Committee On Design Spring Conference Scholarship
March 14, 2013
The AIA’s Committee on Design is offering a scholarship to attend our Spring Conference in Palm Springs, California on May 9-12, 2013 — “Regional Modernism.” The scholarship will provide reimbursement for round-trip economy class airfare and registration to the conference. It will be offered to an AIA Member who has been a licensed architect for less than 10 years.
Miller House by Richard Neutra, 1937.
About the AIA Committee on Design
The AIA Committee on Design (COD) was founded to promote design excellence among members of the AIA, the broader design community, and the public at large, both nationally and internationally. The Committee on Design is led by a volunteer advisory group of eight architects and an adjunct leadership team of 11 additional individuals.
In realizing our mission, we promote a range of activities intended to encourage a dialogue on the art of building. In addition to visits to and consideration of great architecture, COD also nominates candidates for many of the AIA’s most important design awards and organizes design related events at the national convention. Visit our website for more information.
About the Conference
The COD holds a national conference in the spring and an international conference in the fall. This year’s Focus will be on Modernism: Origins, Regionalism, and Continuing Inspiration. The three-day spring Conference is being held in Palm Springs, California and will be an opportunity to explore the rich collection of new and historic regional modernism found in this area. With about 120 colleagues we will tour buildings, listen to lectures, and have informal conversations all exploring this year’s theme.
Travel to Palm Springs will be on Wednesday, May 8th. A pre-conference tour will start at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday with the opening reception on Thursday evening. Guided tours and lectures will be on Friday and Saturday, and the closing event on Sunday morning. Travel home will be Sunday afternoon. Click here for more details on the itinerary.
Elrod House by John Lautner, 1968.
How will the recipient be selected?
The goal of this scholarship is to introduce an architect to the Committee on Design and ask them to communicate the value of COD to other architects. We are seeking an individual who is passionate about practicing architecture and who will have an ability to communicate what they learn at the conference to a wider audience. To that end, applicants should have experience in practicing architecture as well communication skills with social media and blogging about architecture.
Applicants must be AIA members who have been licensed architects for less than 10 years. We will limit our selection to those who have not received a travel scholarship from the AIA (local chapter or national) or another AIA Knowledge Leadership Group.
The scholarship is privately funded through a donation. The recipient is selected by the donors and the immediate past, present, and future Chairs of COD. Friends, family, or colleagues of the jury are not eligible.
What are the submission requirements?
Please submit the following in a letter-sized PDF to Tamzin Howerton at tamzinhowerton@aia.org – by 5:00 PM EST, April 4, 2013. The PDF should not exceed 5mb in size or 10 pages in length:
The PDF should contain a brief letter expressing your interest and why you think you are a good candidate to attend the Palm Spring Conference. Include an idea of how you would communicate the value of this experience to a wider audience – a talk at your local AIA chapter about what you learned, for instance.
Also, include your resume, a professional letter of reference, and examples of blog posts, and/or social media pages that you have created indicating your ability to communicate your observations through words, drawings, and photographs.
What the scholarship will provide.
The scholarship will provide reimbursement for round-trip, economy class airfare from within the United States to Palm Springs and transportation to/from the airport to the hotel. It will also cover conference registration, 4 nights of lodging (May 8-11), and meals during the conference.
What we ask in return.
In exchange, we request that you provide us with a written and illustrated 10 page report on one favorite Palm Springs project that will be used on the COD website and social media. In addition, we require you to follow through on the idea for communicating the value of your COD experience to a wider audience which you supplied in your application.
Notification
All applicants will receive an email confirmation of receipt of their application within two business days. If you do not receive an email confirmation, contact Tamzin Howerton at tamzinhowerton@aia.org. All applicants will receive notifications of the jury’s decision by April 11, 2013.
Questions? Contact Tamzin Howerton at tamzinhowerton@aia.org.
The Committee on Design visited Columbus, Indiana in April, 2012. Click here to read the conference report written by John Morris Dixon, FAIA. Photos courtesy of Jim Childress, FAIA, Ann Thompson and Aaron Trahan.
2012 Member Slideshow: Barnes Architecture Inc. Anchorage, AK
February 26, 2013
Member Slideshows are created each year for the Spring Conference to illustrate the recent work of the attendee’s firms. All COD members are welcome to participate. Attendees have 6 slides and 60 seconds to present their projects, or whatever is on their mind. Many of the 2012 Member Slideshow slides are posted on the COD Pinterest page.
Jeffrey Barnes, AIA presented his slides.
Mullowney Residence. Anchorage, AK. Photo courtesy of Ken Graham Photography.com.
Mullowney Residence. Anchorage, AK. Photo courtesy of Ken Graham Photography.com.
Mullowney Residence. Anchorage, AK. Photo courtesy of Ken Graham Photography.com.
Mullowney Residence. Anchorage, AK. Photo courtesy of Ken Graham Photography.com.
Mullowney Residence, Anchorage, AK. Photo courtesy of Ken Graham Photography.com.
Mullowney Residence. Anchorage, AK. Photo courtesy of Ken Graham Photography.com.
Mat-Su Services For Children And Adults, Wasilla, AK.
2012 Member Slideshow: Ehrlich Architects,
February 14, 2013
Member Slideshows are created each year for the Spring Conference to illustrate the recent work of the attendee’s firms. All COD members are welcome to participate. Attendees have 6 slides and 60 seconds to present their projects, or whatever is on their mind. Many of the 2012 Member Slideshow slides are posted on the COD Pinterest page.
Takashi Yanai, AIA of Ehrlich Architects presented his slides.
Kreutzer Residence, Houston, TX. Rendering by bioLINIA.
33 Spring Road, Marin County, CA. Rendering by bioLINIA.
McElroy Residence, Laguna Beach, CA. Rendering by bioLINIA.
Schindler House on Ellis Avenue, Englewood, CA. Photo courtesy of Grant Mudford.
UC Irvine Contemporary Arts Center, Irvine, CA. Photo courtesy of Lawrence Anderson/ESTO.
ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration, Tempe, AZ. Rendering by bioLINIA
Obituary: Ulrich Franzen, FAIA 1921-2012
October 23, 2012
Friend of COD and Former Chair (1972) Ulrich Franzen passed away recently. He will be missed but his work remains an influence on all of us.
Towers House designed by Ullrich Franzen, 1963.
Image courtesy of Deirdre Towers
See his obituary in The New York Times here.
The Committee On Design Is Going To Columbus, Indiana
April 5, 2012
Image provided by UnconfirmedBreakingNews.com
The Committee On Design is holding its Spring Conference in Columbus, Indiana April 12 – 15, 2012. COD Chair Mike Mense selected Columbus as part of his year’s theme: Defining Architectural Design Excellence.
His premise:
Why, after so many years of excellent public and commercial architecture in Columbus, Indiana, are there almost no modern houses?
Why, when you drive north from Florida’s South Beach passing miles and miles of waterfront houses, less than one percent are anything we would call architecture?
Why do Americans drive designer cars and drink designer coffee but live, most all of them, in a house or apartment that is pretending to be the home of some wealthy ancestors long deceased?
Are we determined as a profession to continue to define ourselves in ways that isolate us from the greater part of the society in which we practice?
Can we find some definitions of architectural excellence upon which we can agree and that we can explain successfully to the silent majority? Is it even something we want to do?
The exclusive opportunities for attendees to the Columbus Conference Include:
- The opportunity to meet and converse with many of the national and local architects who have worked in Columbus, Indiana, including Gunnar Birkerts, Ben and Cynthia Weese (representing Harry Weese), Daniel McCoubrey and Nancy Rogo Trainer (representing Robert Venturi), Ralph Johnson of Perkins+Will, Jane Weinzapfel, Kevin Kennon, Carlos Jimenez, Fred Koetter and Susie Kim.
- An open house tour, with personal photography allowed, of the Miller House and Gardens, “America’s most significant modernist house” per Travel+Leisure. The house showcases the collaborative design of leading 20th-century architects and designer: Eero Saarinen, Alexander Girard and Dan Kiley. You will be allowed to wander the house and gardens on your own, with docents available for information, instead of the limited guided tours. Personal photography is permitted, not allowed on public tours.
- Meet Will Miller, patron of modern architecture, son of J. Irwin Miller who commissioned the Miller House and started the renowned Cummins Foundation architectural program.
- The Cummins’ Friday evening reception and dinner at the Cummins Corporate Headquarters, designed by Kevin Roche, including tours of the workplace. Dinner provided by Cummins’ executive chef. You will also have the opportunity to meet and dine with Cummins executives and community leaders. Cummins Corporate Headquarters is a secured building and typically not open to the public except for the lobby.
- Tour Cummins midrange engine plant in Walesboro, an innovative sustainable design by Kevin Roche completed in 1973. Cummins facilities are not typically open to the public without special arrangements.
- If you have never been to Columbus, Indiana before, we will visit many of it’s unique collection of over 80 modern buildings, designed by nationally and internationally noted architects, including Eliel Saarinen, Eero Saarinen, I.M Pei, Harry Weese, Robert Venturi, Richard Meier, SOM and many more. Columbus was ranked 6th in the nation for innovation and architectural design by AIA members. It was ranked 11th by National Geographic Traveler’s on a list of 109 historic locations to visit worldwide.
- If you have previously visited Columbus, but not been back in the last 5-10 years, we will visit many new buildings and experience the ongoing redevelopment of the downtown, designed by noted architects Carlos Jimenez, Ralph Johnson, Deborah Berke, William Rawn, Cesar Pelli, Fred Koetter and Susie Kim.
Visit the COD website for more information and follow the conference on our Facebook page and Twitter feed.
Crafting The Future, Japan Conference: Wandering Around Tokyo
November 13, 2011
The Committee On Design Conference in Japan begins its first day in Tokyo. Having never been to Japan, I am struck by how much the city appears similar to almost any city in the world, except there’s a lot more of it. It seems to stretch to the horizon without any apparent center core. The vast majority of the architecture is understandably modern. With the exception of the Imperial Palace area, it appears to have all been built from 1950 on. I would be hard pressed to say the city feels ‘Japanese’ but it is distinct in how it’s such a wonderful cacophony of buildings all vying for attention.
Some buildings are beautifully crafted, but they are tucked under a viaduct and mixed in cheek to jowl with everything else. This commercial building with a brise soleil of vertical fins that create an appearance of a white building on one side, transparent in the middle, and black on the other side as you pass by.
I don’t know who designed the buildings and garden below, they are not in the guide books, but they are as interesting as the major pieces of architecture.
Others, like the cantilevered box on stilts on the right (below), are just plain weird. However, one has to respect the design energy. Whether you like it personally or not, you have to respect that each are individuals and someone carefully thought about it.
Jim Childress, FAIA
You are all invited to attend the Committee on Design Conference in Japan this November. If Japan has been on your bucket list, this is a great way to see the best-of-the-best architecture in a short time. The conference has been planned by our colleagues in the Pacific Northwest along with their extensive contacts in Japan.
The conference registration is open and the information for the event can be accessed through www.aia.org/craftingthefuture.
Specific highlights of the conference you might be interested in include:
- 10.5 AIA CES (10.5HSW)NWPR Portion, 21.5 AIA CES (9.5HSW, 3SD) COD Portion
- A keynote talk by 2011 AIA Gold Medal recipient, Fumihiko Maki, Hon. FAIA
- A visit to the Meiji Village, an open air museum highlighting Japanese architecture of the Meiji period (1868-1912)
- A visit to the Hida Folk Village, an open air museum of 30 farmhouses illustrating traditional architectural styles.
- A visit to Kenrokuen, one of the three best gardens in Japan.
Fumihiko Maki, Hon. FAIA
Meiji Village
Hida Folk Village
Kenrokuen Garden
Speaking from experience, these conferences are extremely well organized and full of constant inspiration. Your batteries will be recharged and you’ll come home with some extraordinary memories.
(One way to help limit the cost of travel is to make use of direct flights from cities on the West Coast to Tokyo. Check the Registration page for more travel tips.)
THE CULTURE OF CRAFT, COD Conference in Seattle – June, 2011
August 5, 2011
The Art Stable Building, (2010) Olson Kundig Architects Photo: Benjamin Benschneider
Over the next few months we are going to run a series of blog posts that describe the ideas and projects we discovered at the recent COD Seattle Conference – entitled The Culture of Craft.
This conference was put together by Anne Schopf, FAIA ( 2012 Chair of the Committee of Design, and Design Partner at Mahlum, Seattle) and Susan Jones FAIA, ( the Conference Chair, founder of Atelier Jones in Seattle and an Affiliate Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Washington).
Anne and Susan were our incomparably cheerful tour guides, and provided insight to the distinct nature of Seattle Architecture. Additional speakers at this conference included David Miller, FAIA, of The Miller Hull Partnership, who talked about how the craft of architecture has evolved in this region over the last 60 years. We saw a film entitled ‘Modern Views: A Conversation on Northwest Modern Architecture’, produced by Boaz Ashkenazy, Assoc. AIA, studio/216 that gave us a glimpse of the founding fathers, and mothers, of modern architecture in this region.
We met Jim Cutler, FAIA, Cutler Anderson Architects, at one of his favorite buildings and heard about how it was designed. Richard Haag, FASLA, Richard Haag Associates, one the nation’s eminent landscape architects, talked about his experience designing the Bloedel Reserve. Peter Bohlin, FAIA, Bohlin, Cywinski, Jackson, gave a wonderful hour-long talk about craft and how the Pacific Northwest has influenced his work. The conference ended with a thoughtful overview presented by Daniel S. Friedman, FAIA, Dean, College of Built Environments, University of Washington.
Our next post will give you an overview of the projects we visited and then, with the help of our colleagues who also visited Seattle, we will share our impressions of what we discovered. You can also visit the COD website and download the Conference Guide, beautifully crafted by the Mahlum office.
Jim Childress, FAIA
The Bloedel Reserve Education Center (1992) Cutler Anderson Architects Photo: Art Grice
The Ballard Public Library, (2005) Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Photo: Benjamin Benschneider
Suyama Peterson Deguchi Office gallery Photo: Suyama Space
Hilltop Community Residence Photo: Charles Anderson
The Bloedel Reserve Guest House and Stone Garden Photo: Richard Brown
