AIANYS held the symposium, "Making a Difference Through Community Leadership and Advocacy" on December 12, 2007 at The Harvard Club in New York City.

Ambassador Richard Swett, FAIA, author of "Leadership by Design: Creating an Architecture of Trust," provided an overview of why architects should be more involved in their communities, how architects can apply the same skills they use in their practice to community work and the importance for architects to position themselves as experts on a variety of subjects. 

Robert Quinn of Swett Associates discussed how the legislative process works and what architects need to do to get their issues in front of their legislators.

Orlando T. Maione, AIA, AIANYS President-Elect, spoke on his own personal experience on how his architectural background has aided him when serving on community boards.

This session was funded in part through an AIA Government Advocacy Grant. Special thanks to our sponsor Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP for supporting this event.

Pictured left to right: Edward Farrell, Executive Director, AIANYS, Orlando T. Maione, President-Elect, AIANYS, Richard Swett, FAIA and Russell Davidson, President, AIANYS at The Harvard Club.

AIA Rochester Helps Students Explore Architecture

In conjunction with their local Boy Scout Council, the Otetiana Council, AIA Rochester  offers an Explorer Post in Architecture.  The Otetiana Council offers over 120 posts to area high school students through the Learning for Life Program, so that students can explore different careers.  AIA Rochester has worked with the Council to offer an architecture post for 36 years.

AIA Rochester offers at least one post a year and oftentimes two (in the fall and spring).  Each session includes a visit to architect offices and a construction site. The students also learn architectural history from a visit to and presentation from the Landmark Society and complete a project on what they have learned.  Pictured above is the most recent construction site tour of the Wilmot Cancer Center at the Strong Medical Center in Rochester in November.  The host was Rick Tyler of Pike Construction (pictured) who not only gave the students a tour of the entire structure, but also showed the students the job trailer, the construction documentation, as well as a slide show of the progress of the project over the last year and a half.

This is an exciting class for the students and a very exciting project for the community.  AIA Rochester was pleased to be able to bring the two together and thanks Pike Construction and SWBR Architects for their assistance and willingness to participate in this program.

(Article and photo courtesy of A. Tori Budgeon-Baker, AIA, Education Director, AIA Rochester).

The Office of the Professions recently announced that on-line registration will be available for licensees renewing their registrations for the period beginning January 1, 2008.  When registering on-line, the registration fees can be paid using a credit card, and no additional charge will be added for this convenience.

In order to register on-line, an individual must be licensed and have a current registration that expires on or after December 31, 2007, receive the renewal notification and PIN in the mail, and use a valid Visa or MasterCard to pay the fees. More information will be sent to each licensee at the time of their registration renewal. Licensees will not be eligible to participate in on-line renewal until they are notified and given a PIN. For more information, go to the Office of the Professions website at www.op.nysed.gov.

Energy Bill - H.R. 6 Passes Congress, Signed by President Bush

Two AIA Grassroots Calls to Action, the AIA Board of Directors meeting with members of Congress, and over a year's worth of work by the AIA staff and leadership paid off when H.R. 6, the comprehensive energy bill for 2007, was passed by the House and signed by President Bush.   Andrew Goldberg, chief lobbyist for The American Institute of Architects is quoted in both the Washington Post and the Boston Globe as saying that "this will help transform the marketplace for systems and equipment that make buildings more energy efficient and reduce reliance on fossil fuel."
Although the final version of the bill has not yet been released, most of the AIA- supported provisions were included in the House-passed bill.  These provisions include: 2030 Targets for Federal Buildings, the Photovoltaic Sun Wall at the Department of Energy Headquarters, Use Green Infrastructure to Reduce Stormwater Runoff, Sustainable Design Services Eligible for Small Business Loans, Energy Efficiency Block Grants to States and Communities, Help Educate Small Firms about Sustainability, Promoted the Design and Construction of Green Schools. 
AIA will continue to work on the tax deduction that will apply to energy efficient
commercial buildings. 
For updates on the bill and a summary of the provisions go to http://aia.org/adv_fed

Governor Spitzer Creates Smart Growth Cabinet

Syracuse Sustainable Design Assessment Team Final Report Now Available Online

The 2007 Practice Analysis of Architecture is now available on the NCARB web site. The 2007 survey and analysis represent the greatest outreach and response from architects ever received. The results will be used to shape the foundation of an architect's entry into the profession: ARE and, for the first time, the Intern Development Program (IDP).
To read the 2007 Practice Analysis of Architecture, go to
http://www.ncarb.org/forms/2007NCARBpracticeanalysis.pdf.

AIA eClassroom No Longer in Session

The American Institute of Architects discovered through surveys and feedback from members that an overwhelming majority would prefer education programs that are offered in-person or through local AIA components.

As a result, eClassroom, the AIA's online distance education program, ended service on November 30, 2007. Courses registrations are no longer being accepted. 

All eClassroom customers have been notified by e-mail that the service will no longer be available. The few customers who have previously registered for, but not yet completed, an eClassroom course have until February 22, 2008, to finish coursework. On that date, at 11 p.m. (CT), the eClassroom Web site will be taken offline.

An online database of providers whose programs satisfy AIA/CES requirements can be found at: http://sparky.occe.ou.edu/aia/ad/search/.

AGC of America, GBC of NYS and NASFA (National Association of State Facilities Administrators) are pleased to announce a new educational seminar, Managing a CM-at-Risk Project - A Workshop for Owners and Their Project Staff, January 28-29, 2008, at the Holiday Inn, Wolf Road in Albany.  This workshop is limited to the first 150 attendees.

For a registration form and more information, go to:

http://www.gbcnys.agc.org/public/overview/08.01.28.CMatRisk_Alb.pdf