AIA NY 2007 Design Awards Shifts Schedule

Courtesy AIA NY Chapter

The jury is listed below with their areas of specialization.

Interiors: Piero Sartogo, AIA — Sartogo Architetti Associati, Rome; Benjamin Gianni — School of Architecture, Carleton University, Ottawa; Debra Lehman-Smith, Assoc. AIA — Lehman Smith McLeish, Washington

Architecture: Daniel Hanganu — Dan S. Hanganu Architects, Montreal; Massimiliano Fuksas, Hon. FAIA — Massimiliano Fuksas architetto, Rome; David Adjaye — Adjaye Associates, London

Projects: Jeanne Gang, AIA — Studio Gang Architects, Chicago; Peter Waldman — architecture professor, University of Virginia, Charlottesville; Matthias Sauerbruch — Sauerbruch Hutton Architects, Berlin

View from Castle Williams of Lower Manhattan
Andrew Moore, courtesy GIPEC

Governors Island Park Heralds Plan, Picks Short List
By Gregory Haley, AICP, AIA

Event: New York's Next Great Place — Governors Island Park Design Forum
Location: Center for Architecture, 01.17.07
Speakers: Leslie Koch — President, GIPEC; Linda Neal — Superintendent, Governors Island National Monument; Robert Pirani — Executive Director, Governors Island Alliance; Welcome by Rick Bell, FAIA — Executive Director, AIA NY Chapter
Panelists:Laurie Olin, FASLA — partner, Olin Partnership; Jane Thompson — Thompson Design Group; Mark Strauss, AICP, FAIA — principal, FXFowle Architects; Moderator Robert Yaro — President, Regional Plan Association
Sponsors: Governors Island Alliance; AIA NY Chapter; APA New York Metro Chapter; ASLA-New York; in association with GIPEC & Governors Island National Monument

The reuse of Governors Island — slated to include 25-40 acres of new parkland, a 2.2-mile waterfront promenade, and a preserved Historic District open to the public — presents a rare opportunity to add to New York's legacy of bold civic plans. The recently selected design team shortlist includes: Field Operations/ Wilkinson Eyre Architects; Hargreaves Associates/ Michael Maltzan Architecture; Ramus Ella Architects (REX)/ Michael Desvigne Paysagistes (MDP); West 8 urban design & landscape architecture bv/ Rogers Marvel Architects/ Diller Scofidio + Renfro; and WRT/ Weiss/Manfredi/ Urban Strategies; the final selection will be made this summer. They will need to examine the challenges of programming, transportation, and preservation, and transcend them boldly. They must answer the central question, "Why would people visit there and then come back again?" posed by Jane Thompson, of Boston's Thompson Design Group.

Governors Island should be designed with one clear vision, noted Laurie Olin, FASLA, partner of the Olin Partnership. The 19th century, a time of rapid growth, produced New York's greatest parks: Central Park and Prospect Park, which were designed with anticipation of future urban growth. Similar to the 1811 street grid, they facilitated urban development. Since the 1950s, however, parks have been built piecemeal. "A scrap here, a scrap there," noted Olin. NYC is growing again, and from this growth should come farsighted development.

Well aware of its potential, Leslie Koch, President of the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), stresses how many of the island's unique qualities — its tranquil isolation, historic monuments, and dedication to public open space and educational activities — also pose challenges. In addition, the design team must capitalize on the harbor, complement the existing NYC park system, and above all appeal to the general public.

By highlighting Governors Island's central location in relation to the five boroughs, Olin proposes that the core challenge should be about reinventing the island as a regional destination. If successful, the entire city could be restructured.

Gregory Haley, AICP, AIA, is a project architect and urban designer at Studio V Architects PLLC, and teaches architectural design studios at NYIT School of Architecture.

One Bryant Park Makes Life Healthier for New Yorkers
By Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP

Rendering of One Bryant Park depicting the crystalline structure rooted in the ground and reaching to the sky.
dBox for Cook + Fox Architects

Event: GREEN BUILDING SALON: An Open Dialogue On The Path to LEED Platinum: The Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park
Location: Center for Architecture, 01.11.07
Speakers: Richard Cook, AIA — Lead Architect & Principal, Cook + Fox Architects; Pamela Lippe — Green Building Consultant & President, e4 inc.; Amanda Clontz — Green Construction Manager, One Bryant Park
Organizers: AIA NY Chapter; AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE); NY Chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); NY Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
Sponsors: Benjamin Moore & Co.; Computer Floors Inc./ASM; C/S Group; Forbo; Natural Cork; Tate Access Floors; Zeftron; Zumtobel Lighting

From the 4 Times Square office building to the Helena residences to the ice storage facility on 1155 Avenue of the Americas, and now with One Bryant Park, Cook + Fox Architects continues to transform Manhattan's skyline by administering a green agenda. Aiming for a LEED Platinum rating — the first commercial building in NYC to do so — the designers, construction workers, developers, and clients pride themselves on the fact that the process involved creative thinking, not just abiding by a point system.

At One Bryant Park, innovation begins at the most fundamental level — taking advantage of what is available for free: the sun, wind, and water, according to Richard Cook, AIA, principal of Cook + Fox. With 4 Times Square adjacent to the site, the design team installed testing devices on the roof enabling them to precisely measure light and wind loads. From the results, they made informed decisions, such as choosing cogeneration instead of wind turbines for supplemental power. The building's orientation and shape will take full advantage of light and views, as will the installation of low e-fritted glass on the curtain wall and regulated light sensors throughout the interior. The building will store all 100% storm water to be used in the cooling towers and flush toilets. This, according to estimates, will save some 10.2 million gallons of potable water per year.

The health and well being of the client triggered many of the design decisions. The argument for an increase in employee productivity also proved to be a major selling point to the client. With one acre of green space available on the roof, an incorporated green space between One Bryant Park and 4 Times Square, and a public garden in the northwest corner of the main floor, Bryant Park will no longer be the only leisure space in the neighborhood. Under-floor air and, individual heating and cooling controls not only provide employee comfort, they support the "churn rate" — the need to alter offices and area uses as a corporation expands and shrinks — as it is cheaper and more efficient to redesign and reconstruct space. Once the client inhabits the space, commissioning becomes a priority to maintain all of the systems. Cook + Fox required that the building manager attend design meetings years before taking over the position, so he will know how best to address maintenance needs.

Cont'd . . .

Viñoly Challenges, Rethinks Freedom Tower Concepts
By Carolyn Sponza, AIA

A view of Ground Zero from the top of 7 WTC.
Carolyn Sponza, AIA

Event: THINK New York: A Ground Zero Diary, 2007 Downtown Third Thursdays Series
Location: 7 World Trade Center; 01.18.07
Speakers: Rafael Viñoly, FAIA
Organizers: Alliance for Downtown New York

"Reaching a number is not some magical solution," said Rafael Viñoly, FAIA, in his evaluation of the 1776-fo ot-tall Freedom Tower design. Viñoly noted that the master plan for the site has changed many times since Studio Daniel Libeskind's plan was selected in 2003, and that the current scheme is not radically different from those originally proposed immediately following 9/11. What has remained from the master plan design competition are "two abstract concepts... the idea of 1776 and the name of the building." He challenged that these ideas alone are enough to shore up current plans for the Freedom Tower.

Viñoly played a role in the initial WTC redevelopment efforts as part of THINK (with members Shigeru Ban, Hon. FAIA, Ken Smith, ASLA, and Frederic Schwartz, FAIA), one of two teams shortlisted for the master plan design. Speaking about his experiences on the team, and his perspective on the current redevelopment efforts documented in the new book, THINK New York: A Ground Zero Diary, he revisited unresolved, inherent problems with the Freedom Tower design. Questions remain about security at the West Street perimeter, the amount of government subsides needed to support the building, and the massive spire required to achieve the building's overall height.

Offering an alternate view, Viñoly wants to elimination the Freedom Tower altogether, in favor of redistributing its mass to the other three towers planned for the Church Street perimeter. One of these three buildings could be fitted with a spire to achieve the 1776-foot height. In place of the existing Freedom Tower, three cultural facilities (part of the original plan and now displaced or tabled indefinitely) would be re-sited. With documentation of all four towers currently underway, it is unlikely that such a radical shift will gain traction, but Viñoly's questioning is a powerful reminder to architects that, "the fundamental function of a human being is to think." Or, in this case, rethink.

New Practice Brings Seduction Back to Architecture
By Murrye Bernard, Assoc. AIA

The Häfele Showroom is showcasing Gage/Clemenceau Architects through 02.23.07.
Courtesy Gage/Clemenceau Architects

Event: New Practices New York: Forms of Architectural Seduction
Location: Häfele New York Showroom, 1.11.07
Speakers: Mark Foster Gage — principal, Gage / Clemenceau Architects
Organizers: AIA NY Chapter, in association with The Architect's Newspaper and Häfele America Co.
Sponsor: Häfele America Co.

By using several car advertisements — one in which a man molds his generic car to look like a new Peugeot, and another that shows a Lamborghini navigating a winding road to a slinky synthetic beat — Mark Foster Gage, principal of Gage/Clemenceau Architects, illustrates how the mass-appeal and seduction of form engages viewers, rather than technical statistics. The firm's approach to design is similar: "architecture transcends the practice of mere building in favor of a new alliance among progressive technologies, new materials, and a renewed interested in architecture as a visual and aesthetically-driven discipline," according to Gage.

Gage/Clemenceau's projects include competitions for the new Czech Republic National Library and the Stockholm Public Library, in addition to commercial, residential, and installation work. A student of the University of Notre Dame and an admitted "recovering Classicist," Gage's work is very much about experience, appealing to the primal and the emotional sides of occupants. Three-dimensional modeling technologies allow Gage and his colleagues to study the complex geometries of their designs, which often take organic forms.

The third presenting firm in a series of six AIA NY New Practices winning firms, Gage/Clemenceau's exhibition will be on display in the Häfele NY Showroom through 02.23.07. Future presentations in this series include Interboro Partners, 03.08.07, WORK AC, 05.10.07, and Zakrzewski Hyde Architects, 07.12.07.

Centers Collapse in Major Capitals
By Bill Millard

Provincialism is an issue in the minds of New Yorkers, according to Nicolai Ouroussoff.
Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP

Event: "Location, Location, Location! Is Provincial a Bad Word?"
Location: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, 01.10.07
Speakers: Saskia Bos — Dean, Cooper Union School of Art; Nicolai Ouroussoff — architecture critic, The New York Times; Teddy Cruz — principal, Estudio Teddy Cruz, San Diego; Julie Mehretu — artist; Roger Buergel — independent curator, author, and artistic director, Documenta 12, Kassel, Germany; Moderator
Organizers: New Museum of Contemporary Art; The Cooper Union School of Art

Mobility and information technology have changed the paradigm of a few cultural centers surrounded by boondocks — areas whose residents and art forms are often dismissed as unsophisticated. The assumptions underlying "provincialism" are caricatures, but they do reflect real conditions of power and differences in people's options, conditioned if not controlled by geography.

Globalization and the suburbanization of many urban centers are breaking down the distinction. In Nicolai Ouroussoff's view, cities like Paris "extending imperial power out toward the provinces" are yielding to a more polycentric pattern, one he finds typically American. "Provincialism never seemed to be an issue in this country," he says, "except in the minds of New Yorkers," and he finds this de-centered attitude dominating architecture and culture. Groundbreaking new buildings are now more likely to appear in "tertiary cities" like Porto, Portugal, or Wolfsburg, Germany, or Toledo, Ohio, he finds, than in major capitals; the whole idea of "cities as great social condensers" may be nearing its end.

Saskia Bos spoke to the collapsing-centers idea: that "being regional is a choice" by an artist, a positive option, not a limitation or a retreat from perceived urban corruption. Teddy Cruz presented building forms appearing around social, national, and physical borders in the San Diego-Tijuana area (one of several global "critical thresholds"), a series of case studies connecting cultural responses to flows of capital, information, and raw exclusionist force. The complex mapping of vectors, dimensions, and abstractions speak for themselves in Julie Mehretu's paintings and drawings, apart from her account of their sources and production process.

This interdisciplinary panel largely agreed that the hybrid and the polycentric are displacing the centripetal urban/provincial model; with no opposition, the sense of agon that drives vigorous debate was missing. Remarkably, not a single audience member approached the microphones with a question.

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

Venturi Gives Venturi and Scott Brown Taste of Own Medicine
By Gideon Fink Shapiro

Courtesy bobanddenise.org

Event: Complexity and Contradiction: Learning from Bob and Denise film screening preview
Location: Anthology Film Archives, 01.17.07
Speakers: James Venturi — director, producer, Complexity and Contradiction: Learning from Bob and Denise
Organizers: New Filmmakers

An upcoming documentary film about the work of Robert Venturi, FAIA, and Denise Scott Brown, RIBA, is not about architecture. "It's about innovation and the creative cycle," according to director and producer James Venturi, a New York-based filmmaker and son of the Pritzker Prize-winning architects. The working title, Complexity and Contradiction: Learning from Bob and Denise, reinterprets the titles of two works published by Venturi and Scott Brown, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (1966) and Learning from Las Vegas (1972). Venturi fils has inherited his parents' interest in the conundrums of cultural and aesthetic context, and redeployed their vocabulary to examine their own careers, partnership, and professional trajectory. "Their life is a roller coaster and always has been because of these contradictions," Venturi said at a post-screening discussion.

The film opens with a quote from Scott Brown: "We never felt ourselves apart from modern architecture, but rather people who were trying to make it react to new circumstances at a new time." Robert Venturi describes his seminal Vanna Venturi house (1962) as "a house I purposefully made to look like a house," rather than resemble an abstract Miesian pavilion. He also takes credit for being the first modern architect to assert the primacy of context as a key criterion of design.

Interview footage and architectural imagery build up a sense of individual projects and relevant professional issues. Architects interviewed, or scheduled to be interviewed (the feature-length work is halfway complete), include Henry Smith-Miller, Frank O. Gehry, FAIA, Peter Eisenman, FAIA, and Rem Koolhaas.

Venturi assures viewers that he enjoys creative freedom from his parents. "They don't see this as some sort of tribute film," he said. Yet he does not shy away from affectionately touting their accomplishments. "My father was the architectural equivalent of Jack Kerouac," and "Bob and Denise are very much innovators — they're nerds, and they are proud of it." A 10-minute film preview is available for viewing at the project website, which also features a digital library of over 3,000 images.

Gideon Fink Shapiro is a writer and researcher at Gabellini Sheppard Associates, and contributes to several design publications.

Coney Island, etc.: Where Authenticity Meets Reality
By Bill Millard

Coney Island's "Modern Fantasy" by EE&K.
Courtesy Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects

Project CityCenter in Las Vegas, where "the show is the sidewalk," according to EE&K.
Courtesy Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects

Event: Dream Worlds: Lessons from Coney Island, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Orlando
Location: LaGuardia Community College, Long Island City, 01.18.07
Speakers: Peter Cavaluzzi, FAIA, Principal, & Le Ann Shelton, AIA, Esq., Associate Principal, Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects
Organizers: New York City Department of Design & Construction

Even the most outlandish fantasy has its functional side. While attracting transitional crowds, a large-scale recreational space also has to provide infrastructure and support the workers; it has to be a real city. Lately, Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects (EE&K) has been specializing in bringing, or restoring, urban density and verticality to resort locales. This presentation uncovered some tensions inherent in that effort.

The master plans for a mixed-use development at L.A.'s Hollywood-Highland intersection (fabled home of Grauman's Chinese Theater) and the Orlando Performing Arts Center (OPAC) in Florida both pose transportation challenges. Recognizing that Californians are inseparable from their cars, EE&K nevertheless offers a pedestrian-friendly streetscape, using elevated surfaces and the "kinetic architecture" of corner towers anchoring continuous frontage to emphasize the street as something more than a thoroughfare. The OPAC complex aims to catalyze the restoration of a true downtown with arcades and walkable open spaces; with public funding through a tourist tax, it just might succeed.

The Las Vegas and Coney Island mixed-use developments outlined by Peter Cavaluzzi, FAIA, principal of EE&K, are flamboyantly surreal, the former aimed at the affluent. The 55-acre, multi-billion-dollar Project CityCenter will attempt to bring "authentic urbanism" to the Las Vegas Strip, often viewed as the ultimate in anti-urban form. This "city within a city" idea is counterintuitive, but not impossible, according to Cavaluzzi. NYC's SoHo could fit entirely into this site (dubbed "SoBella," south of the Bellagio casino). A client that already owns much of Vegas, the MGM MIRAGE Corporation, may be one of the few forces that could accomplish this — and do it adhering to LEED Silver standards, complete with a network of rooftop parks planted with indigenous desert species. Still, one suspects that CityCenter's residential forms won't exactly support the socioeconomic mix any healthy city needs. How will Vegas keep luxury housing and retail from pushing its working class away and feeding the very sprawl that CityCenter is meant to counteract?

Penn Station Aftermath: Another McKim, Mead, & White Masterpiece to Bite Dust
The venerable Hotel Pennsylvania, designed by McKim, Mead, & White in 1919, will be torn down to make way for a 2.5-million-square-foot office tower with five trading floors. Even though the once-glamorous hotel was a moneymaker, Vornado Realty Trust, the Penn Station area's largest landlord, considered it a placeholder, and the hotel, though historic, was never landmarked. Vornado owns seven other properties including the Manhattan Mall, and in partnership with Related, it holds development rights to the future Moynihan Station across from the hotel.

High Line Gains New Neighbor
The design for 245 Tenth Avenue evokes steam trains that used to travel the High Line.
Della Valle Bernheimer Design Another new project under construction in the burgeoning High Line/West Chelsea neighborhood is 245 Tenth Avenue. Della Valle Bernheimer Design designed the 43,000-square-foot, 11-story condominium residence for Grasso Holdings. The façade of the building is a combination of perforated and punched metal and tinted, fritted glass, which is intended to evoke the images of steam trains that once traveled the High Line, according to the firm. The building angles outward from its base as it rises to the seventh floor; geometric window arrangements provide varying patterns of light into each residence. Nineteen one- and two-bedroom apartments, plus two penthouses and a second floor terrace and lounge, are included. Construction is expected to be complete in 2008.

Old World Brought to New Sheraton Interior

An office in the newly renovated Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers.
Stonehill & Taylor Architects and Planners The 49-story Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers (née the Morris Lapidus-designed Americana) is undergoing a $10 million renovation by Stonehill & Taylor Architects and Planners. Using saturated colors, textures, and patterns, the firm wanted to bring the feel of what has been called old-world luxury to the hotel. Performed in a series of multi-year projects, the firm recently completed the interior design of the 2,660-square-foot Presidential Suite, the architecture and interior design the 60,000-square-foot ballroom complex — the largest in the city — as well as the hotel's Avenue restaurant and Fitness Center.

Spacesmith Provides Local Relief for International Rescue

Natural light permeates new offices for the International Rescue Committee.
Spacesmith Spacesmith completed the interior architecture and design for the new midtown headquarters of the International Rescue Committee, a not-for-profit known for its work abroad. Intended to create a dynamic workflow and improve collaboration, Spacesmith designed spaces to maximize natural light penetration and incorporated organic and green materials throughout. The 90,000-square-foot office features conference rooms, open waiting areas, private offices, and reception. The firm has also been retained as interior designers for Wilkinson O'Grady, an investment advisory firm with a 9,000-square-foot office on Park Avenue.

Vollmer Associates to Preserve Vanderbilt Hall
Vollmer Associates has been selected to preserve Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, which has suffered extreme wear and tear. Vollmer will perform a thorough inspection of the space using High Definition Scanning (HDS) laser technology that documents existing conditions in a fraction of the usual time with greater detail and accuracy. The intent of the program is to fully restore the space and extend the useful life of the 12,000-square-foot interior, while reducing future maintenance and operational costs. The project will include: cleaning and repairs or replacement of the manmade Caen Stone walls, marble wainscot and detailing, pink marble floor, electrical fixtures, monumental windows, decorative chandeliers, wooden benches, and painted plaster ceilings.

India's Aquapolis Responds to Urban Sprawl

The Aquapolis is designed as a green solution to urban sprawl.
Chelsea West Architects New Delhi native Vishva Priya, AIA, principal of New York-based Chelsea West Architects, is designing a new 152-acre integrated town outside his hometown. Named Aquapolis, the mixed-use, mixed-income development will include 55 residential buildings — seven prototype apartment buildings have been designed — an eight-acre commercial center, five-star hotel, schools, playgrounds, health center, and a community center. Intended to be a green solution to urban sprawl plaguing India's major cities, the town will promote sustainability through graywater retention for irrigation, bio-retention ponds, and naturally ventilated residential apartments with green roofs. Reflecting pools will resemble those found in the Mughal gardens in New Delhi.

NHNY Legacy Project Steps Closer to Reality

A view looking southeast onto the future site of the New Housing New York Legacy Project, mid-block on Brook Avenue.
Courtesy New Housing New York Phipps-Rose-Dattner-Grimshaw (PRDG) has won New York City's first juried design competition for affordable and sustainable housing. Known as the New Housing New York (NHNY) Legacy Project, the competition emerged from a collaboration among the NHNY Steering Committee, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), AIA NY Chapter, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and Enterprise Community Partners. The competition encouraged the integration of sustainability and design excellence into affordable housing.

Consisting of 202 residential units, retail and community spaces, and parking, the proposal, submitted by the winning team of The Phipps Houses, Dattner Architects, Jonathan Rose Companies, and Grimshaw, is referred to as "Green Way" or "Via Verde." A range of residential types will be integrated into the design, including an apartment tower, mid-rise duplexes, and townhouses. The development is organized around a multi-functional garden that begins at street-level as a courtyard and plaza, and spirals upwards through a series of roof gardens, ending in a sky terrace. The gardens will be used to grow fruit and vegetables, foster recreation and socializing, and provide storm water control and enhanced insulation. By using Via Verde's plaza as a neighborhood green market or organic food co-op, the Phipps Community Development Corporation (CDC) plans to expand its green market in East Tremont and community-supported agriculture collaboration with Just Food.

The winning team's proposal will be on view at the Center for Architecture from March 22 through June 16, 2007. The exhibition will highlight how the project will act as a model for sustainable affordable housing, both in New York City and in other urban communities.

AIA Honor Award Winners Announced
The AIA has announced the 2007 recipients of the AIA Institute Honor Awards, the profession's highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in architecture, interior architecture, and urban design. In the architecture category, 11 projects were selected for recognition. Schools and educational facilities made a remarkably strong showing, receiving eight of the 11 awards. "The exterior aspects, the quality of the interior spaces, site considerations, environmental issues, and social relevance were all factors in distinguishing the final selections," said jury chair Richard A. Logan, AIA.

The crop of the 2007 Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture features project types varying from small office spaces and college residences to an independent high school. The 11 projects showcase creativity and ingenuity, often on a small budget. "This was a highly competitive selection, and the chosen projects conveyed the clarity, innovation, and creativity which reflect our profession at its best," said jury chair Ann Beha, FAIA. "Some of the winning projects seem deceptively simple, but they reflect a level of complexity in thought and care that the jury associated with the highest design standards."

The recipients of the 2007 Institute Honor Awards for Regional & Urban Design "showed concern for repairing mistakes of the past, improving the quality of the urban environment, and creating sustainable places," praised the jury. Of the seven selected projects, four are on the densely-packed East Coast. The remaining three are in Dallas, Milwaukee, and Napa, Calif.

AIA NY Addresses Codes at Crossroads

Courtesy NYC Department of Buildings Issues such as adoption of a modified model for New York City, local construction trades' influence on standards, and global code trends were discussed during "New York: Regulatory Crossroads," a January 8th symposium at the Center for Architecture. The panel discussion, moderated by Monty Mitchell, AIA, chair of the AIA NY Code Committee, addressed the challenges that practices face in applying codes to local and international projects.

Patricia Lancaster, FAIA, Commissioner, NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), spoke about the city's Model Code Program. The 2003 version of the International Building Code (IBC) family is currently being modified for application in the denser urban fabric of New York City. The DOB is undertaking a consensus-building exercise with local stakeholders, and a technical and legal review of the proposed code sections, prior to submittal to City Council. Proposed sections are being made available online as they are reviewed. After adoption, the Codes will be updated every three years.

Addressing general code trends was Carl Galioto, FAIA, partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, who noted that the future would bring a "continued convergence of model codes." Internationally, electronic and web-based permit filing was gaining traction, with Hong Kong beta-testing a system where data-rich, digital models were submitted for review to the local permitting authorities. While New York City is making inroads in the electronic spectrum — the city's eFiling pilot program currently allows online permit renewal — complete digital review of documents may be years away.

The event was organized by the Center for Architecture and sponsored by Bovis Lend Lease.

2006 Survey Reveals Billings Increase

Courtesy aia.org Paced by a recovering market for nonresidential projects and expanding housing activity, billings at U.S. architecture firms increased 11% between 2002 and 2005 to reach $28.7 billion annually. The total construction value of projects that architecture firms directly designed approached $360 billion, accounting for almost 3% of overall U.S. Gross Domestic Product. These findings are from The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Business of Architecture: 2006 AIA Firm Survey which is conducted every three years to examine issues related to business practices of AIA member-owned architecture firms. The study also revealed continued improvement in diversity in the profession and an increase in the number "green" design projects.

Women currently comprise 26% of all architecture staff, up from 20% in 1999, and the percentage of minority architecture staff has risen from 9% to 16% over the same period. AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA, noted, "Women and minority architects have both made advances in leadership positions. Women principals and partners at firms have quadrupled from 4% in 1999 to 16% in 2005. Minority architects have also increased their share as principals and partners across the spectrum of firm sizes." Due to rising energy costs and growing concerns over the impact that construction activity has on the environment, there has been a rise in the use of sustainable design principles. In 2005, just over one-third of firms with non-residential projects and a quarter of firms designing residential projects characterized some of their projects as green.

Additional details are available in the survey relating to fees and profitability, range of services offered, international work, marketing practices, IT expenditures, liability insurance, and continuing education at U.S. architecture firms. The survey is available at no charge to AIA members and can be ordered by calling Information Central at 800-242-3837, option 1.

01.16.07: Gabellini Sheppard Associates award-winning aerie Top of the Rock was the perfect setting for the firm to celebrate its 15th anniversary and recent name change (from Gabellini Associates); (l-r): partners Kimberly Sheppard, AIA, Michael Gabellini, FAIA, and Daniel Garbowit, AIA.
Kristen RIchards

The four-story fabric cube explores the future of consumer technology.
Courtesy Time Warner Cable

Through 02.06.07
Home to the Future
As one of the largest experiential corporate branding installations ever constructed in NYC, this exhibition, designed by New York-based ESI Design, showcase Time Warner Cable's consumer-focused technologies. The installation is housed within a luminescent four-story fabric cube with 50 Samsung LCD screens.

Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle

Once a grand collection of 19th- and 20th-century industrial buildings is now reduced to a mountain of bricks and debris — dotted here and there with towers and skybridges emulating their former beauty.
Urban photographer Giles Ashford, courtesy MAS

Through 03.14.07
Waterfront in Transition: Developing Brooklyn's Green Crescent
This exhibition explores how the distinctive urban identities of the Greenpoint and Williamsburg waterfronts can be preserved by implementing recent rezoning laws. Maps and text prepared by Municipal Art Society complement images by urban photographer Giles Ashford.

The Municipal Art Society; 457 Madison Avenue

House on Bayview Avenue. Meadowmeare Park. 03.14.06. Digital c-print.
Travis Roozée, courtesy Museum of the City of New York

02.10.07 through 04.23.07
Portrait of Jamaica Bay
The Design Trust for Public Space hosts this exhibition of work by Travis Roozée, a recipient of the organization's Photo Urbanism fellowship. Photos taken over a one-year period document Jamaica Bay's dramatic landscape and historic communities.

Museum of the City of New York; 1220 Fifth Avenue

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Technology Coordinator at the Center for Architecture/AIA New York Chapter

Established in October 2003 by the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter and its charitable affiliate, the Center for Architecture Foundation, The Center for Architecture is New York City's premier public space for exhibitions, discussion and professional exchange on architecture and design. With multiple galleries, a lecture hall, public resource center, library and conference rooms, the Center serves as the place where the public and design professionals meet.

Job Description
• Program biweekly electronic newsletter (eOculus), weekly events newsletter (eCalendar), and event-specific web pages and e-mail using XHTML, CSS and PHP.
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• Maintain Chapter's web site
• Provide technical support for Center's AV system
• Guide and champion technology projects. Define project scope, perform analysis for applications development, write documentation and procedures, evaluate, and revise.
• FileMaker administration including scripting, report writing, layout design and overall database development.

Requirements
Strong troubleshooting skills a must. The applicant will be the technical expert of the organization and will be asked to troubleshoot everything from the Center's AV system to presenters' laptops and DVDs. Must be conversant with both XP and OS X.

Able to hand code valid XHTML and CSS. Must be conversant in PHP, able to decipher legacy PHP web applications, and, ideally, familiar with AppleScript and JavaScript. Must have experience gathering requirements, designing and implementing MySQL and FileMaker databases; transferring data between them a large plus. In addition, the applicant must have website admin knowledge such as FTP, domain administration, and setting up e-mail accounts.

Familiarity with print and web graphic file formats and programs, e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, or open source equivalents is required. Experience with prepress specifications, online print production, and mailing houses a plus. Experience with video formats including DVD chapter extraction, conversion of video formats, stripping region encoding from DVDs and DVD players is also necessary.

Please submit cover letter, resume, URLs, 3 references and salary requirements to: gbyers@aiany.org

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Architectural Designers NYC, NY — Perform all phases of arch design under direction of licensed Architect on lrg mixed-used projs incl prep of schematic design/design development/3D modeling/construction docs, solving complex design problems, coordinating drawings w/consultants. Req: M.Arch + min 2yrs exp on lrg-scale multi-functional complexes, comm & res. high-rise projs; proficient in both metric & imperial system. Familiar w/curtain-wall detail design and spec; Strong hand sketching skills & AutoCAD, 3D max,Photoshop, Rhino. Email CV & work samples to KPF: dnmt@kpf.com. Ref job code NYC0. EOE.

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ARCH. DESIGNERS & PROJ. MGR:
Reqs: 5+ yrs. exp in all aspects of project management incl. code research, prep. of construction docs, coord. engineers & consultants, strong autocad 2d & 3d.  Send resume to: William Q. Brothers III WQB Architects, P.C. 345 Seventh Avenue — 17th Floor New York, New York 10001
wqb.inter@att.net

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HNTB Architecture ( www.hntbarchitecture.com), a national firm with specialty in public projects, is seeking to fill the following positions in its growing NYC office:

Senior Project Architect — Responsible for technical solutions, coordinating disciplines and management. Required: Architecture degree,10+ years experience, R.A., Autocad, strength in detailing and specifications, ability to supervise a team, project management and proposal experience.

Intermediate Architect (Architect III) — Candidate should be highly motivated and detail oriented with ability to work well on teams. Candidate must have a degree in Architecture, office experience, AutoCad and 3D modeling skills. Rev It a plus.

Send resume to HNTB Architecture, Attn: Evan Supcoff, 5 Penn Plaza, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10001 or fax to 212-947-4030. To apply on line: www.hntbcareers.com

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ARCHITECTURE FT/PermPosition
Tired of complaining about your limited influence? Seeking to expand your skill set? If so, Street-Works may be the place for you! Street-Works LLC, an entrepreneurial, award-winning, and design-oriented development & development consulting firm, is seeking architects, planners and urban designers to work on a range of exciting large-scale mixed-use, and retail-oriented development projects. The candidate must be geared toward working collaboratively in multi-disciplinary teams. Architecture or planning degree req'd and 3-7 years of related experience. Hand drawing skills and Autocad-proficiency, Pshop, Illustrator & InDesign plus interest in the "bigger picture" a must. 3D-modeling a plus.

Street-Works is located in White Plains, NY adjacent to the N. White Plains train station. Excellent growth opportunities, competitive salary and benefits.
Send CVs to info@street-works.com

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Architect
Intermediate NYC, NY-Under direction of lic. arch, research, plan and administer building properties for clients. Consult w/client to determine functional and spatial requirements. Employ parametric modeling and sys to study and eval bldg exterior envelop.
Req: Masters in Arch + min. 2 yrs exp or 2 yrs as Jr. Arch; 2 yrs parametric modeling sys exp.
Email CV & work samples to KPF: dnmt@kpf.com. Ref job code NYI1. EOE.

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Senior Architect:
Cover Letter, Resume, 1-2 work samples (8½' x 11" .pdf or hardcopy format)
E-mail to hrtechnical@som.com

SOM is seeking senior level architects for involvement in both large and small scale projects. Applicants should have experience in a full range of project responsibilities. App licants should also have interest in the application of building science in the design process including investigating and developing materials, innovative building systems solutions, systems integration/interoperability and sustainable design initiatives.

Applicants must hold a 5 year professional degree or Master's degree in Architecture and have minimum of 5 years of professional experience. Knowledge in AutoCAD, 3d Studio Max and/or Rhino required. LEED accreditation and knowledge in BIM platforms, such as Revit, and analytical software and simulation tools, such as Ecotect and Simulex, are considered a plus.

Please send a cover Letter, Resume, and 1-2 work samples (8½' x 11" .pdf or hardcopy format) to:

Human Resources
SOM
14 Wall Street, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10005
ATTN: Wendy Chang

Or you may email all files to hrtechnical@som.com (.pdf or .jpg only please)
No phone calls. Work samples will not be returned.

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Intermediate Architect:
Cover Letter, Resume, 1-2 work samples (8½' x 11" .pdf or hardcopy format)
E-mail to hrtechnical@som.com

SOM is seeking intermediate level architects for involvement in both large and small scale projects. Applicants should have interest in a full range of project responsibilities including the investigation of innovative building systems, materials research and sustainable initiatives in the design process.

Applicants must hold a 5 year professional degree or Master's degree in Architecture and have 3 to 8 years of professional experience. Knowledge in AutoCAD, 3d Studio Max and/or Rhino required. LEED accreditation and knowledge in BIM platforms, such as Revit, and analytical software and simulation tools, such as Ecotect and Simulex, are considered a plus.

Please send a cover Letter, Resume, and 1-2 work samples (8½' x 11" .pdf or hardcopy format) to:

Human Resources
SOM
14 Wall Street, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10005
ATTN: Wendy Chang

Or you may email all files to hrtechnical@som.com (.pdf or .jpg only please)
No phone calls. Work samples will not be returned.

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Intermediate Architect:

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP New York is seeking intermediate level architects for involvement in both large and small scale projects. Applicants should have interest in a full range of project responsibilities.

Applicants must hold a 5 year professional degree or Master's degree in Architecture and have 3 to 8 years of professional experience. Knowledge of AutoCAD, Photoshop and 3d Studio Max and/or Rhino is required.

Please send a cover letter, resume and 1 - 2 work samples to:

Human Resources
SOM
14 Wall Street, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10005
ATTN: Intermediate Architect Posting

Or you may email all files to hrdesign@som.com (PDF or JPEG only please)
No phone calls please. Work samples will not be returned.

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Junior Architect:

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP New York is seeking junior level architects for involvement in both large and small scale projects. Applicants should have interest in a full range of project responsibilities.

Applicants must hold a 5 year professional degree or Master's degree in Architecture. Knowledge of AutoCAD, Photoshop and 3d Studio Max and/or Rhino is required.

Please send a cover letter, resume and 1 - 2 work samples to:

Human Resources
SOM
14 Wall Street, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10005
ATTN: Junior Architect Posting

Or you may email all files to hrdesign@som.com (PDF or JPEG only please)
No phone calls please. Work samples will not be returned.

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Urban Designer — Junior Level:

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP New York is currently seeking junior level urban designers to participate in all phases of project design and development in the Urban Design and Planning Department.

Applicants must hold a 5 year professional degree and/or Master's degree in Architecture or Urban Design and have a minimum of one year of professional experience. Knowledge of AutoCAD, Photoshop, 3d Studio Max, Rhino, and GIS Arcview experience is preferred.

The successful candidate will:
• Contribute to general preparation of master planning and site planning;
• Demonstrate general knowledge and abilities in documentation, urban history, urban design and planning;
• Understand basic building programming and massing, open space and general design philosophy;
• Perform basic documentation and presentation work, including diagrams, scale comparisons and visualizations;
• Have the ability to create pedestrian level images from a 3D computer model, and;
• Work effectively with minimal supervision.

Please send a cover letter, resume and 3 - 5 work samples to:

Human Resources
SOM
14 Wall Street, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10005
ATTN: Junior Architect Posting

Or you may email all files to hrnewyork@som.com (PDF or JPEG only please)
No phone calls please. Work samples will not be returned.

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Urban Designer — Senior Level:

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP New York is currently seeking a senior level urban designer with an expertise in transportation design to participate in all phases of project design and development in the Urban Design and Planning Department.

Applicants must hold a 5 year professional degree and/or Master's degree in Architecture or Urban Design and have a minimum of five years of professional experience working on a wide variety of projects. Knowledge of AutoCAD, Photoshop, 3d Studio Max, Rhino, and GIS Arcview experience is preferred.

The successful candidate will:
• Have experience in leading the design efforts on large scale urban design projects;
• Demonstrate the ability to understand architectural typologies for completing comprehensive master planning exercises;
• Have experience working on a small team while working in the context of the larger Urban Design Department;
• Assist in developing master planning concept incorporating site, landscape, transportation and infrastructure;
• Coordinate information on drawings and calculations and work with urban design consultants including landscape architects, transportation engineers, civil engineers, etc;
• Demonstrate practical knowledge of zoning codes.

Please send a cover letter, resume and 3 - 5 work samples to:

Human Resources
SOM
14 Wall Street, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10005
ATTN: Junior Architect Posting

Or you may email all files to hrnewyork@som.com (PDF or JPEG only please)
No phone calls please. Work samples will not be returned.

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Project Manager

Empyrean International is a global leader of the contemporary and modernist prefab movement. We have 57 years experience in the design and construction of imaginative one-of-a-kind custom houses, including Deck House, Acorn, and the Dwell Homes by Empyrean.

We are searching for Project Managers in our San Francisco and New York area offices to work with clients who want unique architecture inspired by their site and by the way they live.

We want a person who:
• is excited by contemporary and modernist architecture
• can manage projects from design through construction
• is comfortable with multi-tasking as well as time and budget project management
• can work in a team environment with designers, builders, and clients
• can support, but not have to create, construction drawings and details
• communicates comfortably and clearly in writing and in person — including the effective use of computers and the internet and is highly organized

Additional specific skills/tasks include...
• Maintain Project Status Reports
• Maintain Sales Forecast Schedules
• Proficient with Microsoft Project

Empyrean International offers balanced compensation (salary and performance bonus), excellent benefits, high income potential, architectural innovation, and a team-oriented open working environment.

Respond to: rsmjob@empyreanapf.com

www.empyreanapf.com

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Assistant Project Manager

SOM is seeking applicants for an Assistant Project Manager position.

Applicants should have:
• A professional degree in Architecture;
• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible project experience;
• Proven knowledge of general architectural practice and process;
• Strong analytical, oral and written communication skills with the ability to build quick rapport with all levels of clients, consultants, employees and vendors, and;
• Architectural Registration, or in the process of completing requirements towards Architectural Registration.

The Assistant Project Manager's position will involve:
• Working under direct supervision of the Senior Project Manager;
• Managing projects to help ensure that the goals and priorities of the Client and SOM are being satisfied;
• Develop and maintain a Project Plan for each project;
• Serving as contact with Client, external consultants and vendors;
• Monitoring services vis-à-vis the contract requirements and identifies changes in project scope and construction cost and brings such changes to the immediate attention of the Client and Senior Project Manager and Project Partner, and;
• Maintaining project data in a timely fashion to insure accurate reporting of earnings and accurate billings.

Please send a cover letter and resume:

Human Resources
SOM
14 Wall Street, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10005
ATTN: Junior Architect Posting

Or you may email all files to hrnewyork@som.com (PDF only please)
No phone calls please.

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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 rcanfield@aiany.org.

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One Bryant Park Makes Life Healthier for New Yorkers - cont'd...
By Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP

The design also accommodates commuters' needs. A glass-enclosed subway entrance leads directly to the building's entrance. For the first time, there will be an underground connection between the 1, 2, 3, 7, N, R, Q, W, lines at Times Square and the F, and V, lines on the Avenue of the Americas. Although they are not providing the required bike storage and shower facilities to achieve a LEED point, Cook + Fox has put in Credit Interpretation and Ruling (CIR) to be excused from this point as the bike storage provided in 4 Times Square has proven to be excessive due since most people commute by train.

With a crystalline design — inspired by the Durst Corporation's crystal collection, by Hugh Ferris's evocative zoning drawings, and the Crystal Palace that once stood on Bryant Park where Otis demonstrated the safety of the elevator — Cook intends One Bryant Park to reconnect people to the earth, sky, and nature. He hopes it will grow as part of the urban fabric and yet be recognized as an inspiration to future development.

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Coney Island, etc.: Where Authenticity Meets Reality - cont'd...
By Bill Millard

The Orlando Performing Arts Center aims to help restore a downtown Orlando, FL.
Courtesy Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects

If CityCenter represents a cautionary tale for NYC, Coney Island Amusement Park Expansion needs to stay integrated with Brooklyn and enhance the local color. EE&K must draw on Coney Island's 19th-century history as a gaudy carnival zone while turning today's rundown single-season resort into an economically viable attraction, "bringing the city to the sea" year round. EE&K proposes adding hotels, housing, a waterfall, an enclosed water park, a massive carousel resembling a "tangled Slinky," huge parasols to shade an environment hostile to street trees, and a roller coaster that encircles Stillwell Avenue, wending its way through buildings. Recently released renderings have triggered complaints about gentrification and Vegasification, but replicating Vegas or Atlantic City is what Cavaluzzi rejects. This is an integrated public/private project, not a corporate playground. EE&K strives to preserve the DNA of this beloved freakopolis — and ensure that what arises bears little resemblance to the firm's other current mega-scale projects.

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

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Jason Bruges - cont'd...

e-O: Some of your work seems to critique architecture's relation to the human scale. How does your work address, and perhaps re-integrate, the human scale in architecture?

JB: My work transforms and shifts relative to the viewer's proximity at a 1:1 scale. The interaction itself enables viewers to participate directly with their environment by becoming part of the artwork itself.

e-O: What are some of your other current projects?

JB: We are working on designing a signature series boat fleet called Yachtplus 40 (with Foster + Partners), an electricity substation in East London, interactive landscape installations (with Kinnear Landscape Architects), and Rochester Creek Crossings pedestrian bridges (with Birds Portchmouth Russum). We are currently installing a 10-story interactive chandelier in the Allen & Overy HQ in London (with Foster + Partner), and look out for an interactive installation on London Bridge in February that responds to Bluetooth devices crossing the bridge!

© 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.