Dear Fellow AIA Members, 2018 has been a great year to be President of AIA Pittsburgh and be part of the many changes and accomplishments of the last 12 months. Our chapter is in a moment of significant growth and has been creating opportunities to design with purpose in our practice, communities and society. We even applied this year’s theme – Design with Purpose – to our internal discussions about how we want to design our organization with a view to the future. This year, we advanced our strategic goals and mission to serve the regional membership in three key areas: Building community among members and beyond to enhance our professional lives and our ability to contribute to the greater...

At the recent 2016 AIA Pittsburgh President’s Holiday Party Jeff Murray, FAIA took the reins as President of the Board of Directors. Ray Bowman, Assoc. AIA received the AIA Pittsburgh President’s Award for his dedication and many contributions to the AIA and has now taken over as Chair of the Young Architects Forum (YAF). Revisit their dossiers and read what they have to say about their vision for the coming year: Jeff Murray, FAIA, President, AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors I’m looking forward to getting to know more within the PGH architectural community.  My goal this year is to help in some small ways to better prove to the rest of the building industry [and to a lesser extent the general public]...

At the end of each year, members of the architectural community gather together to celebrate at AIA Pittsburgh’s President’s Holiday Party. This year, the party was held at the Alloy 26 designed by Desmone Architects. Early in the evening some business was announced. Four AIA members were voted on to be part of the AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors – Eric Booth, AIA; Mike Gwin, AIA; Jeff Murray, FAIA; Dina Snider, AIA- as well as two Associate AIA Board representatives – Ray Bowman, Assoc. AIA; Bea Spolidoro, Assoc. AIA. The traditional passing of the wig took place, as 2016 president Michael McDonnell, AIA welcomed 2017 president Jeff Murray, FAIA. Next, Ray Bowman, Assoc. AIA was awarded the AIA Pittsburgh President’s Award for his...

Name: Michael P. McDonnell, AIA Firm: IKM Incorporated Family: Son Luke – 14 years old in 8th grade Years in practice: 25 years Education: Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture Your first job: Lifeguard for the Recreation Department in Davenport, Iowa Project you’re proudest of: The Ice Rink & Fountain at PPG Place. It transformed an otherwise unused public space. What’s the best part of your job? The best part of my job is that every day presents something new. New design challenges, new technology, new clients.  I never really know what the day will hold until I am in the middle of it. It drives me forward with excitement. What would you change about your job? I wish I could change the timeline projects typically have today. There...

At the end of each year, members of the architectural community gather together to celebrate at AIA Pittsburgh’s President’s Holiday Party, sponsored by SOTA Construction Services, Inc. This year, the party was held at the 4moms headquarters, an office downtown that was entered in the Design Pittsburgh Awards competition. Early in the evening some business was announced. Four AIA members were voted on to be part of the AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors – Marc Mondor, AIA; Julie Polletta, AIA; George Rieke, AIA; and Stephen Winikoff, AIA – as well as two Associate AIA Board representatives – Ray Bowman, Assoc. AIA and Arthur Notaro, Assoc. AIA. The traditional passing of the wig took place, as 2015 president Alan Schlossberg, AIA...

Danielle Jones, AIAS is the Midwest Quadrant Director for the American Institute of Architecture Students who originally hails from Western Pennsylvania. She has also been selected as the AIAS representative for the 2016 AIA National Honor Awards jury. Columns caught up with Jones over the summer to ask her about her experiences, both as a student and as an active member of AIAS.  How did you get involved with AIAS? How would you describe your experiences with the organization? Any surprises? I became involved with AIAS my freshman year of Undergraduate at Kent State University. A very influential classmate named Belana Antar came to me the second week of school and encouraged me to attend meetings and become a member. After...

Name: Stephen Winikoff, AIA Firm: Astorino-CannonDesign Family: Susan (spouse) Years in practice: 15 Education: B.Arch, University of Toronto, Canada Your first job: High-end residential work in Toronto, Canada Project you’re proudest of: Allegheny Health Network’s Health & Wellness Pavilion, Wexford Most embarrassing moment: My second job as a recent architectural graduate was working for a small design-build firm in Toronto. The office was in a private home. One day my boss’s husband, a wealthy hedge fund manager, came downstairs to the office and seeing that I was the only one present, says “Hey Champ (did not know my name), when you take your lunch break, would you mind walking Sophie (the dog)? Thanks, Buddy.” Needless to say, Sophie did not...

At the end of each year, AIA Pittsburgh brings together members of the architectural community to celebrate the holidays, welcome the incoming Chapter president, and congratulate the young professionals who have successfully completed the A.R.E. to become registered architects. This year, the President’s Holiday Party was held at the award-winning office of NEXT Architecture and sponsored by SOTA Construction Services, Inc. 2014 president Jen Bee, AIA ‘crowned’ 2015 president Alan Schlossberg, AIA with the ceremonial passing of the wig. Additionally, two awards were presented. First, the AIA Pittsburgh President’s Award – given to someone who personifies the ‘citizen architect’ – was presented to Katie Walsh, AIA, who continuously gives back within her firm and community. She was the 2014 chair...

Earlier this month, members and nonmembers joined together at Wigle Whiskey’s new Barrelhouse and Whiskey Garden to enjoy an evening of cocktails and conversation at the Annual Membership Meeting. First up was taking care of business, which included voting on the proposed by-law changes. The proposed changes allow AIA Pittsburgh to have up to three Associate Members on the Board of Directors at any given time. Last year, AIA National changed their by-laws to allow chapters to increase Associate representation on their boards. This provides more flexibility and diverse representation on our board. The newly-voted-on by-law now reads (with the newly added change in italics):  6.11  Membership of the Board of Directors.   The Board of Directors shall consist of fourteen...

The AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors is a vital group of architects who help to focus the goals of the organization and provide the leadership to help make those goals happen. As board members’ terms expire, architects who have demonstrated exemplary leadership skills and active involvement in the profession are nominated to the Board of Directors and are voted upon at the Annual Membership Meeting each September by the members. Take a moment to learn more about this year’s nominees and then come support them with your vote on September 10th at the Annual Membership Meeting, held at the SOTA Construction Services’ headquarters. Jen Bee, AIA Jen Bee is principal of Pittsburgh-based architecture firm Jen Bee Design LLC. Deeply rooted...