X-ray Architecture.  Book by Beatriz Colomina.  Imprint: Lars Müller Publishers There’s plenty of good reads out there to get us through these trying times. Still, if you don’t have the energy right now to try and decide what to read we’ve rounded up a few of our current favorites.  We hope these will inspire, distract, and maybe even give a new perspective on the current state of affairs. Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women.  Book by Jane Hall.  Imprint: Phaidon Press Publisher’s Description: A ground-breaking visual survey of architecture designed by women from the early twentieth century to the present day. “Would they still call me a diva if I were a man?’ asked Zaha Hadid, challenging as she did so more than a...

The built environment is not neutral. It either enables progress or obstructs it; contributes to wellbeing or disturbs it. Our region is experiencing the most development it has seen in decades with buildings that will be around for the next 40 to 120 years. Because development impacts people in our community today and for years to come, there is an urgency to be thoughtful and informed about what we are cementing into new places and spaces. And yet, we as a society and a region do not talk about how buildings impact human wellbeing. Blueprint for Better: Pittsburgh (B4B) was developed to change that, and we are looking for more people (i.e. architects, designers of all kinds, neuroscientists, sociologists, EDAC...

Every year AIA holds a national gathering for Chapter and Component leaders – the Grassroots Leadership Conference. This year, four AIA Pittsburgh members and one staff attended the event, held February 18-20 in New Orleans. This year’s agenda emphasized an increased commitment to sustainability, equity and civic leadership. Asserting a leadership role President-Elect, Peter Exley, FAIA acknowledged the implications of being in New Orleans, a city that became synonymous with a new normal of more extreme and more frequent storms driven by climate changes. “This is our leadership moment, and it comes with the most important deadline of our careers.” Exley highlighted four ways architects can lead: Mitigating GHG sources and owning the footprint buildings have in cities/ regions Adapting...

Congratulations to Lena Andrews, AICP, for her new role of Director of Real Estate Development at  ACTION-Housing. Lena joined the AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors in 2020 as a Public Director. Congratulations to Ernest Bellamy, Assoc. AIA, of Ae7, for his new role of Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Ernest will be co-teaching an introductory architecture studio course. Anthony J. Lucarelli, AIA, has joined Pittsburgh-based DLA+ Architecture and Interior Design (DLA+) as vice president, Higher Education.  Lucarelli, a veteran expert in architecture for higher education who brings significant expertise and a national perspective to DLA+, will also oversee the firm’s marketing and business development initiatives. Congratulations to Anastasia Markiw, AIA, NCARB, of DesignGroup, on becoming the 2020 Chair...

Lina Bo Bardi, L’ombra della sera, 1965 Lina Bo Bardi was a vivid, new name to me prior to exploring the phenomenal exhibit brought to the Carnegie Museum of Art by the Heinz Architectural Center. Learning about her and her impressive oeuvre, however, imparted upon me a sense of awe and gratitude. The sheer span and depth of her portfolio is stunning, all saturated with color and conceptually vibrant. She was a true Renaissance designer and her work feels effortless and radiant, regardless of subject: from stage sets to chairs, to buildings. The collection, beautifully curated by Zeuler R. Lima, unfolds with such tenderness and attention to detail, that each showcased piece feels valued – by curator, and by creator. Influenced by...

Surrounded by family, friends, and faith, Elmer Burger, AIA passed away on Sunday, December 22, 2019. Elmer attended Carnegie Mellon University and received his BFA and BArch from the Rhode Island School of Design. He was employed by several architecture firms in Boston, Washington D.C., and Pittsburgh during his career. He retired as the University Architect/Planner of Point Park University in 2018. Elmer served as President of AIA Pennsylvania in 2008, was previously on the AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors, was an active member of the Master Builders Association, and was often invited to be a guest critique at Carnegie Mellon University. His notable works include the Camp Kon-O-Kwee dining hall, PNC First Side, UPMC Hospital Palermo, the Masonic Temple...

The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel.  Book by Matt Zoller Seitz.  Imprint: Abrams Books There’s never a bad time to pick up a good book.  In anticipation of the cold weather sticking around for a while and the fact that there may be more than a few members looking for last-minute holiday gifts, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite architecture books.  We tried to find something for everyone, like the Wes Anderson architecture-focused book pictured above that takes a deep-dive into the set design for The Grand Budapest Hotel and is an equally perfect gift for your film-nerd or history-buff friend: architect or not.  We also asked a few of our members what book they would recommend that struck...

Lina Bo Bardi, Study for furniture design at Milan Triennale (detail), ca. 1946. Courtesy of Instituto Bardi / Casa de Vidro “Drawing, with its slow and intimate gestures, was her way of dwelling in the world. Drawing was one of her solitary anchors in a constantly transforming existence. Drawing conveyed, at the tip of her hands, a representational purpose and also a somewhat magical realism spell.” —Zeuler R. Lima, introduction to Lina Bo Bardi, Drawings In need of some color during these cold winter days? Lina Bo Bardi Draws is open now at the Heinz Architectural Center and brings together nearly 100 drawings by one of the most inspirational twentieth-century architects.  This whimsical exhibit is open now through March 29, 2020, so, just enough...

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...

William Bingham, AIA and Cynthia Metzler are new members of the WTW Architects professional team.  Bingham has degrees from both the Yale School of Architecture in New Haven, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and has held positions with architectural firms in Beijing, Detroit, Omaha, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque. Bingham joins the WTW team on a project at the University of Pittsburgh. Cynthia Metzler is the firm’s new Marketing Coordinator. She joins WTW from a similar position at Eckles Architecture & Engineering in New Castle, PA. She is a graduate of Thiel College in Greenville, PA and earned an MBA from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA. Celebrating its 60th anniversary, WTW Architects has announced a series of...