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President's Message
How quickly weather can change in lovely Michigan from snow and ice storms in April to a sweltering 90+ degrees in May.
Just a reminder if you have not placed your reservations for the
AIA MI Honor Awards on the 8th of June
, get them in now. It would be great to see you at the Roostertail in Detroit for the celebration. The reception begins at 5:30 PM, program starts at 6:30 sharp with a strolling dinner to follow at 7:30 PM. If you attended last year you would have found this to be a great venue with a beautiful overlook of the Detroit River. If you have the time please join us in honoring our prestigious building award winners and individual member honorees.
This provides AIA MI the one time per year that we actually get to celebrate what we do best. If for some reason you cannot be there, make sure you take time to visit our website to review the award winners. Maybe you will be here next year.
Now, just a quick up date on what is
happeningon the National scene. AIA MI had the opportunity to join in asign on letter, asking congress to address deferred maintenance needs in our National Parks.
Here is some recent news on the efforts. These efforts are receiving positive support from both Congress and Administration. Although not as large as was hoped
,you have to start somewhere.
- The National Park Service Legacy Act (H.R. 2584), a bill to create yearly dedicated funding for national park deferred maintenance, now has 38 Republicans and 38 Democrats signed on in support! And we are continuing to encourage strong bipartisan cosponsors!
- Another bill has been introduced, similar in its goals, the National Park Restoration Act (H.R. 5210) from Congressman Simpson. While it importantly signals Congress is looking for different ways to support parks, it doesn't provide the same certainty year-to-year in terms of funding which is a concern. A number of Congressional leaders are joining both bills to be at the table and make changes/amendments as things begin to move.
- Republicans, Democrats and Secretary Zinke (the Administration) are all looking for ways to address the backlog of maintenance in national parks. We see that as extremely encouraging and want to keep everyone engaged and involved as we believe things will move in coming weeks!
- The 2018 budget for national parks saw an increase of 9%. While that's in the hundreds of millions, and only gets part way to addressing $11.7 billion of deferred maintenance, it's very positive news and shows members of Congress are seeing this as an important issue.
Bottom line is there may be more Architecture work out there for some of you.
I hope everyone got a chance to take some time off and enjoy the weather we had over the Memorial Day weekend. I was able to take an extra day off and left my cell phone on the kitchen counter.
It is a great time for business and most of us are conscientious employees, project managers or principles who have responsibilities to our clients with many deadlines to meet. There are times we work our selves to much, to long with no weekend breaks and
we become ineffective workers. It's not healthy when we wake up in the middle of the night with the answer to the problem we have been trying to solve the day before. That is when the signs are saying take a break.
There are many studies out there that show how
poor we are at taking a break in this country. I do not doubt it is even worse in times when the economy is so good, that we have to turn clients away or take the project and give false promises that they can be completed on time. We Americans receive fewer vacation days than people in other countries and we have been taking even less than allotted in the last 15 years. Over 50 percent of Americans do not even use all of their vacation days and when we do take a vacation over 40 percent of us do not fully unplug from work. Even worse over 80 percent of business executives have cancelled vacations in order to work.
Take some time off with friends and family. Try to separate yourself from your phone and current projects. Learn to create a work-life balance. You will be surprised how clear and refreshed your mind will be when you return to work.
Enjoy your summer!
Yours in AIA,
AIA Michigan President
Dan LaPan, AIA
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Executive Director's Message
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Cathy Mosley, Hon. Aff. AIAMI
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There's still time to register for the AIA Michigan Honor Awards ceremony at the Roostertail in Detroit on Friday, June 8, 2018. Click here to register and click here to vote for your People's Choice Award!. We hope you're able to join us!
The
2018 Hanley Wood/AIA Opportunity Fund application
is now open for components. The grant awards $5,000 to two AIA local or state chapters to support development of charrettes, continuing education, membership recruitment and youth education. Deadline: June 30
Submit application >
The
State Government Network (SGN) Annual Meeting will be held July 10-13 at the Park Hotel in Madison, Wisconsin. All interested members are invited to attend and catch up on the latest policy trends, learn from other's experiences and reconnect with fellow volunteers. Registration is now open and there is no fee for members to attend.
Register >
Update your Advocacy and Action Profile - Making an impact for your profession just got easier with the new and improved AIA Advocacy Action Center & ArchiPAC site. It has a new look, upgraded features to make it easier for you to engage your legislators, and new tools and resources so you can develop your skills as an advocate to build power for architects. Visit the site today and make your voice heard.
Learn more >
Available -
Brightwood's 5.0 Study Guides! Please call 313-965-4100 or email
Evelyn Dougherty
to borrow the study materials!
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Emerging Professionals Corner
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| Matthew Guinta, AIA |
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Greetings from a very, very hot New Delhi! It was 112 today and I ache to see the blue sky through the haze. My time away is now two months and counting. I have seen much of this great and diverse country enjoying travel, good project experiences, and adventurous food tasting.
There are amazing architectural triumphs, such as Le Corbusier modernist Chandigarh, or monumental New Delhi designed by England's
Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker
. 800 years ago the people in a very desert village constructed a step-well,
Chand Baori
(see picture). It is over 100' deep, designed for the users to stay cool, access water, and of course have a spot for entertainment. 2,000 years back the Romans were on the coasts building their network of commerce. The history is rich. The architecture beautiful. The infrastructure struggling to keep up.
In the present, the architectural aspirations aren't as ambitious. ere, the world outside of Delhi is booming. Millions of people have poured-in. A growing middle class is moving into new apartment buildings and family flats. It is impressive; the new economic strength this market segment has found. Concrete construction is said to be 1/3 the cost. I've yet to see a steel structure rise on the skyline (there are plenty of building sites). This city and its cheap construction afford so many a better life. Jobs are available at Fortune 500 outposts, including call-centers, off-shoring analyst, and even back-office work. American Express, Ford, Google, and most of the accounting firms all have their names in lights here.
What is seen is a boom-town. Sidewalks are a rarity. Traffic is heavy. A world-class metro has arrived but can't seem to rescue all of us out of our cars. The design market seems to be dominated by developer led teams. I assume they also drive the planning of this city too - as sustainability is a punchline in a joke. Before arriving, I'd say it's the Troy of New Delhi. Which might be true, if you add 600,000 residents, lord knows how many cows, and yet foot traffic and road-side commerce that is out of this world.
Can architects give us great design to fix the problems we somehow have participated in? The architects here certainly want to.
What I am amazed at are how we architects regardless of where we are from want so much of the same. We want a great place for our children to learn and grow. Lust after quality projects with "good" clients and fair fees. There is an appetite for more. Yet, we so often forget that "more" and "future" are occurring right now.
My colleagues are well educated, many of them attending prestigious graduate programs, some having worked in the states too. They've come back India, for the love of people, a special place in the landscape, or even a dream of an improved city.
What can we expect for the future? More!
Matthew Guinta, AIA
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Grapevine
- Lisa Sauve, Associate AIA is now Lisa Sauve, AIA - CONGRATULATIONS Lisa!
- Ghafari Associates Acquires Leading Grand Rapids Commercial Design Firm, Concept Design Group
- Matt Taylor, AIA, LEED AP, Rossetti was promoted to Director of Sports + Entertainment
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Andrew Rudnycky, AIA, LEED AP was promoted to an Associate
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Richard JP Renaud, AIA, has been named director of building envelope
performance for
Quinn Evans Architects
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The American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan (ACEC/M) has announced Sean J. Kelley, PE, of The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc. as its 2018-2019 President Entire Board List>
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New Members!
Members who joined, rejoined or transferred to AIA Michigan!
April 2018
Edward Amyot, Assoc. AIA
Janice Grant, Assoc. AIA
Blake I. Hattermann, AIA
Nandita P. Mishra, Assoc. AIA
David A. Richardson, AIA
Jaclyn L. Spokojny, Assoc. AIA
Jake A. Stuck, Assoc. AIA
Nathan W. Wight, AIA
Frederick W. Dice, AIA
Scott T. Hoeft, AIA
D. Nicholas Lorenz III, Assoc. AIA
Welcome to AIA Michigan and we look forward to meeting you at future events!
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Discover what you can learn
AIAU brings the industry's best learning to you. Our
300+ instructors
are from leading firms, and they'll immerse you in in-demand topics that will boost your skills and portfolio.
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Upcoming Events!
AIA Michigan Honor Awards
CAM, HBA, & AIA MI - Mid Economic Forecast
AIA Conference on Architecture 2018
Join Us in New York City - June 21-23, 2018
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Contact the Staff
Cathy Mosley, Hon. Aff. AIAMI
Executive Director of AIA Michigan:
Events and Programming, Finances, Communications, Membership, Government Affairs, Sponsorship
Evelyn Dougherty, Hon. Aff. AIAMI
Operations Director: Event Planning and Registration, Documents,
Continuing Education, Membership, Job Board
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