In this issue:
· A Community of Hands to Help: Max is Gone
· AIANY Chapter Launches A.R.E. Boot Camp
· AIA Responds to Cutting of School Construction Funding
· AIA Publishes Pro Bono Guide
· Box-a-Thon Returns to NYC

A Community of Hands to Help: Max is Gone
By Rick Bell, FAIA, AIANY Executive Director

I was going to write, about the death of J. Max Bond, Jr., FAIA; that Max was my mentor, as he was for so many others — that he was an inspiration and a role model for thousands of architects and architecture students. Roberta Washington, FAIA, said it better and first in one of many, many e-mails that brought people together in their shock and their grief. She sent the following short message: “Max was my mentor (he was for many) and an inspiration in so many respects. He was a role model extraordinaire. He was supportive when he needed to be and blunt and truthful when he had to be. There will be a big hole in the architecture fabric of New York with his passing.”

The extraordinary facts of his life have been related in the obituaries linked to this space-limited tribute. Academic achievements, breakthrough patterns of work from the Architects Renewal Committee in Harlem (ARCH) to Davis Brody Bond Aedas, not to forget Bond Ryder James Architects. The projects we all know, large and small, near and far. And those of us who loved his forceful persistence for an engaged, politically-aware design excellence find no one else to fill his shoes. Whether over an architectural school drawing board (second year housing studio in my case), a tricky land use issue at the City Planning Commission, or over the design and symbolism of major public project (one of my favorites is the Langston Hughes Library & Community Center that Max did under the auspices of DDC on Northern Boulevard in Queens). Over the front door of that project, a bronze-colored façade frames some of the famous words of Freedom’s Plow. The poem begins: “When a man starts to build the world / He starts first with himself / And the faith that is in his heart / The strength there / The will to build.” Max had the will to build, and he built well.

Other memorials in the news:
“J. Max Bond Jr., Architect, Dies at 73,” by David W. Dunlop, The New York Times, 02.19.09.

“Max Bond, 1935-2009: Revered Davis Brody Bond Aedas partner was pathbreaking African-American architect,” by Julie Iovine, The Architect’s Newspaper, 02.18.09. The Architect’s Newspaper is also soliciting tributes: Remembering Max Bond.

“J. Max Bond, 1935-2009,” by Clay Risen, The New Republic, 02.19.09.

AIANY Chapter Launches A.R.E. Boot Camp
By Carolyn Sponza, AIA, LEED AP

A.R.E. Bootcamp.

Carolyn Sponza

The AIANY Chapter and the Emerging NY Architects Committee (ENYA) has launched an Architects Registration Examination (A.R.E.) Boot Camp program for intern architects. The first three sessions, which covered the Structural Systems, Site Planning, and Building Systems divisions of the examination, were filled to capacity. The remaining four Saturday sessions will focus on Construction Documents and Services, Building Design and Construction Systems, Programming Planning and Practice, and Schematic Design. Format of the program is structured on ARE 4.0.

95% of respondents polled at the first session said that this was the first review class they had taken. Led by a combination of recently licensed architects and seasoned professionals, each class begins with an overview of study and test-taking strategies and techniques critical to exam success. This program is offered at $10 for Associate AIA members ($75 for non-members), and is part of AIANY Chapter’s efforts to support intern architects on the road to licensure.

More information about the remaining sessions in this series is available on the program website at: www.aiany.org/are. The series is also planned to run again in the fall.

AIA Responds to Cutting of School Construction Funding
In response to the Senate’s elimination of stimulus funding for the modernization of schools, the AIA is sending a letter to Congressional leaders to argue against this, citing 67 organizations (including Sierra Club, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Education Association) who support the AIA’s concerns.

AIA Vice President, Government & Community Relations, Paul Mendelsohn said, “Not only are America’s schools in desperate need of repairs, but the money allocated in the House version of the bill would result in the creation of 400,000 jobs nationwide. Schools are the only building type where, through green design, you can reduce energy consumption, improve the environment, and create a learning environment where students will be better prepared to compete in a global workplace.”

AIA Publishes Pro Bono Guide
Through pro bono efforts, architects and allied design professionals bring a unique combination of knowledge and design skills to bear on a wide range of issues facing our communities.

To translate good intentions into effective action, the AIA has released the Institute Guidelines to Assist AIA Members, Firms and Components in Undertaking Pro Bono Service Activities. The Guidelines include how to select pro bono clients, define the scope of services, avoid legal liabilities and other pitfalls, and develop contracts or agreements for pro bono services.

Box-a-Thon Returns to NYC
SpecSimple.com’s Save A Sample! invites design firms to donate boxes of materials including fabrics, brochures, and finish cards, which will be given to local design schools. In addition, Save A Sample! raises money from manufacturer sponsors for resource library scholarships for each of the participating schools. Supported by AIA, ASID, IIDA, SMPS, and USGBC, last year’s Save A Sample! raised over $14,000 in scholarships, which were distributed to the Art Institute, FIT, Kean University, NYIT, NYSID, Parsons The New School, and Pratt Institute. This year’s event runs 04.07-09.09. For additional information about Save A Sample!, please visit http://www.specsimple.com.