YOUR AIA IN THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY
QUARTERLY
BULLETIN
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Alek Zarifian, AIA, LEED AP
It is hard to believe that we are halfway through the year. The beginning of which was turbulent but engaging as we all adjusted in order to collaborate better together. The team this year is amazing and has done a magnificent job so far. Without a doubt, this great work will continue on through the end of the year. On May 30th, we had our Chapter’s Open House. We invited all our members to come by and celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in our history. It’s amazing how this change occurred simultaneously as AIA National unveiled the new strategy for repositioning its relevance to the profession as a whole. Alek Zarifian, AIA
The idea to actually renovate the office happened about this time last year after continuous difficulty arranging our Chapter meetings and events. Someone said, “How about we take this wall down and open up the space”? Everyone immediately concurred and it was the beginning of a very positive change within our chapter, physical and spiritual. The excitement and momentum that this tangible change has brought about here at AIAPF is unprecedented. If you have had a chance to drop by the office on 555 S. Oak Knoll Avenue, you can feel the difference in the energy and the range of possibilities that it now has to offer. With that said, the true gain laid in the process itself; seemingly a test of our ability to work together. This process let us understand each other better and appreciate the value that we each bring to the table. This beautiful new office is a reflection of our ability to embrace the past as well as the urge to find solutions to the problems that we face on a daily basis.
JULY 2013
helped us accomplish this important task for our members. This year we have tried to bring the same spirit into our programs by inviting innovative speakers such as Kimon Onuma and Ilaria Mazzoleni to talk about new perspectives on building information modeling and how there is still so much for us to learn from nature. On June 19th, Nazanin Zarkesh, our 2013 Vice President/President Elect, and I went to Denver, Colorado to take part in the National AIA Convention. There, along with other delegates of our chapter membership we voted in the election of our next AIA National Leadership. Additionally, on June 18th, Past President Mark Gangi, who helped establish the new “Leadership Committee” just this year, spoke at the convention on the subjects of Civic Leadership and Citizen Architect. Our Emerging Professionals Committee has run a very successful series of ARE courses for our young Associate members under the leadership of Tony Hambarchian. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Nazanin Zarkesh (Vice President/President Elect), Dan Stein (Secretary), Chancey Jones (Treasurer) and Zelda Wong (Executive Director) for their outstanding leadership and continued support. I would also like to extend the same gratitude to the entire Board of Directors, for their relentless hard work and pursuit of excellence in their respectful directorship positions. Special thanks to our wonderful volunteer committee members, our webmaster, Jessica Holland and our selfless young interns for working so hard to make all this happen. Our June financial records indicate that we run a strong positive balance and we intend to continue the year with the same momentum and excitement. Thank you for your continued support and participation.
The office remodel was discussed during the Last Presidents Luncheon and it was supported there by all those kind and caring members of our great Chapter of Pasadena & Foothill. This change reflects a new beginning, a new life and breath in everything that we do, not only as a Chapter, but as a collective group of architects who strive to improve ourselves and our communities. We ask all of you, our membership, to come to your office and see it and know it as a resource in helping you accomplish your goals. Our special thanks go to ARC Graphics, Ray Girvigian, Gangi Architects, M3, HAYNES + OAKLEY, Ewing Architects Inc., LA Design Group, Bentley Prince Street, Frazee Paint, Comex Group, Lance Bird, Joe Catalano, Brian Lee, Nassef Eskander and Richard McCann. Our kind sponsors
Members gather at the AIAPF Open House. Photography by Alek Zarifian
AIA Pasadena & Foothill • A Chapter of the American Institute of Architects • 555 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101 • 626.796.7601 • www.aiapf.org
AIAPF JULY 2013
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS CAREER DEFINING MOMENT R. Steven Lewis, AIA, NOMAC, LEED AP & RESILIENCY In a recent Design Affects blog, “15 SOCIAL IMPACT DESIGNERS REVEAL THEIR CAREER DEFINING MOMENT,“ two questions were posed to select public-interest designers. Our own Steve Lewis was selected to participate, read his responses below. The full article may be accessed from: http://www.designaffects.com/ interview/15-social-impact-designers-reveal-their-career-definingmoment/
Rita Saikali Carter, Associate AIA
AIA + AFH // Citizen Architect Committee + Disaster Preparedness Resiliency
Rita Saikali Carter
Architecture for Humanity is a global nonprofit organization addressing issues of poverty alleviation, disaster mitigation and (re)construction, post-conflict community building, and design for at-risk populations. The organization functions on a global level, while the local chapters focus on local community issues and needs.
1. What was the pivotal moment in your career that led you to social impact design? I grew up in a household where the breadwinner was an architect. My dad, Roger C. Lewis, was one of a fraternity of New York area Black architects who came into their own in the post-civil rights period of the early 1970’s. Many of these pioneers had steadily perfected their craft under the rarely forgiving eye of majority-owned companies until, thanks to a perfect storm of sorts, the stars aligned and circumstances led to their emergence as firm-owners. Once armed with autonomy, survival became the first priority. After all, these gentlemen, and the occasional lady (Norma Sklarek was a dear friend and mentor) were rarely invited into the board room, or conference room, or wherever partners and owners were discussing marketing strategy, business development, employee benefits, etc. Part of that survival was accessing a client base that would be accepting and hopefully supportive. Included among that cohort were community organizations, churches, and other “liberal” institutions whose social conscience often left them more concerned ith the “act” than the result. I was a teenager during that time, and as the oldest of four children, happened to be my dad’s compatriot, accompanying him to normal days at work, as well as special events such as the community design charrette that we helped lead in Newark. That experience of working with residents of the affected area, along with civic leaders and other concerned professionals made a true imprint on my sensibilities and planted the seed of SEED, so to speak. However, I will make one important distinction. Public Interest Design, or whatever you want to call it this week, has always existed within the ranks of minority architects. It is inextricably woven into the value system of how we practice (not that other non-minorities don’t share the DNA). It is not something that can be added on, or taken on and off like a fine suit of clothes, but rather a way of feeling, thinking, and practicing that elevates an architect to the level of citizen leader. We can only strive to honor that opportunity at a time when there is so much need.
Architecture for Humanity Los Angeles (AFH:LA) provides a platform for socially responsible design advocacy; partnering design professionals with local non-profit organizations, schools, government agencies and community groups - working to create innovative, sustainable, affordable solutions to humanitarian issues. Last year, Architecture for Humanity and the American Institute for Architects announced a strategic partnership to work together on a disaster program. “The partnership is focused on providing resources so more architects can utilize their skills in disaster response environments and better serve as leaders in their community.” This summer, the Citizen Architect Committee at the AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter and the Architecture for Humanity Los Angeles chapter began talks about utilizing this new partnership locally, by conducting a program around disaster preparedness education and training. This program is aimed to launch beginning in the fall of 2013. By combining our resources, this partnership will be a great benefit to both our membership bases. I encourage AIA members and Citizen Architects to join AFH:LA for a small annual fee of $25, to fully take advantage of this program and be given priority. Sincerely, Rita Saikali Carter, Associate AIA, Pasadena and Foothill Rita Saikali Carter is a Director at Architecture for Humanity Los Angeles, and the champion of the Disaster Preparedness Program; a program in partnership between AIAPF and AFH:LA. Full bio here > http://www.linkedin.com/in/ritasaikalicarter
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Who outside of the design professions inspires you and why?
For years, I have had an association with a non-profit organization called the Watts Community Labor Action Committee (WLCAC). Founded almost 50 years ago by auto union organizer Ted Watkins in the aftermath of the Watts rebellion, today the organization is led by his son Timothy Watkins. I am amazed by the sheer number of issues that Tim wakes up to each and every day, and by the manner in which he attacks them. Tim is a direct product of the civil rights struggle, which continues to this day in communities like Watts all over the country. While many people are distracted by their own trials - particularly in bad economic times - the challenges facing residents of historically underserved communities have simply carried on. As part of his strategy to bring resources and solutions to Watts, Tim has chosen to place a value on design, making it an important criteria in the development of plans and solutions to problems facing his constituents. I am excited whenever I see him light-up around a visual idea that requires the ability to “see” what is not yet there and become its advocate. I look forward to continu-
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AIAPF JULY 2013
CAREER DEFINING MOMENT CONTINUED
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST?
ing my work with WLCAC with the expectation that together, we will make a difference for the residents of the Greater Watts Community.
Good News? “Tracking AIA’s architecture billings index shows continued strength in construction. January was a good month for the architectural profession, possibly the best month since the beginning of the financial crisis and recession.” (Architect magazine)
Lance Bird, FAIA
Steven Lewis is an architect and a tireless advocate for social justice and diversity within the field of architecture. In January of 2008, he returned to Southern California to join Parsons as a Design Manager after serving four years with the U.S. General Services Administration’s Office of the Chief Architect in Washington, DC. Steven was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design for the 2006-07 academic year. He was a founding partner of the Los Angeles-based firm of RAW International in 1984, and for the next twenty years, was an essential part of the firm’s growth and success. In December of 2010, he concluded a two-year term as President of the National Organization of Minority Architects, traveling around the country advocating for architects-of-color, while cultivating the next generation of diverse architects and designers. Steven recently launched a consulting practice – “Thinking Leadership – What we Do…Who we Are” – aimed at assisting clients attain superior outcomes through his engagement. More than anything, Steven is a facilitator of partnerships and alliances between groups and individuals who seek to use architecture and design to effect positive change to our world.
Finally…good news. But wait, do long-term global trends bear good news for architects? Consider just a few of the impacts and changes brought by the information age. • Free Internet access – but is it really free? Siren servers using algorithms know much more about you then you care to admit. Information is flowing to a few (Amazon, Google, Apple, plus financial institutions). New technology has allowed the leaders to skirt (or get ahead of) outdated regulations (1987’s Black Monday, LongTerm Capital, and Enron). INFORMATION = POWER and wealth. Consider the rapid flow of wealth to a few, and the shrinking middle-class. Read “Who Owns the Future” by Jaron Lanier. • Bye, bye mom and pop stores. Make way for big boxes. Walmart analyzes information on you and your buying needs/ desires. They understand the most you will pay for a “good deal.” And they shop the world for the cheapest manufacturing (and shipping) of those goods. • Music industry – how can today’s artist survive when recordings are easily copied, for free? • Medical profession – today, doctors are working for Kaiser, rather than deal with the headaches of private practice, collections, insurance claims, and liabilities. How can they possibly keep up with the rapid advances of science, medicine and new technology? • An ever-increasing proportion of graduate architects are working for the government, private corporations, and entertainment. • Global shifts in attitudes toward materials and infrastructure (think global warming and sustainability).
EMERGING PROFESSIONALS PROGRAM UPDATE Tony Hambarchian, Associate AIA, LEEP AP+
The massing of wealth comes with having the best information. If Walmart knows what the customer wants in a particular region, and they know where the goods can be made cheapest in the world, and how to get those goods here for less than others, they win. Google is doing it, as well as Apple, and all the other successful companies crunching numbers in Silicon Valley. They are getting information from you and me, for free as we use our Smart Phones to disclose our desires, habits, and impulses. They use massive computers and algorithms, constantly absorbing more information that ultimately guides marketing, and so forth.
DILIP KHATRI, Ph.D., P.E., S.E.
The Emerging Professionals Program of AIAPF continues to see success in its ARE Seminar Series due in large part to its outstanding lecturers. Throughout my involvement in relaunching the series for our chapter, I have had the opportunity to work alongside resident lecturer and structural engineer, Dr. Dilip Khatri. Dilip continues to demonstrate his dedication to our chapter through Structures Seminars, one on one correspondence for ARE students and his latest contribution of an invaluable Structural Webinar Series open to chapter members through our website.
What Does This Have to do With Architecture? Think of how we design today, and in fact how architects have designed forever. We use intuition and our experience to organize uses and circulation. Structures, electrical and HVAC systems are designed by our colleagues, the engineers. We determine the style, usually following the “form givers,” the magazines, or possibly our clients’ own whims about what their “palace” should look like. It’s a lot like “haut couture” in the fashion world.
It has been a great pleasure to have Dilip Khatri as a resident lecturer for our Emerging Professionals Program and we look forward to continue working with him to further develop our ARE Seminar Series. If you are interested in viewing the webinar series offered by Dilip, it can be found on the AIAPF website under Public Resources / Emerging Professionals.
Now imagine if we could take the information tools the “1%” use to control our lives, and apply them to every facet of our design processes. Architects would ask the questions that guide our design decisions -- program questions, site questions, information
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AIAPF JULY 2013 But it wasn’t sweet for everyone. Don’t forget the rows of draftsmen supervised by the Chief Draftsman. “Asses and elbows,” is what they expected. And few professional women and minorities.
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST? CONT’D about building materials, materials performance, etc. Analytical tools would run algorithms to gather all this information to guide architects in a new INFORMED WORLD. By collectively sharing our findings, we would slowly gather intelligent building blocks, and begin to truly optimize our designs.
The cost of setting up an office was minimal. Pencils, a few sawhorses and doors, and you were in business.
Models of Today’s Firms - Some things haven’t changed: • Economy of scale • The advantages of specialization • The value of relationships
Our research may find that a new building is not the best choice. Maybe an existing building could be programmed and modified to accommodate the need. Maybe the way our client runs her business can be changed.
Small Firms What they offer: It’s all about relationships, “hands on,” personal service. Responsive. Flexible. What’s their risk, vulnerabilities? Tough to compete with large firms, lacking depth, knowledge. Cost of doing business (hardware, software, marketing, classes, memberships) in proportion to revenue is excessive.
In the first chapter of Cheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In,” she asks “What would you do if you weren’t afraid”? While her book seems to be about balancing work and family, the question can resonate with our whole profession. We’ve been battered for five years. We’re afraid of losing our jobs, of meeting payroll, of paying bills, and wondering how we can ever retire. And we’re afraid others are encroaching on our profession. Think design-build. Think about the fee cutting, the frugal attitudes of our clients. This is life in the 21st century.
Medium Firms What they offer: Specialization. Knowledge. These are the “school firms,” designers of high-end custom homes, and multi-family residential. What’s their risk, vulnerabilities? They lack diversity. These are the guys that really take a hit when the economy crashes. Recessions put the brakes on public funding, and residential financing.
And Think About the Ratio of Architect’s Fees To Construction Costs, and Building Operations – A-E fees are 10% of construction cost. Yet the decisions we make can make or break a building owner. I don’t know the numbers, but the cost of operating a building over a building’s lifetime – 50 years plus, must be 100 x, or more than our fee. And what if the building location, size, organization, etc. is wrong.
Large Firms What they offer: Knowledge in several building types. You have diversity and specialization. The ability to have specialized staff, with exceptional knowledge. Connections in the race for more work. Revenues to support extraordinary marketing efforts (i.e. competitions and fee-cutting). What’s their risk, vulnerabilities? A large payroll, and poor management. As the giant jobs shrink, you have to chase many smaller jobs. Inefficiencies that can be absorbed due to economy of scale, can catch up with you.
I designed a building for Lockheed in Sunnyvale 30 years ago – 200,000 SF. No expense was spared to build in flexibility. Raised floors, long spans, big floor-to-floor dimensions. The building is gone. Demolished. Property sold to a Silicon Valley giant. Lockheed’s needs had changed. And the developer valued the location, the land.
The value of informed decisions by architects is huge. What we design today is largely intuitive and “follow-the-leader” design. Our clients may mimic what the first-man-in did. But timing is everything, and the followers may be too late. We just have to look to Dubai and today’s empty buildings. Eight years ago there seemed to be no stopping them.
OLD SCHOOL- Every Architectural Student’s Dream - In school, we dreamed of having our own practice and DESIGNING. Upon graduation, the real world begins to hit us in the face.
I was a partner in a large firm, and understand the merits, and the challenges. Too many meetings and travel, and considerable bureaucracy. It seems unavoidable.
If we could design INTELLIGENTLY, our value as architects would be huge. If we could demonstrate that our knowledge brings huge first-cost savings, and substantial reduction in operating costs, our fees could soar. Don’t worry. The fashion aspects of our profession will not go away. But the underlying substance of our designs – the decisions to build or remodel, to optimize the size and organization, and the innovation of our building systems could be immensely improved.
The greatest rewards for me as an architect in a small practice have been developing relationships with clients – hands-on, personal relationships. In a small practice, we each share a larger portion of the credit or a successful project.
So, how does a small firm survive? This may be your last chance for a modest living. 1. Understand what’s going on – See “7 Reasons Architecture (As We Know It) Is Over” by Steve Mouzon; “Who Owns the Future” by Jaron Lanier; and “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson. Adapting to the new reality is the key. 2. Prepare a clear plan for the future – Where do you want to go? What role does each person in your office have in reaching your destination? 3. Develop individual knowledge leaders in your office – Join the professional organization serving that area of knowledge, and participate. Use national resources like AIA’s Knowledge Communities, BRIK (newly formed by the National Institute of Building Science), and NCEF. AIA says only 6% of member firms offer research as a service. 4. Seek natural, common-sense economies like sharing staff, and office equipment. This means finding a firm with similar goals you can form a long-term relationship with. 5. Selectively choose business opportunities you have a realis-
The sea change will start in schools, at MIT with cooperation between computer programmers and architects. And maybe in Silicon Valley and Stanford, when they discover the immense opportunities in the building industry. It won’t start with the AIA. Or with the “old guys.” They are afraid of change. They resist change. They don’t want to share. They will be secretive to their graves. The Good Old Days – Not one to talk about how good it was in the past, but I do remember the benefits of one large Los Angeles-based A-E firm I worked for in the 60s-70s. Company-owned cars washed and serviced by the office manager and his staff. Secretaries for VPs and partners. First-class air travel. A company chef, preparing lunch for the partners every day. And in our 20’s, we made enough to vacation in Europe each summer AND buy a home.
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AIAPF JULY 2013 tic chance of competing for. This may be enhanced by teaming with the firm you are sharing staff and equipment with. 6. Bring real benefits to your clients, like:
MANY THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS:
a. Information and advice on emerging codes such as the IGCC Green Code issued March 2012 and CalGreen; b. Big Data - Data sharing (see chapter member Kimon Onuma, FAIA, and Bulletin article “Where Were You April 17th?”). Onuma illustrated his software that links diverse databases for the California community college system to facilitate building maintenance and repairs. The key is to link them together in an easy-to-understand program that anyone, not just a data scientist, can access. c. Fund raising by understanding the process of State funding (i.e. schools), utility credits and crowdfunding, such as Kickstarter.
NEW SCHOOL – The Millennials Don’t Care About the Grand Old Traditions of the Profession and Frank Lloyd Wright – They are in love with their Smart Phones and the information it brings them. They live for social media. They are urban dwellers. They use public transportation. They are expected to be more “civic-minded.” They aren’t compelled to have kids, or to marry. Their needs seem to be less, more modest. They want a balanced life, not dedicating ALL to architecture. Those already well along in the profession don’t need to be left behind. We’re already ‘on board’ in the information age. We’re embracing much of the new technology. We love it. Can we take the giant leap, forming a “New School” of architects that embrace information to make truly INFORMED DECISIONS FOR OUR CLIENTS. Achievement will take huge investments of time and technology. To pull it off will require: 1. Leadership 2. Clear goals 3. Cooperation and collaboration to share information 4. Massive funding
RAY GIRVIGIAN Lance Bird Joe Catalano Nassef Eskander Brian Lee Richard McCann
Possibilities: Option 1 – Big Firms Provide the Leadership - The largest firms might be able ‘grab’ the future through their leadership and collaboration with other large firms and builders. Option 2 – AIA Provides the Leadership, Gets Public Grants, Shares Information with Members - It will never happen. AIA best serves small practitioners. Most small firms cling to the dreams of the “Old School.” The big firms don’t need AIA. Plus AIA’s leadership changes every year, therefore lacking continuity of vision. AIA leadership has all the challenges of a truly diverse board, representing all the diversity of our nation and International members. Option 3 – Academia - Public schools won’t have the funds. Private schools might. But will petty in-fighting in academia hold them back. They’ve demonstrated leadership with 3D printers, but using this technology for more than model building is a long ways off. Option 4 – Silicon Valley and the Technologists Discover Architecture – Someone’s going to realize that with construction as 20% of our economy, there’s money to be made by applying the same tools of Big Data to our industry is going to make money. I’ll put my money on Silicon Valley and the Technologists. Architects can tell them what information is needed for intelligent design, and to provide interface with our industry. And so far, we’re protected by “levees” in the words of Jaron Lanier. Levees are regulations, the Practice Act. Lance Bird, FAIA is principal and founder of the Pasadena-based, regional architectural practice, LCDG. A small, diverse practice with long-term relationships dating back 25 years and more. LCDG is well-known for their service to the profession.
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Members enjoying the AIAPF Open House. Photography by Alek Zarifian
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UPCOMING EVENTS
JULY
OCTOBER
7/1-12 7/11 7/13 7/27
Cal Poly Exhibit Get On The Bus ARE Seminar: MEP by Barham Badiyi ARE Seminar: Materials and Methods
10/2
8/1 8/7 8/9 8/10 TBD
ARE Fellowship Committee FFF: So You Want To Run An Architectural Firm? ARE Seminar Chapter Program: Social Media Workshop
Design Awards Gala
AUGUST
SEPTEMBE R 9/14 ARE Seminar 9/27-29 Monterey Design Conference
This issue will be mailed out in hardcopy to only those who have requested it as a courtesy gesture. Due to cost restrictions, we will only be mailing out hard copies to those that elect for it and will transition to internet e-mail notifications. Please contact our Executive Director, Jill Nicholson, if you wish to continue receiving on the hardcopy version or need to sign up for our e-mail notifications. Edited by: Tiffany Dell’Aquila, Director of Communications Designed by: Tiffany Dell’Aquila, Director of Communications
AIA Pasadena & Foothill • A Chapter of the American Institute of Architects • 555 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101 • 626.796.7601 • www.aiapf.org