Press Release September 21, 2012

Legarda Cites Role of Engineers, Architects in Building Disaster-Resilient Communities

Senator Loren Legarda today called on Filipino engineers and architects to help strengthen the country's resilience to disasters by ensuring the structural integrity of buildings and critical infrastructure.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, made the statement at the Greentech Summit 2012 Opening Ceremony held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, which was attended by about 1,000 professional architects and engineers all over the country.

"As key stakeholders in nation building, we hope that our architects and engineers will fully utilize their talent, skills, and expertise to build infrastructure that will shield our people from natural hazards," she stressed. The Senator explained that since the Philippines is located both on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and the typhoon belt, infrastructure development is a vital component in building a disaster-resilient nation.

"Our engineers and architects should lead efforts towards promoting disaster-resilient development by ensuring the structural integrity of buildings and critical infrastructure, especially to reduce the impact of strong tremors," she said.

Legarda added that engineers and architects, especially those involved in government projects, need to look into widening waterways as a measure to prevent flooding, in addition to seawalls, water pumps, and infrastructure designed to combat flood control problems.

"Our engineers and architects are key players in advancing the country's development initiatives, which we must strengthen by ensuring that the buildings and infrastructure we build will be resilient to natural hazards," Legarda concluded.

Read more:
Legarda Cites Role of Engineers, Architects in Building Disaster-Resilient communities

Pryor & Morrow Architects and Engineers, P.A. announce the recent architectural registration of two staff members.

Michael Taylor has been with Pryor & Morrow since 2003 and completed his professional degree in 2009. He is originally from Central Arkansas and currently resides in Caledonia. He joined Pryor & Morrow in 2003 while pursuing his degree. Taylor has been project manager for various projects including: The Wise Center Exterior Renovation, Necropsy Renovation and Verner G. Hurt Research and Extension Building for Mississippi State University, and The Tennessee Williams Home Renovation located in downtown Columbus for the Columbus Convention and Visitor's Bureau. He graduated from Mississippi State University's School of Architecture.

Stephens Daniel has been on staff at Pryor & Morrow since 2010 and completed his professional degree in June 2005. He is originally from Petal and a current resident of Tupelo. He joined Pryor & Morrow Architects and Engineers' in 2010 and specializes in financial, residential, educational building design, and manages projects for BancorpSouth.

Registered architects are responsible for accommodating client needs, following building and life-safety codes and administrating the construction process. Local building departments often require that buildings of a certain size or complexity be designed by a registered architect. He graduated from Mississippi State University's School of Architecture.

A person seeking to become a registered architect in Mississippi must obtain a professional degree from an accredited institution of higher learning, must complete the three-year Intern Development Program (IDP) and must pass all seven components of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE).

Read this article:
Business brief: Architects registered

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Architectural firm Elliott + Associates Architects announced today that it has won three 2012 American Architecture Awards. Awarded annually by the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, the awards honor Americas top new contemporary architecture projects. The 2012 Jury for Awards was organized by the Federation of Korean Architects in Seoul, and 87 projects were selected by a distinguished group of Korean architects and educators.

The highest and most prestigious distinguished building awards honoring new and cutting-edge design, the American Architectural Awards have grown to become the most significant and most comprehensive distinguished awards in the United States.

Of the 87 winning entries in 2012, three were from Elliott + Associates: the 9,400 square-foot Kirkpatrick Oil Field Office in Hennessey, Okla., which became the centerpiece of the towns Main Street revitalization effort; Chesapeake Energy Car Park Two, a five-level structure that uses light and color to turn a utilitarian building into a destination on the Chesapeake Energy campus in Oklahoma City; and the 54,570 square-foot, $13 million Stuart Wing and Adkins Gallery at the University of Oklahomas Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, Okla. Other winners included major infrastructure projects such as airport terminals and museum galleries by the top echelon of American architecture firms.

We believe architecture can complement the natural beauty of the landscape from rural Hennessey to the urban core of Oklahoma City, from car parks to art galleries, said Rand Elliott, FAIA, principal of Elliott + Associates. To be recognized with Americas top firms is humbling, and we are grateful to be listed among them.

In October 2012, The Chicago Athenaeum, together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, will present a special exhibition of all awarded American buildings at its annual symposium, The City and the World in Istanbul, Turkey, in conjunction with the Istanbul Biennial contemporary art show.

About Elliott + Associates Architects

Since the firms opening in 1976, Oklahoma City-based Elliott + Associates Architects has received 272 international, national, regional and local awards including ten National AIA Honor Awards. The firms work has been featured in more than 70 books and 350 periodicals published in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Japan, Italy, France, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Turkey, The Netherlands, Portugal and Russia. Proudly, Elliott + Associates Architects is the only architectural firm in the history of the state of Oklahoma to win a National AIA Honor Award. Elliott + Associates Architects is among the top nine most honored firms since the inception of the National AIA Honor Awards program in 1949.

To download high-res photos of each of the projects, click here.

Go here to see the original:
Elliott + Associates Architects Wins Three 2012 American Architecture Awards

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sep 21, 2012) - The Government of Canada is making it easier for internationally trained architects to find jobs in their fields through support for a newly launched program. Speaking at the International Interior Design (IIDEX) Canada Expo and Conference today, the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, helped to launch the federally funded Broadly Experienced Foreign Architects (BEFA) Program and underscored the importance of helping skilled newcomers succeed in the Canadian job market.

"Our government''s top priorities are job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity, and we recognize that internationally trained professionals help fill skills shortages in key occupations," said Minister Finley. "This is why we are working with partners like Architecture Canada so that newcomers can find meaningful work in their fields faster and help to contribute to Canada''s economy."

The BEFA Program was created through over $1.9 million in federal funding, announced by MinisterFinley in September 2010. This program will streamline the licensing process for internationally trained architects through a national online assessment tool and standard interview process.Internationally trained architects will be able to find out sooner whether their qualifications meet Canadian standards of practice, or if they need to undergo further training and skills upgrading.

"The architectural community sees great benefits from having internationally trainedarchitectslicensedasprofessionals in Canada. With it comes new connections, ideas and perspectives that can only enrich our profession, said Sheena Sharp, President, Ontario Association of Architects. "Wewould like to thank Minister Finley and her officials at Human Resources and Skill Development Canada for their financial support in the creation of the BEFA program. We believe that this program offers foreign trained architectsa fair and effective process to presenttheirwork experience and competenciesto be assessed againstpan-Canadian standards of competency for practice in Canada."

Under the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, the Government of Canada is working with the provinces and territories and other partners, such as regulatory bodies, to improve foreign credential recognition.

The BEFA Program is an example of how the Framework is bringing meaningful change to the way that newcomers'' qualifications are assessed in Canada. Through pilot versions of this program, several candidates were successful in becoming certified architects in Canada.

To learn more about Canada''s Economic Action Plan, visit http://www.actionplan.gc.ca.

Follow us on Twitter

IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.

This news release is available online at: http://www.actionplan.gc.ca.

See the rest here:
Government of Canada Helps Internationally Trained Architects Build a Better Future

The Kauffman Centre in Kansas City.

ONE of the world's most respected architects has been lured to Melbourne to design an $80 million state-of-the-art school of music for Monash University.

Buildings by Boston-based ''starchitect'' Moshe Safdie look like radical visions of the future (by someone with a very earthly love of concrete). One of these distinctive sculptural spaceships is due to land in mid-2016 at the entrance to Monash's Clayton campus.

Construction is due to start in early 2014, and will include a 600-seat concert hall, atrium and outdoor amphitheatre, as well as a jazz club, recording studio and teaching facilities.

Funded by Monash, the state and federal governments and philanthropists including property developer Albert Dadon, the design is also a collaboration with local firm Fender Katsalidis.

Advertisement

''Located at the gateway of Monash Clayton, it will also be a community facility - a great coup,'' says Mr Dadon, who is also a successful musician.

The design concept for the new Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music will not be revealed until October 23, but Mr Safdie describes it as an ''extroverted [complex that] affords a dramatic view into the life within the building''. Mr Dadon calls the design ''futuristic without being science fiction''.

The architect says lessons learnt from the Kansas City performing arts centre he designed, which opened last year, will be applied to the Monash building. These include handling the acoustic challenges of optimising natural and amplified sound, but may also hint at its outward appearance: the Kauffman Centre has a distinct resemblance to the Sydney Opera House, with the ''sails'' modified by Mr Safdie's signature stepped angles, and an extensive use of glass.

The announcement is evidence of a wider trend of high-profile international architects working on local university projects, says former Architecture Australia editor Justine Clark.

Read the original post:
Architecture stars align to bring music school to Monash

Facing a generation gap within the architecture industry, BlueScope Lysaght, a maker of steel building materials, has decided to encourage young architects in Malaysia by establishing the inaugural Malaysia Young Architect Award (MYAA).

Open to all practising architects below the age of 35, the company strongly believes that recognising and rewarding exceptional local talent will ignite their enthusiasm and raise the overall standards of excellence within the country.

There is an abundance of architecture talent in Malaysia, but a gap exists in terms of experience and exposure. Many have revolutionary ideas when it comes to concepts, but are limited by industry demands which are still rather conservative.

We are hoping that the MYAA will be a platform for these up and coming talents to showcase their ability and influence clients and developers to be open to more progressive and modern designs, said BlueScope Lysaght Malaysia president Heon Chee Shyong.

Underlining the prestige of the award, BlueScope Lysaght is allocating a prize of RM20,000 for the winner as well as a RM5,000 prize for the Top Choice award, based on online votes.

The organisers have also recruited a jury comprising world-renowned architects and designers to judge the winning design.

True to the spirit of MYAA, the jury panel itself varies in terms of age and design philosophies, originating from Australia, China, Bangkok, Singapore, and Malaysia.

The jury panel includes: Australias Environa Studio principal architect and director K.A. Tone Wheeler, PI Architect principal Tan Pei Ing, Dezignwerkz Asia chief executive officer Jasmeet Singh Sidhu, Kun Lim Architect design principal Kun Lim, Thailands GreenDwell sustainable design director Siritip Harntaweewongsa and Chinas MAD Architects founding principal Ma Yansong.

According to Jasmeet, the local architecture industry is competitive regionally, but improvements can be made to raise levels of excellence.

Malaysia has around 2,000 architects registered with Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia but there are another 2,000 or so who have yet to obtain their licence to practice on their own.

View original post here:
Nurturing young architects

BOSTON, Sept. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Margulies Perruzzi Architects (MPA), one of Boston's most innovative architectural and interior design firms, today announced that it has completed the design of 100,000 square feet of office space in Boston for Pioneer Investments, a leading innovator in the global investment management industry.

Providing space planning and interior design services, MPA substantially updated the office design and additional support space consisting of five floors at Pioneer's Boston office located at 60 State Street. MPA crafted a master plan to help Pioneer strategize how to best utilize this space on a long-term basis, and completely redesigned the 16th floor, embracing an open layout with fewer private offices and creating a model for Pioneer's future space planning. The renovations were part of Pioneer's recent lease renewal at 60 State Street.

MPA redesigned workspaces, conference rooms, lobbies, reception areas and selected new finishes, furniture, and lighting. The project included a major reconfiguration of Pioneer's IT/mission critical spaces and the addition of a conference center featuring a suite of conference rooms with a large breakout area. In order to allow Pioneer's operations to continue during construction, MPA phased the renovation schedule and utilized available swing space.

"Having worked together for 12 years on several renovations, MPA understands our business and commitment to our clients," said Thomas P. Murphy, Head of Corporate Services at Pioneer Investments. "It was important to us that Pioneer evolve its office design to promote better communication and collaboration between staff, while providing an elegant space to welcome clients. MPA has designed a beautiful and efficient space that will serve as a prototype for future growth."

Pioneer hired MPA to design its offices when it originally expanded beyond the 60 State Street building in 2000, and has since worked with MPA on numerous renovations within 60 State.

About Margulies Perruzzi Architects

Consistently ranked as one of Boston's top architectural and interior design firms, Margulies Perruzzi Architects creates buildings and corporate interiors for clients who value design. The firm services the corporate, professional services, healthcare, research/lab, and real estate communities with a focus on sustainable design. Clients include Manulife/John Hancock, Nuvera Fuel Cells, Reliant Medical Group, Sapient, Hobbs Brook Management and Forrester Research. For more information, please visit http://www.mp-architects.com.

Media Contact Michele Spiewak Rhino Public Relations 617-851-2618 MPArchitects@rhinopr.com

Continue reading here:
Margulies Perruzzi Architects Completes Office Design for Pioneer Investments

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is pleased to announce the launch of the Landscape Architects Guide to Washington, D.C. This online, mobile-friendly guide will help visitors and locals discover more than 75 historic, modern and contemporary landscapes in Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Va. Expert commentary and more than 800 photos are provided by 20 landscape architects. It is located at http://www.asla.org/guide.

According to Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, executive vice president and CEO of ASLA, the guide is the first of its kind devoted to Washington, D.C. It highlights historic monuments and parksincluding the National Mall and Memorial Parks and Capitol Hilland examples of new sustainable worksincluding Constitution Square, a cutting-edge green street that is one block long, and Diamond Teague Waterfront Park, which incorporates man-made, water-cleansing wetlands on the Anacostia River.

The guide will provide the 19 million tourists who visit D.C. annually, along with locals, a fresh perspective on both iconic and brand-new landscapes within the nations capital, says Somerville. D.C.s vibrant public realm didnt just magically appear but was carefully designed over the years, and is continually evolving, through interactions among elected leaders, communities and landscape architects.

The guide is divided into 16 distinct tours in all four quadrants of the Districtas well as a tour of the new D.C. bicycle network. Each tour covers multiple neighborhoods, and includes a printable walking or biking map.

The guide was created by ASLA in partnership with 20 nationally recognized landscape architects, all of whom are designers of the public realm and leaders in sustainable design. The guides were asked to explain the sites from a landscape architects point of view and show how the design of these sites influences how people interact with or even feel about these places.

The guides are:

Media wishing to interview the guides or learn more about the website should contact Karen Trimbath, public relations manager, at ktrimbath@asla.org or (202) 216-2371.

List of Sites Featured in the Guide

John Marshall Park

Excerpt from:
ASLA Launches the Landscape Architect’s Guide to Washington, D.C.

KPMB Architects Design Doubles Space of Rotman School of Management

TORONTO, Sept. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - The Rotman Expansion, the winning scheme in an invited design competition designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB), was officially opened last week. The Rotman School is part of the University of Toronto and according to a recent Financial Times survey of MBA programs is ranked one the top 10 business schools in the world for faculty research. The Expansion project was conceived to create a vibrant global hub in which to evolve Rotman's core mission to promote the power of creativity, innovation and integrative thinking in 21st century business education.

As Roger Martin, Dean of Rotman, said, "We now have the hardware necessary to engage in next building of Rotman's software - the programs and the people - to be best in the world for Canada. The interplay of this hardware and software opens huge possibilities."

The nine-storey high project is seamlessly integrated with and doubles the size of the Rotman School's home on the University of Toronto's downtown campus. It is also connected to an existing Victorian residence. KPMB conceived a vertical campus to fit the varied program of tiered classrooms, study rooms, research centres, study lounges, and dedicated student spaces on a tight urban site. The project features many spaces for gathering, including the Event Hall, a state-of-the-art teaching and meeting space. The 500-seat Event Hall is the centerpiece of the project, its large elevated glass box facing out on to St. George Street to broadcast the vibrancy of Rotman's programs to students of UofT and the city. The multi-level South Atrium features a large-scale serpentine staircase with a hot pink accent which simultaneously reduces reliance on elevators and increases interaction between students and faculty.

Marianne McKenna, partner-in-charge for KPMB of the Rotman Expansion, says that the design process was inspired by the Rotman's Integrative Thinking Program: "the design is a direct reflection of broad thinking, flexibility and teamwork involving the input of the Rotman and the University of Toronto."

Targeting LEED Silver certification, the project exemplifies sustainable design principles and prioritizes the well-being of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The interior is filled with natural light, fresh air, and spectacular views of the university's campus. Terraces with green roofs and a courtyard provide access to the outdoors. In scale and massing, the KPMB design responds to the surrounding context, between the residential scale of the historic 19thC residence and the massive 'brutalist' architecture of the Robarts Library across the street. It is sited to respect views and minimize shadow impact on Massey College to the east.

Design partner Bruce Kuwabara said, "The Expansion project is both contemporary and in dialogue with the history and the architecture that surrounds it. An expression of the hallmarks of the Canadian experience - tolerance and openness - The Rotman is now open and poised to help move Rotman forward in Canada and on the world stage."

About Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (Toronto):

KPMB Architects is one of Canada's leading architecture firms with over 175 awards for architectural excellence, including 12 Governor General's Medals. In Toronto, KPMB's widely-acclaimed projects include the Gardiner Museum, the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Canada's National Ballet School, and the Royal Conservatory of Music. The core project team for the Rotman Expansion comprised Bruce Kuwabara (design partner), Marianne McKenna (partner-in-charge), Luigi LaRocca (principal-in-charge), Paulo Rocha (associate/design/project architect), Dave Smythe (associate/project architect), Myriam Tawadros, Bruno Weber, John Peterson, and Carolyn Lee.

Link to Rotman Architectural Team Profiles

Continued here:
Rotman School of Management Expansion Rises at University of Toronto

If theres one thing people said they wanted in Braseltons town green, it was an interactive water fountain similar to a popular attraction at Suwanees town center park.

But can the town afford it all?

The two firms working on the town green Mulkey Engineers and Consultants, and the firm jB+a, inc. estimate that building everything shown on the recently-unveiled design will cost upwards of $3 million.

Braselton has $1.6 million in a state transportation grant, sales tax revenue and its Urban Redevelopment Agency bonds available for the project. The town council could also decide to earmark its Jackson County sales tax revenue estimated to reach $1.1 million by the time collection stops in June 2017 for its town green. The current sales tax program started collecting revenue in July 2011.

Steve Provost of jB+a said the master plan is a grand vision for the Braselton Town Green that includes both short term and long term ideas.

The purpose of a master plan is to create a vision for how this space is to be used long term, Provost said. So that whatever you build first if its done in phases doesnt get in the way of your original (plans) in the future.

Architects, he explained, will outline potential uses of a site and provide cost estimates for the project. Provost said Braselton town officials may decide to build the town green in phases, although that hasnt been previously discussed.

Braselton will build its town green in front of the town-owned Braselton Brothers Store complex located at the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 53 and the former Ga. Hwy. 124. That portion of Ga. Hwy. 124 was recently realigned to the rear of the historic store and is called Davis Street.

Braselton officials have been planning for a town green for about a decade with the project hinging on the realignment of Ga. Hwy. 124 to the rear of the store complex. Now that that project is completed, Braselton is designing its town green.

And what the architects proposed on Monday is a town green that is not only pedestrian friendly, but still accommodating for the businesses located in the Braselton Brothers Store complex, as well. It will also allow Braselton to close vehicular access to the town green for special events such as concerts, movie screenings and other public gatherings.

Read more here:
Architects unveil plans for Braselton Town Green