News Brief 6-12-20
AIA Dayton Statement of Commitment

Our Commitment to Action:

We stand with the friends, families and communities who continue to be victims of racism and brutality in America. We will work to address these issues with the same strength and resilience Dayton has demonstrated in the past year. We endured a white supremacist rally in our downtown, are rebuilding from the destruction caused by more than a dozen tornadoes, were horrified by the killing of nine and wounding of seventeen people in the Oregon District, and are now struck by the COVID-19 emotional, financial, and health crisis. AIA Dayton shares the concerns of many and is deeply troubled, but we are committed to action.

As our community needs become deeper and more urgent, AIA Dayton is adopting solutions to create community partnerships. Equitable and inclusive architectural practices should be rooted in our workplaces and evident in the built environment we create. We will step up, listen, and be ready to learn and adapt. 

Moving forward, we are organizing forums to increase understanding and empower action. We will share our ongoing aspirations and achievements on www.aiadayton.org. Please join us in forging an unbiased, fair, and safe future for all.
Chapter Programs
Shaping YOUR Career

Date: Wednesday, June 17; 5:30 PM
Speaker: Terry Welker, FAIA
Platform:  Virtual - Zoom
RSVP: By June 16, 2020 (Zoom Access will be sent after Registering)

Terry Welker, FAIA will lead an informal discussion with some of his friends from College of Fellows about how they shaped their careers and engage emerging professionals with questions bring out the best practices. We'll also learn about the national and state Young Architects Awards and the five Objects of Fellowship as guideposts for your own career path.

Other Programs
Free CE Programs

Multiple vendors and organizations are offering free CE programs to AIA members. Below are links with very brief descriptions so you can check out the programs you may have an interest in. (The AIA Houston meeting does carry a registration fee, but is offered to all AIA members as it is a virtual program replacing an what would normally be an in person program.)  
Ron Blank & Associates Offers Free Webinars

If you prefer live, interactive continuing education but prefer the comfort of your office, studio or home, webinars may be the perfect fit for your CE needs. We host a full range of topics that meet the live education licensing and organization requirements you have.
 
GreenCE Offers Free Webinars

We offer live instructor-led continuing education webinars. The webinars can offer LEED Specific Hours, AIA HSW CE Hours, and ADA/Barrier-Free CE Hours.
 
AIA News
Have You Met Iggy Peck?

Westcott House partners with Peter Exley, AIA National 2021 President-Elect, to deliver "Iggy Peck, Architect" reading to your home.

Since mid-March, all of the public Frank Lloyd Wright sites have been closed to the public due to COVID-19, and many sites transitioned to virtual programming during this challenging time. One of the recent projects that the Westcott House worked on is "Iggy Peck, Architect", a special  online reading   by Peter Exley, AIA National 2021 President-Elect. 
 
Through this project, the site hopes to reach teachers and parents, who are invited to use the reading in virtual class and during summer months.

To learn more about the Westcott House, go to :
facebook.com/westcotthouse; 
twitter.com/WestcottHouse; 
instagram.com/thewestcotthouse
F REE AIAU Courses for AIA Members
Working 100% from home is new territory for many of us, as is the rapidly changing business environment that’s impacting our jobs, our firms, and our work. To help navigate these uncertain times, we’re offering valuable learning resources—some of AIAU’s best business and tech courses—to AIA members for free.

Learn about virtual practice, successful business strategies, risk management, and more from some of the most innovative architects, firms, and design professionals.

AIA Ohio News
AIA Ohio Valley Region Representative to the Strategic Council
The AIA Ohio Valley Regional Assembly is soliciting nominations  

The position to be filled is that of Second Strategic Council Member, replacing Jeff Stivers, AIA. Per the AIA Ohio Valley Region Bylaws:
When the Region has more than one Strategic Council Member, the first Strategic Council Member from the Ohio Valley Region shall be elected and perpetually succeeded by a Strategic Council Member from the eligible membership of a Component in Ohio. The second Strategic Council Member shall be elected from the eligible membership of Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Representation on the Strategic Council is based on membership. Any region that has at least 4% of total AIA membership can have two representatives to the Strategic Council. The AIA Ohio Valley Region currently has two Representatives to the Strategic Council, Jeff Stivers, AIA (member of AIA Kentucky, elected in 2017 for a three year term, 2018-2020) and Terry Welker, FAIA (member of AIA Ohio, elected in 2018 for a three year term, 2019-2021). However, in August, 2019, it was announced that the membership of the Ohio Valley Region was just 3.9% of total AIA membership, and that going forward, the Ohio Valley Region qualifies to have one representative to the Strategic Council. AIA doesn’t remove sitting councilors so both Jeff and Terry have been allowed to continue and will finish their terms. AIA will conduct another membership count in August, 2020 . If membership in the AIA Ohio Valley Region does not exceed 4% of total AIA membership, we will not qualify for a second Representative to the Strategic Council and a candidate will not be elected . Components in the region have been working hard to increase membership to get the Ohio Valley Region up over this threshold, and we are proceeding with the process of identifying candidates with the hope that these efforts are successful. If they are, we will elect a second councilor in September. If they are not, and the Ohio Valley Region’s membership falls under 4%, we will not elect the second representative to the Strategic Council.  

Any AIA component may nominate a candidate. Individual declarations of candidacy from members may be made as well. The individual elected will begin a three-year term in December 2020, and serve until December 2023. Nominations and declarations of candidacy should be made by sending a letter of intent from the candidate with supporting letters (not required…no more than three) and a list of qualifications to the AIA Ohio Valley Region, by July 21, 2020.

AIA Strategic Council members are responsible for establishing the vision and long term goals of the Institute. The AIA Strategic Council serves an advisory role to the AIA National Board, but is not involved in governance.

Biographical information on each nominated or declared candidate shall be submitted to the attention of Kate Brunswick, AIA Ohio Valley Region, 400 W. Wilson Bridge Rd., Ste. 120, Worthington, OH 43085. If you choose, you may submit via email to [email protected]

Nominations or declarations will be forwarded to the AIA Ohio Valley Region Assembly Delegates for an election scheduled for Sept. 8, 2020, to be held via a virtual meeting.  Candidates should plan to be available to attend this Ohio Valley Region Assembly meeting in order to be interviewed by the Assembly . Each candidate will have five minutes to present their qualifications, prior to a question and answer period by the OVR Assembly.







While the convention has been cancelled for this year, there will still be some form of an awards program and a business meeting in the fall.  The deadline for design awards submissions has been extended to July 1st.  Please click on the links below to make your submissions.
AIA Ohio Honor Awards - NEW AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT

Architects are outstanding for more than the projects they design. They deserve recognition for their leadership, public service, mentorship and their work to make the profession of ever-increasing service to society. AIA Ohio has a NEW HONOR AWARD category this year: the Emerging Professionals Award. The AIA Ohio Emerging Professional Award identifies and promotes exceptional accomplishments of Associate Members and Young Architect members and their continuing development within the profession.


The Deadline for Submitting is today, June 12
AIA Ohio Design Awards - 2020 Guidelines

The AIA Ohio design awards program seeks to promote and focus attention on quality design, sustainability, and AIA's 10 principles of livable communities. The jury will evaluate all projects based on the aesthetic, functional, contextual, social and sustainable characteristics of the design. The jury will also evaluate submissions based on their successful response to one or more of AIA's 10 principles of livable communities. The program opens April 1 - start thinking now about projects you can submit.

The Deadline for Submitting has been extended to August 3
In The Media
These architects want to make cities greener by using the subway system to deliver packages

Our growing reliance on online shopping is taking a  heavy toll  on cities. More deliveries means more vehicles means more pollution and congestion.

Two architects, Meggan Collins and Jana Possehn, have found a way to  hack  the system: using the existing subway systems in cities for retrofitted parcel trains.

This video is part of a series on innovative design and technology, sponsored by Microsoft 365.

Read More: Mashable
US newspaper apologizes for offensive "Buildings Matter, Too" headline on column by architecture critic

The Philadelphia Inquirer has apologised for a headline equating the loss of black lives with damage to buildings during protests over  the killing of George Floyd  in police custody.

A column by its architecture critic about the destruction of Philadelphia's buildings  during the protests was published on Tuesday 2 June under the headline "Buildings Matter, Too".

The Philadelphia Inquirer  issued an apology  for the story after journalists of colour at the newspaper  penned an open letter  in which they said they were "sick and tired of not being heard".

Read More: Dezeen
Architecture Building Space for Empathy

Architecture shapes how we live and come together. Amidst a pandemic and protests around the world, architects and designers are speaking out to condemn injustice and build space for empathy and understanding. In listening, they are looking to how we live together, and in turn, how we can create a more equitable and just world.

Read More: ArchDaily
Flooded Michigan city is midcentury architecture mecca

MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — Christopher Jue knew he was home the moment he and his wife stepped inside the sprawling 62-year-old ranch with brick floors, a sunken living room and built-in desks, shelves and bureaus — hallmarks of an Alden B. Dow original.

“To say it was a no-brainer is an understatement,” Jue said of their decision to buy eight years ago in Midland, where more than 400 midcentury modern structures have made the city of about 42,000 a mecca for enthusiasts of the architectural style that emphasizes function and features clean lines, repeating patterns and spaces integrated with the outdoors.

Read More: Associated Press
Putting America Back to Work: 18 of the country's top economists and lawmakers share their best ideas for the 40 million newly unemployed Americans

Sen. Cruz emphasized four steps needed to safely get Americans back to work: increasing PPE and antibody tests, scaling up testing, lifting regulations, and eliminating the payroll tax for the rest of the year.

"I've introduced the  Right to Test Act , legislation that empowers states with the authority to rapidly approve and distribute diagnostic tests during a public health emergency," Cruz writes in a response provided to Business Insider.

On the payroll tax, he added that not only would the suspension "alleviate the employers' burden of paying back deferred taxes over the next two years" but that it would "also give employees a de facto wage hike, putting more money into Americans' pockets."

Read More: Business Insider
Clean is the new Green as U.S. hospitality sector inches closer to reopening

Tens of thousands of restaurants and hotel rooms in the U.S. have been vacant as a result of the novel coronavirus. The  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics  estimates that the leisure and hospitality sector lost 7.7 million jobs in April alone, with restaurants taking most of that hit, and the sector’s unemployment rate soared to 39%.

Even in states like  Georgia  that reopened their economies earlier than most, customers have been reluctant to go to restaurants whose staffs are wearing masks, checking patrons’ temperatures, and using disposable placemats. The Texas Restaurant Association estimates that at least  12%  of restaurants in the state had closed permanently due to the virus’s outbreak.

How will Covid-19 change the design of health facilities?

Chief scientific adviser to the government Chris Whitty has regularly reminded us, during the daily coronavirus briefings, that there are four strands of negative impact on the nation’s health from the current pandemic.

The most obvious and largest threat was of people dying of Covid-19 despite their being admitted into healthcare. Linked to this was the risk of the health service becoming overwhelmed by the virus and being unable to help some of its victims who could have been saved.

Then there is the likelihood of deaths from unrelated illnesses because people can’t or don’t want to enter the health system during this time of crisis. Finally, others could suffer as a result of the lockdown measures put in place to tackle the virus.

Perhaps Whitty could also have added that a fifth category appears to have emerged – healthcare professionals who have lost their lives while tackling the virus.

Frank Lloyd Wright's School of Architecture to change name, move to Arcosanti

The School of Architecture at Taliesin West, founded by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1932, is no more.

At least in name.

After a  years-long battle over enrollment and finances , the school officially has parted ways with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, leaving its 88-year home at Taliesin West in north Scottsdale and Taliesin in Wisconsin.

The school has partnered with the Cosanti Foundation to move its campuses to Arcosanti and Cosanti, the urban laboratories created by Italian architect Paolo Soleri.

Read More: Arizona Republic