Awards

Barton Myers, FAIA receives 2014 Maybeck Award

September 12, 2014| Awards, Relevance, The Value of Design| Shannon Calder

Barton Myers received the most prestigious honor California can bestow upon an architect. The American Institute of Architects California Council introduces the 15th recipient of the Maybeck Award: Barton Myers, FAIA.

Coined in some circles as “The Gold Medal of California,” the Maybeck Award was instituted in 1992. The honor recognizes outstanding achievement in architectural design as expressed in a body of work produced by an individual architect over a period of at least 10 years. Myers fits in this elite category not only with his body of work, but also with his commitment to the profession. A passionate advocate for integrated health with design, he has always believed there needs to be a balance within urban settings between preservation, renewal, and the overall health of the human being.

Myers is also a “devoted and open-minded” professor at UCLA. However, his teaching career spans from the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, University of Virginia where he served as the Thomas Jefferson Professor, The University of Pennsylvania as the Graham Professor and visiting professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Jurors commented, “Myer’s willingness to tolerate the prosaic in the pursuit of larger issues his work–the spiral ducts in the early houses, the coil door hardware in the Santa Barbara houses– is reminiscent in some ways of Maybeck’s work, borrowing steel sash and asbestos board from industrial sources.”

Myers was inspired by Thomas Jefferson, who once said, “About style, swim with the tide; about principle, stand like a rock.” We invite you to look through this gallery for further illustration.

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2014 AIACC Design Awards Program Announced

May 22, 2014| Awards, Press Room/Releases| AIA California

This year marks the 32nd anniversary since the inauguration of the state-wide American Institute of Architects, California Council’s, Design Awards Program. And this year entries will be judged a bit differently.

Submittal guidelines now include metrics for resource efficiency and resilience. Each entrant is now required to submit an Energy, Water, and Resource Efficient Design Metrics form. This an important exercise in order to best prepare architects for the near future, as Sustainability will be a standard for which design award programs are measured.

What is important to remember is these new requirements do not change the integrity of the program as it still strives to recognize projects that inspire architectural design thought and exhibit formal, technological and spatial innovations.

Deadline to register is Jun. 13; to submit: ~~Jun. 27~~ July 3. For more information, click here.

Since 1982, AIACC has celebrated outstanding architecture through this program, and takes great pride in recognizing excellence in design.

Meet the Design Awards Jury

May 15, 2014| Awards| Shannon Calder

It’s Design Awards time again in AIACCville and that means new entries; new guidelines; new jury. We thought we’d take a few moments and introduce you. Jury, meet members; members meet jury.

The Design Awards Jury is comprised of 5 persons: 1 northern California architect, 1 southern California architect, 1 non-architect and 2 from out-of-state. Of course, it goes without saying that location is not the only consideration of the person invited to sit at this table. They are always knowledgeable, award-winning, articulate and thoughtful members of this field who have contributed greatly in some way to the conversation of design.

	Take Kris Barkley, AIA, Principal and Design Director of Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects (2013 AIACC Firm Award Recipient) for example. He is very busy with promoting design as a necessary component of society. This has been the cornerstone of his not only his career but also in extra-curricular architect work such as serving as the current AIA Central Valley Chapter President and by developing an education program for local review agencies.
	Founder of Kevin Daly Architects, Kevin Daly, FAIA, has spent the past 20 years pursuing the sort of architecture which, according to the website biography, takes the “urban condition and consequence of intervention into consideration” when it comes to his architectural practice and philosophy. His projects succeed on multiple levels—environmentally, structurally, economically and aesthetically and are always bolstered by abundant research. Daly’s designs demonstrate benefits of unconventional building technology as evidenced by awards received on a local, state and national level.
	Although Gwendolyn Wright is not an architect, she comes to the jury panel more than qualified. Holding a Ph.D in Architecture, she was the first female to gain tenure at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. She is the author of four books and editor of two, and a Fellow of the Society of Architectural Historians and the Society of American Historians. But perhaps most will recognize her from the PBS television series, “History Detectives,” a show whose premise was telling historical tales using houses.
	Brian MacKay Lyons, Hon. FAIA, is one of the two out-of-state (and out-of-country for that matter) jury members. Lyons was born and raised in the village of Arcadia in Southwestern Nova Scotia. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the Technical University of Nova Scotia in 1978 where he was awarded the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Medal. He received his Master of Architecture and Urban Design at U.C.L.A., and was awarded the Dean’s Award for Design. Houses designed in Atlantic Canada have made Lyons a leading proponent of critical regionalist architecture worldwide. This recognition has led to a transition in the practice toward increased public and international commissions, involving increased complexity in both design and project delivery. MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects Limited is one of the few Canadian firms to consistently receive international critical acclaim within the discipline today.
	Lastly, architect and professor, Brigitte Shim, Hon. FAIA, is a principal at Shim-Sutcliffe Architects. She and partner, A. Howard Sutcliffe, formed their design practice to reflect a shared interest and passion for the integration and interrelated scales of architecture, landscape and design. Shim also a professor at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto.

Remember, last day to register is Jun. 13 with submittals due no later than Jun. 27. For details and the full guidelines, click here. (And don’t forget, new this year is the sustainability worksheet.)

Smart Design Encompasses More Than Buzzwords

December 12, 2013| Awards, The Value of Design| Shannon Calder

Alvin Huang, AIA, Principal of Synthesis Design + Architecture, provided insights into issues the profession is facing and how small firm dive in and swim through them. This firm also garnered a 2013 Merit Award for Small Projects for their project [C]SPACEPAVILION. The jury loved the concept of the pavilion, particularly for how the project engages the public “in a smart and friendly way.” Something about the responses below mimics the jury’s belief.

What defines a great practice?
As a small firm that operates at the intersection of academia and practice, the firms that we look up to are those that are able to balance those two realms. Not so much in the sense of teaching and practicing, but in terms of engaging practice as a form of discourse. We truly believe that what distinguishes “architecture” from “building” is how projects relate to, or contribute to, the continuous evolution of the discourse that surrounds our profession and continues to push it forward. “Architecture” is much bigger than “building”. Professional and technical competence is critical, but should be subservient to an architectural vision that engages a wider vision or broader discussion.

In my eyes, the best firms are those that are able to synthesize a creative/critical vision with a high level of professional delivery/service and an acute business sense that highlights the value of their work both externally and internally. Too often as architects we do not value our own efforts in the same way that our allied disciplines do, and this trickles down from misaligned incentives in our contracts to the reliance on unpaid or underpaid interns. There is no such thing as sole authorship in design, and we need to embrace collaborative practices and value ourselves.

A great practice is able to find that balance between leveraging their own creative and critical stances within the discourse of architecture, alongside addressing the requirements of their clients and stakeholders to produce finely crafted results.

What was the defining point which inspired you to jump off and begin your own firm?

The defining moment for me, happened in the winter of 2010 when I was recruited to apply for a number of tenure-track teaching positions. I knew that I was interested in engaging academia, but also knew that I was not interested in being a full-time academic. I also knew that I did not want to try and start a practice as a part-time endeavor (while I was teaching). So, I took a big gamble and decided to quit my job and bet on the fact that I would land one of those positions while relying on the fact that we had enough in savings to support my family in the meantime. This allowed me to focus full-time on establishing a design identity for my new venture, and clarify for myself what the product I was trying to sell actually was. Luckily, following many months of defining and identity, networking, and entering unpaid competitions, I was not only able to land a couple of paid projects, I was also offered my current position at the University of Southern California School of Architecture. As a small practice, having that steady income to support myself and my family is invaluable from an economic standpoint, but also from the standpoint of having the continued engagement with the discourse of design.

What is the single biggest issue impacting the future of the profession?
This is a loaded question, and of course sustainability is the current buzzword that has to be addressed. However, I think sustainability is so big of an issue that it has become a base requirement, meaning it is now actually fundamental to the production of architecture. We don’t need to highlight it as a goal, just like we don’t need to highlight the fact that buildings should be structurally sound. Though we do need to make it an integral part of the design process, rather than an additive response.

I think perhaps the biggest issue that will impact our profession in the future is the actual value of the services we provide and the general perception of the value of design by the wider community. With current estimates speculating that nearly 85-95% of the built environment is not designed by architects, the embarrassing fact that architects are statistically proven to have the lowest rate of return on educational investment, and the continued declines in enrollment in architectural education, it seems to me that the future of the profession has to be focused on increasing the value or the perception of the value of what we are doing.

If you or someone you know wants to answer these questions on behalf of a small firm, contact Tibby Rothman, trothman@aiacalifornia.org, 916.367.3404.

2014 Council Awards

December 3, 2013| AIACA, Awards| Shannon Calder

It’s time once again to start thinking about firms and practices that have grown or transpired above and beyond the status quo as sights are set on the 2014 Council Awards Program.

This AIACC Awards Program celebrates the group and the individual with the Firm Award, Lifetime Achievement Award and the Distinguished Practice Award.

So even though the holidays are in full swing and there are packages to wrap, cards to sign, carols to sing, soirees to attend, and a new year to ring in, keep in mind those firms and individuals who have influenced the value of design in a tremendous way.

Registration Deadline: January 10, 2014

Submittal Deadline: January 24, 2014

Committee Review: January 28, 2014

Finalist Vote: Board of Directors Meeting — February 21, 2014

For further detail and information and to register, click here.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact Alyssa Griego: agriego@aiacc.org

This is Really Something

December 2, 2013| Awards, The Value of Design| Shannon Calder

There are very few places and very few moments where one can actually hear conversations about architecture and what it inspires. Which is exactly what occurred on November 14th— an evening specifically designated to celebrate the AIACC’s 2013 Design Award Program recipients.

University of California, Berkeley’s Wurster Hall hosted the reception. 100 lucky architecture students were privy to an insightful lecture presented by this year’s Firm Award Winner, Dreyfuss & Blackford. Lots of laughter and enthusiastic clapping was heard just outside the doors. Once over, conversations ensued amongst the students. Fortunately, the lobby space nearest the hall entrance doubles as an art display forum, which is where each winning project was exhibited.

“This is really something … how did they manage around that issue …” a group of three students asked one another while standing in front of the Hallidie Building photos. This merit-award-for-architecture winner first garnered questions, and then excitement when onlookers discovered was just over the bridge in San Fransico and therefore could be examined in person. (McGinnis Chen Associates, Inc. and Page & Turnbull, the team responsible, may want to be on the lookout for further questioning on the process and outcome by a select few Berkeley architecture students.)

However, excitement and admiration did not end with the inquisitive minds of students. Recipients themselves had the opportunity to congratulate one another and accept awards for a job well-done and a project well-conceived. From healthcare facilities to private residences to portable dining units—the gamut of recipients reached far. And let it not go unwritten that social, economic and sustainable qualities were also celebrated. Not only will the architect(s) and firms retain bragging rights, but nonprofit clients as well. It was a good night—smart design was celebrated, ideas sparked, hands shaken, backs patted, cards exchanged, wine glasses toasted.

AIACC Staff is already undertaking Design Awards 2014. Stay tuned for details regarding next year’s program, and be on the lookout for further insights into the winning entries on the website throughout the next few months.

AIA National Board Approves Change

June 21, 2013| AIACA, Awards, The Value of Design| Shannon Calder

The AIA National Board voted to change the rules of the Gold Medal to allow a submittal of two individuals where through their collaboration they have created a singular body of distinguished work. While this doesn’t retroactively honor Denise Scott Brown for the Pritzker Architecture Prize which was awarded in 1991 to her husband, Robert Venturi, it does change the format from here forward, allowing for collaborators to receive proper recognition. This change will be effective in the next award cycle, effective January 1, 2014.

This is big news not only for women in architecture but for the profession at large.

Click here to read AIA National’s statement.