Council Meeting on Monday, April 2

Please be advised of a special meeting of AIBC Council to take place Monday, April 2, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. at the AIBC Offices. This meeting is for the single purpose of considering bylaw changes initially brought to council by the Bylaw Review Committee in February 2012.  Council will consider member feedback on the proposed bylaws, including that received during the online and live information session hosted by the Bylaw Review Committee on March 28. Any bylaw recommendations may be brought forth to the May 12, 2012 Annual Meeting for a member vote. Any bylaw amendment requires a special 2/3 majority of member support. As with any AIBC Council meeting, members, associates and the public are welcomed to attend. We do ask that you confirm your attendance in advance by contacting Executive Assistant Katherine Rau by e-mail (krau@aibc.ca) or phone (604-683-8588, #335).

Click here for the detailed background memorandum on the proposed bylaw amendments.

Candidates for 2012/2013 AIBC Council

Following the close of the official nomination period for the 2012/2013 AIBC Council on Thursday afternoon, 11 members will be vying for the five available architect representative positions on council this year. They are:

• Laurence W. (Chip) Barrett MAIBC
• Bruce (Ian) Bazley MAIBC
• Imu Chan MAIBC
• Michael Green MAIBC
• Joan Hendriks MAIBC
• Loy J. Leyland MAIBC
• Christine Anne Lintott MAIBC
• Calvin Bruce (Cal) Meiklejohn MAIBC
• Gordon Richards MAIBC
• John W. Scott MAIBC
• Lynne Werker MAIBC

To review the official nomination forms and personal statements for each election candidate, go here. In addition, uncontested nominations for the Architectural Technologist and Building Designer / Residential Designer liaison positions will see the return of both Michael Currie AT and David Boswell BD respectively. As there were no nominations received for the Intern Architect liaison position by the close of the nomination period, the newly-elected AIBC Council will have the authority to appoint one as it sees fit.

In the coming weeks, members will receive in the mail a comprehensive election package including candidate information and ballots. Voting will close at the start of the 2012 Annual Meeting on Saturday, May 12.

2012 AIBC Architectural Awards – Extended Registration Deadline: April 12, 4:30 PST

• Registration Deadline (Extended): April 12, 4:30 PST
• Submission Deadline: April 16, 4:30 PST

Each year, the Architectural Institute of British Columbia showcases the best in B.C. architecture through its awards program. While honours are given out in a number of distinct award categories, there is one common element: Excellence. For submission details, please visit here.

Construction Specifications Canada (Vancouver Chapter) – The Architectural Woodwork Standards – Answers for Specification Writers and Design Professionals

Jim Taylor of the Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada will share a step-by-step approach to specifying architectural woodwork while avoiding the pitfalls of unnecessary and/or conflicting specifications. As an example, the specification for wood doors (Section 081400) will be discussed and written using a complimentary Architectural Woodwork Standards Manual. This breakfast meeting takes place Thursday, April 19, 2012, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. at the Sandman Hotel, 180 West Georgia, Vancouver. Register online at http://vancouver.csc-dcc.ca/.

1 Core LU

Simon Fraser University City Program – Pricing Our Roads: What Can Metro Vancouver Learn From Seattle?

Having recently introduced tolls on the Washington State Route 520 bridge with no new capacity, the Seattle region is beginning to learn something about the impact of such a decision. How does reality compare with what the models say? How will those results affect regional plans? And what does this mean for their political decisions? For instance, should toll revenues support non-road investments? Matthew Kitchen, a policy analyst on the Puget Sound Regional Council, will share his in-depth understanding of their research, experiments, and real-life examples while describing what has happened, what they’re learning, and what the implications may be for the future. It takes place Wednesday, April 11, 2012, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at Simon Fraser University Vancouver, 515 West Hastings Street. Registration details are available online at http://www.sfu.ca/continuing-studies/events/2012/04/pricing-our-roads.html.

1.5 Non-core LUs

Vancouver Island Construction Association (Victoria) – How to Avoid Tendering Process Pitfalls

Learn how BidCentral, an online source of construction industry products and services, facilitates a “one-stop shop” approach to delivering projects to market and strategically leveraging on-line bidding to enhance compliance and value. Sessions include: Project Delivery and Market Update (Greg Baynton, VICA); How to Stay Out of the Construction Procurement Spotlight! (Diana Lucas, Contract & Procurement Services, Financial Services Branch – Ministry of Education); How Should I Handle These Bidding Situations? (Mike Demers, Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP); and How to Reduce Your Risk with Online Bidding! (Steve Sulpher, Infinite Source). It takes place Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the B.C. Construction Association, 401-655 Tyee Road, Victoria. Register online for this complimentary workshop at https://www.vicabc.ca/page/calendar/ezlist_events_f=7EBA6555-F714-43CB-A1C4-F17D21791467.aspx.

Core LUs available

Vancouver Island Construction Association (Victoria) – Contract Law with Tyler Galbraith LL.B: The Pitfalls of the Process – From Tender to Contract Completion

In this three-hour workshop. Tyler Galbraith LL.B will discuss specific tender clauses such as: discretion; privilege; negotiation and limitation of liability clauses; the three P’s (Parties, Price and Place) of contracts; bid, performance; and labour and material bonds. It takes place on Monday, April 2, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon at Vancouver Island Construction, 1075 Alston Street, Victoria. Register online at http://www.vicabc.ca/default.aspx.

3 Core LUs

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: Dematerialization Part 2 – Transitioning to an Economy without Waste: Success Stories in Metro Vancouver

What does dematerialization look like on the ground in Metro Vancouver? How and where are impactful transformations taking place? Local sustainability leaders join our breakfast panel to share success stories and discuss tangible initiatives. They include Tracy Casavant, Executive Director – Light House Sustainable Building Centre; Joji Kumagai, Executive Director – Strathcona Business Improvement Association; and Denise Taschereau, CEO and co-founder of Fairware. It takes place Thursday, April 12, 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=163.

UBC Net Impact Conference and Sustainability Expo

Registrations are now being accepted for the 10th Annual UBC Net Impact Conference and Sustainability Expo, Friday, April 20, 2012 at the Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel. Sponsored by the UBC Sauder School of Business and themed “Sustainability: Beyond Rhetoric”, this year’s gathering will showcase pragmatic, solutions-based initiatives that advance the integration of sustainability into all aspects of business. It features high-caliber panel discussions on Clean Tech & Energy, Impact & Ethical Investing, Leadership in Corporate Responsibility, Natural Resources, and Measurement & Benchmarking. The keynote speaker is Wal Van Lierop, CEO of Chrysalix, the world’s most active clean tech venture capital firm. “Networking with Purpose”, an evening speed networking event, will provide an excellent venue for continuing the day’s provocative conversations and building your network. For further information and to register, visit www.ubcnetimpact.org.

Powder Coating Usage Survey

AIBC membership input is still required for a marketing research survey being conducted through the Business Program at Trinity Western University. The purpose of this study, in the form of a short online survey,  is to understand the factors that influence the specification of a powder coating finish for architectural products. To access the seven-question survey, go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FCC3NT9. Your feedback and opinions will be most appreciated.

Why Don’t Architects Speak English?

By Knute Berger, Crosscut

March 26, 2012

Rick Santorum recently declared that as a condition of statehood, English must be the primary language in Puerto Rico. I know how he feels. If I were president, I might dictate that English be the primary language of architects and urban planners. Seattle is undergoing planning and “visioning” wherever you look, a way of keeping busy during the Great Recession, but also of preparing to meet the light at the end of the deep-bore tunnel. The waterfront is in the middle of re-conceptualization, sprawling South Lake Union is taking shape, the adjacent Denny Triangle is ripe for sprouting a new Amazon forest of towers amid what have been parking lots for half a century, and Seattle Center, looking at the Next50 on the anniversary of the fair, and has undertaken a competition for designers to re-imagine how the Memorial Stadium site and immediate surroundings could be remade as a modern civic space.  More … 

A Bridge Apart

Calatrava’s Calgary Peace Bridge breaks away from signature ‘fishbone’ structures

World Architecture News

March 26, 2012

This weekend, the city of Calgary celebrated the official opening of Santiago Calatrava’s Peace Bridge across the Bow River. The project was hindered by widespread dissatisfaction from the local community after Calatrava was selected by city officials in 2007 to conceptualise a landmark bridge without the presumed design competition, leaving many to resent the fact that local architects were overlooked for the scheme. More … 

Gustavson Appointed to AIBC Council

With the vacancy created by the recent resignation of Lynne Werker MAIBC from AIBC Council, Article 13 of the Architects Act stipulates that a replacement must be appointed by council  within one month to fill the vacancy.  I am pleased to announce that Karl Gustavson MAIBC MRAIC has accepted this appointment with the unanimous support of his council colleagues. Karl is a highly-regarded practitioner and an active contributor to the architectural community. He is a long-standing member of the AIBC’s Advisory Design Panel Committee as well as a past member of the Practice Board, and a supporter of Architecture Canada | RAIC at the local level. As a newly-appointed council member, Karl carries the same obligations, privileges, expectations and rights as any other council member. The length of his term is that of the resigned council member, expiring at the May 2012 annual meeting.

 

Gordon Richards MAIBC FRAIC CP
AIBC Council President

Fast Forward : Perspectives on Design

Fast Forward : Perspectives on Design brings together thinkers, doers and innovators in the fields of design, architecture and sustainable living. Featuring a morning seminar followed by master classes taught by top design professionals, this conference will pose questions, explore innovative themes, and offer a platform for skill development and the sharing of great ideas in an environment that fosters intellectual curiosity. Featured presenters include U.K. designer Johnny Grey and Michel Rojkind, an architect from Mexico City. It takes place Thursday – Saturday, May 3-5 in Vancouver. For more information, visit www.perspectivesondesign.eventbrite.ca.

Early Bird Registration Extended

Early bird registration for the 2012 AIBC Annual Conference has been extended to Sunday, April 8. Sign up by then for discounted pricing. This year’s gathering takes place May 9-11 at the Vancouver Convention Centre West, and features a full slate for professional development and networking opportunities highlighted by an opening night keynote address from acclaimed Chicago architect Jeanne Gang (link). New this year is a Thursday evening “movie night”, with a special screening of “How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster” (link). Out-of-towners will be particularly interested in a series of local site visits (link) offered on the Wednesday afternoon prior to the official start of the actual conference. Complete conference information and program information is available online at www.aibc.ca. Access to single sessions will be available starting April 9. Session space is limited, so do register early.