Community Makes the Difference
By Linda G. Miller

Courtesy Ron Shiffman

Courtesy Ron Shiffman

Event: The Ratensky Lecture by Ron Shiffman — Beyond the Marketplace: Towards an Equitable Housing Program
Speakers: Ronald Shiffman, FAICP, Hon. AIA — urban planner & former director, Pratt Center for Community Development; introductions by Theodore Liebman, FAIA — Liebman & Melting Partnership, and Elizabeth Yeampierre — Executive Director, United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park
Organizers: AIANY Housing Committee, co-sponsored by AIANY Planning & Urban Design Committee
Sponsors: George Lewis Fund
Location: Center for Architecture, 11.06.06

"If one wished to write a book about issues concerning communities in urban America, one could best do it by tracing Ron’s life’s work," said Theodore Liebman, FAIA, of urban planner, teacher, mentor, and former director of the Pratt Center for Community Development, Ronald Shiffman, FAICP, Hon. AIA, this year’s presenter of the Ratensky Lecture. A passionate advocate for community groups in need, his lecture entitled, "Beyond the Marketplace: Towards an Equitable Housing Program," proposed new policies and programs to accelerate the development of equitable and sustainable housing. It also addressed the responsibility of architects and planners to reassert their roles as promoters of the public interest and advocates for the built environment.

Shiffman traced the history of housing reform in New York City, highlighting community groups that took it upon themselves to staunch the flow of urban decline. Because of them, a comprehensive housing policy that combines tenant protections, preservation strategies, rehabilitation development, and new construction was developed. The Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Development Corporation, for example, was the first in the nation and is a template for the 5,000 such developments in existence today. Two "trouble spots" — Columbia University’s encroachment of Manhattanville, and the highly contentious Atlantic Yards — however, according to Shiffman, require more attention.

Through the annual Ratensky Lecture the AIA New York Chapter commemorates Samuel Ratensky, an architect, city planner, and housing official responsible for major NYC housing initiatives from 1946 to 1972. The lecture series also honors individuals who, like Ratensky, and prior honorees including Edward Logue, Michael Pyatok, Liebman, and now Shiffman, have made significant lifetime contributions to the advancement of housing and community design.

To read the entire lecture and view the Powerpoint presentation, click the links.

Sweden Outranks Most in Sustainability
By Onur Ekmekci

Event: Lars Danielsson — Ecological Building in Sweden
Speaker: Lars Danielsson, Architect
Organizers: AIANY Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Location: Center for Architecture, 10.26.06

Contemporary architects tend to ignore natural forms, contends Swedish architect Lars Danielsson. To establish a sustainable urban future, the architect must maintain the link between architecture and nature in addition to using technological inventions. Architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Alvar Aalto, and Louis Sullivan respected nature by transforming organic shapes into architectural forms. In this sense, buildings such as Fallingwater may be seen as a precedent for a sustainable future.

Special emphasis is given to ecological building experiments in Sweden involving alternative technologies in ventilation, heating, and materials. For example, Danielsson’s residential settlement in Gothenburg was designed without a conventional central heating system despite the cold regional climate. The building is extremely well insulated and powered by solar panels. The Vidar Clinic in Jama designed by Asmussens Arkitektgrupp follows the principles of anthropomorphic medicine by creating an environment that is itself an active player in the healing process through the use of space, form, color, and interaction with its surroundings.

Since the oil crisis in the 1970s, Sweden has passed a series of laws limiting fossil fuel use. Oil, which negatively impacts our environment, remains the main source of energy in the European Union. Sweden, however, has an energy saving attitude as nuclear and renewable energy sources are consumed equally to oil. Danielsson points out that there is more to be done when it comes to recycling, wind, and solar energy systems. "Our task as architects is to learn to appreciate the wisdom of nature and build houses that are sustainable and elegant."

Onur Ekmekci is an architecture student at City College of New York.

Summering in the Hamptons
By Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA

The Pearlroth House as it stood in 1959.
Photography by Jerry Birnbaum, Courtesy Save The Pearlroth House

The Pearlroth House September 29, 2006.
Courtesy Save The Pearlroth House

Event: Pearlroth House Cocktail Reception and Benefit
Speakers: Alastair Gordon — historian, journalist, critic; Jake Gorst — writer, producer, director, architectural historian, grandson of Andrew Geller
Organizers: Exhibitions International
Location: Center for Architecture, 10.27.06

For a vacation home in the Hamptons, the 600-square-foot Pearlroth House is hardly a vision of luxury and grandeur; but it is part of preservation efforts to restore the architectural history of vacation homes in Long Island. Two rotated cubes — or "double diamond" — form the Andrew Geller-designed house constructed in 1959, one of a series of such homes he designed throughout the 1950s and 60s. The design recalls everything from the ocean, dunes, and beach grass with its twin peaks to Native American patterns created by the diagonal wood cladding.

The most remarkable aspect of the Pearlroth House design is its space conservation and efficiency. Consisting of three bunk bedrooms, a bathroom, and living room, Geller accounted for every inch. Firewood is stored in a small gap at the base of one of the diamonds on the porch. Canvas can be stretched across the roof where the two diamonds intersect creating a private sunbathing deck.

The Save the Pearlroth House organization will relocate the house five miles east on a similar site and restore it to a living Modern Architecture museum by summer 2007. Jake Gorst, filmmaker and Andrew Geller’s grandson, is preparing a documentary, "Call Me Andy," to be broadcast on public television fall 2007 about Geller’s career. For more information on the project, photos, videos, and how to support preservation efforts, go to the Save The Pearlroth House website.

Professor Clears Way for Ephemeral Space
By Craig Morton, Assoc. AIA

Walter Hood responded to lackluster building conditions on Poplar Street in Macon, GA, and at the de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco, CA.
Walter Hood, ASLA

Bill Menking, Editor-in-Chief, The Architect's Newspaper, welcomes landscape architect Walter Hood, ASLA, for the first annual "View form the West Coast" Berkeley Lecture Series. Menking is one of the many UC Berkeley alumni sponsoring the series. Others include Frederic Schwartz, FAIA; Margaret Helfand, FAIA; Ronnette Riley, FAIA; and Pasanella + Klein Stolzman + Berg Architects.
Kristen Richards

Event: "View From the West Coast" Lecture Series, Lecture No. 1
Speakers: Walter Hood, ASLA — Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of California, Berkeley College of Environmental Design
Organizers: UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design
Sponsor: Ryan Associates Location: Center for Architecture, 11.02.06

A landscape project — especially a public landscape project — may take as long as 10 years to design and another 10 years to build. To circumvent this, Walter Hood, ASLA, Professor of Landscape Architecture at UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design, spoke of using guerrilla-like tactics to design and help build an inner city playground. This project took two years and cost $200,000, instead of the $4 million and six years had the city government been involved in the process. City officials were asked for approval only after construction.

Whether it is a lack of funding, political controversy, or existing site conditions, Hood craves challenges. His design for Poplar Street in Macon, GA began as a 180-foot-wide expanse of paving and now exists as a flourishing public plaza and outdoor marketplace. Hoping to "remind people of who they are," Hood designed tables to represent cotton bales and exposed an overgrown monument to secession of the Confederacy. By engaging the local economy and traditions, such as Macon’s brick makers and sweet grass basket weavers, he cut costs while strengthening the community’s connection with the space.

The landscape for the de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco also began in adverse conditions. Hood hates Golden Gate Park, describing it as a collection of "overgrown houseplants" lacking the organization of its 1860s contemporary, Central Park. As such, Hood "wanted to make the park clearer to people" by using simple geometric forms around the museum’s periphery, and by singling out specific plant species to define the different courtyards of the museum. Ultimately, Hood’s design is not about showcasing architecture, it’s about experiencing the landscape.

"Made" Becomes "Created in China:" Glimpses at a Sci-Fi Future
By Claude Bereznikov

Courtesy People’s Architecture

Event: 3X3 A Perspective on China: China Visual Culture
Speakers: Jiang Jun — Editor-in-Chief, Urban China & architect, director, founder, Underline Office; Moderator Clifford Pearson — Deputy editor, Architectural Record & managing director, Architectural Record China Edition
Organizers: Center for Architecture, People’s Architecture
Location: Center for Architecture, 11.07.06

"What we study is the physical world, how it can be divided through architecture, social origin, anthropology. We are about the future, urban planning... but the past has affected us, so we include all tenses," said Jiang Jun, founder of Underline Office. As an architect and editor-in-chief of Urban China magazine, Jun focuses on both village and urban life as a means to transform global Chinese perception.

The past meets the present through sufficiency and recycling. Factory buildings are turned into housing projects, Jun pointed out, because factories are easily relocated. Ad billboards adorn abandoned buildings. Roofs are made into "roof villages," extensions of buildings that represent the old city.

The future is unknown; sci-fi books and movies inspire visuals for the Chinese metropolis. Skyscrapers, television stations, glass domes, and stadiums for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing comprise proposed urban planning.

Urban planning is a way to look to the future of China and turn the tag "Made in China" to "Created in China," according to Jun. Instead of reflecting the country’s present status as a manufacturer, China’s future is much deeper.

Claude Bereznikov is a freelance journalist and recent Pace University graduate residing in New York City.

Room With a View: 850 Feet Above Sea Level
By Anne Lefferson, ASID, IIDA

Views from the Top of the Rock are inimitable.
Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA

The classic beauty of the old building clashes with its futuristic interior.
Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA

Event: Top of the Rock Observation Deck
Speakers: Blandine Seguin — Gabellini Sheppard Associates; Willliam Armstrong — Willliam Armstrong Lighting Design
Organizers: IESNY — New York Section of the IESNA
Location: 30 Rockefeller Center, 10.25.06

The evening of October 25, the NY Chapter of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IESNY) gathered 850 feet up at the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center to hear architectural and lighting designers tell their stories of what it was like to work on this magnificent building.

Lighting designer William Armstrong said that the main design goal was to "engage with history but look ahead at the future." An icon of New York Art Deco history, 30 Rockefeller Center was originally inspired by ocean liners of that era. Armstrong felt that lobby required the same grandeur as other lobbies in the complex.“ hence the elaborate three-story-high crystal-adorned chandelier. The biggest challenge, and most expensive endeavor, was the elevator shaft that needed to be extended two floors. Construction workers managed to move broadcasting equipment on the roof without disrupting the running studios below.

Interior Design magazine called the Top of the Rock "disco deco" (" Rock On, " by Lily Kalmar, January, 2006).

This reporter/designer must agree. What is an historical icon of New York City has become a modern tourist attraction. One experiences neon lights and colorful LED’s, and the space is complete with Superman’s Fortress of Solitude-like crystals reflected behind the walls. The classic beauty of this building is lost and cannot compare to the splendor of the other lobbies. However, to other IESNY members the contrast is what they love about the design. Whether or not you agree, the views are magnificent and well worth the trip to escape from the hectic pace of the city. As the brochure states, it is the "perfect metaphor for floating above New York."

Lebbeus Woods Draws "Scary" Conclusions About Hadid
By Carolyn Sponza, AIA

©"Blue Slabs" from The Peak Club competition in Hong Kong, 1982-83 pre-computer.
Zaha Hadid, Ltd., London, Courtesy Guggenheim Museum

Event: Zaha Hadid: Drawn into Space
Speakers: Lebbeus Woods — co-founder & scientific director, Research Institute for Experimental Architecture (RIEA)
Organizers: Guggenheim Museum
Location: Guggenheim Museum, 10.24.06

Introducing the computer into the work of Zaha Hadid, Hon. FAIA, changed not only the presentation of her ideas, but also altered the philosophy behind them, according to Lebbeus Woods, co-founder and scientific director, Research Institute for Experimental Architecture (RIEA). The power that emerged from the new design process unleashed architecture "scarier than what Frank Gehry does." Hadid’s drawings, however, prove that scary architecture can satisfy.

Hadid's architecture underwent a radical transformation in the late 1990s. Though she has never stated why, Woods inferred that the change occurred as a result of emerging digital technologies. Her academic and early works, most notably paintings completed in 1983 for The Peak Club competition in Hong Kong, established Hadid as the "Queen of Deconstructionism, a trumped-up movement," said Woods. In contrast, her more recent projects, like the London Olympic Aquatic Center, show coherence and continuity. Instead of employing a fragmented vocabulary, Hadid celebrates the big mass and the "facing of detail" for the establishment of an architectural whole.

© Phaeno Science Center, Wolfsburg, Germany, 1999-2005 - post-computer.
Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects, London, Courtesy Guggenheim Museum

Woods described Hadid as "a woman who draws as a means of making space." This explains why a shift in media has the ability to radically reconstruct an architectural approach. Though prolific, especially in recent years, Hadid has a relatively small built portfolio. Explained Woods, "thats because her ideas are so tough to swallow at the end of the day."

May the Force (of Light) Be With You
By Linda G. Miller

2 Columbus Circle night view.
Rendering courtesy Allied Works Architecture, image courtesy Museum of Arts & Design

Event: "Bright Lights, Big City" — Speed of Light: Museum of Arts & Design Second Biennial of New Materials and Technologies Conference
Speakers: Brad Cloepfil, AIA — principal, Allied Works Architecture. For the full list of conference speakers, click here.
Organizers: Museum of Arts & Design in collaboration with Parsons The New School for Design
Location: Parsons The New School for Design, 10.27-28.06

In its current state of benign neglect, Edward Durrell Stones 2 Columbus Circle is a sorry site to behold. The new owner of the building, the Museum of Arts & Design (MAD), has grand plans to invigorate the building and transform it into a space suitable for a modern museum. As illustrated by Brad Cloepfil, AIA, principal of Allied Works Architecture, at the Speed of Light conference, light will be the primary design strategy used to complete the transformation, and light and lightness will express the museums program.

Cloepfil plans to replace the building’s existing marble facade with glazed terra-cotta panels that resemble mother of pearl. When seen in different lights, or from different angles, the panels will appear iridescent and change colors throughout the day. A series of incisions through the structural concrete shell of the building will admit light into the galleries and give museum goers views of the city and Central Park. Nature will connect with the built environment and engage the museums collection of ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, paper, wood, and mixed media.

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EDITOR'S SOAPBOX: Professors Impact Globe

Architectural education needs to be updated. Professors have not changed the architecture school curriculum in centuries. It remains an education that is overshadowed by studios focusing on formal processes at the expense of social and environmental engagement. I believe that students begin architecture school with awareness of global issues — overpopulation, pollution, hunger, etc. They want the means to carry out solutions through design; instead, when they begin their studies, they are faced with an outdated curriculum that emphasizes individual artistic exploration. Teaching students to think creatively through studio is important, but it is time that schools began incorporating larger issues of how architecture impacts the world.

Teaching responsibility in the public realm was the subject of a recent panel discussion linked to the arch schools-public view(ing) exhibition at the Center for Architecture, moderated by Anthony Vidler, Dean at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and including Brian Carter (Dean, SUNY Buffalo), Kent Kleinman (Chair, Department of Architecture, Interior Design, and Lighting, Parsons The New School for Design), and Dr. Detlef Mertens (Department Chair, University of Pennsylvania). It was encouraging to hear that schools are beginning to change their philosophies. Vidler described one of Cooper Unions studios that tracked the path of a titanium plate on the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and analyzed the repercussions of the process in each village affected by its production. Mertens hopes that schools will extend social awareness into every class, not just in one design-build studio that works with local communities. Kleinman argued for a research-based curriculum in undergraduate schools leading up to the design focus at a graduate level. Carter suggested that the U.S. take countries like Denmarks lead and offer architectural education in general education schools so there would be a greater respect for the field nation-wide.

Each dean proposed revolutionary change to make architectural education more cosmopolitan, but in the end fell short of arguing for making it happen. They blame the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) for holding back the transformation. The way the guidelines are set, schools must conform to having specific classes with exam questions devoted to preset topics. It is nearly impossible to thread certain concepts required of architectural education throughout a program without separating them.

Is this why architecture schools have not embraced the global implications of their designs? Every aspect of the design profession is bound by standards. It is up to the creativity of architects to come up with new ways to interpret the guidelines and push the boundaries of the field. I think we should expect the same of our professors.

What do you think about architectural education? Please email eoculus@aiany.org.

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eON THE SCENE

It's All in the Can
By Darris James, Assoc. AIA, e-O Events Correspondent

Jurors Favorite: If They CAN We CAN, by Butler Rogers Baskett Architects.
Kevin Wick

Cannect four hunger, designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning.
Kevin Wick

Water we doing to drop hunger?, designed by Gensler.
Kevin Wick

We CAN help, one CAN at a time, designed by Ted Moudis Associates.
Kevin Wick

Event: The 14th Annual Canstruction Design/Build Competition Awards Gala
Organizers: Canstruction
Sponsors: Society for Design Administration; AIANY; New York Design Center
Location: New York Design Center, 11.09-22.06

With titles such as If They CAN We CAN (Butler Rogers Baskett Architects), cannect four hunger (Magnusson Architecture and Planning), and Water we doing to drop hunger? (Gensler), many of the structures at Canstruction are both whimsical and poignant in their message and image. Imagine Jurors Favorite Butler Rogers Baskett Architects entry, a lion made of baked beans (home-style) reaching its canned paw to a baby lamb with ears of lightly smoked sardines. One of the honorable mentions, We CAN help, one CAN at a time (Ted Moudis Associates), portrays an immense celestial hand composed of pink salmon holding a huge can of Green Giant Nibblet corn. Team member Zulma Chaviano, of Ted Moudis Associates, credits her team’s jury recognition to the meaning behind their creation: "each hand contributes to the cause," in terms of teamwork and reasons for entering the competition for the eighth sequential year.

Awe-inspiring structures created from atypical materials are not achieved without casualties. This year’s award for Structural Ingenuity, by Platt Byard Dovell White Architects, collapsed just a day after the awards gala. The Möbius Strip, appearing to defy gravity "took our breath away," said juror and television personality Teman Evans, CEO/Design Director at Dioscuri. Vying for their third consecutive Structural Ingenuity award, team members Timothy Gaiennie, Steven Dodds, Joseph Berlinghieri, Benjamin Allen, and team captain Alberto Quiñones said they had developed the idea during a previous year but "waited to use our assembled techniques to achieve the Möbius Strip." Another victim of gravity included the male partner of TheCan Tango by Thornton Tomasetti.

This year marks the 14th annual Canstruction competition. Teams of five have 12 hours to complete innovative, structurally challenging, and inspired sculptures made completely of canned food that are not only, as Mayor Bloomberg described it, "a visual feast for the eyes," but also an actual feast for the hungry. In addition to the Structural Ingenuity and Jurors’ Favorite awards, Best Meal went to Earth Tech for Plenty to Share and Best Use of Labels went to Leslie E. Robertson Associates for Burning Hunger. Two Honorable Mentions were awarded to Ted Moudis Associates (as mentioned above), and Robert A.M. Stern Architects’ Dragon Us Up from Hunger.

Over 150,000 cans used for this year’s event will be donated to City Harvest, the nation’s first and New York City’s only food rescue organization. The Canstruction exhibition is on view from 11.09-22.06. Hours are Monday-Saturday, 9:00am to 5:00pm, and admission is one can (or more) of food. Go to the website for more information. There isn’t much time, so make sure you visit before the creations deCANstruct!

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IN THE NEWS

Bronx Zoo Goes Green

Trailblazers Subject of Second Diversity Column
African American trailblazers are the subjects of the new episode in AIArchitect’s diversity series. This week’s column traces the contributions by African American builders back as far as 1619, the year the first Africans came to America, and follows them through their contributions as craftsmen and artisans in the 18th and 19th centuries to the rise of the first black professionals — John Lankford, Robert Taylor, William Pittman, Paul Williams, Julian Abele, and John Moutoussamy. Julian Abele, for example, chief designer in the Philadelphia office of Horace Trumbauer (Abele joined the AIA in 1942) designed the principal buildings in the new Duke University campus, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Widener Library in Harvard Yard.

Illustrations accompany the series, which is written by AIANY chapter member Stephen A. Kliment, FAIA.

THE MEASURE

Submit your response for the latest poll:
According to Alain de Botton’s latest book, The Architecture of Happiness, successful architecture isn’t about creating something completely new and different. It’s about creating a unified whole, where buildings are similar, rather than a collection of all different buildings. Do you agree?

Results from last issue's poll:

Note: Poll results are not scientific.

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OF INTEREST

The Neighborhood Preservation Center (NPC), a project of the St. Mark's Historic Landmark Fund and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), recently unveiled a new online service allowing users to easily find information about landmarked properties across the five boroughs. The searchable database includes every LPC-designated report - all 23,000 buildings including 1,145 individual landmarks, 107 interior landmarks, nine scenic landmarks, and 86 historic districts - written since 1965, when the Commission was established. The reports provide the basis for regulating changes to properties that have been designated as New York City landmarks and explain the architectural, historical, and cultural significance of each at the time of designation. The reports are currently available on the NPC website and will be accessible on the LPC website in the future.

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NAMES IN THE NEWS

The AIA New York Chapter would like to welcome two new staff members to its team. Cynthia Kracauer, AIA, LEED, is now Deputy Director for Member Value and Communications; Gemma Shusterman is the new Technology Coordinator.

The New York Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IESNY) has announced the winners of their 2006 Lumen Awards. Receiving Citations are Dodger Stages (Sachs Morgan Studio with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners) and The Porter House (SHoP Architects), both in New York.

Award of Merit winners include: 111 South Wacker Drive in Chicago ( Cosentini Lighting Design with architect Lohan Caprile Goettsch ); Chanel Ginza in Tokyo, Japan (Tanteri + Associates with architect Peter Marino + Associates); Frisson, in San Francisco (Kester); Mixed Greens Gallery in New York (Tillotson Design Associates with Leven Betts Studio Architects); Terminal 1 Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto (Brandston Partnership with SOM, Moshe Safdie and Associates , and Adamson Associates Architects); and the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design with Leo A Daly and Friedrich St. Florian Architect).

An Award of Merit with Distinction for Civic Service was also given to Robin Hood Library Initiative - PS32 (Renfro Design Group with Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects) and the Central Wing School of Architecture at Pratt Institute (Arc Light Design with Steven Holl Architects)... The IESNY Lumen Award winners are featured in the Oculus Fall 2006 issue.

William S. Beinecke (Chairman and Director of the Prospect Hill Foundation) and Cook + Fox Architects have been honored with the 2006 Pillar of New York Award, given by the Preservation League of New York... Joseph C. Daniels, Acting President of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, has been named as President & CEO of the Foundation...

Haworth, who will be relocating to 125 Park Avenue, has retained Perkins + Will | Eva Maddox Branded Environments to design its new space... Sebastian + Barquet and Phurniture galleries will join this year’s Design Miami, a global forum for collecting, exhibiting, and creating design. Returning New York design galleries include Antik, Demisch Danant, Barry Friedman, Magen H. Gallery, R 20th Century, and Cristina Grajales...

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SIGHTED

Dignitaries and business leaders swing "golden" sledgehammers against the façade of the first building to be demolished on the site of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center expansion (l-r): New York Convention Center Development Corporation President Michael Petralia; Tishman Construction Corp. Chairman Daniel R. Tishman; NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; NYC & Company Chairman Jonathan M. Tisch; Empire State Development Corporation Chairman Charles A. Gargano; NY State Governor George E. Pataki; NY State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver; Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York President Edward J. Malloy; and NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
Photo by Darren McGee, Empire State Development Corporation

2006 AIA New York State President Terrence O'Neal, AIA, with 2007 AIANYS Executive Director Edward Farrell at the AIANYS Convention awards program 10.19.06
Frank McNamara

11.02.06: The Puck Building’s Grand Ballroom colorful decor for IIDA/NY’s Color Invasion, designed by Creative Realities. The Grand Ballroom was filled to the gills with more than 900 people attending IIDA/NY’s annual Color Invasion celebration. The event raised in excess of $50,000 to support student scholarships and the chapter’s educational initiatives.
Larry Link

Jon Otis, principal, Object inc., and faculty member at Pratt Institute, with Barbara Zieve, IIDA, Associate Partner, Butler Rogers Baskett, and President, IIDA/NY, at the Color Invasion celebration.
Kristen Richards

11.09.06: Fittingly held at the Boat House in Central Park, the New York Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLANY) 2006 President’s Award was presented to Peter Reed, Senior Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, MoMA. Reed championed the groundbreaking exhibition "Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary landscape" (despite, as Reed explained, one museum board member who declared "We don’t do nature!"). (l-r): MoMA Design Council member Wendy Evans Joseph, FAIA; Adrian Smith, ASLA, Chapter President-Elect; Peter Reed; Jennifer Cooper, ASLA, Chapter President; and Michael Spitzer, ASLA, Past Chapter President.
Kristen Richards

Canstruction jury members gather at the Platt Byard Dovell White Architects-designed Möbius Strip before its demise (l-r): AIANY Chapter President Mark Strauss, FAIA; Theodore Hammer, FAIA; Peter Flack, PE; Kenneth Wampler; Nadine M. Post; Teman D. Evans; Douglas Wilson (peeking through the Möbius).
Laura Fieber

Philanthropists and civic leaders Janet and Arthur Ross were honored by the Municipal Art Society 10.24.06 with the 2006 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal. (l-r): Janet Ross, Honorary Co-Chair Kitty Carlisle Hart, Municipal Art Society Chairman Philip Howard, Arthur Ross.
Courtesy Municipal Art Society

(l-r): Marg Mojzak (Herman Miller), Horace Havemeyer and Susan Szenasy (Metropolis), and Shashi Caan (Shashi Cann Collective and Parsons the New School for Design) helped launch the 2007 Next Generation® Design Competition at the New York City showroom of The Mohawk Group 11.09.06.
Evelyn Dilworth, Metropolis

11.08.06: Designer Black is a new "do-tank"� consortium of young professionals from architecture, real estate development, and related industries that provides "meaningful opportunities for members to mix and mingle, learn about interesting projects, and pave the way for forming alliances and joint ventures."� Despite torrential rain, several hundred people attended the organization’s first splashy event, a fundraiser that raised about $14,000 for Architecture for Humanity New York Chapter’s project The Point in the South Bronx. (l-r): Co-founder Brian Gorman (BBG-BBGM); journalist Fred Bernstein; Richard Meier, FAIA; Stephanie Goto (Stephanie Goto Design Group); and Yi-Shan Huang (J.P. Morgan Investment Management).
Kristen Richards

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NEW DEADLINES

2007 AIA New York Chapter Design Awards The AIA New York Chapter Design Awards program seeks to recognize and promote design excellence in three categories: Interiors, Architecture, and Projects. Contact Amanda Jones for more information. Please note the new submission dates for 2007:
01.26.07 Entry Forms and Fees Due
02.09.07 Submissions Due
02.12.07 Symposium: Juror’s Announcement of Award Recipients
04.11.07 Design Awards Luncheon for Award Recipients and their clients
04.12.07 Design Awards Exhibition Opening at the Center for Architecture

Architecture+, a magazine focused on design in the Gulf States, Middle East, Asia, Africa, and the Indian Subcontinent, will recognize projects constructed in these regions. Winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony and exhibition.

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ON VIEW

At the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place:

Gallery Hours
Monday–Friday: 9:00am–8:00pm
Saturday: 11:00am–5:00pm
Sunday: CLOSED

Bjorn Wallander Related Events October 10, 6:00–8:00pm Exhibition Opening October 11, 6:00–8:00pm Going Public Roundtable

October 6–December 30, 2006 Going Public 2: City Snapshot(s) and Case Studies of the Mayor's Design and Construction Excellence Initiative Galleries: Judith and Walter Hunt Gallery, Mezzanine Gallery, Edgar A. Tafel Hall Two-part exhibition celebrating public projects in New York City. City Snapshot(s) is the second installation of the Center for Architecture's inaugural exhibition showcasing recent and newly proposed public architecture, art, engineering and landscape projects submitted by open call. Highlighting the efforts of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to enhance the city's built environment, Case Studies of the Mayor's Design and Construction Excellence Initiative will focus on seven projects and look at how the NYC Department of Design and Construction is redefining what public architecture can be in the twenty-first century. Together, the two installations document the scope, quality, and diversity of public work in New York City. Curator: Thomas Mellins Exhibition and Graphic Design: TRUCK product architecture Organized by: AIA New York Chapter Sponsors: Bovis Lend Lease; Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson; FXFOWLE Architects; KPF       Supporters: Forest City Ratner Companies; National Reprographics, Inc.; Rose Brand; W Architecture and Landscape Architects Friends The LiRO Group Special thanks to: Office of the Mayor, City of New York; New York City Department of Design and Construction; Center for Architecture Foundation; The Thornton-Tomasetti Group

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Bjorn Wallander

September 26–December 16, 2006 Project Showcase: The New York Times Building Galleries: Street Gallery, Public Resource Center The Center for Architecture presents a preview of the new 52-story New York Times Building currently being constructed on Eighth Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets. Models, drawings, and material samples describe the innovation and design process, with photography by Annie Leibovitz documenting the urban context of this spectacular new skyscraper. Special emphasis is placed on the sustainable features and technique in creating this remarkable new tower for Times Square. Find out why architect Renzo Piano calls the design—a collaboration with FXFOWLE Architects—"An Expression of Love" for New York City. Organized by: AIA New York Chapter in partnership with Renzo Piano Building Workshop and FXFOWLE Architects Exhibition Design: Renzo Piano Building Workshop Graphic Design: Pentagram Underwriter: MechoShade Systems Sponsors: Flack + Kurtz; Duggal; FJ Sciame Construction     Supporters: Clarett Group; Gardiner + Theobald; The Thornton Tomasetti Group; Zumtobel Lighting Special thanks to: The New York Times Company; Forest City Ratner Companies; Annie Leibovitz

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Bjorn Wallander

September 11–December 16, 2006 5 Years Later… Gallery: Gerald D. Hines Gallery Five years have passed since the destruction of the World Trade Center changed New York City and the perception that our iconic buildings are permanent. To mark this anniversary, the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter and New York New Visions present a photographic and multi-media installation that explores the complexity of remembrance and reconstruction. Photographs by Joel Meyerowitz taken right after the dust had cleared depict Ground Zero with power and poignancy. Current footage from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's live webcam show the site as it is now, and the construction activity relating to projects underway. Also on display is an enlarged photograph of the slurry wall, the last remaining piece of the original World Trade Center structure. Accompanying these photographs is a random mosaic of news clippings documenting the rebuilding process. Collectively, the published accounts represent the broad range of opinions and reflect the depth of emotion about the reconstruction process. Exhibition organized by: AIA New York Chapter and New York New Visions Staff: Rick Bell, Annie Kurtin, Rosamond Fletcher, Sophie Pache, Pamela Puchalski Special thanks to: Joel Meyerowitz, Guy Nordenson, Erica Goetz, Margaret Helfand, Duggal

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Bjorn Wallander Related Events September 15 FAQ: Scholarship, Internship, Leadership September 20, 5:00–7:00pm The Deans Roundtable and Exhibition Opening October 12–13, 9:00pm–2:00am Party@ theCenter (part of Architecture Week)

September 5–December 16, 2006 arch schools-public view(ing) Galleries: Kohn Pedersen Fox Gallery, HLW Gallery, South Gallery After the tremendous success of the inaugural architecture schools exhibition, the AIA New York Chapter is proud to continue the tradition of showcasing emerging talents from the metropolitan area architecture schools. Thirteen schools are participating in the exhibition: The City College of New York Columbia University The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Cornell University New Jersey Institute of Technology New York Institute of Technology Parsons The New School for Design Pratt Institute Princeton University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Syracuse University University at Buffalo (SUNY), and Yale University Exhibition organized by AIA New York Chapter Exhibition Design: Gia Mainiero/Edwin Rodriguez Graphic Design: Gia Mainiero Lead Sponsors: Peter Schubert/Hillier; KPF; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill     Additional sponsorship provided by: Arquitectonica; Audrey Matlock Architect; Bentel & Bentel Architects/Planninners; Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners; Butler Rogers Baskett Architects; Deborah Berke & Partners Architects; Gabellini Sheppard Associates; HOK; Paul Segal Associates Architects; Pei Cobb Freed & Partners; Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects; Rafael Viñoly Architects; Robert A.M. Stern Architects; Terrence O'Neal Architect; Thomas Phifer and Partners; Tsao & McKown Architects Special thanks to: Heather Philip-O'Neal, AIA, Director, Educational Affairs; Lance Jay Brown, FAIA, former Director, Educational Affairs and Peter Schubert, AIA, Director, Programs and Strategic Planning Press release

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About Town: Exhibition Announcements

11.16.06 through 11.24.06
ACTAR

This exhibition will mark the launch of ACTAR New York, celebrating the international publisher’s exploration into the fields of art, architecture, photography, and design.

Van Alen Institute, 30 W. 22nd St., 6th Floor

Courtesy Columbia University GSAPP

Through 12.15.06
Mark Lewis, Tilt, Pan, Dolly, Zoom
The syntax of film shots and their role in manipulating the image of cities and buildings link a series of film projects by Mark Lewis, on display in this exhibition.

Arthur Ross Architecture Gallery, Columbia University, Buell Hall

Courtesy ISE Cultural Foundation

Through 12.30.06
shinkai
The transformative power of light is central to this site-specific installation by architect and artist Yumi Kori. The exhibition’s title is Japanese for "deep ocean"� and has been constructed to reveal new spatial experiences.

ISE Cultural Foundation, 555 Broadway, Basement Floor

Photo by Rogers Marvel Architects, courtesy Municipal Art Society,

Through 01.03.06
The New Street: Innovation at the Perimeter
This exhibition, featuring projects from New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, presents innovative designs that seek to create safe and inviting streets.

The Municipal Art Society; 457 Madison Avenue

Covers (l to r): Megascope 1, 1964; Utopie: Sociologie de l’urbain 1, 1967; Bau: Schrift für Architektur und Städtebau 1/2, 1968; ARse 3, 1970; Casabella 367, 1972.
Courtesy Storefront for Art and Architecture

Through 01.31.06
Clip, Stamp, Fold: The Radical Architecture of Little Magazines, 196x-197x
This exhibition takes stock of 70 little magazines published in over a dozen cities, tracking their critical function in informing architecture during the 1960s and 1970s.

Storefront for Art and Architecture, 97 Kenmare Street

European Central Bank by COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
Courtesy Austrian Cultural Forum

Through 02.10.06
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU: Vertical City - The New Premises of the European Central Bank
"Vertical City" takes its name from the atrium between the office towers of the European Central Bank, where interconnecting platforms will function as plazas, communication spaces, and transportation links between the buildings. Models and drawings of the building, designed by COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, will be on display.

Austrian Cultural Forum, 11 East 52nd St.

Central Television Headquarters by OMA
Courtesy MoMA

Through 02.26.06
OMA in Beijing: China Central Television Headquarters by Ole Scheeren and Rem Koolhaas
Concentrating on one of the most innovative and technologically advanced architectural projects in China's recent expansion, this exhibition will use large-scale construction photographs, interior renderings, and models to tell the story of the building slated to open for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Musuem of Modern Art (MOMA), 11 West 53rd St., 11 East 52nd St.

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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.

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CLASSIFIEDS

ADVERTISE IN THE eOCULUS CLASSIFIEDS!
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW!

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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: listadmin@aiany.org or 212.358.6114.

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Looking for help? See resumes posed on the AIA New York Chapter website.

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Since the 1950s, Bill "Willy" Jacobs and Bill Jacobs Jr. of E-Z Tilt Windows have supplied Manhattan with Marvin Windows and Doors. Call E-Z Tilt at (718) 627-0001 or visit www.eztilt.com to discover Marvin Signature Services for high performing, customized solutions to your most ambitious designs.

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Architects Wanted
CFA is a referral registry for architects, seeks resumes from qualified individuals for project or full-time placement.

Our clients, NYC's most desired architectural practices, have requests at all levels for design and production:

CFA has been building consulting careers for 22 years. Our project and permanent positions offer great opportunities for career path development.

As an architect working on a consulting basis, you benefit by working on a per-project basis, setting your own fees and schedule, while building your portfolio and experience, for a greater long-term career purpose.

We have openings at New York's most desired practices, and have successfully matched over 5000 people, since 1984, with firms that share likeminded design sensibilities such as yours.

Must have architecture degree and excellent CAD skills.

Contact:
Consulting For Architects, Inc./Attn: Recruiters
236 5 Avenue
New York, NY 10001

(212) 532-4360 (Phone)
(212) 696-9128 (Fax)
recruiters@cons4arch.com (email)
www.cons4arch.com (Web)

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Mid-Sr Level Architect/PA
NBBJ is seeking dynamic individuals at all levels to join our collaborative and integrated work environment, where learning and growing our next generation of leadership is one of our primary goals. Our NY Studio is growing with recent project wins both internationally and regionally wiht a current project mix of Hi-rise mixed use, healthcare, and innovative projects in China. For more information about NBBJ and career opportunities please visit www.nbbj.com/whoweare/ careers.

Please submit resumes to:
Elizabeth Bachman
humanresources@nbbi.com

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Architecture—Senior Project Manager
Nationally recognized health and science practice seeks a Senior Project Manager with a minimum 15 years experience in research and/or hospital design and construction to join our team in our mid-town Manhattan office. Must be a registered architect. Heave client contact. Excellent communication skills required. Please e-mail your resume and cover letter to: nyhr@karlsberger.com
**(note: please place position title in subject line of e-mail for proper handling).

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Adamson Associates Architects
is looking to expand their New York office, currently involved as Architect of Record in the redevelopment and reconstruction of the World Trade Center Site, working in association with "World Class" architects Foster and Partners, Richard Rogers Partership, and Maki and Associates who are the designers. Adamson has the task of assisting with the technical resolution of the architectural designs and coordinating teh requirements of each building with the requirements of a number of stakeholders.

We are looking for motivated and experienced individuals, from interns to project architects, who have excellent communication, computer, and problem solving skills as well as appreciation and sensitivity to architectural design intent. Candidates will need to posses strengths in the area of detailing, contract documents, and coordination of complex building program requirements. Proficiency in the latest AutoCAD software is required and experience with Revit is a big bonus.

Salary will be commesurate with experience.

Resumes can be sent by e-mail to nzigomanis@adamson-associates.com

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The NYC Region of the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation seeks a well rounded NYS licensed architect or professional engineer. Contract management, field inspections, design and NYS building code experience desired. Provisional appointment to Civil Service position (must pass exam when offered). Starting salary $62,019.

Send resume to Charles Place, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, 163 West 125th Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10027 (fax: 212 866 3186) by November 30, 2006.

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design manager

Experienced design managers needed. Responsibilities include: Managing architectural design process, ensuring compliance with codes and securing permits and building approvals. Will also monitor design modifications and monitor production of construction documents. Requirements: Architecture or Interior Design degree, five years experience with a specialty retailer as an in-house designer or experience working for architectural/design firm designing retail/restaurant spaces. Experience managing outside architectural, MEP and other desired.

Please send cover letter and resume to sstaffing@starbucks.com

EEO/AA

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job captain

Experienced job captains needed. Responsibilities include: Solving design questions and issues, coordinating project planning and reviewing/analyzes site surveys, developing preliminary drawings, tracking project timelines and producing architectural drawings. Requirements: Architecture of Interior Design degree, three plus years producing construction documents using a CAD software and must be proficient in communicating, both orally and in writing, and have demonstrated team work.

Please send cover letter and resume sstaffing@starbucks.com

EEO/AA

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ARCHITECT - Eastern Long Island, New York firm with a flourishing practice in residential architecture seeks architect with minimum 5 years experience as project architect for high-end projects.

Flexible work location and schedule. www.stelleco.com, mailto:info@stelleco.com.

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Brooklyn College wants to hire an architect as an independent consultant to be the liaison between the academic staff and the design architects for a science facility and a performing arts center. The ideal candidate would have a minimum of 10 yrs experience and have worked with educational or governmental agencies. It is anticipated that the weekly work load will be around 20 to 25 hours weekly. Fax resumes to 718-951-4642 or email to sakrong@brooklyn.cuny.edu

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Marketing Professional

Bermello Ajamil & Partners seeks dynamic Sr. Marketing Pro for our SOHO office. Includes strategic plannign, brand management, rfp / proposal preparation, market research, PR and maintenance, up-keep of the regional office CRM. Architectural/Engineering experience required.

Email: careers@bermelloajamil.com www.bermelloajamil.com

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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 www.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 www.aia.org/ docssoftwaretraining for Contract Documents Software Training and www.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.

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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 listadmin@aiany.org.

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© 2006 The American Institute of Architects New York Chapter.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part, in printed or electronic format, without written permission is strictly prohibited.