I Love Architecture

For the next four months, Architecture for Humanity is hosting an “I Love Architecture” campaign, an opportunity for those in the profession to remind themselves of why they love architecture … and to let the world know. Participants are invited to express their passion for architecture – though such means as letters, videos, playlists and personal favourites – in order to elevate the conversation. You can sign up by contacting Project Ambassador Kristen Schlott (kristenschlott@architectureforhumanity.org). For more on the campaign, go to http://architectureforhumanity.org/ilovearchitecture.

AFH Seattle Food Cart Design Contest

Urban food trucks are fast becoming the hot way to get great food fast. Even so, it can be a tough task to find a place to eat your street food. With that in mind, Architecture for Humanity Seattle is sponsoring an open design contest to help develop affordable, attractive shelters for mobile food trucks. Architects and other designers are invited to submit ideas for mobile food truck dining shelter prototypes. The structure should be suitable for up to 10 people, mobile and temporary in nature, and with no restrictions on materials. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 16, 2012. For additional information including submission criteria, visit http://seattle.architectureforhumanity.org/opportunities/2222. You may also contact Project Manager J. Benjamin Dorris at jbendorris@hotmail.com or (206) 225‐8615.

Sustainable Region Initiative – Sustainable Community Breakfast: Affordable Home Ownership in Metro Vancouver

The Future of the Region Sustainability Dialogues and Sustainability Community Breakfasts are outreach components of Metro Vancouver’s Sustainable Region Initiative (SRI). They involve a series of high-profile debates and discussions intended to help decision makers shape the future of the region by presenting a range of views and stimulating fresh thought on regional issues such as housing, industry, labour and immigration, drugs and crime, regional economy, transportation, energy and agriculture. Please check the website often to find out about future dialogues in your community.

Sustainable Community Breakfast: Affordable Home Ownership in Metro Vancouver

The need for affordable home ownership in the region is increasing, with many families and young professionals being priced out of the housing market. Businesses need to attract employees; without affordable homes to purchase in the region, it will be more difficult to compete for talented workers. What are the economic impacts of this? How can we increase affordability and create financial equity to enable mid-income people to purchase a home so they can live and work in the region? Plan to attend this breakfast to hear about projects, partnerships and innovations that can be part of affordable home ownership solutions. Featured speakers include: Jeff Fisher, Deputy Executive Director – Urban Development Institute; Peter Ladner, Fellow – Simon Fraser University Centre for Dialogue; Heather Tremain, Principal – Urban Fabric; and Marla Zucht, General Manager – Whistler Housing Authority. It takes place Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. at the British Columbia Institute of Technology – Downtown Vancouver Campus, 555 Seymour Street. Register online at http://apps2.metrovancouver.org/sustainability/Smailing_list/EventRegistration.asp?EventID=161.

New Registered Educational Provider

The AIBC is pleased to welcome BlueGreen Architecture Inc. to the institute’s Registered Educational Provider Program. BlueGreen Architecture Inc. is a team of committed professionals who share a personal commitment to fuse client’s unique needs and desires with a deep respect for site and environment. The firm’s philosophy follows the tenets of sustainability, commitment, innovation and community. For more information on this and other AIBC Registered Educational Providers, visit the AIBC web site at http://www.aibc.ca/member_resources/professional_dev/CurrentREP.html.

Seattle: If This is a Bust, What Will a Boom Look Like?

By Knute Berger, Crosscut

February 21, 2012

In announcing the proposal for a new “self-funding” SuperSonics arena in SoDo last week, Mayor Mike McGinn and King county Executive Dow Constantine were careful to couch it in recession terms: this project could bring thousands of good-paying jobs to Seattle, helping to lift us out of the worst economic times since the Great Depression. Seattle is no stranger to boom and bust cycles; from timber to the Klondike to Boeing’s ups and downs to the dot-com bubble, we’ve been riding rainy roller coasters for decades. We’re also familiar with slow recoveries and malaise. In the late 1950s when the Logan and Norton buildings were erected they were the first major private downtown office buildings built since the Depression. The World’s Fair was an attempt to boost the growth rocket after 20 years in the doldrums. More … 

5468796 Architecture’s Migrating Landscapes

By David Dick-Agnew, Azure

February 10, 2012

Canada’s pavilion at this summer’s Venice Biennale in Architecture brings together young architects from across the country to capture the migrant experience. Very few Canadians can claim to inhabit the same region their great-great-grandparents did. Even those separated from migration by a generation or two can still see the traces of their ancestral culture in their food, daily habits and even in the architecture of their settled communities. More …