AIA LOUISIANA
JULY 2014

AIA Louisiana Announces the Release of OptaSoft's Commercial Building Inspector Software
This is a new smart code checking tool that provides architects with the ability to conduct a 2012 IBC code preliminary review during the initial phases of a project, and to evaluate multiple code options and decisions well before the expense of developing drawings.
Pictured Left to Right: Robert Miller, AIA Continuing Education Provider, Eiad Odeh, OptaSoft, George Minturn, AIA, AIA LA Vice President, Lynn Robertson, AIA LA Executive Director, Joe Delaune, Chief Architect, Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office, Bill Tudor, AIA, AIA LA President
Pictured Left to Right: Robert Miller, AIA Continuing Education Provider, Eiad Odeh, OptaSoft, George Minturn, AIA, AIA LA Vice President, Lynn Robertson, AIA LA Executive Director, Joe Delaune, Chief Architect, Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office, Bill Tudor, AIA, AIA LA President

Since the existence of blueprints, nearly 300 years ago, the construction industry has used paper and pencil to do its job. While a substantial number of professionals have been using computer-aided technologies on their projects for a few years, the plan review and building code compliance review process has, unfortunately, remained in the dark ages.

 

The functionality of advanced technology, such as design simulation tools used to create multidimensional construction models, is not able to be fully optimized without a corresponding advancement in the code review process. These highly complex models often have to be printed out on paper, digitally uploaded to a remote server, or virtually simulated in order for code officials to manually review, mark-up, or digitally insert comments using an overlay technology. This process has proven to be tedious, inconsistent, and inevitably subjective. Read More

Designing a Sustainable Future
Architect and developer Gerald Billes builds up New Orleans. 

 

Early in his architectural career, Gerald Billes was an employee of locally based Curtis and Davis Architects - the firm that designed the Superdome. He was assigned to a completely different project at the time, but he recalls walking around the construction site and thinking, "I'd like to work on something like this someday."

 

Three decades later, Billes' own firm was one of three chosen to work on the renovation of the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. "It was pretty interesting to think about how that came full-circle for me," he says. Read More

Gulf States Architects Celebrate Design Excellence

 

Architects from the Gulf States Region of the American Institute of Architects gathered in Chicago to celebrate the 2014 Honor Awards program.  The renowned members of the Kansas City jury noted the diversity and outstanding design of the projects they viewed from architects practicing in the Gulf States. "Respect for history in the renovation/restoration projects"; "attention to detail"; and "simple yet elegant detailing" were some of the common themes running through the jury comments when discussing the merits of these designs.  This Honors program identifies built works of distinction, and ten projects were recognized as exemplary design solutions. Read More

NCARB's Proposed Changes to IDP - BEA - BEFA: Feedback Appreciated

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) is currently seeking comments on proposed changes to the Intern Development Program (IDP), the Broadly Experienced Architect Program (BEA), and the Broadly Experienced Foreign Architect Program (BEFA).  Changes to the IDP specifically relate to the hours required to complete the program and the categories and areas in which interns need to document their experience, while changes to the BEA and BEFA programs relate to eligibility requirements and review processes to complete the programs for NCARB certification. Read More

 

For a detailed description of the proposed changes with background information click hereNCARB is accepting input, including suggested adjustments to our proposals,through 5:00 P.M. on Friday, September 5, 2014.  To submit your comments please click on the following link and complete the survey:
American Institute of Architects College of Fellows Elects Raymond "Skipper" Post, FAIA
 
The 2014 College of Fellows Nominations Committee recommended Raymond "Skipper" Post, FAIA, as Bursar for its Executive Committee. Mr. Post's nomination was approved by a unanimous vote at the Annual Business Lunch on Saturday, June 28. 

The Bursar of the AIA College of Fellows Executive Committee is responsible for ensuring the stewardship of the College of Fellows' endowment, efficient use of operational funds and funding the strategic direction of the College's mission of supporting young architects, promoting the profession and the community of architects. Read More
These FEMA Urban Disaster Trailers Actually Look Pretty Beautiful
 

In downtown Brooklyn, adjacent to New York City's Office of Emergency Management, in the shadow of residential apartment towers and across the street from Cadman Plaza, the future of post-disaster housing rises like an oversized Lego set.

 

Before these tidy, stackable, modular units, the standard bearer of interim housing - where disaster survivors who've lost their homes can stay for months and even years - were the FEMA trailers that popped up along the Gulf Coast after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Often called "toxic tin cans" because of the formaldehyde they off-gassed, the trailers also proved difficult to position in cities. Read More

Digital Score Board Reveals How LEED Buildings Really Behave
The LEED Dynamic Plaque Displays Real-Time Measurements of How a Building is using its Resources.

 

One of the persistent criticisms leveled against LEED, the U.S. Green Business Council's popular green-building certification system, is that it doesn't track a structure's energy consumption over time. Buildings are awarded a LEED plaque based on projected performance (among several other factors), not how people actually use a building. And as LEED critics are quick to point out, projections and reality don't always match up. Read More
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Submission Deadline: 8/22/14

 


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