TSA Member Profile: Ricardo Bargas

TSA Has a New Home!

(from left) Rick Bolner, TSA Controller; Ryan Noyce, of Ironstone Bank; Tommy Cowan, FAIA, TSA Interim EVP; James T. Perry, TSA's new EVP; and Richard Fatheree, Ironstone Bank, pose for a picture after closing on TSA's new headquarters at 500 Chicon in Austin. TSA will move to its new home in January 2011.

Take a virtual tour of 500 Chicon, winner of a 2002 TSA Design Award.

500 Chicon was featured twice in Texas Architect magazine in 2002. Click on the images below to view an enlarged, readable version of the articles.











The building was featured in the Sept/Oct 2002 Texas Architect issue as a TSA Design Award.

Election Analysis

David Lancaster
TSA Senior Director of Advocacy

National trends of voter anxiety and anger contributed to surprising results that will shape the 82nd Texas Legislature, which convenes January11, 2011.

The Texas Architects Committee (TAC) contributed $70,500 to 62 different to candidates in 49 House, 10 Senate and three statewide races. Of those, 33 of the House recipients won, as did all 10 Senate and the three statewide candidates. (One House race is still undecided and unofficial this morning.)

The TSA Advocacy Staff summary is, “Since we follow the friendly incumbent rule as a general policy, we know we stand to lose a number of good friends when there are these ‘tsunami elections’ like this one or the 1994 mid-term election. While we hate to see many of these experienced legislators lose, we’re glad to see several former members we’ve worked well with in the past returning, plus we’ll have the chance to make a number of good new friends.”

Of the total dollar amount contributed, $62,500, or 89 percent of the funds, went to successful candidates due to TAC’s decision to support “proven advocates and friends for the profession” with larger contributions.

A more well-researched and detailed summary will be provided after staff has had the opportunity to analyze the results in more depth.

AIA Dallas Homes Tour: Nov. 6-7

AIA Dallas hosts its annual homes tour this weekend, Nov. 6-7, featuring sustainably designed, renovated, and new construction. Tickets are $25 and are available online at www.hometourdallas.com, at the Dallas Center for Architecture (1909 Woodall Rodgers Frwy., Ste. 100,), and at the individual homes this weekend during the tour. For more information, visit www.aiadallas.org.

Austin Event - Architecture at the Umlauf: Nov. 4

J. Tom Ashley, FAIA - McAllen Architect and Peace Corps Volunteer

In the Nov/Dec issue of Texas Architect magazine, on stands soon, McAllen architect J. Tom Ashley, FAIA, relays his experience as a Peace Corps volunteer who is currently lending his skills in planning and design in Romania. Below is an excerpt from his Essay and some additional pictures from his adventure.

Sometime after midnight in May 2009, I arrived in the Romanian capital of Bucharest as part of the twenty-sixth group of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in this former Soviet bloc country. All 37 of us had met in Washington, D.C., for orientation before flying together overseas. (At 67 years of age, I was among the oldest in the group. Most are in their 20s, although the Peace Corps actively promotes older volunteers.) We were exhausted due to a 10-hour layover in Amsterdam caused by a flight delay. But after landing in the capitol city, we immediately hopped aboard a bus for an hour’s ride northwest to the city of Targoviste. There we were able to catch a few hours of sleep before beginning an intensive 11-week pre-service training program. 

Ashley's Peace Corps assignment is at the Parcul Natural Lunca Muresului (PNLM) or Mures River National Park. The park features Romania’s longest in-country river, the Mures, which stretches 700 kilometers, beginning in the Carpathian Mountains and flowing west into Hungary. Read his Essay on page 27 of the Nov/Dec 2010 issue of Texas Architect.

Long term master plan includes EU-infrastructure and locally funded improvements 


Mini-Mures River, 60 meter long, scale model with recirculating water
  
(l-r) Biologist Gabi, Director Ovidiu, EE Director Paul Youth enjoying Romanian music 



One of 1200 species at Parcul Natural Lunca Muresului (photo by Biologist, Gabi Herlo) 

PNLM wetland planned to be replicated at Mures River model (photo by Biologist, Gabi Herlo) 

PNLM Colleague, Adina Blaj, helping with water-retaining rubber membrane
  
Visitor Center front steps to be renovated/expanded with warm-tone concrete leaf and animal paw impressions (funding justified as "habitat education")
  

Umbrellas planned to be replaced with native plant-covered terasa acoperta/shade lattice 

EU-funded volunteers from France, Lithuania and Morocco at River Model 

In the News Now

The following is provided from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) daily media scan, which was developed out of a growing interest among AIA leadership to connect with media coverage of topics of interest and current trends in the media landscape that relate to the architecture profession. This media scan is not a comprehensive round-up of daily articles related specifically to architecture, but more of a synopsis of current issues or specific events/topics that are relevant to the design industry. 

Wall Street Journal
WTC Taps Fuel Cells
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703708404575586630000766308.html

Lansing State Journal

Competition helps feed hungry one can at a time
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20101031/NEWS01/10310535/1001/NEWS/Competition-helps-feed-hungry-one-can-at-a-time

Market Watch

Carbon Disclosure Project Paves Way For Cities to Report Carbon Emissions
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/carbon-disclosure-project-paves-way-for-cities-to-report-carbon-emissions-2010-11-01?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Boston Globe
Aerotropolis - The rise of a vibrant new kind of city
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/10/31/aerotropolis/?page=full