Project Documentation and Record Keeping

Ernest M. Isola, Partner at Gordon Reese LLP will discuss project documentation and record keeping highlighting the best practices to minimize risk during negations as well as the design and construction phases of a project.

Ernest Isola of Gordon & Rees LLP proposes to spend about 15-20 minutes on each topic and use the remaining time for questions and answers and/or examples highlighting important issues.

1. Front End Documents - architectural contracts, negotiating appropriate contractual protections (e.g., limitation of liability), not accepting the owner's standard contracts (e.g., indemnity), examples of same, making sure you can perform all contractual obligations, enforcing the contract.

2. Drawings/Specs - being clear as to what is included and not included in design package, problems with "builder's set" of plans, constructability/peer reviews, documenting an evolving design, proactively addressing the impact of changes, preparing for claims

3. During the Project - the "Document War," including discussion of responding to all issues, response time, tracking RFIs/responses, clearly documenting the reasons for changes, maintaining records as if there will be a claim, emails, meeting minutes, schedules, claim documents, drafts, photographs, videos, site observation reports

4. Rules pertaining to document retention and discovery of electronic documents - includes document retention policies, and statute of limitations applicable to construction claims impacting how long they are stored. In addition, the California Legislature recently passed an "E-Discovery" or "electronic discovery" law that governs what construction participants are required to do in terms of retaining electronic documents and ultimately producing them if a claim should arise. This law and the rules concerning storing and producing both paper and electronic files in the event litigation should arise affects every design professional and should impact how they keep their documents.


Speaker Bio: Ernest Isola has been with the San Francisco-based law firm Gordon & Rees,LLP, since 1997, and is a partner in both the Construction and Commercial Litigation practice groups. He specializes in counseling and defending professionals and businesses involved in a variety of claims, including construction disputes and professional liability claims. He is co-author of the chapter, “Special Topics in Litigation of Disputes Involving Design Professionals and Construction Managers” in the book Design Professional and Construction Manager Law, through the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction industry. He has also spoken extensively on many topics on construction and is the chief editor of Gordon & Rees’ quarterly Construction Law Newsletter.

10/1/09

Small Firm Forum: Project Record Keeping

Hosted by Rachel Slonicki.

Time: Noon - 1:30pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600 or Catherine Roha, AIA

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

1.5 CES/LU

For more information: 510/464-3600

Berkeley Downtown Plan

Matt Taecker of the City of Berkeley Planning Department will present an overview of the new Downtown Plan for Berkeley. He will be joined by Jim Samuels, a member of Berkeley Design Advocates and member of the City Planning Commission when the Plan was developed.

Matt Taecker will provide an overview of the Downtown Area Plan that was adopted by Berkeley's City Council in July but may now be decided in referendum in 2010. The Downtown Area Plan incorporates a full spectrum of best practices for creating a more livable and sustainable city center, including the implementation of major street and open space improvements, minimization of greenhouse gases, historic preservation, and economic revitalization. High urban densities, and the feasibility of building types and heights, would provide the vehicle for realizing this ambitious vision. Planning Commissioners who participated in the development of the DAP will add their perspective to the presentation.

For the past twenty-five years Matt Taecker, AICP has developed innovative area plans, city and regional plans, development codes, and mixed-use master plans. Most recently Taecker has developed the Downtown Area Plan for Berkeley, CA. The Downtown Berkeley Plan is a city center vision emphasizing sustainability, historic preservation, retail revitalization and improvements to the public realm. Prior to working for the City of Berkeley, Matt was a founding Principal of Catalyst, a specialized firm specializing in urban placemaking and ecological design. Taecker was also a Principal at Calthorpe Associates, where he helped developed and promoted "transit-oriented development" practices at a variety of scales: from building block to more sustainable regions. Taecker has taught at the University of Southern California and at University of California, Berkeley, where he received both a Masters in Architecture and a Masters of City Planning degrees.

Two local architects also closely involved with the Plan are Jim Samuels and Jim Novosel.

Jim Samuels has worked in Berkeley and the Bay Area since his graduation from UC Berkeley. He was a member of the Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission, 2004-5 and was the Chair of Berkeley Planning Commission, 2007-8. He is also an active member of Berkeley Design Advocates.

Jim Novosel is a current member of the Berkeley Planning Commission. He is the principal of The Bay Architects and has received numerous design awards for East Bay residential, commercial, and historic projects.

10/6/09

Regional and Urban Design Forum: Berkeley Downtown Plan

Time: Noon - 1:30pm

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

Contact: 510/464-3600 or Douglas Frazier, AIA

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

1.5 CES/LU

For more information: 510/464-3600

Increase Business, Now!

Learn the number one way to increase business now and keep the projects coming. Learn how to pick your low hanging fruit, how to increase your sales immediately, and how to actually win projects by using 21st century technology and social networking.


Using the New York Times bestseller-list technique, currently taking the business world by storm- Learn how to identify the demographic characteristics of your ideal clients, then use that information to identify new prospects, which match your areas of expertise! The Answer, by John Assaraf and Murray Smith, their forms free for download, learn how to put them into action easily.


Attendees will also learn the must-have’s for competing in today’s challenging building industry: which social networks really work for increasing business and how; you’ll learn how and why you should create a monthly eNewsletter and how to make money doing so; how to isolate your key talents and create a plan-B for new revenues; you’ll also learn a few basics to add to your website so prospects can sell themselves before they even meet you. Increase your business, now!


An international, award-winning Sales Management Consultant who believes it’s about taking a look at what-works and what-doesn't-work on a company’s sales team, then executing simple, winning changes. Beatrice loves creating new revenue streams for her clients, helping them achieve powerhouse results aligned with ambitious goals. She is an author, a speaker, and a community outreach leader. A long-standing building industry professional, Beatrice is the Publisher of Builder/Architect Magazine, both the residential and commercial editions. The A/E/C sector is one of her specialties using leading sales methodologies from Miller Heiman- Strategic Selling; 
Achieve Global- Professional Selling Skills; Michael Bosworth- Solution Selling; and Holden International- Power Base Selling.


10/7/09
Increasing Business, Now!
Time: Noon - 1:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact: 510/464-3600
Cost: None; this program is open to everyone. Please RSVP.
1 CES/LU

For more information: 510/464-3600

Pleasanton Lunchtime Learning - Increasing Business, Now!

Learn the number one way to increase business now and keep the projects coming. Learn how to pick your low hanging fruit, how to increase your sales immediately, and how to actually win projects by using 21st century technology and social networking.

Using the New York Times bestseller-list technique, currently taking the business world by storm- Learn how to identify the demographic characteristics of your ideal clients, then use that information to identify new prospects, which match your areas of expertise! The Answer, by John Assaraf and Murray Smith, their forms free for download, learn how to put them into action easily.

Attendees will also learn the must-have’s for competing in today’s challenging building industry: which social networks really work for increasing business and how; you’ll learn how and why you should create a monthly eNewsletter and how to make money doing so; how to isolate your key talents and create a plan-B for new revenues; you’ll also learn a few basics to add to your website so prospects can sell themselves before they even meet you. Increase your business, now!

An international, award-winning Sales Management Consultant who believes it’s about taking a look at what-works and what-doesn't-work on a company’s sales team, then executing simple, winning changes. Beatrice loves creating new revenue streams for her clients, helping them achieve powerhouse results aligned with ambitious goals. She is an author, a speaker, and a community outreach leader. A long-standing building industry professional, Beatrice is the Publisher of Builder/Architect Magazine, both the residential and commercial editions. The A/E/C sector is one of her specialties using leading sales methodologies from Miller Heiman- Strategic Selling; 
Achieve Global- Professional Selling Skills; Michael Bosworth- Solution Selling; and Holden International- Power Base Selling.

10/22/09

Pleasanton Lunchtime Learning: Increasing Business, Now!

Beatrice Stonebanks teaches the number-one way to increase business now and keep the projects coming. Learn how to pick your low hanging fruit, how to increase your sales immediately, and how to actually win projects by using 21st century technology and social networking.

Time: Noon - 1:30pm

Location: Dahlin Group, 5865 Owens Dr., Pleasanton

Contact: 510/464-3600

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

1 CES/LU

For more information: 510/464-3600

Environmental Design / A New Modernism

September 25--December 22, 2009

Organized to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design (CED), this exhibition focuses on seminal moments in the evolution of the CED founders' vision. Founded in 1959, the new College combined the Departments of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, City and Regional Planning, and Decorative Arts. During the next half century in Wurster Hall, its new home, the College developed innovative programs in the social sciences, building technology, and research including the establishment of several research institutes. The exhibit features original drawings, photographs, documents, books, and artifacts drawn from the Environmental Design Archives, the Environmental Design Library, the Bancroft Library, the University Archives, IURD and CEDR, and private collections.

Curator: Professor Raymond Lifchez

Assistant Curator: Carrie L. McDade

Environmental Design Library, Volkmann Reading Room, Raymond Lifchez and Judith Lee Stronach Exhibition Cases, 210 Wurster Hall, University of California, Berk

For more information: hours, and directions visit http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/ or call 510-642-4818

Vacation Rental

The Lodgepole Pine House is a new vacation rental home designed by Anne Phillips Architecture, member of the AIAEB. Nested high in the spectacular Sierra Nevada Mountains at Donner Summit, the house is close to Lake Tahoe and Truckee.

This ecologically-designed home is an interplay of wood, steel, and rich colors in a rustic and modern style. It was designed to embrace the outdoors with generous porches adjoining all rooms and ample south-facing windows framing the surrounding pine forest.

The home backs up to a nature reserve open to cross country skiing, hiking and biking, is a five minute walk to beautiful Lake Serena and Lake Dulzura, and a short drive to many downhill ski resorts.

The home has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, a gourmet kitchen, a wood-burning stove, wireless, and a sauna. It sleeps 12 people in beds.

For more information: visit www.lodgepolepinehouse.com or email us at info@lodgepolepinehouse.com

You're Invited to the Vetrazzo Factory Sale!

September 18 & 19, 2009

Friday: 8:00 - 12:00 Trade Only 12:00 - 3:00 Public Welcome

Saturday: 9:00 - 4:00 All Welcome

Over 100 full and partial panels 50-70% OFF!!

For more information: www.vetrazzo.com/sale details.

Exotic Hardwoods + Concrete Works Factory Tour

This two-for-one tour takes you to some of the design industry’s most interesting— and dare we say ‘exotic’—factories. The first stop is Exotic Hardwoods, an environmentally responsible company that strives to expand the selection of unique sustainable veneers and carries products that inspire everyday design sensibilities. The largest supplier of FSC-certified woods on the West Coast, the showroom will offer a peek at FSC-certified panels being manufactured. Following the tour of the factory, participants will head to ConcreteWorks Studio, a design firm specializing in the craft of concrete, located at 1137 57th Avenue. Founder Mark Rogero has developed a unique casting process, using 80% recycled concrete content, that enables new and limitless possibilities for an age-old material.

9/17/09

Exotic Hardwoods + Concrete Works Factory Tour

Hosted by AIA San Francisco. Sponsored by Exotic Hardwoods + Concrete Works.

Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Location: Exotic Hardwoods, 4800 Coliseum Way, Oakland

Contact: 510/464-3600

Cost: $20 for AIA members; $30 non-members. Registration Required. Click here to register.

2 CES/HSW/SD/LU

Click here for more information.

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

The Future of Sustainable Projects - Should All Projects Be Sustainable?

Sustainable design is often seen as a specialty within the architectural design file.d Even now when LEED certification has become accepted in mainstream design and increasing numbers of design professionals are following sustainable principles, it is still not a completely integrated part of the design approach for many firms and professionals.

Join the Women in Architecture Committee as we debate if sustainable design should be integrated in all architectural design projects. Examine the impacts and limits of existing enforcement measures towards that goal. Discuss the inclusion, or exclusion, of sustainable design in the architectural academic curriculum. Should the majority of sustainable design training take place in an academic setting or the workplace? How do you see the concept of the sustainable project evolving in the future? Do you see a shift to a sustainable project model that is less incentive-based that the current approach?

Speakers:

Elizabeth Cordero, Principle of Green Building Consulting, based in Santa Cruz. Cordero is a practicing architect and sustainability consultant, working on institutional, educational and commercial projects across the country. With a particular interest in the process that integrated design plays in each project, she leads team efforts to produce strategic, systemic, sustainable design. Cordero has been a featured speaker, moderator and peer reviewer at the US Green Building Council's International GreenBuild Conference. She has served as a judge for the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association Building Green Building Awards and is a regular presenter at industry conferences.

Piper Kujac, LEED accredited designer and Contributing writer at Inhabitat, has architectural experience ranging from project manager at C. David Robinson Architects to design consultant at Origo Inc. Trained in Architecture at the environmentally-conscious University of Oregon, she admits to have an obsession with materials and resources and thrives on finding new means and methods of sustainable design. She is co-chair of the NCC Emerging Green Builders committee of the USGBC and teaches a class in Sustainable Project Development at the UC Berkeley Extension.

Rebecca Evans is an environmental activist and chair of the San Francisco Group Sierra Club. Evans also chairs the Presidio Committee and is a Founding Board Member of the San Francisco League of Conservative Voters. Evans has been a San Francisco resident for 44 years and has been a park activist for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area for 40 years. She served on the San Francisco Waterfront Advisory Committees in the 70's and 80's and is a former commissioner for the Commission on the Environment.


9/10/09
The Future of Sustainable Projects - Should All Projects Be Sustainable?
This forum is presented by the Women In Architecture Committee.
Time: 600pm - 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 program open to all. Please RSVP.
1.5 CES/HSW/SD/LU

For more information: 510/464-3600

West Coast Green 2009 - the largest interactive conference and expo on green innovation for the built environment

Join the community of 14,000 international innovators and entrepreneurs at West Coast Green, returning to San Francisco at Ft. Mason Center, October 1-3. Turn passion into action and help transform the built environment.

West Coast Green assembles green industry professionals, business leaders and policy makers in creating meaningful and lasting positive change.

* Interactive sessions and summits on Smart Systems, Clean Tech Innovations, The New Energy Economy, Social Innovations, and more!

* Design Charrettes and Conversation Salons facilitated by experts that tackle real-world issues and create valuable connections

* Top speakers share technical knowledge, expertise, and visionary wisdom

* Expo featuring 300+ companies: Find new products, technologies and market-changing innovations currently in R&D

Discover what inspires you to create change on October 1-3, Ft. Mason Center, San Francisco

For more information: westcoastgreen.com

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.