Interior Design & Architecture - News & Trends

Water falls in NYC

NEW YORK – This summer, New York City is hosting an art exhibit featuring man-made waterfalls 90 to 120 feet (27 to 37 meters).

The four waterfalls are available for everyone to see. The New York City Waterfalls are constructed using building elements that are ubiquitous throughout New York: scaffolding is the backbone of the structures, and pumps will bring water from the East River to the top; the water then falls from heights of 90-ft. to 120-ft. back into the river. Fish and aquatic life are protected by filtering the water through intake pools suspended in the river. To build the Waterfalls, Public Art Fund partnered with Tishman Construction Corporation.

The Waterfalls have been designed to be sensitive to the environment. The structures not only protect fish, aquatic life, the river and the shoreline, but also run on “green power”– electricity generated from renewable resources–for its operations. For more information, see nyfalls.com

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AIA introduces new documents

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has introduced two sets of documents geared to architects and facilities managers.

The first, a set of three agreements, is a transitional approach to integrated project delivery and features an owner-architect agreement form, a separate owner-contractor agreement form, and a general conditions document that defines the responsibilities of each participant, with a guaranteed maximum price amendment.

The second, more novel agreement is the C195™–2008, Standard Form Single Purpose Entity Agreement for Integrated Project Delivery, which creates a limited liability company among the owner, architect, construction manager, and possibly other parties, according to the specifics of a particular project.

For more information, see content.aia.org

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Credentials mean cash

NORCROSS, Ga. – Architects who pursue their master’s degree and those who become licensed see greater earnings, according to a recent compensation survey conducted by DesignIntelligence and the Greenway Group.

Compiled from data representing nearly 19,000 design staff in the United States, the 2008-2009 Compensation and Benefits Survey published in DesignIntelligence shows that the annual salary for recent Master of Architecture graduates is nearly 10% higher than that of practitioners who hold a Bachelor of Architecture degree. The M. Arch grads are shown to earn a median salary of $42,985; B. Arch grads earn $39,333 upon launching their careers.

Architects who earn their degrees then pursue licensure are also at an advantage, seeing a typical increase in base compensation of 5% to 9%. As further incentive, 81% of firms responding to the survey indicate that they pay some or all of the expenses for staff to take the Architecture Registration Examination. For more information, see www.di.net

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Driving new design

RALEIGH/DURHAM, N.C. – SSOE, Inc., a national architecture and engineering firms, will provide design services for BMW's new 1.2 million SF assembly plant in Fayetteville, N.C.

SSOE will provide the detail architectural and all civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and fire protection engineering services. The Spartanburg North Assembly Building plans to increase production capacity at its U.S. operation from 160,000 to 240,000 automobiles annually by 2012. This expansion will allow BMW to increase their output and add 500 new jobs. Once completed, BMW will have invested $4.2 billion into its South Carolina operations since the production site opened in 1994.

Kohlbecker Architects and Engineers, from Gaggenau, Germany will partner with SSOE. The scope of work has been divided to leverage the expertise of both firms.

The 1.2 million SF final assembly plant will be built on BMW's existing site. Construction began in April 2008 and will be completed in July 2009, with production of the next-generation X3 Sports Activity Vehicle beginning in 2010. The building is being designed to meet the EPACT 2005 standards for "Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings". This includes increases in insulation in the walls and roof, efficient lighting systems (metal halide lights with dual level controls), high efficiency heating and cooling systems, and high efficiency hot water systems.

The Kohlbecker/SSOE team has phased the design to fast track the project by using the approach of separate rough grading, structural steel and general contracts. They are also designing the project completely in Microstation 3D which allows BMW to see and review weekly progress through the free software program NavisWorks. BMW can also use the 3D model for coordinating other tasks within the plant and interference checking for production equipment placement, routing of conveyors and other activities that are concurrent with design of the building.

Besides the X3 Sports Activity Vehicle, the Spartanburg factory also produces the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle and the new X6 Sports Activity Coupe which goes on sale later this year. In addition, BMW is also producing the Z4 Roadster and its respective variants in Spartanburg. For more information, see www.ssoe.com

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AIA awards Pettigrew scholarships

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– The American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Associates Committee (NAC) announces six recipients of the 2008 Jason Pettigrew Memorial ARE Scholarship. All recipients receive compensation for the entire cost of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE®) and a full set of study guides provided by Kaplan AEC Education.

The recipients are Vasso Kampiti, Assoc. AIA, Karen E. Lesney, Assoc. AIA, Joshua Lloyd, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, Dalimar Martínez-Carreras, AIA, Paul J. Pascarelli, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, and Jason Dale Pierce, Assoc. AIA.

For more information on the Jason Pettigrew Memorial ARE Scholarship, visit: www.aia.org

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Switching from private to open offices

COSTA MESA, Calif. — IA Interior Architects completed a 250,000-sq.-ft. restack and renovation of offices on Motorola’s San Diego Campus.

Motorola’s objective was to switch from a private office configuration to an open plan. In addition, this section of the campus—which spans four floors in two adjacent buildings—had to accommodate 500 additional employees (for a total of 1,300 employees).  

The resulting space plan is an egalitarian open work area and lounge spaces along the exterior windows (formerly a space occupied by private offices). Natural light floods the space and employees have views of the San Diego hillside. Private offices and conference rooms are located closer to the core. Teaming areas and spots for impromptu meetings are located on each floor; break out spaces are adjacent to the more formal conference rooms. To ensure privacy for those accustomed to private offices, the design team specified panel heights at 54-inches. And to consolidate space and accommodate future growth, the design team replaced basic 6-ft.-by 8-ft. workstations with 9 ft. by 12-ft. workstations that accommodate two people. 

Good & Roberts, the Vista, CA-based contractor, received an Excellence in Construction Award for the project from the Associated Builders and Contractors San Diego Chapter.  For more information, see www.interiorarchitects.com

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Hot AIA winners are

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The AIA Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has designated its 2008 AIA Florida Honor & Design Awards Recipients. The winners are:

Unbuilt Awards
Merit

• Boano Lowenstein Residence by KZ Architecture
• Cube by Oppenheim Architecture + Design
• 1” Hotel D.C. by Oppenheim Architecture + Design
• Visoli House by John Sandell, Assoc. AIA
• Mapping Identity, Tracing Dreams by Marilys R. Nepomechie Architect
• The Elliot Museum by Gould Evans
• 909 Collins Avenue by Allan T. Shulman Architect, P.A.
• Building Annex by Bartizan Group, P.S.C.
• Downtown Miami Marlins Ballpark by Mateu Architecture, Inc.

Theoritical and Research

Merit
Dunescapes-Reconnecting Citizens with the Coastal Edge by David Crabtree, Assoc. AIA, sponsored by: Architects Design Group

Award of Excellence
Merit

• Research Institute by HDR, Inc.
• Park Avenue by Oppenheim Architecture + Design
• Concourse "J" - Miami Internation Airport by MGE Architects
• Beach Road 2 by SH_Arc
• United States Federal Courthouse by DLR Group
• The Meridian by Zyscovich, Inc.
• Girls' Club by Glavovic Studio, Inc.
• Young Circle Arts Park - City of Hollywood by Glavovic Studio, Inc.

Test of Time
Merit

• 222 Beach Road-Siesta Key by Seibert Architects, P.A.

For more information, see www.aiafla.org

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AIA elects officials

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Delegates to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention elected George H. Miller, FAIA, to serve as the 2009 AIA first vice president/president-elect and 2010 Institute president.

Miller, a partner at Pei Cobb Freed in New York is currently serving as an AIA vice president. He has also served in a variety of other leadership positions at the AIA such as: treasurer, vice president, and president of AIA New York, regional director for AIA New York State from 2004 to 2006, National Chair of the AIA150 Advisory Committee, as well as a member of the Gold Medal and Firm Advisory Committee in 2004-05.

Other AIA elected officials include:

• Walter J. Hainsfurther AIA, has been elected to a two-year vice presidential term beginning in December 2008. Hainsfurther, president of Kurtz Associate Architects served as president of AIA Northeast Illinois in 1995 and president of AIA Illinois in 2005.
• Pamela J. Loeffelman, FAIA, LEED-AP, has been elected to a two-year vice presidential term beginning in December 2008. Loeffelman, a principal at Perkins Eastman in Stamford, Conn., served on the Committee on Architecture for Education’s national AIA Advisory Group (2001–2005) and the Board Knowledge Committee (2004–2008).
• Stephen K. Loos, AIA, has been elected to a two-year term as secretary of the AIA beginning in December of 2008. Loos, a senior design architect for the Mulhern Group Ltd., was president of AIA Colorado North in 1998 and president of AIA Colorado in 2000. He served as secretary to the Western Mountain Regional Council from 2004 till 2005, and is a regional director of the Western Mountain area.

For more information, see www.aia.org

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