context: what's next for the profession

what’s next for the profession?

spring/summer 2012

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IT PAYS TO SPECIFY THE

context | SP/SU2012 | 3

EL editors’ letter

UC up closeAlan Greenberger transforms Philadelphia while transforming himself

RE reviewThe Biography of a Building

EX expressionFinding beauty in Philadelphia’s less-loved buildings.

DP design profilesLenfest Hall. Shore Medical Center Surgical Pavil-ion. West Philadelphia High School. Rehabilitation of the Original Farm Show Complex.

NB noteBooK

contents

editors’ roundtableGuest Editors David Zaiser and Stephen Mullin sit down with four AIA Philadelphia architects to discuss the future of the profession, from meeting clients’ needs to the impact of new technology.

making the grade We survey several key educators in the Philadelphia region to glean their insight on the state of architectural education and what the future holds for graduating architects.

efficiency: An Architect’s new Best friendEconomist Stephen Mullin dissects the economic trends that will influence the future world of architects, while arguing that increas-ing efficiency is key.

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in this issue of context, we

survey the landscape of our own

profession. in light of sweeping

economic, financial and social

changes, we examine how we

can improve our practices while

preparing ourselves for the future

of architecture.

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what’s nextfor the profession?


CONTEXTThe Journal of AIA Philadelphia

CONTEXT Staff

Managing EditorDominic Mercier

CirculationGary Yetter

Art DirectorDominic Mercier

Layout and DesignDominic Mercier

PublisherAIA Philadelphia

CONTEXT Editorial Board

Harris M. Steinberg, FAIA – ChairPenn Praxis

David Brownlee, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania

Steven Conn, Ph.D.Ohio State University

Susan Miller Davis, AIA

Sally Harrison, AIATemple University

Hilary Jay

Stephen P. MullinEconsult Corporation

Michael NairnUniversity of Pennsylvania

Rachel Simmons Schade, AIASchade and Bolender Architects

Anthony P. SorrentinoUniversity of Pennsylvania

Todd Woodward, AIA SMP Architects

AIA Philadelphia Board of Directors

Keith C.H. Mock, AIAPresident

Robert T. Hsu, AIAPresident-Elect

Jim Rowe, AIATreasurer

Julie Hoffman, AIA Past President

Peter C. Archer, AIADirector

Nicole Morris Dress, AIA, LEED APDirector

Antonio Fiol-Silva, FAIA, LEED APDirector

John C. Gerbner, AIA, LEED APDirector

Carol A. Hermann, AIADirector

Joseph H. Powell, AIADirector

Denise E. Thompson, AIA, LEED APDirector

Todd K. Woodward, AIA, LEED APDirector

Jules Dingle, AIAAIA Pennsylvania Director

Robert C. Kelly, AIAAIA Pennsylvania Director

Elizabeth C. Masters, AIAAIA Pennsylvania Director

Michael Skolnick, AIAAIA Pennsylvania Director

Paul Avazier, Assoc. AIAAssociate Director

Alan UrekPublic Member

John ClaypoolExecutive Director

Editorial and Project SubmissionsEditorial and project submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Contact the editor at [email protected]. For advertising and subscription information call AIA Philadelphia at 215.569.3186.

The opinions expressed in this journal or the representations made by advertisers, including copyrights and warranties, are not those of the editorial staff, publisher, AIA Philadelphia, or AIA Philadelphia’s Board of Directors.

Copyright 2012 AIA Philadelphia. All rights are reserved. Reproduc-tion in part or whole without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Postmaster: send change of ad-dress to AIA Philadelphia, 1218 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

From the PresidentWe have all witnessed the advancement of

innovative technologies over the past couple decades, driving significant change with in-credible pace around the globe. Specific to the built environment, the influence of advanced technologies will continue to bring enormous opportunity, only limited by our minds and passions.

Architecture is the lasting artistic and sci-entific artifact of our. Contemporary archi-tecture grew from the Industrial Revolution, a time when changes in agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and technology had a profound impact on our society, economy and culture. In recent decades, each of these industries again experienced significant evolution due to economic, scientific, and social changes. Agriculture continues to move from the farm to controlled environ-ments; manufacturing productivity increased through computeriza-tion and lean processes; transport vehicles utilize lighter material, last longer and economize fuel; and computing technology has enabled social media and digitization transforming how we communicate and view information around the globe. The same change agents that have impacted industry are increasingly finding their way into discus-sions of mainstream contemporary architecture.

What’s next for architecture, a complex matrix of form, function, contemporary values and techniques?

1) The social enlightenment of everything “green,” enabled by new technologies, will impact the practice of architecture until like the internet “green” is taken for granted. The March 2012 release of the IgCC (International Green Construction Code) will move sustain-able architecture out of the marketing brochure and into building owner contracts with incredible pace.

2) Continued advancement of computational and parametric modeling will further enable optimum design solutions. At the fore-front is 3-D modeling, building energy performance modeling, and modularization where alternative ideas may be constructed, exercised and evaluated for aesthetics, performance and fabrication. Software for functional analysis of building programs, building code compli-ance, and systems optimization will soon be available and accessible from the cloud.

3) Increased free flow of digital information, interoperability be-tween trade software, and collaboration between allied design pro-fessions and construction trades is imminent. New design and con-struction processes will further blur lines of responsibility between architect and contractor.

Technological advances are increasingly enabling innovative tech-niques in the practice of architecture to improve durability, utility, and beauty – “Firmness, Commodity and Delight.” Like our peer indus-tries, architecture – the chronicle of time expressed in simple detail and honest effort – is poised for continued evolution. Let your mind and passion influence your adaptation of advanced technologies to bring gift and opportunity.

Keith C. H. Mock, AIA2012 AIA Philadelphia Chapter President


AS ARCHITECTS, WE ARE MAVENS OF CHANGE: skillfully defining, orchestrating, and ulti-

mately realizing our clients’ vision for something better. Whether it is a building, a neighbor-

hood, or a process, we see what to others is frequently invisible – how environments shape the

structures of our lives – and we design a better reality. We do it so often, and so successfully,

we frequently fail to realize its power and applicability to ourselves.

In this issue of CONTEXT, we set our design sights on our own profession and its current en-

vironment. Much of our attention of the past several years has been on the difficult economy,

but within this same short time span we have also witnessed the growth of building informa-

tion modeling (BIM), rapid demographic shifts, and dramatic changes in how we communicate

with each other. Against this backdrop of sweeping technological, social and financial change,

what should we be doing to make our practices, and our profession, better? How do we man-

age an environment of unprecedented change? What’s next?

We asked these questions (and more) of two expert panels: one a group of architects from

within the AIA Philadelphia, and another of architecture educators in the region. The answers

we received may change what you believe our role should be in improving the built environ-

ment, but they certainly highlight how the power of the design process can positively impact-

ing our own profession.

We also consider how the new economic environment might impact the demand for space

– quantity and quality – in the commercial, residential, and public infrastructure sectors. Will

these demands determine the role and influence (what Stephen calls “the happiosity”) of the

architect of the future? Stephen provides his insights into how we, as architects, might best

address these demands in his article.

We hope that you enjoy this issue of CONTEXT.

Stephen Mullin

David Zaiser, AIA

Guest Editors

editors’ letterEL

What Happens Now?


Alan Greenberger, FAIAPHILADELPHIA’S DEPuTy MAyOR FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

AND DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE IS TRANSFORMING THE CITy

WHILE TRANSFORMING HIMSELF

pHoto: dominic mercier


By JoAnn Greco

Spend some time with Alan Greenberger and you quickly come to realize that he’s a man who enjoys the art of conversation. He’ll meander in thoughtful fashion from one topic to another, never quite losing track of the threads that connect them, and some-how ending up precisely where he wanted to go.

Spend a little more time with him and you understand that it’s this quality that got him to where he is today — securely stationed near the Mayor’s ear when it comes to mat-ters of the built environment.

Currently poised at the governmental in-tersection of planning and business attrac-tion as the city’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Director of Commerce, Greenberger’s also headed the city’s plan-ning and zoning code commissions, and ran its planning department.

Each time, as he freely admits, he’s talked himself into the job.

Greenberger’s move from private practice to a civic career began in 2008, shortly after Michael Nutter was elected. Nutter had al-ready awarded him a seat on the planning commission, in recognition of the architect’s work in helping him formulate his posi-tions on the built environment. As a com-missioner, one of Greenberger’s most criti-cal assignments was to find a new director. When the perfect candidate didn’t emerge, Greenberger nominated himself and landed the gig.

About to leave for vacation, Greenberg-er thought long and hard, he says, “about whether I’d be abandoning my partners [at MGA Partners], about whether I wanted leave the business that I so loved. I fretted all week, I had a miserable time at the beach.”

The pull to make a greater impact was strong, though. “I thought the Mayor was the right guy at the right time, and that Phil-

adelphia was at a 50-year transformational moment,” he muses. “I thought, this mo-ment will not come along again in a long while.”

His partners responded graciously, Green-berger recalls. Even today, Daniel O. Kelley, principal at MGA, says, “Alan’s taking the values and ideas that we concocted over 30 years and applying them to try and make the whole city better.”

Greenberger’s decision sprang, in many ways, from his most recent work at MGA. “I was getting the firm more involved in plan-ning with projects like the master plan for the Centennial District,” he says now. “I had co-founded the Design Advocacy Group, I was getting involved in civic issues. A lot of my clients were institutional or involved in some way with the public sector. So, it re-ally didn’t feel so unfamiliar or that far of a stretch.”

Architects are well-equipped to handle bigger things, Greenberger believes. “I wish the schools talked about that more,” he observes. “There’s a lot that architects can do for their cities, besides design. “We ap-proach things from a problem-solving angle, we’re project-based, and, yes, we have a unique ability to understand the physical place.”

That’s not to say that Greenberger hasn’t had to adjust to a role that he calls the “hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

“Government at the municipal level is where the rubber hits the road, every single day,” he says. “I have to take a lot of differ-ent points of view equally seriously, and that ain’t easy. I’m often trying to figure out how to find a path through the thicket of conflict-ing interests.”

A big part of his day-to-day, he adds, is spent examining the nitty gritty necessary to getting projects rolling. “I’ve become an ex-pert on financing, on asking questions like ‘Where’s your capital?’ ‘Can you take on

debt?’ ‘What’s the ask from the public sec-tor?’ It’s become pretty easy to sniff out the difference between those who are ready to go, and those who are in La-La Land.”

And while he has more control over such matters than he did as an architect, he knows that progress still take time. “You have to just keep hitting singles to win. There’s not enough money floating around for there to be that many home runs,” he says. “The best cities are the ones that evolve.”

Still, there’s that urge to push, to steer things. To, well, pick up a pencil every now and then.

“At first, I said I wouldn’t, that I’d be respectful of others’ designs and compo-sitions,” he admits. “But now, if I think of something better, I do it.” From a Toll Broth-ers housing development to a downtown hotel, he’s indulged in napkin sketches. “I’ve made suggestions, yes, and they’ve been ac-cepted, and so the projects are going to be a little better,” he says.

It’s the kind of urge, really, that couldn’t be satisfied by, oh, updating a bathroom in his East Mt. Airy home. “I need scale,” he says. “I’m compelled by place-making.”

Once his work with the current adminis-tration is over, he doesn’t know where he’ll end up. It’ll involve design, sure — but not an architectural practice. “It’ll be more likely be something in the public realm: a univer-sity, think-tank, foundation, that kind of thing,” he posits.

For now, he adds, “I love being part of where Philadelphia is going. That’s the real transformation.”

Based in Philadelphia, JoAnn Greco is a regular contributor to PlanPhilly.com. Her writing on the built environment has also appeared in The Washington Post, Planning, Metropolis, The Atlantic Cities, Architec-tureBoston, and Urban Land. Contact her at [email protected].

upclose UC


The Biography of a Building

By Witold Rybcznski

Published by Thames & Hudson

208 pages

ISBN: 0500342768

By Anthony Sorrentino

There are few, if any, contemporary think-ers in the architectural and design world demonstrating the talent and intellectual curiosity in presenting a subject matter that simultaneously transports a reader to a time and place, while demystifying the topic. This is why picking up a new book by Witold Ryb-czynski, the design profession’s master story-teller, is an event.

For nearly 20 years the author, a professor of urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, has been diving deep into an array of diverse subjects (landscape archi-tect Frederick Law Olmsted, the standardiza-tion of the screw, Palladian architecture, the history of domiciles), and in his latest book, Rybczynski brings the reader into the draft-ing room and onto the construction site for a behind the scenes tour of how an archi-tectural landmark was built - the Sainsbury Center for Visual Arts at East Angola Univer-sity in England.

The fascinating recounting of the design and construction process is made richer by the Sainsbury’s selection of the unknown, unproven, and youthful Norman Foster, who with this commission was about to break onto the architecture scene and go onto great influence. Revisiting this unconven-tional selection of Foster feels like opening a time capsule with the benefit of having already seen the contents verified. Foster

reviewRE

The Biography of a Building:How Robert Sainsbury and Norman Foster Built a Great Museum


reviewRE

would soon be internationally famous, and the Sainsbury Center for Visual Arts would become an architectural icon.

The author titled it a “biography” of a building, which allows him the latitude to broadly inform the reader of all the various machinations that must come together to produce a significant structure that show-cases art, including: site planning, landscape design, construction engineering, lighting design, curatorial art, museum administra-tion, and the politics of university fundrais-ing.

Lean and efficient at 221 pages, with 50 images that include architectural plans, con-struction photography, and selected works from the museum collection, The Biography of a Building is a great read because of the way the author presents the context and de-tails of not only how it was built, but why this building was erected.

He shares the personal story, aspirations, and inspirations of the philanthropists who made it possible. The Sainsbury family slowly accumulated its wealth (wholesale produce, retail grocery stores), and Robert Sainsbury used it to build and curate a world-renowned collection of paintings and sculpture. In his retirement, he devoted himself full time to collecting. Through interviews and report-ing, Rybczynski reveals the thought process of how the collection grew, and ultimately

how the Sainsbury family determined that the art collection needed its own home, preferably at a university that would care for it, designed by an architect that would honor their aesthetic. This is less a book on the architecture of a building, and more on the many moves, large and small, that ac-cumulate over a lifetime to arrive at such a milestone.

Aside from the straight-ahead narrative arc of the Sainsbury family amassing wealth, then art, and finally sponsoring a building to house it, the book’s structure invites the reader through rich detours of three private art collections that founded notable muse-ums, including an illuminating section devot-ed to the construction of the original Barnes Foundation on Philadelphia’s Main Line.

The similarities between Dr. Albert Barnes and Mr. Sainsbury - as collectors driven by their own intellectual pursuits, and as muse-um builders working with visionary design-ers (in the case of the Barnes the legendary Paul Cret) - are remarkable. Both collectors were wealthy men who became self-taught collectors following personal intellectual sys-tems for display. And both saw their muse-ums as a meta expression on how their col-lection was to be a pedagogical experience. Their stories also illustrate the resentments and bitterness that can arise between a pa-tron and their architect, with the difference

being that the Sainsbury family considered Sir Norman Foster extended family, where as Dr. Barnes and Paul Cret ceased having a relationship and were barely on speaking terms.

This insightful approach can change the way one looks at every cultural building. Civic architecture in the form of museums, libraries, university campuses, hospitals, and music halls, are often not built by the public sector, but rather through the opaque largess of a private citizen. As a result, the sponsor has final say on how the design will be real-ized and remains a mystery to the end user. In The Biography of a Building, Rybczynski provides a highly detailed account of how a museum collection was built, and then how the site was selected, and then how the building was designed and constructed, all the while weaving in the personal stories of the various professionals involved in ev-ery part of the story - from site landscape planning to lighting design. The author also explains how the building was received and even operates to this day under the second generation of Sainsbury stewards, after years of additions and modernization.

Anthony Sorrentino is the Executive Director of Public Affairs at the University of Pennsylvania and serves on the editorial board of CONTEXT.


ZAISER: With the increase and interest in sensitivity to de-sign in general, what roles do you believe architects should be playing in the built environment?

WINSTON: The way that I begin to get at that is to realize how much of the built environment is outside of our control or influence and to appreciate that we are a very small drop of black paint in a bucket of white paint. If you look at the development of sort of strip mall America, all of a sudden you realize that, except for signature buildings, restorations, and a few other kinds of projects and whatever we can snag from somebody who starts to believe in the value of the architect, 80 percent of the built environment is not us or influenced by us. So the way I answer your question is, we should be do-ing a lot that we aren’t to gain a market share. But how do you demonstrate value to that kind of audience, that doesn’t perceive it? That only reinforces your question, though … it doesn’t answer it.

DENEGRE: From our perspective, it’s more of being a stew-ard of the environment. Since we don’t do much new architec-ture - we’re repurposing existing buildings - I think there are roles to lead with a vision about stewardship and the buildings that we have, particularly in the Northeast. You know, if we were in Austin, it would be a different story. The more we can be stewards of what we have, and be creative with how we can use what we have, and bring energy efficiency and creative thinking about how to be sustainable in everything we do … I think that’s our role. To me it’s not about the next design, the star architect, the best building, but it’s about rethinking what we have in a creative way and repurposing it.

SANDERSON: Advancing the value of design. I think Steve Jobs, more than any architectural change, has shown what the value of design can do from a transformative standpoint. I think architects need to advance that cause, and there’s plenty of design problems to go around and plenty of partners to work with in all fields.

where does the architectural profession go from here?

How do we pick up the pieces after the recession?

context guest editors david Zaiser, AiA, and stephen

mullin sit down with four principals to discuss the future

of architecture, managing client expectations, expanded

services, and harnessing the power of technology.

WHAT’S NEXT?EDITORS’ ROuNDTABLE

Cecelia Denegre, AIAPrincipal, CDA&I Architecture and Interiors, Ltd.

Nando Micale, FAIAPrincipal, Wallace Roberts & Todd

Mark Sanderson, AIAPrincipal, DIGSAU

Richard Winston, AIAPrincipal, BWA Architecture + Planning


MICALE: It’s how you define design. When you say that there’s a sensitivity to design, I think as a culture there’s a sensi-tivity to style, because most people don’t understand design as a process. You can have a low budget and have a fantastic design. I think that’s the real value that we can bring: understanding how something is funded, how to get the best value out of the funds that you have, and how you solve the problem. That’s what our profession needs to do. From a larger, cultural perspective, we’re subject to the sensitivity in design because the people who get the press are the starchitects. Frank Gehry said something along the lines of “Brad Pitt’s an architect.” It’s a quote. Brad Pitt is not an architect, but it’s a commodification of what we do, a starchitecture approach to who is a designer in a project. It’s really about the values that we bring, and it’s reflective of the economic cycle we’re in, too. We’re talking about these issues now because we’re in a down economic cycle. When we’re fat and happy, we tend to spend a lot of time praising all the great architects and looking at high design.

MULLIN: How do you think client expectations will be chang-ing in the future? Do you think architects will be expected to specialize more or will services broaden beyond the traditional?

MICALE: I think that’s already happened. We, like many firms, were affected by the recession. The only way we’ve been able to manage the recession is by providing value beyond what a traditional architect provides. So, having a more diverse staff, not in terms of people, but in terms of their knowledge base and the skills they bring to the table is really important, and along with that, this issue of being a client’s partner in the process. We come not just as the architects, but as the sort of thought leadership of how you’re going to get this done and what’s the best way to conceptualize the project from financing all the way through implementation with design-build processes, to getting the architect, the builder, and the client all in the same room at the very beginning of the project, so you don’t waste time as you’re developing the actual project. It’s the partner aspect that adds value. There are sort of two trajectories: the firms that are doing that and the firms that are still doing the service model, and the firms who are doing the service model ultimately are going to keep competing for lower and lower prices, versus the value-added model, which is going to at least keep us flat.

DENEGRE: If you read a lot of literature that’s coming out about our industry, it’s interesting because, even in the architec-ture schools, they’re putting interdisciplinary teams together to look at projects. It’s not just architects anymore; it’s economists, it’s anthropologists, it’s historians, it’s industrial designers. I think it’s kind of exciting. It’s all interdisciplinary.

SANDERSON: I’ve found that AIA Contract Documents haven’t really kept up with the new model. They’re focused on keeping the architect’s role in a very discrete, low-risk position. If

you follow the service model of AIA contracts, it’s very difficult to be nimble to your client’s needs, so we kind of throw those out the window pretty quickly once we start a project.

MULLIN: Just out of curiosity on AIA Contract Documents … I heard murmurs and saw heads nodding, saying that that’s the sense that you all had. That’s your own organization. Is it block-ing some place in that world, or are you all saying that it hasn’t kept up? Is it because someone in charge is stuck in the 1950s, or is it just that there isn’t a consensus on how you keep up?

SANDERSON: It’s moving so fast that if you want to be com-petitive and serve your clients, you have to start out with com-petitive, streamlined, efficiency models, and the AIA contracts have been built on a foundation for the last 50 years. They’re still good contracts for traditional services, but if you’re trying to operate in a way that’s more responsive to the client’s needs and you’re trying to expand into the creative footprint, that’s a pretty narrow document we’ve found.

MULLIN: What are those expanded services as you’re seeing them?

SANDERSON: The clear-cut service model is like asking, “How many cubicles do you need, and what place do we need to put them in the footprint?” And a partnership model is one where you’re asking questions that help them think about their organi-zation in a different way.

MICALE: Well, it depends on the project, too. If you’re work-ing for a commercial client you can use preliminary design or preliminary concepts as a discrete part of that contract, use addi-tional services, and maybe elaborate on those to allow for some flexibility. In housing markets, that’s a different thing because most developers aren’t willing to pay predevelopment money until you have financing in place. That’s a trust issue with the client that you’re working for, which forces you to only work for the clients that you trust.

DENEGRE: We specialize in existing facilities and bring in ex-perts who can look at those buildings depending on what it is. We’ve had real estate analysis done on particular projects, so we’ll pull in a major real estate player in Philadelphia as a con-sultant to us. Also dealing with furniture is a big issue, because we do a lot of interiors as well as architecture. Cost estimating is a big thing, and project scheduling is another. Those are all project management issues, and, because we’re small, we bring all those people to the table. It’s kind of a cool model because we can stay small and then, depending on the project, bring in the resources to do that project, and that might change depending on the client

WINSTON: Another model that’s become popular again is design-build, but sometimes it’s design-build-develop or turnkey or something like that. If you rewind the film back to the early 1980s, my old company was doing design-build, and we were


somewhat shunned by the AIA. They had no contractual forms for it, and they thought it was an inappropriate com-ingling of interests. We said, “Well it’s single-point delivery, and it’s actually a great delivery model, why shouldn’t we do it?” So it became a healthy debate. So now, fast forward to the last few months … three colleges have asked us, “What do you think of design-build?”

MULLIN: Do you think that designing for energy and workplace efficiency will become the norm, rather than be-ing seen as an option or an add-on?

MICALE: I don’t know about office efficiency, but energy efficiency for sure. These are different markets. Some are not that interested in efficiency will more interested in how we work, so they may actually require a bit more room to work well. But metrics in terms of energy, for sure.

WINSTON: I’d suggest changing office efficiency to office efficacy, because it depends on your organization’s value sys-tem. Some people are successful and creative because they are non-efficient in the traditional sense. These efficiency evaluators come in to firms and say, “You could do it this way and save time and manpower,” and that really ties well with green design, because we’re learning that a healthier environment increases productivity. But efficiency, to my mind, implies [considerations such as] what percentage of your space is productive, rentable space versus [what is used simply for] circulation.

DENEGRE: We’re working with a few public clients right now in the city. Specifically, the Water Department and they’ve got 600 people in Aramark Tower. The City of Phil-adelphia has workplace standards and they go back to 15 years ago and they’re based on civil service positions. What we thought was going to take a month has taken three months, because we’re really questioning them about the relationship between position and amount of space, and aren’t there other questions that really need to be asked, and that has to do with—not necessarily efficiency—but quality of space for public employees and also switching how they think about themselves.

SANDERSON: I think building on what Dick said is that effectiveness — and efficiency may not be the right term — but efficiency and effectiveness towards collaboration; I think that’s the thing that we’ve seen more focus on in the design workplace … questioning the cubicle and looking at collaborative space and allowing that collaboration to move businesses and organizations forward.

WINSTON: Something Cece said triggered another recol-lection and that is thinking about especially big cities that have lost population. Just taking Philadelphia as an example, knowing that Detroit and Cleveland are in worse shape, we are only about, give or take, two-thirds of the population we were in 1955, but we still have an infrastructure—a very ag-

ing infrastructure—that serves that larger footprint, and we can’t support it, hence school closings, scratching for dollars to replace sewers, and things like that. So it even calls into question the efficiency of the city as it is presently organized. Not that the easy solution is just to make everything compact and forget the rest, but how do you make a city effective? You really have to change the model. So NTI tore down a lot of empty houses and put grass in but it didn’t solve the problem. So there’s a whole organizational investigation to do there to figure out how you can keep the city viable. So I don’t know whether that’s efficiency or something else, but just for the city to survive is a big challenge. Also a good op-portunity for designers and planners, if they want to delve into that realm.

ZAISER: Do you envision any leveling of architectural de-grees, or stratification within firms to be more efficient in terms of how we deliver a design product? Is that in our future? Are you seeing any of that now?

SANDERSON: We actively subvert that stratification, be-cause we see the moment of drawing something through as critical to thinking through the problem. But it is not an efficient model.

DENEGRE: I think in terms of our office, we’re partners and problem solvers. I think very little of what we do is pro-duction oriented. And if we set the job up, we set so much energy in the front end that, we certainly could package the production part. Once it gets to a certain point, I don’t see a problem in outsourcing that. It’s a partnership with a firm we’ve had experience with. It’s not like we’re sending it to China or something.

MICALE: I think it’s related to the size of the firm or the practice. The bigger the firm gets, the more it’s unlikely that you’ll be doing that stratification. We’re a firm that grew to 250 at the height of the market, and there were those pres-sures to do that stratification. As a culture we couldn’t do that. The most we did was send out a rendering overnight, mostly because it was [to meet] client expectations, not be-cause we didn’t have the capacity to do it in-house. But if you’re thinking about the best use of people’s time, the col-laborative process is the way to get you the best product in the office, not the stratification in the uses.

WINSTON: It sounds like two things that might overlap: one’s specialization and the other’s stratification. Cece’s model is one where she specializes in getting the specialists she needs for her team, which, we do, too. When people want specialization, and there are people who have strength in certain areas, you certainly get more efficiency - there’s that word again - out of that specialization, as long as peo-ple don’t feel like they’re getting pigeon-holed. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten to the point where we just had CAD op-erators who do nothing else. We like that integration as a


process. Sure, the junior people are doing the drafting, but they’re modeling the whole process, the thinking process and learning how to detail. The other concern I have about outsourcing, at least for our work, is especially on historic restoration and complex renovations. The details are very fussy and numerous in order to make up a contract docu-ment. Maybe it’s just my own uneasiness about it, but I don’t see myself handing out to somebody who hasn’t had a lot of experience or isn’t under my direct guidance.

ZAISER: Do you think that new technologies and other ways of working in the office will have some effect on fees? How will we see those fees changing?

SANDERSON: I’ve always found that the process from a client perspective seems so challenging and full of unknowns and unexpected twists and turns that we have to come up with a better way to do it for their sake. That’s partially why people continue to look for other models, because the cur-rent model doesn’t work very well and it’s not very friendly to clients. If there’s a change in the profession that begins to address those issues, that’s where our services and our values begin to expand again. Right now, if you’re a client, you’d be doing everything you can to avoid the challenges and the hurdles that come with taking on a construction project.

ZAISER: One of my partners did a presentation recently with one of our past clients, and he described the architect selection process as a high-risk endeavor. And to hear that from a client, it really kind of drove it home. It’s exactly what you’re saying.

SANDERSON: To select a site, create a budget, create a schedule, select a builder, the whole design team … There are so many variables and opportunities or challenges in that process that, just from their perspective, it’s not a very good model.

WINSTON: The choice of technologies is an interesting one. We’ve found them to be very useful for a certain cli-ent because we could show them the space quickly, and we could also alter the space quickly. We can just get it faster in CAD, but we can communicate through traditional needs for people who need help visualizing what the solution’s going to look like. A couple of us old guys are still pretty fast in sketching. We have been very judicious in use of BIM, but have used it to good effect.

ZAISER: Do you see the Internet, social media, and the potential for free or less-expensive online education having any impact on the profession, even beyond any of the tech-nologies that we employ within the office?

MICALE: I think that the interaction of technology, the practice, and the client interaction is the real game changer. We’re using 3-D modeling as a way to communicate with our clients in real time. You can use it to show what the space is going to look like, and we’re using it actually in our

design sessions. The danger is that it marginalizes what we do, because of our culture, which is driven by gaming. A lot of our entertainment culture has a gaming component in it. The danger is that our clients will see it as just another game that they can play. I’ve seen it when you’re doing real-time modifications to a design. If they say, “If I knew how to do that, I could do the design myself,” I think it devalues what we do, because it’s not about just the technology. It’s about the process we go through to get to the design and engag-ing the client to understand the values, how they work or live, and responding with a design solution.

SANDERSON: I would see those changes as cross-industry and less architectural. Those changes in the digital media are really pervasive on a societal level. You just have to choose how you want to engage personally and as a firm with the various technologies that are out there. As a contrarian point about the digital modeling, we’ve found that the modeling and the ability to show people the space has allowed us to more quickly move to the conversation about what the space is doing, or what the client is doing, or how the design may help their organization or work for them.”

MICALE: Its utility is about being able to literally see what you’re talking about and not having to interpret drawings. I’ve always been a critic of the way we show clients draw-ings. If anyone shows an elevation again … it’s ridiculous. I mean, no one sees a building in elevation, so why would you draw that for your client. You may draw it for your construc-tion documents, but you don’t draw it for your client.

WINSTON: Online learning is just everywhere now. We’re doing webinars periodically in the office when something in-teresting comes along. We’ve actually set up webinars if we have a fairly diversified constituency among a client’s set of decision makers at the table. One way to get at an issue is to do a webinar, which we’ve done with some success at a couple of colleges. Then we’re bringing the source material to them - not creating it necessarily - but it gives us credibility and we all share in the learning process together.

MICALE: On a similar note, where we work outside of the region we use Live Meeting on a regular basis. It has re-ally affected the efficiency of our communication. In terms of social media, in our public sector work it’s become really important, because it’s another way we communicate and get input for our design. We’ve found that we’re even forced to use social media if you’re working in communities and public sector work. We had a situation in Kansas City where we were monitoring social media for a project and all of a sudden we saw a post that people were gathering digitally to gather physically to come out against the process. So it allowed us to respond in kind and make sure the information was correct that was out there, address it upfront in a public meeting.


MAKING THE GRADE

With increased interest in and sensitivity to design, what roles do you believe architects should be playing in the built environment?

We need to be more aware of our role as advocates for design. Interest in and sensitivity to design are impor-tant qualities for a culture to embrace. But built environment professionals, including architects, should make sure to lead and guide the ‘interest’. One important role we play as educators is to guide students to consider the roles of architecture in an expanded field. As such we ask that they become good listeners and observers finding out how to engage issues and engage in dialog about a range of topics that are impacted by design.

Do you think that designing for energy and workplace efficiency will become the norm, rather than being seen as an option or add on?

Yes. This is a quality of life issue as well as an ethical one. The quality of life considerations are not just about human comfort but environmental well-being (including but not only for us) as a whole. Interior environments can be well tempered, of course, but any mechanical means to do this should also consider environmental impact now and in the long term.

How do you envision design fees as a percentage of development funds trending in the future? It is hoped that the valuable role design plays in development will not be underestimated, but this might be

an optimistic view.

Do you think there will be any stratification or leveling of architecture degrees so that lower “oc-cupation” levels can provide work more cheaply?

We should be careful not to make this happen. Wisdom that comes with experience has always been an important design attribute. With current complexities of practice and design, wisdom is as necessary as it has ever been. If financial considerations are driving stratification, it is important that this does not impact the role of design.

How do you think client expectations changing in the future? Do you think architects will be ex-pected to be more specialize, or will services broaden beyond the traditional?

I think this depends on the kind of service and the size of a given commission. On the one hand, practices have expanded to embrace a range of design and management roles, the broadening of services has already be-gun. On the other hand, there is great need for specialization given complexities of practice and some particular circumstances. One interesting trend for both small practices and large ones is the role of collaboration, within the architecture disciplines and also across disciplinary lines. Collaboration afford flexibility - to be able to special-ize on the one hand, and to be able to join forces and provide a broad range of services on the other. This is a fascinating trend in design practice at this moment in time. It speaks again to the need to educate design profes-sionals to have knowledge and experience well beyond the field of architecture.

Will the Internet, specifically social media and accessible, free online education, have a measurable impact on the profession?

The internet already has had an enormous impact. Social media connects us more intimately and allows us to find who and what we need, and this has been positive. Free online education is a developing area, and one we should all look at with great interest. It is not clear yet what impact this will have.

context surveyed several key educators in philadelphia to glean their

thoughts on the state of architectural education, the future of the profes-

sion, and what the world holds for graduating architects. each was pro-

vided with five questions. their answers are presented here.

David Breiner, PhDDirector,

Associate Professor,Architecture Department

Philadlephia University

Katherine Wingert-PlaydonChairperson,

Architecture DepartmentTemple University


First, I want to thank the practitioner friends and colleagues at Philadelphia University who shared their per-spectives on these issues with me so I could present responses as well rounded as possible. Architects are not completely in agreement about the future of architectural practice, but they do envision some of the same pos-sibilities.


Generally, our society does seem more aware these days of the benefits of good design. Architects increasingly use more sophisticated technologies – of course young architects are acquiring those skills while in school – to be problem solvers in realms beyond the more limited roles they’ve had in the past. Among the comments I heard from colleagues is the importance of architects presenting themselves as creative problem solvers at many steps of the building process, from preliminary design services and programming to post-occupancy review. Also, we imagine that architects will continue to work with professionals from other disciplines – landscape architects, con-struction managers, engineers, health-care givers – earlier in the process. Again, we strive to teach this approach to design with students so they’ll be better prepared for the job market.


Everyone I speak with seems to agree that the emphasis on energy and workplace efficiency is not an ephem-eral trend but a permanent change in the expectations that both architects and clients have. Architects provide added value when they bring expertise to these aspects of the relationship. Today, students leave the university assuming that they must be prepared to deal with sustainability, integrated project delivery, and building informa-tion modeling, so I can only see these trends as continuing.

How do you envision design fees as a percentage of development funds trending in the future?Today’s soft economy has provided different experiences for different offices. Some principals have had a very

difficult time despite lowered design-fee percentages and expect opportunities will rebound slowly. Others, by broadening their services, have earned higher fees than before. Those services address issues such as building energy performance, new construction techniques and materials, site management, and financial development. I guess the lesson is to seize opportunities and use new tools when needed. When possible, it should make prac-tice more interesting as well.


Stratification of degrees already exists with some students emerging from NAAB-accredited programs (both bachelors and masters levels) and others from pre-professional programs. On top of that, even two architectural interns from similar educational backgrounds can wind up with very different roles in an office. And of course outsourcing low-level work is already being done offshore. In general, the responses were that architects should be generalists as much as they can; however, I acknowledge that in certain fields, that attitude is contrary to the expectations of clients and others in industry.

How do you think client expectations changing in the future? Do you think architects will be ex-pected to be more specialized, or will services broaden beyond the traditional?

Architects running smaller firms may not have seen much change in the recent past, but larger firms have a different reality. Some firms have become more specialized, while others have broadened. This is a positive thing, right? It allows architects to find the kind of practice they’re most interested in. As long as clients are educated in their choices, they also benefit from the variety of firms. Meanwhile, as architects deal with the battle between the specialist-architect and the generalist-architect, most hope that they will be able to retain their role as a man-ager and leader of multiple players. But architects must be increasingly proactive so their options won’t be limited.


I heard lots of divergent comments about this issue. Digital tools can be very convenient for continuing educa-tion, but are they as effective as learning experiences based on more direct personal interaction? There is room for improvement in how architects continue to keep current in the field, but for the most part digital media provide flexibility and a broad spectrum of opportunities. Someday, virtual meetings over long distances between architects and others will be even more productive, which will allow greater choices in global practice and result in better designs.

David Breiner, PhDDirector,

Associate Professor,Architecture Department

Philadlephia University



[CODDINGTON] I believe the question is both indicative of the problems facing the profession and the acad-emy as well as holding the promise on how we might extract ourselves from our present marginalized position in the building industry.

First the question; there is little or no hard data that there is “…increased interest and sensitivity to design.” I am unaware of any broad-based research that demonstrates recent construction reflects this claim, whether architects or others execute the designs. While there is certainly some evidence that the public has an interest in design based on the plethora of television cable shows that have design content in them ranging from cooking to fashion, I have not seen any data that indicates an upturn in wide-spread client demand for increased “sensitivity to design.” If claims are to be made regarding design, the profession and their value to the public, qualitative and quantitative evidence will be required. As Philadelphia’s own James Timberlake observed, “Anything you need to quantify can be measured in some way that is superior to not measuring it at all.”

Architects and the organizations that represent them can no longer expect our public, especially those who commission our buildings, to rely on unsubstantiated claims regarding the value added the profession brings to the built environment. As evidence-based-design becomes increasingly the norm, new organizational structures as well as new ways of thinking and doing need to occur in both the academy and the profession.

For instance in regards to the academy, we need to develop instruments to measure the value of an architec-tural education. Evidence-based-education is the academy’s equivalent of the profession’s evidence-base- design. In a recent study by McKinley Advisors for NCARB, 96% of the respondents - which included both academics and practitioners- agreed that, “Architects must work in collaborative teams…” How are schools teaching col-laborative skills, how are these skills being measured, and how effective are these skills in the work-place after graduation are all questions that need to be measured. As part of the same survey 88% of the respondents agreed that, “Architecture students benefit from general/liberal studies.” How can this assertion be validated and how can schools of architecture demonstrate that they are indeed providing the public with graduates that are liberally educated?

Thus one critical role the profession and architectural education must play in the built environment is to de-velop believable metrics regarding the value added they bring not only to the design process but also to the built environment over time.

The other role the profession must play is not to just design for 10% (or less) of the population but to design for the entire population. Both schools of architecture and the profession must reorient themselves along these lines if architecture wants to reverse the increasing marginalization of the profession. In the McKinley report 67% of the respondents agreed that, “Architects are losing their role in the design and construction of the built environment.” It is well documented that the existing built-environment in the United States needs enormous investment including schools, transportation, infrastructure, housing etc.,

The roles architecture will play in regards to these enormous tasks confronting our country’s and the world’s built-environments, whether they be central roles or marginal roles, will be dependent on the profession’s ability to collaborate effectively with diverse constituencies and demonstrate the value architects and architecture bring to a robust design process, to the built environment, and to our society and its culture.


[CODDINGTON] Workplace efficiency and reduced energy consumption in buildings will be only two of a myriad of design parameters that will have to be integrated into everyday practice if the profession intends to remain relevant. Addressing all the major issues and opportunities that face the built environment must be the central role of both the academy and the profession. It is critical that information regarding the built environment is shared across the profession and across the design disciplines if progress is to be made. As evidence-based-design becomes the norm, students will have to become increasingly sophisticated in the use of digital modeling techniques to demonstrate their designs meet a range of programmatic requirements, from energy consumption to cost.

In practice the predictive power of models will need to be tested against the reality of building use over time. Reversing current trends the profession will have to take on more rather than less responsibility for their executed work. In the McKinley survey, 45% of the respondents viewed “Architects losing their place as project leads to other professionals” as a lasting change, 20% viewed it as a short-term change, 22% were not sure and only 12% did not consider it to be an issue. Regarding research, the McKinley survey reported that 95% of the re-spondents agreed that architects need to have”…the ability to evaluate evidence and perform research.” If the profession is to take this responsibility seriously, then a series of new diagnostic tools will need to be developed, many of which will need to be imbedded in the designs themselves.

Jon CoddingtonDepartment Head,

Architecture and Interiors Drexel University

Frank deSantisAsst. Teaching Professor,

Architecture and Interiors Drexel University


Research is certainly an area in which the academy and the profession can work together to assemble evidence and gain insights into best practices. As data is transformed into knowledge, the profession will have earned the a legitimate place at the table in formulating public policies that truly address the health, safety and welfare is-sues of our public.

How do you envision design fees as a percentage of development funds trending in the future?[CODDINGTON] Architects can and should become much more creative in regards to increasing their design

fees. For instance a portion of the design fees can and should be tied to building performance. On a personal note, a number of years ago I designed a house for a family for $250,000. As with all custom designed houses, I spent a great deal of time and craft getting it just right for the client. Two years later the family sold the house for more than double its cost. If I had been smart and tied my design to performance, including increase of value, I should have received a percentage of the “profit” the owners realized that was due to the value added I as an architect brought to their home. It is hard to imagine that practically every practitioner doesn’t have an equivalent story.

Another area in which architects could look for increased fees is in regards to the productivity of the build-ing industry. As Phil Bernstein from Yale has pointed out, from 1964-2004, the non-farm productivity index rose 225% while the construction productivity index fell by 20%. Linking fees to increasing productivity in the con-struction industry, even if it is a small percentage, could result in increased design fees that are substantial. It is hard to believe that there isn’t some low-hanging fruit here waiting to be harvested.


[DESANTIS] Traditionally, the societal role of the architect, and her membership in a creative class supposedly furthering a sophisticated cultural agenda, has always been contrasted with and juxtaposed to the aims of skilled labor. The historical roots of this split between pragmatic efficacy and conceptual deliberation, between the master builder and the scholar-artist, run deep and the lingering effects of this self-definition as ”not craftsmen” are implicit in almost every discussion about architectural education and the architect’s role in construction.

It really comes down to this. Either contemporary architectural education is going to figure out a way to re-construct an inclusive, culturally relevant, intellectual agenda for the discipline, a non-reductive discourse that engages the quality of lived experience as well as the sheer facts on the ground, or else the discipline will continue to be marginalized by professional and educational narratives focusing on the twin poles of engineering or art.

Any “leveling of architectural degrees” to provide a cheaper architecturally skilled labor force would be a de-velopment that tacitly accepts that an intellectually rigorous cultural agenda for architecture and the goals of the construction industry and construction financing, with respect to late-capitalism, are mutually exclusive.

How do you think client expectations will be changing in the future? Do you think architects will be expected to be more specialized, or will services broaden beyond the traditional?

[DESANTIS] Unless the discipline fosters a culturally meaningful, non-reductive intellectual discourse then I believe it is almost inevitable that architectural clients will begin to focus on other value “narratives” about construction. Architectural value will be subsumed by rationalist narratives about performative parameters, by ethically persuasive narratives about humanitarian concerns, or by expressionist narrative about art. Clients will continue to face a confusing muddle of seemingly architecturally coded material, social, and conceptual argu-ments that are fundamentally about instrumental logic. Architectural services will necessarily then become even more specialized as a market response although specialization will now included such non-traditional expertise as “cultural icon” or “public intellectual.”


[DESANTIS] Setting aside the idea of free online education-a truly utopian vision that will transform all of so-ciety, the question is whether or not the discursive dialogs and visceral representations of new media will further the goals of architecture as a humanistic discipline. If the evolution of new media can help support a culturally meaningful, non-reductive intellectual discourse, then the architectural profession, and society as a whole, will reap the benefits. If new media, however, furthers the fragmentation of contemporary culture into solipsistic discourses that are either just about “science” or just about “ethics” or just about “art,” or worse just about commoditization, than the architectural profession, as perhaps the only humanistic practice left still standing, will obviously suffer. As always, the end will come not with a bang, but with a whimper.


By Stephen P. Mullin

EFFICIENCY: AN ARCHITECT’S NEW BEST FRIEND

The current economic environment generates pessimistic outlooks for many professions. Unsustainable booms are considered “great times” and the inevitable busts are seen as evidence of the evils of the rich and of capitalism itself. But the understandable fixation on the dramatic booms and busts of the past 25 years has obscured the far more important structural changes in the U.S. and world economies, along with our need and willingness to address them. Simply put, the rest of the world’s economy is growing up, and the U.S. (and Europe and Japan) no longer have monopoly powers in production. Popularly known as “globalism,” the emotional political battles about stolen jobs mask the true story of emerging economies. As more people become more productive, increasingly tough competition will face all of the world’s producers, forever. Combine this with the incredible acceleration of technological advances that make labor more produc-tive and generate a breathtaking world of new products and services, and we have a recipe for a future in which resting on your laurels is tantamount to cruising on the Titanic.

Thus, the future will hold accelerating pressures for greater ef-ficiency, and that’s a good thing. Efficiency has, basically, the same meaning to economists and engineers. That is, increasing the amount of output created from any level of input (or equivalently, reducing the amount of inputs necessary to create any level of output). Effi-ciency gains come from increases in productivity, which come from smarter work and application of new technologies to existing pro-duction processes. But lost to many is the reason why people work smarter or invent and apply new technologies. It’s directly the result of the continuous desire to generate profits in a competitive world, and it’s the key to increasing the living standards of all 7 billion of us on this planet.

Curiously, when I talk to architects, they often react to the term “efficiency” as if it an evil constraint foisted upon them by ruthless fi-nancial types. In this view, it is the greed of the financial evildoers that forces all architects to design suboptimal spaces, thereby harming the good peoples of the earth.

Yet, there exists a better way to look at this situation. Because of the increasing importance of efficient space, architects of the future will play a significant role in the overall health and growth of econo-mies. Moreover, because of the importance of what architects “do” to the overall well-being of the economy, they will be more involved in all phases of the evaluation of space efficiency and fashioning the solutions to challenges rather than being a mere part of the process of building what clients already have determined they want. Thus, the architect will take on a much more value-adding role in the fu-

As architects think about the future of their profession,

many recognize it depends largely upon the economy,

and the evolving nature of space needs for living,

working, and playing.


EFFICIENCY: AN ARCHITECT’S NEW BEST FRIEND

ture. That requires different thinking, training, and approaches, all of which I believe the ar-chitectural profession is not only up for but could lead the charge. Indeed, efficiency will become the architect’s new best friend.

Economic Trends Will Influence the Fu-ture World of Architects

How will the economic future impact the demand for space – quantity and quality – in the commercial, residential and public infra-structure sectors, thereby determining the role and also influence the “happiosity” of the architect of the future? While I argue that increasing efficiency is king, the real interest is captured in how to best do that. Techno-logical progress is altering the economics of building construction, communication, trans-portation and commuting, business invest-ments, and daily operations. Many of these general economic factors and trends will in-fluence each and every one of these sectors, while other may be more focused in their ef-fects.

Commercial Space: Offices, Retail, En-tertainment

Perhaps the biggest issue influencing the future demand for commercial office space is the nature of future business needs and the increasing role of communication and off-site storage, both tangible and intangible. Speak-er after speaker at the recent WorkTech2012 Conference in New York discussed how work-place rules and roles are rapidly evolving in ways that fundamentally require not only less built space per worker, but also radically dif-ferent configurations and technical capabili-ties of that space. Common themes through-out the presentations included the needs to encourage interaction among users, to foster collaboration and socialization, and to pro-vide attractive personal environments and technological interfaces that are able to keep up with the rapidly changing environments. As sad as it may seem, just having the coolest, high fidelity internal eight-track office sound system will no longer cut it.

Demand for commercial space is a derived

demand, based on the demand for whatever can be produced in the space. In hyper-com-petitive markets, companies’ pricing flexibility is severely constrained, so the only sure way to increase profits is to reduce costs. Mark Marquis, Global Vice President, Global Work-Place Solutions at Johnson Controls, notes that “only 48 percent of the U.S. workplace is utilized; 30 percent of conference rooms are not used.” Reducing the cost of space is clearly the ultimate driver, but that doesn’t simply mean shrinking everything down to Lilliputian scale. What it does mean is scaling down smartly, to what futurologist Philip Ross calls “the thin workplace.”I caution that this is not the same as the telecommuting future that people envisioned back in the late 20th century. We were painting pictures of the future with people telecommuting and tele-living, molded into our easy chairs at home, legs evolved away, with 30 fingered hands push-buttoning everything in our lives. Some science fiction! While estimates range for a quarter to a third of the domestic and global


pHoto courtesY mAriKo reed

“Here, again, is an opportunity for architects to be part of developing the solution that doesn’t have to be dull housing

units off the boring assembly line. Architects can help design the smart houses that not only waste fewer resources to

build, but also waste fewer resources to live in.”


workforce working remotely, we have found that the value of real human interaction put a hard limit to that tele-living future. But that trend did make it very important to be efficient about workspace. So density and urbanization haven’t gone the way of the dodo bird, rath-er they have become even more important in the new world order.

And it’s not just data and communications and accommodating so-cial networking that will shape the new configurations. Sources of ef-ficiency enhancements include building construction and maintenance savings, paired with long run operational savings (including energy savings).

HousingThis is the dawning of the Age of the Smart House Era, but don’t

expect all of us to be living in houses that will do better than our kids on the SAT anytime soon.

Housing has always been an odd duck in the economics world. We can almost envision a Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtain commercial: “It’s an investment!” “No, it’s a consumption item!” “No, it’s both!” The bloom on the investment rose has pretty much fallen off, and the consumption value is directly related to discretionary income levels, which have also obviously taken a hit. While another round of herd mentality (and maybe too much Bernanke foot on the gas pedal and dumb U.S. government policies) will certainly foster another round of Tulipmania in the housing market, for the intermediate future both of these factors will mean demand for smaller and more efficient houses, whether owned or rented.

Part of that increased efficiency is already being wrung out of con-struction costs via new methods and lower commodity and labor (in-put) prices. This represents an important - but to many, a very unsexy - step in the right direction. Here, again, is an opportunity for archi-tects to be part of developing the solution that doesn’t have to be dull housing units off the boring assembly line. Architects can help design the smart houses that not only waste fewer resources to build, but also waste fewer resources to live in. And again, based on lots of fine work in recent years, architects are clearly up to the task, but it has to be generated at a larger scale, and seen as the standard instead of just an idiosyncratic option.

Public Infrastructure InvestmentThis world is changing, too. While some may think that calling for

more spending will be successful - because the alternative would be that the US drops to 147th in living standards - I don’t believe the is-sue is quite so black and white. Economists have always known (but since we all are political animals, we don’t all agree) that both the quantity and quality of investment is key to increasing productivity of economies and, ultimately, to generating higher living standards for all peoples. I believe that after all of the political braying and gnashing of teeth, the quality of public infrastructure investments will begin to play a more important role than just the quantity. This is because the willingness of taxpayers to pay more has reached its limit, and the taxpayers are expecting more from their dollars.

What does this mean for architects? Essentially, this is the same story as before: public infrastructure investment must become more efficient, meaning fewer dollars spent for even more investment. In economic terms, this raises the return on investment, which is always a good thing.

In architect terms, it means less money being spent per project and far more competition and pencil sharpening to successfully garner work on public works and other public investment projects. Architects will face more competition for their slice of project budgets. But since architects have the ability to play a more value-added role in the over-all project, there is a good case to be made that the size of their slice could increase. Furthermore, more efficient public infrastructure in-vestments should lead to the public being more willing to pay for even more, since they will see it as less wasteful.

A Bright and Challenging Future for the Architectural Profes-sion

To summarize, I see increasingly aggressive competition changing the way the world works, and generating never-ending pressures to increase efficiency (and productivity) in production, and hence for the spaces where we live, work, and play. I am an optimist. I believe we humans can handle the challenge, as we always have. For their part, I see architects playing an even more important role in the future of built space. And as I’ve noted, I think the profession is up to the task and ready to help lead the charge.

Stephen P. Mullin is Principal at Econsult Corporation in Philadel-phia and serves on CONTEXT’s editorial board. He would like to thank Bill Krebs and Melanie Jeske for their help on this article.

LEFT: Smart houses, like Plumbob’s Margarido house in Oakland, CA, are prime examples of increased efficiency in that less resources are used in both their construction and inhabitation.


expression EX

Ugly DucklingsPhotographs and text by Dominic Mercier

Consider this my full admission of guilt. With a background in newspapers and arts and culture, I knew

little about architecture before I signed on as the communications director for the Chapter. Of course, I knew what I liked and didn’t like, aesthetically, but in the nearly five years that I’ve been on the job I’ve learned a lot and have come to appreciate the importance of architects, designers, planners, and just about everyone else involved in the built environment.


Not everyone has the luxury of being surrounded by architects, and for them architecture can be just something we stroll by, through, or over every day without stopping to think about its role or impor-tance in our city. In my mind, photography serves as a gateway to un-derstanding and appreciating architecture, whether it is gazing long-ingly at the technically perfect, two-page spreads in just about any shelter magazine to the full-color plans complete with Photoshoped folks moving through conceived designs.

In my personal work, which is often born from lunchtime walks with a camera in hand, buildings become a prime target when not much is happening on the street. One of the more common com-plaints I’ve heard about Philadelphia’s architecture is that we have quite a few inaccessible cold, concrete buildings with Brutalist or just plain baffling concepts. Now, I’ll readily admit I made my fair share of jokes about the core buildings that make up Temple University’s main campus back when I was a student there, but I’ve come to love build-ings like this. There’s something fascinating to me when you break them down into geometrical slices. The symmetry … the lines … the shadows … there’s something transformative about a building when viewed this way. Oftentimes, they cease acting as buildings and be-come whatever the viewer wants them to be, functional abstract art on a grand and highly visible scale.


designprofile DP

Lenfest Hall: Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates

As the Curtis Institute grew, its facilities could no longer support its varied music pro-grams -- nor could they accommodate mod-ern technical requirements, including acous-tically isolated teaching and practice spaces, and, most importantly, a rehearsal room for the full orchestra. Curtis had never provided housing or dining service for its students, a long understood need.

The team worked with Curtis to select and test the capacity of an underutilized site extending from Locust Street to Latimer Street, one block east of their existing build-ings. The site enables Lenfest Hall to con-nect with Curtis’s existing facilities and with the Academy of Music and Kimmel Center where many faculty and students perform - establishing a linear campus along Locust Street extending from Rittenhouse Square to the Avenue of the Arts.

The primary challenges were to mass multiple program uses on a very limited site within a historic mid 19th century block of Locust Street, directly opposite the National Landmark St. Mark’s Church - and to design a building that, while contemporary, contrib-uted to the different streetscapes of Locust and Latimer Streets.

The Locust Street façade is clad in brown sandstone with window groupings and other elements that relate to the rhythms of

the curtis institute of music’s lenfest Hall is a 105,000-square-foot multi-use education and

student residence building. the expansion provides state-of-the-art facilities for practice and

teaching, an orchestral rehearsal room, dining and social spaces, and student residences, all

in close proximity to existing facilities on rittenhouse square and locust street. the project is

targeted for leed gold certification.


LOCATION: Philadelphia

CLIENT: The Curtis Institute of Music

ARCHITECTuRE: Venturi, Scott Brown and

Associates

STRuCTuRAL ENGINEER: Keast & Hood Co.

CIVIL ENGINEER: Stantec

ACOuSTICS CONSuLTANT: Kirkegaard As-

sociates

THEATER CONSuLTANT: Cosler Theater

Design

A/V CONSuLTANT: Metropolitan Acoustics

HISTORIC PRESERVATION ARCHITECT:

Noble Preservation Services

LIGHTING CONSuLTANT: Grenald Waldron

Associates

LEED CONSuLTANT: Re:Vision Architecture

FOOD SERVICE CONSuLTANT: Porter Khouw

Consulting

CODE CONSuLTANT: Hughes Associates

CONSTRuCTION MANAGER: Intech Con-

struction

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER:

Razak Company

PHOTOGRAPHy: Tom Crane, Matt Wargo

neighboring townhouses. Yet the design also promotes the new identity of the expanded institution: a carved frieze across the façade identifies the building with civic touch and generous windows bring transparency to the facade and express the spaces within. The projecting bay, directly opposite the tower of St. Mark’s, highlights the entry and is visible from the Institute’s existing build-ings and the Avenue of the Arts, helping to reinforce a sense of campus.

A five story residential block, overlook-ing a rooftop terrace, is set back from Lo-cust Street and clad in buff brick making it minimally visible from the street and, where visible, blending with nearby buff colored high-rises.

The setback also minimizes the impact of shadows on St. Mark’s stained glass win-dows and gardens.

Along Latimer Street, a small entry plaza that brings amenity to the block. The use of red brick continues the scale of Latimer Street’s buildings while buff colored brick blends with the taller buff colored buildings nearby to minimize the impact of the build-ing’s height and reflect sunlight into the nar-row street.

To enable intense use of the site a non-

historical two-story building was demol-ished. In addition, demolition of the rears of two adjoining historic townhouses was ap-proved by the Historical Commission “in the public interest” with concurrence of preser-vation organizations and community groups, after it was demonstrated that saving the rears was not feasible given the demands of the program and acoustical criteria.

In return, Curtis agreed to extensive res-toration of the townhouse facades. This in-cluded replacement of lost features, most notably the richly carved masonry arched window (a modern storefront had been inserted) and balustrade on 1610 Locust Street.

Technically, Lenfest Hall provides state-of-the-art acoustical environments, us-ing box-in-box construction techniques to limit sound transfer between music spaces. All classrooms and teaching studios are equipped with recording and play back sys-tems.

The Rehearsal Hall is designed for flexible use with adjustable acoustics and separate audio and visual recording studios. Mechani-cal and structural systems are carefully de-signed to meet demanding acoustical crite-ria.


Although the modernization of surgical services served as the driver for the new pa-vilion, the Medical Center capitalized on this opportunity to update space for cardiology, oncology and endoscopy services; improve patient and visitor arrival with adjacent park-ing and convenient drop-off; create outdoor space for patients, visitors and staff; and commit to an aesthetic that speaks to the quality and standard of care provided by the Medical Center.

Located on the site of a former parking lot, the expansion connects existing hospital facilities with a new medical office building and a new parking structure to establish a campus-like development for this Jersey Shore institution. The addition is sited to im-prove the relationship between the hospital and its context, to create a convenient arrival courtyard and to take advantage of existing adjacencies.

The design of the expansion incorporates a series of pavilions and interlocking spaces that responds to the scale and character of the surrounding coastal landscape. The new surgical services suite on the top floor is ex-pressed by a large volume that cantilevers over the building entry, housing prep and recovery areas. The additional programmatic spaces provide outpatient services and occu-py the lower levels for patient convenience and proximity to patient and visitor ameni-ties.

An integral part of a beach community, the interior of the new surgical pavilion re-flects the surrounding landscape of the Jer-sey shore and uses transparency to connect occupants to nature. The design is made up of three layered components: a public realm

designprofileDP

Shore Medical Center Surgical Pavilion:Ballinger

developed by scarborough properties, the new 145,000 square-foot, $62

million surgical pavilion addresses shore medical center’s commitment to

improve patient experience and expand surgical and clinical services.


LOCATION: Somer’s Point, NJ

CLIENT: Scarborough Properties

ARCHITECTuRE: Ballinger

STRuCTuRAL ENGINEER: Ballinger

MEP ENGINEER: Ballinger

CIVIL ENGINEER: Speitel and Speitel, Inc.

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER: TRC

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Morris & Ritchie

Associates, Inc.

CONSTRuCTION MANAGER: Massett

Building Company

PHOTOGRAPHy: Tom Crane

consisting of the lobby and amenities on the outer layer; the semi-public patient waiting areas in the middle; and the clinical spaces dominated by surgical suites which are masked in two volumes above and internal to the other components.

The materials used for the public and semi-public components were chosen to emulate the stress-relieving atmosphere the beach evokes. Layers of transparent and translucent glazing are employed to distin-guish between open, public areas and more private patient waiting areas. The warm wood accents and the terrazzo flooring in sand-like tones in the lobby mix with abun-dant natural light to provide a welcoming

environment for patients and visitors. Shore Medical Center and Scarborough

Properties are committed to a sustainable approach to healthcare development. The new surgical pavilion demonstrates envi-ronmental stewardship by using building materials that are manufactured within 500 miles of Somers Point, using building ma-terials with recycled content (primarily steel and concrete), selecting low VOC interior materials and finishes, installing energy ef-ficient light fixtures and occupancy sensors, installing low-flow plumbing fixtures, using indigenous landscaping materials and green roofing, and directing storm water to irrigate the gardens.


The School District of Philadelphia chal-lenged the architect to design the urban high school to embody three guiding prin-ciples and meet one additional goal:

• Architectural design to support the edu-cation program

• School building and campus that fit into the neighborhood context

• A school building that functions as an after-hours community center, and

• Sustainable design to meet LEED Silver Status.

For Emanuel Kelly FAIA, principal of Kelly/Maiello Architects & Planners, the design approach was familiar but with a personal twist. He lives in this neighborhood and is a graduate of West Philadelphia High School.

The comprehensive facility serves ap-proximately 900 students with a four mini-school curriculum that includes 9th Grade Success Academy, Creative and Performing Arts Academy, Auto Academy, and Business & Architecture w/JROTC.

The exterior materials of the new three-story 170,000-square-foot building - brick masonry, metal panel, and aluminum glazing systems - are in keeping with the scale and materials of the neighboring two and three story brick houses. The main entrance is at the corner of 49th and Chestnut Streets, where the building turns the corner and cre-

designprofileDP

West Philadelphia High School:Kelly/Maiello Architects & Planners

students and faculty at the new west philadelphia High school at 49th and

chestnut streets see the city all around them - center city in the distance,

the market street el, neighborhood homes.


LOCATION: Philadelphia

CLIENT: School District of Philadelphia

ARCHITECTuRE: Kelly/Maiello Inc., Architects

& Planners; Emanuel Kelly FAIA, Principal in

Charge; James Karmolinski AIA, Project Man-

ager; Bruce Thompson AIA, Project Architect;

Robert Glick RA, LEED AP; Project Architect; Vic-

tor Guarino RA, Project Architect; Troy C. Leon-

ard AIA, Project Architect; Terrence Kennedy,

Designer; Glenn Snyder, John Smith, Christopher

Deemer

INTERIOR ARCHITECTuRE AND DESIGN:

CDA&I Architecture and Interiors Ltd.; Ltd.,

Cecilia Denegre AIA, IIDA, Principal in Charge;

Joseph Denegre, AIA, Principal/Project Manager

MEP ENGINEER: Brinjac Engineering,

STRuCTuRAL ENGINEER: Hunt Engineering Co.

CIVIL ENGINEER: Hunt Engineering Co.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Synterra Ltd.

ACOuSTICS DESIGNER: Metropolitan Acoustics

FOOD SERVICES: Renald Corsi & Associates

CONSTRuCTION: Daniel J. Keating Co.

PHOTOGRAPHy: Halkin Photography LLC

ates an urban edge along 49th Street. This orientation limits classroom exposure to noise from Chestnut Street and the Market Street El to the north. The courtyard on the west side of the school welcomes students and the community who use school facilities after hours.

Inside, the first floor includes the main administrative spaces, common spaces, and those for community use. Classrooms are on the upper two floors.

A lively yellow glass tile wall at the front entrance signals arrival at the administra-tive offices. Along the main street corridor brightened by daylight from the skylight are the auditorium, arts curriculum suite with music classrooms, practice spaces, dance and art classrooms; information media cen-ter/library, cafeteria, and two gymnasiums,

Bright, bold geometric patterns in the floor tile patterns signal major transition points in circulation within the building. Kel-ly/Maiello’s design partner CDA&I Architec-

ture and Interiors developed interior design and the tile patterns that were inspired by the quilts of Gee’s Bend.

Women of the rural Gee’s Bend commu-nity of southwest Alabama for generations had stitched quilts of ever more distinctive design. In 2002 the art world discovered the Gee’s Bend artists and their art form and in September 2008 the quilts were featured in an exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The tile patterns established in the first floor continue on the classroom floors and with different colors identify the four sepa-rate academy programs.

The many energy reducing features in the school have led to its achieving LEED Gold Certification. Robert Glick RA, LEED AP, responsible for LEED design for the school said, “What better place than a school, to share with the neighborhood, a new way to do things - in this case, with a building and a site.”


Today the facility has over 21 acres under roof, and it is the largest Agricultural Exhibi-tion Complex in the United States. The goal of this renovation was to bring the older por-tions of the complex up to a standard close to that of the last expansion completed in 2001. Improvements include renovated lob-bies, new conference rooms, repainted ex-hibit halls, a new connecting stair, a new ele-vator, restroom renovations, new wayfinding signage, and a new zoned sound system.

The project focused on the Maclay Street Lobby and conference rooms above it, but there is additional work throughout the com-plex in selected locations. The Maclay Street Lobby was originally the main entrance to the Farm Show Complex, but since the 2001 construction of the Cameron Street Lobby,

had become secondary. The project brings life back to this entrance using the Art Deco Ornament gracing the exterior of the original Main Hall and Large Arena as an inspiration.

One of the great strengths of the historic Farm Show Structure is the Art Deco orna-ment on its exterior. Incorporation of the Art Deco Heritage in the Interior to Transform the Farm Show into a themed tourism des-tination

The design concept used this Art Deco style as a thematic element both to create visual interest in the interior, and to create an identity for the Farm Show that would make it memorable and a thematic desti-nation. The Art Deco theme is reflected in the glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) frames around the doorways, in the signage

designprofileDP

the pennsylvania farm show complex is an extensive Agricultural

exhibition complex comprised of connected exhibit halls, arenas and

meeting rooms. the first hall was completed in 1931 and was followed by

numerous expansion programs.

Rehabilitation Of The Original Farm Show Complex:Converse Winkler Architecture


LOCATION: Harrisburg, PA

CLIENT: Pennsylvania Department of General

Services

ARCHITECTuRE: Converse Winkler Architec-

ture; James Winkler, AIA, Principal in Charge;

Mimi Converse Winkler, AIA, Principal; Susan

Chisholm, Project Manager; Scott Maritzer,

Project Architect; James Welch, Designer; Me-

lissa Mayer, Interior Designer

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Brinjac Engineering

CIVIL ENGINEER: Brinjac Engineering

STRuCTuRAL ENGINEER: Brinjac Engineering

MECHANICAL ENGINEER: Brinjac Engineering

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: Princeton Engineering

ACOuSTIC CONSuLTANT: Metropolitan

Acoustics

WAyFINDING AND GRAPHIC PANELS: Jack

Hulme Design

PHOTOGRAPHy: Bates Photography

and graphics, and in the decorative railings at the new Grand Stairway.

Art Deco Design Elements Including:• New Art Deco style articulated frames

were added at major entrances and exhibit cases.

• A new grand stair was added to estab-lish the entrance to the new Keystone Con-ference Center. Art Deco inspired railings and an articulated archway continued the theme.

• An Art Deco inspired color pallet with deep rich colors and strong contrasts were used throughout.

• New suspended lighting grids and built-out bulkheads beneath structural beams es-tablished a visual plane to mask the existing piping above. Exposed structure and piping were painted out grey to make them disap-pear while retaining the height and volume of the Lobby.

The Art Deco theme is continued in the wayfinding sign system. Prior to the reno-vation there was a problem with orienta-tion and finding your way. The firm used Art Deco style graphic images and colors in the sign system. “You Are Here” maps are placed at entry points and decision points throughout the complex. The way finding works on three levels: (1) Color, the expo-sition halls are color coded with an accent color up to wainscot height and on the columns. The hall identification signs have matching colors; (2) Name, each hall has a

prominent room identification sign centrally placed; and (3) Image, each exhibition hall has an animal on its identification sign.

• I’m in the red hall• I’m in the East Hall• I’m by the horseThe tired under-utilized meeting rooms

on the second floor were transformed into the Keystone Conference Center with new lighting, ceilings, carpet, and audio visual system. A new grand stair invites people from the Maclay Street Lobby up to the con-ference center. The Art Deco animal images and the decorative sunburst on the walls cre-ate a festive inviting atmosphere. The deco-rative arch and the railings with the sunburst pattern further reinforce this theme.

The Keystone Conference Center has been very popular. A number of people have used it for wedding receptions with the de-parture down the Grand Stair as the crown-ing event.

Technological Improvements include:• Extension of a Fiber Optic Network

throughout the historic portion of the Com-plex with Fiber Optic Backbone and Interme-diate Distribution Closets;

• A new zoned Public Address System with the capability to broadcast to a single hall or any multiple of Halls;

• Meeting Room Technology for the reno-vated meeting rooms, which includes inter-net connection, voice amplification, over-head projector, and telephone connection.


notebookNB

memBer news

Archer & Buchanan Architecture, Ltd. reported that a building designed by the firm has been named in the Philadelphia Business Journal’ s List of the Top 25 LEED-certified Buildings. The List, which appeared in the Feb 10-16 issue, ranks the Wister Education Center and Greenhouse of Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College twenty-fifth in terms of total square feet.

Blackney Hayes Architects announced that Radnor Middle School in Wayne, PA, was named a 2012 National Green Ribbon School by the US Department of Education. One of four schools in the Commonwealth to receive this honor, it is also one of only 78 nationwide.

BluPath moved offices to 428 North 2nd St, Philadelphia to team with IEI Group on projects. The firms have worked together successfully on projects in 2011.

BWA Architecture + Planning relocated its offices to 230 North 2nd Street, Studio 3-C, Philadelphia, PA. The studio, located in the Old City section of Philadelphia, occu-pies a loft space in a former power plant.

Casaccio Architects of Havertown and GyA Architects of Philadelphia have turned their frequent collaboration into a permanent partnership. The new practice, Casaccio Yu Architects, based in Havertown, provides architectural design services for academic, religious, corporate, healthcare,

senior living, library, civic, and corporate/commercial clients.

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, CDA&I Architecture and Interiors, Ltd. launched a redesigned website in late Feb-ruary. The site showcases the firm’s portfolio and people within an intuitive, interactive online environment.

Trish Perevich joined Charles Matsinger Associates as Director of Business Develop-ment.

Converse Winkler Architecture has re-ceived a 2012 Merit Award for Architectural Excellence for their design of The Rehabilita-tion of the Original Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.

Eimer Design was selected by Children’s Crisis Treatment Center to assist with their corporate headquarters relocation along Delaware Avenue.

EwingCole was selected by the Phelps Memorial Hospital Center to develop a five-year facility master plan. Located on 69-acres in Sleepy Hollow, NY, Phelps Memorial Hospital Center is a 235-bed not-for-profit acute care hospital.

Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, moved into its new headquarters, a former Federal building, after extensive renovations by Francis Cauffman. Young Conaway is

the sole tenant of the notable Daniel L. Her-rmann Courthouse in downtown Wilming-ton.

Heritage Design Collaborative Principal, Richard I. Ortega PE, AIA, FAPT organized and moderated the first in a series of events sponsored by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technol-ogy, on the use of Epoxies in Preservation.

John Milner Architects was selected as the recipient of the 2012 Palladio Award for Residential Restoration and Renovation for its work on The Jayne House in Philadelphia. The historic residence was designed in 1895 by Frank Furness as the home of his niece Caroline Furness Jayne and her husband, eminent zoologist Dr. Horace Jayne.

Preservation Design Partnership received an award from AIA Pennsylvania for the De-sign Guidelines for the City of New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission.

Margaret Boccella was hired as Marketing Manager for PZS Architects.

Re:Vision Architecture was recognized as “Best in the World” in a list of businesses creating the most overall positive social and environmental impact.

Schradergroup Architecture received an Honorable Mention from Learning by Design for the Mount Nittany Elementary School in the State College Area School

design AwArds exHiBition oct. 7-21

design AwArds ceremonY oct. 10

design on tHe delAwAre nov. 14-16

HolidAY pArtY dec. 6

procrAstinAtors pro con dec. 13

calendar

pHoto: dominic mercier


District. The project will be featured in the Fall 2012 edition of Learning by Design.

Weaver’s Way Co-op recently commissioned uJMN Architects + Designers to design the first significant renovation of its original retail store, which opened in Mt. Airy in 1973.

Voith & Mactavish Architects announced three new additions to their growing ar-chitectural design team: Nora Wedemeyer, Mirai Yasuyama and Andrew Lipschutz.

The 2012 EcoDistricts Summit selected “Federal and State Support for District-Scale Sustainability” for presentation, featuring Yogesh Saoji, Sr. Associate at WRT, and Abby Hall, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The 2012 EcoDistricts Summit will take place October 23-26, 2012 in Portland.

AffiliAte news

Bruce E. Brooks & Associates Consult-ing Engineers announced the formation of Brooks + Wright Commissioning, a NEBB-certified firm dedicated to verifying that building systems function effectively.

The Allegheny East Conference Center in Pine Forge, PA, was recognized by the Asso-ciated Builders and Contractors in the Com-mercial- $5-10 Million category in 2011. The project was built by C. Raymond Davis & Sons, Inc. The project was designed by Architectural Concepts of Exton, PA.

CADapult announced that it has earned the new Consulting Specialization designa-tion for value added resellers from Au-todesk, Inc.

At its annual Excellence in Concrete Design awards banquet held 26 April 2012, the Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware Chapter of the American Concrete Institute awarded the Cast in Place Structural Framing Award to Lenfest Hall at the Curtis Institute of Mu-sic. Keast & Hood Co. provided structural engineering for the project designed by Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates, Inc.

Microdesk was named Autodesk North American Partner of the Year for FY12, a top honor in Autodesk’s prestigious Plati-num Club awards program.

Microsol Resources announced that it has earned the new MEP Systems Engineering

Specialization designation for value added resellers from Autodesk, Inc.,

urban Engineers was selected by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University to design environmental im-provements to storage rooms that house its world-renowned Entomology, Ornithol-ogy, and Malacology collections. Urban is teamed with SaylorGregg Architects for the project.

David Porter of Wohlsen Construction Company won the Gold Medal at the Na-tional Associated Builders and Contractors Craft Championship held in San Antonio, Texas Porter took the top honor in the Car-pentry division.

W.S. Cumby is in the final stages of con-structing a new 44,000-square-foot student residence complex in the heart of Haver-ford College’s arboretum campus. Once completed in August of 2012, the new Kim and Tritton Halls will house 160 students in single rooms. The buildings were designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsein Architects

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Faith in Action for 250 YearsCordelia FranCes Biddle, elizaBeth s. Browne,

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AIA Philadelphia - 8.5 x 11 Directory Ad copy.pdf 1 02/27/12 15:42:56