Bulletin May 2015

NEWSLETTER of AIA CONNECTICUT

The Connecticut Chapter of the American Institute of Architects 370 James Street, Suite 402

New Haven, CT 06513

Calendar

All programs are at AIA Connecticut’s office, unless otherwise noted.

May 4 Deadline Emerging Architect Award Nomination

May 5 Canstruction Build and Award Ceremony NLC, Waterbury Campus

May 8 Lunchtime Learning Program The World of Dimensional Stone Presented by Chris Barnaby from Julian Enterprises 12:30 - 1:30 pm

May 13 The International Residential Code, Chapter 6 Presented by Greg Grew, AIA

May 19 Golf /Tennis/Croquet Outing The Farms Country Club 180 Cheshire Road Wallingford

May 25 AIA Connecticut office closed May 27 Designing, Detailing and Construction Rain Screen Wall Systems Presented by Rick Filloramo from International Masonry Institute 11:00 am - 2:30 pm

Register

Join your industry colleagues for an enjoyable event featuring a full day of golf or a half day of tennis or croquet.

Dapper clothing for men and fancy hats for women are de rigueur for croquet players!

Tennis players will participate in a round robin format on HAR TRU courts.

All players will socialize at the end-of-day reception following playing time at which awards will be presented.

Marvin Architects Challenge entry deadline extended to May 8

AIA CONNECTICUT ANNUAL OUTING GOLF / CROQUET / TENNIS

TUESDAY, MAY 19 THE FARMS COUNTRY CLUB

180 CHESHIRE ROAD WALLINGFORD

Member News

Branford Fire Headquarters, designed by SILVER / PETRUCELLI + ASSOCIATES of Hamden, has earned Silver certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the first municipal building in Branford to earn LEED® Silver certification and is the first fire station in Connecticut to be designated LEED® Silver.

~ NORTHEAST COLLABORATIVE ARCHITECTS of Middletown recently promoted two of its Connecticut-based architects from project managers to principals. The new principals include SEAN DONADIO, AIA and JOHN SCHEIB, AIA.

~ Congratulations to TURNER BROOKS, AIA for receiving the 2015 Yale College Teaching Prize: the Sidonie Miskimin Clauss ‘75 Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities, Architecture.

~ Member News may be submitted to Louise Weaver.

AIA Connecticut Bulletin Page 2

Do You Have a Website? AIA Connecticut often receives calls from the public requesting referrals. We always direct callers to our website and assist them with how to sort through the various categories. Our website contains links to our members’ websites. In today's world, websites are critical marketing tools! If you do not have a website, you may be missing out on potential projects. We, in turn, are not serving you to the best of our ability because, if we do not have your information, we are deterred in our efforts to provide you with the kind of service you deserve. Please make sure we have the correct address for your firm’s website. Changes to your website’s URL address can be emailed to jharris@aiact.org.

AIA Connecticut Associate AIA member, Jose Mejia, (right) is pictured with Leon Krier. Mr. Krier recently presented a lecture at the Yale School of Architecture, “Le Corbusier after Le Corbusier”.

The year's first quarter closed, a much-anticipated spring has arrived, and along with it came April 15, when taxes and bill paying come to the forefront of everyone's minds — including Governor Dannell Malloy. The Governor's office has proposed a series of sweeping and controversial legislative packages designed to overhaul the state's badly neglected transportation infrastructure. It's no secret to anyone along the I-95 transportation corridor that Connecticut's streets, highways, bridges and tunnels (some of them engineering marvels from the past two centuries) are in dire straits. Even casual travelers cannot get from point A to point B without encountering mind-numbing delays or road conditions better suited to a third-world country. Our rail system, far behind European and even some Asian counterparts, has problems so obvious they can be catalogued while passing by at 60 miles per hour, or just as likely creeping past them at one-third that speed, due to safety restrictions. Our seaports and communication systems are decades behind comparable European communities, and repair costs to keep these out-of-date systems even barely functional begin to eclipse regular maintenance costs as they tear huge gaps in operating budgets. The good news is that these desperately needed capital improvements are going to be critical boosts to job creation and economic growth along the transportation corridors. The bad news is that the bill that is coming due for these long-neglected repairs and upgrades is going to be massive. It's going to require a painful mixture of public and private funding at local, state and federal levels. It's also no secret that Connecticut's executive and legislative branches have their eyes turned toward Washington to help solve the problem of how to fund all this. Sales tax increases, eminent domain seizures, privatization, higher fuel taxes and higher real estate fees are among the many distasteful options that will be explored. The politics behind these decisions will likely be as complex as the repairs and upgrades themselves. Our membership recognizes that these overhauls are absolutely critical to moving people and supplies so that businesses here will stay, build, create jobs and stimulate growth. People and businesses need to be able to get where they're going, and communicate effectively without delays, interruptions, inconveniences or even danger — or they're going to look elsewhere to settle down and build. Clearly questions this big and issues this complex will need addressing, and we have no definitive answers yet in sight. But these issues are not going to go away, they're only going to get worse — and our membership needs to be prepared to actively work with the legislature as well as local, state and federal officials to find solutions.

President’s Column By Philip H. Cerrone, AIA

Page 3 May 2015

AIA Connecticut Welcomes its New Members

AIA Stuart C. Allen

Lauren B. Braren Darin Curts

Edward R. Dionne Michael J. Drummer Joshua Grochowski Anthony Minichetti

Benjamin D. Simmons Renee Theroux-Keech

Regina L. Winters Axel Zemborain Elizabeth Zieman

Associate AIA Yemming Lee Mark Hellen

Matthew J. Lopes Jose Leonidas Mejia

Rebecca Mikulay Bryan T. Panico

Venice Fire Exit

Courtesy of Terry Brouwer, Office of State Fire Marshal

Resume Register and Summer Internship Requests

AIA Connecticut has received a number of requests from students of architecture seeking summer internships. Can your firm accommodate these future architects? The Resume Register is free to members seeking employment. For a modest fee, this service is also available to non-members. Firms seeking employees are highly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Those looking for employment should send resumes and cover letters electronically. We ask that you encourage friends and colleagues, members or not, to submit their resumes. The more active the service, the more value it has to both members and firms. Encourage your colleagues and friends to submit their resumes. An active Resume Service is a valuable resource! Please e-mail Pat O’Brien at pobrien@aiact.org with resumes and requests.

Keynote speaker - Stephen Chung, AIA Principal, Stephen Chung, Architect, Boston

Host of PBS’s Cool Spaces series.

Please join us for Stephen’s presentation in the Wilde Auditorium, Harry Jack Grey Center, free and open to the public. Reception at the University’s Joseloff Gallery and Department of Architecture. Celebratory AIA New England Design Awards dinner at the 1877 Club.

Mark your calendar and watch for more information and registration details.

SAVE THE DATE! The 2015 AIA New England Annual Meeting

Friday, October 30, 2015 The University of Hartford

West Hartford, Connecticut Hosted by AIA Connecticut

2015 Business Architecture Awards

The AIA Connecticut Design committee is pleased to announce the results of the 2015 Business Architecture Award, presented in conjunction with Business New Haven, the Fairfield Business Journal, and the Hartford Business Journal. This statewide award honors architects for solving business problems for Connecticut clients, thereby demonstrating the power of architecture to shape business performance, improve people’s lives and provide a value added service to clients. The award focuses on “Business to Business” projects but may include non-profit businesses. The award acknowledges those projects that both enhance the built environment and achieve business goals, such as growth, branding identity, or future positioning. The 2015 entries included many projects whose design excellence will be recognized in the chapter’s annual Design Award program. 2015 Jurors were Laura Pirie, AIA, Pirie Associates Architects, New Haven; Duo Dickinson, AIA, Duo Dickinson Architect, Madison; and Ralph Rotomund, S & R Holdings, Madison. Projects were submitted in two categories: under 50 employees and over 50 employees. The winner in the Under 50 Employees category was the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology (ConnCAT), Science Park, New Haven, designed by Svigals + Partners, New Haven. The jury commented that this engaging, inviting project does a lot with a little. It demonstrates growth and takes the client to the next level. It has energy, dynamism, and shows what can be achieved with a small budget. In the Over 50 Employees category, the winning project was Dorel Sports, Wilton, designed by CPG Architects, Stamford. The jury noted that the project looks like its story; it merges both the staff and visitor experience and meets all the corporate strategic goals. The design supports the firm’s branding and gets out the message of what it does. Interesting and well executed, it shows that you can have fun doing a project. Honorable Mention was awarded to the Belimo Americas Expansion Project, Danbury, designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, Glastonbury. The jury felt that the design demonstrates active thinking about the future and incorporates planning for the future. The jury appreciated the extra efforts and clear, consistent attempt to integrate branding in a large scale facility, which is always a difficult task.

Page 4 May 2015

Belimo Americas Expansion Project The S/L/A/M COOPERATIVE Robert Benson Photography

ConnCAT: Svigals+ Partners Robert Benson Photography

Dorel Sports CPG Architects Esto Photographics, Inc.

Page 5 May 2015

Plan for LIFE in Retirement By Monica Couillard AXA Equitable Many financial companies encourage Americans to plan for retirement, but retirement is an event – it’s something that happens once (maybe a couple of times for professional athletes). It is far more important and enjoyable to plan for life in retirement, to plan for moments of exhilaration coupled with spans of relaxation. Americans have an opportunity to shape their lives in retirement and create the experiences that they really want to live. It’s been reported time and again that Americans are living longer in retirement. Life expectancy in the United States hit an all-time high in 2012, averaging 78.8 years, with women expecting to live 81.2 years and men expecting to live 76.4 years. However, the more impressive figure is the projection that individuals who have reached age 65 will enjoy an additional 19.3 years, broken down as 20.5 years for women and 17.9 years for men1. That’s a lot of time to enjoy life in retirement. Have you considered what your life in retirement will look like? Feel like? Smell like? Do you foresee a myriad of recreational activities, such as skiing, travelling the country in an RV, and embracing the world? Or would you prefer to work on your home and garden, enjoy shows at a local playhouse, and hone your craft skills? Perhaps you’ve considered starting a new business in retirement, working part-time or volunteering for local causes. Maybe your focus will center on enjoying time with your friends and family. Take a few moments to picture your ideal life once you’ve exited the 40-hour work-week. Can you taste it? Whatever your vision of your retirement may be, the ability to make it a reality starts today. You hold the keys to your life in retirement. Whether you’re 20 years old and entering the workforce or are a seasoned veteran considering your future options, it is never too late to shape your future life in retirement. It won’t create itself – you need to take control and make sure that you’ve already put the right plans in place to help ensure a comfortable retirement. As a member of AIA, you have access to a free retirement planning consultation with a dedicated Retirement Program Specialist from AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company. Our specialists work with architect firm owners and their employees every day by providing guidance on their current plans or helping them establish a plan that is manageable from day 1 through your life in retirement. Just 10-15 minutes with a specialist can help you start a plan for your lifetime in retirement. And if you already have a plan, take a few minutes to help make sure it’s the right one that aligns with your vision of your life in retirement. It’s part of your member benefit. You may reach a specialist who works with AIA members by calling 800-523-1125, option 3, Department 2045. You may also obtain more information at www.axa2plan.com. 1Centers for Disease Control, Mortality in the United States, 2012. Monica Couillard is a Relationship Manager, Association Business, at AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, NY, NY. The Members Retirement Program is funded by a group variable annuity contract issued and distributed by AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (AXA Equitable), NY, NY. Neither AXA Equitable or its employees provide tax or legal advice.