Steinberg on Steinberg

From 6-7 pm, Thursday, January 12, 2012, architect Robert Steinberg, FAIA will discuss the legacy of Goodwin (“Goody”) Steinberg, as part of the Neutra House Architecture Speaker Series. The lecture is at the Los Altos Community Center, 97 Hillview Avenue, Los Altos. CEUs will be reported by AIA Santa Clara Valley

During his 50-year career, Goody designed homes, corporate campuses, public buildings, and houses of worship. Notable examples include homes in Los Altos Hills, the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce and the Los Altos History Museum, Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, and the Tech Museum in San Jose. Tickets are $20 general; $10 students.  

For more information: visit www.neutrahouse.org. Purchase tickets online or at the door.

Society for Industrlal Archeology Event

Evening speaker: Richard Anderson

Topic: Applications of Digital Images to CAD in Industrial Archeology

Location: Historic Central Building, downtown Oakland

In some cases sets of historic photographs of IA sites can be “mined” for dimensional data for use in 2D and 3D CAD modeling, an application of digital techniques to old images that can be very productive. The site plan for the Irondale Furnace complex in Birmingham, Alabama was recovered this way, for purposes of archeological site management, protection and interpretation to the public. This presentation will focus on how the CAD modeling, historic photographs and basic site dimensions taken in the field were used to arrive at a fairly accurate digital recreation of the principal furnace structures.

Often dimensional information about an industrial archeology site is as significant to document as the site’s visual appearance or business and technical history. Properly taken, photographs can yield dimensional data for reports and drawings or kept in archival storage for later information retrieval. Digital imaging presents many more opportunities than film for taking and adjusting images for extracting dimensions, particularly in drawings, whether the drawings are done by hand or in a CAD system. Some steps can apply to scans of film or photographic prints as well. A few basic post-processing steps produce images that can be traced or used to supplement or substitute for drawings. There are basic techniques for setting up camera equipment for rectified photographs that aren’t difficult or expensive. If you are aware of the kinds of distortions produced by photography then you can compensate for them.

Richard is in town helping to document the Wapama steam schooner and will talk a bit about the work he’s doing on that project.

About our speaker: Educated as an architect, Richard Anderson took a job with HAER in 1978 as a temporary career hoping to buy a little time while he refined his goals. HAER suited Richard well so he stayed till 1989. In addition to conducting numerous field projects for HAER and occasional private clients and museums, he rewrote the HAER field manual and wrote the HAER Guidelines for Recording Historic Ships, both still in use. Since beginning work as a private consultant he has finished projects for numerous museums and government agencies, ranging from traditional HAER documentation to mapping projects, digitizing historic drawings and writing occasional site histories. He served as SIA’s national secretary from 1995 to 2010. Richard can be reached via e-mail at or at 803-983-5088. His web site is .

For More information: RSVP to Tony Meadow ameadow@gmail.com or call him at 510-334-8161 (cell).

Historic Preservation & OHA Lecture: Application of the State Historical Building Code - Case Studies

What are the most common obstacles in the Building Code for rehabilitation projects of historic buildings? How can the State Historical Building Code and the State Historical Building Safety Board assist to retain the character defining features of historic buildings?

Join the AIA East Bay Historic Preservation Committee and the Oakland Heritage Alliance (OHA) on Thursday, April 8 for this informative program. After the lecture presented by Alan R. Dreyfuss, AIA and Una Gilmartin there will be a wine and cheese reception.

Alan R. Dreyfuss, AIA
Alan is an Associate Principal at Wiss, Janey, Elstner Associates, Inc. He specializes in rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic structures. Alan is recognized as an expert in building codes for historic buildings. He was instrumental in the development of the 2001 and 2007 California Historic Building Code and is currently chair of the State Historical building Safety Board. His projects have won numerous awards such as five Design Awards from the California Preservation Foundation and six recognitions from the Oakland Heritage Alliance, Berkeley Design Advocates and the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society.

Una Gilmartin
Una is an Associate Principal at Wiss, Janey, Elstner Associates, Inc. She has experience in seismic evaluation and upgrade projects, including many historic structures. She specialises in historic preservation, concrete deterioration, earthquake and fire damage investigation as well as seismic evaluation and upgrade design.


4/8/10
Historic Preservation & OHA Lecture: Application of the State Historical Building Code - Case Studies
Presented by Alan R. Dreyfuss, AIA and Una Gilmartin of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
Time: 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland.
Contact: 510/464-3600
Cost: $10.50 for all attendees that register and pay prior to the program; $20 for any payment taken at the door. Registration Required. Click here to register.
1.5 CES LUs

For more information: 510/464-3600

Climate Benefits of Construction & Demolition Recycling

This program will incorporate presentation on the climate benefits of Construction & Demolition recycling, ways to incorporate deconstruction and recycling techniques on the job site as well as a brief video which chronicles a large scale deconstruction project at the Port of Oakland.

Construction and Demolition (C&D) debris comprises approximately 20% of all materials sent to landfill – landfills are one of the largest generators of methane, a gas that is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Meri Soll from StopWaste.Org will present a variety of resources relating to C&D debris including job site recycling techniques, deconstruction projects and resources, and the important role C&D recycling plays as it relates to climate change. A video titled “Timbers of 802, Chronicles of a Deconstruction project” will be shown which highlights a successful large scale Port of Oakland deconstruction project.

StopWaste.Org is the Alameda County Waste Management Authority and the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board operating as one public agency. StopWaste.Org offers a wide range of programs in the areas of waste prevention, public education, home composting, recycled product procurement, technical assistance, low interest loans and grants to non-profit organizations and businesses.

Meri Soll joined StopWaste.Org in 1996, with previous environmental experience in both the public and private sectors. Meri serves as the primary contact to the construction and demolition industry for C&D recycling projects with responsibilities that include administration of C&D processor diversion reporting, management of the Builders' Guide to Reuse and Recycling and development of regional partnerships to develop a regional C&D recycling facility certification program. Meri also manages the Agency's Revolving Loan Fund, Grants to Non Profit program, and other resource assistance programs for businesses and public organizations. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

11/20/09

Committee on the Environment Forum: Climate Benefits of Construction & Demolition Recycling

Time: Noon - 1:30pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600

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

1.5 CES/HSW/SD LU

For more information: 510/464-3600

Lecture: Lisa Iwamoto - Recent Work

Lisa Iwamoto teaches design studios and graduate seminars at UC Berkeley. Her book, Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Techniques, was published in July of 2009 by Princeton Architectural Press as part of their series on Architectural Briefs. Lisa is partner of IwamotoScott Architecture, a practice formed in partnership with Craig Scott and committed to pursue architecture as a form of applied design in research. Join AIA East Bay's Women in Architecture Committee for a lecture on her recent work.

At IwamotoScott Architecture, Lisa Iwamoto engages in projects at multiple scales and in a variety of contexts consisting of full scale fabrications, museum installations and exhibitions, theoretical proposals, competitions and commissioned design projects. IwamotoScott’s work has been published widely nationally and internationally. Recent projects include: Voussoir Cloud, SCIArc Gallery, Los Angeles; ORDOS100; Hydronet, the winning scheme for City of the Future: San Francisco 2108; REEF, PS1 Young Architects Program 2007; and Jellyfish House, a theoretical house design incorporating ambient technologies for the Vitra Design Museum’s exhibition OPEN HOUSE. As an Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture at The University of California, Berkeley, Iwamoto's research focuses on digital fabrication and material technologies for architecture.

11/12/09

Women In Architecture Forum: Lecture: Lisa Iwamoto - Recent Work

Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600 or Laura de la Torre, Assoc. AIA

Cost: None; this lecture is open to all.

TBD CES/LU

For more information: 510/464-3600

Confronting Crisis, Crash and Collapse: Creating 21st Century Built Environment Solutions for Health, Economy, and Environment

Confronting Crisis, Crash and Collapse:
Creating 21st Century Built Environment Solutions for Health, Economy, and Environment

A lecture by Richard Jackson, MD

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The American Institute of Architects, East Bay

1405 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612

Directions

5:30pm Check-in

5:45pm Lecture begins with reception to follow

Tickets

$3 AIA members; $5 Non-members; $15 at the door

Please purchase tickets in advance.

On Wednesday, September 30th, Dr. Richard Jackson, an internationally recognized environmental health expert, will address the East Bay community on matters of public health and the built environment. The lecture is presented by The American Institute of Architects , East Bay at 5:30pm at 1405 Clay Street in downtown Oakland .

While architects struggle with increased demands and diminished revenues, the nation faces an onslaught of challenges: dramatic increases in diabetes and chronic diseases with crushing health care costs, greenhouse gases on the rise, and species and resources in dramatic decline. Piecemeal efforts will not reverse these threats. In his lecture, “Confronting Crisis, Crash and Collapse: Creating 21st Century Built Environment Solutions for Health, Economy, and Environment” Dr. Jackson will ask how, through the built environment, can we find opportunities to prevent disease and promote physical and mental health?

Dr. Jackson has served as chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Environmental Health, as the CDC National Center for Environmental Health’s director, and as California ’s state health officer. Over the past decade a portion of his work has been on how the 'built environment', including architecture and urban planning, affects health. Jackson works on the health impacts of environmental threats, ranging from toxic substances, chemical body burdens, terrorism, loss of resources, destructive farm policies, climate change, and bad urban design. Currently, he is chair of Environmental Health Sciences at UCLA School of Public Health.

For more information please call AIA East Bay at 510/464-3600.

Presented by the Regional Urban Design Committee.

1 CES/Lu

Mexican Architects in Current Practice

The San Francisco Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects would like to invite you to their September Presentation.

In celebration of Latino Heritage Month, SFNOMA presents "Mexican Architects in Current Practice". Our guest speaker Abel Romero will present the work of four innovative Mexican architects: Tatiana Bilbao, Michel Rojkind, Fernando Romero and Teddy Cruz. Mr. Romero's lecture will examine how these architects address issues of shifting borders, aesthetics, urbanism and authenticity.

Abel Romero was born in Mexico and grew up in California. Romero is a graduate of Stanford University's Architecture and Engineering program. He currently works for the San Francisco Department of Public Works Bureau of Architecture.


Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Location: STEELCASE Furniture Showroom, One Workplace, North Bay Office, 475 Brannan Street, San Francisco
RSVP is required.
Contact: Tiana Robinson at trobinson@sfnoma.net.
Please use "SFNOMA September Presentation" in subject line.
Refreshments will be provided.

Making the Cut: They Psychological Impact of Downsizing, and Surviving the Layoff

This interactive lecture, given by Laurie Dreyer, will explore the business decisions that firms are forced to make during tough economic climates. You will learn how economic factors impact the people in a firm and what the future holds for the "survivors". We will discuss how to survive the downturn without being laid off, and exit strategies for if you are. We will review best practices for firms delivering the bad news, as well as best practices for those who may be forced to hear the news. After attending this program participants will be able to review and understand how firms look at and make decisions about staff reductions, and common pitfalls in that kind of decision-making. You will be able to recognize the psychological and emotional impacts of letting someone go - and of being let go - and assess strategies for managing and recovering from those experiences. You will know best practices in both giving the bad news and receiving it, if either happens to you.

Laurie Dreyer is the Principal and Director of Human Resources at Anshen+Allen in San Francisco. She has worked for over 25 years in the A/E industry. Previous positions included Office Manager and Human Resources at Ratcliff Architects, Vice-President and director of Human Resources at Gensler, and Director of Human Resources, Recruitment and Staff Development at PSOMAS. Dreyer is a National Board Member of AEBL (formerly PSMA), member of AIA Large Firm Roundtable for Human Resources, and former member of faculty for AMI. She has had speaking engagements on a variety of Human Resources related topic for ACEC Senior Executives Institute, AIA, CELSOC, SEANOC, AIA HR Large Firm Roundtable, Georgia Tech., AEBL, Kyle V. Davy Consulting/Edward's Management Group: Practice Management for Emerging Leaders, and SMPS. Dreyer is also the co-author of the National AIA Human Resources handbook.


6/15/09
Making the Cut: The Psychological Impact of Downsizing, and Surviving a Layoff
Presented by SFNOMA. Co-sponsored by AIA East Bay.
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland.
Contact: 510/464-3600
Cost: None; this program open to all. Click here to RSVP.
1 CES/ LU

For more information: 510/464-3600

Mid-Century Modern In Your Backyard

Author and project designer Pierluigi Serraino will share the latest finding on his ongoing research on Mid-Century Modern in California. The emphasis will be on the Bay Area architecture in relation to the themes discussed in his book NorCalMod: Icons of Northern California Modernism (Chronicle Books, 2006). Pierluigi is the other of several books, including Modernism Rediscovered (Taschen, 2000), which has reached its second reprint. The lecture will be followed with a wine and cheese reception and book signing.

6/11/09

Lecture: Pierluigi Serraino: Mid-Century Modern in Your Backyard
Co-sponsored by the Oakland Heritage Alliance (OHA).

Time: 5:30pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600

Cost: $10 for OHA/AIA Members; $20 for Non-Members. Registration required; click here to register.

For more information: 510/464-3600

Bay Area Architecture of the 50's and 60's

On Tuesday, April 21, Henrik Bull, FAIA will be sharing a presentation he has prepared for the Berkeley Architectural History Association (BAHA) on Bay Area Architecture of the 50's and 60's. Bull will discuss his experience with starting a firm that is now more than 40 years old and has managed to survive the recessions of 1974-75 and 1982, as well as the dot com bust of the 90's.

Henrik Bull, FAIA is one of the founding partners of BSA Architects. This 40-year old practice has received over 75 major design awards including "Firm of the Year" by the American Institute of Architects California Council.

Attracted by the modernism that was taking place in the Bay Area, Henrik Bull, FAIA moved out West in 1954. Because of his passion for skiing, Bull spent much time in the Sierras and began working on ski cabins as side projects. This work drew praise and awards and in 1956 Bull started his own firm. His work on cabins soon led to working on residential projects, condominiums, hotels and resorts in Lake Tahoe and Colorado. In 1967 Bull merged his firm with two others to form BSA Architects.

4/21/09

Young Architects Forum: Bay Area Architecture of the 50's & 60's
Presented by Henrik Bull, FAIA founding partner of BSA Architects.

Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600

Cost: None; this program open to all.

1 CES/LU

For more information: 510/464-3600

The Future Vision - The Next Generation of Young Bay Area Architects

Join us on February 24, 2009 at 6:30pm for a presentation and discussion that will give you a glimpse into the work of three young architects and the role they believe architecture can play in the future. They will explain how with more socially conscious design concepts and methodologies architecture has the ability to improve people's lives, local communities and the built environment.

Liz Ogbu is the Associate Design Director at Public Architecture, where she is responsible for design initiative selection, execution, and advocacy as well as oversight of the organization's pro-bono service grants. Liz is also a designer at FOURM design+build+educate. She recently was selected as "Green Giant" by Steelcase, Inc. for her work in promoting environmentally and socially sustainable design. Liz has also been involved with many community focused projects and organizations, including the launch of the Community Design: Now or Never website and its associated symposium; the operation of the Mayors' Institute on City Design; the creation and stewardship of a design outreach program for local youth in Cambridge and Boston; and the board of a nonprofit affordable housing developer in the San Francisco Bay Area. She also has been a lecturer at the California College of the Arts. Liz earned her Bachelor of Arts in architecture from Wellesley College and Master of Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.

Deanna Van Buren received her Bachelors of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia in 1994 and a Masters in Architecture from Columbia University in 1999. She quickly accepted an opportunity to work abroad and left for England to join the concept design offices of Eric R. Kuhne & Associates as a designer and assistant project manager. Over three years Deanna was involved in a variety of mixed use development projects in England, UAE-Dubai and Malaysia with a focus on urban infill, civic spaces and high street retailing centers. Her experience and contacts in Europe led her to Australia where she joined with the Buchan Group as an assistant design director. Deanna was the design team leader on projects ranging from master planning new town centers of leisure precincts in China to sustainable office buildings in Sydney. After returning to the USA in 2005 Deanna shifted gears and joined the Oakland offices of Michelle Kauffman Designs as a project manager for sustainable modular single family homes. She currently brings her passion for conceptually based socially sustainable design to the San Francisco office of Perkins + Will as a project architect and is the founding partner of FOURM design+build+educate.

A native to San Francisco, principal Yakuh Askew, AIA has founded a studio that is attuned to its clientele, understands its community and offers solutions that feature honest and environmentally intelligent materials. Yakuh Askew earned his Bachelor of Architecture from California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo, CA, which included a 9 month program in Florence, Italy. Beginning his professional career with STUDIOS Architecture, Yakuh worked on large scale office developments for 3Com in Santa Clara, CA, the Milpitas City Hall, CA and the 1.2 million square foot office development, Foundry Square in San Francisco's SOMA district. Yakuh also spent several years with Cass Smith at CCS Architecture working on the design of restaurants in San Francisco, CA, San Jose, CA, Tahoe, CA and Baltimore, MD as well as private residences in the Cole Valley and Buena Vista neighborhoods of San Francisco. At Y.A. studio, Yakuh has built a design team that has proven itself designing restaurants, single-family residences, multi-family residences (ranging from 2 units to 9 units), offices, warehouses, medical facilities, and consulted on a 87 unit residential development, the Californian Academy of Sciences and over 200 other projects throughout San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Y.A. studio is a full service architectural firm committed to a process of investigation, exploration and collaboration. Y.A. studio's designs offer modern solutions to both private and commercial clients seeking specific responses to urban or natural context.

2/24/09

Future Vision: The Next Generation of Young Bay Area Architects

Co-sponsored by SFNOMA.

Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600

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

Learning from the Past to Protect the Future

Join us on Wednesday, January 14, 2009.

Before the advent of the strong materials of reinforced concrete and steel, many societies had developed an approach to seismic resistance based on flexibility rather than strength. In his lecture, Randolph Lagenbach will explore what can be learned from these historical construction practices, by describing a construction technology which he has entitled "Armature Crosswalls". This was inspired by Turkish and Kashmiri traditional construction but designed for use in modern reinforced concrete infill-wall buildings, a building type which is common across the globe.

1/14/09
Lunchtime Learning: Learning from the Past to Protect the Future

Presented by the Historic Preservation Committee.

Time: 12:00pm - 1:00 pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600 or Joann Pavlinec, Assoc. AIA

Cost: None, This program is open to all. Please bring your lunch. Please RSVP.

1 CES/LU

For more information: Contact 510/464-3600 or events@aiaeb.org

Monthly Program: SB 1608 - Disabled Access in California

Join us on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 to learn the latest requirements in the California Building Code.

Senate Bill 1608 heightens the standard and responsibility for disabled access compliance in the State to include Certified Plan Reviewers. The Bill also requires as part of Architectural Licensing, disabled access education. This program will explain what is going to be required along with the latest code requirements in the California Building Code.

1/28/09

Monthly Program: SB 1608 - Disabled Access in California

Sponsored by Rolf Jensen & Associates

Time: 5:30pm - 7:00pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600

Cost: $5 for AIA members; $15 for non-members. Includes cocktails & heavy hors d'oerves.

Registration will open 1/08/09

1.5 HSW CES/LU (MCE)

For more information: Contact us at 510/464-3600 or events@aiaeb.org.

Monthly Program Michael E. Willis, FAIA--On the Brink of 20/New Work Takes Flight

On Wednesday, May 28 at 5:30 pm Michael E. Willis, FAIA, NOMA will discuss his firm’s presence in its dominant sectors of water, land, air and place. This talk will focus on the firm’s recent and unprecedented growth as Michael Willis Architects continues to gain momentum at 20 years young, and wrestles with the growing pains [good ones] while accepting the challenge of becoming a signature national practice.

Time: 5:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact: Kellie Hewlett at 510/464-3600
Cost: $15 for AIA members and East Bay members guests; $25 for non-members
Click Here for Registration
1 CES/LU

For more information: contact Kellie Hewlett, Program Coordinator at 510/464-3600

Perspectives on Urban Infill Architectural Design in Contexts 'From the Past'

Join the Oakland Heritage Alliance and the AIA East Bay for this panel presentation and Discussion on Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 7:30 pm. The panel will take place at the Chapel of the Chimes 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland.

Panel: Ian Birchall, AIA, RIBA, Principal, ib + a
David Hobstetter, AIA, Principal and Director at KMD Architects
Kirk Peterson, Principal at Kirk E. Peterson & Associates, Architects
Daniel Solomon, FAIA, Principal at WRT Solomon E.T.C.

This panel will present urban infill projects in historic contexts, examining the intent and result of a range of examples of infill architectural designs working with contexts from the past. Panelists will present architectural design approaches from historicist to contemporary designs and discuss how they respond to or dialogue with the existing historic context. Topics that may be explored and discussed include:

• Design approaches that reinvigorate existing urban environments by relating the new to the old, yet create a building that represents its own age with integrity,rather than background architecture;
• Historicist design versus false historicism - building on context versus copying context;
• Analysis of the degree of differentiation versus compatibility of the new design to its historic context, with respect to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards - "the new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment."

Time: 7:30 pm
Location: Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland
Cost: $8 for AIA/OHA Members, $10 for General Admission. Pay at the Door
1.5 CES/LU

For more information: www.oaklandheritage.org

Sustainable Stewardship: Historic Preservation’s Essential Role in Fighting Climate Change

Richard Moe Lecture Sustainable Stewardship: Historic Preservation’s Essential Role in Fighting Climate Change

Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 7:30 pm
First Church of Christ Scientist 2619 Dwight Way, Berkeley
Opening remarks by Jon Carroll, SF ChronicleMinimum
donation: $20

Historic preservation can - and should - be an important component of any effort to promote sustainable development.

The conservation and improvement of our existing built resources, including re-use of historic and older buildings, greening the existing building stock, and reinvestment in older and historic communities, is crucial to combating climate change.

Time: 7:30pm
Location: First Church of Christ, Scientist, Berkeley, 2619 Dwight Way (at Bowditch) Berkeley - Maybeck's 1910 masterpiece
Contact: http://berkeleyheritage.com/calendar.html
Cost: Minimum donation: $20
1.5 HSW CES/LU

For more information: http://berkeleyheritage.com/calendar.html.

Less Expensive Ways to Make Better Housing

From Berkeley Design Advocates:

Less Expensive Ways to Make Better Housing
SPUR’s Affordable by Design Proposals

Please join us for breakfast on Wednesday April 2 at 730 AM at The Vault to hear a presentation on the revolutionary idea that we can build middle income housing without public subsidy. The San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association has recently issued its Affordable by Design proposal that advocates changes in both planning criteria and building codes that together can drastically reduce the cost to produce new multifamily housing. Perhaps Berkeley can consider these thoughtful recommendations; they certainly differ from the proposals advocated by the Density Bonus Joint Subcommittee.

Our presenters will be SPUR Task Force members George Williams, BDA member and Anne Torney, AIA of WRT Solomon ETC.

The SPUR report makes six key recommendation:
1. Regulate building density by height, bulk and setback requirements, not by limits on the number of units allowed.

2. Stop requiring new parking in new buildings.

3. Stop regulating bedroom counts.

4. Allow flexibility in the code to facilitate an additional story of housing in wood-frame buildings – suggesting five stories of wood frame above a concrete podium level with a 65-foot height limit – 15 feet on the ground floor, and five 10-foot high stories. SPUR notes that San Diego and Seattle have both adopted code standards to make such construction possible, and in Oakland the Forest City Uptown Development is building five stories of wood frame.

5. Allow developers to fulfill their on-site inclusionary housing requirements by providing more units at middle-income price points, rather than fewer units at moderate-income price points.

6. Modify requirements for courtyard widths and rear-yard setbacks to allow for greater design flexibility in locating common open space.

The full report is available on the SPUR website at:

http://www.spur.org/documents/2008.01Interiors_FINAL.pdf

This is sure to be an exciting topic for BDA members, and has great applicability to Berkeley’s current debates on downtown development (where the fringes of downtown are proposed for 65 foot heights), as well as the on-going density bonus discussions.

George Williams is the former deputy Director of the San Francisco Department of City Planning and a longtime SPUR and BDA member. Anne Torney AIA is Principal and Director of Housing at WRT/Solomon E.T.C., an architecture, urban design, planning and landscape architecture firm, and designers of both the Fine Arts building and the David Brower Center/Oxford Plaza, now under construction. Her 20 years' experience as an architect have focused on urban and mixed-use projects, and, in particular, affordable housing for non-profit clients and City agencies.

All breakfast presentations at The Vault, 3250 Adeline St, near Alcatraz.

For more information: berkeleydesignadvocates@yahoo.com

Steven Holl, Urbanism: Working with Doubt

From UC Berkeley CED:

ARCH Lecture Series
Steven Holl,AIA Urbanism: Working with Doubt

March 14
7-8:30 p.m.
112 Wurster Hall, UC Berkeley

Steven Holl, AIA, founding principal of Steven Holl Architects in New York City and associate professor of architecture at Columbia University, will give a presentation on urbanism. This event is expected to be popular, so arrive early! There will be live video feeds of Holl's talk in 102 Wurster Hall and in the Wurster Hall lobby.

For more information: contact Keith Plymale.

Blending Many Knowledges for Robust Planning

From UC Berkeley CED:

DCRP Colloquium- Judith Innes , Blending Many Knowledges for Robust Planning
March 5
5-6:30 p.m.
106 Wurster Hall, UC Berkeley

Join Judith Innes, a UC Berkeley city and regional planning professor, for this event, which is part of the spring 2008 DCRP Ph.D. Colloquium. It is free and open to the public.

For more information: contact Alex Schafran.

2007 AIA Contract Documents: An In-Depth Review

The AIA Contract Documents are revised
and improved. Come to AIA East Bay December 6
for the only Bay Area presentation from
National AIA’s staff attorneys.

Increase your effectiveness in:
• negotiating owner/architect agreements,
• creating project manuals, and
• advising clients about which owner/contractor agreement is
appropriate for the project.

Ken Cobleigh, Esq. presents a four-hour program in which you will:
examine every family of AIA documents; learn about significant revisions
to the owner/architect and owner/contractor agreements; and find out
how to manage digital data on your projects through contract documents.
Who should attend? Architects, contractors, attorneys, clients, office
managers...everyone who uses the AIA Contract Documents.

Date: Thursday, December 6, 2007
Time: 9:00am to 1:00pm
Location: AIA East Bay, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Cost: $45 chapter members/ $60 non-chapter members
Continental breakfast available at 8:30am
4 CES/HSW LU
To Register visit http://www.aiaeb.org/ or call 510/464-3600