Steve Murphy, AIA (Click to enlarge)

Welcome all.  My name is Steve Murphy, AIA  (University of Florida Class of 85).  I am your chapter president for this upcoming year.  It is my pleasure to be able to put together this article defining the upcoming year and events and speak about of some of the recent successes the Orlando chapter has had.

But since this is titled “Message from the President” ….don’t think you are going to get off without a few words of professional guilting and encouragement from me.  This is my message: Get Involved

I used to think of the AIA as a means to networking and socializing.  I also believed that it did not represent the profession in places where our profession needed to be heard….at the State and National government levels.  So five (5) years ago I decided to find out myself.  I joined this chapter’s Government Affairs Committee and began getting involved.  Through the efforts of past committee members such as Debra Lupton (who I blame for my current position on this board…..just kidding Deb) and Joe Ranaldi,  I began to realize the value and true effect the chapter can have both as a single entity for it’s local members and as a component in a larger structured voice at the government level.

We are going to experience one of the most active and fulfilling years this chapter has had.  The list of events, celebrations and board initiated activities will be extensive.  We are going to be able to bring these events to you through the efforts of many of your fellow members and the countless hours they donate in volunteering to make this chapter the strong advocate and provider it has become.  I encourage you all to read thru the list and mark your calendars with those events that interest you and volunteer.

The following are what we have scheduled to date:

Continuing Education Opportunities

• January 31st (Preventing Moisture, Air, and Vapor in the Building Envelope)
• February 9th (Advanced Florida Building Code Course- Three Building Envelope Construction)

Free lunch-n-learn sessions

• Crack Isolation and Movement Joint in Ceramic Tile and Stone (January 19th)
• Colored Concrete-Applications & New Technologies (February 2nd)
• Update for Installation Systems for Tile and Stone (February 16th)

Design Awards

• Celebrate & Recognize Outstanding Design at out 2007 Design Awards Program & Gala on Saturday, February 24th at the Country Club of Orlando.

Design Party

• Annual Design Party, April 2007 benefiting a Gift for Teaching

AIA Florida Convention

• AIA Florida State Convention will be held in Orlando this year on July12-15 and AIA Orlando has an outstanding Chapter Luau planned for Friday, July 13th at SeaWorld. This event is for the entire family!

Lectures & Tours

• AIA Programs & Events: AIA Orlando will have a series of lectures and tours for the membership to attend and receive continuing education credits. These events are free to the membership

Mentorship Program

• AIA Orlando’s Young Architects Forum program MENTORING: BEYOND IDP is getting ready to kick-off its second year and we are looking for professionals like you to serve as Mentors.  This program aims to revisit the traditional mentor/apprentice role in architectural education by providing emerging architects with access to experienced and inspiring architects.

ARE Study Sessions

• AIA Orlando will also coordinate a series of ARE Study Sessions for interns working on becoming licensed in the state. Study sessions will begin in March 2007.

AIA Orlando Community Involvement

• AIA 150 Blue Print for America
  AIA Orlando was awarded a $15,000 grant by The American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Washington, D.C. to launch "Art in Architecture: Changing the Face of Affordable Housing DVD" part of a new nationwide community service program of the AIA titled "Blueprint for America: A Gift to the Nation," AIA Orlando offers this initiative as a gift to the national community.
• 18th Annual Golf Tournament to be held in September benefiting the Valencia Community College Foundation. This event has raised over $90,000 for students in financial need.
• AIA Orlando involvement in the Coalition for the Homeless Charrett

I am particularly proud of the community involvement efforts of our chapter.  The annual golf tournament has become the most successful of our events offering a source of funding for students in need.  The work with the Coalition for the Homeless and the Art in Architecture Program are by far the most giving of our membership.  A special thanks to John Ehrig, FAIA and Nathan Butler, AIA.  They know why.

All of the programs and events noted above are recurring programs that will need members to participate on the various planning committees for them.  I want to add a special thanks to ALL of our program committees for the tremendous effort and sacrifice of time.

I hope you are all impressed with my synopsis of the upcoming year….don’t be….I want to thank Karen Jones our Executive Director for compiling this list.  It is through her office that we are able to maintain the information flow so successfully to the membership.  I also want to encourage all of you who do attend our events to take a minute if you see Karen and thank her and her assistant Allison for all they do.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank my board of directors, whom thru their unselfish donation of time and professionalism also make the Orlando Chapter a stand out amongst the state components.

I have one more “Guilt Whammy” to lay on all of you.  We will be the host chapter for the 2007 State of Florida AIA Convention.  We have a terrific family event planned at Sea World for the Host Chapter Party.  I want to extend a personal invitation to you and your families to come out and join all of us who will be wearing very “bad” tropical shirts…..(ok… maybe only me) and eat, drink and be happy. Let’s show the visiting chapters we have it working.

I want to wish you and your families a safe and happy New Year.  Thank you

PS

HOW BOUT THEM GATORS

Maso+Projects (Click to enlarge)

Last June, Maurizio J. Maso AIA, Design Principal at HuntonBrady Architects received the 2006 Honor Design Award from the State of Florida AIA.

“The award of Honor for Design serves to recognize an individual architect who has, by the quality and originality of one’s work over an extended period of time, advanced the cause and public value of good architecture in the State of Florida, and by one’s leadership provided inspiration to colleagues”

Maurizio is a graduate of the University of Florida. Before joining HuntonBrady he worked at Caudill Rowlett Scott (CRS) in Houston, TX. In 1983 he joined Hunton Shivers Brady architects where he worked with Clyde Brady, FAIA. Later, he became principal and he is currently principal in charge of design for HuntonBrady Architects.

Maurizio was invited to speak at the November 16th, 2006 Orlando Chapter AIA program. The lecture focused on the design and practice of HuntonBrady Architects. It included the history, design approach, firm culture, collaborative work, small projects and current projects by HuntonBrady architects.

Bob Murphy House (Click to enlarge)

History:

This year HuntonBrady is celebrating their 60th anniversary since Robert Murphy founded the firm in 1947. Bob Murphy, a Charleston, SC native and Harvard graduate, settled in Orlando after a retiring from the Army Air Corps after WW2. Educated under Walter Gropius, Bob started a legacy of modern design at HuntonBrady architects. Between 1947 and 1980, the firm grew steadily and other partners joined the firm, including: Claude Shivers, Tom R. Hunton and Clyde A. Brady III. Clyde Brady, in particular, elevated the design focus of the firm.In the early 1980’s, Fred H. Pryor Jr., Maurizio J. Maso and Andy Sexton joined the firm. Fred was instrumental in the firm’s growth, and Maurizio continues the design legacy initiated by Bob Murphy and Clyde Brady. Currently, the 75 person firm includes architects, interior designers, lab designers, planners and support staff.

HuntonBrady ‘s practice has concentrated on education, commercial, public and religious projects and most recently added a strong healthcare focus under the leadership of Chuck Cole, HuntonBrady’s current president, and Paul Macheske.

Broward Community College (Click to enlarge)

Design:

Since its inception, HuntonBrady has focused on good design. To date, the firm has received 42 awards from the AIA at local, state and national levels for their work. Additionally, they have received the 1994 State AIA Firm of the Year, and currently they are the only firm in the State to have two State AIA Honor Design award recipients: Clyde A. Brady, FAIA and Maurizio J. Maso, AIA. In terms of design, HuntonBrady Architects subscribes to the principle that every project is an opportunity for good design. Their design approach tends to the regional modernism; they encourage an interactive/inclusive design process that is environmentally and community conscious.

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center (Click to enlarge)

Culture:
HuntonBrady’s designers have built their practice on service, value, community involvement and good design. They recently received the 2006 Orlando Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work in Central Florida” award for medium size companies. They have chosen to remain consolidated in one office in Orlando in order to provide consistent quality services. HuntonBrady focuses on commercial, educational and healthcare facilities and “hybrid” facilities such as medical office buildings, workforce facilities and allied health facilities which combine the expertise of different in-house groups.

They encourage community involvement, as Bob Murphy did, at all levels. HuntonBrady employees are active in city/county boards, the AIA, nonprofit, professional, and charitable organizations throughout Central Florida. HuntonBrady is also committed to the personal development of their employees through an in house internship development program and a clear professional development program leading to an ownership transition plan.

Team Disney Office Building (Click to enlarge)

Collaborative Work:

HuntonBrady Architects often seeks partnerships with other design professionals that share the same design philosophies. HuntonBrady has a history of successful collaboration with other architects, both as architects-of-record and as design architects in various projects including: the Team Disney Office Building, Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Orange County Convention Center phases 3 and 5, University of Florida Cancer and Genetics Building and Broward Community College Student Services Building among others.

Maso House (Click to enlarge)

Small Projects:
Although known for some of the larger projects, HuntonBrady Architects has continuously kept their involvement in smaller projects. “It keeps us grounded” says Maso. Some of the smaller projects include: Florida Hospital Playhouse to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Department at Florida Hospital, Orlando Science Center PetHouse project, various churches and chapels, and single family residential projects.

Florida Hospital Ormond Memorial (Click to enlarge)

Projects on the boards:

HuntonBrady is currently working on several diverse projects including two new campus facilities for Seminole Community College, the new Bio Medical Center at the University of Florida, the new Hospitality Pavilion at Valencia Community College, the new patient tower at Florida Hospital Orlando, the new Florida Hospital Memorial Division hospital in Daytona Beach, an urban prototype elementary school for OCPS, as well as various commercial and religious projects.

Ruffin Rhodes at work (Click to enlarge)

In November 2006, AIA Orlando recognized Ruffin A. Rhodes, AIA with the Outstanding Member Award.

Ruffin is Director of Operations of Rhodes+Brito Architects, a practice he founded with fellow Florida A&M University alumni Maximiano Brito, AIA in 1996. He is a registered Architect with over 25 years of experience and has an extensive technical background on large complex projects throughout Florida.  Over the years he has been involved with notable projects including the new Florida A&M University College of Law; Stonewall Jackson Middle School Addition and Renovation; Orange County Courthouse; Nap Ford Community School; and Southeast Boys and Girls Club Addition and Renovation.

Ruffin Rhodes and Max Brito (Click to enlarge)

Ruffin believes in giving back to the community.  As such, he is an actively involved with several Central Florida charitable organizations.  He joined AIA Orlando several years ago when he and the Chapter were involved with the Parramore Streetscape revitalization. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the Central Florida chapter of the Coalition for the Homeless, he is the past chairman of the Universal Orlando Boys & Girls Club, and was a board member for 3 years with the National Conference of Community and Justice (NCCJ).  In 2000, he was a contributor and participant in home restoration for “Restore Orlando,” a charitable organization dedicated to the restoration of dilapidated housing in Orlando’s poorest community. In the same year, Ruffin and his partner also founded an annual “Rhodes+Brito Architects Scholarship,” established for Architecture students at Florida A&M University.  The firm also established an endowment for the school.

FAMU Orlando Entry Detail (Click to enlarge)

Ruffin, the oldest of three children, is the son of a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant.  Like many army families, Ruffin lived in many posts, including France and England, and graduated high school in Germany.  His family originates from Apalachicola, Florida, and during the summers in high school, his father would send Ruffin and his brothers there to work on residential construction jobs with his grandfather.  He enjoyed this, but found that he liked to draw house plans even more.  He obtained his Bachelor of Architecture, and Masters in Architecture from Florida A&M University.  As a student at FAMU, Ruffin received the American Institute of Architects Certificate of Merit from the Henry Adams Fund for Excellence in the Study of Architecture. 

After he graduated, Ruffin worked a few years for architect Charles Benda, a sole practitioner who designed residential and small commercial projects in Tallahassee. Ruffin married a former FAMU SBI student, Sarah, and they have two children.  When Sarah got a job offer in Orlando, they moved here, and he worked for a while at Sverdrup.  Ruffin met back up with Maximiano Brito and they decided to open their own firm.  For a while they worked out of a back room of Max’s house that they had to fix up.  Later they moved into a small office on Corrine Drive, then to an office in Thornton Park.  Their present office is at Magnolia Avenue and Concord Street in downtown Orlando.  Congratulations to Ruffin Rhodes for this well deserved award.

(Click here for the AIA Awards Gala invitation)

The American Institute of Architects, Orlando Chapter cordially invites you and your staff to join us in recognition of outstanding architectural achievements at the Country Club of Orlando, Mizner Room. View the 2007 Design Award entries with colleagues and friends while enjoying a delicious dinner (Black tie optional). (pdf)

Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 6:30 pm

Evening Schedule
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Registration
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Reception
7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Dinner (Awards Presentation)
8:30 pm - 9:30 pm

$80 per person (includes dinner, two drinks and complimentary parking)
$1000 Corporate table of eight (1/4 page ad in program booklet)

Directions to the Country Club of Orlando
Take I-4 to Colonial Drive (Hwy 50)
west. Proceed on Highway 50 west to
Hwy 441, and turn right. The Country
Club of Orlando will be located on the
left side of Hwy. 441.

Please make your reservations by:
Monday, February 12, 2007
Seating is limited so please RSVP early.

St. Johns County Facilities (Click to enlarge)

A source of pride among St. John’s County Public Works Officials is the new Facilities Maintenance Complex located in St. Augustine, Florida designed by Architects Design Group, Inc. of Winter Park.

Careful design of the complex is evident as you enter the site. Separate public and private parking areas provide a security buffer for County Staff. Administrative space is located at the front of the building so visitors can easily access County services, while separate areas for inventory storage and repairs are in secure zones.  Overhangs that span the length of the East and West walls provide sunshade for work crews and facilitate natural ventilation through the large warehouse overhead doors.

Inside the new 17,500 SF facility, County Staff operate in open-plan work spaces that are filled with natural light. Administrative offices have floor to ceiling glass windows that take advantage of natural daylighting, while conserving energy. Large maintenance bays at the back of the building with motorized rolldown doors allow access for large equipment to be serviced. New locker facilities and a large multi-purpose Crew Muster Area serve various Staff needs.

Mount Dora Police Facility (Click to enlarge)

A June ribbon cutting ceremony marked the opening of the new 18,000 SF Mount Dora Police facility in Mount Dora, Florida.  Architects Design Group, Inc., a Central Florida firm specializing in law enforcement architecture, designed the new, state-of-the-art facility.

The expansion and renovation to the existing Mount Dora Public Safety Complex now provides the Police Department with larger, more secure functional areas including a vehicle sallyport, booking and intake area, secure interview rooms and a property and evidence storage/ processing area. A new dispatch/ communications center with multiple computer monitors, high resolution screens and camera images allows the communications department to efficiently monitor incoming service calls, officer locations and response times. In addition, separate locker facilities, a new break room and physical agility center allows officers adequate space for officer training and patrol preparation.

Among the technological innovations incorporated into the facility is a state of the art security system.  However, the need for secure personnel areas is balanced with community friendly spaces including the new, open public lobby which gives residents separate and efficient access to city services and records.  ADG’s design of the facility also incorporates energy efficiency features that exceed the most stringent energy code requirements, including appropriate lighting, window glazing and sun shades. The new facility provides a safe work environment for police personnel during severe weather events, designed to exceed stringent Florida Building Code requirements.

One of the most remarkable features of the new Mount Dora Police Facility is the Officer Memorial located in the front of the Complex. Designed by ADG, the memorial to police and fire department personnel killed in the line of duty is a tribute to the commitment and sacrifice of the Public Safety Officers that serve the Mount Dora Community.

Canin Associates was recently selected by METROPLAN ORLANDO as part of the 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan Team to provide technical assistance with developing a comprehensive long range transportation plan for the Seminole, Orange and Osceola County area. The team includes the team leader, Leftwich Consulting Engineers, Inc. and the economic forecasting firm of Fishkind and Associates, Inc. This plan will include an analysis of future land use development patterns, the acknowledgment of the importance of regional relationships between city and county governments, the incorporation of mobility strategies such as transit (bus and commuter rail), emphasis on the connection between transportation and economic development, and, most importantly, regional visioning through initiatives such as Central Florida Regional
Growth Visioning Process.

Canin Associates will play an integral part in the transportation planning, land use analysis, and regional visioning process, as well as supporting the transportation modeling efforts.

Canin Associates has been selected by GS Florida to design the Master Plan for Restoration, a 6,300-acre community in Volusia County that showcases the natural environment and restores large areas of the site to pre-development native Florida conditions. "Our client's objective from the initial visioning of the project included the restoration and preservation of the natural environment" said Brian Canin, President. Hence the name, Restoration.

The Master Plan program includes an extensive recreation trail that winds throughout the community, an 18- hole golf course, a clubhouse including spa/ workout facilities, meeting areas, pools, tennis, mixed-use neighborhood centers, a Town Center and workplace with 2 million square feet of office and retail, civic spaces and ample retail opportunities all adhering to New Urbanist Principles.

Coalition for the Homeless (Click to enlarge)

In the summer of 2006, AIA Orlando initiated a charrette process with the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida.  The purpose of this charrette was to apply the talents of AIA Orlando’s membership to study the physical and functional needs for a new or refurbished facility for the Coalition for the Homeless within downtown Orlando.  The effort specifically addressed challenges and obstacles that the Coalition faces as it attempts to expand its services to the homeless population within the transitioning urban fabric of downtown Orlando.

The charrette process began with a tour of the Coalition’s existing facility in the Parramore neighborhood of downtown Orlando.  Here the AIA group learned of the various services provided for homeless men, women, and children, as well as the surrounding community.  In the Coalition’s primary facility, many single mothers and in some cases entire families are sheltered in very tight quarters with no room for expansion.  An additional component of the Coalition’s facility is the Men’s Pavilion, which offers homeless men a warm, sheltered place to sleep at a rate of one dollar a day.  This component is the most visible and active aspect of the Coalition’s services and as such it has become the “image” of the organization.

This “image” has unfortunately obscured the positive aspects of other services provided to residents in the surrounding Parramore neighborhood, such as the provision of meals for low income residents and an educational center that is operated in cooperation with Orange County Public Schools where residents can continue their high school equivalency studies to earn their GED.  Additionally, the Coalition operates a full-time day care program on-site for working mothers and families.  All of these programs are important to the community and they will need to grow with the community to maintain their success.

The single greatest challenge to this growth is a moratorium on the expansion of social services in the area that was enacted by local government several years ago.  This moratorium prevents the Coalition and numerous other organizations in the community from growing to keep pace with increasing demand where it is needed most.  Therefore one of the primary goals of the AIA Orlando charrette group was to involve local government elected officials and representatives in the process to take a step toward the eventual lifting of this restriction.  To accomplish this, the charrette team conducted numerous workshops to study design ideas for the redevelopment of the Coalition’s existing property.

The charrette team worked with the Coalition and the City of Orlando to try to eliminate negative implications stemming from elements such as the Men’s Pavilion, and emphasize positive elements associated with programs serving community needs such as affordable housing, single room occupancy units, educational and fitness facilities, and food services.  Numerous schemes were developed by the team and they are currently being refined by a small charrette task force for final presentation to the community and to local government officials later this year.

As our region continues to grow, it is important to remember that this growth will affect every segment of our region’s population, including the homeless.  If programs and facilities that serve these individuals are inadequate today, then it is clear that they will only be more inadequate in the future.  AIA Orlando is proud to participate in efforts such as these, and while the long-term success of this particular effort remains to be seen, the charrette process was immediately successful in providing a forum in which a sustainable dialogue regarding this important issue could begin.

Special thanks to all of the AIA members who participated in the charrette effort, including:  Ruffin Rhodes, AIA; Tommy Hagood, AIA; John Ehrig, AIA; Richard Krent, AIA; Bill Yeapple, AIA; Don Grannan, AIA; Tony Aguerverre, AIA; Dave van Loon, Assoc. AIA; Tim Lemons, AIA, Chris Dunlop, Assoc. AIA, and numerous others.

Cohn (Click to enlarge)

RFL is pleased to announce the appointment Sanford (Sandy) Cohn, AIA, NCARB, to RLF’s leadership team of 10 shareholders. As Project Manager and Healthcare Architect, Cohn is responsible for a broad range of complex, multi-phased healthcare projects. Among them are the award-winning MD Anderson Cancer Center - Orlando, ORMC Modifications, Improvements and Additions including renovation of the ICU, the ORH Ambulatory Care Center, and the Florida Hospital North Surgery Expansion.

Neal V. Gwin, AIA, has over 20 years experience in residential architecture.  Prior to joining BSB Design in 2006, Mr. Gwin received a Master of Arts in Architecture from The University of Florida. After graduation, Neal was a partner in the firm of Brown Cooper Gwin and Associates in Winter Park, Florida and specialized in single family housing.  His work includes designing product built in Celebration and Baldwin Park in central Florida as well as Charlotte, North Carolina.

William Weeks is a proud son of the great state of Iowa.  Following graduation from Iowa State University, Bill moved to Florida where he lives with his wife and two children. Bill’s professional career has focused on high profile commercial architecture including hospitality, mixed-use, and multi-family residential projects. As Associate Principal at Morris Architects, Bill lends his expertise to clients in project development and management through the complex issues of unique projects within the industry. He is enjoying the current trend in hospitality and being part of the Morris team.

Mitesh Smart

Mitesh Smart got his BSME from UF in 1993. He is the president of Milan Engineering Inc. located in Winter Park. He started this company in Melbourne and moved to Orlando 2years ago.

Fernando Zapata, Associate AIA, was born in the Bronx, New York. Currently, he is a Project

Manager at Fugleberg Koch Architects. Fernando’s happily married to his wife,

Lucia, and they have two children, Lucia and

Fernando Zapata

Fernando. Mr. Zapata received his Bachelor degree of Architecture from the New York Institute of Technology, Manhattan Campus in 1998. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional. His work experience includes Project Management (Architecture) & Senior Network Administrator (I.T. field). Fernando enjoys cycling, computer networking and Formula One racing.

Lennar (Click to enlarge)

VOA Associates Inc. full interior build-out services for Lennar Corp.'s new consolidated Operations Center in Maitland, FL.  VOA provided programming, space planning, FF&E and construction documents for the $2.2M, 81,000-square-foot project. Additional members of the project team include the Trammell Crow Company (providing Construction Management), Clancy & Theys serving as Contractor, and Peninsula Engineering.

One of the project's noteworthy concepts is the design of a 'community space' within each floor plate that features a 'Main Street' concept. "The objective is to infuse a sense of vitality and friendliness within a corporate workspace to reflect Lennar's culture as a dynamic and fun working environment," says Jonathan F. Douglas, AIA, VOA's Managing Principal. Some of the more challenging aspects of the project involved developing a floor plan that consolidates all departments within two floors that are separated by an atrium, and utilizing the building's advantageous, 360-degree-window views for offices in the interior of the floor plate.