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| The Empire State Building was built in 1930. Safety won’t be invented until much later. Photo: Lewis Wickes Hine |
Hello AIA Members!
Whew! Times are tough and the layoffs keep coming. Our AIA pom-poms are tired, BUT we have got to keep the architectural profession FRONT and CENTER everywhere we go. There are ways to market yourself or firm with $0.00. Danya and I try to attend as many networking events/breakfasts/luncheons/dinners or receptions as possible and market AIA Birmingham, but we need your help. AIA needs to be seen in as many places as possible. Are you being seen? If you are NOT out in the networking circles, you will not be the first person people will think of when they have a project or job. These are not the good ole days, just because you were the one who ALWAYS got the job in the past – not so in today’s economic times. People are giving everyone a chance.
We all need to be writing editorials, attending networking/social events, press releases for everything, make sure AIA is after your name in print or on your nametag. If you attend an event and have to wear a name tag, be sure and put AIA, LEED AP (if it applies). This is a great conversation starter with people in the room who do not know you. It leads into a conversation, “What is AIA, LEED AP?” This is your chance to say “Oh, American Institute of Architects, I am an architect and LEED accredited professional.” This could lead to a small project or a big project or a job. You never know.
Architects are going to survive this recession as the leaders in the design profession.
Help one another every chance you get and it will come back to you!
Peace & AIA Love,
Rhea Williams, AIA Executive Director |
2010 SAVE THE DATES
May 6th dreamArchitecture Awards Ceremony
Saw Works Studio
5:30 – 7:00
130-19th St. South
May 11th ACE Mentor of Alabama Awards Banquet
ALABAMA POWER
6:00 – 7:30
Corporate Auditorium 600 N 18th S
Click here for more info
May 11th Auburn Urban Studio Graduation Exhibition Opening Reception
5:00 – 7:00
Frank Setzer Gallery – Young & Vann Building
1731 1st Ave. N
RSVP to Cheryl Morgan at morgace@auburn.edu
May 12th Design Awards Electronic Submittals Due
May 19th FYI – Fellows Workshop – Free & lunch included!
KPS – 11:30 – 1:00
2101 1st Ave. North
RSVP by May 18th aiabirm@aiabham.org
May 20th Emerging Professionals Site Visit - DMI Tile & Marble
4:00 - 5:00
3012 5th Ave. South
RSVP to danya@aiabham.org by May 19
May 20th Talk of the Town
Click here for invite
May 21st Coffee with the President
7:30 – 8:30
The Red Cat
Pepper Place
June 8th Design Awards Jury
Miami Florida
June 24th 2010 AIA Birmingham Design Awards Celebration Party
Woodrow Hall
5504 1st Ave. North
5:30 – 7:30
$50 member’s $75 non members
$30 emerging professionals
2010 Sponsors – Thank You!
We would like to thank the following companies for renewing their sponsorships in 2010. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Silver Sponsors
Sherwood Cox Photography (need a photographer for Design Awards, call Sherwood)
We would also like to thank and welcome our new sponsors!
NEW Silver Sponsors – Covington Flooring
Fravert Services, Inc.
Georgia Pacific
 SOS! Survival Tips for Unemployed Architects
You were just laid off and are still in a little shock. There are so many things you need to do and have no idea where to start. We have gathered some links to help guide you through this (temporary) difficult time.
- File for unemployment benefits – Do this immediately
- Health Insurance
- COBRA Continuation Coverage - COBRA provides certain former employees, retirees, spouses, former spouses, and dependent children the right to temporary continuation of health coverage at group rates.
- Individual health coverage plans – Under certain circumstances, you may not be eligible to receive COBRA health coverage or COBRA coverage may be very expensive. In this case, there are companies providing individual health plans for you and your family.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield – Individual Blue offers different plans for individuals and their families. At times, this may be less expensive than COBRA and will last longer than COBRA benefits. Be sure to check your options before committing to a plan. www.bcbsal.org
- American Medical Security
- Assurant Health
- Update your resume and create business cards
- Don’t forget to take care of your mental health!
- If you ever had doubts about what you are doing with your life, this is the time to make a change.
- This is a good time to do volunteer work. It is a great way to network and give back to the community.
- Job Loss: How to Cope
- Once again, remember this is all temporary.
2010 Design Awards Celebration Party Sponsored by
We would like to thank CROW FRIEDMAN GROUP for committing to be our 2010 Design Awards Sponsor. Crow Friedman Group, LLC, provides risk management services and insurance products. We appreciate their continued support of AIA Birmingham and please thank Mike Jackson (Alabama Agent). www.crowfriedmangroup.com
We are shaking things up a bit this year for the 2010 AIA Design Awards. We have changed the format of the event to a cocktail party. The party will begin promptly at 5:30 with mingling and networking until 6:30 then the AWARDS will begin….find out which firms Miami chose as the 2010 Design Award WINNERS! The jury will have a hard time making their selection. Beautiful designs.
The JURY
Allan Shulman– www.shulman-design.com
Beth Dunlop – Journalist for Design Profession
Ms. Plater-Zyberk– DPZ | Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, LLC
http://www.dpz.com/company.aspx
Bernardo Fort-Brescia, ARQUITECTONICA - pending
Design Award Dates to Remember
May 12th, 2010 Electronic Entries due by 5:00 p.m.
June 16th, 2010 Boards Due
June 21st, RSVP for the cocktail party
June 24th, 2010 DESGIN AWARDS Celebration PARTY
Ticket prices are ½ the price ($50) as 2009 and emerging professional tickets ($30) are too.
(beer, wine & mojitos, no full bar and no sit down dinner)
What does it take for FELLOW? What are the CATEGORIES? WHAT IS IT?
Are you interested in being elevated to Fellow, even slightly? On May 19th 11:30 to 1:00, the Birmingham Chapter will sponsor a Workshop to discuss ways to make it happen. Richard Barrow, FAIA will lead the Workshop at the office of KPS Group using material developed for the Gulf States Region by Lee Askew, FAIA, of Memphis, a former member of the selection Jury, and Allen Eskew, FAIA, of New Orleans, along with Barrow, the current College of Fellows Regional Representative for the Gulf States Region.
We will discuss the purpose of Fellowship, categories of nomination, the methods of nomination, what we know about the deliberations of the Jury and other mechanics. We will also discuss numbers, probabilities, and ways to prepare for consideration.
Fellowship is a national honor and not everyone who is interested will be nominated. And unfortunately not everyone who is nominated will be elevated, but we are also certain no one will be elevated who does not apply. Come have lunch and we’ll talk about it.
RSVP by May 14th to aiabirm@aiabham.org.
Emerging Professionals
   
Thank you to HKW Associates and Brasfield & Gorrie for inviting the AIA Emerging Professionals to visit the site of the new Vestavia Hills Public Library! Although crossing the street was kind of nerve wrecking, it was a beautiful day for a site visit. Click here for photos.
EP Site Visit to DMI Tile & Marble – May 20th– Tour of DMI Tile Stone Fabrication Facility
Come experience first hand the complete stone fabrication process, including a stone cutting demonstration! DMI’s Fabrication Plant works with a variety of projects and materials. Projects include education buildings, hotels, condominiums, hospitals, and various other commercial projects. These projects are made up of different uses and variations of stone, including marble, granite, limestone, travertine, and engineered stone (quartz).
DMI Tile & Marble
Thursday, May 20th
4:00 to 5:00
3012 5th Ave. South
RSVP to danya@aiabham.org by May 19th
Elevators
Thank you RESIDENTIAL ELEVATORS & LERCH BATES for presenting at our April Take the Stairs meeting. If you firm would like these presentations in your office, let the AIA office know and we can help make that happen for you.
We would also like to thank FLOWER STEMS for hosting our meeting. The space is available for rent.
Click here for photo gallery
13th Annual dreamArchitecture Draw Your DreamFARM
This year we had 700 entries from 17 different schools. The jury this year was the dreamArchitecture committee and 2010 AIA President, Susan Barron, AIA,LEED AP. Our 2010 committee is Travis Burke, AIA, Dick Pigford, AIA, Adrienne Retief, AIA, Karen Reynolds, AIA and Robert Stockton, AIA.
Our tie breaker and referee judge was Robin White, Alabama Power. He had the hardest job and we made sure he had an escort to the car for protection after he made his final choices (JK). The committee had the best time, but each member had their favorite dreamFarm. The students also had to write a dream statement on the back of their art.
- Mary Margaret Blackwood, 3rd Grade - St. Rose Academy – teacher, Annette Taylor
“My farm is very healthy because it has a green house with flowers and bamboo. My farm is a bamboo farm. It is nice for my farmer because the bamboo is really strong and the leaves can make shade for my farmer and the workers. My farm is healthy.”
- Will Earnhardt, 1st Grade- Advent Episcopal Day School - Marie Tylicki
“On my farm, I have a chicken house and a cow and a horse farm. My farm has a cistern. My farm has a river and an orchard. I have big windows in the barn.”
We encourage you to attend the ceremony and you will be very proud to be a part of this community outreach program. The ceremony begins at 5:30 and is over by 7:00, drop by Saw Works Studio (Architecture Works) and view the artwork and meet your future employees. Click here for photos
dreamArchitecture was awarded two grants.
Alabama Power Foundation - $500
The Trust - $750
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
The COTE committee had their first presentation at the ONB breakfast April 22nd. They did a great job! The goal is to develop a part II of the presentation and speak at another ONB breakfast going into more details of how to make Birmingham more sustainable one step at a time. It is time for AIA Birmingham to be recognized as the built environment RESOURCE. This is one more way for the architectural profession to be front and center.
COTE Committee: Marshall Anderson, AIA, LEED AP, Tammy Cohen, AIA, LEED AP, Jeremy Erdreich, AIA, LEED AP, Chris Ingle, AIA, LEED AP, Kyle Kish, AIA, LEED AP, Ross Lackey, AIA, LEED AP, Trevor Matchett, AIA, LEED AP, Gail Nolan, AIA, LEED AP, and Scott Thompson, AIA, LEED AP.
Coffee with the President
We had our 3rd coffee with the president at Red Cat on April 30th. It was a great brainstorming session regarding the economy and what AIA can do to help members get through this tough economic crisis. Bob Smith, Block USA and Tim Hallren, Fravert services attended and it was good to hear their side of the economy. Several who attended were underemployed architects and we discussed different ways to network and to get your name out to be hired. We are looking for new ways to help our members and welcome any suggestions.
Try to attend next month’s Coffee with the President, May 21st, at the Red Cat.
Urban Studio
Congratulations Auburn University - Urban Studio Graduating Class of 2010!
Auburn Urban Studio Graduation Exhibition Opening Reception – Come help the graduating students celebrate all their hard work!
Tuesday, May 11th
5:00 – 7:00
Frank Setzer Gallery – Young & Vann Building
1731 1st Ave. N
RSVP to Cheryl Morgan at morgace@auburn.edu by Friday, May 7th
AIA Partners with Green Building Focus
AIA Birmingham will join Green Building Focus as they host the annual Green Building Focus Conference & EXPO this August 24-27, 2010 at the BJCC. Click here to register now.
Green Building Focus is pleased to announce the following featured speakers:
 Eric Corey Freed, LEED AP, Hon. FIGP, is Principal of organicARCHITECT, an architecture and consulting firm in California, with nearly 20 years of experience in green building. Today, Eric continues the tradition of “Organic Architecture”, first developed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Eric is considered a leader in the field; named by San Francisco Magazine "Best Green Architect" in 2005 and "Best Visionary" in 2007; and "Green Visionary" by 7x7 Magazine in 2008.
 Megan Holder is a LEED AP and Associate with the HOK Planning Group, a division of HOK that focuses on master planning, landscape architecture and urban design projects throughout the world. Holder was one of the integral team members for the planning and landscape strategy on KAUST. From the initial concept phase, which began in October 2006 through its completion in September 2009, she was dedicated to the creation of this state-of-the-art LEED Platinum campus and supporting environment. KAUST's new campus is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's first LEED certified project and the world's largest LEED Platinum project.
Click here for more information on our speakers. Earn HSW/SDU CEUs and network with the world’s leading experts in sustainable development.
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