Members of the AIA-MBA Joint Committee Chartered in 1965, the AIA-MBA Joint Committee in western PA was one of the first committees in the United States to bring together AIA member architects with general contractors and owners.  The group provides a unique forum to meet and discuss existing conditions of the construction industry. As a result, a set of guidelines have been created to reflect the best practices for procedures involving drawings and specifications, bidding, contract documents and administrative procedures during construction called The Best Practice Guides. These guides were originally published as the Yellow Book of Recommended Construction Practices in 1967, and for decades existed as a yellow book, or binder, that floated around offices or constructions sites, and served...

This Monday, November 18 Ray Gastil, AICP will present the David Lewis Lecture on Urban Design to close the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture’s Fall Lecture Series for 2019. Gastil’s lecture, titled “Learning From Where You Live: Innovation and Connection,” will touch on his five years as Planning Director for the City of Pittsburgh as well as his experience in similar positions in Seattle and New York City. In advance of Monday’s lecture, COLUMNS sat down with Ray to learn more about his lecture topic and hear about his new role heading the Remaking Cities Institute. COLUMNS: What does innovation mean for architects and planners? One of the reasons that we [City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning] called the...

Name: Chuck Parker Firm: Stantec Architecture and Engineering LLC (Philadelphia office) Family: Wife – Paula; 2 daughters – Dulcinea (28) and Kendra (25) Years in practice: 44 Education: BArch from CMU (Went back for my Doctorate a few years ago but it didn’t work out) Your first job: Cutting neighborhood lawns (age 9). Project you’re proudest of: Magee-Womens Hospital 4800 / 5800 ICU / Med Surg Expansion. It was a 2-story addition in a very difficult area to expand vertically and was a collaborative project delivery between Stantec, AES, FMRW, PJ Dick, and UPMC which was also LEED Silver and won the 2013 MBA Building Excellence Award in its category. What have you always wanted to tell your clients? Good, Fast, Cheap: You Can Only Pick Two! What’s the...

Presley’s Place just received the People’s Choice Award at AIA Pittsburgh’s Design Awards, demonstrating that there is a growing recognition of the strong impact design has on mental and physical health. Located at the Pittsburgh International Airport, Presley’s Place is named after the son of airport heavy equipment operator Jason Rudge, who originally pitched the idea of a sensory room to Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO, Christina Cassotis, through an employee suggestion box. That simple suggestion led to the design and construction of a 1,500-square-foot space that serves as a respite for travelers with sensory processing issues, and their companions, who may have a need to de-stress while traveling.  Pittsburgh International’s space isn’t just a room, it is an entire...

Name: Lee Davis, AIA Firm: ESa Family: Wife – Julie; Daughter – Simms Years in practice: 15 Education: Bach of Arch from University of Tennessee Knoxville Your first job: Domino’s Pizza Delivery…until my parent’s car insurance carrier caught wise Project you’re proudest of: Gulch Crossing Office Building – Relocating our firm after 30+ years was a painful endeavour, but a rewarding conclusion What have you always wanted to tell your clients? “That’s a terrible idea.” What’s the most annoying thing architects do? In spite of wearing goofy, outlandish glasses, I’m going to have to say “wearing goofy, outlandish glasses”. Favorite tool (can be digital, drafting, physical,…): Litter Picker Arm Grabber Favorite building: Case Study House 22 Favorite outdoor space: Capitoline Hill Architect you’d like to have a drink with: Mies van de Rohe Best gift...

Palaces for the People cover.  Image courtesy Penguin Random House. On the same day I received Palaces for the People to review, I wandered through the Carnegie Library Downtown & Business on my lunch hour. A whiteboard faced the front door advertising the month’s events. Book clubs, reading lists, support groups. Men and women in suits mingled with the less well-heeled to browse the new book tables and utilize the free WiFi. In Palaces for the People, Eric Klinenberg (who also authored a previous work of social history chronicling the Chicago heat wave of 1995 that inspired this book) advocates for stronger “social infrastructure,” of which the library is a prime example. The author defines social infrastructure as “the physical...

AE Works employees show off their CANstruction structure.  With the support of local business partners, AE Works has donated over 6,000 cans of food during this annual event Volunteerism is an integral part of the architecture profession whether it is through individual architects’ efforts to give back in their own communities or ingrained in firm culture. In this article we take a closer look at different ways two firms make community support integral to their bottom line. This article is part of a series; read Part 1 here. AE Works: Business for Good The architects, engineers, and building consultants at AE Works think about how they are affecting the environment, community, employees and their clients in each project. To measure...

Volunteers from Hayes Design Group’s Adopt-a-Landmark program at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in May Volunteerism is an integral part of the architecture profession whether it is through individual architect’s efforts to give back in their own communities, or ingrained in firm culture. In this article (the first in a series) we take a closer look at different ways two firms make community support integral to their bottom line. Hayes Design Group Architects: Adopting a Landmark On Friday, May 17th, the Hayes Design Group Architects (HDG), headquartered in Robinson Township, held its fourth annual company-wide Adopt-a-Landmark program at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, a National Historic Landmark located on the North Side. Throughout the day, sixteen of the firm’s employees assisted with work inside...

AIA Pittsburgh staff traveled to Columbus, Ohio last week for the annual AIA Council of Architectural Component Executives (CACE) conference to meet our peers, share best practices and hear the latest from AIA National about the year ahead. We also had the pleasure of spending time with our most-on-the-move chapter member, AIA President Bill Bates. A key message from the conference is an institution-wide emphasis on three themes: energy, economy, equitable communities. The national AIA Strategic Council prioritized the areas where they felt architects can make the most impact in the coming years. Much is still under discussion but more definitive information is expected before the end of this year on how these themes will help shape our work at...

Given this week’s market uncertainty, I want to share with members and partners the recent economic insights coming from AIA National. Last week at the Council of Architectural Component Executives (CACE) conference in Columbus, AIA Managing Director of Research and Practice, Michele Russo, gave a robust presentation to chapter / component staff about trends and indicators in the A/E/C sector. Here are the top takeaways (a link to the full presentation is at the end of the article): Economic growth: The pace of economic growth nationally is moderate. The economy is still growing but it is slowing down. Non-residential: Non-residential growth has not rebounded fully to where it was before the 2008 recession. However, work on existing buildings has remained...