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Bank of America’s Toxic Tower

New York’s “greenest” skyscaper is actually its biggest energy hog
By Sam Roudman, New Republic
July 28, 2103

When the Bank of America Tower opened in 2010, the press praised it as one of the world’s “most environmentally responsible high-rise office building[s].” It wasn’t just the waterless urinals, daylight dimming controls, and rainwater harvesting. And it wasn’t only the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification—the first ever for a skyscraper—and the $947,583 in incentives from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. It also had as a tenant the environmental movement’s biggest celebrity. The Bank of America Tower had Al Gore. More …

Yaletown Residents Upset Over a… Tall Condo Building?

By Emily Jackson, Metro Vancouver
July 23, 2013

From social housing to posh condos, Yaletown has evolved drastically over the past two decades with the construction of the slim towers that made Vancouver famous for high density. But hundreds of new residents are less than welcoming over plans for an unusually large residential tower next to the busy Emery Barnes Park, saying the “monstrosity” will add too much social housing, steal from green space, lower property values and add excessive congestion. More …

Arctic Adaptations: NU Health

Canada at the Venice Biennale 2014

Please join us for a reception to announce the selection of a UBC SALA student team that will be part of Canada’s contribution to the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2014. The chosen team, selected as part of a school-wide design competition for the delivery of health services in Nunavut, will join a professional team from Pin Taylor Architects (Yellowknife) and the Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre (Iqaluit) in developing “Arctic Adaptations: Nunavut at 15”, a territory-wide vision for architecture in service of health in the northern region.

Find out more about the biennale, the project challenge, the impressive range of student submissions, and how you, too, can contribute to Canada’s innovative project. Venice Biennale organizers, competition jurors and student competitors will be on hand.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
AIBC Architecture Centre, #100 – 440 Cambie Street, Vancouver

Refreshments will be provided. This free reception will also serve as a fundraiser for the project. Please r.s.v.p. to communications@aibc.ca by August 5, 2013.

 

Vancouver Heritage Foundation

HVF Walking Tours
Heritage Vancouver Foundation historian and tour guide Maurice Guibord will be leading the following Friday afternoon walking tours in the coming weeks:

Friday, October 11 – West End
The tour will begin in front of St. Paul’s Hospital (Burrard & Comox). Walk through waves of Vancouver’s diverse community, from big city industrialists to blue-collar immigrants, and from single-family heritage homes to the forest of towers beside Davie Village. Participants will move from the bustle of business to the quiet, family-oriented streets that make up one of the most densely populated areas in Canada. It will reveal a neighbourhood still in the throes of vivid transformation, with mixed results and community response.

Each tour goes from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. To sign up, contact VHF Administrative Assistant Jen Baynes (604-264-9642 #301) or click here to go online..

1.5 Non-core LUs per tour

Simon Fraser University City Program

Deadline Extended: Urban Design and Sustainable Community Development Certificate Programs

The registration deadline for the Fall 2013 Urban Design and Sustainable Community Development certificate programs offered through SFU City Program has been extended to August 30, 2013. Taught by renowned practitioners and industry leaders, these programs aim to equip mid-career professionals with the skills to impact their communities for the better. The programs feature eight two- and three-day intensive courses. Participants work through the courses over 10-18 months with a cohort of peers, sharing experiences, knowledge and ideas in a multi-disciplinary context. For more information and to register, click here.

Updated Bylaws

The AIBC’s Bylaws document has been updated to include the new consensual resolution bylaws (36.0 through 36.22). This updated document, dated July 3, 2013, is available through the AIBC web site.

RAIC Foundation Establishes Kiyoshi Matsuzaki Scholarship

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Foundation has announced details of a new scholarship in honour of former AIBC Member Kiyoshi Matsuzaki, who passed away last December. The annual Kiyoshi Matsuzaki RAIC Scholarship, a $3000 award offered through an endowment, is in support of a student enrolled in the RAIC Syllabus Program, in keeping with his personal belief in the future of the profession of architecture, and his unyielding support of the younger generation of students as the next leaders of the profession. Matsuzaki was a longtime RAIC volunteer who served as RAIC President in 2007/2008.

Update: New Canada / U.S.A. Mutual Recognition Agreement

The AIBC is pleased to confirm that on June 17, 2013, the Canadian Architectural Licensing Authorities (CALA) and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) signed a new, national-level Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). The agreement is based on an individual’s registration being in good standing in their home jurisdiction, along with one year’s post-registration experience. Most importantly, through this new agreement, architects who have completed either the NCARB Architectural Registration Examination (ARE) or the Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC) during their internships will be eligible for Canada/U.S.A. inter-recognition.

The new MRA is slated to come into effective on January 1, 2014. Implementation on this date is dependent on at least 51% of individual U.S. state boards and 51% of Canadian jurisdictions becoming formal signatories to the agreement. At this time, all 11 Canadian jurisdictions have signed on. Once the new MRA does come into effect, the existing Canada/US Inter-Recognition Agreement will no longer apply.

To view the new MRA, please click here. To also view the pertinent CALA bulletin, please click here. If you have any queries regarding this matter, please feel free to contact the AIBC at registration@aibc.ca.

Think You’ve Seen Newfoundland? You’ve Never Seen Anything Like This

By Catherine Bush, Globe and Mail
July 20, 2013

“Steer by the inn,” says Captain Ane Emberley, at my shoulder as I take a brief turn at the wheel of his tour boat, the Ketanja. I line up the prow with the Fogo Island Inn. It’s easy to navigate by; its intersecting white rectangles rear from a jut of granite on the treeless shore. The inn, which officially opened on May 15, is like nothing else on this small, rugged outpost off the northeast coast of Newfoundland. Its attention-getting presence signals an attempt to steer the island itself in a different direction. Once fishing culture defined this place. Now visitors arrive, drawn by the lure of a place where old culture meets new. More …

Important Notice: NCARB ARE Changes

July 17, 2013

ARE Blackout
In December 2012, NCARB announced a blackout period for candidates writing the NCARB ARE.  That blackout is now in effect, starting July 1 and ending in mid-august.  NCARB will grant an automatic 12-week extension to the rolling clock. Exams may be scheduled immediately following the blackout period.

New ARE Systems
In late August 2013, NCARB will launch a new service called My Examination.  In addition to being able to schedule appointments, ARE candidates will have easy access to score reports, exam history, rolling clock dates, authorization to test information, and more.  For a sneak peek of what the My Examination module will look like post-blackout, click here.

NCARB Record is Now Required of all Candidates
In order to access the new examination services, all ARE candidates will need an active NCARB record.  This is a new requirement for BC Intern Architects.  More information is available from NCARB here.

For those intern architects who do not hold an NCARB record, but are already eligible for testing, you will need to do the following:

1. Create a My NCARB account here
2. Post Blackout: Log into NCARB account and add the NCARB Record service and fill out the application
3. Enter your candidate ID when prompted, and the Record application fee will be waived.  You will receive one free year of service. There will be a yearly $75 renewal fee to maintain access to My Examination after the first year

Future Intern Architects and syllabus students who wish to take the ARE once they are registered with the AIBC will need to:

1. Create a My NCARB account here
2. Add the NCARB Record service, fill out the application and pay the application fees
3. Request eligibility to take the ARE.  Once eligible to take the ARE, the AIBC will grant you access to My Examination

Prometric’s New Role
Effective immediately, Prometric will no longer be providing customer service support for Architect Registration Examination (ARE) candidates.  All questions related to the ARE should now be directed to the NCARB Examination Directorate at are@ncarb.org or customer service at 202-879-0520 or customerservice@ncarb.org.

For more detail, visit NCARB’s web site here.

FAQs
NCARB has prepared an online resource of Frequently Asked Questions, available here.

If you have any questions or concerns about registration examinations, please contact Emily Tyler, Registration and Administration Coordinator, at etyler@aibc.ca or 604 683 8588 ext. 324.

President’s Message

July 2013

A Council in Motion
I am taking this opportunity to update you on the activities of your new council. These days, one gets bombarded with information at an increasing rate. As council president, my goal for the coming year is to keep you informed on a regular basis of important issues facing the profession without burdening you unnecessarily.

With that in mind, let me share with you some news from council’s most recent meeting on July 9, 2013. At that meeting, AIBC Council debated two important motions with regard to associates of the institute. Both, which revised the motion brought forward on May 14, 2013 and shared with members prior to the 2013 annual meeting,  were informed by the clear message of concern expressed by a significant number of members and associates at and subsequent to the annual meeting, as well as meaningful discussion by your newly-elected council. As a result:

• Specific to independent design services

  Clause 1 d) of the original motion brought to council in May prior to the annual meeting, proposed a total prohibition on the ability of associates to provide independent design services in the Section 60 exceptions (services not provided while employed and supervised by an architect). Within the legal framework of the Architects Act, there are options available to define the requirements for associates working independently in the exceptions – total prohibition being only one such option. Under revised wording, a task force of AIBC Council will now consider all options available.

  Our goal is to complete this work in a timely manner. Ongoing discussion on the associates within the institute has been a divisive issue, one that has consumed a great deal of time for council, members and staff. It is time to find a fair and equitable solution within the confines of our existing legislation. Council can then focus on some of the other challenges facing the profession. I know this council is particularly interested in encouraging our intern architects to gain registration in a timelier manner. Stay tuned for more on this issue as the council year progresses.

• Removal of “.AIBC” titles
  
  A second motion was passed that calls for the elimination of the previous “.AIBC” designations, to be replaced with the three designations proposed in the original May 14 motion. The current, lengthy list of associate classes will be simplified down to three: Intern Architect, Retired Architect and Architectural Technologist. That will be their designation, plain and simple, with no “.AIBC” distinction.

  I know there is some concern about eliminating the associate category for students, a concern I share. Everyone agrees that a meaningful and productive relationship between architecture students and the profession is desired. However, does this relationship have to be within the regulatory regime of the profession? I’m not convinced the profession wants to be in a position of disciplining student associates. Council, as well as the AIBC’s Registration & Licensing Board, will be looking as ways of redefining a meaningful and valued position for students within the profession.

Resignation of Lieutenant Governor Appointee (LGA) Joe Thompson

Joe Thompson recently notified AIBC Council and the institute that he is resigning as one of our four Lieutenant Governor Appointees. I spoke with Joe, and he advised me that his reasons for leaving council revolve around the unavailability of his time necessary to commit to his LGA duties. He felt that his responsibilities in government (he is the province’s Acting Assistant Deputy Minister of Student Services and Sector Resource Management as well as Executive Financial Officer for the Ministry of Advanced Education) simply did not permit him to devote the time he feels is needed for such an appointment. I thanked Joe sincerely for his time and contributions during his brief stay on council. As assistant deputy minister in the ministry responsible for the AIBC, Joe has committed to continue working with the institute on those matters requiring collaboration with the provincial government.

With this, you have the latest on some of the major developments within your institute. AIBC Council has also identified a number of other priorities and goals, taking shape in the form of a five-year strategic plan. Details are forthcoming. Meanwhile, please feel free to contact me on any matters that are of a concern to you with regard to the profession.

Sincerely,

Scott Kemp  Architect AIBC
AIBC Council President

Council Resignation: BD/RD Liaison David Boswell

David Boswell Building Designer AscT has resigned from his role as the Building Designer / Residential Designer Liaison to AIBC Council, effective July 18, 2013. In stepping down, Boswell noted that council’s recent decision to amalgamate the associate categories of Architectural Technologist, Building Designer and Residential Designer into a single category (Architectural Technologist) effectively eliminated the need for a BD/RD liaison at the council table. Current Architectural Technologist Liaison Michael Currie has agreed to continue in that capacity.

Arb Considers Radical Overhaul of Architecture Qualifications

By Elizabeth Hopkirk, Building Design
July 18, 2013

A radical overhaul of architecture qualifications is being considered by the Arb board. The changes could potentially allow those with a degree in a subject other than architecture to do a part II, and foreign-qualified architects to join the Arb register without achieving the three-part qualification of a UK education. The “root and branch” review would look at whether registration should continue to be based on qualifications and if alternative routes would broaden access to the professional register. More …

Ron Thom’s West Van Masterpiece: Sneak Peek at The Carmichael Residence

By Jordan Yerman, Vancouver Observer
July 11, 2013

I normally write about unaffordable homes that you can buy, but today let’s mix it up: here’s a remarkable home that is far less expensive than you may think… but you cannot buy it. I had a chance to explore the Carmichael Residence, a house designed by architect Ron Thom in 1957, as a preview to the West Coast Modern Home Tour. Thom described the Carmichael Residence as “fun and games with three-dimensional space”, and this applies to dweller as well as designer. More …