Proposals have gone out to architectural firms to set parameters for size, amenities and cost of a new recreation and community center.

Thirteen Michigan firms were given a June 17 deadline by the South Lyon Area Recreational Authority Community Center Oversight Committee, which will meet later that day to review the results, explained South Lyon Councilman Mike Kramer, committee chairperson. The committee is made up of representatives from South Lyon, Lyon Township and Green Oak Township. The firms were asked to stay within a $15 million budget when drawing their plans.

With the design and budget we can start to put the story together to tell the communities what we can and cant do, explained Lyon Township Trustee Steve Fletcher, committee vice-chairperson. We did a survey to gauge interest and 90 plus percent of the three communities said they were in favor of having a community center and contributing to the funding of it. Its to build a facility the community will be proud of and will use. It will meet an unfulfilled need in the community.

Exactly how much will be spent, what would be included in the facility and even where it would be located is undecided.

By taking this next step, we can go back and say: Are we on the right track? Is this what folks are willing to pay for? Fletcher said. Fifteen million dollars was a number we put out there on the high end recognizing that we might not find funding for that whole amount.

An indoor pool was the most popular feature people who responded to the survey said they wanted.

And thats by far the biggest ticket item, Kramer said. This is to see how big a facility we would need for community rooms, a swimming pool, a fitness facility and gyms. We need to know the size and scope of the facility we would need.

Initially, the architects are being asked to include everything that we want and it can be pared down from there if necessary, Kramer said adding that the center would be geared toward providing programs for everyone from the very young to the very old.

The next step is to take the results of the architectural proposals to each communitys governing body.

Theres been a lot of cooperation working on this project, Fletcher said.

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Recreation center idea goes to architects

KUALA LUMPUR: A key goal of the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) for the next one year is to help local architects be more competitive through training and adoption of the new building information modelling (BIM) software.

According to its new president Chan Seong Aun, clients including local real estate developers and government-linked companies and agencies perceive local architects as lacking in project management skills and not proficient enough in the latest technologies.

Chan started his one-year tenure in April and plans to stand for a second term.

I will be working with PAM to help our members obtain funding from the government to get the software, hardware and training to adopt BIM, he told The Edge Financial Daily.

BIM is a programme for users to create models with intelligent objects that respond to their environment, resulting in quicker revisions across all design plans and eliminating the duplication of work.

Some might say why should a profession need help from the government? but the answer is simple. The foreign firms that come in are getting direct aid [from their own governments] that is a lot more than what our government is giving to us, Chan said.

Stressing that he is not against competition, he urged the government and local property players to have more competitions for designing buildings and master plans for their projects.

This will help the profession dispel the myth that local architects are inferior to foreign firms in terms of talent and generating publicity.

Many of the best architects in Malaysia are already practising overseas. If they can do that, I dont see why the Malaysian companies or government should take in foreigners, unless we have open competitions and foreign firms win. If they come for joint ventures with local companies, then we welcome them, Chan said.

His agenda includes completing the PAM centre in Jalan Tanduk late next year and helping more architects get registered with the Board of Architects Malaysia (Lembaga Akitek Malaysia or LAM).

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PAM to hone local architects’ competitive edge

Architects - Even If You Win, You #39;re Still A Rat Bass Cover
Tuning is Drop C#, bass is a Ltd B-205sm trough Amplitube 3. No copyright infringement intented.

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Reston #39;s First Architects (part 1/5) - Reston Museum History Lecture Series
A look at Lake Anne, Hickory, Waterview, Colson and Golf Course Island clusters - May 23, 2013 - presenter - Harold Linton.

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Reston's First Architects (part 1/5) - Reston Museum History Lecture Series - Video

STILLWATER, Okla. In the wake of recent violent weather in Oklahoma, including the deadly May 20 tornado in Moore that killed 24 people, Stillwater Public Schools is taking action to safeguard students, faculty and staff in the event of threatening storm conditions.

Superintendent Ann Caine said since the city of Stillwater does not have a structural engineering staff available for assessment, the district has asked Selser-Schafer Architects of Tulsa, the designers of the districts two new schools, to spend the summer evaluating the districts eight other schools, create a plan for refuge or FEMA-certified safe spaces and calculate the cost of installing those safe spaces.

Caine said when the architects report is submitted, the district will then investigate potential funding sources.

Know that the safety of our students and staff is of utmost importance and we are very interested in the final report that our architects and engineers produce for us, Caine said.

Shelters were included in the design of many new schools in the state, including Highland Park Elementary School in Stillwater. Construction of two new elementary schools includes reinforced concrete walls, roofs, foundations and hurricane-resistant doors to protect students and staff in the event of severe weather. The new schools include reinforced concrete hallways with drop-down steel doors to seal those spaces. Using design elements of a FEMA safe room, the new Highland Park has five such spaces, and there are two at the new Will Rogers. The spaces can hold 1,200 people.

If I am anywhere in the area (during a storm), thats where Im going, said John Anders, facilities director for the district. I would definitely feel safe in any of the shelters we are building.

The district has four schools that are equipped with basements Lincoln Academy, the present Will Rogers Elementary School, Westwood Elementary School and the present Highland Park Elementary School. A portion of Sangre Ridge Elementary School is under ground.

These shelters we are building (and the new elementary schools) are very safe, said Stephen Mitchell, project manager at Highland Park. My son will be a first-grader here next year, and I am very glad they are doing this.

Gov. Mary Fallin said last week only approximately 100 of Oklahomas 1,752 public schools have storm shelters with enough capacity to shelter students, teachers and support staff.

Federal storm shelter grants are available. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, administered by FEMA, provides grants to local and state governments to implement long-term safety measures, including the construction of storm shelters.

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Architects to examine safety spaces at Stillwater school sites

June 1, 2013 Architects offer free damage assessments to storm victims

Anonymous The Edmond Sun The Edmond Sun Sat Jun 01, 2013, 09:15 AM CDT

OKLA. CITY Architects are here to help their communities respond to and recover from all types of disasters. In an effort to help victims of the May 19 and May 20 tornadoes, members of The American Institute of Architects will offer free damage assessments to those who call and request their services. AIA Oklahoma members are trained through the California Emergency Management (Cal-EMA) Safety Assessment Program.

If victims of the May 19 and 20 tornadoes are concerned about the damage their home received and would like someone to look at it, they are welcome to reach out to us. Although these assessments are not being done for insurance purposes, we want to give homeowners peace of mind that their home is safe; and we are happy to offer our expertise. We are doing so at no cost to the homeowner, said Anthony McDermid, president of AIA Oklahoma.

The American Institute of Architects will be offering damage assessments through the end of June. Those in need of a damage assessment should contact AIA Oklahoma at 405-810-8809 or through email at aiadisaster@cox.net. Please provide a name, phone number, address and a brief description of the damage your home received.

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Architects offer free damage assessments to storm victims

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., June 1, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Some of the top architects, designers and planners are traveling to the heart of North Carolina on a mission for one of our nation's most iconic institutions -- the Research Triangle Park.

The Research Triangle Park was built in the 1950s out of the goodwill of three research universities -- Duke, NC State and UNC -- and has been an engine for continued growth.

Multinational companies such as IBM, GlaxoSmithKline, Cisco, NetApp, Avaya, EMC, and others call RTP home. Prosperity and success have become closely associated with the brand.

But for the Park to offer an atmosphere that is appealing to the next generation of workers, it must undergo the first major redevelopment in its storied history.

On May 31, industry experts from the world of architecture and design will fly into RDU International Airport to participate in an official design summit: "RTP: Designing the Future." James Carpenter, Peter Bohlin and other distinguished participants will join RTP leaders for a weekend that will shape the future of the park.

RTP's CEO and President, Bob Geolas, said, "At 'RTP: Designing the Future,' it is our greatest hope that by joining together these talented architects, artists, planners, landscapers and designers, we will be able to shape the vision of RTP for the next generation."

Geolas added, "Our guests at this summit are the dreamers -- and thinkers -- capable of imagining the destiny of one of the world's foremost industrial destinations."

The architectural experts expected to arrive in RTP on May 31 are:

In addition to helping organize this visit, RTP has also designated an official Design Committee to assist in the redevelopment efforts. Chair Tallman Trask is executive vice president at Duke University and other Committee members include Larry Wheeler, director of the North Carolina Museum of Art and Dean Marvin J. Malecha, FAIA, DPACSA, NC State's School of Design.

About RTP

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Designing the Future: Top Architects Answer the Call of North Carolina's Research Triangle Park

Magda Wala, left, Ian McHone and Josh Duddey of EOP Architects sketched out some ideas for Saturday's design Slam at the West Sixth Brewing Company.

Mark Ashley Herald-LeaderBuy Photo

On Kentucky's 221st birthday as a state, more than 200 people gathered to watch architects and associates imagine a little piece of Lexington's future.

And, in the process, nearly $7,000 was raised for Habitat for Humanity.

It was all a part of the first annual "design slam," a fundraiser put together by the American Institute of Architects East Kentucky Chapter and Fayette Alliance, a land-use advocacy group.

The slam, held at West Sixth Brewing Co., pitted five teams in competition to come up with a downtown trailhead at 137 West Main Street for the bike-and-walking path known as the Legacy Trail. The space, known as the "missing tooth" in that block, is now a parking lot between the planned 21c Museum Hotel and an office building painted light blue.

Each team had one hour to come up with a design a process that might normally take six months.

Team Jim, composed of Josh Duddey, Ian McHone and Magda Wala all of EOP Architects took first place and the prize known as the "Golden T-Square." A T-square is a technical drawing instrument used by draftsmen to draw lines. The square will be like the Stanley Cup, going from winning team to winning team.

Team Jim's design incorporated a bike ramp that went from ground level to the second floor.

"I think people could picture themselves using that," Wala said.

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Architects compete, raise money with new trail designs for downtown Lexington

Architects plan to build a house with a 3D printer
Architects claim they #39;ll soon be able to build a whole house by simply using a 3D printer. The house will occupy about 1.115 square meters and if it stays within the projected budget the constructi...

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Bruce Rux - Architects of the Underworld
Bruce Rux with Jeff Rense, January 6, 1998. Atlantis, Anomalies from Mars, Sphinx, Giza, Cover Up Conspiracies, Crop Circles, Face on Mars, Richard Hoagland,...

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