An expansive glass wall on the ground floor of the recently renovated TAT House opens onto a chic and spare outdoor living room. The third-floor of the house is wrapped in “an Ipe wood–framed rainscreen,” allowing “interior and exterior glass walls carry the sense of the outdoors throughout the interior.” We want to congratulate Santa Monica architecture firm fleetwood/fernandez on their beautiful design, as well as their clearly deserving win of Architect Magazine‘s top 2014 Annual Design Review Award.

fleetwood_fernandez

Visit Architect Magazine‘s original post for more photos, elevations, and renderings of this beautiful project.

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

The Architect 50

We love seeing our members’ design clients on any premier list of architects. Scrolling through the brand new 2014 ARCHITECT 50 list from Architect Magazine, we’re excited to see several familiar names, including Brooks + Scarpa Architects and Mark Cavagnero Associates.

Each year, Architect Magazine strives “to compile a list that recognizes firms small and large, who are making their mark beyond just their ability to run a financially lucrative business. This year, [they] added a few new data points, capturing information on how firms are helping their interns gain licensure, both through financial incentives and culture. And [they] asked firms to submit a portfolio with an energy-efficient project that best exemplified their commitment to sustainability.” Read more about the methodology behind the annual selection of the Top 50 here.

More detailed lists of the Top 50 in Design, Top 50 in Business, and Top 50 in Sustainability are available on the Architect Magazine website, too. Congratulations to all the winners!

Graduation2

We’re proud to announce that the American Institute of Architects (AIA) panel–which includes a/e ProNet member Tom Coghlan of Design Insurance Agency, Inc.–has selected Kevin Fletcher and Nathan Blair to receive the 2014 a/e ProNet AIA David W. Lakamp Scholarship.

The scholarship program was initiated by a/e ProNet in 1990, and includes an annual award of $5,000 to two architecture students who demonstrate a particular interest in the principles of management in architecture practice.

You can read more about our scholarship and how to apply next year at our website. But here, let’s learn a little more about the next generation of leaders in the architecture community.

Kevin Fletcher

Kevin Fletcher grew up in Miami, FL and will be completing his Bachelors of Science in Architecture at Wentworth Institute of Technology in 2015 with plans of attending graduate school in the fall of 2015. During his time as an undergraduate student, Fletcher, a Dean’s List Scholar, has remained an active member of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS).

In the summers throughout his college education, Fletcher has gained experience working as an Intern at BC Architects AIA, Inc. Prior to graduation, he has applied his talents in areas of marketing presentations, conceptual design, design development, and construction documents. All of which have contributed to his understanding of building systems, codes, and construction methods. Following graduate school, Fletcher plans on pursuing his NCARB registration along with his LEED accreditation.

Apart from his academic and professional involvement within the field of architecture, Fletcher has spent time developing skills in other areas of graphic design, photography, and videography. All the while, maintaining an active lifestyle along with a passion for travel.

Nathan Blair

Mr. Blair graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Utah in 2014. He will be returning to the U of U in the fall to complete work on a Masters of Architecture with an expected graduation in 2016. Mr. Blair is currently employed with Epic Engineering located in Heber City, UT. He has immensely enjoyed his time there helping to grow a newly established architecture department. Upon completion of the Master’s degree program, it is Mr. Blair’s intention to seek fulfillment of IDP credit hours with Epic Engineering.

Mr. Blair’s design interests center around identifying and isolating the spirit of our time with an affinity for communicating these visions through contemporary materials and methods. Mr. Blair was recently able to implement these ideologies by competing in the CTBUH Student Tall Building Design Competition, receiving positive remarks. He is also looking forward to participating in the University of Utah’s DesignBuildBLUFF program.

During his free time, Mr. Blair will most likely be found fly fishing. He also enjoys playing tennis, golf, billiards, and getting sushi on the weekends. Mr. Blair is constantly striving to improve himself personally and professionally, and concludes in his own words, “My name is Nathan Blair. I’m a lifelong student, an aspiring architect, and I’m a Mormon.”

Congratulations, Kevin & Nathan! We wish you both the best of luck in your academic and professional careers.

According to Alison Killing of Killing Architects in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the role of the architect in modern society is undergoing a shift: moving away from the architect as a “master builder”, towards someone who is a specialist in the “built environment”.

New Generations – Killing Architects from New Generations on Vimeo.

Killing Architects recently won first prize in a competition on the future of architecture practice. The contest was put on by the New Generations network of young European architects in late 2013. Watch Ms. Killing’s short interview about the role of architects, and the opportunities for young architects who are willing to take risks and commit to research as a major part of their individual practice.

aepronet_scholarship

The David W. Lakamp a/e Pronet scholarship deadline has been extended to June 11, 2014. Get your application in a soon as possible!

Two students, who best demonstrate strong interest in practice management, will each receive a $5,000 award. The scholarship is open to fourth year undergraduates and graduate students of architecture enrolled in a NAAB- accredited professional degree program. Submissions are reviewed by jury panel that consists members of the AIA Practice Management Knowledge Community (PMKC) and the a/e ProNet organization. Candidates must submit a copy of their transcripts, two letters of recommendation, and an essay on how they would resolve a project management dilemma.

For more information about the scholarship click here. To download the application click here .

You can also read about past scholarship winners on the blog.

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”

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

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

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!”