RESTON, Va., July 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has honored outstanding design incorporating genuine clay brick for both aesthetics and sustainability. Offering architects an increasingly wide palette of colors, textures and shapes for exterior and interior expression, the 2012 Brick in Architecture Award winning projects span 28 states and include commercial, educational, health care, houses of worship, municipal/government, paving and landscape architecture, multifamily and single family residential. Photo Gallery

"As a versatile building material made in America made from abundant natural resources, there is no substitute for genuine clay brick," said BIA President and CEO Gregg Borchelt, P.E. "Unlike manufactured masonry products, brick fired from genuine clay offers permanent, through-body color, proven performance and natural beauty that imitation products just can't match," he said.

In addition to competitive benefits over other exteriors, brick offers great freedom to match the architect's imagination and desires as well as an essential element of sustainable design.

Atlantic Wharf, Boston, Mass., the Best in Class commercial category winner, used a combination of existing and new brick types for both the residences and offices. The 1,200,000 s.f. mixed-use complex is also Boston's first LEED Certified Platinum high-rise.

"Integrating old and new brick was important to maintain the historic character of the area," said Associate Principal Philip Casey, AIA, LEED AP, CBT Architects, Boston. "A lot of effort went into matching mortar to maintain the historic context," he said. "Brick was also an integral part of our objective to achieve LEED Platinum in the Building Reuse category."

The North Carolina State University chancellor's residence, named The Point, won Best in Class in the residential single family category. The 5,400-s.f. residence (comprising 3,100 s.f. of living quarters) was designed by North Carolina Statue University led by Marvin Malecha, FAIA, dean of the NC State University College of Design and president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Genuine clay brick was part of the sustainable materials selected, including solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling.

Malecha said that the residence was designed to represent NC State and North Carolina as a "mini stimulus" to help boost the state's jobs and materials. "We wanted it to not only be beautiful and adaptable to the ways it will be used, but also be build using sustainable practices," said Malecha in an NC State article.

The 2012 Best in Class winners include:

COMMERCIAL Atlantic Wharf - Boston, Mass. Architect: CBT Architects Builder: John Ordinary& Associates, Inc. Mason Contractor: A. Jandris & Sons, Inc.

EDUCATIONAL The Ogden International School of Chicago Chicago, Ill. Architect: Nagle Hartray Architecture Landscape Architect: Terry Guen Design Associates Associate Architect: Schroeder Murchie Niemiec Gazda-Auskalnis Architects, Ltd. Builder: Turner Construction Company Mason Contractor: Illinois Masonry Corporation

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BIA Honors the Best in Brick Design

The long and steep housing downturn appears to be coming to an end, according to the 2012 first-quarter AIA Home Design Trends Survey. Residential architects are reporting that home sizes are beginning to turn around, particularly for custom and luxury homes.

In addition, making homes more accessible for an aging population and using the space more flexibly are key home design considerations. Outdoor living remains popular, and with that has come more interest in property enhancements such as low-irrigation landscaping.

With the easing of market conditions, residential architects are reporting better business prospects. Business conditions are improving in each of the major regions of the country, which indicates a broad-based recovery. While the strongest sectors continue to be improvements to existing homes, stability is developing in key new construction sectors for custom and luxury homes, trade-up homes, and entry-level homes.

After exploding during the housing boom, the sizes of new homes peaked and began to decrease during the downturn. Currently, additions and remodels are reported to be increasing in size at an even higher rate than new construction.

In an effort to appeal to as broad a population as possible, in-home accessibility (e.g., wider hallways, fewer steps) is the home layout trend increasing the most in popularity. Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents feel that this feature is increasing in popularity, while less than 1 percent feel that it is decreasing. Features that allow better access into and out of the house (ramps, on-grade entrances) also proved popular.

While changes in home sizes have been driven by the housing cycle, lot sizes seem to be in a longer-term downturn. Even back in 2006 at the peak of the housing boom, only 7 percent of respondents reported lot sizes to be increasing, while more than 40 percent reported declines. This years survey showed a modest bounce back in the share reporting lot sizes to be growing. High land costs, greater emphasis on infill locations and limited interest among homeowners in maintaining a large yard all point to modest lot sizes in the years ahead.

The 2012 survey shows that interest in outdoor living space increased. However, the outdoor feature residential architects report as showing the greatest increase in popularity is low-maintenance, low-irrigation landscaping. Many residential architects also report preparing building lots for construction has become more difficult due to topographical or soil conditions, or zoning limitations on the site.

As the housing market continues to move into recovery, business conditions at residential architecture firms are improving. For the first quarter of 2012, 35 percent of participating residential firms reported their billings had increased over the fourth quarter of 2011, while just over 22 percent reported they had declined. The remaining 43 percent reported they were essentially flat over this time period. This was the strongest uptick in billings in almost five years, since the second quarter of 2007.

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Residential Architects Report Changes for the Better

BUDAPEST, Hungary, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- GRAPHISOFT, the global leader in Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions for architects, announced today that ArchiCAD 16's global rollout process has begun. In addition, the company unveiled its BIMComponents.comGDL objects portal, a cloud-based database thatallows users to create, search, upload, and download custom BIM components of their choice.

The release of ArchiCAD 16 delivers key functionality to end users including the brand new MORPH tool, an optimal solution for creating custom BIM components, custom structures, and custom elements of the built environment, as well as custom-designed building interiors. Built-in Energy Evaluation allows architects working with ArchiCAD 16 to perform reliable dynamic energy evaluations of their BIM model within ArchiCAD, using BIM geometry analysis and accurate, hour-by-hour online weather data of the building's location. BIMComponents.com, a cloud-based, ArchiCAD-integrated community database, allows users to create, search, upload, and download custom BIM components of their choice directly within their native BIM application.

Shipping started with the International, US and German versions the first three of 26 local versions that will reach the market by the end of Q3 2012. For more information about ArchiCAD 16 please visit: http://www.graphisoft.com/products/archicad/

About GRAPHISOFTGRAPHISOFT ignited the BIM revolution with ArchiCAD, the industry first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as the revolutionary GRAPHISOFT BIM Server, the world's first real-time BIM collaboration environment, and the GRAPHISOFT EcoDesigner, the world's first fully integrated building energy modeling application. GRAPHISOFT's innovative solutions have fundamentally changed the way architects around the world design and collaborate. GRAPHISOFT has been a part of theNemetschek Group since its acquisition in 2007.

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GRAPHISOFT Ships ArchiCAD 16, Launches BIMComponents.com

SJB Architects has appointed Oliver Mayger as a director in its Melbourne office. Originally from Britain, Mr Mayger joined SJB in 2006 and became an associate in 2007. Since joining SJB, he has been integral to big projects, including the RACV Healesville Country Club and the residential apartment projects, A Place to Live in Richmond, and Green Square in Abbotsford, for Salta Properties. Before joining SJB, Mr Mayger worked in Britain and Western Australia. He joins SJB Architects' existing directors, Michael Bialek, Tony Battersby, Owen Chow and Alfred de Bruyne. The appointment coincides with the retirement of SJB founder and director Charles Justin, who began the practice in 1976 with Mr Bialek and Alan Synman.

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BVN won the 2012 Sulman Architecture Award at the Australian Institute of Architects Awards, becoming the first architecture practice to win seven Sulman awards since the award was first presented in 1932. It is 22 years since BVN received its first Sulman award, with the latest award given for the Ravenswood School for Girls' Mabel Fidler building, which contains a library and resource hub, in Gordon, Sydney. The jury noted the ''elegant planning, the sheer delight of the library space and strong sculptural presence'', terming it ''a fine model for a school of the future''.

Real estate firm CBRE has expanded its valuation and advisory services with the launch of a national rating and taxing division. Kate Adams has joined CBRE to establish the division after five years with m3property and three years with Valuer-General Victoria. CBRE Rating and Taxing will assist owners and tenants in reviewing valuation-based statutory assessments that are utilised to levy rates and land tax.

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New director at SJB

CHICAGO, July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IA Interior Architects is pleased to announce that Tish Kruse, MCR, LEED AP has joined the firm as Director of Workplace Strategy. She will be based in Chicago, IL.

Tish brings over 25 years of consulting, management, real estate, and design experience to deliver value-driven solutions. Her focus is developing strategies that are sustainable amidst ongoing change, and the results are engaging environments that increase employee productivity, facilitate innovation, and reduce footprints by an average of 20-30%. Most recently, Tish was with Jones Lang LaSalle's Strategic Consulting group, and prior to that she was the leader of HOK Chicago's Interiors practice.

"Tish is a valuable addition to our Workplace Strategies team. Her expertise in conducting relevant research, establishing the business case, and facilitating buy-in for change has led to powerful design solutions. We are pleased to have her on board," said Tom Powers, Managing Principal.

Tish is a registered interior designer and a licensed real estate broker. She is a member of CREW, CoreNet, and USGBC. In 2011, she was a recipient of Jones Lang LaSalle's coveted DaVinci Award for Innovation.

Tish's new contact information is as follows:

205 West Wacker Drive, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60606 p 312.488.5204 | m 312.504.2460 | f 312.553.8208 t.kruse@interiorarchitects.com

ABOUT IA INTERIOR ARCHITECTS

Founded in 1984, IA Interior Architects is the first and largest global architectural firm focused exclusively on interior architecture and workplace strategies. IA helps clients in diverse markets worldwide align their business strategies and core values with the dynamic use of space. IA has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, London, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County, Raleigh, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley, and Washington, DC and has partner affiliates in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia and Australia, Canada, and Latin America through the IA Global Alliance. For more information, visit http://www.interiorarchitects.com.

Media Contact: Sofia Zimmerman s.zimmerman@interiorarchitects.com 917.579.5702

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Tish Kruse Joins IA Interior Architects as Director of Workplace Strategy

Cebu Daily News

CEBUS BEST architects will once again see the court as the United Architects Basketball Club-Mini Cup 2012 gets underway today with a triple-header at the Cebu Eastern College gym.

The entire roster of members have been divided into six teams in this tournament that is being backed by Boysen Paint and Eastman Industrial Supply Inc.

Players were drafted to six teams, which are being led by Vincent Sesbreno, Oliver Tan, Michael Cinco, Jodl Dabon, Rhyan Pepito and Jay-R Decatoria.

The tournament will be a single round-robin affair with the top two teams earning a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals. The winners there will battle for the crown while the losers tangle for the third place trophy.

This competition is done in preparation for the more prestigious Corporate Cup slated next month. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio

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Local architects known for their modern towers, malls, hospitals, plazas and libraries, are scaling down their designs to raise money for families in need.

Their whimsical drawings will be built into futuristic playhouses and put on display at the Pacific National Exhibition this August, and sold off to corporate buyers who will donate them to community groups across the province. The proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity, a charity that helps low-income families build and buy their own homes. The designs and materials are all donated, and the finished playhouses will ultimately be made accessible to the public.

The idea came from Canfor, a forest-product company, which is celebrating its 75th year in business next year. It's first wood products were used to build the famous Mosquito bomber planes during the Second World War, and the playhouse design they're sponsoring takes the shape of that propeller plane.

The company wants to send a positive message about building with wood while benefiting Habitat for Humanity, said Canfor president Don Kayne. "We're trying to raise our profile as the industry rebounds from a pretty tough recession over the years," Kayne said.

"It's important to connect more with the community and connect more with the younger generation."

Other forestry firms have signed on as well, including West Fraser, Inter-for, Western Forest and Conifex, Kayne said.

Each will work with an architect and a local builder to turn the drawings into wooden playhouses. Kids can play in them at the PNE and then wherever they're placed after the 17-day fair is over.

Michael Green Architecture, DGBK Architects, Dialog Design, and Hughes Condon Marler Architects are among some of the local creative teams that have signed up to participate. There will be eight playhouses in all.

Besides the propeller plane, which was designed by architecture students at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, other playhouses take on cubist or geometric designs.

There's even a teepee, designed by Michael Green and his 11-year-old son, who told him "kids love teepees."

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Forestry firms, architects to create playhouses for charity

VANCOUVER -- Local architects known for their modern towers, malls, hospitals, plazas and libraries, are scaling down their designs to raise money for families in need.

Their whimsical drawings will be built into futuristic playhouses and put on display at the Pacific National Exhibition this August, and sold off to corporate buyers who will donate them to community groups across the province. The proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity, a charity that helps low-income families build and buy their own homes. The designs and materials are all donated, and the finished playhouses will ultimately be made accessible to the public.

The idea came from Canfor, a forest product company, which is celebrating its 75th year in business next year. Its first wood products were used to build the famous Mosquito bomber planes during the Second World War, and the playhouse design theyre sponsoring takes the shape of that propeller plane.

The company wants to send a positive message about building with wood while benefiting Habitat for Humanity, said Canfor president Don Kayne.

Were trying to raise our profile as the industry rebounds from a pretty tough recession over the years, Kayne said. Its important to connect more with the community and connect more with the younger generation.

Other forestry firms have signed on as well, including West Fraser, Interfor, Western Forest and Conifex, Kayne said. Each will work with an architect and a local builder to turn the drawings into wooden playhouses. Kids can play in them at the PNE and then wherever theyre placed in public after the 17-day fair is over. Michael Green Architecture, DGBK Architects, Dialog Design, and Hughes Condon Marler Architects are among some of the local creative teams that have signed up to participate. There will be eight playhouses in all.

Besides the propeller plane, which was designed by architecture students at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, other playhouses take on cubist or geometric designs. Theres even a teepee, designed by Michael Green and his 11-year-old son, who told him kids love teepees.

Its not that he meant literally build teepees, but that we should capture the spirit of what a teepee feels like to a kid, and why being in a teepee invokes our imagination, said Green, who is also designing the Ronald McDonald House for BC Childrens Hospital. He hopes his playhouse, made of stacked Douglas fir and chalkboard paint with a ball room inside, will end up there eventually. Green estimated the cost of his playhouse at $35,000 for materials, design and construction.

Canfor spokeswoman Christine Kennedy said the fundraising process at the PNE will determine how much money is raised for Habitat for Humanity.

zmcknight@vancouversun.com

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Builders, architects to create playhouses for housing charity

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) announced the recipients of the Societys 2012 Honors. Selected by ASLAs Board of Trustees, the Honors represent the highest awards ASLA presents each year. The awards ceremony will take place at the 2012 ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO, September 28October 1 in Phoenix.

ASLA Medal: Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, FASLA

Cornelia Oberlander, FASLA, will receive the ASLA Medal, the Societys highest award for a landscape architect. Oberlander has been and continues to be among the most important practitioners emphasizing sustainable design in all her built work, frequent lectures, influential publications, and numerous awards, such as the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe award from the International Federation of Landscape Architects in 2011. She was one of the first women in the post-World War II era to establish her own practice. Her more than 35-year collaboration with Arthur Erickson, Canadas leading architect, included several noteworthy projects in Canada and the United States: the Robson Square Provincial Government complex and Courthouse in Vancouver, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, and the Canadian Chancery in Washington, D.C., as well as the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, and the Vancouver Public Library with Moshe Safdie Architects.

ASLA Design Medal: Peter Walker, FASLA

Peter Walker, FASLA, will receive the ASLA Design Medal in recognition of exceptional design work over a sustained period of at least ten years. Walkers fascination with materials and experimental use of water, landform, and plant materials have produced some of the most provocative projects in the profession. His portfolio includes Foothills College in Los Altos Hills, California to the IBM Solana Campus in Southlake, Texas to the National September 11 Memorial in New York City. Walker co-founded the firm Sasaki, Walker and Associates in 1956 and opened its West Coast office, which became the SWA Group in 1976. In 1983, he formed Peter Walker and Partners, now known as PWP Landscape Architecture. Walker received the ASLA Medal in 2004, and the International Federation of Landscape Architectss Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Gold Medal in 2005 for lifetime achievement.

Jot D. Carpenter Teaching Medal: Herrick Smith, FASLA

Herrick Smith, FASLA, will receive the Jot D. Carpenter Teaching Medal. The award recognizes significant and sustained excellence in landscape architecture education. Smith taught in the University of Floridas Department of Landscape Architecture from 1966 until his retirement in 1995 as professor emeritus. Known as a tough but insightful teacher, Smith served as a catalyst for thousands of students to explore ideas and opportunities in the field. ASLA awarded special recognition to Herrick in 1982 for helping to establish six landscape architecture programs at Auburn University, the University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University, Oklahoma State University, the University of Toronto, and North Carolina A&T University.

LaGasse Medal - Landscape Architect: Mary Hughes, FASLA

Mary Hughes, FASLA, will receive the LaGasse Medal for contributions to the management and conservation of natural resources and public landscapes. Since 1996, Hughes, a noted landscape preservationist, has been the university landscape architect at the University of Virginia. She has guided the campus both in its preservation as a historic place and in its evolution as home to one of the nations most vital 21st century universities. She also successfully advocated for, and implemented, an innovative stormwater master plan on the campus.

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ASLA Announces 2012 Honors

June 27, 2012 11:35

Brighton metal band will take new album 'Daybreaker' out on the road

Photo: Victor Frankowski/NME

Architects have announced a full UK tour for later this year.

The Brighton metal band, who released their fifth album 'Daybreaker' last month, will play seven shows in mid-November.

The tour kicks off at Southampton Mo Club on November 9 and runs until November 16 when the band headline Nottingham Rock City. The run also includes gigs in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Newcastle. Support on the tour will come from Deez Nuts, The Acacia Strain and Bury Tomorrow.

Speaking to NME previously about 'Daybreaker' and how it moves on from their fourth album 'The Here And Now', guitarist Tom Searle said: "Some people might say we've regressed, but I think we've found our enthusiasm for playing heavy music again. I'm excited again by what I've come up with on guitar and lyrically it's much more political and less personal."

He continued: "I wanted to go back to being heavier and I think we've got our balls back. We're not a band that should be on daytime radio and even when we got that stuff, it felt a bit uncomfortable. I think we were out of our comfort zone and the shoe didn't fit."

You can watch the video for the band's recent single 'Devil's Island' by scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking.

Architects will play:

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Architects announce November UK tour – ticket details