Tag: a/e ProNet Client

Are you an SDA Certified Design Firm Administrator?

By Lynda

SDA LOGO_with Tagline

We’re especially proud of our partnership with the Society for Design Administration (SDA). Our members are well aware of the important role office administrators play in design firms, particularly when it comes to insurance matters. Today, we want to congratulate Penny Nelson, Director of Finance for Douglas Pancake Architects in Irvine, California, on passing the SDA Certified Design Firm Administrators exam! Ms. Nelson is the Orange County SDA’s Chapter President.

What is CDFA?

The SDA, the recognized leader in education for best practices in the A/E/C industry, offers a credential that recognizes your achieved administrative and management expertise, the Certified Design Firm Administrator (CDFA) designation. The CDFA credential is a voluntary certification designed to elevate the professional standards in design firm management and administration and contribute to the firm’s organizational growth and maturity through better practices in firm management. The credential comprised by the SDA’s Certification Program distinguishes and supports the roles performed by the spectrum of administrators and managers in the A/E/C firm. Furthermore, enhanced marketability and increased earning potential are just two of the many benefits CDFA certification provides.

CDFA certification recognizes an individual who has met a rigorous standard of experience and expertise in design firm management and administration and who has demonstrated their knowledge of the practice and related disciplines through a thorough examination of management and administrative competencies. This individual further adheres to the ethics and responsibilities of the profession as outlined in the SDA Code of Ethics.

Read more about the CDFA at the SDA’s website…

Last year,  we announced that a/e ProNet will pay one half of a new SDA member’s dues if that member’s insurance broker belongs to a/e ProNet… Chapters can partner with the local broker and reach out to principals and managers in their network. How about that for a good deal! Contact your local a/e ProNet broker today…

Shout-out Credit:

Alicia K. Igram, AAI, VP & Branch Rep
Design & Consulting Liability Specialist
IOA Insurance Services – Aliso Viejo, CA
Email: Alicia.Igram@ioausa.com / Phone: 949-680-1789

Lone Mountain Ranch House by Rick Joy

By Lynda

Ghost town architecture is rarely lauded for its form, style, efficiency, and grace. Enter Lone Mountain Ranch House, located on the turquoise trail between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Lone Mountain Ranch House by Rick Joy - Photo Credit Peter OgilvieThe design by Rick Joy Architects has been called “a light-filled twist on the low-slung form” by the Architectural Record blog.

The American West merges with the Far East on a 27,000-acre Wagyu-cattle ranch in a ghost town called Golden, New Mexico. Tucson-based architect Rick Joy designed a six-bedroom house for a couple who inherited the land. ‘They went to Japan, learned all about [Wagyu], got the stock, and put together this company selling beef around the country,’ says Joy. ‘Interestingly, the house turned out to be very Japanese in feel.’ — excerpted from Laura Raskin’s article for Architectural Record Continue reading “Lone Mountain Ranch House by Rick Joy”

2014 Engineering Excellence Awards in Wisconsin

By Lynda

All over the country this month, engineers participated in local competitions in honor of Engineering Week 2014. ACEC Wisconsin held one such contest and handed out a number of awards, and we want to recognize those achievements:

Drexel

R. A. Smith National, Inc.
Drexel Avenue Reconstruction & Oakbrook Center

“Drexel Avenue was in very poor condition. It was annually inundated with floodwaters, could not accommodate projected traffic volumes and did not have any provision for bicycle or pedestrian traffic. As a major connector of Oak Creek and Franklin, the roadway also needed to be updated to allow for redevelopment opportunities and new businesses. R.A. Smith National was chosen as the civil engineer for the project.” Read More

LaBahn

GRAEF
University of Wisconsin LaBahn Arena
& De Pere Riverwalk and Wildlife Viewing Pier

“The LaBahn Arena is located in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s downtown campus. Designed with the help of GRAEF, the 120,000-square-foot, four-level facility is adjacent to the Kohl Center Arena. The arena houses an ice sheet for men’s and women’s hockey practice and women’s hockey games, as well as team locker rooms for both home and visiting teams.” Read More Continue reading “2014 Engineering Excellence Awards in Wisconsin”

Blog Love: TLCD Architecture

By Lynda

TLCD_TodayArchitects and engineers already share their voices with the world through their designs and ideas, but we love it when this group gets proactive about amplifying their voices online, too. Today we want to highlight the blog of one a/e ProNet member’s client: TLCD Architecture in California.

TLCD Today is a fun, colorful blog that deals with issues relevant to the design industry in ways both focused and abstract. The blog’s multiple authors take time to interact with design colleagues at national conferences (Healthcare Design Conference Highlights), as well as with the firm’s local business community (Local Impact of the Affordable Care Act). It’s also inspiring to see architects use their specific skill set to give back to people in need (Habitat for Humanity Build Day). Well done, TLCD! Keep up the good work. We’ll be reading!

Does your architecture or engineering firm have a blog? Share it with us in the comments below. We’d love to follow you!

Shout-out Credit:

Leslie Pancoast, CIC, RPLU
Managing Partner
IOA Insurance Services – Pleasanton, CA
Email: Leslie.Pancoast@ioausa.com / Phone: 925-416-7862

Why should Architects & Engineers use a specialist Insurance Broker?

By Lynda

why do i need an insurance brokerAt our fall meeting last month, a panelist asked an important question:

Why is an insurance broker necessary for design professionals? Shouldn’t architects and engineers be able to access insurance companies and purchase Professional Liability policies directly?

Members of a/e ProNet are professional, independent brokers who serve the insurance needs of design professionals. Membership in our association is by invitation only, and members must be experienced and have a minimum number of design professional clients, as well as a minimum amount of premium volume. Our members must also provide their clients with services beyond the sale of a professional liability policy.

In addition to knowing the professional liability marketplace, they negotiate the best product at the best price for their clients. That negotiation happens every year at renewal time, and because our members are independent—not obligated to any one insurance company—they are in the best position to compare and contrast policies. Often, the time and expertise this process requires is underestimated by A/E clients. With a specialist broker, the A/E can rest assured that they have an advocate annually, both in relation to their bottom line and their exposure as a professional in a demanding and risky environment.

Most importantly, though, that advocacy doesn’t end when the renewal has been processed. The rest of the year, our members’ clients can count on their specialist brokers to provide services such as contract review, accredited continuing education, and other risk management services. Continue reading “Why should Architects & Engineers use a specialist Insurance Broker?”

Koning Eizenberg Wins at World Architecture Festival

By Lynda

We’d like to congratulate Santa Monica architecture firm Koning Eizenberg on their recent win at the 2013 World Architecture Festival! They received the prestigious Housing Award for their 28th Street Apartments project in Los Angeles, California.

koning_eizenberg

The World Architecture Festival, held in Singapore earlier this month, gathered over 1,750 architects from around the world to exchange ideas and inspiration for design. This year, only 15 of the 260 shortlisted projects were from the USA, and Koning Eizenberg was the only American firm to receive an award.

Referring to the 28th Street Apartments, the judges noted: “This project demonstrates architecture as an agent for social transformation. The architect was able to knit together historical continuity and something very new, something of high architectural value.”

Koning Eizenberg’s website describes the project this way: “The restoration and expansion of a landmark YMCA built in 1926 restores principal spaces, reconfigures original housing, and innovatively adds replacement units. The design re-establishes this building’s role as an important community focus and brings living quarters in compliance with contemporary standards.” Read more on their website.

It’s so exciting to see our members’ clients set themselves apart on the world stage this way. Well done, Koning Eizenberg!

Shout-Out Credit:

Alicia K. Igram, AAI, VP & Branch Rep
Design & Consulting Liability Specialist
IOA Insurance Services – Aliso Viejo, CA
Email: Alicia.Igram@ioausa.com / Phone: 949-680-1789

Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects No. 1 in Sustainable Design

By Lynda

a/e ProNet client Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects of San Francisco has been named to Architect Magazine’s Architect 50 again, and this time they’ve received a top honor!

lms_greenarchitect

Earlier this year, we blogged one of LMSA’s award-winning sustainable projects, the Merritt Crossing Senior Apartments in Oakland, California.

Find out more about the Architect 50 at Architect Magazine’s website, including the Top 50 Business, Top 50 Design, and Top 50 Sustainability.

Congratulations, LMSA!

Shout-Out Credit: 

Leslie Pancoast, CIC, RPLU
Managing Partner
IOA Insurance Services – Pleasanton, CA
Email: Leslie.Pancoast@ioausa.com / Phone: 925-416-7862

2013 AIA Top Ten Green Projects List: a/e ProNet Clients Among the Winners!

By Lynda

We wanted our 100th post here at The ProNet Blog to be something special! So, we decided to use it to give a much deserved shout-out to the a/e ProNet clients who were recently recognized by the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE).

According to the ArchDaily blog:

“The COTE Top Ten Green Projects program, now in its 17th year, is the profession’s best known recognition program for sustainable design excellence. The program celebrates projects that are the result of a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems and technology. They make a positive contribution to their communities, improve comfort for building occupants and reduce environmental impacts through strategies such as reuse of existing structures, connection to transit systems, low-impact and regenerative site development, energy and water conservation, use of sustainable or renewable construction materials, and design that improves indoor air quality.”

While we, of course, congratulate all the winners of this important distinction, we are especially excited for the clients of our members, including Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects of San Francisco and Brooks + Scarpa of Los Angeles!

lmsarchitects_merrittcrossingLeddy Maytum Stacy Architects / Merritt Crossing Senior Apartments

“Located at the edge of Oakland’s Chinatown, this new affordable senior housing transforms an abandoned site near a busy freeway into a community asset for disadvantaged or formerly homeless seniors while setting a high standard for sustainable and universal design. The high-density, transit-oriented project is one of the first new developments planned near the Lake Merritt BART regional transit station. The upper floor apartments respond to the character of the eclectic Pan-Asian neighborhood with colorful and varied porous facades that reflect their orientation. The south façade features an independent screen that provides shading, privacy and acoustical modulation while enlivening the view of passing freeway drivers.”

brooksscarpa_yinyanghouseBrooks + Scarpa / Yin Yang House

“This nearly net-zero energy live/work home and office was designed to function not only as a home and commercial office for both parents, but also as a private home for a large and growing family with several children. We sought to create a calm, relaxed and organized environment that emphasizes public space and changes the stereotype of a live/work home for a large family with young kids. Part private home and part business, the house is meant to serve as a place to entertain and a welcoming space for clients and teenagers. It was designed to incorporate sustainable design as a way of teaching a green lifestyle and the offices are purposefully integrated with the home, making both the house and office feel large despite their small combined area. Passive measures, such as a very tight building envelope, reduce energy demand by more than 50 percent. The 12-kW solar system produces 100% of it’s electricity needs.” Continue reading “2013 AIA Top Ten Green Projects List: a/e ProNet Clients Among the Winners!”