In this issue:
· In Brief: Happenings at AIANY & the Center for Architecture
· GBI and AIA Join Forces
· AIA Appoints New Director of Diversity and Inclusion
· Convention Resolutions and Proposed Amendments to the Institute Bylaws
· Dept. of Ed Joins AIA, Education Groups to Plan for School Modernization Funding
· GSA Releases List of Stimulus Projects, Selects Head

In Brief: Happenings at AIANY & the Center for Architecture
By Rick Bell, FAIA, AIANY Executive Director

Albany Lobby Day (l-r): Laura Manville; Jonathan Marvel, AIA; Alfreda Radzicki, AIA; Margery Perlmutter, AIA; Hon. Linda Rosenthal, member of the NYS Assembly; Margaret Castillo, AIA, LEED AP; Sherida Paulsen, FAIA; Stanley Stark, FAIA; and Tony Schirripa, AIA.

Rick Bell

03.24 Albany Lobby Day
Albany is just two-and-a-half hours north of Penn Station by train, yet architects shun its Rockefeller-era mall and windswept streets. On March 24, AIANYS Lobby Day drew AIA New York Chapter members to scheduled meetings with State legislators, including Assembly members Rosenthal, Brennan, Gottfried, and Glick, and State Senator Tom Duane. Chief of Staff Brad Usher stood in for State Senator Liz Krueger for an impassioned discussion of self-certification. The AIANY delegation included Chapter President Sherida Paulsen, FAIA, Tony Schirripa, AIA, Margaret Castillo, AIA, LEED AP, Margery Perlmutter, AIA, Alfreda Radzicki, AIA, Stanley Stark, FAIA, and Jonathan Marvel, AIA, joined by AIANYS President Burt Roslyn.

Not Business As Usual portfolio reviews.

Courtesy AIANY

03.25 Portfolio Review
Not Business as Usual brings architects and designers to the Center for Architecture who, previously, would not have had the time or need for lunch meetings to discuss the economy. On March 25, individual tables linked together people seeking advice on developing their portfolios with those, who in busier times, did the hiring for design firms. Comments were given on format, content, nature and size of images, and how best to put oneself forward. The introduction to the event also noted that the ExchangePoint website was up and running, and has job listings, space offerings, and volunteer opportunities posted.

03.27 Basel in Beijing
A screening of the Schaub and Schindelm documentary on the Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium project filled Tafel Hall March 27. The film follows Basel-based architects Jacques Herzog, Hon. FAIA, and Pierre de Meuron, Hon. FAIA, as they walk through the Beijing construction site and reflect on the different nature of design decision-making in Switzerland and China. At times they seemed to laud the decisiveness of autocracy while criticizing some of the imperatives imposed by their poorly portrayed administrative clients. A parallel story line, about an unrealized residential project in provincial Jinhua, was inserted to de-emphasize the star turn of the big screen project.

03.30 Feelin’ Groovy
The leaders of the five AIA Chapters in NYC have been meeting monthly to coordinate activities and policies. AIANY President Sherida Paulsen, FAIA, was joined by: AIA Queens President Laura Heim, AIA; AIA Bronx President Sheldon Licht, AIA; and AIA Staten Island President Marcus Marino, AIA, to discuss Buildings Department operations and the professional certification of construction documents. Also on the agenda were the qualifications of the candidates running for AIA National office and the centennial of the Queensboro Bridge, which opened on March 30, 1909. An AIA Queens program that evening in Long Island City celebrated the inter-borough link.

São Paolo.

Scott Peterman, courtesy Center for Architecture

03.31 Scott Peterman’s Cities
Photos from Scott Peterman’s Cities series are currently on view in the Hines Gallery at the Center for Architecture, thanks to support from Margery H. Perlmutter and the Bryan Cave office. Sao Paolo, Cairo, and New York are seen through the lens of Peterman’s expansive view — the cities seem equally boundless and inviting. Among those attending the exhibition opening March 31 was Daniel Silverstein, who works with the gallery representing the photographer. Silverstein led an informal discussion of the role of street art in the architecture of the cities depicted, anticipating the upcoming Public Art New York exhibition.

GBI and AIA Join Forces
The Green Building Initiative (GBI) and the AIA have signed a memorandum of understanding, pledging to work together to promote the design and construction of energy efficient and environmentally responsible buildings. Among other things, the agreement calls for the two organizations to promote sustainable design by providing education and training and encouraging research to identify strategies for specific economic and environmental performance outcomes for green buildings.

AIA Appoints New Director of Diversity and Inclusion
AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Chris McEntee announced the appointment of Sherry Snipes as the AIA’s director of diversity and inclusion, effective 04.20.09. Snipes will lead the AIA’s strategic initiative to enhance diversity within and among AIA components, firms, and members. She will set and track success measurements, provide direction and coaching to the executive leadership team on the integration of diversity into the AIA’s business strategies, and assess current programs to create strategies that increase diversity awareness in the design and construction industry.

Convention Resolutions and Proposed Amendments to the Institute Bylaws
Resolutions submitted for consideration at the 2009 AIA Convention can be found starting on page 42 of the Delegate Information Booklet. Click here to view a .pdf.

Proposed changes to bylaws to be considered at the convention business meeting include:
– Authorization for Associate members to serve as regional directors on the Institute’s Board of Directors
– Participation by Board members in Institute Board meetings by telephonic or similar means
– Changes to the eligibility requirements for Emeritus membership
– Creation of a Public Membership category
– Elimination of the International Associate membership category and creation of an AIA International Member category.

Dept. of Ed Joins AIA, Education Groups to Plan for School Modernization Funding
Representatives from the Department of Education met with the AIA and other organizations to discuss how stimulus funding can be used for school modernization projects. Organized by the AIA and the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI), the meeting brought together representatives from nearly 30 organizations to review the status of the department’s activities and to coordinate efforts at the state and local levels. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allowed for the use of funds from a $53.6 billion fund for school modernization, repair, and renovation, and created a new $22 billion bond program for school construction.

For more information on activities and resources on school modernization, visit the Department of Education’s website.

GSA Releases List of Stimulus Projects, Selects Head
The General Services Administration (GSA) released its plan for spending the $5.5 billion it received as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for the design, construction, and modernization of federal buildings. Under the law, GSA must use $4.5 billion of that total on creating green, high-performance buildings. According to the GSA, it “selected the best projects for accomplishing the goals of the Recovery Act based on two overarching criteria: ability of the project to put people back to work quickly, and transforming federal buildings into high-performance green buildings.” Click here for a .pdf of a full list of projects.

GSA also announced that Bill Guerin, AIA, will head its new Recovery Act Program Management Office. Currently, he is serving as the assistant commissioner for construction for GSA’s Public Buildings Service. He will also join a panel of experts at a full-day session at the 2009 AIA Convention to discuss the stimulus legislation and ways that architects can get work. For more details, visit the AIA’s Convention website.