rostrum july 2012
DESCRIPTION
AIA Newark & Suburban Architects newsletterTRANSCRIPT
also planning for the annual CANstruction build
and gala. The competition
will be held again at the L i v i n g s t o n Ma l l i n
September with a “Back to School” theme. This is a
great team bui lding experience for any office
and all cans go to support
the NJ Community Food Bank. The CANstruction
event has historically been the largest donation of
food the Food Bank
receives throughout the year. In these difficult
times we cannot let them down! Information on
signing up for the compet i t ion i s a lso
available at our website.
Kevin McCormick, AIA, LEED®AP AIANS President,
2012
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Rostrum 2012
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
JULY 2012
Issue 7
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:
President’s Message 1
It’s the Economy - Still 2
Dessert Build
3
Design Awards 2012 4
Building Tour 5
Inside this issue: him in his new position.
The summer is upon us
and I hope you can take
time to enjoy it. I encourage everyone to
come to our Golf Outing on July 23rd. If you are not a
golfer, please come join us for the cocktail reception
and dinner following the
outing. Your participation supports a great group –
1st Cerebral Palsy of NJ.
Newark and Suburban is
working hard this summer
planning for events early this fall. The Building Tour
Committee has a trip planned for September
15th to Kykiut in Sleepy Hollow, NY - detailed
information on the trip is
available at our website and on page 5. We are
In June we held our 4th genera l meet ing in
conjunction with Architect’s
League at the Montclair Art Museum. Thanks to all
those that fought the heat that night and came out to
enjoy the film “Romanza” by Michael Miner about the
work of Frank Lloyd Wright
in California. It was a fun night to for me to see old
friends from school and former colleagues from our
neighboring section. It
was a special night also because Newark &
Suburban and Architect’s League had the opportunity
to together say goodbye to a true friend of the
architectural community -
Ellen Harmon. Ellen is retiring after 23 years as
a n a r c h i t e c t u r a l representative at Pella. I
wish Ellen well and hope
she enjoys her retirement and her new venture as a
grandmother!
Ellen will also be stepping
down as a member of the
Newark and Suburban Board of Trustees. I am
happy to announce that Bill Munoz with USG has
agreed to take the Trustee position. The Newark and
Suburban Board wishes Bill
a warm welcome and looks forward to working with
Rostrum 2012 Issue 7
Page 2
AIA Newark & Suburban
Board Members
Officers
KEVIN McCORMICK, AIA
President
LOUISE ADDONIZIO, AIA
President-Elect
JOHN A. CWIKLA, AIA
First Vice President
LISA SAN FILIPPO, AIA
Secretary
STEPHEN ROONEY, AIA
Treasurer
YOGESH MISTRY, AIA
Past President
Trustees
Trustee 2012
JUDY DONNELLY, AIA
Trustees 2013
CHRISTY DIBARTOLO, AIA
ALEX GOTTHELF,AIA
BILL MUNOZ, ALLIED
MEMBER
NATASHA SUZANSKY, AIA
Trustees 2014
PAUL TIAJOLOFF, AIA
RONALD WESTON, AIA
JASON PEIST, ASSOC. AIA
Honorary Affiliate
DAN BISCHOFF
Section Administrator
JULIE PAGNOTTA
AIA NS 2012 Committees
Professional Practice Notes: It’s The Economy…Still increased.
Not all firms experience the lingering macro economic
slump, and for some the inquiries and billings are
edging upward despite the broader statistics. Based on
the first quarter uptick, even with the recent second
quarter headwinds, a modest
recovery in 2012 is still likely followed by a stronger
upturn in 2013. Overall, nonresidential construction
spending has been forecast to increase by more than 6
percent next year, again with stronger numbers on the
commercial and industrial
side.
Architects in practice cannot
alter the state of the economy, which is an
externality outside of ones
control. However, architects can continue to hone their
technical skills and sharpen bus iness management
methods to survive the weak economy a little longer, and
position their practices to thrive again when (not if)
more work returns to the
industry.
So it is the economy on
which much of professional practice success hinges and I
believe it is wise to
understand the state of the economy at a macro level to
ge t the 30 , 000 - foo t perspective and advocate for
policies that can improve the building sector. Even more
importantly, it is imperative that architects take steps to
improve their position in the
micro economy where they practice.
AIA NS Professional Practice Committee Chair: Ronald C. Weston, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Email: [email protected]
Twenty years and two recessions ago, Bill Clinton’s
successful presidentia l campaign made famous the
phrase “It’s the economy,
stupid.” Midway through 2012, in the midst of another
presidential campaign, it’s the economy…still…that is
making headlines and causing havoc for many
businesses and individuals.
Architecture practices are cyclical by nature, tied in
large part to the ups and downs of employment and
real estate markets. While economists declared the
“Great Recession” to have
ended many quarters ago, the recovery is so faint that
architects are still navigating through a depressed design
and construction market. It is clear that this cycle is much
deeper and longer than any since the Great Depression;
even veterans of multiple
recessions are not used to the prolonged economic
weakness we are living through. In addition to the
cyclical factors that are depressing the building
sector, some economists note that demographic and
structural changes are
altering “normal” patterns of development.
On June 20th the AIA reported that following the
first negative reading in five
months, the Architecture
Billings Index (ABI) has had a significant drop in May.
May’s ABI score was 45.8, following a mark of 48.4 in
April. This score reflects a
sharp decrease in demand for design services (any
score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).
AIA Chief Economist, Kermit
Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA said, “For the second year in a
row, we’re seeing declines in springtime design activity
after a healthy first quarter. G i v e n t h e o n g o i n g
uncertainly in the economic outlook, particularly the
weak job growth numbers in
recent months, this should be an alarm bell going off for
the design and construction industry.” Baker went on to
say, “The commercial/industrial sector is the only
one recording gains in design activity at present, and even
this sector has slowed
significantly. Construction forecasters will have to
reassess what conditions will look like moving forward.”
The recent April and May ABI
setback is concerning, since the housing market had been
moving into recovery, with business conditions at
residential architecture firms improving for the first
quarter of 2012; more than one third of participating
residential firms reported
that their billings had
Rostrum 2012 Issue 7
Page 3 Dessert/Build Challenge 2012
“If the North Pole went Green”
www.aians.org/dessertbuild
Tentative Date: Saturday, December 1, 2012.
Location: To be announced
Dessert/Build is a challenge for design professionals to create and construct a sustainable
“Gingerbread” house to be judged for “FEED” certification. It will be held during the holiday
season and guests are encouraged to bring a toy for “Toys for Tots”.
Every building has an impact on the environment;
it is important to make sure that these constructs create little to no negative impact on the
environment. Each team or person will design a unique solution to the problem: What if the North Pole went ‘Green’.
This is a conceptual competition for sustainability design; pastry skills are not required. In fact,
the builds only need to meet the at-least-50%-edible requirement as outlined in the “FEED” scorecard. The only other requirements are that a build must include both a building and a site
which does not exceed 24” x 24” and that participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a guardian.
The goal of this challenge is to not only raise money for charity, but to also educate people
about the environment. This event will promote an open discussion about architecture and sustainability through the use of physical modeling. Also, it will let professionals express their
ideas, model making skills, and sustainability concepts in a creative forum. Architects are encouraged to include children in the design of the “gingerbread” house, in order to teach them
basic sustainability principles.
The builds will be constructed off-site and brought to the venue for judging. At the event, participants will be asked to fill out part of the “FEED” scorecard. Judges will walk around and
verify the points, as well as fill out the special section of the scorecard for the judge’s points. All guests can purchase raffle tickets to vote for the “crowd favorite” and the proceeds of these
tickets will go to charity.
Sample ‘FEED’ points:
Brownie Points- Bring in a covered dessert or food item for your table.
AIA Member- Be an AIA member.
Pantry Points- Build your entire build (including base) out of items you already own in your
pantry.
Made in the USA- All the build products are made in the USA.
Innovation of Design- Participants are asked to select up to three innovations they wish to
present for the jury to judge. Sample: reuse of a store-bought chocolate cake could be a
Brownfield credit.
Please visit the website- www.aians.org/dessertbuild for the most up-to-date information about
the event. If you are interested in participating, have any suggestions, or would like to help plan this event, please contact the AIANS Emerging Professional Chair- Jason Peist [email protected]
Rostrum 2012
Page 4
AIA Newark & Suburban
Links
Calendar
Follow us on :
DONATE-
NJAPAC
showcase projects that differ
in size and scope. The category for Un-Built
projects, both Residential and Non-Residential, is intended
for projects that: either have not yet been constructed;
ended after schematic design or design development, i.e
“Great Un-Built Work” that
every architect has done that never left the drawing board; or design competition entries done for other design
organizations, which will need to comply with Design Awards
board format and
regulations. The categories of Interiors
and/or Featured Element are intended for projects
that are essentially interior in nature or were primarily
for a featured element of the project, which could be
a single room like a kitchen
or bath, an architectural element such as a façade
renovation, or furniture. For
Design Awards 2012 The Design Awards
Committee is pleased to announce that the 2012 AIA
Newark and Suburban Design Awards will be held
Thursday evening, October 11 at the Hamilton and
Ward Steakhouse in Paterson.
Our Section’s 19th annual
Awards will be a special joint event held in
collaboration with the Architects League of
Northern New Jersey. Submitted projects from
both Sections will be juried together during the
afternoon of October 11
before the awards presentations in the
evening. For this special joint event,
we have invited the other AIA New Jersey Section
presidents to serve as jurors, and we are pleased
to announce that Bruce D.
Turner, AIA (South Jersey), Donna Terzano, AIA
(Central), Robert W. O’Reilly, AIA (West Jersey),
as well as Thomas Navin, AIA, a noted architect,
garden designer and currently an instructor at
NJIT and Columbia, have all
agreed to join us as jurors. Projects submitted for the
Design Awards are separated into the two main
categories of Residential and Non-Residential
projects. These are further divided into three sub-
categories: Built projects;
Un-Built projects; Interior and/or Featured Element.
While the majority of projects submitted each
year tend to fall into the Built category, the
categories for Un-Built work and Interiors/Featured Element projects offer
ample opportunity to
Continued on page 5
Rostrum 2012 Issue 7
Page 5
delicious food and drink in the company of your AIA
colleagues.
Contact Donald Chin AIA
Design Awards Chairperson [email protected] with
questions or comments.
I encourage all of our Section’s members to show
us the work you do and are most proud of. With July
here, the Design Awards
are three months away and now would be a good time
to start planning your boards. And please be sure
to mark down October 11 on your calendar for the
opportunity to see the work of our member firms while
enjoying live music and
Building Tour: Kykuit
other examples of featured elements as well as the
complete submission requirements for the
Design Awards, please visit
the Newark and Suburban web site and follow the
links: www.aians.org/NewsEvents/Design Awards/2012Board Submission Information.
10:00 am Tour #1 (23 guests) ends: 12:15pm.
10:15 am Tour #2 (23 guests) ends: 12:30pm.
12:45 pm G r o u p
lunch (included) PLEASE ADVISE IF VEGETARIAN.
1:45 pm Bus Pick-up.
2:00 pm Bus Departure
back to Fairfield, NJ.
2 CEUs will be given.
Max. number of guest is 46.
Sign up here:
http://aians.org/building-tour-2/
carr iages and classic automobiles. This tour is
wheelchair accessible. No strollers please.
Cost per person: $75
This is a joint tour with Architects League.
Schedule:
7:15 am Bus Pick-up at
Bergy-Hollywood Office Building, 376 Hollywood
Avenue, Fairfield, NJ. We
are leaving at 7:30 AM Sharp!
9:15 am Arrival at Sleepy Hollow, NY visitors center.
Tour Date: September 15, 2012
www.hudsonva l ley .o rg /historic-sites/kykuit
AIA-NS Sponsor is Turner
Construction!!
Please join us for a Tour of
Kykuit, the hilltop paradise that was home to four
g e n e r a t i o n s o f t h e R o c k e f e l l e r f a m i l y ,
b e g i n n i n g w i t h t h e philanthropist John D.
Rockefeller, founder of
Standard Oil. His business acumen made him, in his
day, the richest man in America. Now a historic site
of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this
extraordinary landmark has been continuously and
meticulously maintained for
more than 100 years. The tour will include the main
floor of the house complete with its fine furnishings and
art; the subterranean art galleries; the Inner Garden
and West Terrace, with spectacular views of the
Hudson River and the
outdoor sculpture collection; and finally, the mammoth
Coach Barn with its col lect ion of antique
Continued from page 4 Design Awards