Public review on proposed changes to the 2010 National Model Construction Codes starts September 8, 2014

The Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) would like to invite your organization and its members—as important stakeholders in the development of the National Model Construction Codes—to take part in the fall 2014 public review of proposed changes to the 2010 National Model Construction Codes.

The National Model Construction Codes, comprising the National Building, Fire, Plumbing and Energy Codes, are model codes developed by the CCBFC that the provinces and territories can adopt as is, or with modifications, as part of their building, fire and plumbing regulations.

The public review is one of the principal steps in the process for updating national code documents, providing a nation-wide forum where anyone can review and comment on the changes proposed. Following the review, CCBFC Standing Committees will consider all comments and make final recommendations on each proposed change. Subject to approval by the CCBFC, the final changes will be published by NRC in the 2015 editions of the National Model Construction Codes.

The public review will run from September 8 until October 31, 2014 on the Public Review page of the NRC Web site.

The CCBFC wishes to thank your organization and its membership for contributing to the development of Canada’s National Model Construction Codes.

We would appreciate you forwarding this invitation to your membership and stakeholders so as to ensure the greatest possible awareness and participation.

For further information, please contact Anne Gribbon, Secretary to the CCBFC, at anne.gribbon@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.

Learn About the Design Architects of The New Vancouver Art Gallery – Oct 1

City of Vancouver Bird Friendly Design Exhibition Extended Till November 6

September 24 – November 6, 2014

Through a series of information and photo panels, this exhibit will provide information on how architects and designers can incorporate bird-friendly design into their projects. Over 250 species of resident, migratory and over-wintering birds are regularly observed in the Vancouver region, but urbanization has had negative impacts on them. Based on the City of Vancouver’s Bird Friendly Strategy, the exhibit unveils the conditions required for native birds to thrive in Vancouver. Bird well-being matters because birds bring Vancouver to life with their songs, colour and flight. Their high visibility and audibility also make them an important experiential link between people and local biodiversity. In addition, birds provide ecosystem services in the form of pest control, pollination and seed-dispersal. Through this exhibit, observers can learn more about the Bird Friendly Design Guidelines, which are intended to be used by developers, planners, designers and landowners. The AIBC Gallery, located at #100 – 440 Cambie Street in Vancouver, is free and open to the public Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Vancouver Modern Home Tour

Modern Home Tours is pleased to announce the 2014 Vancouver Modern Home Tour in conjunction with Western Living Magazine’s Design Week and Vancouver Design Week.  Curated by Western Living Magazine Editor-in-Chief Anicka Quin and Modern Home Tours, the second annual Vancouver Modern Home Tour offers tourgoers the opportunity for a rare look inside some of the most cutting-edge dwellings in the city.

Explore and view some of the greatest examples of modern architecture in Vancouver on this self-guided driving tour. It is a fantastic, fun-filled day of local sight-seeing and open-house-style visits for anyone who loves architecture, interior design, real estate, or simply checking out “that cool house I always drive by…” Participating homeowners get to show off their cool, modern dwellings to neighbors for a day, and the participating local architects get a day in the spotlight during this city-wide gallery of their work. Everyone is invited — kids under 12 are FREE.

Seven amazing homes are on this year’s tour roster – four homes in Vancouver and three more in West Vancouver. Read descriptions of each home, see photos and register for the tour here.

DATE: Saturday, September 20, 2014
TIME: 11:00am – 5:00pm
COST: $30 Online in advance, $40 Day of
TRANSPORTATION: Self-driving, Self-paced

 

From Berenice Abbott to Nadav Kander, the Barbican’s architecture photography exhibition is an alternative history of modern man

By Gillian Orr  
September 14, 2014, The Independent

Architectural photography not only documents our built worlds, but the very best will reveal something more about the societies in which they are taken.

When Nicéphore Niépce took what is thought to be the first ever photograph in 1826 or 1827, the long exposure time meant the Frenchman needed a static subject that wouldn’t blow in the wind or get the giggles. So he took a picture of a building.

Since then, there has been a long tradition of architectural photography. Not only can the medium document our built worlds, but the very best will reveal something more about the societies in which they are taken, as well as what those societies are becoming.

It is, however, one of the more obscure genres. While others, such as wildlife, portrait, war and fashion are the subject of numerous shows, architectural photography remains a somewhat niche subject. Later this month, the Barbican Art Gallery at London’s Barbican Centre will host Constructing Worlds: Photography and Architecture in the Modern Age, the first exhibition of its kind in the UK.

Alona Pardo, who curated the exhibition along with Elias Redstone, agrees that the genre is not widely discussed, which has led to misinterpretation in the past.

“It’s seen as something that is practical and functional, with a specific purpose to reflect the architect and their intention, and it’s rarely looked at within a fine art practice in terms of the photograph being a metaphor for our social history, which is the tack we’re taking,” she says. Read more…