March 20, 2007
by: Murrye Bernard Assoc. AIA LEED AP

In this issue:
·SAVE THE DATES: 2007 AIA New York Chapter Design Awards Celebrations
·New AIA Website Launches
·Shadows Play at the Center


SAVE THE DATES: 2007 AIA New York Chapter Design Awards Celebrations

2007 AIA New York Chapter Design Awards Celebrations

04.11.07 Design Awards Luncheon for Award Recipients and their clients
04.12.07 Design Awards Exhibition Opening at the Center for Architecture


New AIA Website Launches
To help consumers understand the architectural design process, and issues involved in selecting and working with an architect, the AIA has launched a new online resource, How Design Works for You. The site incorporates streaming videos that depict the full design process, both institutional and residential, with tips about the most important questions to ask when starting a project. To ensure that homeowners’ best interests are protected, the site also includes information about selecting the AIA Contract Documents best suited for residential projects. How Design Works for You also addresses sustainable building practices.

“Hiring an architect shouldn’t be an overwhelming process, but there are a number of important issues for clients to consider,” said Christine McEntee, AIA, Executive Vice-President and CEO of the AIA. “Whether someone is renovating their home and incorporating design elements that save electricity, or building a first home, our goal is to clearly outline how working with an architect from the first stages of a project is essential.”


Shadows Play at the Center
By Tim Hayduk, School Program Manager, Center for Architecture Foundation

Maggie Jacobstein

One participant displays her Palladio-inspired shadowbox theater.

Maggie Jacobstein

With shoeboxes in hand, families arrived at the Center for Architecture to build shadowbox theaters. Inspired by images of Andrea Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico and New York’s own Broadway theaters, families developed stories to be staged in their model-sized buildings. A proscenium was cut into each box and a piece of vellum was then affixed to the inside so participants could test lighting effects with flashlights. Some left the vellum plain, allowing it to become a scrim upon which shadows were cast; others created drawings on the vellum that came to life when illuminated. Families found ways to cast colors onto the vellum and make objects move inside the “theaters” as well. The finale took place in the Center’s darkened workshop, where the theaters came to life highlighting the nature of theatrical lighting. With shifting scales and exaggerated movements, the result was a dynamic play of shadows.

Thank you to Randy Sabedra, Section President of the Illuminating Engineering Society New York (IESNY), who assisted the families as they constructed their theaters, and the IESNY for supporting this FamilyDay@theCenter program.

BROWSER UPGRADE RECOMMENDED

Our website has detected that you are using a browser that will prevent you from accessing certain features. An upgrade is recommended to experience. Use the links below to upgrade your exisiting browser.