Monday, April 30, 2007

Design Tour: Orinda City Hall

TUESDAY 5/01/07
Design Tour: Orinda City Hall
Join AIA East Bay for a pre occupancy tour of Orinda City Hall! This 14,000 sf office building, was designed to achieve a LEED Gold rating. The thin profile of the building maximizes daylighting and natural ventilation while forgoing the traditional compressor air conditioning typical for Orinda office buildings. The building is sited on an urban infill location in the "backyard" of the Christian Scientist Church on a steep and otherwise unbuildable site. More information is available at:
www.siegelstrain.com (click buttons to: projects, sustainable, Orinda City Offices)

Time: 4:00pm
Location:
Santa Maria Way, Orinda, CA 94563

Cost: None this tour is open to all RSVP's are Mandatory
Space is limited
1.0 CES/LU


For more information: Kellie Hewlett 510/464-3600

Be a Delegate at AIA Convention

If you're an architect or associate member of AIA East Bay going to San Antonio for the AIA Convention, think about being an official delegate for the chapter.

What is a Convention Delegate?
In San Antonio, AIA members will elect future leaders and debate and decide a wide range of important issues. Only accredited delegates may participate in voting. AIAEastBay encourages any chapter member interested in participating in AIA Business Sessions to be a delegate.

It was at the 2006 Convention in Los Angeles that the membership approved, almost unanimously to pass the AIA East Bay Resolution regarding the sizing of the Electronic Documents for Small Firms and Sole Proprietors.

Click here to download a copy of the 2007 Delegate Information Booklet.

What Do I Need to Do to Be a Delegate?
Most chapter delegates attend the California Caucus Breakfast on Thursday, May 3 to learn about important issues, behind-the-scenes information from California Regional Directors, and provide feedback to the Regional Directors. It is at this breakfast that you will receive your Delegate Card. After you have your card, you will go to the convention floor to be accredited and vote for the elected leadership. Resolutions are presented, debated and voted for on Saturday, May 5.

I Can't Attend the California Breakfast.
If you can't attend the breakfast but want to be a delegate call Sidney at 510/464-3600 asap.

What Business Sessions/Events Should I Attend?


THURSDAY, MAY 3
7:00-8:00am
California Caucus Breakfast
Marriott Riverwalk Hotel
Salon C


10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
AIA Candidate Speeches and Regional Caucuses

1:30-5 p.m. Delegate Accreditation and Voting (this time is open for delegates to go to the voting booth; it is not a program/session)

FRIDAY, MAY 4
9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Delegate Accreditation and Voting(this time is open for delegates to go to the voting booth; it is not a program/session)

SATURDAY, MAY 5
8:15-10 a.m.
AIA Annual Business Meeting

For more information: Sidney Sweeney 510/464-3600

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Need a Hotel Room at Convention?

The AIACC has two extra rooms available at the Omni La Mansion Del Rio during the upcoming AIA Convention. Please see the information below for details of the open reservations:

Omni La Mansion Del Rio
112 College Street
San Antonio, TX
http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/SanAntonioLaMansionDelRio.aspx

Room Rate: $193 per night plus taxes
Check in: May 2nd
Check out: May 6th

If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please contact Alyssa Griego (
agriego@aiacc.org) no later than Friday, April 27th and she will handle the switching of placing your name and credit card information on the reservation.

For more information: Alyssa Griego 916/448-9082

RFP: Architect Consultant for CAB

From the California Architects' Board:

"Attached is a copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for an Architect
Consultant for the California Architects Board. Please share this with
anyone you feel might be interested in the position. It is also available
on the Department of General Services Web site at www.dgs.ca.gov. Click on
Bid Opportunities, then View by Category, then Architectural and
Engineering, then scroll down to the link that says Architect Consultants.
It is also posted on the Board's Web site at www.cab.ca.gov."

For more information: please call Department of Consumer Affairs' contract
analyst Celia Reyes, at (916) 574-7295.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Charrette: Miraflores Conceptual Land Plan

From Tom Butt, FAIA:

MIRAFLORES CONCEPTUAL LAND PLAN FOR THE RICHMOND COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY – COMMUNITY CHARRETTE

The Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency, Eden Housing, the Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond (CHDC) and consultant firm Design, Community & Environment (DC&E) are holding a public meeting (charrette) to talk with the community about the Miraflores Conceptual Land Plan and gather community input.


This meeting will be held Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., at the Booker T. Anderson Community Center at 960 South 47th Street, Richmond, CA 94804.

The charrette will consist of a large group presentation and discussion, as well as hands-on work in small groups, that includes:

♦ Introduction and overview of the project, conditions in the plan area today, and the desired development program for the site.
♦ Discussion of the opportunities and constraints on the site, including historic resources, Baxter Creek, noise, air quality, traffic and circulation. DC&E will facilitate a large-group discussion to solicit meaningful public input on these topics and articulate a clear community vision for the site.
♦ Presentation of three alternatives that address each topic on the site in a different way. These alternatives will form the basis of the small group work.
♦ Collaboration in small groups to create a preferred site plan based on one or more of the identified three alternatives. Small group facilitators will guide charrette participants using maps and game pieces, as well as drawing on and annotating the site map, to locate single-family housing, multi-family housing, new streets, a daylighted Baxter Creek, bicycle and pedestrian paths, historic elements, and other facilities.
♦ Large group discussion of each group’s findings and major points. A spokesperson from each group will report back to all workshop participants. DC&E will summarize the points of consistency and disagreement between the groups. From this discussion and summary, a preferred alternative will be distilled for the Resident Advisory Committee to review before environmental review begins.


For more information, contact Natalia Lawrence, Development Project Manager, Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency at 510 307-8180

This public meeting on the future development of the Miraflores project is significantly important because of critical issues relating to the restoration and preservation of Baxter Creek, preservation and interpretation of historic structures, proximity to the Richmond Greenway and the new, low cost housing it will provide. Anyone interested in creeks, trails, history, smart growth and housing should attend.

Miraflores is the name given to a cluster of former nurseries owned and operated by Japanese-American families from the early 20th Century until just last year when the property was acquired by the Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency for housing development. It is adjacent to the Richmond Greenway, which is connected by an abandoned railroad tunnel under I-80 to san Pablo Avenue and the Ohlone Greenway. It is a short walk to BART, making it fit the definition of transit oriented development.

The property, located near Wall Avenue across I-80 from Home Depot, is not only the last vestige of a once-thriving industry that spread along the Richmond-El Cerrito border, but it is arguably the last of the intact pre-WW II nurseries in California. Donna Graves, director of a statewide project funded by the California State Library, Preserving California's Japantowns, which is documenting historic resources in 43 pre-WWII Japanese American communities across California, notes: “This project has not found any other pre-war nurseries in California, despite the fact that floriculture was a major area of occupation and innovation for Japanese immigrants and their children throughout California. This makes the Sakai and Oishi properties even more unique and significant not just to Richmond's history, but at the state and national level.”

The Miraflores site is also bisected by Baxter Creek. Originating in underground springs beneath the El Cerrito and Richmond hills, Baxter Creek runs down three narrow watersheds through Canyon Trail, Poinsett, and Mira Vista Parks. Also known as "Bishop Creek" and "Stege Creek," the entire watercourse flowed freely above ground in earlier times. The three branches join just south of Angelo's Delicatessen near the corner of San Pablo and MacDonald Aves. in Richmond. From there, the single stream flows below ground across the Richmond flats, above ground through Booker T. Anderson, Jr., Park, and finally into San Francisco Bay via Stege Marsh. Today, Baxter Creek remains above ground for only about one tenth of its length: quarter-mile sections in Canyon Trail, Poinsett, and Mira Vista Parks; a third-mile section on the east and west sides of San Pablo Ave. near MacDonald Ave.; and another third-mile section in Richmond's Booker T. Anderson, Jr., Park.

For more information: Natalia Lawrence, Development Project Manager, Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency at 510 307-8180

Friday, April 13, 2007

Magazine Submission: Money Magazine

From Duo Dickinson, AIA:

"As of last week, I am the "Contributing Editor for Home Design" for Money Magazine. In that role, I will be executing one article a month about home design projects – typically on a relatively small scale. Projects included in the magazine will be viewed by 7 million non-architects. The credits are on page, although small, but the truth is that if someone likes what they see, they’ll be able to find your name and, of course, if they contact the magazine I’ll make sure your name is given directly to them ASAP.

Unfortunately, the deadlines are excruciatingly tight, so I’ll need low content visuals (photos only are fine) of before and after shots of the following two items (for now!):

1. A dramatic change in a given exterior and/or interior due to new windows, skylights, etc.

2. A simple, discreet, easily understood (and yet wonderfully beautiful!) master bedroom addition.

Again, we need both before and after pics, and pehaps the seminal four to six shots, using low content, e-mailable art sent to me at duo.dickinson@snet.net no later than Monday, April 23. If they are professional shots, please supply the name and phone number of the photographer for follow up.

If you want to get a flavor of what these articles will be like, there will be an eight-page spread to launch my association with Money in the May issue that comes out in a couple of weeks. It shows some of my stuff, but also a wonderful project by Dennis Wedlick that fit the editorial message perfectly."

For more information:
Duo Dickinson, AIA
94 Bradley Road
Madison, CT 06443
203-245-0405
203-245-0093 fax
duo.dickinson@snet.net

Monday, April 09, 2007

Friends of First Church Berkeley: Annual Meeting

From the Friends of First Church Berkeley:

You're invited to The 2007 Annual Meeting of Friends of First Church Berkeley.

Sunday, April 29, 2007
2:30-4:30pm
First Church of Christ, Scientist (design by Bernard Maybeck)
2619 Dwight Way

Celebrate the New Auditorium Roof with a brief Organ Concert

Hear David Wessel, Assoc. AIA of Architecural Resources Group review the Preservation Project and the work still needed.
Honor Kenneth Cardwell, FAIA, Maybeck's first biographer
Enjoy a reception in the Fireplace Room

For more information: Judy at 925/376-3908

Friday, April 06, 2007

RFQ: Fire Stations/Emergency Generators

From the City of Richmond:

The City of Richmond has 7 fire stations, including one which is historic because it was part of the WW-II Kaiser Shipyards that require emergency generators. Please, ask your members who have this type of expertise to e-mail me their qualifications by 5PM April 13. This will be a fast-tracked project because the funds are in jeopardy. We expect to interview candidates in the next week or two and make the final selection about one week later.

Roger W Helbig, C.P.M.
Senior Buyer
Purchasing Div/Finance Dept

City of Richmond, CA
(510) 620-6731 (v)
(510) 620-6522 (f)

For more information: roger_helbig@ci.richmond.ca.us

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Women in Architecture: Landscape Architecture and Urban Design

4/12/07
Women in Architecture: Landscape Architecture and Urban Design


Cathy Garrett, landscape architect and a principal at PGAdesign, Inc will present their office’s urban design concepts and how she approaches the design of tight urban spaces, both in the public and private realms. Cathy will also talk about how she works with architects and ideas on what architects can do to work well with landscape architects.

Time: 5:30pm-7:00pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact:
Kellie Hewlett to RSVP
This meeting open to all!
Click here to RSVP
Cost: None
1.5 CES/LU

Culture and Security With Homi Bhabha

From SFMOMA:

Culture and Security With Homi Bhabha
Thursday, April 12, 6:30 p.m.
Phyllis Wattis Theater

Is your culture capable of killing me? For Bhabha, this question defines the West’s attitude toward the rest of the world today. While in the past the concern was whether other cultures were capable of modernization (i.e., Westernization) or capitalism, the Western perspective in the 21st century is determined by a demand for security. Bhabha explores what is at stake given this new state of affairs and discusses the role of cultural practice in response.

Founded in 1995 through the generosity of Phyllis Wattis, this series of lectures brings influential thinkers to SFMOMA. This spring’s distinguished lecturer is Homi Bhabha, Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. Bhabha is one of the most incisive and eloquent theorists of cultural identity working today. His books include The Location of Culture, Nation and Narration, and the new work A Measure of Dwelling, which addresses the history of cosmopolitanism. Okwui Enwezor, dean of academic affairs at the San Francisco Art Institute, will speak in response to the lecture, drawing on his experience as curator of numerous exhibitions on the global politics of contemporary art.

$8 general; $5 SFMOMA members, students, and seniors.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

For more information: www.sfmoma.org

Vallejo Design Review Board Openings

The Vallejo Waterfront Coalition is please to announce that the City of Vallejo is in the process of establishing a Design Review Board (DRB) for the Downtown and Waterfront areas of the city.

As of April 1, the City has advertised its notice soliciting interested residents, employees and business owners to apply for an appointment on the DRB. Please visit our website for more information and to view the City's official announcement: www.vallejowaterfrontcoalition.org.

You can also view the City's website at: http://www.ci.vallejo.ca.us/GovSite/.

The deadline to apply for an appointment on the Vallejo DRB is April 20, 2007!

For more information: Marti Brown, Co-ChairVallejo Waterfront Coalition 916-440-1399 x1293

Great Communities in Pittsburg

From TALC:

Great Communities in Pittsburg
-- April 12 & 23

As a part of the Great Communities Collaborative, TALC is working to ensure that half of all new homes built by 2030 are in affordable, walkable communities near transit. The latest frontier in this effort is happening in Pittsburg this April, with two key meetings on April 12th and April 23rd that will determine how Pittsburg will grow around the proposed eBART station. Please go to the link below to find out more about these meetings and how you can be involved in promoting equitable and sustainable development in Pittsburg.

For more information:
www.transcoalition.org/c/gci/pittsburg.html

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: How do you design a project your client can afford to build?

Attend the Small Firm Forum tomorrow, Thursday April 5, 2007 from Noon-1:30pm for a Roundtable Discussion titled, "How do you Design a Project Your Client Can Afford to Build?"

4/5/07
Noon-1:30pm
AIA East Bay
1405 Clay Street
Oakland, CA
BART: 12th Street/City Center Station.

Discussion will be facilitated by Andus Brandt (Blackbird Designs), and Kaaren & Joe Spitzley(Spitzley Construction, Inc.).

Please be prepared to describe briefly: 1) A project that got built and the process that led to a successful completion, 2) A project that did not get built and the process that led to things falling apart, 3) What were the main differences that made (1) successful and (2) unsuccessful?

•Did your client have a budget?
•When did you and your client start cost analysis?
•Did you work with a contractor for the cost analysis?
•Does the choice of engineer(s) make any difference?
•Do you or your client choose the consultant(s), e.g. soils engineer, structural engineer?
•How often do you have a surveyor work on your projects?
•Other - please bring your own pertinent issues.

For more information: 510/464-3600

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Multiculturalism + Architecture Symposium

From Prescott Reavis, NOMA:

What:
Multiculturalism + Architecture Symposium
Social, Political, and Cultural change and its effect on the built environment.

When:
April 14, 2007
10:00AM - 2:00 PM

Where:
California College of the Arts
Timken Lecture Hall
1111 8th Street
San Francisco, CA

Whom:
CCA NOMAS Chapter

For more information: Amanda Bassiely
abassiely@nomascca.com

Monday, April 02, 2007

Regional Transportation Update and its Effect on Livable Community Design

From SMPS:

Regional Transportation Update and its Effect on Livable Community Design
April 19
11:30am-2:00pm

Please join us for an in-depth look at improvements and expansions to transportation systems in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Included will be a detailed report on the plans for a statewide high-speed rail system – joining San Francisco to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Palmdale, Palmdale to Fresno, Fresno to Sacramento, and Sacramento to San Jose. This monolith is already meaning big contracts to environmental firms with billions & billions more in the pipeline. With all the transportation work on the horizon, we’ll hear what regional planners are doing to develop more livable communities by embracing transit corridors.

We will provide current information on activities of major transportation initiatives including updating California High Speed Rail Authority, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and BART, amongst others. We will also explore opportunities for Transit Oriented Development such as commercial, mixed-use, housing and retail with agencies such as Transportation and Land Use Coalition, BART, County Transportation Agencies, and more.

Keynote Speaker: Stuart Cohen, Executive Director, Transportation & Land Use Coalition

Panel: Dan Leavitt, Deputy Director, California High-Speed Rail Authority
Christina Watson, Transportation Planner, Transportation Agency of Monterey County
Jeff Ordway, Manager of Property Development, Bay Area Rapid Transit

Registration deadline: April 13th. 2 CEUs – Domains 1 & 3. Marine's Memorial Club & Hotel, 609 Sutter Street @ Mason, San Francisco 94102.

For more information: Open the registration link here.

RFQ: Santa Rosa Courthouse Square Design Competition

SANTA ROSA COURTHOUSE SQUARE DESIGN COMPETITION

The City of Santa Rosa, California is sponsoring an open one-stage competition to select a winning design for its revitalized Courthouse Square, and thereby, to select the team to implement this design. Courthouse Square is the “town center” of Santa Rosa and is the focal point of downtown. Its landscaped spaces and plaza areas provide for a range of activities, performances, and entertainment right in the heart of downtown. It attracts business activity and patrons, retail facilities and shoppers, performers and audiences. It is a distinctive place that residents can take pride in identifying as the center of their hometown. The new Courthouse Square will be at the heart of the City’s downtown revitalization program. The total project cost for design and construction is estimated at $7 million (in 2006 costs). Bill Liskamm, FAIA will serve as the Competition Advisor.

Five teams will be selected to participate in this competition following a review of Statements of Qualifications, which are due May 2, 2007. The competition will run from mid-May through August. For additional information and the Request for Qualifications, visit
http://ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/default.aspx?pageID=661. For information on the City of Santa Rosa visit http://ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/

A Pre-Proposal Briefing and site tour will be held beginning at 10 AM, Wednesday, April 18, 2007 in the Council Chamber, City Hall, 100 Santa Rosa Avenue.


For more information: visit http://ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/default.aspx?pageID=661