CSLA Announces The Creation Of The Governor General’s Medal in Landscape Architecture

By Staff Canadian Architect
July 6, 2014, Canadian Architect

The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) recently announced that His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, has agreed to establish the Governor General’s Medal in Landscape Architecture (GGMLA) to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the CSLA. This award will be the highest honour bestowed by the CSLA and it will be awarded every two years.

The GGMLA is an occasion for Canadians to celebrate and learn about the contributions that professional landscape architects have made to the urban, rural and wilderness environments of Canada over the last century – since Frederick Todd became the first landscape architect to work in Canada in 1900.

The Governor General’s Medal in Landscape Architecture (GGMLA) is the highest honour bestowed on a landscape architect by the CSLA. The medal is intended to honour exceptional landscape architects whose lifetime achievements and contributions to the profession have had a unique and lasting impact on Canadian society.

To be eligible, the individual must be: a) a landscape architect, and b) a member of the CSLA.

Recipients of the CSLA Lifetime Achievement Award are eligible for the GGMLA. However, current CSLA Board Members are ineligible for the award. An individual may only receive the GGMLA once in their lifetime.

One medal is available every two years.  Read more…

Forest Retreat Sits Between A Rock And A Hard Place

By Adam Williams
July 4, 2014, gizmag

Forest-based shelters come in all shapes and sizes, but rarely are they smaller, nor do they take their place amongst their surroundings better, than the aptly-named Forest Retreat by Czech firm Uhlik Architekti. The Central Bohemia-based project serves as a remote bolt hole for its Prague owner.

The Forest Retreat measures just 16 sq m (172 sq ft), and operates completely off-grid, with no lights, electricity, running water, or toilet – so presumably the occupants would be required to make like the proverbial bears and avail themselves of the forest when nature calls.

There is at least a small wood burning stove installed, and the shelter contains two windows which are covered by shutters. The larger of the two shutters is operable by hand winch and opens to create a small porch area.

Owing to its remarkable placement partly atop a boulder, the Forest Retreat slopes upwards considerably inside. Read more…

Architect Transforms Storage Room Into A Micro Home

By Bridget Borgobello
July 8, 2014, gizmag

When Swedish architect Karin Matz discovered a small space in Stockholm, which for over 30 years had been used for furniture storage, she was instantly inspired to transform it into a multi-purpose tiny home. The 36 sq m (387 sq ft) space had not been touched since the 1980s when its owner started initial renovations before falling ill. Three decades later, Matz has breathed new life into the apartment, successfully converting it into a light-filled compact home and finally finishing what the previous owner had started.

“I found it fascinating that this apartment had been in this state for 30 years,” Karin Matz tells Gizmag. “Time had been frozen; wallpaper was half removed, only a few tiles and a kitchen faucet were sticking out of the wall, there was no electricity and the bathroom only had signs of rats as inhabitants. In a city like Stockholm with an enormous housing shortage and with every square meter increasing in price by the minute, this project was somehow impossible to resist.”

It took Matz a little under six months…read more

Role Call: AIBC Building Envelope Committee

The AIBC Building Envelope Committee is seeking new members. Those with particular interest in energy issues are encouraged to apply.

The committee’s Terms of Reference include:

• Give direction to the Professional Services Board (and assist with development and delivery) regarding Building Envelope Education Program (BEEP) courses, seminars and round tables on building envelope failures, best practice guides, appropriate procedures for efforts in architectural firms;
• Work with the Regulatory Coordination Committee in having input on municipal and provincial regulations regarding building envelope design and field review and assurances;
• Work with other building industry groups regarding standards of design, field review, construction, insurance and warranties that are fair to all participants.
• Attain, in its undertakings and achievements, a balance between the needs of intern architects, generalist architects and consultants specializing in enhanced building envelope services.

The Building Envelope Committee meets at the AIBC office on the third Tuesday of every month except for July, August and December from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.

If you are interested in volunteering on this committee, please contact Practice Services Coordinator Yana Vassilenko by e-mail (yvassilenko@aibc.ca).

AIBC Gallery: 2014 Canadian Green Building Awards

July 10 – 31, 2014

The Canadian Green Building Awards recognize excellence in the design and execution of Canadian residential and non-residential buildings of all types, including new construction, existing buildings, renovations and interior design projects. The program is open to new and renovated buildings and interiors. The exhibition will feature this year’s eight award-winning projects from across the country. The AIBC Gallery, located at #100 – 440 Cambie Steet in Vancouver, is free and open to the public open Monday – Thursday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

New Registered Educational Provider: America Training Solutions

America Trade Solutions, a consulting firm, provides international business development services for companies in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. The firm specializes in international business development and trade services, with the goal of providing high quality professional services that address client business needs and budgets. To view a listing of all current Registered Educational Providers, click here.