November AIBC Council Meeting Summary

At its most recent meeting on Tuesday, November 13, 2012, AIBC Council considered a wide range of matters including:

• A report from its Financial Health Task Force featuring a proposed Annual Operational Budget for      2013. The FHTF recommended budget, which called for a small operating deficit and included reduced fees for members and increased fees for firms, was not approved. Council instead approved an effectively zero-base budget with a minimal, equitable fee adjustment across all categories of membership.
• Council-approved motions to review 1) the need for operating surpluses and special dedicated funds; 2) strategies to encourage the transition of career interns to full member status in a timely way; and 3) the    structure and integration of fees, both individual and firm, so that there is an equitable balance between sizes of practices.
• Approval of a draft bylaw pertaining to consensual resolution, which will now be shared with members for review and consultation prior to the requisite bylaw ballot;
• Change in title of the Financial Health Task Force to Finance Committee, and Governance Task Force to Governance Committee, reflecting their ongoing status;
• A report from Council President David Yustin summarizing recent meetings and discussions as well as the status of replacement Lieutenant Governor Appointees;
• A report from its Governance Task Force which included a review of the recommendations arising from council’s recent engagement survey;
• Minor revisions to the institute’s Guidelines for the Retention, Disclosure and Publication of AIBC Professional Conduct and Illegal Practice Records;
• Minor changes to Professional Conduct and Illegal Practice policies resulting from the annual policy review process;
• The appointment of Sean Rodrigues Architect AIBC to the Canadian Architectural Certification Board, replacing Gordon Richards Architect AIBC MRAIC CP, whose three-year term expired this month;
• Further discussion regarding legal opinion as to possible courses of action for addressing the ongoing “associates issue”, carried out in camera.

The council also passed motions pertaining to various consent items dealing with policy compliance, committee changes, examination results and registration amendments. The next meeting of AIBC Council is scheduled for Tuesday, January 22 , 2013.

Heritage Vancouver Society

Creating a Unique Main Street on the 800 to 1200 Blocks of Granville Street

Heritage Vancouver Society invites you to an evening of conversation about turning the south end of Granville Street into a unique main street for Vancouver’s downtown south neighbourhood. Guests speakers include City of Vancouver Councillor George Affleck, architecture curator, critic and consultant Trevor Boddy, and Heritage Vancouver’s Anthony Norfolk. They will present ideas about what could be done to create a dynamic and unique main street while at the same time preserving the heritage character of one of Vancouver’s oldest commercial streets. It takes place Tuesday, November 27, 2012, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Alliance for Arts and Culture, 100 – 938 Howe Street, Vancouver. Seating is limited for this free event; register online at http://www.heritagevancouver.org/.

2 Core LUs

In Passing: Glenn Urquhart

Glenn Urquhart Q.C. passed away on Monday, November 12, 2012 after a brief illness. He was 74. He was a co-founder of Singleton Urquhart, a leading Vancouver law firms and closely involved with the architectural profession. He also a founding member of the Canadian College of Construction Lawyers, and an Adjunct Professor in Construction Law at the University of British Columbia. Urquhart is survived by his wife Karen (Nordlinger) and sons Darren and Robert. A celebration of his life is planned (details to be announced). In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in his name are invited to do so to the Lung Cancer Research at B.C. Cancer Foundation, 686 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1G1.

Last Chance to Register: BC Building Code II

The registration deadline for the final session this year of BC Building Code II is Monday, November 19 at 8:00 a.m. This course covers professional responsibility, background, intent and concepts of significant code requirements and uses.  It is relevant for architects, technologists, building officials and other industry participants. Course content will:

• review Letters of Assurance, professional design and field review in accordance with the current BC Building Code;
• review spatial separation and exposure protection analysis;
• review the building code requirements applicable to high buildings;
• identify the unique fire protection problems with atria and interconnected floor spaces; and
• review barrier-free design principles and learn the building code’s requirements for persons with disabilities.

 

It takes place Friday November 23, 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the AIBC offices (#100 – 440 Cambie Street, Vancouver). Don’t miss out; register online at http://aibc.memberpro.net/main/body.cfm?menu=events.

6 Core LUs

CSC Annual Construction Fair

The annual CSC Construction Fair: takes place Wednesday, November 21, 2012, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the Vancouver Convention Centre East, 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver. With more than 100 local manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of construction products, the “simple but revealing” approach of this event will enable attendees to gather product and technical information for their next specification, architectural design or construction project – all under one roof. In addition to the trade show floor, this year’s fair includes a lecture series.

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon:
ASHRAE 90.1 – How’s that Working for You So Far?

• Stefan Aepli Architect AIBC, Walter Francl Architects
• Innes Hood, Stantec Consulting
• Mark Lawton P.Eng., Morrison Hershfield
• Cynthia Melosky, Polygon Homes Ltd.

 

1:00 -2:00 p.m.
The Legal Interpretation of Alternates, Substitutions and Equals within the Specification Manual

• Marina Pratchett Q.C., Fasken Martineau

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Introducing the New Quality Assurance Program, and Top Three Reasons Why Floor Coverings Fail

• Chris Maskell, Master Floor Coverings Standards Institute Inc.

To register for this free event, go to http://vancouver.csc-dcc.ca/.

1 Core LU per session, maximum 3 Core LUs

Interior Design and Architecture

By John Weigand, Design Intelligence
November 8, 2012

For several decades now, architecture and interior design have struggled with how and where they intersect as professions and as academic disciplines. To the extent that this struggle continues to be defined by two opposing and irreconcilable points of view, it promises to continue into the foreseeable future with little meaningful change. More … http://www.di.net/articles/interior-design-and-architecture/.