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The American Institute of Architects Issues Statement on Obama Administration’s Fiscal 2012 Budget |
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Tuesday, 15 February 2011 08:07 |
AIA 2011 President Clark Manus, FAIA commented on the budget President Obama presented to Congress yesterday.
“The President’s budget, in effect, increases the value of investment in energy conservation in commercial buildings by roughly $1 billion. That represents a significant increase from the current tax deduction of $1.80 per square foot now on the books and is an increase for which the AIA has been advocating in order to encourage energy conservation. Energy conservation isn’t a political agenda but rather a sound policy that can save money and resources, ultimately making the US less dependent on foreign sources of energy.”
“The President’s budget also launches a new loan guarantee program to increase financing opportunities for universities, schools, and hospitals and creates a $100 million "Race to Green" competition for State and municipal governments to implement innovative approaches to building codes, standards, and performance measures.” The AIA co-sponsorship of an emerging green code (IgCC) is consistent with this approach.
“While we still have much of the budget to analyze, we think the Better Buildings initiative contained in the budget represents a major step forward in implementing policies for which the AIA has been advocating for some time.”
“We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress to make these budget proposals a reality.” |
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Frank Williams Architect |
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Monday, 15 November 2010 11:00 |
 Last February, the architecture community lost a prominent figure with the passing away of Frank Williams. For over forty years, Mr. Williams designed dozens of skyscrapers that impact the skylines of many cities like New York, Dubai, and Shanghai. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley and receiving a master’s degree from Harvard, Frank Williams taught at Columbia University for four years before opening his own office, Frank Williams & Partners in New York. Since then, the firm has received many honors, including those from the Municipal Art Society of New York and the American Institute of Architecture. Mr. Williams died on February 25th, 2010, he was 73.
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A new book about the late Frank Williams has just been released in September. The book, with a strikingly elongated format, starts with an introduction by the architect, then features 35 skyscrapers designed by Mr. Williams, including renderings and photographs. While going through these mega-buildings, one can notice the architect's attention to details, as well his constant effort in bringing those huge volumes to the human scale.
Skyscrapers, assume a role that goes far beyond its functional requirements. They are are symbolic landmarks that define a city's skyline. Their stylistic form-givers vary from cultural background of the host city to the technological criteria that allow those building to go ever so higher.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 26 May 2011 11:06 |
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OMA to build major convention centre in Toulouse, France |
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Friday, 08 July 2011 07:24 |
OMA has just won the competition to design the new Parc des Expositions (PEX) in the innovation zone of Toulouse, southern France. PEX is conceived as a new gateway to the city and will host exhibitions, conferences, and concerts. The 338,000m2 project is designed to be a compact mini-city – an antidote to the sprawl of a standard exposition park, and a means to preserve the surrounding French countryside.  Main entrance from the East
Image courrtesy OMA |
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Last Updated on Friday, 08 July 2011 08:03 |
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MAD's Design for the Real World Redux |
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Tuesday, 24 May 2011 19:00 |
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The Museum of Arts and Design is extending entry for Design for the Real World Redux, an international design competition, sponsored in partnership with the Victor J. Papanek Foundation at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, until June 15, 2011.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 May 2011 11:06 |
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AIA: Architecture Billings Index Tumbles Nearly Three Points |
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Wednesday, 18 May 2011 06:35 |
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The American Institute of Architects released today the results of April's ABI and news was not so rosy.
Following several months of relatively positive business conditions, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) fell almost three points in April. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the April ABI score was 47.6, a precipitous decrease from a reading of 50.5 the previous month. This score reflects a sharp decrease in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).
The new projects inquiry index was 55.0, down from a mark of 58.7 in March, but still at a healthy level.
“The first question is whether this drop is a sign of an industry wide reversal in demand for design services or a bump in the road,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “The fact that most construction projects funded under the federal stimulus program have completed their design work, the anxiety around the possibility of a shutdown in the federal government in April, as well as the unusually severe weather in the Southeast had something to do with this falloff. However, the majority of firms are reporting at least one stalled project in-house because of the continued difficulty in obtaining financing. That issue continues to be the main roadblock to recovery.”
Key April ABI highlights:
Regional averages: Northeast (51.2), Midwest (51.1), South (48.3), West (47.7)
Sector index breakdown: multi-family residential (53.9), commercial / industrial (49.9), institutional (45.9) mixed practice (45.2)
Project inquiries index: 55.0 |
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