Michael Fifield Elected to AIA College of Fellows

Michael Fifield, FAIA (photo by Erik Bishoff)

For the second consecutive year, AIA-Southwestern Oregon can proudly boast that one of its own, AIA-SWO Past-President Michael Fifield, has been elevated by the American Institute of Architects to its prestigious College of Fellows. Last February, I announced that Otto P. Poticha, FAIA, and James M. Robertson, FAIA both achieved that recognition. G.Z. (“Charlie”) Brown, FAIA, was previously the most recent AIA-SWO recipient of Fellowship status, in 2006.

Only a select few are elected to the College of Fellows each year. Fellowship is conferred on architects with at least 10 years of membership in the AIA who have made significant contributions in the following areas: the aesthetic, scientific, and practical efficiency of the profession; the standards of architectural education, training, and practice; the building industry through leadership in the AIA and other related professional organizations; advancement of living standards of people through an improved environment; and to society through significant public service.

I know Michael to be especially deserving of this honor. His recognition by the College of Fellows was in no small part based upon his contributions to architectural education. His long and distinguished career in academia began at the University of Idaho, where he would receive the University Alumni Award for Faculty Excellence in 1983 and 1984. He would go on to teach at Arizona State University (and also serve as director of the Joint Urban Design Program), and then at Penn State University (where he was head of the Department of Architecture). Michael came to the University of Oregon in 1997, serving as department head from 1998 to 2003. He continues to teach at the UO, at the same time researching and writing on the topics of housing, community development, and urban design.

In addition to his teaching accomplishments, Michael has served as a peer reviewer for the General Services Administration since 2000 and as a member of numerous design award juries for AIA and American Planning Association components across the country. Most notably, Michael was the chair of the design competition jury that selected the team led by Morphosis to design the Wayne L. Morse U.S. Federal Courthouse here in Eugene. He has been a consultant for the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department, the Phoenix Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). He also served as an appointed member of the National AIA Housing Committee from 1988-1992. Michael was a charter member of the Congress for a New Urbanism (1994-2001).

The successes of Michael’s tenure last year as AIA-SWO president are a testament to his vision and leadership. In particular, he championed design excellence as a focus for AIA-Southwestern Oregon activities. AIA-SWO is helping to develop a Design Excellence program at the local level that might serve as a model for other entities throughout the state.(1) He also raised the bar for our monthly chapter meeting programs, bringing in a roster of remarkable speakers that attracted record levels of attendance.

Michael is now entitled to use the designation "FAIA" following his name. He will be invested in the College of Fellows at the 2011 AIA National Convention and Design Exposition in New Orleans, May 12-14, 2011.

Please join me in congratulating Michael for his momentous achievement!

(1) Current AIA-SWO president Paul Dustrud has charged a newly formed AIA-SWO Design Excellence Committee with the task of implementing the Design Excellence|Oregon program in some form. Issues to be addressed by the committee include whether the methodology that is being crafted by Don Stastny, FAIA, FAICP of Portland can be implemented in our chapter area.

Retrofitting Suburbia

This Thursday, February 3, 2011 features a free public lecture at the Baker Downtown Center in Eugene by Ellen Dunham-Jones, AIA, a world-renowned expert on urban and suburban design. Widely recognized as a leader in finding solutions for aging suburbs, she will speak about how the design of where we live is critical to some of the most pressing issues of our times: reducing our ecological footprint and energy consumption, improving our communities, and providing living options for all ages. In particular, she will explain why shifting demographics are impacting how and what we build.

With co-author June Williamson, Dunham-Jones wrote Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs (Wiley, January 2009). The book includes more than 50 case studies from across North America of “underperforming asphalt properties” that have been redesigned and redeveloped into walkable, sustainable vital centers of community. Retrofitting Suburbia received a 2009 PROSE award for scholarly and professional excellence from the Association of American Publishers, and was featured in Time Magazine’s March 23, 2009 cover story “10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now.”

If you’d like a preview of Ellen Dunham-Jones’ presentation, check out her TED video, one of that series’ riveting talks by remarkable people:

http://www.ted.com/talks/ellen_dunham_jones_retrofitting_suburbia.html

Dunham-Jones’ talk in Eugene will be the latest in the City Design Lecture Series produced by the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts, the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium, the University of Oregon Urban Design Lab, and AIA-Southwestern Oregon. The goal of the City Design Lecture series is to inform area professionals, students, and the broader public about transportation and land use strategies that improve livability, enhance safety, reduce congestion, offer mobility choices, and increase housing variety.

Don’t miss this important event. Here are the details:

What:  Retrofitting Suburbia, a lecture by Ellen Dunham-Jones, AIA

When:  Thursday, February 3, 2011, 7:30 PM

Where:  Baker Downtown Center, 975 High Street, Eugene, OR

Related articles

• 'Retrofitting Suburbia' co-author sees new future for aging, sprawling suburbs (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Department of Architecture Winter 2011 Lecture Series: Michael Pyatok, FAIA

The Orchards on Foothill, Oakland, CA - Pyatok Architects

It’s a surprisingly busy time for those of us who enjoy learning about all things related to architecture, construction, and urban design. My last blog post announced the Architectural Seminar Series at the Good Earth Home, Garden & Living Show; its three-day run at the Lane Events Center concludes today. The annual "Economic Forecast/Projects in the Pipeline" meeting produced by the Willamette Valley Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute and co-hosted by AIA-Southwestern Oregon takes place next Thursday, January 27. Coming in early February is an intriguing City Design Lecture by Ellen Dunham-Jones entitled “Retrofitting Suburbia.” And there’s more.

The University of Oregon Department of Architecture Winter 2011 Lecture Series is soon to be in full swing. The first presentation in the series is by Michael Pyatok, FAIA, and is entitled “Cozy Communities: Romancing Americans into Compact Living." The eponymous founder and principal of Pyatok Architects, Inc., Michael has been an architect and professor of architectural design for over forty years.

His practice serves nonprofit organizations, private developers, government agencies, and universities in building market-rate and affordable housing, mixed use developments, and community facilities. Since opening his office in 1984, Michael’s firm has designed over 35,000 units of affordable housing for lower-income households in the U.S., another 5,000 units in the Philippines, and 1,500 in Malaysia. Pyatok Architects, Inc. has won over 150 local and national design awards for its housing designs.

Michael Pyatok, FAIA

I have the great fortune to presently be working with Michael in a professional capacity. Along with the SRG Partnership, my office—Robertson/Sherwood/Architects—has teamed with Pyatok Architects to design the student housing component of the proposed Lane Community College Downtown Campus in Eugene. Michael’s breadth of knowledge and experience with housing of all types, and his ability to assess each community’s unique social and cultural needs, has proven invaluable to the College for its first-ever residential project.

Michael’s lecture at the University of Oregon will touch upon his belief that there is a political role to design. His message will emphasize doing good above all else when making a place and building a community. In an era of diminishing resources, reduced affordability, and limited capital, he asserts that architects and planners have the responsibility to design sustainable housing that is both respectful of the environment and the people being housed. Romancing Americans into compact living is a challenge that Michael Pyatok embraces.

Here are the details for the lecture:

Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Pacific Hall Room 123, University of Oregon, Eugene

Future talks in the UO Department of Architecture Winter 2011 Lecture Series include a February 9 presentation by Dana Buntrock on the topic of “Materials & Meaning in Japanese Architecture,” and a February 16 lecture by Virginia San Fratello on entitled “Emerging Technology & Ecological Design.” For more information on these and rest of the Winter 2011 Lecture Series, visit the Department of Architecture’s website.

Good Earth Architectural Seminar Series

The 2011 Good Earth Home, Garden & Living Show takes place this coming weekend, January 21-23, at the Lane County Fairgrounds. The show is one of the largest consumer events held annually in Eugene, attracting 30,000-plus visitors over a three-day period.

This year's Good Earth Show includes over 250 earth-friendly, exciting, and informative exhibits grouped into seven “Pavilions of Sustainable Style.” The show will also feature 65 seminars presented by leading experts in architecture, green building, design, naturescaping, gardening, and sustainable living. Of note to AIA-Southwestern Oregon members is that several of our knowledgeable and talented colleagues will be showcased by the Good Earth Architectural Seminar Series, sponsored by local television station KVAL 13.

The line-up is as follows:

Friday 7:30 pm
Rethinking Scale: Appropriate Home Design for the New World Economy
Todd Miller, AIA ~ Todd Miller Architecture

Saturday 12:00 noon
Extreme Green! Passive House Construction Achieves Net-Zero Energy
Jan Fillinger, AIA, LEED AP ~ Studio-E Architecture
Win Swafford ~ Ecobuilding Collaborative of Oregon

Saturday 3:00 pm
Who Needs an Architect? Residential or Commercial
Nir Pearlson, AIA, LEED AP ~ Nir Pearlson Architect

Sunday 12:00 noon
Sustain + Connect + Inspire
Richard Shugar, AIA, LEED AP ~ 2form Architecture

Sunday 2:00 pm
Lifestyle of the Simple and Sustainable
William Randall, AIA, LEED AP, CSBA ~ Arbor South Architecture

Kudos to KVAL and the Good Earth Show for providing a forum for these AIA-SWO members to demonstrate how architects’ special education and skills can enhance the value of anyone’s home, in both measureable and unmeasureable ways.

Visitors to this coming weekend’s Good Earth Home, Garden & Living Show have the opportunity to learn what architects can do for them. They’ll hear about how architects are going past the rhetoric of sustainability to fulfill its promise. They’ll learn that good design is not easy but that it does make a difference. Architects are trained problem solvers. Architects don’t just design four walls and a roof—they create total environments, functional and exciting places in which to work and live. Architects are trained to help their clients get more out of their investments than they may have possibly imagined.

Modern Views

The Center for Architecture (CFA) is the home of the Portland chapter of the American Institute of Architects. It is also an innovative Holst Architecture-designed LEED Platinum renovation project (located in what is now Portland's Pearl District, the building was originally constructed in the 1880s as a carriage house). The CFA is a venue for meaningful and effective dialogue between design professionals from Portland and beyond. AIA-Southwestern Oregon members are always welcome to visit the Center and attend events there.

The Center is hosting a special screening on Thursday, January 20 of Modern Views: A Conversation on Northwest Modern Architecture, a film produced by Studio 216 and the University of Washington Department of Architecture.

The producers describe Modern Views as "an insightful new documentary about mid-century northwest modern architecture." The film illustrates how designers today can learn from sustainable and economic choices made as many as 50 years ago. By focusing upon the personal histories and insights of five prominent Seattle-area architects, Modern Views offers a deeper understanding of a unique style of architecture that today is garnering renewed respect.

The featured architects — Arne Bystrom, Wendell Lovett, Gene Zema, Ralph Anderson, and Fred Bassetti  — discuss how the Pacific Northwest landscape and climate guided their design decisions and their choice of materials, leading to a richer palette of adaptive design aesthetics. These modest designers often worked under the premise that "less is more" in a period that shared some of the same economic challenges we face today. The work from this modern era depicts the importance of allowing a region to influence the design of buildings, while leaving behind a legacy of environmental responsibility.

The screening is free to AIA members and students.

Modern Views: A Conversation on Northwest Modern Architecture
Thursday, January 20
6:00 - 7:30 pm
The Center for Architecture
403 NW 11th Avenue, Portland, OR  97209