Value of AIA Membership

My final event as co-chair of the Indianapolis Young Architects Forum was this evening. It was bittersweet to end my two year term in this position given the great programs we’ve had, but the desire to get more people involved. This final event had exiting AIA Indy chapter president Dan Weinheimer and incoming president Sanford Garner presenting on what the AIA accomplished in 2008 and what is in store for 2009.

2008 had nine local chapter programs (and twelve YAF events!). The chapter supported sustainable design legislation and defended against restrictive k-12 school design legislation. All in all, it was a good year. But we have to ask ourselves, am I getting the value from this organization for the amount I pay in dues? I think I am with the AIA, right now.

Nationally, the AIA publishes the industry’s leading contract documents, provides an incredible amount of professional information online at AIA.org and soloso.aia.org, and they track my continuing education credits for me. The Boston Society of Architects (known as BSA, the Boston AIA chapter) gave me a travel grant and free registration for the 2008 national convention, a very generous gift giving me the opportunity to really see a benefit of the AIA (the best architectural convention I’ve ever attended before).

Locally, being active with the AIA has allowed me to grow my network of local architects quickly, the opportunity to talk with and learn from several of the firm owners in the city, and gave me a venue to grow professionally. I find value in the AIA and I think any young architect who wants to grow as fast as they can will too.

Doing

Ok, I officially have analysis paralysis. I've stared scared at my blog for a couple of months… afraid to write the wrong thing, what would someone what to read from me? Well, I hope to have broken out with my decision to create content and work towards meaningful, interesting entries in the future. For today, let’s talk about doing.

If you read my past blog entries or know me, I’m very involved in the things I do. In fact, my challenge is typically deciding what to decline more than what to shoot for. I have typically attributed this to my desire to improve the things around me. For instance, I joined the AIA after receiving my license to practice architecture; not joining until I could be a full member (an unlicensed architect is an Associate AIA member). After being a member 10-months and attending the handful of meeting held locally I wasn't getting anything out of the $500+ it cost to join (a lot of money in the Wagner household). So, I contacted the local chapter president and asked, how can I help? I was appointed co-chair of the Young Architects Forum (YAF) committee, a group I had only attending one event with, and thoroughly enjoyed (perhaps a topic for another blog). Before I knew it, we had actually created a committee and starting providing monthly meetings to all young architects in central Indiana. I was appointed to a second year and in 2008 we hit our stride with a strong committee and GREAT programs all year. I’m now handing the reins over to new leaders to keep improving and growing the group.

My point, I can’t sit back and do nothing. Neither should you. I think everyone needs to try and develop a strategy for improvement, then get started. The downside, I’ve reached the point of having a full plate and the need to re-center my priorities. So as I started this blog, my task now is deciding what to decline, because opportunities abound. There is no reason to be bored in this life, need is all around us. Find your passion, find others that share it, then get started creating better opportunities to do the things you love.

Speaking of doing, I’m off to my first ACE Mentoring session at Decatur Central H.S. soon (perhaps I’ll blog about mentoring…), let’s see if I can impart my advice of “doing” to these high school kids interested in design and construction.

Me, moderator for Design-Build Seminar

The Vital Role of the Design Criteria Developer
DBIA Great Lakes Region Seminar

I coordinated and served as moderator for the DBIA-GLR seminar on Thursday, October 23rd at 8 AM. This was my first time moderating a panel discussion and I was interested to see what feedback we received from the roughly 40 attendees. Our panelists were Dan Rawlins, InterDesign, Sanford Garner, A2SO4, and Bob Richardson, Indiana University. All experienced and good architects. I received the tally sheet of the feedback forms this afternoon.

Well, it was in line with my impression; mostly positive, some good constructive criticism. High marks for Subject and moderate to high marks for Content. Of the 14-15 evaluations submitted, 8 felt it met their expectations. That is unfortunate, about 53% walked away with expectations met, 47% not-so-much; I thought we did a pretty good job achieving what was advertised. Comments on what to do better included “speakers should speak to the audience” (some panelists talked to me, not the audience; I need to find a way to indicate they need to look outward); “would have enjoyed more audience participation” (too much content for 1 ½ hours, I needed to really zero in on 4-6 points and let the audience drive the dialog); “presentation needs more dynamics: energy, humor, wit, etc” (true, last time I'll present sitting for sure, until I'm the panelist); “time initially allowed was not enough – program ran over” (program ran over by 5-minutes and I had to skip several of my points at the end to provide the panelists time for closing comments); “broaden – extremely project specific” (well, that was intentional, the program was on what these panelists have experienced). Another comment I received asking a contractor friend who attended was “since we were involved with all the projects, this was a review of what I already knew.” I’ve certainly learned a lot from this experience, from both the knowledge of my panelists and my role in the panel presentation process.

Lessons learned: get the presentation completed early to allow a true “dry run” with the panelists to coach items like eye contact with audience, time limits (without the use of stoplights), and opportunities for levity. Be very clear on advertising the nature of the program (i.e. project specific and role specific). I need to loosen up, not be so rigid when in that public speaking role, I think practice will help. Granted, architects talking about law is destined to be a terrible presentation (like a lawyer designing, probably not the right person for the job), but the Design Criteria Developer under the public design-build procurement law must be a registered architect or engineer…

Looking forward, I’ll be co-presenting with a work collogue in March or April at the IAHSA conference then in October or November in Chicago at the AAHSA conference. This time I won’t be moderating, but presenting on design (ah, I can breathe a little easier). I’m sure you’ll see crib notes on that presentation in a few months.

Musings from Daniel Pink Lecture

I had an interesting evening. I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend a VIP dinner reception hosted by the VP of Butler University for a lecture by Daniel Pink. I was a representative of the AIA Indianapolis chapter who was a co-sponsor. I had a great conversation with fellow architects and Jason, a BU English Professor (who was an assistant to William McDonough in grad school, a very good tie in to converse with architects). We talked about Indianapolis’ need to provide more incentives to recycle, such as free recycling and charging for trash collection. Then we talked about the economy and the upcoming elections. Everything you’re not supposed to talk about (except religion).

Following the reception we headed to the first terrace of Clowes Hall for the lecture. Daniel Pink was entertaining with several thought provoking comments. First, his three points of good presenting: brevity, levity and repetition; let me repeat that: brevity, levity and repetition. Keep it short. Don’t be too serious. And use repetition for emphasis.

He then went on to explain the difference between the left and right sides of the brain (analytical vs. artistic). Our county’s education system has been built on the assumption everyone needs the analytical skills to succeed in life (math, science, engineering) and that is where the big money is. This has been true, accountants, doctors and engineers have brought home big salaries for the past 50-75 years. BUT, those tasks are “routine” and anyone who can develop their ability to process things analytically can do those tasks. That is why we are seeing many jobs going “overseas,” where you can accomplish the same thing for less money. And, with the Internet, we have no delay to communicate now. What you can’t export are the jobs requiring the “right side of the brain.” As an architect, I’m glad to see artistic impression and ability raised to the plateau it should be on.

To go one step further, Pink said art is NEEDED in schools for us to remain competitive globally. Just as the right brain thinkers can learn math and science, the left brain thinkers can learn to draw and appreciate music. The process of learning (flexing those brain muscles) will open their mind’s eye to a new ways of looking at the world and provide them that competitive advantage to be successful. Consider where kids that cause problems in our education system turn to for outlet: graffiti, rap music, forms of artistic expression suppressed by our educational system. If you’ve never taken an art class, it isn’t too late. The Indianapolis Art Center and others in town offer adult beginners art classes. Dust off that part of the brain that has remained dormant and make yourself more competitive by opening your mind’s eye with art.

Side Note: Writing is very unnatural to me. As an architect and musician, I’ m much more comfortable drawing you an image while I’m talking or selecting a piece of music to emphasize my feelings. I’m hoping with practice (and comments from all of you), I’ll start to get better at writing. Thanks!

How to keep your credibility talking about LEED

I don’t know who my audience may be with this blog, so I’ll assume you know a little about what is going on in the building industry. The big buzz word today is “green.” LEED is the most prevalent measure for how “green” your building is. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a program of the USGBC was originally created to quantify how green your building is (and be able to definitively say my building is greener than yours).

In a seminar at the office today the product representative in his first few points stated “our product is LEED Certified.” This was a big mistake, all credibility lost. In an effort to help everyone on the World Wide Web that is going to say anything about LEED not make a mistake that will have the LEED AP (LEED Accredited Professionals) roll their eyes and turn you off, follow these four points:

1. Only buildings are certified. No people, products, sites, systems, assemblies, or specifications are certified, only completed buildings. Particular products and systems can help you achieve LEED points, but none are a point by themselves.
2. There are four certification levels: Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum (no bronze, I actually had someone try to tell me they had designed a Bronze Certified building).
3. People are accredited, not certified (see point 1).
4. It is LEED, not LEEDs. I don’t know what the “s” is supposed to stand for. It is like saying acrost vs. across or irregardless vs. regardless or masonary vs. masonry, I could go on, but I think you get my point, it is wrong.

Understanding the jargon and getting the credentials isn’t an indication you know how to design a green building, just that you aren’t completely incompetent. Only through practicing what we talk about can an architect actually start creating more sustainable buildings. I’m sure I’ll devote many future posts on sustainable design, stay tuned.

Home sick - catching up on reading

There are few benefits to getting a cold, but one is catching up on reading. I subscribe to a few publications, the Indianapolis Business Journal, Money, Architect, Truth, and Healthcare Design. I also receive several by default from groups I'm a member of: Architectural Record, Construction Specifier, Design-Build Dateline, GreenSource, Red & Black, and The Sinfonian. I also recently jumped on the RSS bandwagon and subscribed to several news feeds from local business, world architecture, and interesting blogs I’ve came across. Throw in the sometimes daily newsletters, e-blasts and online news, I don't keep up... But I do find a lot of good content and I wanted to pass along a few gold nuggets I've read this past couple days laying around the condo.

College tuition has gone up 439% since 1982. I don't know why we would even try to save for Jack and Norman's college in 16-18 years at that rate of increase. [Money, 9.2008]

While I've not talked to anyone who hasn't been shocked for the past 10-12 months by the steady decrease in our investment and retirement accounts, I did find one good suggestion to turn those lemons into lemonade. Consider selling your big losers and buying a comparable (but not identical) fund. Money magazine has been encouraging everyone to stay in the market (I personally feel now is the time to BUY, if only I had some extra cash). Before the market does rocket back up, by selling your tankers you'll be able to take a loss and you can write off up to $3,000 against ordinary income. But be sure to buy something that makes sense for your portfolio to ride the next wave up. Also, now may be the time to convert an IRA to a Roth IRA and pay the tax to allow it to continue to grow the rest of your career (hopefully a long time for the not quite 30 me). [Money, 9.2008]

Nice article on “The Truth About Green Homes.” Great advice, best quote: “…the sustainable homes of the future look a lot like those of the past.” Truth is, from my perspective, the “modern” movement and the newer trend of “everyone is a designer” has thrown out common sense design including ample overhangs, maximize natural ventilation, building orientation, and consideration of overall design as opposed to kit of parts (i.e. tall ceilings everywhere, no matter what they space may be used for). [Money, 9.2008]

It’s better to set saving goals for the short term then long term. In a study of 600 savers, those with a one month goal saved more then they had hoped while those with a four month goal only amassed a fraction of their goal. (I’m not surprised, it’s easier to put off the future than the present) [Money, 11.2008]

Health insurance premiums will cost on average 8% more in 2009 (that’s better than the 20% I’ve heard my premiums may go up). [Money, 11.2008]

Now I’m not an economist, but I’m confident the market will begin the upward climb again, and now I’ve read it may happen in the first quarter of 2009 (better late than never). [Money, 11.2008]

This comment was what I had thought, but now I can give a quote: “Think of this election as a choice between the Party of the Pie and the Party of the Slices. Most of McCain’s policies are focused on making the overall pie bigger, the traditional Republican approach… By contrast, Obama and the Democrats are far more interested in whether the pie is sliced up fairly.” I’ll let you make your own decisions in a week, mine is pretty much decided (and I’ll vote on Election Day, I’ve never had to wait in a line at my polling station). [Money, 11.2008]

First Blog Post Ever

Good morning, afternoon, or evening. I've now created by own Blog to share my experiences and day-to-day activities with the world. My wife, Shannon, began a blog a couple months ago to record what was going on with our boys, Jack and Norman. It has been great seeing what she posts.

I ventured into the digital world of profiles this year with Facebook then LinkedIn, now I think I’m ready to share. You can find my past work history and what I think are my noteworthy projects in my resume on my website. I’ve been amassing credentials this past few years and I’m now an Indiana Registered Architect, NCARB Certified, LEED Accredited Professional, and a Certified Construction Contract Administrator. I should be able to add DBIA Certificate of Mastery holder by the end of the year. I’m gainfully employed by InterDesign as a Project Architect.

I’ve been very active in several professional groups in Indianapolis. I’m currently the Vice President, Education Chair and Programs Co-Chair for the Indy chapter of CSI. I’m a Director and Programs Co-Chair for the DBIA Great Lakes Region. I’m Co-Chair of the Young Architects Forum for AIA Indianapolis. I’m serving as an ACE Mentor this year, my first time. Parallel to those groups, but at home I'm the President of my homeowners association, Sutherland Place HOA. Outside of those architecture related groups, I’m the Province Governor for Province 28 of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. I’m not good at being a general member without getting involved in the leadership, but I’m working on getting better at that.

As a primer to what I plan to use this Blog for, a clearing house of what is going on in Indianapolis’ architecture, music and arts communities that I overlap with, below are my events planned for the month. Through my involvement with the various groups I’m exposed to a lot of what Indianapolis has going on and I would like to share that with everyone.

10.28 – ACE Session “Owner” at Riley Children’s Hospital (mentor)
10.29 – Daniel Pink dinner reception and lecture at Butler University (co-sponsored by AIA)
11.3 – CSI Education & Programs Committee Meeting (committee co-chair)
11.4 – Election Day (VOTE!)
11.6 – AIA YAF Dinner with the AIA Fellows
11.11 – DBIA Programs Committee Meeting (committee co-chair)
11.11 – AIA Aaron Betsky Lecture
11.12 – DBIA Board Meeting (Director)
11.13 – CSI Board Meeting (VP)
11.17 – DBIA Design-Build Contract & Risk Management class
11.18 – AIA YAF Committee Meeting (committee co-chair)
11.19 – AIA Board Meeting (Director)
11.20 – CSI Indianapolis Chapter Meeting with a Program on GreenFormat
11.27 – Thanksgiving!

If you are interested in more information on any of these, feel free to follow the links provided or contact me and I’ll be happy to help. I’m looking forward into pouring into the Blog my comments and observations. Have a great day!