Lake Merritt BART Station & Chinatown Planning Project--an Overview

BART, the City of Oakland, and other agencies and organizations have begun the development of a comprehensive plan for the Lake Merritt BART Station/Chinatown area. The June 2nd RUD Forum will discuss the complex planning issues and diverse community ideas that will be encountered over the next two years. Community, BART, City, and representatives will present an overview.

The BART Administration Building, at the Lake Merritt BART Station, is being removed and the open space will be returned to the community by the end of 2009. BART, the City of Oakland and the Chinatown community have to organize to develop a comprehensive plan for the area. A preliminary set of Guiding Principles has been assembled from community groups which include specific ideas for improved public safety, increased employment and job training, housing, open space, business, transportation, cultural preservation, and health. The area has a complicated physical configuration which presents significant urban design challenges. The demographics are dynamic and diverse. Laney College is on south side of the project area, Lake Merritt is on the east, the freeway on the west and Chinatown to the north. The planning process will be intensive, and challenging. Representatives from the Community, BART, Oakland Planning Department, and Laney College, have been invited to attend. Over the course of the project, opportunities for involvement should emerge for architects, landscape architects, planners, urban designers, and other specialized consultants. You are invited to attend for an overview of this important local project as it begins with a discussion by representatives of many of the key decision-making organizations.

6/2/09

Lake Merritt BART Station & Chinatown Planning Project--an Overview

This forum will discuss the complex planning issues & diverse community ideas that will be encountered over the next two years of developing a comprehensive plan for this Oakland neighborhood. Presented by the Regional Urban Design Forum

Time: Noon - 1:30pm

Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland.

Cost: None, this program open to all

1.5 CES/LUs

For more information: 510/464-3600 or Douglas Frazier, AIA

ADA Compliance--Merging of Social & Environmental Sustainability

Community livability goes resource consumption and GHG emissions--it includes social welfare, human health and equal access. Join the Committee on the Environment on Friday, June 5th at noon for a discussion on the built environment, the ADA and sustainable accessibility.

Through experiential narratives of members of the disabled community, we will take a broader look at sustainability using the ADA as a baseline, shifting the focus from individual building design and code requirements to the needs of an accessible, sustainable system as a whole.

Moderator: Michael Coleman, AIA
Panelists: Barry Ryan, Chris Finn, and Kris Lange

6/5/09

ADA Compliance--Merging of Social & Environmental Sustainability

Presented by the Committee on the Environment

Time: Noon-1:30pm

Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland.

Contact: 510/464-3600

Cost: Free for AIA East Bay members; $10 members of other chapters; $25 for non-members

Registration required. Click here to register http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/69202.

1.5 CES/HSW Lus MCE

For more information: Call 510/464-3600

Tom Butt, FAIA of Interactive Resources is Featured Speaker at "Green is Gold" Expo in Richmond

Click here and here for files.

The Richmond Chamber of Commerce and the City of Richmond will host the “Green is Gold Expo” at the award-winning historic Craneway Pavilion at the Richmond waterfront on May 14, 2009, with events from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM.

Three speakers, including Tom Butt, FAIA, of Interactive Resources, will address green subjects between 12:00 noon and 2:00 PM:

"Green Buildings and Energy Efficiency"

Speaker Tom Butt, founder and President of Interactive Resources, a multidisciplinary architecture and engineering firm. A writer, researcher, and lecturer in the field of applied technology and building performance, Tom also serves on the Richmond City Council. (www.intres.com)

"Green Jobs and Careers"

Speaker Jim Cassio, career information and workforce development consultant, author, and trainer. Specializing in green workforce issues, Jim's most recent book is "Green Careers: Choosing Work for a Sustainable Future". (www.cassio.com)

"Sustainability Issues, Approaches, and Payoffs"

Speaker Gil Friend, President and CEO of Natural Logic, a strategic sustainability consultancy. Gil's firm delivers advisory services and implementation systems that make exceptional environmental performance a source of innovation and profit. (www.natlogic.com)

Interactive Resources has been a leader in energy-efficient design from the day it was founded in 1973. See the attached files for current work involving engineering for large solar PV arrays.

See information below about the expo.

Green is Gold Expo

The tour itineraries are subject to change but here are some of the stops we will be making along the way:
Richmond Build / Solar Richmond - pioneering non-profits
paving the way for a future in solar energy
The Richmond Greenway, a project of Urban Tilth - converting
old railroad tracks to a scenic parkway
Belle Aire Displays - one of the pioneering sustainable stadium
banner producers in the country
Sims Metal - the hub of recycling and reclamation in Richmond
West County Solar Farm - treating the water and waste water
for the entire city with the power of the Sun!

Vetrazzo - making dazzling surfaces and countertops from
recycled glass
SunPower Corp - operating solar panels across the globe from a
geo-tracking device in Richmond

Plus, we'll visit many sustainable topics, highlighting the pivotal issues and showing you “Sustainable Solutions in Action!” It will be a day packed with information and fun!

For more information: Join us for ALL or PART of these exciting events.

FREE: Building Knowledge Workshop

You Are Invited!

Beyond Aesthetics: Using Wood to Achieve Solid Building Performance

The WoodWorks education series resumes in June in California. We are hosting a series of daylong workshops for Architects, Engineers, Building Officials, Contractors and Developers. The program is free and lunch will be provided. This will be one of the best seminars you attend this year! The daylong program will qualify for 5.5 AIA/HSW credits.

Workshop Agenda

Registration: 7:45 – 8:15 a.m.
Program Begins: 8:15 a.m.
Lunch: Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Program Concludes: 4:45 p.m.

Dates & Locations

June 9^th – Oakland
Marriott Oakland City Center
101 Broadway
SPACE IS LIMITED!

For more information: Click here to register and read more.

AIA Convention - Great Finds

Convention is packed full of great finds for practices. Did you find them all? Come ready to share and tell!

5/21/09

Professional Practice Forum: AIA Convention - Great Finds

Time: Noon - 1:00pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland.

Contact: 510/464-3600 or Tim Craig, AIA

Cost: None; this program open to all.

For more information: 510/464-3600

Be a Part of Developing Oakland's Landmark Energy and Climate Action Plan

From the City of Oakland:

"Thank you" to everyone who participated in either of the two second-round public workshops held by City staff on April 30th to gather input on the Oakland Energy and Climate Action Plan.

Online Input Opportunity - This Week

City staff will continue to take public input on the same topics covered at the April 30th workshops through Friday, May 8, 2009.

Copies of the worksheets used to gather feedback at the April 30th workshops are now available on the City's website at www.sustainableoakland.com.

All members of the public are encouraged to download these worksheets, complete them electronically, and email them to climateaction@oaklandnet.com. Alternatively, you may fax or mail them per directions on the website.

For more information: www.sustainableoakland.com.

Mold and Construction 101

Tom Wangerin will discuss construction defects that produce moldy buildings, investigation, remediation and legal issues.

What is mold and how does it end up growing inside buildings? What are common sources of water intrusion? What are the real health effects associated with mold? How do we inspect and remediate mold? What legal cases originated from construction and indoor mold growth?

Tom Wangerin of LaCroix Davis LLC, an environmental and building defects forensic consulting firm, will answer these questions and more. Tom is the director of the nationally recognized asestos and lead paint training program at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at UC Berkeley. In this talk he will briefly summarize some key issues regarding mold in the interior environment including the construction defects that allow moisture into a building and real health effects of mold.

6/4/09

Small Firm Forum: Mold and Construction 101

Construction defects that produce moldy buildings; investigation, remediation and legal issues.

Time: Noon - 1:30pm

Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland.

Contact: 510/464-3600

Cost: Free for AIA Members; $3 for non-members.

1.5 CES/LU

For more information: 510/464-3600