Revit User Group

Urban development projects have many hoops to jump through – in addition to building code compliance and owner’s programmatic goals, designers often have to defend their designs to the community at large. Design Review boards and neighborhood associations are notorious for requiring the development team to defend their design in terms of “light and air” impact of their form on the surrounding infrastructure.

Join us as Nancy McClure, of Ideate, Inc., leads a discussion on the use of the Sun Shadow tool in Revit to create documents to support and defend the massing of an urban infill project. We will also explore creation of compelling interior daylighting presentations.This user group will provide ongoing vital information to inform you on BIM, IPD, and other important topics. Sponsored by Ideate, Inc . and AIA East Bay .

REGISTER ONLINE

Time: 11:30am-1:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street , Oakland
Contact: Freddy Vasquez at 415.814.5539
Cost: None; Lunch will be provided by Ideate, Inc.

Architecture - Nurturing the Human Spirit

Thursday, February 21 at 6:00pm Women In Architecture Present: Architecture-Nurturing the Human Spirit

Darlene Jang, AIA will present how her career has been about inspirations and the people that guided her journey into design and what that has meant to her over the years. Her work is not so much about the buildings as it is about places to inspire the human spirit. Her goal in her designs is to encourage timeless enrichment and inspiration to people interacting with and flowing through the spaces.

Time: 6:00-7:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland
Contact: Kellie Hewlett at 510/464-3600 or Jaime Brown, Assoc. AIA
Cost: None; this program open to all. Cocktails provided. Please RSVP.
1 CES/LU

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

To BIM or Not to Bim, That is The Question

On Thursday, February 21 at noon the Professional Practice Forum will host a roundtable discussion on Building Infromation Management.

Is it nobler to go out on the proverbial perceived limb or let others go out there first?

Please rsvp to events@aiaeb.org.
Time: Noon-1:00 pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street , Oakland.
Contact: Kellie Hewlett at 510/464-3600 or Tim Craig, AIA
Cost: None; this program open to all. Please rsvp to events@aiaeb.org
1 CES/LU

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

Green/Sustainable: Sustainable Landscapes

Join us on 2/20/08 at noon to hear the in's and out's of StopWaste.org a Bay-Friendly Landscape Program. The discusssion will center around their "green manure" practices. This program is designed to transform entire sites of "bad dirt" into great planting soil. This option eliminates the need to truck-in expensive soil or use chemical fertilizers.

We will also hear from a landscape architect about sustainable landscaping. Presented by StopWaste.org and Inter-Natural Harvester.

Time: Noon-1:30
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street , Oakland
Contact: Kellie Hewlett at 510/464-3600 or Erick Mikiten, AIA
Cost: None, this is a brown bag lunch. Drinks are provided.
This Forum open to all. Please RSVP.
1.5 HSW CES/LU

YAF: Networking Social

Please join us for the Young Architects Forum: Netoworking Social on February 19th at 6pm!

Meet and connect with peers, mentors, friends and Young Architects from all over the Bay Area.

This event is a casual, free get together open to all at the AIA East Bay office at 1405 Clay Street, Oakland. Please RSVP to events@aiaeb.org to ensure refreshments for all!

Time: 6:00-7:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street , Oakland
Contact: Kellie Hewlett at 510/464-3600 or Gerard Lee, AIA
AIA Cost: None; this program open to all Cocktails provided. Please RSVP.

Cavin Family Traveling Fellowship

Cavin Family Traveling Fellowship
is less than two weeks away.

Want to see the world in 10 weeks?

If so, apply by February 15 for the 2008 Cavin Family Traveling Fellowship. The two-stage design completion results in a $10,000 stipend for a young designer to spend 10 weeks traveling abroad.

To be eligible for the fellowship, candidates must be U.S. citizens under 35 years old on March 1, 2008. Candidates must have a professional architecture degree from Cal Poly Pomona or the University of Oregon. Past Fellowship winner are not eligible.

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE FEBRUARY, 15, 2008.

Applications and signed letters of agreement are due to the Fellowship Secretary by the stated deadline. (See the website for complete details). The design competition brief will emphasize issues of resource sustainability as integral aspects of architectural design.

The design competition starts at 5:00 pm PST on Thursday, February 21 and closes precisely at 5:00 pm PST the following Tuesday, February 26, 2008.

During the first stage of the competition 4 to 6 finalists will be selected. Finalists will be required to submit physical boards of their project design for the final review without modifications.

Final presentations will take place March 28, 2008 at Cal Poly Pomona.

Even if you are not eligible to compete in the competition, please share this opportunity with a colleague or friend.

Get the full fellowship details on line or by contacting Patrick Sullivan FAIA, Fellowship Secretary, at 909 624 4051, or Debra Boudreau, Director Pasadena& Foothill Chapter AIA at 626 796 7601.

Looking for Your Convention Guide? Look Online--Here's Why.

AIA East Bay staff recently contacted National AIA to find out when we'd receive our convention catalogs--members have been asking us as well. Here's the response:

Thanks for the questions related to AIA Convention. Yes, registration is open, and we are seeing a tremendous response by members who plan to attend in Boston. Allow me to apologize in advance for the length of
this reply, but the subject of member communications is very important to us. I want to let you know that there are a number of ways to announce: the printed Guide is no longer the primary vehicle for promoting the annual event. Because nearly all members register online, and sustainability is one of our key strategic goals, the following is an outline of the current marketing strategy.

The registration web site opened on December 14, 2007, http://www.aiaconvention.com/ . A postcard was mailed to every AIA member that week notifying registration is open. Following the holidays, beginning January 2, an email was sent to every AIA member address (that we are allowed to solicit), and to those that asked to receive an email notice with registration opening (a service posted on the convention web site prior to the opening date). At the same time the Guide was “dropped” in the mail. AIArchitect posted a story
on January 4 that convention registration is open, and the AIA website was modified to include a banner at the top of http://www.aia.org/.

The AIA continues to work to make the Convention more green, and, related to the printed Guide, have significantly reduced its distribution. As recently as five years ago the Guide was the primary promotion device. Today we print and mail far less (11% fewer than 2007, 27% fewer than in 2006) with more
focused, targeted outreach to members most likely to attend. Further, we reduced the number of pages about 20% by posting program descriptions and learning objectives on the Web site only. The Guide is printed on un-glossed recycled, FSC certified 100% post-consumer waste paper. And, new, the entire Guide is posted online in a user-friendly PDF format so there is no reason to print at all, simply review online in either the PDF or navigate the HTML version. So you are aware, in this effort to be more sustainable, the printing of the Guide is being reduced with a goal of eliminating it in the near term, to be replaced with a more robust web presence. A number of other green initiatives are underway, see a summary on the convention web site at this link
http://www.aiaconvention.com/live/61/events/61BOS08A/SN895880/CC569183

Each year we study the effectiveness of the Guide via surveys and track source codes of registrants. Being more strategic with the marketing effort, and more resource efficient, the web site has been improved (more comprehensive and easier to use) and the Guide replaced with other, smaller, pieces such as: emerging professional brochure, postcards, and broadcast emails -- all communicating specific messages and directing people to the web.

Regarding the question about ticket availability, members across the county have equal access to tour and event tickets. Communications were sent/posted equally to AIA members regardless of their geographical location – printed mailings are “dropped shipped” at multiple postal centers so the snail-mail distribution is equitable across the country. Each year the convention is growing and events are designed to hold more people – so more tickets are available for events and tours. We do, however, expect more members
to attend the Boston convention. It has been six years since the event was located on the east coast, and there are many architects within close proximity to the city. Further, Boston ranks as one of the top five destinations for members who attend convention, so we expect crowds at most every event. Fortunately, the new convention center, the Boston Convention and Exposition Center, is much larger than prior years. My recommendation is to encourage your members to register as earlier as possible because all tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis.

Thanks again for the feedback and taking the time to write, and let me know if you have any other questions.

Chris
Gribbs

To register for Convention click here.

For more information: Christopher J. Gribbs, Assoc. AIA Senior Director, Convention, The American Institute of Architects CGribbs@aia.org

Lunch and Learn: Architects and Litigation - Understanding Your Risk Profile

Date: Wednesday, February 6 2008
Time: Noon-1:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street , Oakland

What should be in your files to show you provided services? What should you do if lawsuits are threatened? Learn how to protect yourself against liability issues. Jeffrey Barr, AIA, CSI; Jill Latchaw, Esq. and Craig M. Santa Maria an Insurance Agent will present the best practices to incorporate into you firm.

Jeff Barr has been an architect for 28 years including over 20 years practicing in Northern California. He has provided expert services related to construction defects and contractual disputes for some of the largest design and construction firms in the country on projects large and small. He is currently in private practice providing a range of consulting services from offices in Oakland.

Jill Latchaw is an attorney practicing in Northern California for over 20 years and specializing in construction litigation. She has represented 7 out of the top 10 homebuilders in the country in addition to various trades and design professionals in both residential and commercial buildings. Her office is located in downtown Oakland.

Craig Santa Maria has been in the commercial property and casualty industry for 15 years. For the past seven years he has represented numerous bay area businesses as a commercial broker. He specializes in liability insurance for home builders and developers constructing single and multi family projects. His office is located in Walnut Creek, CA.

Please RSVP to events@aiaeb.org
2/06/08 at Noon
Cost: None; this program open to all. Beverages provided.
Please RSVP.
1.5 CES/LU

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

Residential Provisions in New California Building Code

Date: Thursday, February 7
Time: Noon-1:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street , Oakland

This will be an informal session on the basics of the new 2007 CBC. Your involvement will steer the direction of the discussion, with particular emphasis on residential and light commercial uses and wood-frame buildings.
Presented by Kerwin Lee, AIA

Cost: Free to AIA members; $3 non-members. Drinks are provided
This Forum open to all.
1.5 HSW CES/LU

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

Factory Tour: Exotic Hardwoods+Veneers

Thursday, February 7
Time: 3:00-5:00pm
Location: 4800 Coliseum Way , Oakland, CA 94601-5010
Cost: None. This tour is open to all members.

Demand for FSC wood products is on the rise, however, availability can remain a challenge. Join us for a factory tour of the Exotic Hardwoods + Veneers factory to see how pre-engineered wood products can provide a resource efficient alternative.

During the tour we will discuss the benefits and challenges of specifying FSC certified and pre-engineered wood, including: how to incorporate hard-to-find and exotic woods into a green project, preserving your design intent, and cost considerations in wood selection.

You will also see firsthand how veneers and wood panels are adhered together through the use of state-of-the-art equipment to create durable wood composites that provide long-term performance in a wide array of exotic and design-sensitive finishes.

Space limited, RSVP required.
Contact: AIA SFrsvp@aiasf.org

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

Monthly Program: Collaboration Between Architects, Artists and Patrons

Monthly Program: Collaboration Between Architects, Artists and Patrons at the Oliver Ranch, Alexander Valley, California

Date: Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Time: 5:30 pm
Location: AIA East Bay, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland

Steve Oliver, Jim Jennings and Mark Jensen will present and discuss their work at the Oliver Ranch. Come and listen to how they combine a team of artist, architect and patron. They will examine two studies of concrete construction using art as the inspiration.

Steve Oliver, President of the award winning construction and development firm, Oliver & Company, in Richmond, California, and a well-known contemporary arts supporter in the Bay Area –owner of the Oliver Ranch in Alexander Valley in the heart of Sonoma County will host and speak about the ranch and his relationships with the two architects also presenting.

The Ranch is a model for philanthropy and a way to nurture the growth and development of artists. The Olivers have engaged artists such as Andy Goldwworthy, Ann Hamilton, Jim Jennings, Richard Serra and many other artists of international reputation to come, live on the Ranch and design and install major works in the landscape.

Jim Jennings, award winning architect in San Francisco who designed one of the installations at the Oliver Ranch in Sonoma County will discuss his relationship to his client, Mr. Oliver as will Mark Jensen who was the architect of record on the most recent installation designed by Ann Hamilton, an 8 story concrete tower which is used as a performance space.

For more information click here

To register click here
contact Kellie Hewlett at 510/464-3600

Office Space for Rent

Office space for rent. Classic restored brick building approximately 2100SF, corner of 8th St. and Camelia in west Berkeley.

Good street parking and easy freeway access. Wood ceilings, seismically reinforced, efficiently set up for Architects or Engineers, with 8 cubicles, plus general work space, 2 private offices, reception/bookkeeping, conference rooms, kitchen/lunch room, toilets, janitorial space, handicapped accessible, air conditioned, modern lighting, move in condition including most furnishings and phone system $5,500.

Rent and terms negotiable.

For more information: Call Paul at 510-528-1044 or email epkaia@aol.com