Architectural Trends in 2016: Modern, Efficient and High-Tech

By Daybreak South
CBC News, Jan 1, 2016

(Image: In the Okanagan, Meiklejohn says big buildings are coming back to life with more people wanting to build multi-family housing projects. Courtesy of Meiklejohn Architects, CBC)

As Vancouver anticipates a slew of new cutting-edge condos, we look to the year ahead in architecture with Jim Meiklejohn, an architect in Kelowna, B.C. What does 2016 have to offer in building design?

Meiklejohn says the future of home design is about modernity, efficiency and technology.

“We are moving into a modern style of homes,” said Meiklejohn, explaining that he believes global trends are pulsing into designing homes with cleaner lines and more open space. Read more…

2015 in Canadian Architecture

by Elsa Lam
Canadian Architect, December 22, 2015

(Image: More than 10,000 people visited the Halifax Central Library on opening day last December. Courtesy of Canadian Architect, photo by Adam Mark)

As 2015 draws to a close, we offer you this round-up of the stories that topped our headlines.

On the East Coast, the opening of the new Halifax Central Library in December 2014 brought contemporary architecture to the heart of the city.

Critic Brian Carter travelled there to find that the building by Fowler Bauld & Mitchell and schmidt hammer lassen is well-loved and well-used. It proves that—despite all the predictions for the death of books—libraries are still vital community hubs in Canadian cities. Read more…

The 10 Best Buildings of 2015

by staff
Azure, Dec 28, 2015

(Image: New Bordeaux Stadium by Herzog & deMeuron, in Bordeaux, France. Courtesy of Azure, Herzog & deMeuron)

From Heatherwick Studio’s campus hub shaped like a stack of dim sum baskets to Herzog & deMeuron’s all-white soccer stadium in Bordeaux, it’s been a good year for every building typology. Here are our top 10 buildings of 2015. Read more…

Bylaw Review: Consultation Sessions

Since 2011, the AIBC has been engaged in a comprehensive bylaw review process to address both substantive bylaw subject matter areas and more routine amendments. The Bylaw Review Committee (BRC), supported by AIBC Council, is advancing the following initiative.

Bylaw Amendments: Investigations & Remedial Discipline

This Investigations & Remedial Discipline initiative is a recommendation for a suite of substantive “investigations/discipline” bylaw amendments to more firmly establish the institute’s investigations and disciplinary processes in bylaw. This initiative includes a new ‘remedial discipline’ process intended to give the institute greater flexibility to meaningfully address professional conduct complaints than is currently available.

Read the bylaw amendments and supporting rationales.

Consultation

Consultation for the “investigations/discipline” bylaw amendments will be extending through February 2016, with a submission seeking council’s direction to proceed to a member vote not expected until spring 2016. Increased council participation in the consultation process is planned given the subject matter and importance of this bylaw modernization initiative.

An initial consultation session on the “investigations/discipline” bylaw amendments was held on October 30, 2015 at the AIBC Annual Conference. The session’s primary focus was on the remedial discipline process. Two additional consultation sessions have been scheduled to take place in January: a combined in-person and webinar event at the Vancouver AIBC Office and a second session, in-person only, in Victoria at the Cedar Hill Golf Course. Please see below for attendance details.

Consultation Sessions

Council policy requires member consultation when any bylaw amendments are advanced for member vote. AIBC council invites your participation at the following consultation sessions, which will address the proposed bylaw amendments. The sessions will open with a presentation, followed by a question and answer period.

Please RSVP your attendance by the dates indicated below using the RSVP link to select the consultation session you wish to attend.

Vancouver Session
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2016
Time: 5 – 6:30 p.m.
Location: In-person (AIBC Office) and online
Learning Units (LUs): 1 Core
RSVP: In-person session (by January 18 at 5 p.m.)
RSVP: Online session (by January 15 at 12 p.m.)
The in-person and online sessions will be available to a maximum of 25 participants (each) on a first come, first served basis.

Victoria Session
Date: Thursday, January 28, 2016
Time: 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Location: In-person only (Cedar Hill Golf Course, 1400 Derby Road, Victoria, BC)
Learning Units (LUs): 1 Core
RSVP: In-person session (by January 25 at 5 p.m.)
The in-person session will be available to a maximum of 30 participants on a first come, first served basis.

Note: Registered participants who are subsequently unable to attend are kindly asked to withdraw using the RSVP link.

Member Feedback

Member feedback can be provided to the Bylaw Review Committee at any time. Please email the Bylaw Review Committee at: bylawfeedback@aibc.ca.

An online feedback form is also available for your comments: Investigations & Remedial Discipline Online Feedback Form

To learn more about AIBC Bylaw Review, please visit www.aibc.ca.

UBC SALA Spring 2016 Lecture Series

Georgeen Theodore
Interboro, New York, and New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey
Date: January 11, 6:30pm
Location: Robson Square, 800 Robson Street, Vancouver

Form and Energy Lecture
Janette Kim + Erik Carver
All of the Above + Erik Carver Design, New York
Date: February 1, 6:30pm
Location: Robson Square, 800 Robson Street, Vancouver

Chris Cornelius
Studio Indigenous and University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Date: February 22, 6:30pm
Location: 1101 – Pharmaceutical Sciences Building, 2405 Wesbrook Mall

Friends and Family Lecture
Frank Barkow
Barkow Leibinger, Berlin, Germany
Date: February 29, 6:30pm
Location: Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sala-lecture-series-frank-barkow-tickets-20741716031
Please note that this is a free but ticketed event.

Margolese Prize Lecture
Cornelia Hahn Oberlander
Date: March 7, 6:30pm
Location: Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Please note that this is a free but ticketed event.

Yusuke Obuchi
Studio Obuchi and University of Tokyo, Japan
Date: March 21, 6:30pm
Location: Robson Square, 800 Robson Street, Vancouver

Lectures are free and open to the public.

CES participants may self-report educational activities in accordance with the rules in AIBC Bulletin 80, Mandatory Continuing Education System (CES) Rules and Guidelines. Please refer to Bulletin 80 for further information.

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

GROW 1000 – Green Roofs – Details, Installation and Maintenance
This course will provide design professionals, contractors, and planners, who already have a basic understanding of green roofs, with the knowledge to determine the appropriate green roof system, design performance criteria, installation and maintenance. Students will be exposed to leading edge information on materials, design details, and implementation methods.

Date: Wednesdays from January 20-February 24, 2016, 6-9pm
Location: BCIT Burnaby Campus NE03 – 3700 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby
AIBC Learning Units (LUs): 18 Core LUs
Cost: $279.23
Register: http://www.bcit.ca/study/courses/grow1000

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

CESA 0199 – Residential Renewable Energy
The rising utility rates, economy and growing concerns about carbon emissions are causing more homeowners to consider alternative and renewable energy resources to power their homes. The example of renewable energy sources discussed in this weekend long course include: Solar energy (thermal, photovoltaic), wind power (water pumping and electrical generation), hydro power (electrical generation), geothermal energy (heat and electrical generation), biomass (heat and fuel) and hydrogen (transportation). Factors that homeowners should take into account for each of these energy resources when considering them for residential applications; tips and suggestions for effective renewable energy retrofit project management will be provided. The important market trends and solutions as well as financial approaches in the renewable energy industry are introduced.

Date: February 20-21, 2016, 8:30am-4:30pm
Location: BCIT Burnaby Campus NE01 Room 320 – 3700 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby
AIBC Learning Units (LUs): 15 Core LUs
Cost: $367.79
Register: http://www.bcit.ca/study/courses/cesa0199

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

CESA 0198 – Residential Energy Efficiency
The first step to reducing your home’s reliance on energy is reducing consumption, the second is to look at passive and renewable energy sources. This weekend long course will focus on energy conservation in existing homes and will primarily focus on single family houses and townhouses. This course starts by presenting an overview of how homes use energy, then outlines how you can track your energy consumption. A history of local construction practices over the decades will be provided. The “house as a system” concept will be explained with examples. The course will also evaluate retrofit strategies as a means to reduce energy consumption and costs.

Date: January 30-31, 2016, 8:30am-4:30pm
Location: BCIT Burnaby Campus NE01 Room 320 – 3700 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby
AIBC Learning Units (LUs): 15 Core LUs
Cost: $367.79
Register: http://www.bcit.ca/study/courses/cesa0198

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

CESA 5110 – Introduction to Community Energy and Emission Planning
This course describes the purpose, components and objectives of a community energy and emissions plan (CEEP) and the reasons communities create them. After completing the course, students will be able to initiate, prepare and implement a community energy plan. Course materials differentiate between community energy planning and corporate energy planning and describe the essential elements of energy and emissions plans. Students will be able to navigate the process of creating and implementing a plan, identify funding sources and strategies and manage project consultants. Students will be able to design a CEEP that can be successfully implemented.

Date: Wednesdays from February 3-April 1, 2016, Wednesdays 7-9pm
Location: Online
AIBC Learning Units (LUs): 18 Core LUs
Cost: $472.78
Register: http://www.bcit.ca/study/courses/cesa5110
Please contact Program Head Andrea Linsky at BCIT_SEMAC@bcit.ca for approval and submit a current resume for review.

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

CESA 7100 – Energy Modelling for Building Professionals
This course introduces the principles, procedures and benefits of energy modelling to enable building professionals to usefully and efficiently incorporate energy modelling into the design process. This will include a review of building orientation, envelope design, space configurations and massing, opportunities to minimize the need for mechanical equipment (e.g., passive design and net-zero solutions), complemented by a field trip to a building site. Attention will be given to conceptualizing the building as a whole system, including integrated design and project delivery processes that yield high-performance results. The course will also address the implications of energy modelling in the general practices of consulting architects and engineers and the challenges that arise during and after construction.

Date: January 8-April 22, 2016, Fridays 1-4pm
Location: BCIT Downtown Campus Room 481 – 555 Seymour Street, Vancouver
AIBC Learning Units (LUs): 45 Core LUs
Cost: $693.72
Register: http://www.bcit.ca/study/courses/cesa7100

SAFTI First Fire Rated Glazing Solutions

NBC Code Considerations in Fire Rated Glass
Advances in new fire rated glazing and framing technology and performance have made it possible for architects to design clear and innovative spaces like never before. With fire and safety glazing codes changing dramatically over the last few years, there is much confusion on which products are appropriate for certain applications based on current code requirements. This webinar program aims to: Review NBC and fire test requirements when designing for life safety and explain the relationship of fire safety and human impact safety. It will also clarify the difference between fire protective vs. fire resistive glazing code requirements addressing life safety and provide you with the latest product information.

Date: January 28, 2016, 10-11am
Location: Webinar
AIBC Learning Units (LUs): 1 Core LU
Cost: Free
Register: http://safti.com/aibc-webinar/

Reminder: 2016 Annual Membership Renewal

Thank you to AIBC registrants who have completed their membership renewal and submitted their professional dues.

On November 25, 2015, the AIBC sent out the annual membership renewal notice. The deadline for your annual payment to the AIBC is February 1, 2016.

Key Dates:
November 25, 2015-January 31, 2016 – Annual renewal period
February 1, 2016 – Payment deadline

In case you did not receive the notice or if you have an inquiry regarding your status with the AIBC, please contact Registration and Licensing staff at accounts@aibc.ca.

For your convenience, fees may be paid online by logging into your account through the AIBC website. When logging in to make payment, please keep in mind that individual login IDs are different than your firm login ID.

Detailed information regarding applicable fees and payment requirements can be found in Bulletin 01: Fees, Fines and Charges.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

2015 AIBC Recognition Awards Ceremony Photos Now Available

Three outstanding recipients were presented with AIBC Recognition Awards in a ceremony held at the Van Dusen Gardens on November 19, 2015. The AIBC community, friends and family gathered to celebrate volunteerism and to pay tribute to the award recipients.

At the ceremony, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Roger Hughes Architect AIBC FRAIC and the late Fred T. Hollingsworth Honorary Member of the AIBC, FRAIC, FAIA for their long-standing contributions to the profession of architecture. The Barbara Dalrymple Award was given to Dr. Nancy Mackin Architect AIBC in recognition of her exceptional dedication to professional and public service.

View photos from the 2015 AIBC Recognition Awards on FLICKR.

All photos by Jay Shaw Photography.

Role Call: Municipal Advisory Design Panels

The AIBC invites applications from architects interested in serving on the following design panels:

• City of North Vancouver – Heritage
• Corporation of Delta
• City of New Westminster
• District of Oak Bay
• City of Surrey

The role of an advisory design panel member is to give impartial, professional advice directly on any proposal or policy affecting the community’s physical environment in the public interest.

To learn more about the procedures for serving on a panel, please refer to the following documents:

• AIBC Bulletin 65: Advisory Design Panels – Standards for Procedures and Conduct
• ADP Frequently Asked Questions

Please fill out an interactive application form and forward your submissions to the attention of Professional Services Coordinator Alexandra Kokol by email (akokol@aibc.ca).