Monday, June 26, 2006

Free CES: Fiberglass Fenestration

Did you see the article "Fiberglass Fenestration: A Durable, Sustainable, and Economic Alternative for Windows and Doors" on page 277 in the June issue of Architectural Record?
It offers one AIA/CES Learning unit, including one hour of health safety welfare credit.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

The Donald Terner Prize for innovation and leadership in affordable housing

The I. Donald Terner Prize recognizes successful and innovative affordable housing projects and their leadership teams.
First Prize Award $25,000 Five Finalists Awards $5,000

An application may be submitted by anyone involved in the planning, development or operation of a project, but must include the approval of the original project sponsor, developer, and architect. Eligible projects must be located in the United States, and have been in operation for a sufficient amount of time to demonstrate success.

Applications are due on September 18, 2006

Applicants must me judged according to the following primary criteria:
  1. Design and construction quiality (e.g. sustainability, durability),
  2. Number of affordable housing units produced,
  3. Income-levels and social needs served by the projects,
  4. Positive impact on the lives of residents and the community, and,
  5. Innovation (e.g. creative financing techniques, partnership arrangements, use of density to increase project impact and affrodability, mix of income levels0.

Applicants must complete an application package which includes a cover sheet and supporting materials. Applications are available online at www.communityinnovation.berkeley.edu

Monday, June 19, 2006

Design Tour: Newark Fire Station No. 1


Tai-Ran Tseng, AIA, of Marcy Wong & Donn Logan Architects, will lead a tour of Wong & Logan's Newark Fire Station No. 1 on Thursday, June 22 at 5:30pm.

The City of Newark Fire Station No. 1 project is a new three-bay, 15,000 square-foot fire station. The level, three-acre site is on a prominent corner of the town’s main thoroughfare, which serves both as a link between major freeways, and as the town’s “downtown.” The context for the fire station includes a historic house the is planned to become a museum of the town’s history, a residential neighborhood, railroad tracks immediately adjacent to one side, and a car wash across the major street.

The address of Newark Fire Station #1 is 7550 Thornton Avenue in Newark. It is easy to get there via I-880; just go south from Berkeley and take Newark's Thornton exit, heading southwest.

This tour is open to the public, however, reservations are necessary. Please RSVP to kellie@aiaeb.org by Wednesday, June 21, 4:00pm.

There is no cost to attend. 1 CES/LU.

For more information: Contact Sidney Sweeney 510/464-3600

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

A DAY IN THE COUNTRY AT RUNNYMEDE

A DAY IN THE COUNTRY AT RUNNYMEDE
PICNIC + ART
Runnymede Sculpture Farm at 980 Runnymede Road in
Woodside

11 to 2 pm, Friday, August 11, 2006

We will have the "run of the farm" from 11:00am to 2:00pm with a
picnic box lunch. This is a joint event with AIA East Bay and ASID Peninsula Chapter.

"Runnymede is a private estate comprised of 125 acres of the Canada Valley on the outskirts of Woodside. Possessed of great natural beauty, the farm is also rich in art and history. More than 150 sculptures enliven the landscape, and among the buildings scattered across the grounds, the stately Tudor-Revival stable has long been a local landmark." - from Anthony Kirk.

Photographs cannot really capture the placement of
such monumental works.

The website for more information and directions is
www.ced.berkeley.edu/events/runnymede/.

Guests are invited to join us!
Please make reservations by August 3, Thursday. Cost is $45 including lunch.

For more information: Contact the ASID Office, 415-626-2743, or email
asidcan@earthlink.net .

Monday, June 12, 2006

Save $25 on Green Roof Symposium

Register today for the Green Roof Symposium and save $25. Enter promo code "sanjosegreenroof".

TUESDAY June 13th, 2006
San Jose State UniversityStudent Union Building - Ballroom One Washington SquareSan Jose, CA
Click
here to view a map.

Green roofs provide multiple environmental, economic, and social benefits to building owners, occupants, and the community. Because the nature and extent of green roof benefits vary from region to region, technical research is required at the local level to understand the performance and regional scale benefits specific to the City of San Jose.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a membership-based network of organizations working to further the green roof industry in North America, will be hosting a Green Roof Market Development Symposium in San Jose, CA. Our dynamic agenda will focus on local research needs and obstacles to green roof implementation in San Jose, help to increase awareness, and leverage local resources and investment.

The Symposium will feature: morning sessions, case studies, and afternoon focus groups, and the development of a San Jose Green Roof Action Plan.

For more information:
http://www.greenroofs.org/storage/San_Jose_html_promo.htm

Good Green Kitchens Book Signing

June 22 Thurs. 7:30p

Book signing and brief talk about Good Green Kitchens by Jennifer Roberts at
Builders Booksource, 1817 Fourth Street, Berkeley

For more information: 510/845.6874

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Resolution PASSED!

Resolution 06-01, sponsored by AIA East Bay, passed resoundingly this morning during the AIA's National Business Session.

The Votes:

Yes 2,489
No 760
Abstain 203

President David Byrens, AIA and Vice President/President-elect Bonnie Blake-Drucker, AIA were eloquent in their appeals to the delegates for support of the resolution on behalf of all firms, small and large.

For more information: Call Sidney Sweeney on Monday, 510/464-3600.

Friday, June 09, 2006

New McGraw-Hill Network Online

I just had breakfast with Candice Rogers, McGraw-Hill Construction's Southwest Editorial Manager. She told me about a great new online service that is taking the place of Sweets--and from the demos it looks even better.

It's called the Network for Products and includes manufacturers' directories, CAD drawings, photos of the products in finished projects, and more. It's customizable (you can save items to your own area on the site) and those items are updated automatically as new information is posted.

Best of all, there's no charge and it doesn't take up office space!

For more information: http://products.construction.com/portal/server.pt

Monday, June 05, 2006

Sunset Magazine's first Idea House

From Siegel & Strain Architects:

Come and see Sunset Magazine's first Celebration Idea House, built in Sunset's own backyard in Menlo Park. Designed by Siegel & Strain, the house will be on exhibit through June 18th, Fridays through Sundays.

A showcase of indoor / outdoor living, the 2,400 square foot house incorporates structural insulated panels (SIPs). These prefabricated panels can be quickly assembled on site and are more energy efficient that traditional wood frame construction - in this case nearly 40 percent more. Siegel & Strain collaborated with Tipping + Mar Engineers on structural design and High Sun Engineering on energy modeling and photovoltaic systems.

Siegel & Strain is recognized as a leader in sustainable design and design excellence. The firm has won more than 35 design warads over the past 12 years, including national and regional awards for sustainable design and research. Among these are three Top Ten Green Project of the Year awards, presented by the National AIA Committee on Environment (COTE), demonstariting that sustainable design excellence go hand-in-hand.

For more information:
www.sunset.com/sips