Specifications
September 14
4-6 pm
Level 3, 6 LUs, 2 hours HSW
$15, members; $10, interns and associates; $25, non-members.
Bonnie Boudreaux, CCS, presents this program which covers topics such as specifications, their relationship to drawings, and with the Project Architect, allocation of risks, and the CSI format for document arrangement. The seminar looks at drawings vs. specifications and identifies other players such as the Contractor. She is a current member of the AIA MasterSpec Review Committee and owner of A/I Services.
Problem Seeking: An Effective Method of Programming
September 15
5:30-7:30 pm
Level 2, 4 LUs, 2 hrs HSW
$15, members; $10, interns and associates; $25, non-members.
William Pena, FAIA, the man who literally wrote the book on programming, and Sofia Fonseca, Research Manager for HOK Consulting, will present this seminar. Of particular interest to interns (Pena wrote the programming section of the ARE in the 70's), Problem Seeking also offers the experienced architects a refresher in programming as an analytical science pioneered by Pena at CRS.
Pena joined CRS in 1948 and published his first article with William W. Caudill, "Architectural Analysis: Prelude to Good Design," in 1959. Ten years later, with John Focke, FAIA, Pena wrote Problem Seeking. Now in its third edition, Problem Seeking has become a standard text in architectural programming courses.
A fourth edition is due out this year.
Fonseca is a graduate of the University of Houston with a Master of Architecture from Rice. She has served as instructor on Urban Development Strategies at the Boston Architectural Center. An Associate with HOK, she has more than eight years of practice specializing in programming and strategic planning.
Tax Advantaged Design
September 17
4-6 pm
Level 2, 4 LUs, 2 hours HSW
$15, members; $10, interns and associates; $25, non-members.
Proper facility planning and design can result in tax benefits for your client ranging from 10% to 20% of project costs. These benefits can be used to upgrade the quality of the project, create a larger contingency fund, or simply reduce the overall cost. Jabir Al-Halil, AIA, of KPMG Peat Marwick demonstrates how to coordinate architectural services, construction and facility management procedures to comply with tax regulations, and how to use finance principles to obtain tax benefits-using a procedure referred to as Tax Advantaged Design.
Technology: Asbestos and Lead Awareness
September 21
4-6 pm
Level 2, 4 LUs, 2 hours HSW
$15, members; $10 interns and associates; $25 non-members.
The program presents an overview of the asbestos and lead based paint issues that can impact your firm, including: commercial and residential asbestos and lead issues; key federal regulations; health consequences of asbestos and lead exposure; lead based paints and asbestos testing methods; questions to ask before renovation or demolition occurs.
The program is presented by ATC Associates, an environmental consulting firm, with Jerry Heard, Senior Project Manager, and Nick Aschliman.
Bid Day Confusion
September 24
4-6 pm
Level 2, 4 LUs, 2 hours HSW
$15, members; $10, interns and associates; $25, non-members.
This seminar examines the bid process in today's market and reviews steps in the process that often lead to bid day confusion. Participants will learn, from the contractor's perspective, how bid forms affect bids, how actual bids are evaluated, and how to receive the best bid. Stephen Skabla of Vaughn Construction, and Steve Percivial of Durotech, are the speakers.
Accessibility and the TDLR
September 29
4-6 pm
Level 2, 4 LUs, 2 hours HSW
$15, members; $10, interns and associates; $25, non-members.
Teresa Darr, AIA, and Doug Darr of Accessibility Check provide an overview of the Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS), focusing on the most commonly missed items, misunderstandings, current interpretations, and suggested tips. The Darrs are architects and Independent Contract Providers doing plan reviews and inspections for TDLR since 1995.
Coming in October
Contract Administration Series: Construction Phase Conditions: Office, October 8, 4-6 pm
Seminars/Conferences
Expanding your Practice with the Internet, September 9 in Houston, includes an introduction to the Internet and Intranets for design professionals. Learn how to use the World Wide Web for research, project management, and design collaboration. Apple Computer, Hewlett Packard, Blue Line/OnLine and Jonathan Cohen and Associates are program sponsors. The seminar qualifies for Level 2, 5 LUs. Registration is $49. Call 1-800-895-4853 to register or visit their website at eww.jcarchitects.com/seminars.html for more information.
During Inspection 98, scheduled for October 14-16 at Johnson Space Center, business, industry, education and civil leaders are invited to learn how space benefits boost private sector capabilities for industrial, scientific, medical and education application. The event includes exhibits and demonstrations. Call 281/244-1316 or visit their website at http://inspection.jsc.nasa.gov.
design.y.c., October 27-30 in New York City, is a marketplace event that brings together interior designers, architects, facility managers, construction specifiers and other industry professionals. The event links Interplan, ASID, Batimat Design-Build and a new residential exposition, The Design Show: Environments for Living. Call 212/724-4444 for information.
Chapter Luncheon
Bob Eury on Downtown
Thursday, September 17
11:30 am - 1 pm; lunch served at noon
HESS, 5430 Westheimer
$20; $25 at the door
Reservation necessary by September 15. Call 713/520-5138 or mail your check to AIA Houston. Cancellations after September 15 will be billed.
Robert M. Eury, President of Central Houston, Inc., will speak at the Chapter luncheon on downtown develop and re-development activity. He has a lot to talk about. Also Executive Director of the Houston Downtown Management District, Eury has been involved in planning and implementation of redevelopment in downtown since 1983.
Prior to starting Central Houston, he was Vice President and Director of Research Development for the Rice Center with a special focus on land use/transportation joint development, urban services delivery, development regulation, and environmental design.
Eury holds a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Rice University and a BS in Architecture from the University of Cincinnati. He is past chairman of the International Downtown Association and active on the boards of a variety of organizations involved in downtown Houston.
Intern Development Program Demystified
Monday, October 5
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Hines College of Architecture, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun
(Cullen Exit. South across Elgin. Park in lot north of obelisk and Architecture buildings at the corner of Elgin and Cullen.)
Hosted by the College of Architecture.
There is no fee, but reservations are suggested.
Rob Rosenfield, AIA, Director of Intern Development Programs for the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, will be on hand to explain the Intern Development Program, its mission and goals, enrollment process, and transition to exam candidate.
Interns and students will find this program especially informative. Architect Sponsors and Advisors will be able to get their questions answered and may pick up some tips on successfully assisting interns through the process.
Other IDP programs ahead:
Full day seminar on the graphics portion of the ARE taught by one of the nations foremost experts on the exam. Tentative date is October 24; reservations will be required. There will be a charge in the neighborhood of $75 for intern members; $125 for non-members. Please call the AIA or e-mail Paul Lodholz - Lod_Holz to get the jump on this important event. Full details and reservations forms will be mailed to exam candidates. All other interns are welcome.
Open House at the Intern Resource Center in the Chapter office at 5:30 pm on September 17. We will have a one-stop source of all pertinent IDP information, including a computer with practice exams, dates and locations of seminars, study guides, etc.
Series of feedback sessions to pinpoint intern needs.
Series of continuing education programs aimed at the written portion of the exam.
Don't miss these important sessions. Bring your colleagues along.
Call for Entries
Library for the Information Age is sponsored by the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture. The competition involves the design of a library that takes full advantage of information technology while still serving the library's roles in culture and society. The jury will review design submissions as web pages over the Internet. Registration deadline is October 15; submission deadline is January 31, 1999. For information, www.acadia.org/competition.
RDA Fall Programs
Changing Focus: Photographers View Place
The series explores the relationship between photography and the built environment. Each lecture is at 8 pm in the Brown Auditorium, MFA.
Wednesday, September 15, Eugenia Parry discusses 19th century Paris as the subject of a developing art form.
Thursday, September 24, John Szarkowski re-examines his early photographs of the work of Louis Sullivan.
Wednesday, October 7, Julias Schulman discusses his photographs of 1950's Southern California houses.
Wednesday, October 14, contemporary architecture as seen through the lens of Tim Hursley.
Wednesday, October 21, Alex McLean's aerial photography of the of the American landscape.
Photography Fireside Chat
October 1, 7:30 pm, Rice Media Center, panel discussion with several Houston architectural photographers.
Documenting Houston: The Work of Paul Hester
October 16-January 3, Menil Collection, exhibition of black and white prints of Houston by photographer Paul Hester.
1998 RDA Gala
November 7, 7 pm
Houston Talks: Deans' Lecture Series
November 18, 8 pm, Brown Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts. Co-sponsored by RDA and schools of architecture at Rice and University of Houston.
RDA Announces Cinema/Architecture
Two controversial new museum buildings (the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain), the long and colorful career of Frank Lloyd Wright, and landmark architectural achievements in the United States, Mexico, and Europe are among the diverse subjects in this 16-film showcase.
As intriguing as the visions, personalities, and theories of the subjects themselves is the inventiveness of the varied filmmaking approaches to architecture and urbanism. Programming was selected by architect Robert Morris of the Rice Design Alliance program committee from Architecture on Screen 98, an international festival organized by the Program for Art on Film.
RDA is a cosponsor of this biennial film/video series; additional promotional assistance is provided by AIA Houston. RDA and AIA members receive a $1 discount on admission to this film series.
Concert of Wills
Friday, October 16, 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 17, 5 pm
This documentary chronicles the conception, construction, and completion of the Getty Center. Plus Two Impossible Films and Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, a collection of interviews with critics and artists discussing the design of Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum.
Louis Kahn: Silence & Light
Sunday, October 18, 5 pm
Commentary about the architect whose works include Fort Worth's Kimbell Art Museum. Plus Biting and Other Effects and Carlo Scarpa.
Mary Jane Colter: House Made of Dawn
Friday, October 23, 7:30 pm
A proponent of the Arts and Crafts philosophy, Mary Elizabeth Colter drew inspiration from Spanish and Native American art forms for her hotels, curio shops, and rest havens along the Santa Fe route. Plus Walls of Mexico, a profile of Mexican architect Luis Barragan.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Saturday, October 24, 5 pm
The director documents one of the most intriguing figures of our time and offers insights into the history of architecture and the broader sweep of history from the 1890s to the 1950s.
Peter Eisenmann: Making Architecture Move
Friday, October 30, 7:30 pm
The American architect speaks about his work, ideas of architecture and collaborations with German architect Albert Speer. Plus A Vision Built: Zaha Hadid and In Search of Clarity: Gwathmey Siegal.
Jorn Utzon: Clouds
Saturday, October 31, 7:30 pm
Explores the history of the Sydney Opera House and its visionary architect. Plus II Girasole: Una Casa Vicino a Verona, recollections by the daughter of the engineer of the Italian Casa Girasole; A Stadium in the City about architects who designed the 20,000 seat stadium in southern Paris; and Public Housing for the 80s, which explores the development of 14 public housing units by Jean Nouvel.
The film series will be held in the Brown Auditorium at the Museum of Fine Arts. Call 713/639-7530 for ticket information.
CANstruction November 11
CANstruction is an annual charity design/build competition that brings the design and construction industry together to gather food for Second Harvest food banks. Architects and engineers design and build objects entirely out of canned and boxed foods.
Houston's Society of Design Administration is the sponsor of this year's event planned for November 11. After the competition, all collected food is distributed to the Houston Food Bank. Over 100 winners from local competitions, including Houston, were judged during AIA's Annual Convention. A special award, Most Generous, recognized a Volkswagen bug entry which weighed three tons and used 9000 cans.
Call the Chapter office for details.
