Happy Saturday...10/6

Happy Saturday, time to sleep in, catch up on chores, or just read a good book. Of course you could be...

at Morris Brown's Historic Downtown Tour

or at our ARE Study Groups!

or getting lost in a great blog...

or reading a good book...

-cameron

Mayor John Cook proclaims October to be Architecture month in El Paso

Today at 2pm Mayor John Cook will be proclaiming October to be Architecture month in the City of El Paso. Archtober is of course the AIA El Paso's big month, featuring tours public awareness and a host of great events to participate in. Be sure to check out the full schedule on our Archtober page. 

We thank the mayor and the city council for taking their time to recognize our profession. 

Below is the text from last years proclamation. 

PROCLAMATION, City of El Paso, Texas 

WHEREAS: The American Institute of Architects El Paso Chapter (AIA) adds value to the city, county and surrounding areas by creating places that enhance the quality of life through the built environment for all the residents of El Paso; and 

WHEREAS: The local AIA chapter is responsible for the design of many iconic buildings in El Paso; safeguards the culture of the region through historic preservation and aides in the review of local codes and ordinances in order to maintain the health, safety and welfare of citizens in structures; and 

WHEREAS: The local AIA chapter is one of the leading organizations in our community focusing on energy efficiency, sustainable design, urban planning and the importance of building technology merged with design innovations helping to improve our city; and 

WHEREAS: The local AIA chapter encourages citizen architects to take pride in and learn about the built environment, how it shapes our city’s progress, the ability to strengthen our regional cultural identity and quality of life through buildings, historic structures and neighborhoods: 

NOW THEREFORE BE IT PROCLAIMED,  by the Mayor and Council of the City of El Paso that October 2011 shall be known as: 

"ARCHTOBER MONTH"

Be sure to spread the news and get to some of the great events this month. 

-Cameron

El Paso Through Your Eyes - Contest Schedule

We just wanted to post the El Paso Through Your Eyes - 2012 - Photography contest schedule for saturday. We can't wait to see you there!

-Contest will take place at San Jacinto Plaza (111 E. Mills Ave.)
-Starts at 8:00 am when participants can pick up their camera and event bag.
-Associates will be on hand to review rules and give assistance.
-You CAN register as long as cameras are available. But we recommend you register online to secure yourself a place. (As of this writing we have less than 40 spaces left! They are going quickly! register!)
-Contestants must return their camera by 12:00 pm! (4 hours) when the contest closes. (Late returns will be disqualified)


If you finish early, free architectural tours will be conducted at 9am by Providencia Velázquez, Historic Preservation Officer for the City of El Paso and 11am by Emmanuel Moreno, Assistant Professor - EPCC Architecture program.

Fifteen final photos will be selected for contest and revealed at party on October 26th at the San Carlos Building (501 Texas).

Top three places will receive a prize:
1st place - $500 Camera
2nd place - Kindle Fire and accessories
3rd place - $125 gift card to Best Buy.

For more information and to register online visit: http://elpasoaaia.blogspot.com/p/el-paso-through-your-eyes.html

A Special Thanks to our sponsors for El Paso Through Your Eyes 2012

We just wanted to take a moment to send a special thank you to all of our sponsors for this year's El Paso Through Your Eyes event. Your contributions really made this event possible.

Thank you,

-The El Paso AIA Associates

Bronze Sponsors

Friends

Donations from

2012 AIA Firm Survey Available

The 2012 AIA firm survey is finally available, and as usual it comes with a pretty hefty price tag. But it does seem to be worth the money:

The Business of Architecture: 2012 AIA Survey Report on Firm Characteristics documents trends in the changing practice of architecture and includes benchmarks and best practices in all areas of firm operations. The report is based on responses from AIA-member-owned firms and it includes detailed coverage of important topics that will help you better manage your business, your clients, and your time, including:
- Firm and staff profiles
- Firm billings
- Construction sectors served
- Professional liability insurance
- International work

 The entire will report will run you $129.95 ($79.98 AIA Members) and is available here. You can also purchase individual chapter reports as needed. And a bundle of the 2012 Firm Survey and the 2011 compensation report is available as well.

There is an overview chapter available for the price of your email here. But we'll be digging into that and posting some info in the coming week.

-Cameron

Last chance to sign up for the El Paso Through Your Eyes Photo Contest!

Don't miss your chance to participate in the El Paso Through Your Eyes 2012 Photo Contest. Currently we have 50+ people signed up to participate this Saturday! It will be fun and potentially worth your while. Your photos will be judged for the following prizes: 1st place - $500 Camera, 2nd place - Kindle Fire and accessories, 3rd place - $125 gift card to Best Buy.

Not only that but every contestant will also receive: Photo Through Your Eyes Bag, Disposable Camera (for your pictures), Bottled Water, Granola Bar, Downtown map with contest walking boundaries, Downtown history pamphlet and "Pit-Stop" coupons for great restaurants in the area.

We'll be posting details and more information tomorrow, but be sure to come on down. It will be a blast and remember all of the proceeds are going to support the Associate program so that we can do even more socials, events, and programs over the next year.

So head on over to the signup page: http://elpasoaaia.blogspot.com/p/el-paso-through-your-eyes.html

See you Saturday!

-Cameron

Resources: ARE Forum

So maybe you don't like people, or you just aren't a fan of the free help that you can get in our fantastic, amazing, helpful, and full of awesome people like me, AAIA study groups. Either way getting through the AREs can be difficult and scary. One great resource to help you is areforum.org. 

It's free after registration, which is a surprise given all the experience and help you get there. There are threads discussing which test to take first, what you should & must study. And tons of personal support and help. Say for example you just can't get a vignette or problem to work out on your own. Often a post there will get you a response or assistance within 24 hours. 

It's pretty amazing. But be sure to contribute yourself. Public forums like this are only as good as what is put into them. So keep up the excellence. 

-Cameron

Did you know? CEU hours count for IDP?

So I recently heard some rumblings around the community about how Associates never seem to attend the AIA meetings. I don't really want to get into the reasons why, (but that might be a good editorial later...) I do want to focus on what has changed recently that should encourage Associates, (and get Principals to encourage their Associates) to take advantage of any of the CEU opportunities we have been posting on this blog.

3 letters... I D P.

First, sometime over the past few years the AIA and NCARB finally got their act together and started recording CEU hours as IDP supplemental hours. While 1 hour here and there might not sound like much, remember we need 1,860 of them! And as an AIA Associate all you have to do is record your AIA number at any events that are awarding Learning Units (LU). Then simply transmit a copy of your AIA Transcript to NCARB to receive credit. (Probably best to do this on a yearly or quarterly basis.)

Second, Learning Units, that used to be only worth .25 IDP hours are now worth 1 whole hour. For those of you who can't do math, that makes them 4x more valuable today than they were in the past. Between you and me these changes changes were common sense, but let's just be happy they are here. So pickup a webinar, attend an AIA meeting or be sure to attend your state AIA convention. Every little bit helps.

P.S. We have quite a few events on Thursday. I'll be there for the AIA meeting.

P.P.S. Reason #1 to join the AIA.

-Cameron

For more information refer to page 20 of the IDP 2.0 Guidelines for more info.

AIA/CEU: Free 1-hr Webinar: Green Technologies and Design Methods for Historic Buildings

AIA/CEU: Dow Corning is sponsoring a free webinar focusing on of course "Green Technologies and Design Methods for Historic Buildings." What does that mean exactly? Well read the registration blurb below. if you are interested. 

Thursday, September 27, 2012, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ETThe reuse and retrofit of existing buildings are important tools for mitigating global warming.  By some estimates, it can take up to 80 years for a new energy-efficient building to overcome the climate-change impacts created by its construction.  However, greening existing buildings, especially historic ones, presents special challenges.  Strategies like window replacements or recladding can improve thermal performance, but may be at odds with the structure’s character if not carefully executed.  And although new mechanical systems can help an older building meet the comfort expectations of current occupants, such systems are often difficult to insert within historic fabric.  Join our panel of experts as they discuss these issues and identify strategies for the implementation of energy-efficient and historically sensitive building renovations.
Learning Objectives:1. Discuss the environmental value of building reuse and describe methods for quantifying this value.2. Describe the difference between embodied and operational energy.3. Discuss technical and financial obstacles to the energy-efficient retrofit of existing building and identify strategies for overcoming these obstacles.4. Evaluate retrofit options on the basis of environmental performance and historic sensitivity.
Introduction By:Saulo Rozendo, LEED AP BD+CBuilding Codes and Regulations Manager, AmericasHigh Performance Building SolutionsDow Corning CorporationModerator:Joann Gonchar, AIA, LEED AP Senior EditorArchitectural Record 
Panelists:Patrice Frey Director of Sustainability National Trust for Historic Preservation
Ken LevensonPrincipalKen Levenson Architect, P.C.Aaron Jon Hyland, AIAManaging PrincipalArchitectural Resources GroupCredit Type: HSW/SD

You can register for the event here: GT&DfHB Webinar

I'll be there.

- Cameron

El Paso AIA Golf Tournament Tomorrow!

Don't forget the 15th Annual AIA golf tournament is tomorrow. Presented by the Garland company, all the proceeds go to support the AIA Scholarship and Education Fund. See AIA Golf Tournament

-Cameron

AIA El Paso "From the Associates" Article

Last week we published an article in the monthly AIA El Paso in order to update and inform our AIA community about the associate's latest activities. Below is the same article for your information.

For those who missed the newsletter you can get a copy here:
El Paso AIA Newsletter - September 2012

-Cameron

Last month, our President used his message to bring you up to speed on the latest and greatest from the AIA El Paso Associates’ Program. This month we in the Associate program wanted to delve a little deeper into our efforts so that Architects and Interns can benefit from our various efforts around town.
Our first effort has been the creation of an ‘Associate’s Blog’ (www.elpasoAAIA.blogspot.com). This blog is a quick and easy way to broadcast the different events and opportunities relevant to the emerging professionals throughout the El Paso region. Posts have included job opportunities, congratulatory announcements, and of course great social events like our very own “El Paso through your eyes” photo contest.

This contest is a fundraising event dedicated to engaging local citizens with the city’s architecture, urban landscape and history. It is happening this Saturday, September 29th from 8:00am -12:00pm at San Jacinto Plaza (111 E. Mills Avenue). The contest includes prizes, so be sure to register at www.elpasoAAIA.blogspot.com. ($25 entry fee.) It is our plan that this fundraiser / social event will help the AAIA El Paso program to expand its programs without taxing the El Paso AIA’s larger efforts.

What programs you ask? Good question. Since we began rebuilding the AAIA program earlier this year our focus has been on three simple things, Communication, Social Interaction, and Examination/Education. While we have already covered two of those efforts, the third is the end game of our program. Earlier this year we organized three study groups to create opportunities for our El Paso Associates to work together in order to overcome, what is for many, the last barrier to licensure. These study groups also help interns brush up on those skills that have gone unused in practice, because as we all know practicing architecture does not equal testing for architecture exams! These groups were designed to continue rolling throughout the year, so if you or someone you know is interested be sure to contact us!

But the exams are only a part of the licensure process. After our annual event this year, we conducted well over a 3 dozed interviews with emerging professionals at various stages of their licensure process. We found was that there are a many questions about NCARB and EESA that were going un-answered. As a result we held EESA seminars for interested foreign architects. Three of us have become IDP Auxiliary Coordinators and we also hosted Martin Smith, an NCARB IDP manager who came into town to help us answer the questions of both supervisory Architects and emerging professionals about the NCARB & IDP process.

In closing, it is necessary to touch on Robert’s final point in his message, the intern’s ‘fear’ of communicating with their principals. While being afraid is no doubt hyperbole, it does shine some light on the odd relationship between a principal and an intern. As an employer, the firm faces a difficult balance of fostering an intern’s growth, while at the same time ensuring that the work gets done. While an intern faces another balancing act of growing as a professional while not trying to rock the boat that keeps them employed.

Both of these situations are only made worse during these rough financial times. So, we outlined a few ways that you can engage your interns, (and interns a few ways you can engage your principals) to create a positive relationship for both:

• Be conscience of your Intern’s work, be sure to include them not only in the design & building part of the firm’s work, but the business, finance, and organizational aspects. Make it a goal to be able to pass off some of the more delicate work to them. In short, empower them with opportunities so they can grow their responsibility & position. (Interns remember the onus is on you!)
• Have career orientated conversations with your interns, asking them where they expect to be in 1,3,5 year times. Openly talk about ways they can improve themselves, and thus the firm. Consider creating a monthly or quarterly review to make sure you both are on track to fulfill your mutual goals. Consider offering incentives and contracts to reach goals that would benefit you both, like licensure or other certifications.
• Mandate participation in the AIA as Associates, ARE study groups or other learning seminars. Interns don’t have continuing education requirements, so this will also keep their ‘in the drawer’ skills sharp until you need them.
• Take time to mentor an Intern outside of your firm. This goes a long way to building strong relationships and gives both principals and interns a good second opinion about any issues that may arise.
• Take a day to have a company wide review seminar where you and they can identify firm wide problems or opportunities to boost morale and improve efficiency. Even something as simple as rearranging furniture or workstations could dramatically boost workflow and happiness.
• Consider hosting a lunch-hour career touch up class for your interns with us to make sure they are on the right track professionally.

These ideas are not just to promote the interns’ work experience, but are here to help you as a Principal get the most out of your ‘people investment.’ and help you plan for firm and profession growth. After all that is what we in the El Paso Associates’ Program are working for. Because we believe that El Paso is full of the best talent, culture, and potential in the southwest. And the more we promote ourselves and each other the better off El Paso Architecture will be.

-Cameron Palm 

Contacts:

Alex Mireles, President, a.m.3design@gmail.com Assoc. AIA, Texas RAD, IDP Aux. Coordinator

Cameron Palm, c: 915-342-0954 d5280@me.com
Assoc. AIA, LEED Green Assoc., IDP Aux. Coordinator, Revit 2012 Professional

We have many more helpful members, and our thanks goes out to them, but please feel free to contact any of us listed here with any questions or comments related to this article or the Associates' Program. 

Contest Rules for Photo Through Your Eyes - Photography Walk and Contest 2012