PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

AIA Newark and Suburban Architects A Section of AIA New Jersey

AIA New Jersey is a Chapter and Region of the American Institute of Architects

JANUARY 2013

Issue 1

The Rostrum

Official newsletter of the

Newark & Suburban

Section of AIA-NJ

Published monthly

Submit events, case

studies, photos, comments,

or other content for

consideration to:

aiansrostrum@gmail.com

President’s Message 1

Design Awards 2012 - Featured Project

2

Dessert Build 2012 and Beyond...

3

Professional Practice Notes: Ring in the New Year

4

Inside this issue: I currently live in Convent

Station, New Jersey and am

single – concentrating on my

career. I work at Fletcher

Thompson in Somerset, New

Jersey as a Healthcare

Project Manager working on

Hospitals. I enjoy the

complexity of this type of

project.

Have been practicing

Architecture and before

landing in the Healthcare

field, I gained experience in

Commerc ia l bu i ld ings,

Laboratories, Residences,

Warehouses, and Retail,

among many other building

types.

AIA Newark Suburban

gatherings are the perfect

place to network, meet new

colleagues, gain continuing

education credits and enjoy

v i s i t i n g p r o m i n e n t

Hello everyone, I’m Louise

Addoniz io , your new

President for 2013. I look

forward to a successful year

for AIA Newark Suburban

architects and look forward

to seeing all of you at this

year’s general meetings and

events.

I was born in Vailsburg, New

Jersey, a section of Newark,

so it is appropriate that I am

involved with Newark &

Suburban Architects. I

studied Architecture at The

Catholic University of

America and received my

Bachelor of Science Degree.

After graduating, I received

my Master of Science

Degree in Architecture from

t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f

Pennsylvania where Anne

Griswold Tyng, a protégée of

Lou Kahn, was one of my

critics.

Architectural buildings on

our Building Tours.

This year we have events

planned that will interest

everyone. We will be starting

off our year with the

February General Joint

Meeting with USGBC at

Hamilton Park in Florham

Park. This will be followed by

our March General Joint

Meeting with CSI at the

Parsippany Hilton. In April

we will be holding the

Roundtable at Mayfair

Farms. We again will be

having the Design Awards

and CANstruction. It will

prove to be a successful

year. Please come out and

join us for all these events.

Louise

Addonizio, AIA,

AIANS

President, 2013

Rostrum 2013 Issue 1

Page 2

AIA Newark & Suburban

Board Members

Officers

LOUISE ADDONIZIO, AIA

President

JOHN A. CWIKLA, AIA

President-Elect

STEPHEN ROONEY, AIA

First Vice President

NATASHA SUSANSKY, AIA

Secretary

ALEX GOTTHELF, AIA

Treasurer

KEVIN McCORMICK, AIA

Past President

Trustees

Trustees 2013

YOGESH MISTRY, AIA

BILL MUNOZ, ALLIED

MEMBER

Trustees 2014

PAUL TIAJOLOFF, AIA

RONALD WESTON, AIA

JASON PEIST, ASSOC. AIA

ALOK SAKSENA, ASSOC.

AIA

Trustees 2015

DIEUJUSTE PIERRE, ASSOC.

AIA

Section Administrator

JULIE PAGNOTTA

aiaadmin@verizon.net

AIA NS 2012 Committees

Focus on 2012 Design Award Recipients

New Gateway Building at Kean University -

Gruskin Group’s design for a

new academic building for Kean University in Union, NJ

has been called “compelling” and “reflective of the

University’s commitment to

helping its students to think critically, creatively and

globally.” In fact, the Springfield-based integrated

design firm was recently awarded a Gold 2012 Design

Award in the “Unbuilt”

category for its design of the new gateway building by the

AIA Newark and Suburban Architects and The Architects

League of Northern New

Jersey.

The proposed 102,275-

squa re - foo t , s i x - s to ry

building marks the main entrance to Kean’s campus

and includes a café and retail space on the first floor,

classroom and administration space on floors two through

five, and a conference center

and rooftop terrace on the sixth floor. The building will

house Kean’s new Robert Busch School of Design, as

well as the University’s

e x p a n d i n g b u s i n e s s programs. Construction is

expected to be completed in January 2014.

Among its most distinctive

and modern design elements is its undulating glass

building façade which stands in contrast to three opaque

towers that not only serve a

practical function, but also align with the three local

geometries that define Kean’s campus.

Gruskin Group designed the

towers to house elevators, fire stairs, and bathrooms. In

addition, the tower along

Morris Avenue aligns with the grid that defines the primary

road systems and the original Kean structures. The second

tower defines the academic

building’s main entrance and follows the geometry of the

main Kean Universi ty campus. The third tower’s

vertical plane faces the University’s athletic fields and

facilities. By responding to

the local framework of the campus and city, the building

serves not only as a gateway building, but also as a critical

part of the larger whole.

Among the building’s other features:

A s a n a r c h i t e c t u r a l

acknowledgement at the M o r r i s / G r e e n L a n e

intersection, the building features an outward slope

that leans toward the

entrance corner. It is topped by a circular conference

center space, which offers dramatic views of the

campus and New York City

and i s su i t ab le fo r conferences and events. The

roof terrace will be accessible to students and guests to

meet and pass time between classes, as well as for events,

and meetings. A halo-lit Kean

University seal floats beneath the canted roof of the

conference center space, visible to the street corner

below.

The building’s rectangular first floor is finished in brick

that acts as a base and

p rov ides a r ch i t e ctu ra l contrast to the modern metal

and glass upper floors.

A repeating series of

horizontal metal solar

shading fins define the outer edge of the façade curtain

wall, enhancing the visual impact of the building’s non-

orthogonal geometry.

The exterior skin is designed to facilitate a connection

between the bui lding occupants inside and the

community outside that is

afforded a unique glimpse into the academic classrooms

from the outside.

The promenade, which will feature seasonal planters

amidst seating opportunities located along Green Lane,

connects the main campus to

the Green Lane academic building, where it leads to a

grand exterior stair to a second story entrance.

Designed into this grand entrance stair is a bleacher

section that offers a southern

exposure where students can sit in the sun.

The School of Design will be

set in in an open plan environment to foster an

atmosphere of collaboration, integration and adaptability.

According to Gruskin Group

Principal Kenneth A. Gruskin, AIA, “The building design

needed to establish the tone and quality of what can be

expec ted beyond i t s

demarcat ion as Kean University’s primary entry.

At the same time, we wanted to make a bold architectural

statement and announce to

visitors that they are about to experience something

unique upon entering the campus.”

See photo next page

Rostrum 2013 Issue 1

Page 3

The Dessert/Build Challenge

was held on December 5, 2012 at the Old Mill Inn in

Basking Ridge during the AIANS General Meeting. The

theme for this year’s build was “If the North Pole went

green” and there were 5 entries. Each build was

unique and demonstrated a

lot of time and passion spent des ign ing and

building. The creator of the event, Jason Peist, would

personally like to thank everyone who participated

and those who purchased tickets at the event to vote

for the crowd favorite. We

raised over $150 for Toys for Tots in addition to all

the generous gifts brought to the event. The judges

remarked on each build and the highlights are:

Jessica O'Donnell- Most

Holiday Spirit. The judges

2012 AIA N&S Design Award Recipient , Gruskin Group’s Kean University Green Lane Building , see story, page 2

Dessert Build 2012, and beyond ... loved how she incorporated the

design printed on the cardboard background into her build.

D o n n a M i l l e r - B e s t C r a f t s m a n s h i p . S a n t a ’ s

workshop featured stables for

the reindeer with a green roof that would also provide food.

Lisa San Filippo- Most "FEED" Points. Her town featured

numerous creative buildings,

each with its own character and exhibited a complete “green

design” concept.

Nicole Wolfrum (pictured at

right)- Crowd Favorite. The

amount of detail put into this build was incredible. The judges

loved that the gingerbread and the pinwheel cookies that

formed the wind turbines were homemade.

KSI P.E. - Most Innovative- This

shore house was built on a base that was recovered after

Hurricane Sandy.

Nicole Wolfrum’s creation

(above) was voted Crowd Favorite

See photos of all the ‘builds’ and their awards, and be inspired to participate next

year at aians.org/dessertbuild

Rostrum 2013

Page 4

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Professional Practice Notes: Ring in the New Year

Happy New Year AIA Newark

& Suburban members and followers…let’s hope that

2013 brings the long awaited recovery to the region’s

design and construction

industry. As this column is being written in the final

week of 2012 there are both positive signs for optimism,

as well as, lingering hurdles facing our professional

practices.

On a positive note, in mid-December the AIA reported,

“Billings at architecture firms across the country continue

t o i n c r e a s e . ” T h e

Architecture Billings Index reg i s te red i t s four th

consecutive month in positive territory, with Novembers

ABI at 53.2. ”These are the strongest business conditions

we have seen since the end

of 2007 be fore the c o n s t r u c t i o n m a r k e t

collapse,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker,

PhD, Hon. AIA.

Closer to home in our state, as the shock and devastation

caused by Hurricane Sandy give way to planning and

rebuilding efforts, New

Jersey architects should play an instrumental role in the

process. Our AIA Jersey Shore colleagues are at the

epicenter of the Sandy devastation, yet many AIA

NS architects have clients or

pro jects in impacted locations around New Jersey.

T h e f i n a l c o s t o f reconstruction will not be

known for some time, yet it

is clear from current state and FEMA estimates that

billions of dollars will be spent on reconstruction of

public and private buildings and infrastructure, much of

which will require planning,

design and/or construction

administration oversight by architects.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

has a mixed reputation in

responsiveness to natural disasters; however, the

agency is playing a major role in underwriting and

assisting with post-storm recovery and rebuilding.

FEMA's Hazard Mitigation

Assistance (HMA) grant program is one example of a

forward looking approach that provides funding for

eligible mitigation activities

that reduce disaster losses and protect life and property

f rom fu tu re d i sa s te r damages. Whether directly

involved in FEMA funded projects, or not, architects

would be well served to be

aware of the programs and opportunities for “building

smarter” in New Jersey’s impacted communities.

Tempering the positive

economic momentum is the cont inued gridlock in

Washington. AIA’s Baker goes on to note that “the real

question now is if the federal

budget situation gets cleared up which will likely lead to

the green lighting of numerous projects currently

on hold. If we do end up

going off the ‘fiscal cliff’ then we can expect a significant

setback for the entire design and construction industry.”

Even if Congress and the President manage to unwind

the sharp automatic public

funding cuts and tax increases that are scheduled

to kick in this month, continued advocacy from the

profession is needed to make

sure our elected officials understand how their actions

(or inaction) is impacting our profession. AIA National and

AIA-NJ have in place advocacy links and programs

that members can leverage

to take action towards making 2013 the recovery

year that it should be.

Ronald C. Weston, AIA, LEED

AP BD+C AIA NS Professional Practice

Committee Chair rweston@psands.com