Austin Museum of Art - A Conversation on Art & Architecture

Architecture, Chris Jordan and Unsustainable Scale will reflect upon the epic photographs of Chris Jordan and their relationship to architecture. Architects Stan Haas, FAIA, of Nelsen Partners, Inc., Jay Hargrave, AIA of Cottam Hargrave, and David Webber, AIA of Webber + Studio will discuss how the current exhibition engaged them and how it relates to issues in their work.

August 4th, 2010
823 Congress Avenue
5:30pm - Curator's Exhibition Tour
6:00pm - Panel Discussion
Suggested donation - $10
No rsvp required, first come - first served.

Experiencing Architecture: Arthouse Follow-up

Last week, Texas Architect staff had an opportunity to tour the Arthouse at the Jones Center renovation/expansion designed by NY-based architecture firm Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis. and to speak with architect Paul Lewis (Art History: The "New" Arthouse at the Jones Center). This week, we had an opportunity to “experience” the design during a membership rush party. Although the project is still under construction, it’s obvious the new program will provide plenty of space for members to gather when Arthouse opens in October.

TBAE Mines for Enforcement Cases Through Certificate of Merit

by Yvonne Castillo

TSA General Counsel

To get better plugged into possible enforcement cases, TBAE staff has proposed using the certificate of merit law as their tool for investigations. In other words, if you have a lawsuit filed against you, TBAE wants to know about it so they can investigate. As you may be aware, Texas law requires a certificate of merit (i.e., sworn affidavit by a third party architect) in lawsuits against architects. This is an extra hoop trial lawyers need to jump through in order to sue an architect…which is a good thing and the purpose for which was to filter out frivolous lawsuits. TBAE is considering using this certificate requirement as an “opportunity” to mine for possible administrative actions against architects by requiring that those certificates get filed with their agency for possible investigation. Our concern? For one, we all know that design defect cases are filed for any number of reasons and while there are plenty of good forensic architects signing the certificates, there are those out there who fail to do their homework. Being filed against doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Also, we have concerns about the mere filing without resolution of the case being in the hands of TBAE staff. A lawsuit is simply an allegation of wrongdoing not a legal conclusion. It seems more appropriate that the agency should want this kind of information after the case has been resolved. Lastly, if the agency plans to continue to pursue this avenue of investigation, it seems reasonable that the agency should focus its inquiry to allegations of gross incompetence, recklessness and areas of dishonest practice, and not simple negligence. TBAE meets on August 20th. TSA will be present monitoring any further discussions on this topic. Stay tuned for updates.

Looking to find your Purpose? Find it in San Antonio this October

Center for Architecture, San Antonio

Image by Giles and Pearlstone Photography

James C. Heck, AIA

Fisher Heck Architects

TSA Convention Chair

If your Purpose is to get all of your CEUs, see what’s new in San Antonio, renew old acquaintances or find new ones, then come to the TSA Convention, Oct. 14 - 16, in our beautiful city. With over 50 continuing education sessions and two terrific keynote speakers at our General Sessions, this year’s convention is bound to satisfy all.

Join members of AIA San Antonio, and get into party mode at the Expo Welcome Party with a burst of energy and “attitude.” Relax and enjoy captivating musicians and artists performing on two different stages.

Sign up for any of the many tours we have available. If your interest is in higher education, museums, religious spaces, the first fully accessible family fun park, the new Museum Reach, or San Antonio’s transformational homeless shelter, among others, you won’t be disappointed. Of course, you’ll have to save some time to come by our Chapter’s new Center for Architecture at the historic Pearl Brewery complex.

We also have an outstanding program for Emerging Professionals, looking at social media as more than a place for finding friends from high school.

Don’t forget the Acme Breakfast, the President’s Gala, the Awards Luncheon or the Texas Architects Foundation Bike Ride.

Visit the TSA website to register today!

Art History: The ‘New’ Arthouse at the Jones Center (opening October 2010)

by Noelle Heinze

Texas Architect

“Color-coding history” is how architect Paul Lewis of New York-based architects Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis describes the red, green, and yellow trusses of the second-floor gallery’s exposed ceiling in the soon-to-be-completed renovation and expansion of Arthouse at the Jones Center (Austin). Walking through the gallery, Lewis indicates the that the red steel is from the original 1920s Queen Theater, the yellow from a 1950s Lerner Shops department store, and the green from the 2010 renovation, which sought to reinforce the structure. Layers of history define the project, which is a collaboration between the architects and Arthouse’s Building Committee and Staff. In fact, the architects were selected based on an interview, not a proposal, and the design grew organically.

Solar tube lighting, a crow’s-nest view of the Texas Capitol, and 150 green-glass apertures add unique touches to the design. But the new features don’t define the project, the original building does, and the architects and Arthouse let it shine through. Especially on the second floor, which features typical white-walled gallery space—but only on three walls. The fourth is left exposed like the ceilings throughout, showing layers that lead back to the 1920s theater; ornamental plasterwork remains and reminds visitors of the building’s many lives. A 13-ft-high moveable wall dissects the gallery, allowing Arthouse to customize the space to accommodate the art within.

Entering the 20,830-sf building from downtown’s busy Congress Avenue, a monumental stairway framed on the right by an ipe curtain—made up of vertical panels in picket-fence formation—leads directly to the second-floor gallery and widens as one makes the ascent. To the front of the gallery is a 90-seat community/screening room, with a wide panel of glass that wraps around the building’s southeast corner and allows pedestrians to view activity inside. At the rear of the gallery, a stairway leads to a reading-room loft and two artist studios. An exit takes visitors to a 5,500-sf rooftop deck with a large movie screen at one end and a crow’s nest retreat at the other. It’s easy to imagine the parties that will take place here long after an opening’s closing.

The building’s first floor houses staff offices and two galleries, and the lobby desk is a continuation of the ipe stairwell. The entry lounge is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glass.

The “new” Arthouse at the Jones Center is an exciting space that melds the present with the past. The building opens in October with an inaugural exhibit by Jason Middlebrook, More Art About Buildings and Food. For more information visit www. Arthousetexas.org.

We talked to Paul Lewis of New York-based architects Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis about what it was like designing Arthouse in Austin, Texas.

Color-coded trusses above the 13 ft. moveable gallery wall.

The new glass blocks were positioned to align with the frescos that were left behind from the old Queen Theater.

Paul Lewis points out the layers of new and old brick that comprise Arthouse's archeological architecture.

The large second-floor window will be used for video displays viewable from both the street and within the building.

+ ARTHOUSE MEMBERSHIP RUSH PARTY +

When: Wednesday, July 28 from 7-9pm

Location: Arthouse

700 Congress Avenue (@ the corner of 7th St.)

Hosted by: Bradley Coburn, Katy Daiger, Nathan B. Green, Christine Moline & Dave Shaw

RSVP: http://rusharthouse.eventbrite.com/

Funding YAF Efforts: Emerging Professionals Component Grant

The AIA College of Fellows has established a small grants fund, Emerging Professionals Component Grant, to assist AIA components in the development of programs that foster the mission of Young Architects and Associates.

These funds may be used to enhance the activities of an existing Emerging Professionals group or as seed money to help start a new one. Because one of the goals of the component grants program is to make Emerging Professionals groups a vital component activity, an explanation or demonstration of component commitment and support is essential.

The deadline for submission is: Monday, August 16, 2010.
For more information, download the grant criteria and application here.

Some suggestions on your application:
- Avoid requests for food, drink, and travel expenses.
- Show matching funds in your budget. Matching funds may be procured from your Chapter or outside sources.
- Demonstrate how your grant will benefit the largest possible number of young architects/emerging professionals.
- If your program is not selected, apply next year.

USGBC Opens Building Performance Partnership to Current LEED-Certified Buildings

Green Building Pro

Buildings Can Voluntarily Submit Performance Data to Inform Future Version of LEED

Washington, DC – (July 22, 2010) – Last summer, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced its Building Performance Partnership (BPP), a program to engage owners and managers of commercial and residential LEED-certified green buildings, optimizing the performance of buildings through data collection, analysis and action. Starting this summer, USGBC has opened the program to all current whole-building LEED-certified commercial and residential projects. BPP will further the efforts to understand how buildings perform from the moment of LEED certification and years beyond.

This partnership among USGBC and the thousands of LEED project owners will result in the population of a comprehensive green building performance database and enable standardization of reporting metrics and analytics to establish new building performance benchmarks.

Continue reading article here.