IMAGINiT Technologies

Autodesk Ecotect Analysis

Ecotect Analysis software is a comprehensive concept-to-detail sustainable design analysis tool, providing a wide range of simulation and analysis functionality. Users can interact with powerful 3D feedback to explore factors such as solar energy, shadows and reflections, and day lighting. Using Autodesk Ecotect Analysis, architects and designers can gain better insight into building performance early in the process, helping to achieve more sustainable designs, faster time to market, and lower project costs. For more information or to register, please contact Kam Seignarack by e-mail (kam.seignarack@rand.com) or phone (604-207-2114).

16 Core LUs

Sustainable Region Initiative

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 web site often to find out about future dialogues in your community.

Sustainable Community Breakfast: Energy Efficiency & Conservation: The BC Experience

BC Hydro has been driving its award-winning Power Smart program for more than two decades now, and it has become a critical component of BC’s overall energy system. So why do some believe energy efficiency and conservation is still one of the most promising opportunities on the energy landscape in North America? Join us to hear three perspectives on how this all fits within BC’s energy mix, for today and into the future. Two breakfast sessions are planned:

North Vancouver    Wednesday, October 24, 2012

                                       7:30 – 9:00 a.m. at Eagles Hall 170 West 3^rd Street.
                                       Register online at http://apps2.metrovancouver.org/sustainability/Smailing_list/EventRegistration.asp?EventID=180

Speakers include: Cecilia Achiam, Interim Director of Sustainability and District Energy – City of Richmond (October 4); Lisa Coltart, Executive Director of Power Smart and Customer Care – BC Hydro (October 4 and 24); and Shahzad Islam, Energy Management Engineer – Metro Vancouver (October 4). Additional October 24 speaker to be determined. Can’t make it in person? Tune into the live streams at http://www.metrovancouver.org/region/breakfasts/Pages/default.aspx.

 

 

Future of The Region Dialogue: Shaping Regional Prosperity And Competitiveness

Around the world, economic competitiveness and prosperity are being strategically shaped at the metropolitan level. With one million more people expected to call Metro Vancouver home over the coming years, is it time to take stock of the factors driving our regional economy? What type of jobs do we want to grow, what assets can we leverage, and what challenges must we address? Are a growing income gap, a low median household income, and a high cost of living constraining our ability to prosper as a region – to attract and keep talent? Is the way we move people and goods through the region consistent with regional livability and prosperity objectives? Join us to discuss how to shape our regional prosperity in a changing world. These dialogues are a key component of the Sustainable Region Initiative, intended to help the citizens of Metro Vancouver shape the future of the region by presenting a range of views to challenge and stimulate discussion on significant regional issues. Metro Vancouver’s view is that the exploration of new and innovative approaches to regional issues by a broad spectrum of interested stakeholders is fundamental to the ongoing livability and sustainability of our region, and your participation in these dialogues is therefore both encouraged and greatly valued. This set of dialogues will feature co-moderators  Vicki Gabereau, television and radio show host, together with Peter Holt, Director of Buckley Blair Consulting Inc. Four sessions are scheduled:

 

North Shore                              Tuesday, October 16, 2012
                                                       11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon)
                                                       Eagles Hall, 170 West 3^rd Street
                                                       Register online at http://apps2.metrovancouver.org/sustainability/Smailing_list/EventRegistration.asp?EventID=176

Central Northeast                  Thursday, October 18, 2012
                                                       11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon)
                                                       Inn at The Quay, 900 Quayside Drive, New Westminster
                                                       Register online at http://apps2.metrovancouver.org/sustainability/Smailing_list/EventRegistration.asp?EventID=177

South of the Fraser                Tuesday, October 30, 2012
                                                       11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon)
                                                       Eaglequest Coyote Creek Golf Club, 778 – 152^nd Street, Surrey
                                                       Register online at http://apps2.metrovancouver.org/sustainability/Smailing_list/EventRegistration.asp?EventID=178

Guest panelists include: Sandy Blue, Manager, Strategic Economic Initiatives – District of Maple Ridge (October 18); Don Cayo, Vancouver Sun columnist (October 16, 18 and 30); Lorraine Copas, Executive Director – Social Planning and Research Council of BC (October 9, 16, 18 and 30); Michael Goldberg, Professor and Dean Emeritus, Sauder School of Business – University of British Columbia, and Scholar in Residence at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (October 18); Peter Jeffrey, Vice President – Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters British Columbia (October 9, 18 and 30); and Bill Tam, President and CEO – BC Technology Industry Association (October 9). Check the web site (http://www.metrovancouver.org/region/dialogues/Pages/default.aspx) often as additional panelists are confirmed and details of future dialogue are released. You are also invited to come early for a special presentation on Metro Vancouver’s 2013 Budget, taking place from 11:30 am to 12:00 noon prior to each dialogue session.

Role Call: Advisory Design Panel Volunteers

The AIBC is actively seeking volunteers to sit on various Municipal Design Panels. Architects nominated by the AIBC serve as volunteer members of Advisory Design Panels (ADPs) and are dedicated to carrying out their duties and responsibilities to high professional standards in the public interest. Application forms can be found on the AIBC web site (http://www.aibc.ca/member_resources/practice/pdf/Design_Panel_Application_Form_revised_July19_2012.pdf). All applicants will be required to have familiarity with the AIBC’s Bulletin 65 Advisory Design Panels – Standards for Procedures and Conduct (http://www.aibc.ca/bulletins/Bulletin_65.pdf). Completed applications may be forwarded directly to AIBC Practice Advisor Michelle Fenton Architect AIBC at mfenton@aibc.ca.

Role Call: AIBC Design Panel Committee

The AIBC is actively seeking a volunteer to sit on the AIBC Design Panel Committee. This committee is a committed group of volunteers who provide support to architect members sitting on municipal design panels as well as to those municipalities seeking architect members for municipal design panels. To this end, the AIBC Design Panel Committee (DPC) is empowered to review the qualifications of architects who indicate a willingness to serve, and to recommend nominations on behalf of the AIBC for appointments by municipalities with legally constituted ADPs. More information on design panels can be found in AIBC Bulletin 65 (http://www.aibc.ca/bulletins/Bulletin_65.pdf), as well as the Design Panel Committee’s FAQ (http://www.aibc.ca/member_resources/practice/pdf/FAQs_AdvisoryDesignPanelsJune2012.pdf).

Those interested may forward a cover letter and curriculum vitae to AIBC Practice Advisor Michelle Fenton Architect AIBC at mfenton@aibc.ca.

Vancouver, Are There Any Cathedral Thinkers Among us?

By Martha Perkins – WE Vancouver
September 27, 2012 9:00 AM

When the architects of the Middle Ages were asked to design Europe’s finest cathedrals, they knew they’d never live long enough to see them built. When a group of Vancouver residents made a bid to host the Olympics in 1960, they laid the foundation for the bid that was finally successful four decades later. They were all cathedral thinkers, says Rick Antonson, the CEO and President of Tourism Vancouver. “It’s about doing something today that’s intrinsically good but which you may not be a part of completing.” More … http://www.wevancouver.com/news/171558101.html\.

 

 

CSC – Vancouver Chapter

Luncheon Meeting: The 2012 Canadian Green Building Awards

The Canadian Green Building Awards (SAB Awards, a program of SABMagazine) recognize excellence in the design and execution of Canadian residential and non-residential buildings of all types, including new construction, renovations and interior design projects. In this luncheon presentation, 2012 SAB Awards jury member Helen Goodland RIBA MBA LEED AP will review the winning projects from a juror’s perspective, and discuss the evaluation process including the criteria for appraising sustainable design, architectural excellence and technical innovation. In addition, attendees will hear about trends in sustainable building design and what to look for in the future. Jim Taggart FRAIC, Consulting Editor with SAB Magazine, will also be on hand discuss the evolution of the awards program and how it reflects the broadening definition of sustainability. It takes place Thursday, October 18, 2012, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Sandman Hotel,  180 West Georgia Street,  Vancouver. To register, visithttp://vancouver.csc-dcc.ca/.

1 Core LU

Architects Blamed For Decline in Public’s Trust

By Elizabeth Hopkirk, Building Design
September 28, 2012

Architects must accept some responsibility for the poor quality of public debate on architecture because they have designed so many bad buildings, David Chipperfield said this week. Some post-war architecture and planning “brought tears to the eyes”, he told the audience at the RIBA’s Stirling Prize debate at Portland Place. Chipperfield, who won the prize in 2007 and is shortlisted this year for the Hepworth Wakefield, said there was a “natural pejorative attitude” towards modern architecture in Britain. But he said architects should not be frightened by this into patronising the public. More … http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/architects-blamed-for-decline-in-public%E2%80%99s-trust/5043299.article.

 

New UBC Rep on Council

Professor Chris Macdonald FRAIC, a full-time faculty member at the University of British Columbia’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, is now the designated UBC SALA representative to the AIBC Council. He replaces Professor Leslie Van Duzer, who has removed herself from council for the remainder of the 2012/2013 academic year due to scheduling conflicts. Macdonald is a former director of SALA and a past council member, having served as the UBC SALA representative on two different occasions.

Vancouver Affordable Housing Strategy Aims to Add Rental Units, Ease Rates

By Darah Hansen, Vancouver Sun
September 27, 2012

Renters could be among the first to feel the effects of a city housing strategy that aims to make Vancouver more affordable for low and middle-income earners. Coun. Geoff Meggs, who served as council liaison on an 18-member task force formed last December to examine the affordability issue, said he’s optimistic rental prices in the city will ease over the next year or two as more rental units become available. More … http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Vancouver+affordable+housing+strategy+aims+rental+units+ease/7311345/story.html.

AIBC Opposition to Proposed Building Official Qualification Process

In response to a recent communique from the Ministry of Ministry of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas and Responsible for Housing, the AIBC has once again expressed its concern with provincial government plans regarding mandatory qualifications for building officials. While the institute supports the notion of mandatory qualifications, it is firmly opposed to a process that would require architects (as well as professional engineers) wishing to become engaged as building officials in local governments to essentially re-qualify under the Building Officials Association of British Columbia. The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia has similarly reiterated its shared concern. A copy of this most recent letter (AIBC Response re Building Officials Qualifications September 2012), as well as the July 2012 (Energy, Mines and Housing letter re Building Officials Qualifications July 2012) and the April 2012 (AIBC-APEGBC Joint Submission re Building Regulatory System April 2012) joint submission in response to government’s initial proposal, are available for your consideration.

Michael Ernest Architect AIBC
AIBC Executive Director

New Registered Educational Provider: Windsor Windows & Doors

Windsor Windows & Doors products carry the company’s commitment to quality design, timeless beauty and skilled craftsmanship. They meet exact standards for energy efficiency and durability, as well as ease of installation, operation and maintenance. For a listing of all AIBC Registered Educational Providers, visit: http://www.aibc.ca/member_resources/professional_dev/CurrentREP.html.

Dorf Day at the AIBC

Building upon the success of the ARE Preparation seminars, the AIBC’s Intern Architect Committee is pleased to announce that “Insight – Demystifying the Graphic Vignettes of the ARE” will be shown again this fall. This acclaimed seven-hour video lecture series, presented by late Professor Norman Dorf, covers every graphic vignette of the Architect Registration Examinations (For a quick preview, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyQ9kWkAY7k). The viewing will be held on Saturday, November 24, 2012,  at the AIBC Offices, #100 – 440 Cambie Street, Vancouver. The entire series will be shown over the course of one day, as follows:

 

8:30 a.m.      Introductory Video

9:10 a.m.             Site Zoning

9:30 a.m.             Site Grading

9:55 a.m.             Site Design

10:30 a.m.           BREAK

11:00 a.m.           Accessibility/Ramp

11:20 a.m.           Stair Design

11:50 a.m.           Roof Plan

12:30 a.m.           LUNCH BREAK

1:30 p.m.             Interior Layout

2:15 p.m.             Building Layout

3:30 p.m.             BREAK

4:00 p.m.             Structural Layout

4:20 p.m.             Mechanical & Electrical Plan

5:00 p.m.             Building Section

5:30 p.m.             Dismissal

 

The cost for the day is $85, which includes a morning and afternoon drink and snack. Pre-registration through National Academic & Licensing Study Aids is required: visit http://www.nalsa.com/aiaoffice/dorfday/vancouver.html. Note:  If you have not pre-registered with NALSA you will not be allowed to view the videos. You may also register to view individual videos at a cost of $10 each by contacting NALSA directly. Should you have any questions, please contact Admissions and Administration Coordinator Vicki Charman by e-mail (vcharman@aibc.ca) or phone (604-683-8588. ext. 313).

How The Economy Upended Young Architects’ Hopes

By Caela McKeever, Crosscut
September 25, 2012

Asking when I knewI wanted to be an architect is like asking when I first fell in love with my husband, or the exact instant I became a Christian. There was no moment of realization, only a soothing understanding that this should be my life’s work. But six years after graduating from college, I’m struggling to plant architectural roots as strong as marriage and faith. My peers from the Class of 2006 are also struggling; we’re tired and overworked, our energy drained and passion diluted. More … http://crosscut.com/2012/09/25/architecture/110494/architectural-jobs-interns-economy-recession-/?page=single

International Architect Job Find in Canada Enhanced

Daily Commercial News
September 26, 2012

Internationally trained architects will be able to more readily find jobs in their fields in Canada as a result of a recently launched federally funded program.

The Broadly Experienced Foreign Architects Program (BEFA) will streamline the licensing process for internationally trained architects through a national online assessment tool and standard interview process. More … http://dcnonl.com/article/id52040/–international-architect-job-find-in-canada-enhanced.

AIA Commitment to Action

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced a 10-year commitment to developing design and technology solutions for cities that address challenges faced on public health, sustainability, and resiliency to natural disasters. The Commitment to Action was announced by AIA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy FAIA, at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, where more than 1,000 global leaders gathered to address the theme of “Designing for Impact.” “This commitment by the AIA represents an all-out effort to demonstrate the link between building design and the health of building occupants,” says Ivy, “and it will enable us to bring the force of design to bear in the public health arena and debate.” It involves both monetary and in-kind contributions, and features three initiatives:

• University research on solutions-based outcomes.
• Community Planning Process.
• Show Us Your APPtitude hackathon, in which computer experts gather to come up with the most creative app or technology based solution to a given need or problem, springboards from the community planning process byproviding related design and technology solutions.

More … http://www.aia.org/press/AIAB096070