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...

Name: Alan Schlossberg, AIA, LEED AP Firm: Perkins Eastman Family: Wife Loretta, daughters Sarah (age 16) and Anna (age 14), dog Bruce (age 3, people years) Years in practice: 27 (February will be my 20th anniversary with PE) Education: Master of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University; Bachelor of Fine Arts, Theatre, Carnegie Mellon University Your first job: Stock boy, frozen food aisle, Waldbaums supermarket, Long Island, NY. Always dress warm! Favorite building: Any school. Schools hold the potential to shape the people who create our future. Favorite outdoor space: Bryant Park, NY – perfect balance of formality and respite in an urban greenspace. Favorite indoor space: Grand Central Terminal, NY …the ultimate city arrival experience. Favorite city: New York. What’s the...

Throughout the history of Columns (in print and online) AIA Pittsburgh has documented the issues surrounding riverfront reiteration and development. AIA members have played important roles in the work and have served to foster public understanding of the importance of our riverfronts. Here are some highlights from our coverage over the years. UNEXPLOITED OPPORTUNITY “Pittsburgh is a water city…. Anyone would think we loved our rivers. Yet I can think of few cities which treat their waterfronts with less respect than we do…. Look at the river banks. Discover an essay in neglect and unexploited opportunity…” The year is 1990, and David Lewis, FAIA has a lot to say about the state of Pittsburgh’s riverfronts. He is rightfully appalled at...

Name: Christian James Hughes, Assoc. AIA Firm: Michael Baker International, LLC.; Carnegie Mellon University, Architecture Explorations; Affiliate, The Kingsley Association (Larimer); Affiliate, Green Building Alliance – The Green and Healthy Schools Academy Family: Single, oldest of 4. From Detroit, which is where my immediate family lives. My extended family is divided between North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Years in practice: 3 (including scattered summer internships) Education: Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia – Master of Architecture, May 2014; Carnegie Mellon University, UDream Fellow (Urban Design Regional Employment Action for Minorities) – June – September, 2014 Your first job: Family Dollar Stores What’s the best part of your job? Learning. Learning the tricks of the trade at Michael Baker International....

I have participated in the AIA at varying levels over the years. I was previously an editor for the National Associates Committee AssociateNews publication, and I was secretary of AIA Pittsburgh’s YAF. I first became the AIA PA Associate Director in December 2012 and have learned so much about fiscal responsibility via serving on the state board of directors. Annual participation at Grassroots (the AIA lobbying and leadership conference), National Convention, and the Large States Conference have all been opportunities to learn from and share ideas with our colleagues across the nation. I have also participated on the state communications committee as well as on the awards committee. I believe that participation in the AIA has been a means of...

AE Works Ltd. (AE Works) has been certified as a B Corporation, making it the sixth company in Pittsburgh to achieve B Corp status. As a Certified B Corporation, AE Works voluntarily meets a higher standard of transparency, accountability, and performance, harnessing the power of business to solve social and economic problems. AE Works’ full B Impact Report is available to the public here. Astorino has utilized its design-led, integrated design-build delivery method to design and construct the new Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Health + Wellness Pavilion in Wexford, which opened earlier this fall. The 174,000 sf mixed-use medical facility followed an extremely compressed design and construction schedule of just 22 months – an achievement that would have been nearly unattainable...

Charles Jencks stands at the podium, tall and lanky but defiantly confident. A well-packed Carnegie Music Hall applauds the world-renowned landscape architect and architectural theorist as he pipes out a few initial thoughts to calm the diverse crowd. After a brief description of a 16th century painting on the screen above his head depicting hope on the horizons, Jencks jumps straight into what has propelled him into the international spotlight; Maggie’s Centres. Before even giving an overall synopsis of what his famed centers are, Jencks makes sure to tell the audience what inspired them: hope. He explains that hope is an architect’s best tool when creating any built environment; buildings are trajectories into the future – a horizon and a...

ARCHITECTURE: Honor Award
 PROJECT: Graduate School of Public Health 
CLIENT: University of Pittsburgh ARCHITECTURE FIRM: Joint Venture: Renaissance 3 Architects, P.C. and Wilson Architects CONTRACTOR: PJ Dick 
ENGINEERS: Affiliated Engineers Metro DC, Inc.; Barber & Hoffman, Inc.; The Gateway Engineers, Inc. PHOTOGRAPHER: Anton Grassl of Esto Photographics DESCRIPTION: The Graduate School of Public Health is located on a main thoroughfare that runs the length of the University of Pittsburgh’s urban campus. The University sought a building that would establish a real presence for GSPH in the community and reflect the significant research occurring within. By designing an elevated addition with extensive glass facades, the building showcases the school’s activities along the main avenue; the transparent facades eliminate barriers between the...

AIA Pittsburgh, with its Committee on the Environment (COTE), is presenting a new series entitled COTE Intensives. These lectures/workshops are designed to dive deeply into various sustainability topics of interest. We’ve listened as our members told us the sustainability topics that are of interest to them, focused our efforts, and are now able to present a program that delivers this content. You may be aware that the AIA Pittsburgh COTE delivered the AIA+2030 Series from May 2013 to April 2014. This content-rich series described how to demand, design, deliver, and operate energy efficient and net-zero buildings. The approach for every session has been to seek and deliver expert content, and then view the principles through the lens of case studies, occasional exercises,...

Name: Adam Yarinsky, FAIA LEED AP Firm: Architecture Research Office (ARO) Family: Wife and two children, ages 13 and 17 Years in practice: 27 (21 with ARO) Education: BS in Architecture, University of Virginia; M. Arch, Princeton University Your first job: Raking leaves. Project you’re proudest of: Most recently, the boat house we designed on the Hudson River in Beacon, New York. Having grown up in the Hudson Valley, it was especially satisfying to help connect people to the river, which is a national treasure. What’s the best part of your job? I am always learning; almost every day presents new challenges and opportunities. What’s the most annoying thing architects do? Behave with hubris, rather than humility. What’s the next...