| Author |
Message |
Phil Kabza
Senior Member
Username: phil_kabza
Post Number: 352
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 03, 2008 - 06:34 pm: |    |
Just when Building Enclosure Councils and other building science oriented programs were demonstrating that the architectural profession cared about technical excellence, the AIA is considering eliminating the Center for Building Science and Performance, the closest thing to a home that building science and technically inclined architects have at the AIA. Programs may be pushed over to COTE, the Committee on the Environment, who are taken up with green issues. On the surface, it doesn't sound like a move in the right direction. Decision is being made by the AIA board this week. So if you can contact your region's board member and let them know that green buildings can leak and fail and result in claims and disputes without the contribution of building science, it might be a good idea. |
Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI
Senior Member
Username: rliebing
Post Number: 932
Registered: 02-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2008 - 06:48 am: | |
This certainly is unbelievably myopic on the part of the AIA. No matter what the building wants to be [i.e., green or whatever] there is still fundamental construction required-- you can't get from theoretical to reality any other way [except maybe abdicating to other professions]. Of course, AIA has not actively supported building construction, specifications, building codes, and other non-design, nuts and bolts issues, etc. for some odd reason and obviously ignores pleas from the grass roots and the profession that basic CONSTRUCTION is an area needing renewal, upgrading and increased attention and emphasis in the academic and professional arenas.
This, if passed, indicates that the AIA is more interested in broad issues and narrow-range causes [both valid and invalid] than in making a better profession, more attuned to the basic breadth of reality of its mission-- i.e., better overall.
Sad!! |
Ronald L. Geren, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: specman
Post Number: 715
Registered: 03-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2008 - 10:04 am: | |
Depending on the politics of COTE, the move may not be as detrimental as it may appear. Better performing buildings do benefit the environment. But, I fear as you probably do, that current leadership of COTE may view the BEC and other programs as having little to do with environmental issues and let the transplanted programs die on the vine due to nonsupport or cancel them outright.
I suggest that the combined group be renamed to better reflect the combined effort with a building focus, such as the "Committee on High-Performance and Sustainable Building Design." |
RH (Hank) Sweers II RA CSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: rhsweers2
Post Number: 7
Registered: 08-2005
| | Posted on Monday, December 08, 2008 - 01:20 pm: | |
I believe the Building Enclosure Council is a "joint" effort between AIA and the National Institute of Building Science's Building Enclosure and Thermal Environment Council (BETEC). As a former AIA member frustrated with chapter activities often more appropriate to the Sierra Club, it would seem that the original focus could still remain with the BETEC - with or without involvement of an un-interested AIA.
I agree that "basic construction design" needs to be improved, but I'm not sure it was ever much to speak of from an academic standpoint at any time - since most "professors" assumed that you would figure out the details when you got a job! |
Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI
Senior Member
Username: rliebing
Post Number: 934
Registered: 02-2003
| | Posted on Monday, December 08, 2008 - 01:35 pm: | |
Good point, and that is why the AIA should be working the academics [and should have been for decades] to at least get some better balance in regard to what the practicing profession REALLY does and what is taught. Profs DON'T run the profession!!! If AIA keeps its elitist attitude concentrating on special interest items and abdicating work and areas of influence, where will it all end up--
"redefining ARCHITECT now as......................????? and formally head/leader/chief/director of the design-construct team? |
Wayne Yancey
Senior Member
Username: wayne_yancey
Post Number: 152
Registered: 01-2008
| | Posted on Monday, December 08, 2008 - 02:09 pm: | |
AIA nationally may not be very interested but AIA Seattle has been very pro-active in building science education and building enclosure issues. Seattle AIA and Seattle BEC got along very well last time I looked. Some of the best regional building science seminars have been hosted by AIA Chapters in Seattle and Portland. It helped locally that some of the leadership of Seattle AIA took the lead in building enclosure issues and solutions. |
Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI
Senior Member
Username: rliebing
Post Number: 936
Registered: 02-2003
| | Posted on Monday, December 08, 2008 - 02:15 pm: | |
Nice to know that, Wayne and I am sure there are other spots of different directions-- always some good in every bad generalization!!! |
Bob Woodburn, RA CSI CCS CCCA LEED AP
Senior Member
Username: bwoodburn
Post Number: 270
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Monday, December 08, 2008 - 02:37 pm: | |
A few decades ago, the term "song stylist" emerged as a useful term for certain vocalists who achieved popularity despite their lack of vocal talent and/or other musical skills (it was a useful substitute for "singer," when that label was hard to justify).
Since then things have snowballed. Whole musical genres have developed that don't require carrying a tune, or even the semblance of a melody, but where attitude is everything (like much of the recent decades' trends in architectural fashion). Nowadays terms like "rap artist" are useful when even the term "song" no longer seems appropriate.
In that vein, perhaps "building stylist" would be an appropriate term for some practicing today (at least those who still profess or appear to embrace a "style"). Of course, in the wake of the post-modern movement, deconstructionism, neo-pseudo-traditionalism and other recent developments where the element of style may be questionable, the term "stylist" itself may soon be outmoded as well... |
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