AIAS Professional Mentor Program

The University of Oregon chapter of the AIAS announces its Professional Mentor Program, the goal of which is to provide pair students with emerging and established professionals who are interested in serving as mentors to them. The AIAS needs at least 20 more mentors for the program. 

If you’re interested in being a mentor, submit a paragraph similar to the example below describing the path you’ve taken during your career. Students will read the submitted paragraphs and identify their preferences for mentors who best match their personal career goals. The deadline for submissions is this coming Friday, February 1 (AIAS extended their previously published deadline). Following the pairing of students with their mentors, AIAS will host a mixer to allow everyone to meet for the first time. 

Here’s the sample paragraph: 

Alvar Pei van der Wright, AIA Associate at ABC Architects

Alvar Pei van der Wright graduated with a Master's in Architecture from the University of Napkin Sketches in 2011. Soon after graduation he as hired by ABC Architects where he currently works. He has worked on various projects, two of the main projects are: XYZ University Classroom building and the Main City Promenade. Alvar believes that there is more than just working, but also giving back. With the AIA, he is currently serving as the Associate Director and sits on various committees.

Be a mentor and provide guidance to our next generation of design professionals. Send your paragraph and contact information to aias@uoregon.edu by Friday!

JSMA Inflatable Design Contest

A page from Ant Farm's Inflatocookbook

Taking inspiration from the experimental architecture collective Ant Farm, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is hosting Eugene's first Incredible Inflato-contest! Founded in San Francisco in 1968, Ant Farm created inflatable environments at numerous happenings, schools, conferences, and festivals, notably the Rolling Stones' free concert at Altamont. Traveling the country throughout the 1970s, Ant Farm distributed their Inflatocookbook, teaching architectural skills ad hoc to democratize the institution of architecture.(1) 

The Schnitzer Museum is encouraging AIA-SWO architects and associates to create teams and explore the joyful possibilities of inflatable environments. The museum will display the finalists' inflatables in a storefront location downtown for the occasion of the March First Friday Artwalk.

You can find full contest instructions at http://jsma.uoregon.edu/inflatocontest. Submissions to the contest are due just a few days from now on February 1. The museum’s jury will then select four finalist teams to construct their inflatable for the First Friday Artwalk on March 1. Submission posters will be on display in the museum's lecture hall during the opening of the exhibition West of Center: Art and the Counterculture Experiment in America, 1965-1977. Direct any questions you have about the contest to exhibition coordinator Jessi DiTillio at ditillio@uoregon.edu or (541) 346-0980.  

(1)   I remember being fascinated by the work of Ant Farm back during their ‘70s heyday. For some reason though, I had it in my mind more recently that Ant Farm’s founders—Chip Lord and Doug Michels—were east-coasters rather than from San Francisco. I think I may have been confusing them with the Jersey Devil design/build firm founded in 1972 by Steve Badanes, John Ringel, and John Adamson.

BUILD 2013

Each January, the Willamette Valley Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) produces the annual BUILD Construction Conference. The comprehensive event includes a construction products show, educational seminars, and an economic forecast dinner presentation about the state of the local economy, specifically the prospects for the construction sector in the coming year. As it has for the past few years, BUILD will take place on the last Thursday of January at the Hilton Hotel & Conference Center in downtown Eugene. 

The Willamette Valley Chapter has dubbed this year’s edition of the conference as “Lucky 13,” and is focusing upon the theme of “Turning Challenges into Opportunities in 2013.” In addition to CSI, the other participating professional societies are the American Institute of Architects, National Association of Women in Construction, Associated General Contractors, Cascadia Green Building Council, and American Society of Landscape Architects. 

The free products show and educational seminars offer fantastic, convenient opportunities to learn about the latest developments in construction industry technology, practices, and knowledge. Each seminar qualifies for one AIA learning unit (or other industry continuing education credit), so those of you who currently are short of your requisite yearly total should definitely plan on attending. No pre-registration is necessary for either the product show or the educational seminars: just show up and you’re in! 

There will be a total of six different seminars this year, two occurring concurrently in each of three sessions. The seminar schedule is as follows:

Session 1 (1:30 – 2:30 PM)  Upward Acting Sections Door Systems (Joplin/Seeger Room) Overhead Door Corporation  Architectural Millwork Quality Issues (Sousa Room) Woodwork Institute
Session 2 (2:45 – 3:45 PM)  The Science of Projection Screens (Joplin/Seeger Room) Da-Lite Screen Company
Seismic Renovation of Existing Buildings (Sousa Room) MRR + DCI Engineers Session 3 (4:00 – 5:00 PM) Linoleum 101 (Joplin/Seeger Room) Forbo Flooring Tax Update – What’s new for 2013 and beyond (Sousa Room) Jones & Roth CPAs and Business Advisors

Following the last session of seminars, BUILD’s social hour will be perfect opportunity to connect with your colleagues in the building industry—the architects, engineers, contractors, suppliers, bankers, owners, insurers, code officials, attorneys, and accountants that BUILD our community! 

The “Projects in the Pipeline” dinner is always a highlight of the annual BUILD conference, and this year’s edition should be no exception. It will be comprised of presentations from speakers representing some of the major public and private sector entities that together have been responsible for much of the local construction activity in recent years. The distinguished 2013 panel of speakers is as follows: 

• David Suchart – Director of Management Services, Lane County
• Denny Braud – Urban Renewal Manager, City of Eugene
• John Tamulonis – Community Development Manager, City of Springfield
• Darin Dehle – Director of Facilities Services, University of Oregon
• Dave Hauser – President, Eugene Chamber of Commerce
• Jack Roberts – Executive Director, Lane Metro Partnership
• Jonathan Lauch, Facilities Manager & Shelly Berman, Superintendent – Eugene School District 4J

You can either be a “cup half-full” or “cup half-empty” kind of person. I’m a “half-full” type myself, and I am confident we’ll hear from the panel that the design & construction industry in the Eugene-Springfield metro area has much to look forward to in 2013 and beyond. For architects like me, the goal should be to seize upon the opportunities inherent in this potential and facilitate the kinds of future developments that will further enhance livability, sustainability, and the attractiveness of our community for years to come.

RSVP by noon, Friday January 25, 2013 to Alorie Mayer at AlorieMayer@msn.com to assure your place at the “Projects in the Pipeline” dinner. There will only be a limited number of spaces available on program day. 

I hope you’ll join me and many others by attending BUILD 2013 on January 31. It’s sure to be a great event (it always is) and will only be more so with your participation. See you there! 

What:          BUILD 2013 Conference presented by CSI Willamette Valley Chapter 

When:        Thursday, January 31, 2013 

Where:       Hilton Hotel & Conference Center, Eugene, OR 

Cost:           Educational Seminars:              Free
                    Economic Forecast Dinner:       $30 ($10 students)
 

Achieving Net-Zero Energy Buildings

Reserve the evening of Wednesday, January 23 for what promises to be a highly informative presentation by Mike Hatten about net-zero energy projects and the Energy Petal of the Living Building Challenge. Mike is internationally recognized for his expertise in energy-efficient buildings. His firm, SOLARC, has consulted on an extensive and diverse array of high performance building projects.

A net-zero building is a building with zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually. Mike will describe four net-zero (or near net-zero) projects, including the certified Painter's Hall in Salem and the Bullitt Center in Seattle.

Following Mike’s lecture, there will be an opportunity for a hands-on learning experience on achieving net zero energy in the Eugene-Springfield area. Roundtable discussions will focus upon two case studies to enhance understanding of the considerations, opportunities, and challenges of reaching net-zero energy in our climate.

The event is another in a series of presentations produced by the Eugene Living Building Collaborative and the Eugene Branch/Cascadia Green Building Council, focusing on the Water Petal requirements of the Living Building Challenge. 

What:      Achieving Net-Zero Energy Buildings 

When:     Wednesday, January 23, 2013; 5:00--8:00 PM. Doors open at 5:00. Lecture to begin at 5:15 PM, followed by roundtable discussions. Light refreshments will be served during the workshop. 

Where:    Living Learning Center South, Performance Hall, University of Oregon. 1455 E. 15th Ave.
(across from Hayward Field; Campus map: http://map.uoregon.edu/) 

Cost:      Free (donations welcome). Space will be limited so please RSVP to Jenna Garmon at (541) 682.5541 or email: eugene@cascadiagbc.org

The Eugene Living Building Collaborative is a part of the worldwide Ambassador Network promoting the Living Building Challenge. It provides focused opportunities to learn about and apply the Challenge to projects, and helps support active change towards a truly sustainable future.  

The Cascadia Green Building Council promotes the design, construction and operation of buildings in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live, work and learn. The Eugene Branch of Cascadia generates momentum towards a sustainable built environment by facilitating education and connections and celebrating our community. We host monthly lunchtime presentations and tours and quarterly evening events on the latest green building topics. 

Time Capsule

LCC president Mary Spilde adds an item to the time capsule (photos by me)

I joined dozens of others—LCC staff, construction workers, and members of the design team— this past Friday on a gloriously sunny winter afternoon in Eugene to mark the completion of the Academic building at the Lane Community College Downtown Campus. We buried a commemorative time capsule, which will remain buried and sealed until 2064 on the occasion of the college’s 100th anniversary serving Lane County residents.

Like the topping out ceremony that took place last March, the tradition of placing a historic cache of goods or information has a long history, dating back to ancient times. The practice is most often intended as a method of communication with whoever ultimately opens it many years down the road. Some critics argue time capsules do not provide much useful historical information as they are typically filled with "useless junk", new and pristine in condition, which tells little about the people of the time. This is in many ways true for the Downtown Campus time capsule; however, this hardly diminishes the custom and its value to those who assembled the collection of items in the container and the future generation who ultimately open it on the appointed date.

Notwithstanding its dubious archaeological value, I personally think placing a time capsule is great fun. Unless medical science advances significantly, I don’t stand a good chance of being around to see it opened fifty-one years from now (when I would be 104). I’ll miss the opportunity to see everyone’s reaction when it is opened. Will the Twinkies still be edible?

The contents of the time capsule include a box of Twinkies and a "Ty" mascot bobblehead.

The Downtown Campus' big Grand Opening celebration will take place in March, so Friday's time capsule ceremony wasn't intended to the the shiny new facility's official coming-out party. Nonetheless, the Academic building will be open for business this week as it hosts its first classes of the winter quarter. I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs in all respects, particularly from an energy-savings point of view, and whether it meets its goal of achieving a LEED Platinum rating. More on that to come in a future post.