Monthly Program: New Member & Fellows Reception

Join us as we celebrate new members and the 2010 Fellowship recipient Bonnie Blake-Drucker, FAIA, who will present recent work.

The recognition will continue with chapter awards and a fast paced overview of what's in the works for 2011 from our committees and forums.

Members - make a 2011 resolution to get involved with the chapter this year!

The program is followed by a wine and cheese networking reception in the AIA East Bay Chapter Office.

Sponsored by Aerotek.

1/26/11
Monthly Program: New Member & Fellows Reception
Time: 5:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact: 510/464-3600
Cost: $6 for AIA East Bay Chapter Members and employees of member firms; $11.50 for non-members. Registration required. Click here to register.
.5 CES LUs

For more information: 510/464-3600

Accessible Residential Dwellings

Designing homes to be accessible, universal, and tailored to the unique needs of their inhabitants poses unique challenges. For people with special needs or disabilities—whether from birth, illness, or accident—traditional homes can present many barriers. For architects designing residential environments, the design process can find some guidance in access codes and the principles of universal design. State and Federal access codes applicable to residential facilities establish minimum requirements. Universal Design expands on the definition of accessibility to create environments that are easy to use by everyone.

This seminar recognizes that neither is truly sufficient alone to meet the needs of and optimize access to people with special needs. We will explore design solutions in the context of these issues. The intent of this seminar is to raise awareness about federal and California state accessibility requirements in residential design, highlight common design errors and appropriate solutions, underscore the legal consequences of non-compliance, and provide resources for additional information.

Learning Objectives:
• List critical design issues and resources in creating homes for people with special needs
• Identify best practices in the design process for creation of homes for people with special needs
• Recognize the value of raised sensitivity levels, skills, and knowledge to better serve clients with special needs in a variety of architectural settings

Topics covered will include:
1) regulations that apply to residential projects
2) most promising practices
3) design guidelines and standards
4) universal access and home design

1/25/11
Accessible Residential Dwellings
Presented by Craig Williams, CASp.
Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact: 510/464-3600
Cost: $50 for AIA Members; $75 for non-members. Registration required. Click here to register.
2 CES/HSW/MCE LUs

For more information: 510/464-3600

Regional & Urban Design Forum: Waterworld: Ferry TOD's

Using Bay Area waterways for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is a great way to create and strengthen connections between Bay Area cities. The Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) is making efforts to improve the ability of ferries to respond in an emergency and improve transit in a heavily congested area. At the next Regional and Urban Design Meeting we will be discussing ferry terminals in Antioch, Martinez and Hercules.

Antioch and Martinez terminals can support growing waterfront business and residential communities by anchoring Water-Transit Oriented Development (WaTOD).

Berkeley ferry service is a vital link in improving our regions emergency response capabilities as well as a sound transit investment. Following natural or man-made disasters, a Berkeley ferry terminal increases our region's ability to respond quickly to evacuate passengers.

A new Hercules waterfront development "Hercules Bayfront" -- a mixed-use commercial and residential area, complete with a bus stop and rail station - is currently under development adjacent to the proposed ferry terminal.

• The waterfront project will include approximately 1,392 dwelling units, 134,000 sq. ft. of flex space, 205,000 sq. ft. of retail, office and civic space, parking and a variety of restaurants and cafes. It will be pedestrian and bike friendly.

• A total of nearly 2,900 dwelling units have been or are in development along the Hercules waterfront.

Join us at noon on Tuesday, January 11, to hear John Sindzinski explain these projects and other ferry terminal projects at Redwood City, South San Francisco, and Treasure Island and learn about related terminal area development.

John Sindzinski

John Sindzinski began working for the WTA January 2005. He last hails from Community Transit in Everett, Washington, where he was the Chief Operations and Development Officer. Prior to living in Washington, he gained a working knowledge of Bay Area transit issues while serving as staff at Contra Costa County Connection and MTC. John holds a BA from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) from UC Berkeley.

Learning Objectives

• What are the environmental advantages of ferry transit?
  What is the history of ferry service in the Bay Area, including the new WETA?
  What projects is WETA pursing around the Bay Area to achieve environmental goals and reduce GHG?
  How to these projects relate to increasing TOD project opportunities?
  How does WETA provide emergency response services to the Bay Area?

1/11/11
Regional & Urban Design Forum: Waterworld: Ferry TOD's
John Sindzinski, Manager, Planning and Development, will present and overview of WETA and discuss new ferry terminals around the Bay and related terminal area development.
Time: Noon - 1:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact: 510/464-3600 or Doug Frazier, AIA
Cost: None; this forum is open to all. Please RSVP.
1.5 CES LUs

For more information: 510/464-3600

LED Lighting - Truths & Half Truths

LED Lighting is enjoying a great deal of interest these days because it is a “Green” product and uses less electricity than other forms of lighting. As design professionals, it is important to become familiar with this new lighting technology and its many benefits. This presentation will review code considerations, applications, and installation requirements for LED lighting. It will include a slide show and plug-in demonstrations of products of interest to architects with a focus on residential lighting.

PARAM ELECTRIC has designed, specified & installed all types of lighting & control systems from Napa to Cupertino. They have offices in San Francisco & Walnut Creek and have served the Bay Area for over 20 years.

2/3/11
Small Firm Forum: LED Lighting - Truths & Half Truths
Become familiar with code considerations, application and installation requirements for LED lighting. PARAM ELECTRIC will discuss how this green alternative uses less electricity than other forms of lighting demonstrate plug-in products of interest to architects with a focus in residential lighting.
Time: Noon - 1:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact: 510/464-3600 or Donald Wardlaw, AIA
Cost: Free for AIA members; $3.00 for non-members.
1 CES LU

For more information: 510/464-3600

Assigning Information in ArchiCAD for Material Takeoffs

At the January ArchiCAD User Group, we will examine ways that you can use ArchiCAD's database to assign properties to building elements and generate a material takeoff. We will examine how to create and assign database properties and how to create a schedule. The concepts we present are applicable to all construction elements in ArchiCAD including walls, roofs, slabs, floors, columns and beams.

Tom Simmons, President of ARCHVISTA, will present at this User Group. ARCHVISTA is the authorized ArchiCAD reseller for Northern California and is recognized for expertise in Building Information Modeling (BIM) as well as its implementation. Tom has spoken at major industry events including EcoBuild, AEC Systems, AIA Desert Practice Conference, AIA Monterey Design Conference and the Dwell Conference. He has authored several books and articles on Building Information Modeling and architectural technologies. Tom has a Masters of Architecture from University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University.

1/5/11

ArchiCAD User Group: Assigning Information in ArchiCAD for Material Takeoffs

We will examine ways that you can use ArchiCAD's database to assign properties to building elements and generate a material takeoff.

Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact: 510/464-3600

Cost: None; this user group open to all. Registration is required. Click here to register.
1.5 CES LUs

For more information: Call 510/464-3600

Small Firm Forum: Economic Impacts on the Office

Even before the Great Recession, the Architectural Office was evolving in numerous directions. In recent prosperous times we could see the impact of technology which reshaped job roles and the work process and product of the architectural office. We could see the influence of evolving societal attitudes toward workers, the workplace and the changing demographics of architectural profession.

But when things really hit the fan, other forces began to strongly shape the architectural office. Rent, insurance, a severe shortage of work, the need to preserve capital before all was lost, caused many architects to look at whether the manner in which the office was organized and run would aid survival or imperil it.

Please join us for an open, free-wheeling discussion of how our office concepts are matched to the times. Share your experiences and learn from those of others.

In addition to the hoped for unexpected insights, we also have the following learning objectives:

1. Learn what adjustments peers have been making in the size, cost and location of their office in response to a challenging economic environment.

2. Gain an understanding of what other architects have been willing to compromise in order to avoid changes in their vision of what their office should be, if they have.

3. Develop a perspective on the question as to whether changes in response to the cost of maintaining an office that is too large or too expensive have affective the product or our work or our standard of care.

4. Develop a perspective that helps us to understand what changes seem to transcend the current recession and which are due to it, in order to understand better where we are heading as prosperity or an improved economy arrives.

1/6/11

Small Firm Forum: Organizing Your Office to Adapt to Changes in the Economic Climate

Join us for a round table discussion on how office concepts change to match the times. Share your experiences and learn what measures others have been taking to keep their firms alive in today's challenging economic environment.

Time: Noon - 1:30pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600 or Donald Wardlaw, AIA

Cost: None; this forum is open to all. Please RSVP.

For more information: 510/464-3600

Monthly Program: The New ADAAG - The 2010 Standard for Compliance with the ADA

It has been almost 20 years since the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). There have been little changes to the guidelines, but many interpretations have been offered by the Department of Justice (DOJ), who enforce the Federal Law. The new guidelines or "2010 ADA Standards" as they're known, contain significant changes in addition to providing additional direction for compliance. These standards will be optional starting March 15, 2011 and mandatory on March 15, 2012. Kerwin Lee, AIA will give an overview of the changes and how that will affect the design and built community.

Join us after the program in the AIA East Bay Chapter Office for a wine and cheese networking reception.

2/23/11

Monthly Program: The New ADAAG - The 2010 Standard for Compliance with the ADA

The program is followed by a wine and cheese networking reception in the AIA East Bay Chapter Office. Presented by Kerwin Lee, AIA.

Time: 5:30pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600

Cost: $15.75 for AIA East Bay Chapter Members; $35 for non-members. Registration required. Click here to register.

1.5 CES/MCE/HSW LUs

For more information: 510/464-3600

greenewall Industries: New Sustainable Exterior Wall System

greenewall Industries designs, develops, manufactures and sells ecologically sustainable architectural products, centered around an exterior wall system known as greenewall. greenewall is the only exterior wall fencing system in the market that is composed of ecologically sustainable materials, formed in to a post and panel system. Presented by Robert Hodgson, principal of greenewall Industries.

At the heart of greenewall panel is a recyclable honeycomb core panel; waterproof, fire resistant and pest resistant. The outer layer of the panel is stucco-coated impact-resistant, fireproof, green-certified materials, colored and formed to architecturally complement each unique project. 95% of the components in greenewall are 'green' certified and/or recyclable. No other 'green' manufacturer or product exists in the fencing industry to date.

Robert Hodgson, creator of greenewall and Principal of greenewall Industries, has 33 years of experience in industrial design development and 28 years of sales-marketing experience, including the past 12 in the construction industry. Robert holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois. Robert is a licensed general contractor based in Oakland. Prior to 2000 Robert Manufactured his own line of office furniture.

1/19/11
greenewall Industries: New Sustainable Exterior Wall System
Time: Noon - 1:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact: 510/464-3600
Cost: None; this forum is open to all. Please RSVP.

For more information: 510/464-3600

Getting the Most from Your 401(k)

This presentation will focus on the three basic areas of retirement plan improvement:

• Plan Design: Learn about 401(k) plan design and how company owners can contribute as much as $54,500/year
• Choosing 401(k) Plan Investments: Understand how to choose mutual funds and vendors for a 401(k) plan
• Creating a 401(k) Investment Plan Strategy: Learn how to apply Modern Portfolio Theory to create a "path of minimum regret"

Plan Design
Understand plan design and how to increase company owner contributions to as much as $54,500 per year, far beyond what has thought to be the $16,500 maximum (plus the $5,500 "catch-up" for those 50 and older). Learn how to fold retirement plan contributions into an overall compensation and bonus strategy so that they cease to be considered an "extra expense".

Choosing 401(k) Plan Investments
We'll focus on "open architecture", a proven performance advantage to selecting funds from an unlimited universe as opposed to choosing from a selection limited to the typical vendor's in-house proprietary funds.

• Gain an appreciation for what constitutes a reasonable fee structure for employee/participant
• See how fees are charged, how they must be reported to employees in dollars, and how they impact long-term results
• Learn how to negotiate with an existing vendor to provide a better-performing, more cost-effective investment selection
• Understand why your vendor emphasizes "target funds" and other high-profit margin products
• See through the "fiduciary scare tactic" and other self-serving industry misinformation

Creating a 401(k) Investment Plan Strategy
Learn how to identify inversely correlated investments and apply Modern Portfolio Theory to create a "path of minimum regret". Consider how qualified retirement plan investment decisions are impacted by equity in a home, potential inheritances, business assets and other factors that are often overlooked in the "silo" approach to managing personal finances.

Steve Butler is the founder and President of Pension Dynamics Corporation, a retirement plan consulting and administration company, located in the East Bay and in business since 1980.

Steve is the author of two books on 401(k) plans, and for the past 11 years has written a weekly financial column for multiple Bay Area News Group Newspapers including Contra Costa Time, Oakland Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, San Mateo Times and other related media.

Steve is the originator of the "Butler Index", an index of total costs of 401(k) plans, featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and MONEY magazine. Steve has also testified at Department of Labor and US House of Representatives cost-related hearings.

A graduate of Harvard, Steve then attended UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Business Administration.

2/2/11
Getting the Most from Your 401(k)
Steven Butler, President of Pension Dynamic Corporation, will present the three basic areas of retirement plan improvement. He will discuss 401(k) plan design, how to choose 401(k) plan investments, and how to create a 401(k) investment plan strategy.
Time: Noon - 1:00pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact: 510/464-3600
Cost: None; this program is open to all. Please RSVP.
1 CES LUs

For more information: 510/464-3600

Committee on the Environment Forum: Environmental & Public Health Considerations for Building Projects

Sustainable high-performance buildings are the current trend in the building industry prompted by global concerns for climate change and human health. Improved indoor air quality for human health and comfort is an integral component of a sustainable building. The use of low VOC-emitting building products and furnishings (e.g. compliance with CDPH/EHLB/Standard Method - California Section 01350) are now required by many building rating systems, as well as state, national and international green building codes. The codes requiring compliance include the LEED Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Criteria, Collaborative for High Performance School (CHPS) IEQ criteria, the 2010 California Green Building Codes (CalGreen), ASHRAE Standard 189.1 - Standard for the Design of High-performance, Green Buildings, and the Public Version 1.0 of the International Green Construction Code (IgCC).

Dr. Wenhao Chen will introduce the background and development history of the CDPH/EHLB/Standard Method, highlight its key contents, and discuss how it has been/is being used in various building codes and standards. Other current US and international efforts on the development of health-based material emission standards will also be briefly presented. The presentation provides useful information for Architects, Interior Designers and other design professionals on how to best utilize the Standard Method when selecting/specifying building materials and furnishings in design practice.

Dr. Chen is a research scientist with the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Section of California Department of Public Health (CDPH). She has a bachelor's and master's degree in Civil Engineering from Tianjin University in China as well as a doctorate from Syracuse University of Mechanical Engineering with emphasis on building energy and environmental system and indoor air quality. Her technical expertise includes material emissions, indoor air cleaning technologies and integrated building environmental system design.

At CDPH-IAQ, Dr. Chen has been leading the project of updating Standard Practice for the Testing of Volatile Organic Emissions from Various Sources Using Small-Scale Environmental Chambers (also known as CA 01350). Prior joining CDPH, she had worked in IAQ Key Competency Group at Carrier Corporation and later in Building Energy and Environmental Systems Lab (BEESL) at Syracuse University.

1/28/11

Committee on the Environment Forum: Environmental & Public Health Considerations for Building Projects

Dr. Wehnhao will discuss California Section 01350, the standard methods for the testing and evaluation of VOC emissions from indoor sources using environmental chambers.

Time: Noon - 1:30pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600 or Andrea Powell, Intl. Assoc. AIA

Cost: None; this program open to all. Please RSVP.

1.5 CES/HSW/SD LUs

For more information: 510/464-3600

Pleasanton Program: Advanced Technology for Interior Dividers

Chuck Wood, Business Development Manager for Partition Specialties, Inc. (PSI) will discuss advanced technology for automatic, practically silent interior dividers.

Gain a thorough understanding of the available motorized acoustically rated movable partitions used in interior applications. Learn the structural considerations needed when working with interior dividers as well as the various electrical powered partitions and their acoustical performance properties. This knowledge will be invaluable to designers looking for flexible space division.

1/27/11
Pleasanton Program: Advanced Technology for Interior Dividers
Time: Noon - 1:00pm
Location: Dahlin Group, 5865 Owens Dr., Pleasanton
Contact: 510/464-3600
Cost: None; this program open to all. Please RSVP.
1 CES/HSW/SD LU

For more information: 510/464-3600