Innovator, teacher, born leader. Craftsman, opera singer, renaissance man. Ask anyone who has worked with him (and there are a lot of you out there), and these are just a few of the words commonly used to describe Dick Rittelmann, FAIA. He has contributed so much not only to the local architectural community, but to the profession nationally and internationally, changing what an architectural firm could be.  This man will no longer inspire, invigorate, or intimidate the next generation of architects. Well-known Butler architect Richard “Dick” Rittelmann, 77, died May 10, 2015 at the VNA Inpatient Hospice of Butler from pancreatic cancer. Born on Dec. 27, 1938, in Pittsburgh, he was a 1956 graduate of Butler High School. He  then...

This year’s Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference was my first experience participating in an AIA National event. I returned home from the conference with a confidence and passion in what the AIA does to promote our profession and a refreshed view of what it means to be a young architect member of the AIA. I left determined to empower my fellow young architects in becoming the next generation of leaders. Everyday our colleagues are taking action, standing firm and working to defend the role of the architect, providing legislative resources towards important issues such as national model code development, empowering communities back from disaster, and working off the debt aspiring architects face. According to the NAAB 6,347 accredited degrees were...

Astorino/CannonDesign has received the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania’s (ESWP’s) 2014 “Project of the Year” award in the Commercial category for the design of Allegheny Health Network’s Health + Wellness Pavilion. The original concept behind the project was to bring a range of outpatient services into the community, on a level of quality and sophistication normally found only in a hospital. Not only convenient, but because this would be a ‘one stop shop’ with all of the services under one roof, the continuity of care across specialties should be far more seamless and integrated than when transitioning between physically separate facilities. This building is the embodiment of patient-centered care. Desmone Architects welcomes Jen Bee, AIA to the firm. With a Master...

Name: Joanna Beres, Assoc. AIA Firm: AIA Pennsylvania (currently the AIA PA Associate Director) Family: MaryEllen and Steve Beres (parents); Stephanie and Andy (siblings);  Frank (fiancé) Years in practice: 6 Education: M.Arch. with a concentration in Urban Design and Conservation at the Catholic University of America; B.A. Urban Studies from the University of Pittsburgh Your first job: I ran a snack counter at a golf course. What’s the best part of your job? I advocate for fellow associates. What would you change about your job? I would like to find a full time position in the field, so that I may complete IDP. Project you’re proudest of: Participation in the Market Square Place project by STRADA. What have you always wanted...

Editor’s Note: Last week, Paula Maynes, AIA passed away unexpectedly of a brain aneurism. As has already been recounted, she was an incredible architect, partner, and friend. In looking back, Columns unearthed this Viewpoint, written by Paula at the beginning of her term as AIA Pittsburgh chapter president in 2008. Her words exemplify her thoughtful and inclusive nature,  which she brought to both her professional and personal life. Her insights will be greatly missed.  We can each point to moments in our lives when we grew a little more, when we realized that we had more to give, that we were bigger, braver, or wiser than we had previously thought. My abbreviated list includes some classic life-altering events: Overcoming a...

It is with great sadness that I write to you about the untimely death of my business partner and friend, Paula Maynes, AIA, who unexpectedly passed away on Tuesday night from a brain aneurism. She was just 54 years old. Each of us who had the honor of knowing Paula appreciated what a remarkable woman she was. Our relationship was evidence of that. We married after meeting at Carnegie Mellon University, had our son, then started an architecture firm so Paula could be a stay-at-home mom. Even though we divorced and married other spouses, we continued to manage a thriving architectural firm and maintain a lasting personal relationship throughout our lifetime. As a woman architect in Pittsburgh, Paula was peerless....

Design Pittsburgh. It’s a design competition. An awards ceremony. A gala. The one time each year you catch up with some of your colleagues. But it’s also something more. It is AIA Pittsburgh’s yearly opportunity to expose architects’ work to a wide variety of audiences, to raise the profile of architects in the public’s eye. How to fill such a tall order? Nine years ago, AIA Pittsburgh moved the Design Pittsburgh exhibit to downtown and became a stop on the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Gallery Crawl, exposing hundreds of ‘crawlers’ to the array of architectural designs submitted for the competition. A few years later, the entries were made available for viewing (and voting) online, bringing in thousands of unique page views...

While it is still a few months away, most of the planning for AIA Convention has already happened, including the schedule of workshops, seminars, and events. Speakers have been lined up, and among those is one of AIA Pittsburgh’s own who will be traveling down to Atlanta this May to lend their voice and expertise. Nicole Graycar, AIA, of IDC Architects | CH2M Hill, will be part of the team to present “Equity by Design: Knowledge, Discussion, Action!” An invited guest at last year’s AIA Emerging Professionals Summit, and Vice Chair of YAF, Graycar’s engagement in both the profession and the community makes her a great choice for this workshop. “Equity by Design” will look at how to advance the...

Can you name 28 architects? The average young to intermediate architecture professional probably could not. Though 28 is an arbitrary number, I am using it as a unit of measure as there are 28 days in the month of February, also known as African-American History Month. I have created a series, #28BlackArchitectsIn28Days, with the intent to identify 28 African-American architects, one for each day. The series covers historic firsts, such as Dr. Robert Robinson Taylor, the first registered African-American Architect, and present-day game changers, such as Saundra Little, AIA, founding principal of Centric Design Studio in Detroit, Michigan and AIA Detroit’s Chapter Director, also known as an “Eco-Architect.” (It should be noted that both of the terms “Black” and “African-American”...

As an architect, walking down a city street is likely a very engaging activity. You are surrounded by buildings, by someone else’s designs, by materials and techniques, angles and choices. Would you have created a similar streetscape? What do you think of a given skyline? The built world is all around us, and you are uniquely aware of it. But what does your spouse see walking down the street, or your child? How would your neighbors or friends view that house or skyscraper or building complex? What do they see when they look up? The AIA has launched a national public awareness campaign asking just that. The “Look Up” campaign has been developed to reach out to communities everywhere, helping...