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Perspective is now a monthly electronic edition. It is available to members via email and it is also posted on our website, www.aiahouston.org. Please email your suggestions and comments to membership@aiahouston.org.
You may be aware of the relatively new tradition we have been observing at AIA Houston over the last few years: adding art designed by architects to the AIA Houston Design Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts , Houston . For my entire period of involvement in the Chapter (since 2001) this Collection has been growing in size and prestige. It is entering a new era of significance with the latest addition, a chair and ottoman designed by Marcel Breuer and produced by Gebruder Thonet. Begun by Carrie Glassman Shoemake, AIA and Past President Ernesto Maldonado, AIA, and then nurtured by Dan Searight, AIA, the Collection is funded by an annual contribution from the Sandcastle Competition proceeds, supplemented by a sizeable pool of donations from individuals and firms. It started with a handful (well, an armful) of objects, some relatively modest. Over the years—as available funds steadily increased—the breadth and quality of the collection has noticeably expanded. This year’s item, given to honor the career of S.I. Morris, FAIA, is an illustrious addition to the Collection. Personally chosen by S.I. from several items submitted for consideration by Cindi Strauss (Decorative Arts Curator, MFA,H), it is a remarkable original example of Bauhaus industrial design virtuosity. When you see the chrome and wood chair on display at our Holiday Party, take special note of the fabric. It is the original blue Eisengarn or “Iron Fabric.” Please also say a word of thanks to Cindi Strauss, who has been instrumental in guiding the items chosen for the Collection over the years. Every year we are amazed at the opportunities that await us in selecting objects to add to the AIA Houston Design Collection. Please join in the fun on December 15 and give your support in any amount possible. For a pledge form go to www.aiahouston.org. The results of this tradition are enjoyed by the public and will forever reflect contributions architects can have on our quality of life.
Do You See What I See? The TSA Grassroots Conference held a couple of weeks ago near Austin had us looking at assets rather than needs. Do you see projects as half-full or half-empty (to mix a metaphor)? Half-complete or half-unfinished? Do you see the assets your coworkers and employees bring to the table, or do you constantly focus on deficiencies and mistakes. By pooling assets, we were advised, you can make a better whole – a better product – a better building. We all know this intuitively, but how often do we really focus the energies of our workplace and people to solve problems? This may sound a little like The Power of Positive Thinking – and in a way it is. It’s all a matter of how you look at it. The crux of the meeting, after our asset-mapping exercises, was to look at the Legislative Agenda of TSA for next year in anticipation of the next session in 2007. The Government Affairs Steering Committee has identified 16 priorities, some of which may bring on pro-active legislation designed to help Texas architects. TSA wants to stop merely reacting to proposed legislation but begin to initiate helpful laws as well. The issues – in no particular order -- are: 1. Tax of Professional Services Anyone interested in up-to-the-minute status on any of these may contact the TSA Legislative Affairs specialist, Yvonne Castillo, Esq. at ycastillo@texasarchitect.org. These issues and far more detail about them should be available soon on the TSA website. I will keep you posted through AIA-Friday.
AIA Houston’s Twenty-five and Fifty Year Awards
AIA Houston’s Twenty-five and Fifty Year awards honor distinguished architecture of lasting value. In addition to being a fine piece of architecture, the buildings must still be in use for its original purpose and not substantially altered. Jay Baker; FAIA, Nonya Grenader , FAIA, and past president Bill Neuhaus , FAIA, who chaired the jury, considered several buildings in both the 25-year-old and 50-year-old category. A jury site visit to West Loop cinched the 25-year Award. And the Winner is -- The Prudential Insurance Company Building, now the SBC Building , located at 6500 West Loop South at the corner of Bissonnet. The building was designed by S.I. Morris Associates in 1977. The rhythmic quality of the smooth pre-cast concrete exoskeleton is particularly striking from Loop 610. Red porcelain stripes enliven the building and put it in tune with the flow of traffic. The jury commented that it is the “ Best Freeway Building ” in Houston . The building holds its gracious and well-landscaped site beautifully and includes a well-designed motor court at the front and huge terraced side gardens enclosed within a high rounded concrete wall. The jury awarded a Fifty-Year Award to the Rice University Stadium, designed in 1950 by Hermon Lloyd & W.B. Morgan and Milton McGinty. The 70,000 seat stadium is of reinforced concrete made graceful by lithe, 30-inch diameter columns supporting the upper decks. The monolithic landmark at the west end of the Rice University Campus is perhaps one of the best buildings of its kind in the country. In the early 1970s, AIA Houston recognized the Rice Stadium, among other buildings, as a “ Vintage Building ” -- precursor to the 25-Year Award. Great to see something last another 25 years!
RWS Architects is pleased to announce the promotion of Malcolm C. Gaus, AIA, to Vice President effective October 16, 2005
From Matrix Structural Engineers
Matrix Structural Engineers, Inc., a Houston-based structural engineering consulting firm received top honors in the National Council of Structural Engineers Association (NCSEA) Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Program. The Outstanding Project award was for Matrix Structural Engineers’ structural design of St. Martin ’s Episcopal Church in the New Buildings , $10M to $30M Category and Matrix Structural Engineers was the only firm from Texas to win in this category. St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, a thriving Episcopal congregation located in Houston, Texas, had outgrown its old sanctuary and was looking for a new space big enough to accommodate its services yet traditional in style. A Gothic church fit the bill . . . but nobody had built a building like that in Houston in over 70 years. The engineers at Matrix had to find a way to hold it up, but they had no model to follow. After considering several options, the final choice was what Moyeen Haque , Ph.D., P.E. sketched in the first design team meeting: a series of steel frames, spaced at 16 feet on center to match the architectural module, forming the nave. The frames form the outline of the church, creating the shape of the aisles, nave, and roof. Welded connections and a roof truss stiffen the frame so that the exterior brick will not crack even in hurricane winds, but leave space for the all-important air conditioning ducts. The system so closely integrated with the architecture that the Gothic form of the building – down to the petals of the rose window – was obvious even when the building was only a bare frame. After only four years of design and construction, the $20 million church was completed in time for 2004 Easter services. The completed sanctuary serves a congregation of over 7,000. St. Martin’s Episcopal Church is designed to last for centuries, providing a dignified and spacious home for an expanding congregation. Its traditional architecture was the client’s wish; the creative engineering beneath made it possible. Founded in 1993, Matrix Structural Engineers, Inc. continually provides creative solutions to challenging architectural designs. Matrix Structural Engineers has received numerous structural awards for St. Martin’s Episcopal Church including, 2005 ACEC Engineering Excellence Award Structural Award, National Recognition Award; 2005 CEC Texas Engineering Excellence Award, Structural Systems, Gold Medal Winner-Small Firm, 2005 AISC Engineering Awards of Excellence, Merit Award. Matrix Structural Engineers’ President, Moyeen Haque , Ph.D., P.E., who was the engineer of record for St. Martin ’s Episcopal Church, stated that: “ Jackson & Ryan Architects’ creative design for this unique landmark in Houston inspired all of us associated with this project. Our firm is pleased to have been a part of this undertaking and is proud to have developed the structural concept for this building which will grace the Houston skyline for many generations to come.” The NCSEA Thirteenth Annual Conference Awards Ceremony was held October 29, 2005 in Kansas City , MO. Projects were most prominently judged considering the creativity of structural design, how the design solved unusual problems, and the quality of execution.
From A&E - The Graphics Complex A&E – The Graphics Complex, a 41 year old, family-owned printing company, has been selected as one of the 50 Best Companies to Work for in Texas . This first-ever, statewide survey is supported and endorsed by the publishers of TEXAS MONTHLY, the Texas Association of Business, and the Society for Human Resource Management – Texas State Council, and managed by Best Companies Group. The Best Companies to Work for in Texas awards luncheon will be held on February 8, at the Austin Marriott at the Capitol to recognize and congratulate the 50 companies that made the list. Governor Rick Perry has been invited to attend this special ceremony coordinated by the Texas Association of Business. Selected companies will find out their ranking at the awards luncheon and will be unveiled in the February 2006 issue of TEXAS MONTHLY. The 50 Best Companies to Work for in Texas award was a two part application process. Companies applied by submitting an employer questionnaire and a percentage of the company’s employees had to complete online surveys. The process allows firms to gauge employee satisfaction, receive useful feedback and benchmark themselves against the best in Texas. Family owned and operated since 1964, A&E – The Graphics Complex strives to set higher standards for customer service. Since its founding as a small blueprinting company, A&E has evolved into a full-service “graphics complex” offering anything and everything graphic; from color and black & white copies, to outdoor banners, tradeshow graphics, graphic design, print on demand, customized direct mail solutions, staffed corporate copy centers, sales, leasing and service of copiers and printers, and the reproduction of construction documents. A&E also facilitates a culture of continuous improvement. A wide array of products and services has enabled A&E – The Graphics Complex to continually grow over the last ten years. During this time, A&E has also been recognized as a leader in customer service. “ We are very fortunate to have great people that enjoy what they do and we try to provide an environment so that they can do what they do best, and that is to provide our clients world class customer service ”, says Pat Gremillion , Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Gremillion also states, “We strive for a culture that facilitates a family-oriented environment, but also a culture of providing our clients with great customer service.”
From Sikes Group, Inc. Sikes Group, Inc. announces the firm has moved to Northwest Center, 13831 Northwest Freeway, Suite 250, Houston, Texas. The move is part of a new strategic alliance between Sikes Group, a leading Houston-based architecture and construction management firm, and Barone Design Group, a solutions-driven architecture and interiors firm. “This alliance provides our firm with acute design and interiors expertise. When combined with our architectural and construction management background, we now have the capability to offer our clients integrated expertise and a total service package,” said Herschel Sikes, founder and president, Sikes Group. The Sikes family has been a leading force in Houston architecture for over 50 years. Herschel Sikes has been providing architectural services for leading companies across the U.S. since following in his father’s renowned footsteps over 30 years ago. Projects recently completed by Sikes Group include one of the largest kidney dialysis clinics in the US, located in Houston’s Texas Medical Center; St. Luke’s Medical Center in The Woodlands; headquarter and branch locations for Sterling Bank in Houston, Wells Fargo and Whitney Banks; a series of Bear Trace Golf Clubs throughout Tennessee; and senior living facilities throughout New Mexico, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas. For more information on Sikes Group, please visit www.sikesgroup.com.
From Pfluger Associates Architects Pfluger Associates Architects in association with The Artisan Group of Kerrville has received the 2005 Caudill Award for Excellence in Educational Facility Design for Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas. The award, presented annually by the Texas Association of School Boards, the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Texas Society of Architects, honors the “epitome of Texas school design,” according to Robert Sepulveda, TASB president. The design of Tivy High School competed against more than 60 other educational design projects for the award, which is named in honor of late author and architect William Caudill, a pioneer in school design. Criteria for the Caudill Award are design, educational appropriateness, innovation, process of planning and value. Pfluger Associates President, Brad Pfluger, AIA, said the Tivy project presented a number of challenges. The existing Kerville high school had been in operation since 1967 and the student body had long since outgrown the facility. The Kerrville ISD was facing a “challenging” bond election to raise funds for the school, and the property itself presented unique challenges, including a creek running through the middle of the site. The new 269,000-square-foot school has a core capacity of 1,800 students. Pfluger Associates began the design process with a three-day workshop which was planned to achieve community consensus. City officials, faculty, parents and students came together to help create the initial vision for the new building, a concept that took into consideration Kerrville’s agricultural heritage and expanding technological needs and capabilities. Distinctive features of the building include the use of local Hill Country stone and native artisan talent for hand-forged wrought iron accents. The main concourses and classrooms use natural daylight as much as possible, reducing dependence on artificial light. Highly developed teaching and learning spaces consider the requirements of a wide range of learners, and public spaces were developed with the needs of the community, as well as students, in mind. “The facility represents a tremendous value for the dollar,” Pfluger said, “and Kerrville’s new high school is a beautiful, innovative place for teaching and learning that will serve students and educators for many years to come.”
RDA: Prosperity
Please join us on Wednesday, December 7, at 7pm at the MFA,H, for the third and last part "Prosperity" (rescheduled from September 21 due to hurricane Rita) of the 2005 RDA Civic Forum "People, Planet, Prosperity: Prospects for Sustainability in Houston." Panelists: Jose de la Isla Karl Rabago Jeremy Rutledge Brown Auditorium, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston For more information click on the following link http://rda.rice.edu/index2.php
Improvements to existing play facilities are needed, and the Pineloch Community Residents seek something unique and special. Competitors are encouraged to think of creative and innovative ways to design and build a Child's Play Area by integrating their concepts into the existing Sites. Entries will be constructed for year-round display and use with public enjoyment and appreciation for years to come. The designs/entries will be judged on the following criteria: safety, durability, creativity, imagination, and environmental sensitivity. In addition to a single playground upgrade, ideas for a long-term plan of improvements for the parks and the integration of Nature and additional Architecture is desired and encouraged. Help us "Chart A New Course and Launch our Future Parks!"In partnership with The Pineloch Community Association, a panel of judges will select a winning design for each of Three (3) Community Parks. A stipend of $2,500 will be awarded to the chosen teams, in which they will construct their designs in each respective site. The chosen teams will be honored with a permanent dedication plaque at the site and will be publicized in publications where applicable. November 10, 2005: Information Release and PreRegistration at the PCA Annual Meeting at Ward Elementary. Click here and scroll down for more information.
Calendar of Events Wednesday, February 1, 2006: Design Submission Deadline February: Design Entries on Display: Vote for Community Favorite! (location to be determined) Thursday, February 23, 2006: Winners Announced/Awards Reception February through April 2006: Construction Saturday, April 22, 2006: Spring Celebration -- Project Installation Ceremony honoring Winning Teams and Designs(weather permitting)
Diamond Affiliates
Affiliates
Click on the above icon for a printable pdf of September's schedule.
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A Unique Holiday Tradition at AIA Houston 
