AIA Houston hosts its annual Homes Tour, Oct. 23 -24, from noon to 6:00 pm each day. The tour features nine architect-designed houses that spotlight sustainability, open floor plans, abundant light, and a mix of modern and traditional materials.
J. Brantley Hightower, AIA, recently purchased one of those cool new digital cameras that also shoots video. Wanting to explore this functionality, he agreed to put together a video illustrating some of the more interesting projects in San Antonio that attendees to this year's convention might want to see for themselves. At least until he's ready to move to Hollywood, Brantley works at Lake|Flato Architects.
Map out your experience of the host city for TSA's 71st Annual Convention and Design Products and Ideas Expo.
How many times have you heard (or told) the following story?
“…I remember when you could only take the licensing exam once a year…and it certainly wasn’t given on a computer. You had to really draw!”
Well, times and technology continue to evolve (and I’ll admit I still like hearing the story), but today architects are venturing into another new digital realm: social media. Many view this landscape of internet marketing, social networks, tweets, and meet-up groups as a matrix - unfamiliar, unfocused, and without purpose. The intention of the “Purpose of Social Media for Architects” seminar at the upcoming Texas Society of Architects Convention is to dispel some of the myths, illustrate tools for navigating Web 2.0, and provide techniques for engagement with a broader network of peers, clients, and allied professionals. Discussions with a panel of four architects (@falloutstudio/@abadi_access / @bobborson / @hpdarchitecture ) will attempt to dismantle the myths, generate dialogue, and ultimately empower attendees to utilize social media to achieve real-world business objectives. The revolution has already started, and it's only 140 characters in length!
Whether its Twitter, Facebook, blogs, meet-up groups, rss feeds, discussion forums, Flickr albums, or the trending application of the moment, these are all just tools--tools architects need to know and utilize in their modern practice. I still draw every day in a sketchbook that I carry alongside my iphone, and I feel just as comfortable working on an Apple or pc-based CAD system – all tools, all part of an evolving practice.
Peers have asked “Why is this topic so important?” There are several things to consider, but I will highlight two core concepts: relevance and dialogue. One of our panelists indicated to me that the reason they became immersed in the social media learning curve was out of fear of becoming irrelevant and not being able to communicate in an evolving digital practice. Sound familiar? No more drawing on the boards, now we look over someone’s shoulder at colored lines on a monitor and later at a building information model on a handheld device at a job site… We are in an eternally optimistic profession that revels in sharing our theories and work, often in dialogue with ourselves. But, the advent and proliferation of social networks allows us to engage a broader dialogue, filtering the stream of irrelevant information and building networks of actual people with thoughts, feelings, and ideas -- about us, our companies, and the world around us. Interested?
There is a new LinkedIn group called Social Media for Architects that will act as an online threaded dialogue, populated by the panelists as well as many others interested and immersed in this new social web. Additionally, the hash tag #TSAConv on Twitter will provide a live, filtered dialogue about things going on at the TSA Convention. Seeing is believing, and I welcome your input in advance of the seminar (Comment here on the TSA blog or via the LinkedIn group). I encourage your attendance. See you in San Antonio!
I promise the panelists are pretty lively, just saying.
Filo Castore, AIA is an architect who practices ecological common sense. He has lived in Houston since 1995, but wrote the article on the GSA Regional Field Office from his homeland of Italy while visiting family with his wife and daughter. See his article on page 72.
U. S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (TX-25) is the TSA office’s most recent “official visitor,” having toured and met the staff on Mon., Sept. 27, when he came by to receive public acknowledgement of his support of AIA positions, as well as the national PAC’s financial support. The congressman was lauded for his 100% voting record on 2009 AIA issues, including the “21st Century High Performing School Facilities Act” and “Small Business Financing & Investment Act of 2009.”
Congressman Doggett has a long history of supporting AIA and TSA positions, especially in areas of historic preservation, small business tax policy, qualification-based selection of design professionals (QBS), and high-quality design for more energy efficient public buildings. Doggett’s history of professional support dates back to his service in the Texas Senate (1973-85) and continues through his service in Congress, which began in 1994.
Doggett serves on the House Budget and Ways & Means committees. Shown with Congressman Doggett (2nd from left) are: (l to r) Interim TSA Executive Vice President Tommy Cowan, FAIA; AIA Austin Executive Director Sally Fly, Hon. AIA; and John Nyfeler, FAIA, representing ArchiPAC, the AIA’s political action committee. Also involved in the meeting were TSA staff members Yvonne Castillo (General Counsel) and David Lancaster, Hon. AIA (Sr. Director for Advocacy).
While the 2011 Legislative Session begins on Jan. 11, 2011, TSA preparations are well underway for our FIRST EVER Lobby Day –“Advocates for Architecture Day”! It may seem too soon to register, but it’s not. If we reach our goal of getting 150 architects in the Texas Capitol at one time, we’ve got a lot of planning and coordinating to do, so please don’t delay and register now. Mandatory Advocacy Training will commence on Jan. 25, 2011, from 9:00 am to noon, with legislative visits throughout the day. A cocktail reception with 150 of your colleagues will occur at our new digs in East Austin (500 Chicon) the evening before at 6 p.m. on Jan. 24. TSA will schedule the appointments with your Representative and Senator, unless you prefer to schedule it yourself. Custom-designed t-shirts are available for $30. We look forward to seeing you soon!
On Sunday, Sept. 26, about 200 friends gathered at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas to commemorate the life and work of the late David Dillon. They came together to share their remembrances of David with each other and with his family. The former architecture critic for the Dallas Morning News died suddenly of heart failure on June 3 at his home in Amherst, Mass.
Born in 1941 in Fitchburg, Mass., David came to Dallas in 1969 as an assistant professor of English at SMU, but found his life's calling several years later when he turned his attention to architecture criticism. He first wrote for D Magazine before being hired by the Morning News. In his more than 25 years on the newspaper's staff, David earned the respect and affection of many architects in Dallas and far beyond.
Welcomed by Dillon's long-time friend Max Levy, FAIA, the attendees at the Nasher heard remembrances and eulogies from 11 speakers. On the front row were Sally Dillon, David's wife of 39 years, and their two children, Christopher and Catherine.
Recollections ranged the gamut of David's life, from his passionate following of professional hockey and baseball (particularly his beloved Bruins and Red Sox) to his stealth mentoring of a younger generation of journalists. Throughout the afternoon's reminiscences, the audience learned about David's enthusiasm for enduring friendships, his connoisseurship of fine food and wines, as well as his keen interest in explaining the importance of good architecture and urban design. Far from being overly sentimental, the event was a true celebration that mixed humorous anecdotes and stories that revealed David's sincerity and his disdain for anything false.
The speakers at the Celebration of Life included friends from the Dallas architectural community (Rand Elliott, FAIA; John Mullen, FAIA; Kevin Sloan, ASLA; and Frank Welch, FAIA) and colleagues from the Morning News (fellow arts critic Scott Cantrell; the newspaper's top editor, Bob Mung; entertainment columnist Michael Granberry; and Chris Vognar, another entertainment columnist). Other speakers were Steve Daniels, a colleague from David's days at SMU's English Department, and Allen Mondell, a fellow runner who frequently joined David on jogs through local parks.
I was particularly impressed by the eloquence of Jed Morse, the curator of the Nasher, who spoke without notes about David's being the "go to" guy whenever a program about architecture was being planned at the museum, and who elicited laughter with his comment about his relief to learn that the Nasher was one of the newer buildings in Dallas that David actually admired. Most memorable was the picture Morse sketched in words of David and Ray Nasher standing in the museum's garden and looking back at the building framed by the Dallas skyline.
Max Levy ended the program by reading an e-mail from Blair Kamin, the architecture critic of the Chicago Tribune, who expressed his sentiments about the loss of an honest voice who helped the public understand and appreciate their communities.
In honor of his architectural legacy, the Dallas Architecture Forum and AIA Dallas have established the David Dillon Memorial Scholarship. The initial scholarship will be given to an outstanding architecture graduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington. Additional donations are being accepted to permanently endow the scholarship and expand it to a national level. For more information, contact Nate Eudaly at the Dallas Architectural Forum at 1909 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Suite 100, Dallas, Texas, 75201.
These photos of the memorial service were taken by Mark Gunderson, AIA.
The Texas Society of Architects is a state component of the American Institute of Architects. Founded in 1939, TSA is now one of the nation's largest statewide organizations, with 17 regional chapters and over 6,500 members. The Society is headquartered in Austin.
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