In this issue:
· NYC Launches Online Construction Approval Process
· Gehry Technologies Forms Strategic Alliance of Architects
· 2011 NYASLA President’s Dinner Honors Design Trust, Charles Birnbaum, Len Hopper
· e-Calendar

NYC Launches Online Construction Approval Process

Mayor Bloomberg opened the new Development Hub on 10.12.11. (L-R): Mayor Bloomberg; Robert LiMandri, Commissioner of the Department of Buildings; Robert Tierney, Chair of the Landmark Preservation Commission; Margaret O’Donoghue Castillo, AIA, LEED AP, 2011 AIANY President.

Rick Bell

Architects and engineers will now be able to digitally submit construction plans, or plans for major project alterations, to the NYC Department of Buildings. The Development Hub is located at 80 Centre Street. After digital plans are filed, they are uploaded to a secure website where plan examiners, applicants, and representatives from the Fire Department, Department of Environmental Protection, Landmarks Preservation Commission, Department of Transportation, City Planning, and Department of Parks and Recreation can all view them, identify problem areas, and mark them up in real-time. Architects and engineers can then submit revised plans electronically.

The goal for the program is to accelerate the construction approval process by reducing the overall number of in-person appointments, and by providing plan examiners with the ability to review multiple sets of plans simultaneously.

Gehry Technologies Forms Strategic Alliance of Architects
Gehry Technologies has established a “strategic alliance” of a core group of architects to discuss new approaches to design through technology. Co-founded by Frank Gehry, FAIA, the board of advisors includes: David Childs, FAIA; Massimo Colomban; Zaha Hadid; Greg Lynn; Laurie Olin, FASLA; Wolf D. Prix, Hon. FAIA, FRIBA; David Rockwell, AIA; Moshe Safdie; Matthias Schuler; Patrik Schumacher; Ben van Berkel; and Richard Saul Wurman. The group will meet virtually on a monthly basis and come together annually in person to continue the conversation.

In a statement released by the AIA, AIA President Clark Manus, FAIA, said, “We applaud this enterprise by Gehry Technologies and the Board who are comprised of many AIA members because it is estimated that as much as 30% up to 50% of all time, money, materials, and resources that go into a construction project do not add value to the final product…. We are anxious to see the progress through this effort that will be beneficial for both the industry and clients.”

2011 NYASLA President’s Dinner Honors Design Trust, Charles Birnbaum, Len Hopper
All allied professionals are invited to the 2011 NYASLA President’s Dinner, to be held on 11.17.11 at Tribeca Three Sixty. The New York Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (NYASLA) will honor the Design Trust for Public Space (President’s Award); Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, founder of The Cultural Landscape Foundation (Service Award); and Len Hopper, FASLA, Editor-in-Chief Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards and noted educator.

Allied professionals and vendors are invited to attend, as well as to participate with an ad in the printed program. Visit www.nyasla.org/2011dinner, call (212) 269-2984, or e-mail director@nyasla.org.

eCALENDAR
eCalendar includes an interactive listing of architectural events around NYC. Click the link to go to to eCalendar on the Web.