Staten Island Bluebelt project. Tom Jost described how 2,200 acres of former landfill at Fresh Kills Park is transforming into an ecologically diverse park. With her firm's South Bronx Greenway master plan, Signe Nielsen, principal of Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architecture, spoke of implementing green practices and techniques that are outlined in the High Performance Infrastructure Guidelines.

Megan Canning is the Director of Operations for the Design Trust for Public Space.

New Orleans Looks to the Past for Its Future
By Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA

New Orleans: Strategies for a City in Soft Land, by Joan Busquets in collaboration with Filipe Correa, is the culmination of collaborative research at Harvard Graduate School of Design and Tulane University, completed before Hurricane Katrina. An extensive collection of maps and diagrams reveal that Katrina was just one of many natural disasters inevitable in New Orleans. Questions about the future remain, but recorded history can aid planning efforts.

An academic panel consisting of the book's authors and educators, Joan Busquets, the Martin Bucksbaum Professor in Practice of Urban Planning and Design at the GSD, GSD design critic Filipe Correa, and Associate Dean and Professor of Urbanism at Tulane University's School of Architecture, Ila Berman, discussed the future of New Orleans in reference to its past at the National Arts Club February 2.

Each panel member voiced opinions on where to begin rebuilding efforts. Correa advocates a buy-out plan for the re-habitation of residents. Berman suggests using research as a base from which to develop the city accounting for disasters and ever changing shorelines. Busquets recommends building confidence in residents through incremental and consistent development. With the publication of comprehensive research, this book hopes to affect and impact planning methods for New Orleans.

The miserable state of American playgrounds was the focus of a presentation and panel discussion January 31. Susan Solomon's new book, American Playgrounds: Revitalizing Community Space, advocates examining playgrounds as vital part of American urban design and criticizes design trends resulting in risk-free and unchallenging spaces for children. "If playgrounds were more interesting kids would not be in front of the TV munching on snacks."

Panelists widely praised adventure playgrounds that include sites to build small structures, areas to interact with domestic animals, and landscapes to garden. These spaces provide an important connection between architecture, play, and education. Solomon commended playground designs by Richard Dattner, FAIA, Stanley Saitowitz, and Vito Acconci, but whether the works of enlightened designers have much influence is debatable. Children want to engage with interesting spaces, observed Rogert Hart, professor of psychology at the City University of New York. They often would rather amuse themselves in the street or interact with empty lots than play in a designated playground.

The discussion took place at the Urban Center, hosted by the Municipal Art Society and Urban Center Books. Panelists included: moderator Liane Lefaivre, Vienna University of Applied Art; author and art historian Susan Solomon; Roger Hart, CUNY Graduate Center; Nina Antonetti, Smith College; Nadine Gerdts, Rhode Island School of Design; and Helle Burlingame, Kompan Play Institute.

Pollyanna Rhee has done graduate work in education and is a member of the steering committee for Architecture for Humanity New York.

Let us be clear as to the main reason for branding ourselves: of all recurring expenses, the most punishing to our bottom line is the business we keep losing to the competition, time and again, at least in part for lack of clear branding. When diversification is random and opportunistic, it manifests as a distortion of the natural process and robs us of our core identity. It is therefore difficult to overstate the importance of articulating brands and defining boundaries.

Diversification evolves naturally from within a brand, generating spontaneous company expansion and additional profits. But a brand demands sustained delivery on a specific promise. It is incumbent on a CEO to engage his/her firm in new, profitable markets. Additionally, as certain markets periodically weaken, diversification helps a firm pick up some of the slack, at least in the short term.

The real question is how do we diversify without confusing our core clients, without damaging our core business? We need to ponder our brands and consider whether projected areas of practice can truly be deemed to arise and evolve naturally from it. Branding defines us in the minds of clients. When the time comes to diversify, it is useful to consider what it is that makes us unique and different and, with a deep sense of who we really are, decide which of all roads is the one for us.

Originally trained as an architect, Raphael Shammaa (raphael@tbranding.com) started a corporate branding consulting business for A/E/C firms. He has lectured on branding at AIANY, Global Design Alliance, and American Consulting Engineers Council. His views have been published in Oculus and The Principal's Report.

Sturdy Straws chair and stool made from polypropylene drinking straws.
Artist: Tal Gur, courtesy of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

Plastic. Every second toolbox sold worldwide is made in Israel. Yet this material, associated with lightness, cheapness, and mass production is used by Israeli artists to create unique art pieces.

Most Israeli contemporary designers make their living in industrial design, from high tech components to medical equipment. However, besides the plastics industry, there are few businesses in Israel that manufacture household goods and furniture. Tal Gur's chair and ottoman, made of fused plastic drinking straws, epitomizes the range of vastly different one-off creations using everyday materials produced after hours.

Fifteen designers' work presented in the exhibit "Solos: New Design from Israel," on view now at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum through April 23, range from Chanan de Lange's sloping metal bookshelves to Zivia's chairs hinting of Bedouin nomadic life. Ayala Serfaty's sculptural lighting fixtures and Pini Leibovich's floppy rug made of balloons are whimsical and conceptual. The exhibit was guest curated by Ezri Tarazi, head of the industrial design graduate program at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, a school instrumental in laying the foundations of contemporary Israeli visual culture, and Ellen Lupton, curator of contemporary design at the Cooper-Hewitt.

(l-r) Dr. Andrew Dent, VP of Material ConneXion, Bradley Quinn, curator Fashion in Architecture exhibition, Kevin Walz of Walzworkinc.
Richard Lombard

Material ConneXion, Inc., an independent, New York-based center for materials consulting and research with the largest holding of cutting-edge materials in the world, holds quarterly jury sessions. Vice President Dr. Andrew Dent presents materials to a panel of design experts who decide whether the materials gain a place in Material ConneXion's stacks and database. At the January 25 session at the Center for Architecture, jury members were Susan Lyons, an independent textiles consultant; Craig Konyk, AIA, principal of Konyk Architecture; Dorothy Dunn, Director of Programs for the AIGA; George M. Beylerian, Founder and President of Material ConneXion, Inc.; Bradley Quinn, curator of the Fashion in Architecture: CONSTRUCTING the Architecture of Fashion exhibit; Kevin Walz of Walzworkinc.; and Eric Chan, principal of Ecco Design.

As a nod to the fashion exhibition, Dent brought several materials relevant to the fashion community including microtaggant pigments distinguishing the authenticity of labels, phase change textiles that provide warmth under a thin wax coating, and fine hemp fabrics. Topping the jurors' list was MDF plywood made from straw or wheat containing a water-based, nonflammable, non-toxic soy-based binder instead of urea-formaldehyde.

Lilas Harley is the editor of Matter magazine, the quarterly magazine of Material ConneXion.

RHETORICALLY SPEAKING

Blueprint by Bloomberg
Rick Bell, FAIA, Executive Director, AIA New York Chapter

Courtesy of Florida Solar Energy Center

Video Clip of Snug Harbor Music Hall

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is not a registered architect—nor has he spent time at AIA New York Chapter's Center for Architecture - but in his State of the City address on January 26 he presented a graphic and engaging "Blueprint for the Future of the City of New York." The speech, delivered in the jamb-packed Music Hall of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island (renovated by Rafael Viñoly Architects) was a crowd-pleaser. The only people not standing up to applaud every few minutes were those who, encumbered by laptops or cynicism, were sitting in the press seats off to the side.

What made the speech a blueprint? Perhaps it was its comprehensiveness, from public health issues such as diabetes to child welfare concerns, the remarks contained broad outline specifications. More likely it was the future orientation. Here were schematics of the Administration's goals for the next four years, the duration of many a public construction project. Summarized in blue-line, the state of this city looks crisp, functional, and poetic.

Most importantly, the Mayor's remarks spoke dramatically about capital construction and design excellence, about the physical future of a city that has reached new heights of population and prosperity, but still struggles to retain the people who must be its foundation. Affordable housing goals, school construction, even a reasonable rendering for the symbolic center of our first city, Lower Manhattan, these were the parti that gave the Mayor's Blueprint compelling contrast, and made those present eager to start building.

Do you have a comment about the Mayor's State of the City Address? Would you like to discuss any other public figure in politics? Please write to eoculus@aiany.org.

IN RESPONSE

Note: This letter is in response to last issue's Editor's Soapbox about Calatrava's Downtown Third Thursdays lecture, hosted by the Alliance for Downtown New York. Please send your own response to eoculus@aiany.org.

Dear Editor, Though I did not attend the Calatrava presentation, I'm unsurprised by your description. In working with architects and other design professionals for most of the past 25 years, I've seen and heard innumerable presentations that consist mostly of "…this next slide is a picture of a building I designed…" I know it's a slide, and I can tell that it's the next slide; I can also see that it's a picture of a building; and I assume that you designed it, because you're here to promote yourself.

There are wonderful exceptions, of course. But in general, and with much-lauded designers in particular, architects make canned "I Am The Great I Am" presentations, which is disrespectful to the audience (especially an audience of colleagues and peers) and does a disservice to the profession. Of course a presentation is a marketing opportunity. But the audience is there to learn something they didn't already know, to see something of which they were unaware, to be amused, entertained, enlightened, uplifted. It is possible to do both—I know, because I've seen it done. We need to hold Calatrava, and all architects, to as high a standard of rhetoric as of design.

EDITOR'S SOAPBOX

Discussion about the crucial need for collaboration and communication occurs each time I attend a discussion about Gulf Coast rehabilitation. Few, however, address how they are reaching out to others in order to encourage this vital communication.

As a New Yorker, I am privy to the consequences of miscommunication and friction at charged sites. Clearly, each aspect of urban redevelopment needs focused attention, and I applaud the efforts of those who pursue goals of improving the urban situation in the Gulf Coast. With so many institutions, so many frustrated and cynical (or apathetic) individuals throughout the nation, who is taking responsibility for cross-organizational collaboration?

eON THE SCENE

Purdue's Students Design to the Cutting Edge
By Darris W. James, e-O Events Correspondent

The future of industrial design. (l-r): Andrew Monteleone, Third-Place, Nick Poteracki, First-Place, James Dyson, President of Dyson, Inc.
DMI Photo

Engineers, product designers, and industrial designers attended the "Eye for WHY" competition awards reception, held at MoMA's The Modern restaurant, hosted by Dyson, Inc. and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). James Dyson, smooth-voiced spokesperson and creator of the Dyson Cyclone vacuum cleaner, espoused his dedication to the future generation of designers.

Dyson's function-first design philosophy is apparent in the winners. First place, a "drop: water filtration unit," designed by Nick Poteracki, purifies water with a portable perpendicular filtering and housing unit. R. Alec Cobb's XLa Laser Mower, using an energy-efficient laser light beam and electrical charge to cut grass, won second place. In third place, Plenary Therapeutics, lava-like stones designed by Andrew Monteleone, combine heat and cold therapy with infrasound therapy. Poteracki will represent America competing internationally for the James Dyson Award.

Remarkably, all three top winners were from the same studio at Indiana's Purdue University. When asked about his approach to the "Eye for WHY" competition, professor Scott Shim stated his own design philosophy, "One plus one can be two, but not necessarily… perhaps it can be four, but you have to do research on how it can be four!"

IN THE NEWS

New Restaurant for the Iron Chef

Goto Design Group Pritzker Prize winning architect Tadao Ando (with NYC-based Goto Design) has completed his first New York City project, Morimoto, a bi-level 12,000-square-foot restaurant for chef Masaharu Morimoto and restaurateur Stephen Starr. It boasts the largest traditional Japanese noren curtain created, glass privacy walls between tables, an organic ceiling resembling the raked sand of a rock garden, a 1,500-square-foot exposition kitchen, and seating for 160 diners.

Sunlit Javits Center Will Double in Size

Courtesy of the Empire State Development Corporation The new master plan and concept design for an expanded Jacob K. Javits Center by Richard Rogers Partnership, FXFowle, and A. Epstein & Sons International were unveiled before Empire State Development Corp (ESD) and the New York Convention Center Development Corp (CCDC). Increasing exhibit and meeting room space over 1.3 million square feet will enable the Javits Center to host virtually any convention or trade show. The project also includes a new hotel, multi-function loading and marshalling facility, and 100-foot-high multi-block glass enclosed entry providing tree-lined access along 11th Avenue. Developing a park at 11th Avenue will leave 40th Street open to pedestrian access. Ground-breaking is scheduled for late Summer 2006, and Phase I is expected to be completed in 2010.

Improving the New Jersey Waterfront

Courtesy of Gruzen Samton The $6.4 million rehabilitated marina and new ferry landing designed by Gruzen Samton will provide direct commuter access from Edgewater, NJ to Manhattan and other points along the Hudson River. The site will include a public park and riverfront esplanade. The bright, glazed brick marina building, which Jordan Gruzen, FAIA, likens to sculpture when viewed from the park, will serve as a community center for seniors and youths, an office for the management, food services, and restroom facilities. It is anticipated to open winter 2007.

Using the Past to Rejuvenate Trenton Rail

Courtesy of dDP The new 46,000-square-foot, $33 million Trenton Rail Station and multimodal transportation hub, designed by di Domenico + Partners, is expected to be completed in late 2007. The architects reference history by using limestone reminiscent of stone and terra cotta on the façade. Brick and full height glass window walls intermittently provide transparency and facilitate natural light penetration. An arched standing seam zinc roof and deep overhang complement the building's features and varying volumes. The station will have two pavilions meeting needs of commuters and acting as a main gateway to the city. They will contain a large urban plaza providing outdoor space for cafe dining, public artwork, and intermodal transfers. A bridge-like overpass structure includes retail and passenger amenities.

LEED Silver for Ford Motor Company

Neil Alexander Photography, courtesy of Davis Brody Bond Built specifically to obtain LEED certification, Northwestern University's Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center is the focal point for the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. The six-story, 80,000-square-foot building designed by Davis Brody Bond, incorporates natural daylight in 75% of the building's interior, including the two below-grade floors, high performance glass, mechanized sunshades with solar tracking on the exterior façades, a raised floor air displacement system reducing cooling loads, recycled materials, and an integrated retention basin to capture storm water for landscape irrigation.

Major Metropolitan Park to Develop in Irvine
Ken Smith, ASLA, will transform the 1,347-acre Orange County Great Park into a major metropolitan park in Irvine, CA. The Great Park, which will be the focus of 4,700-acre former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, will include extensive natural areas in addition to recreational and cultural uses including lakes, an amphitheater, sports park, museums, and a natural grove. The remaining 3,700-acres will be developed to include residential, commercial, retail, and other support facilities. The Ken Smith Landscape Architecture team also includes Enrique Norton of TEN Arquitectos, artist Mary Miss, Buro Happold engineers, Mia Lehrer + Associates landscape architecture, and ecologist Steven Handel. Groundbreaking is slated for spring 2006.

Hosting the Beijing Olympics

Courtesy of BBG-BBGM Zhongguancun Science Park, known as the Silicon Valley of China, situated in the northwestern Beijing, is home to many of China's leading high-tech companies. Excavation will begin this month on the BBG-BBGM-designed master plan for a 286,700-square-foot site hosting a 19-story office builidng and 24-story hotel/apartment tower. The office building will have a third-floor lobby linking the tower to a park and other buildings within the development. A five-star, 377-key hotel is designed to support the needs of international business travelers. The 129 service apartments will be integrated vertically within the tower, affording a greater variety of layouts and views for each room type and allowing appropriate setbacks. A landscaped courtyard, which incorporates three historic trees, will link the freestanding hotel/apartment tower with the office building and planned retail mall.

AROUND THE AIA + THE CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE

High School Students Redesign Midtown
By Jessica Kemper, Program Director, Center for Architecture Foundation

Students from the High School of Art and Design (HSAD) presented their redesign proposals of the midtown neighborhood surrounding their school January 20. This was the final session of a Learning By Design:NY (LBD) residency, the Center for Architecture Foundation's in-school architecture education program. HSAD was adopted by Peter Marino + Associates through the Foundation's Adopt-A-School funding initiative.

Students presented compelling design concepts for the school's neighborhood. Over the course of 10 sessions, students completed in-depth market analyses of the neighborhood, interviewed people on the streets, and assessed the needs of the neighborhood. One team's solution included increasing open space by creating a running track on the roof of Bloomingdale's. Another team created a pedestrian bridge over the FDR Highway, leading to a river overlook. Jury members included: Jane Cowan, the LBD design educator for the residency; Frank Spadora, an architectural designer at Peter Marino + Associates; Lisanne Beretta, program manager for the Municipal Art Society; Michelle Todd, designer and LBD design educator; Charles Scalera, AIA; Gary Papush, Chair of the Parks, Landmarks, and Cultural Affairs Committee of Community Board 6; and Jessica Kemper.

For more information about the Adopt-A-School initiative, please contact Jessica Kemper at 212.358.6133 (jkemper@nyfarchitecture.org).

From Dresses to Tents
By Erin McCluskey, Program Manager, Center for Architecture Foundation

Kids work on a tent structure with a frame system of wood, string, pipe cleaners, and fabric.
Erin McCluskey

Armed with yards of fabric, needle, thread, and scissors, kids went to work creating remarkable structures of shelter and style at FamilyDay@theCenter: From Dresses to Tents, February 4. Bradley Quinn, curator of The Fashion of Architecture: CONSTRUCTING the Architecture of Fashion, led kids and families through the exhibit, engaging them in a conversation about favorite colors, clothes, and shapes. Participants were joined by volunteers Jane Pereverzoff, architectural designer at Thornton-Tomasetti Group, and Michaela Metcalfe, project architect at Sage and Coombe Architects.

From a single square, everyone made simple folded bags with hand stitching and raw edges. Kids were asked to think about their own live-wear pieces. One group focused on designing an elaborate tent model. Other notable creations included a kimono style dress in red velvet, pale green pants with a blue velvet sash, and a red and green sarong and shirt combo.

Special thanks to Rocco Giannetti, Chair of AIANY Interiors Committee for coordinating fabric donations, and thanks to Knoll Textiles, Maharam, DesignTex, Luna, Gensler, and Arc/Com Fabrics for the 100+ yards of material.

(l-r) COTE Co-Chair Chris Garvin, AIA, LEED with Councilmembers Melissa Mark Viverito and Alan Gerson and the Sallan Foundation's Nancy Anderson, PhD.
Rick Bell

The final High Performance Buildings panel at the Center for Architecture presented sustainable solutions for New York City. Joanne Derwin, Urban Agenda, moderated the discussion. Panelists Patricia Noonan, Senior Vice President at the Partnership for New York City, Ashok Gupta, Natural Resources Defense Council, Randy Croxton, FAIA, Croxton Collaborative Architects, Carlton Brown, Full Spectrum of NY, and Susan Boyle, AIA, BigSue, presented how to achieve success when all commit to change.

Panelists identified energy efficiency and green building as critical components in a city's ability to remain competitive and attract businesses. New York City must continually advance its sustainable initiatives along with education, housing, and other business opportunities to accomplish these goals. Private sector incentives and clear public policies are essential. The city must establish environmentally sound guidelines and revise existing approaches to energy efficiency. Other ideas include removing Con Edison's commercial and residential net metering limits for distributed electrical production, importing new sustainable construction products, and revising housing standards to promote affordable green housing.

The "High Performance Building: Sharpening Our Competitive Edge Through Innovation" panel discussion was held January 26 at the Center for Architecture. Sponsors include the Sallan Foundation, the Municipal Art Society, and AIA New York Chapter's Committee on the Environment (COTE). A diverse group including city council members Alan Gerson, Melissa Mark Viverito, and Council Speaker Christine Quinn's aid Kate Seely-Kirk were present for the event.

Articles from previous panel discussions are available at the Sallan Foundation's website. A related article available to subscribers, "High-Rises That Have Low Impact on Nature," appeared in the 02.02.06 issue of the New York Times. Both Chris Garvin, AIA, LEED, and Bruce Fowle, FAIA, principal of FXFOWLE, are quoted.

Chris Garvin, AIA, LEED, is co-chair of AIANY COTE with Craig Graber, Assoc. AIA. He is Vice President at the Croxton Collaborative Architects, PC.

Architects-in-Training Courses Returns
Architects-in-Training, a course offered first by the AIA New York Chapter in the late 1980s, was revived last year with an inspiring line-up of speakers and topics. Hosted by the Emerging NY Architects (ENYA) Committee, Architects-in-Training is a special opportunity for young architects to see what goes on "behind the scenes" and learn about aspects of the profession not taught in architecture school. The course is a six-week program open to "interns training in Chapter sustaining firms." The purpose is to offer young architects a practical curriculum to help them be more productive and effective in their work environment. This year, the course will feature authors of the 'Architect's Essentials of Professional Practice Series' books, published by John Wiley & Sons. All sessions will be held at the Center for Architecture every Tuesday (except 2.14.06) from 6:30-8:30pm, beginning 2.07.06 through 3.21.06. For additional information, click here.

THE MEASURE

Note: Introducing e-O's new survey column! Even though there may be some kinks, please take a moment to participate.

OF INTEREST

Make a nomination in the New York City Hall of Fame, "where greatness inspires greatness." There's even a special category for architecture…

NAMES IN THE NEWS

Michael Arad, AIA, partner at Handel Architects, is a recipient of the 2006 AIA Young Architects Award. For more information on this year's six winners, click here… Three local firms have been recognized by the Bienal Miami+Beach 2005 and the AIA Miami Chapter: Acconci Studio; Richard Meier & Partners Architects; and SOM…The Institute of Store Planners/ Visual Merchandising + Store Design have announced the winners of their 2005 International Store Design Competition; a TPG Architecture project nabbed the top award, with local firms Hambrecht Oleson Design Associates, Mancini Duffy, Lippincott Mercer, and Point Design also receiving recognition… Front Studio has been named a finalist in the first round of Urban Voids, a competition sponsored by the City Parks Association of Philadelphia and Van Alen Institute; local groups Interboro and Loop/8 both received honorable mention…

Robert Harlow, AIA, has been promoted to Senior Associate at BBG-BBGM… Joel Towers has been appointed Director of The New School's Tishman Environment and Design Center, a new education and research initiative supporting the environmental and allied sciences…Van Alen Institute: Projects in Public Architecture has announced that Adi Shamir has been appointed as Executive Director…

The International Code Council Foundation has donated copies of I-Codes to 11 Louisiana parishes declared federal disaster areas, to help local governments execute the state's new construction code law…

NEW DEADLINES

The Master Planning Committee for the United Nations International School is seeking consultants to complete design work for Phase I of the school's Master Plan. This is the first phase of a multi-step selection process. For full submission guidelines, contact Stephen Roache at sroache@unis.org.

The AIA San Francisco Chapter is calling for submissions for its 2006 Design Awards program. Open to both AIA San Francisco members and nonmembers, the program accepts projects completed after January 1, 2002.

Sponsored by the Antaramian Development Group and the Naples Bay Resort, in conjunction with the AIA Florida Southwest, the United Arts Council of Collier County, and the City of Naples, Florida, Community Redevelopment Board, the 4 Corners Design Competition is soliciting ideas to create attractive pedestrian connectivity across U.S. 41 in the City of Naples.

The AIA Committee on Design and the AIA Committee on the Environment announce an ideas competition to design a live/work dwelling for an ecologist in residence at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Emphasis will be placed on solutions addressing how environmental innovation can contribute directly to design excellence.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy is calling for papers for its 2006 conference. The conference will focus on Wright's work in Southeast Michigan and on the themes of craft and industry. For additional guidelines contact: preservation@savewright.org.

The AIA Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) Knowledge Community has issued a call for entries for their 2006 Building Information Model (BIM) Awards. This annual competition recognizes exemplary projects that have used integrated and interoperable building information models.

OFS and Metropolis announce a chair design competition. Submissions must incorporate wood, promote sustainability, and be technologically relevant, among other design criteria.

DEADLINES

Oculus 2006 Editorial Calendar
Ideas/Submissions Deadlines (projects can be anywhere, but architects must be New York-based). Contact: Kristen Richards kristen@ArchNewsNow.com.
March 20: Summer: Architecture as Public Policy
June 20: Fall: Infrastructure New York
September 20: Winter: The Business of Practice

The 2006 AIA New York Chapter Design Awards have a revised schedule:
More information is available on the website
April 14: Entry forms and fees due
May 5: Submission deadline
May 8: Public symposium and award announcements
June 28: Luncheon honoring Design Awards recipients
June 29: Exhibition opens at the Center for Architecture

New York Preservation Archive Project "50 Year Preservationists"—nomination deadline; e-mail: nypap@nypap.org.

ON VIEW

At the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place:

Elsewhere: Exhibit Announcements

Elsewhere: Ongoing and Upcoming

02.15.06—04.19.06
Bad Design Darts and Other Methods for Community-Led Improvement / The Municipal Art Society

eCALENDAR
eCalendar now includes the information that used to be found in eOculus' Around the Center, Around the AIA, and Around Town sections. Click the above link to go to to eCalendar on the Web.

AIA NEW YORK CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP REPORT: JANUARY, 2006

We are proud to start the year with a membership of almost 4,000, and plan to continue our growth in 2006. We are equally grateful to new members and those who have recently renewed, thank you all!

If you have not yet returned a renewal payment for 2006, it is not too late. Architect, International Associate, and Associate members continue to be able to pay online from www.aia.org; you'll need your ID# and password to log on. Contact the AIA New York Chapter or the national membership help desk 1- 800- 242- 3837 if you need assistance. Local Center for Architecture members such as students, public members, professional affiliates, or Corporate Members will need to contact Suzanne Mecs for membership renewals, smecs@aiany.org or 212-358-6115.

New Architect Members: Timothy A. Anderson, AIA | Bradley Bartholomew, AIA, Arquitectonica | David B. Berridge, AIA, David Berridge Architect | George M. Berry, AIA, BERRY plans, LLC | Jennifer Brayer, AIA, HLW International LLP | Eun Sun Chun, AIA, 212 Box Architecture, PC | Pietro Cicognani, AIA, Cicognani Kalla Architects, PC | Richard Foley, AIA, Lee Harris Pomeroy Architects | Maya Maria Foty, AIA, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects | Stewart Green, AIA, Murphy Burnham & Buttrick LLP | Narciso A. Hernandez, AIA, MTA Bridges & Tunnels | William B. Hovland, AIA, Kazumi Adachi & Associates | Dean W. Kimball, AIA, DMJM Architects & Engineers | Ethan Lu, AIA, Cook & Fox Architects, LLP | Garth H.H. McIntosh, AIA, New York City Transit Authority | Christina Contis Nambiar, AIA, Ann Beha Architects | Robert C. Portnoff, AIA, Paratus Group II, Inc. | Damian Peter Possidente, AIA, Magnusson Architect & Planners | David S. Rolland, AIA, Rafael Vinoly Architects PC | Michael J. Rostkowski, AIA, Daniel J. Barteluce PC Architects | Carolyn W. Straub, AIA, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects | Joshua D. Uhl, AIA, Toshiko Mori Architect | Alexander van Gaalen, AIA, Gensler | Andrew D. Wilson, AIA, Nicholson & Galloway, Inc.

New Associate Members: Robert P. Aitcheson, Assoc. AIA, Arquitectonica | Viren Brahmbhatt, Assoc. AIA, NYC Housing Authority | CarloMaria Ciampoli, Assoc. AIA, AEN Architects | Jennifer M. Newsom, Assoc. AIA, Cooper Robertson Partners | Chas Peppers, Assoc. AIA, Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP | Stephen M. Pezdek, Assoc. AIA, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey | G. Steven South, Assoc. AIA, Perkins & Will | Begum B. Taft, Assoc. AIA, Arquitectonica

New Center for Architecture Public Members: Jose Navarro Gonzalez | Howard S. Rappaport, Continental Properties

New Center for Architecture Corresponding Member: Frank Farrokh Sabouri, AIA, PS & S A/E

New Steel Corporate Member: Gregory P. Clark, John Longman, Sarah A. Opperman and Patricia Scanlon, Cerami & Associates, Inc.

New Aluminum Corporate Members: Robert A. Baram, Armstrong Ceiling Systems | Stephen Stimson, Stephen Stimson Associates | Colin David Rath and Pamela Harvey Rath, Terrapin Industries LLC | Tom Quinn, Unico | Daniel Bonifacic and Patricia Hildebrandt, WB Engineers/Consultants

Members who have transferred to another AIA Chapter: Good Luck in your new locale: John Eisler, AIA, John Eisler Architects | Stephen J. Kredell, Truex Cullins & Partners, Architects

The Chapter mourns the passing of: James I. Freed, FAIA, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners

CLASSIFIEDS

Would you like to get your message featured in eOCULUS? Spotlight your firm, product, or event as a marquee sponsor of eOCULUS, the electronic newsletter of the AIA New York Chapter. Sponsors receive a banner ad prominently placed above the table of contents. Your message will reach over 5,000 architects and decision-makers in the building industry via e-mail every two weeks (and countless others who access the newsletter directly from the AIA New York web site). For more information about sponsorship, contact Dan Hillman: dhillman@aiany.org or 212.358.6114.

ARCHITECT
Progressive, 15-person, award-winning NYC firm seeks: (1-2) f/t exp'd architects for comm/res & planning projects; 5-10 yr constr detailing + (1) f/t entry level; ACAD 2000/2006 req'd. Fax or email resume and statement to 212 620 5299 or info@andersonarch.com

2200 sq. ft. office spaces—1 fl available immediately; 2 others available 5/1/06; all with good light—in small building conveniently located, East 29th St. (Park/Madison). Asking rent $4600/month/floor. Call 212-889-9939 or email: jinny@tiac.net

WATERFRONT PROPERTY ADJACENT TO STANFORD WHITE'S WETHERILL MANSION
15.1 acres. 750' beachfront. Magnificent views of Stony Brook Harbor, Long Island Sound and Connecticut. For survey, map and price, fax owner: 212-755-7615

Share space at Varick and Spring
800 square foot space at Varick and Spring - with a model shop and STL/3D printer. Looking for architect/designer to share space. Room for 2 computer stations. DSL, phoneline, central air, full kitchen. Rent for half the space $1080.
Respond to Lisa@LisaSmith.net.

Starbucks Coffee Company has architectural needs in New York City.
Design at Starbucks is about creating a third place. Away from work and different from home, the Third Place is relaxing and exciting, new and familiar. We are currently seeking job captains.

Job captains produce construction documents, architectural drawings and material specifications for new store construction and renovations.

Architects
Leading NYC architectural firm is seeking multi-talented individuals with 3-5 years experience who are seeking the opportunity to grow professionally in an expanding award-winning office. Excellent benefits, salary commensurate with experience. Email resume to H. Weber: contactus@sbjgroup.com

ARCHITECT+INTERIOR DESIGNER
LEESER ARCHITECTURE, internationally recognized, award winning, DUMBO based firm seeks Sr. Architect & Intermediate Interior Designer to work on cultural institution projects. Architect with 8+ years experience required. Expertise in detailing and coordinating construction and consultant team documents. Registration desirable. Interior designer with 4+ years experience required. Expertise in finish documentation, FFE coordination and client interface. Strong communication skills a must. Proficiency in AutoCAD required. Great opportunity for growth. Competitive salary. Email resume and salary requirements to employment@leeser.com.

ARCHITECT—INTERIORS
Rand Engineering & Architecture, PC, 50-person Midtown firm, seeks experienced NYS-registered architect with solid background in interior spaces, plan preparation, NYC building code, zoning issues. Exterior envelope repair and restoration experience big plus. Excellent communication skills essential. Resume, salary: hr@randpc.com; fax (212) 691-7972. www.randpc.com.

Callison Architecture is an international design firm with over 550 team members and growing. We are currently seeking a talented Administrative Assistant for our New York Office. This individual is responsible for supporting the administrative needs of the NY office. Responsibilities include word processing, creating/maintaining filing systems, copying, faxing, and administrative telephone backup and marketing support. Candidates need a minimum three years prior administrative assistant experience, advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and PowerPoint, Ability to type 60 wpm, a client service focus, organizational skills, excellent follow-through skills, and the ability to juggle multiple tasks. This is a full-time position. To apply, send materials to Callison Architecture, 1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2400 Seattle, WA 98101 or by email to employment@callison.com. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, and value workplace diversity.

The AIA Contract Documents program
provides proven, consistent, and effective standard form contracts to the building design and construction industry. The program directs its efforts toward improving existing documents and developing new ones. In late 2005 the AIA introduced six new contract documents. These included two new agreements and four new scopes of service documents for use with owner-architect agreements.

Paper Documents
The AIA New York Chapter is a full-service distributor of AIA Contract Documents, which are the most widely used standard form contracts in the building industry. These comprehensive contracts have been prepared by the AIA with the input of contractors, attorneys, architects, and engineers. Typically, industry professionals and home/property owners use these documents to support agreements relating to design and construction services. Anyone may purchase and use the AIA Contract Documents. AIA Members receive a 10% discount. For a full list and order form, see aiany.org/documents/list.pdf or call 212.358.6113 with your fax number.

Electronic Format Documents
The new AIA Contract Documents software is completely redesigned, based on Microsoft Word, and is easier to use than Word itself. Enter project and document information once and reuse it automatically. E-mail documents as Word or PDF attachments. Print "clean copy" final documents with all changes captured in a special report. Go to aia.org/docssoftwaretraining/ for Contract Documents Software Training and aia.org/docs_purchase/ to download the AIA Contract Documents software.

If you already have the software, Version 2.0.5: Software Update is now available.

AIA New York Chapter's HOME page
If you have any comments, questions or concerns regarding eOculus or would like to know about advertising in or sponsorship of eOculus, or would like to be included in our mailing list please write to us at dhillman@aiany.org.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

02.06.06

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD

RHETORICALLY SPEAKING

IN RESPONSE

EDITOR'S SOAPBOX

eON THE SCENE

IN THE NEWS

AROUND THE AIA + THE CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE

THE MEASURE

OF INTEREST

NAMES IN THE NEWS

NEW DEADLINES

DEADLINES

ON VIEW

At the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place:

Architecture's 53rd Annual P/A Awards

The Fashion of Architecture
CONSTRUCTING the Architecture of Fashion

Related Event

ESTO NOW: Photographers Eye New York

Related Event

Two Columbus Circle (plus): Museum of Arts & Design and Allied Works Architecture

Elsewhere: Exhibit Announcements

Elsewhere: Ongoing and Upcoming

AIA NEW YORK CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP REPORT: JANUARY, 2006

CLASSIFIEDS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

02.06.06

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD

RHETORICALLY SPEAKING

IN RESPONSE

EDITOR'S SOAPBOX

eON THE SCENE

IN THE NEWS

AROUND THE AIA + THE CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE

THE MEASURE

OF INTEREST

NAMES IN THE NEWS

NEW DEADLINES

DEADLINES

ON VIEW

At the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place:

Architecture's 53rd Annual P/A Awards

The Fashion of Architecture CONSTRUCTING the Architecture of Fashion

Related Event

ESTO NOW: Photographers Eye New York

Related Event

Two Columbus Circle (plus): Museum of Arts & Design and Allied Works Architecture

Elsewhere: Exhibit Announcements

Elsewhere: Ongoing and Upcoming

AIA NEW YORK CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP REPORT: JANUARY, 2006

CLASSIFIEDS

The Fashion of Architecture
CONSTRUCTING the Architecture of Fashion