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.

AIA Houston Board Retreat – Seriously

No one took pictures of the working sessions, which were as intensely serious as the fun was intensely relaxing. Members of the 2006 Board of Directors (at their own expense – not yours) went to Savannah, Georgia for this year’s retreat to investigate urban design at its best, see a new museum designed by Moshe Safdie, eat local seafood, and tour a couple of houses built in the early 1800s. But those excursions were after a good bit of AIA Houston business was conducted.

Jeffrey Brown, President-elect, led the meeting with the theme “Evolution,” defined on the cover of the 2006 Board Notebooks as: “a gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form.” AIA Houston is evolving, and with your help, it will become a better and better form. The meeting began with lengthy introductions during which shocking information about your representatives was revealed – for example, Randall Walker has four kids; Geoffrey Brune once lived in Jacksonville; Kurt Hull is a bike nut; and Jory Alexander thinks the AIA should become more relevant. The entire AIA structure was reviewed, including the Board of Directors, interaction with national and TSA, the Houston Architecture Foundation, committees, projects, events, and staff. Part of the discussion centered on how we can align ourselves more appropriately with the AIA's strategic plan's divisions: Community, Advocacy, and Knowledge. Everything we do should fall into one of these areas, or we shouldn’t be doing it. We did have a little trouble fitting in oyster roasts, but the structural knowledge of how to successfully pry open a hot oyster seemed possibly useful.

On the second day of meetings, the Board spent all of its time reviewing the Long Range Plan adopted in January of this year after a good deal of work by Randall Walker and his committee. Pondering our mission. “AIA Houston is the community of architects coming together to accomplish things in our practices and our communities that no single architect can do alone,” reminded each participant of why they were there. The plan was updated and revised, as it should be each year, to note the accomplishments of 2005 and add new ideas for 2006. You will soon receive the updated Long Range Plan, and, in January, AIA Houston will publish its first-ever Annual Report. In this report you will have financial reports from the Chapter and read of the 2005 projects, events, and innovations: converting to an electronic Perspective; Gulf Coast Green, creation of AIA Friday; a soon-to-come web-based job board, the first-ever financial audit, and initiation of a Faculty Grant, to name just a few.

Today is my first AIA anniversary, and I feel like I’m still on the Honeymoon. You are wonderful people to work with; your commitment to your clients and to your community, keep me committed to you. Thanks to you all for a great year.

DON'T FORGET Thursday, November 10, 2005 AIA – AGC 2005 Joint Meeting

The AIA - AGC Joint Annual Meeting on November 10, 5-7 will be a great party plus a tour of the new Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston Branch, designed by Michael Graves with PGAL. Linbeck is the contractor. We will be among the first groups to have a chance to tour the building.

The evening will include guided tours of the building, a chance to see the money operations, shredded money souvenirs, open bars, and plenty of delicious food for only $25 per ticket.

Due to the security of the Federal Reserve Bank, NO WALK-INS will be allowed. All who plan to attend must register by November 8 to be placed on the guest list that will be used by Federal Reserve Bank Security. To register please click here or call ACG at 713.843.3700.

The annual AIA Houston Holiday Party will be held December 15 in the Beck Building, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston at 5:30pm. This year AIA Houston and friends of S.I.'s will donate a decorative art item, designed by an internationally renowned architect, to the AIA Houston Design Collection in honor of S.I. Morris, FAIA. He will be in attendance with his wife Susie, and this will be a grand occasion to let him know how much the Houston architectural community appreciates his 70 years of architectural accomplishment.

Seth Irwin Morris was born in Madisonville, Texas on September 1, 1914. When he was two years old his family moved to Houston because his mother had heard that the recently opened Rice Institute offered a free education to qualified young people, and she wanted her son to be one of them. He enrolled at Rice in 1930 as an architecture student, graduating in 1935. After working first as a designer for Burns Roensch, he joined with Talbot Wilson in 1938 to found the architecture firm that continues today as Morris Architects. S.I. and his numerous partners over the years trained two generations of successful practitioners. There is not a large firm in Houston today that doesn’t employ someone who once worked for Morris.

The list of projects with which S.I. has touched during his long career is too long to recount here. He has received many awards for that architecture including election to Fellowship in the AIA (1962); Distinguished Alumnus from Rice (1981); Gold Medal Award from the Association of Rice alumni (1991); the Llewellen Pitts Award from TSA (1992), the Master Builder Award from AGC (1992); and the RDA Award for Design Excellence (1998).

From Jackson & Ryan Architects

Jackson & Ryan Architects is pleased to announce the completion of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and School in The Woodlands. The firm has been selected as architect for St. Theresa Catholic Church and St. Laurence Catholic Community, both in Sugar Land, the Robertson Hill Condominiums in Austin, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Community in Frisco, Texas, the new Central Plant Expansion for Thermal Energy Corporation (TECO) in the Texas Medical Center, and Summerfield Suites by Wyndham, Low and Mid-rise Prototype Design.

Jackson & Ryan Architects is also pleased to announce new employees, Gina Jaimes, Rashmi Murthy, Meg Sumi, Shiou Teng, and Sam Windham.

From Turner Partners

Turner Partners Architecture, LLP of Houston is pleased to announce the completion of various sitework and renovation projects at St. Agnes Academy located at 9000 Bellaire Boulevard in Houston. The completed work includes the addition of a new landscape wall along Bellaire Boulevard to enhance the school’s street presence and expanded parking facilities. Additionally, a major renovation to the campus chapel is underway, as well as improvements to the campus circulation system. Fretz Construction is the general contractor for the projects.

From Walter P. Moore

Walter P. Moore announces that Vicki Ford, P.E., has been chosen the 2005 recipient of the firm’s Javier F. Horvilleur Outstanding Young Engineer Award.

Named in honor and memory of Javier F. Horvilleur, P.E., a Walter P. Moore Senior Principal who died unexpectedly in September 2002, this award is presented annually to one young structural engineer at Walter P. Moore to recognize design excellence, outstanding client service, and business acumen.

Ford was selected from nominees from throughout the firm’s nine offices nationwide. Selection Committee chair David Platten cited Ford’s outstanding technical and management contributions to the ongoing success of the firm’s Dallas office, as well as her significant involvements in a range of other activities as a mentor, a recruiter, and a technical trainer for the firm. Lee Slade, the firm’s Executive Director of Structural Engineering added, “Vicki Ford exemplifies a coming generation of young leaders. The future of our firm is in excellent hands.”

Ford is a Senior Associate and Structural Design Engineer in Walter P. Moore’s Dallas office. A graduate of Clemson University, she joined the firm in 1998 and has been a key participant in many of the firm’s major projects. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the states of Texas and Maryland.

A premier national firm celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2006, Walter P. Moore provides a broad range of engineering and consulting services to public and private sector clients from an expanding network of regional offices. Walter P. Moore (walterpmoore.com) is consistently recognized for engineering excellence and among the “best places to work” in the nation and was just named by Zweig White and Structural Engineer as the nation’s “Best Structural Engineering Firm to Work For.”

From WHR Architects

WHR is proud to announce that high honors have been bestowed upon these outstanding
professionals in the firm.

In Memorium

Robert Timme, FAIA, a founding partner of Taft Architects and former dean of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, University of Houston died Oct. 20 from complications related to lung cancer. He was 60. Bob was well known in the Houston architectural community and will be missed by the many of us who knew him and benefited from his work and commitment to Houston.

A specialist in architectural design and history, and a noted lecturer on color theory and garden history, Bob ably combined academic and professional careers. Among his award-winning buildings are the Hendley Building in Galveston, the YWCA Masterson Branch in Houston, and the Talbot House in Nevis, West Indies. Bob’s work with Taft Architects has been recognized internationally with more than 65 design awards, including three consecutive national AIA Honor Awards. The work has been published extensively throughout the world and recognized in exhibits in Europe, Japan, and the United States.

In 1971, he joined the faculty at the University of Houston’s College of Architecture, where he taught architectural design, history and theory. A year later, he founded Taft Architects with two former classmates, Danny Samuels, AIA and John Casbarian, FAIA. In 1987, he was appointed director of graduate studies and in 1992 dean of the UH College of Architecture, where he also founded and directed the Centre d’Etude d’Architecture et d’Urbanisme, a research and teaching center in Saintes, France, and edited its annual journal, Saintonge. In 1996, Bob Timme was appointed dean of the School of Architecture at University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Other awards include the AIA Houston and AIA Los Angeles Educator Award, and the AIA Houston Firm Award. Earlier this month, in recognition of his accomplishments, he was named a Chevalier (Knight) of France of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture.

Other honors include the advanced fellowship at the American Academy of Rome, elevation to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, distinguished visiting professorships at the University of Texas; University of Pennsylvania; University of Illinois, Chicago; Clemson University; and the Davenport Professorship at Yale University.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in architecture in 1969, a Bachelor of Architecture in 1971 and a Master of Architecture in 1979, all from Rice University. He also studied at the Institute for Architecture and Urbanism, New York, in 1969 for one year.

Bob Timme is survived by his wife Katherine, daughter Elizabeth, brother William, sister Kathryn, and stepsons Nicholas and Michael.

Call for Entries

AIA Houston 2005 Sandcastle Logo design Competition
Deadline has been extended to November 7th
Click here for details.

Logos from past Sandcastle Competitions.

Louisiana Recovery and Rebuilding Conference to be Held in New Orleans, November 10-12

A collaborative visioning conference for the long-range rebuilding and recovery of Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will be held in New Orleans, November 10-12th. The three-day program is the beginning of the process that will bring local and national design and planning professionals together with Louisiana public officials, civic groups, and business organizations, to develop a body of principles that will guide Louisiana's long-range recovery efforts.

The Louisiana Recovery and Rebuilding Conference is being presented by The American Institute of Architects (AIA), in collaboration with the American Planning Association (APA) at the request of Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and the new 24-member Louisiana Recovery Authority. Providing specialized expertise, the conference will be co-sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and other organizations to be named later. The Conference is being managed by the local, state, and national offices of the AIA with assistance from additional local partners.

To be opened with a keynote address by Blanco, the Conference is one of the top action items that are part of the agenda of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which was appointed by Blanco October 17th. The Authority will develop everything from a 30-day plan to a five-year plan to rebuild the state after the devastation left by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Xavier University President Norman Francis will chair the Authority and former CNN executive and Time magazine editor Walter Isaacson will serve as its vice chairman.

In addition to state and local community, civic and business leaders, public officials at all levels – local, state and federal – are being invited to participate. The Louisiana Congressional delegation is being invited to speak to the Conference at a luncheon on Friday, November 11th about prospects and strategies for federal long-term rebuilding assistance. Leaders of additional local and state recovery efforts, such as New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin’s Bring New Orleans Back Commission and Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu’s National Advisory Board on culture, tourism, and the economy, will be invited to participate as collaborative partners. There will be opportunities for broad-based public input both before and after the Conference and comments submitted by the general public will be made part of the official record of the conference.

“For this conference to be a success, it must be a collaborative, inclusive, and open process driven by local Louisiana citizens” said Norman L. Koonce, FAIA, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the AIA, and a Louisiana native. “This conference is not intended to dictate solutions or impose a final plan, but rather to serve as the initial step that sets the stage and defines conceptual design principles for the comprehensive planning process in the Louisiana rebuilding effort.”

“APA is pleased to be working with the State of Louisiana in rebuilding its historic and diverse communities,” said W. Paul Farmer, AICP, Executive Director and CEO of the American Planning Association, and a native of Shreveport . “By participating in the planning process, residents, business interests, elected officials, and engaged citizens can ensure that their communities will meet everyone’s needs and, once again, have lasting value.”

The November Conference will focus on a range of planning, design, community development, infrastructure, and economic issues. Conference sessions will include the following topics:

• Infrastructure (flood control/levees, utilities, transportation)
• Economic Development (market realities and opportunities, tourism and conventions, business retention and attraction, public/private partnerships, incentives, venture and angel capital)
• Public Services (demographic trends and projections, housing and mixed-income living, schools and education, public safety)
• Environment & Public Health (environmental impact, air, water, soils, brownfields, wetlands, sustainable design)
• Building Communities (planning and designing healthy neighborhoods; downtowns, suburbs, rural lands, community design; historic resources and preservation, building codes, zoning, public land and private property rights). For further information, visit lrrc.aia.org.

 

Rebuilding Together

On October 15 and 22, AIA Houston and Walter P. Moore teamed up once again to form a volunteer crew for Rebuilding Together Houston, a non-profit community service program that has been helping Houstonians for nearly 20 years.  Nearly 30 volunteers participated in rebuilding the home of an elderly woman on the south side of town.  The crew finished this project, which was started by another crew last spring, adding siding and baseboards. Paint was touched-up and completed.  A new screen door for the woman’s in-home beauty shop was replaced, and, using a chainsaw and shears, several volunteers also broke apart a large portion of a tree which fell into the homeowner’s backyard during Hurricane Rita.  The crew left the site, and behind them stood a very pleased and thankful homeowner, who was also a great hostess!

AIA Houston has participated in nine Rebuilding Together Houston events to date, and our crew is looking forward to the next work effort in April of 2006.  For more information regarding this community service program, visit www.rebuildingtogetherhouston.org. If you’d like to learn more about AIA Houston’s Volunteer Crew, or would like to volunteer for one or both of the Saturday work sessions in April, to contact John Benham at jmbenham@leoadaly.com.

Kristopher McGraw, Assoc. AIA, an active member of the Intern/Associate Committee over the past four years, is the new I/A director for the group for 2006.  He is with Harrison Kornberg Architects.

Get Involved!

Becoming involved with the I/A Committee is an excellent way to network with peers, accelerate the architectural registration process through readily available resources, and a great way to earn your Professional and Community Service IDP units.  Annual and ongoing events include the popular “How We Passed the ARE” Information Happy Hour and Panel Discussion, the ARE Graphics and Structures Divisions Workshops, the “Road to Registration” presentation delivered to Houston area students by interns, and other events like construction tours and intern-related architectural seminars.  Volunteers are always needed tohelp organize these events, or suggest new events. Contact Kris McGraw ( kcmcgraw@harrisonkornberg.com ) if you’re interested in helping or volunteering.  Monthly I/A meetings occur the last Monday of every month, from noon to 1pm at the AIA Houston office.  Visitors and newcomers are always welcome to attend!  The next monthly meeting will be Monday, January 30, 2006.

Ann E. Christensen, Assoc. AIA David W. DiPuma, Assoc. AIA, SBWV Architects, Inc. Wesley W. Gustin, AIA, Levinson Associates, L.P. Thomas R. Haggerty, Assoc. AIA, Joiner Partnership Inc. Joe E. Price, AIA, E E Reed Construction Maura G. Jaimes-Barnett, Assoc. AIA Lia M. Johnson, AIA, WHR Architects Stennis D. Lenoir, AIA, RDC Architects Christian N. Sheridan, Assoc. AIA, Brave/Architecture Kristopher T. McGraw, Assoc. AIA, Harrison Kornberg Architects, LLC Karen A. Krauskopf, Assoc. AIA, HKS Architects, Inc. Jacqueline A. Carrillo, Assoc. AIA, Courtney Harper & Partners

Diamond Affiliates

Ridgway's Haynes Whaley Associates Satterfield & Pontikes Tellepsen builders

 

Affiliates

A & E -- The Graphics Complex Accessibility Guy Advanced Lab Concepts Aerotek Assurance Warranty AVAdek (Air Vent) Baker Concrete Construction Bos Lighting Brookstone Burditt Sustainable Resource Consultants Bury + Partners Busby & Associates CADVisions CalPly Clark Condon Associates Concept Engineers Conti Jumper Gardner & Assoc Custon Audio Video Encompass Security Energy Steel Products Evergreen Design Group FMG Design, Inc. Henderson + Rogers Hirsch & Associates I. A. Naman + Associates ie Smart Systems

Jones & Carter Kudela & Weinheimer LCS Constructors LESCO Architectural Lighting Mason's Mill & Lumber Co. Matrix Structural Engineers Nehemiah Builders Pin Oak Interests PM Realty Group PolySpec Porter & Hedges Ricoh Business Systems Robert Shaw Rosenberger Construction Smith Seckman Reid SpawMaxwell Company Teal Construction Company Texas Sales & Marketing The Lentz Group The Mathis Group Tolunay-Wong Engineers Upchurch/Kimbrough Co. USI Insurance Walter P. Moore Weatherization Partners Workman Commercial Construction Services

 

Click on the above icon for a printable pdf of September's schedule.

Annual AIA Requirements are 18 LUs of which at least 8 are HSW
To register, contact Anna Paula via email at ana@aiahouston.org or call 713.520.0155
NO REFUNDS / CREDITS WILL BE GIVEN UNLESS CANCELLATION IS MADE 48 HOURS PRIOR TO CLASS

Unless otherwide noted, programs are based on two hours: Members $20.00, Interns $15.00, and Non-members $40.00