Skip to content

…Slated for Demolition

Wednesday, June 5, 2013
5:30-7:45pm
AIA East Bay, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612
Tickets: $10, please purchase in advance. Click here for tickets
A wine and cheese reception follows the program.

Should preservation groups be allowed to stop demolition of a beloved Neutra house? Should planning commissions approve the demolition of an iconic structure for redevelopment? If a building is architecturally important–and only 12 years old–can it be destroyed for expansion purposes?

KQED host Michael Krasny leads a moderated discussion–and lively debate–addressing property rights, preservation, and the impact of architecture on our communities.

Guest commentators include an architect, developer, activist, preservationist, and city regulatory representative.

Keep the discussion going with wine and cheese after the program!

Sponsored in part by:


ELS

Ratcliff

The Top 5 Mistakes Architects Make When Specifying Solar PV

Friday, June 28 Noon – 1:30pm

RSVP to Sidney at events@aiaeb.org

Event is Free and open to all

Sun’s Free Solar is an Alameda based, C10 (electrical) contractor, founded in 2008 by Kevin Good.  Kevin owned and operated his other C10 contracting company, Well Grounded Electric, from 2002 to 2010.  Prior to forming his own companies, Kevin Good was a Journeyman Electrician in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 595.   Largely with a commercial wiring background, Kevin identified a market for rewiring the Victorians of Alameda, then later identified a market for clean energy alternatives in solar power that were now becoming available to everyone through rebates and tax credits.

Sun’s Free Solar (now in its 6th year) is a solar PV integrator.  Sun’s Free handles everything from system design, permitting, rebates, installation and interconnection to the utility.  Because the East Bay has such a vast diversity of roofs, Sun’s Free has become a specialist at finding solutions for complicated installations.

Sun’s Free Solar lectured at the AIA East Bay chapter in 2009 on solar basics.  We asked to come back and make a presentation based on our experience working with architects and builders over the years in an effort to bring the lessons learned into the light.

 Learning objectives: 

1.  Attendees will learn how to best represent the client’s interest, the right investment, the right equipment and how to make sure installation is on time and under budget

2.  Attendees will learn the Design and integration of solar in the roof plan, factoring hips, gables, vents, and skylight, ground mounted and pergola solutions.  There are some amazing, sleek solutions

3.  Attendees will discuss the ever changing tide of technology panels, racking solutions, micro-inversion…solar is one of the World’s fastest changing building trades.  Staying current is a full time job

4. Attendees will learn the permit process, of the biggest barriers for contractors and architects as EVERY city has its own criteria in a permit package

5. Attendees will also discuss how today’s energy consumption will not be tomorrow’s, the Electric Car and Plug-in Hybrids are very real and your clients will have these,  not going solar today, but a roof and attic are going in?  Plan for solar.

City of Albany Building Inventory

City of Albany Building Inventory

Saturday, June 8

The City of Albany and EERI’s Northern California Chapter are looking for volunteers to survey buildings in Albany. The data collected will be used for an Albany-specific HAZUS run to help identify the city’s seismic vulnerabilities as part of the Chapter’s Adopt-a-City initiative (http://www.eerinc.org/?page_id=1015).

Volunteers will survey neighborhoods on foot and compile basic information about buildings onto provided forms (paper and electronic). It’s a great opportunity to get some fresh air, meet like-minded seismic advocates, and contribute a valuable public service in increasing seismic safety for the City of Albany.

The survey will be conducted on Saturday, June 8th, 2013. Volunteers will meet at Albany City Hall at 1000 San Pablo Avenue and sign-in for light breakfast and a short training talk (starts at 9:00 am) covering administrative, safety, and technical points. Around 10:00 am volunteers will disperse in teams of two to three people to designated neighborhoods, and conduct the surveys, then re-convene at 1pm for lunch and data entry. Hopefully most volunteers will be able to go out for a few more hours in the  afternoon, and cold drinks and snacks will be available at 3pm. Sign up!

As many volunteers as possible are needed, so save the date and sign up today! Help us plan the event by registering at http://www.eerinc.org/?p=1465 by May 31st if you are available to help.  If you think it will be difficult for you to reach Albany on a Saturday morning, indicate it on the form, and we may be able to arrange a car pool or BART pick-up.

We will follow up with final information a couple of days before the event.

Hope to see you there!

A Pocket Manifesto for your Home Improvement Project

LEARNING FROM THE HIP

A Pocket Manifesto for your Home Improvement Project

By Devi Dutta-Choudhury, AIA

Improving your home can be as simple as new paint color and clever furniture arrangement or as complex as large additions and renovations that radically reconfigure space. Learning from the HIP is a guide to all scales of home improvement through the lens of one Bay Area family’s experience in creating their own modern home in Berkeley, California. This young family bought a tiny hillside house during that fast rise to the boom of the housing market in the early 2000’s, and embarked on a major renovation and addition through the subsequent bust (while the family went through a boom of its own). With an architect wife and an avid gardener husband, this growing family created an enduring home that supports their ever-evolving, modern lives.

Equal parts memoir, design guide and history lesson, Learning from the HIP started as a pamphlet for Devi’s homeowner clients who were starting home improvement projects.  It grew into 20 informative chapters such as Design is Cheap, D-Fence and Kids & Other Living Creatures, and outlines the entire home improvement process, from permits, architects and being “green” to lighting, landscapes and finishes. Learning from the HIP will help create a home that is warm, comfortable and supports modern life and the way we live today.

Available on amazon.com

Architect Devi Dutta-Choudhur, AIA founded her design studio Devi Dutta Architecture in 2008 in response to a growing need for architecture that was modern, beautiful and functional without being inaccessible, and was specific to daily life. She works closely with homeowners, small businesses and non-profits to develop carefully crafted spaces that use light, movement and materials to create timeless and elegant design. She is based in Berkeley, California.

Design Tour: Park Alameda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Join us for a Tour and Lunch at The Park Alameda

 Click here to Register

Friday, June 14, 11:30am – 1:00pm

AIA Members $10

Non Members $15

The Park Alameda project transformed an infamously blighted and crime ridden 1970’s motel, located in downtown Alameda, into 62 units of affordable workforce housing. The project included a radical redesign of the facade, complete renovation of the living units, and the addition of two new buildings and a courtyard where a deteriorated parking lot was once located. The project achieved a high green point rating through an overhaul of the MEP systems, cool roofs, a rooftop solar thermal system, sun shades, low flow plumbing fixtures, and energy efficient lighting. The metal sun shades, guardrails, sculptural metal bays and polycarbonite siding at the exterior stair break up the massing of the monolithic building volume and enliven streetscape. Vibrant colors and materials transform this project into a new downtown landmark.

 

Help design a better AIA!

Thursday, May 23, 2013
6-8pm
AIA East Bay, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612
Open to all; $5 includes a wine and cheese reception

Click here to RSVP


One Bay AIA/Repositioning Town Hall

Bay Area AIA members and guests are encouraged to attend a special One Bay AIA Town Hall. It’s an opportunity to Reposition the AIA–so that the Institute perspective shifts to you–the member–and the issues you find most important.

California’s representatives on the AIA Board of Directors will be participating: Nick Docous, AIA of Lionakis, Mike Malinowski, AIA of Applied Architecture, and Julia Donoho, AIA County of Sonoma.

Most of the evening will be focused on your thoughts and feedback, and we’ll be sending the results to National–your involvement is important.

A $5 reception fee covers the wine and cheese reception.

In their October 2012 report, AIA consultants LaPlaca Cohen stated:

In short, the AIA should be:
  • Progressive, not reactionary
  • A vital resource, not a superficial designation
  • Universally beneficial, not limited and elitist
  • Adding value, not additional financial burden
  • At the cutting edge, not a follower
  • Public facing, not behind closed doors
  • An architecture resource for all, not just for industry insiders
  • Results and benefits focused, not process driven or self referential

What do YOU think?  Click here to RSVP

Documentary Screening: IF YOU BUILD IT

Tuesday, May 28th, 2013
6:30pm
, film begins at 7pm (arrive early for good seats + raffle ticket purchases!)
Location:
David Brower Center Berkeley, CA

Tickets: $20 general admission, $75 VIP with priority seating + 10 raffle tickets
Click here to  buy tickets >>

If_You_Build_It_Cameron

On May 28th  visit the David Brower Center for a special sneak peek screening of If You Build It, a full-length documentary that chronicles one year in our Studio H design/build high school program. Made by acclaimed filmmakers Patrick Creadon and Christine O’Malley, along with executive producer Neal Baer, If You Build It tells the stories of 13 students from Bertie County, North Carolina, who dreamed up a beautiful solution that would change the face of their hometown, then went out and built all 2,000 square feet of it. “As their instructors, we were honored to work with them and lead them along the journey.”

The story exemplifies the power of hands-on education, the raw brilliance of youth, and the impact a few budding creative minds can have on the future of a community.

Come see the film before it is widely released, meet some of the current Studio H students from REALM Charter School, enter an awesome raffle, and learn more about how design and hands-on building can transform education for youth (including information about their new program, Studio G, a summer building camp for girls ages 9-12). Only 150 tickets available!  **ALL PROCEEDS WILL HELP FUND BUILDING MATERIALS FOR THE ONGOING STUDIO H PROGRAM, now housed at REALM Charter School in Berkeley.

BUY TICKETS NOW >>

About Studio H

Studio H is a public high school “design/build” curriculum that sparks community development through real-world, built projects. Originally launched in rural Bertie County, North Carolina, Studio H is now based at REALM Charter School in Berkeley, CA. Studio H is the cornerstone educational initiative of the nonprofit Project H Design.

By learning through a design sensibility, applied core subjects, and industry-relevant construction skills, students develop the creative capital, critical thinking, and citizenship necessary for their own success and for the future of their communities.

Over the course of one semester, students earn high school credit and have the opportunity to design, prototype, and build a full-scale community project. Our students have designed and built some crazy chicken coops for families in need, and a 2,000-square-foot farmers market pavilion.

Studio H is a different kind of classroom. We design, build, and transform.

About If You Build It

In If You Build It, we spend a year in the life of one of America’s most innovative classrooms. The film follows Emily Pilloton and Matt Miller as they teach the fundamentals of design, architecture and construction to a class of high school juniors in rural North Carolina. Faced with rising unemployment rates, a struggling educational system and simmering racial tension the people of Bertie County North Carolina turn to Pilloton, Miller and their students for help. We discover that what the class designs and builds for their hometown has a chance to transform their community for generations to come.

Christine O’Malley and Patrick Creadon’s two previous films “Wordplay” and “I.O.U.S.A.” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to successful theatrical releases. They have partnered with award-winning writer/producer Neal Baer (Law and Order: SVU, A Gifted Man) for this project. Baer is a pediatrician and television writer who combines his passion for medicine and storytelling to present episodes that challenge the audiences’ views on a spectrum of social and political topics.

The Trend Towards Composite Masonry: A Greener Solution

Thursday, June 27, 2013
12:00pm- 1:30pm

Free AIA members; $3 non-members. Lunch is included–Click Here to Register!

1.5 CES LUs

An in-depth look at the paver industry and the category shift towards environmentally friendly, low maintenance paver materials. The course assesses market information and recent trends as well as evaluates the performance, overall cost benefit and environmental impact of different paver materials. Additionally, the course introduces Composite Masonry and examines its installation benefits as well as details how its technology transforms recycled materials into a new resource for green building.

Learning Objectives:

This course will educate the architect on the following:

  • Paver Industry Information
  • Material Options
  • The category shift towards low maintenance paver materials
  • What is Composite Masonry
  • Where to Use Composite Masonry
  • The Green Benefits of Composite

About the Presenter:

Click Here to Register!

Associated Building Supply Thermal Steel 2013 Product Tour

Introducing to Northern California:
ARCHITECTURAL TRADITION’S THERMAL STEEL

Associated Building Supply “Thermal Steel” 2013 PRODUCT TOUR!

Architectural Traditions all-inclusive mobile showroom will be at Associated Building Supply

June 20th Time: 11:30am-2:30pm Where ABSI Showroom: 710 Gilman Street Berkeley

Food and Beverage will be served.

Enter Drawing for a 3-Day Mexico Cruise.

Technology was fueled by the need to produce a Steel Window and Door that would meet the ever increasing stringent Energy Efficiency Building Codes of today and tomorrow, while not losing any of the “classic-timeless” aesthetics that Steel windows and Doors have become known for. Thermal Steel is a unique patent pending process utilizing modern materials and state-of-the-art  computerized machinery that produces the most precise, energy efficient steel window and door on the market today. Stainless Steel Construction, Composite Core, and Stainless or Solid Bronze hardware ensure “No Rust Ever.”

• Thermal Break design provides the most energy efficient Steel window

   and doors available. NFRC Certified. U-Values as low as .26

•20-year limited warranty on our doors, windows and glass – longest most

  comprehensive in the industry.

•Our product has gone through extensive Independent Engineering testing

  for Air Infiltration, Water Infiltration, Design Pressure, and Structural Testing.

• Factory Glazed Glass, installed in controlled environment ensures product

   will be square and leaks won’t occur at the glass.

• Laser Cut Stainless Steel process eliminates welded corners, producing a

   seamless, smooth corner surface.

• Welded 1-Piece Glazing Frames create a clean, precise, finished look at the

   glazing-bead-joints that just isn’t possible with onsite installations.

• Glass installed from the factory and installation clips or nailing flange,

   make for a simpler installation process from traditional steel windows and doors.

  “Large Format” Oversize Doors and Windows

• Unlimited Door and Window Configurations, Mulling Options that can create

   walls of glass, Radius and Curved-in-Plane Designs

• Complete Product line: Fixed, Transoms, In-swing/Out-swing Casements, In-swing Doors,

   Out-swing Doors, Bi-fold Doors, Sliding Doors, Lift b& Slide, Pivot Doors, Custom Designs

• Durable Powder Coat Painting process allows for unlimited color choices. Choose from any RAL

   color, Metallic Powder Coat Finish, or Exotic color. Custom Match paint also available.

  • Contemporary design solutions. With profile face widths of just1 to 2 inches, our Thermal Steel Windows and Doors produce narrow sight-lines and a lightness to the frame for a clean, crisp modern look.

 

PLEASE RSVP at www.abscal.com. Click on RSVP BUTTON “NO CA Product Tour”

(888) 422-9422

ADA Day: June 27, 2013

Thursday, June 27, 2013
8:30am-2:45pm
ADA Day: Accessibility for California Architects
Presenter: Jan Garrett, J.D., Pacific ADA Center
Location: AIA East Bay, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612
Cost: $100 AIA Members / $140 non-members
Includes coffee, fruit and lunch

Click Here to Register

This 5-hour presentation will complete all California required ADA/Accessibility hours for architects’ 2013 licensure renewal.

Participants will achieve an understanding of how to create accessible design of the built environment, including how the Americans with Disabilities Act and California law regulate and facilitate that accessibility. Topics will include:

• Why a basic understanding of disability awareness is important to architectural accessibility

• Relevant provisions of the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations

• California laws & regulations relevant to accessibility, including new laws

• Key concepts from the 2010 California Building Code (CBC) & a brief preview of changes for 2013

• ADA & CBC obligations for new construction and alterations

• Key differences between the 1991 ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) and the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design

• Special emphasis on housing accessibility under CBC & ADA