By Lee Martin
Gobbell Hays Partners, Inc.

The AIA Orlando BIM gathering held July 24, 2008 was one of the more enlightening meetings the chapter has held in recent memory. Hosted by AIA Florida Vice-President Michael Lingerfelt, the program presented a radically new way of looking at Building Information Modeling and its significance to the construction industry in coming years. Expanding on the fundamental concepts he presented in the Summer 2008 edition of Florida/Caribbean Architect, Mr. Lingerfelt stressed the fact that BIM represents a paradigm shift away from simple representations of architectural ideas in 2D or 3D, but incorporates CPM schedule data (4D) and cost information (5D) to become a system of virtual design and construction (VDC) that facilitates the “integration of design, procurement and construction strategies” in addition to offering numerous other benefits to all building team members.

Mr. Lingerfelt contrasted the traditional linear or serial method of drawing, estimating, scheduling and buying out of projects with the concurrent VDC approach where information is shared on a continuous basis among all building team members, shortening project duration and reducing opportunities for error. He mentioned that in some cases, contractors and other building team members utilize the work product of the architect to create their own BIM models in house, a fact substantiated by other sources concerned that if architects relinquish control over their designs, they could find their roles in the building process diminished.

Mr. Michael Tardif recently stated in AIArchitect This Week that the three emerging trends regarding BIM were a business focus (where the decision to implement BIM was return-driven), a concern for liability although many firms are moving ahead in spite of legal ambiguity, and large contractors, not architects, taking the lead role in implementing BIM on their projects. He mentions that at this point in time, most contractors still receive 2D drawings or CAD files from architects who either have not integrated BIM into their design process, or who do not want to share BIM models. It seems that this tendency on the part of architects must be overcome in the interest of achieving the productivity and profitability gains Michael Lingerfelt and others of us believe are possible through implementation of VDC. 

Other indications that BIM and VDC are making inroads in the construction industry are the announcement that Bentley Architecture and Autodesk Revit have reached agreement on production of application programming interfaces (APIs) that transfer data between the two software packages, and the announcement that Reed Construction Data, Inc. has developed SmartBIM software that links BIM models to RS Means Quick Cost Estimator through a library of parametric objects that “imbed critical product data and specifications into the Revit model”, according to author Heather Livingston.

If architects are to continue their role in advancing the profession and serving clients in an imaginative, cooperative and cost-effective manner, then we need to heed Michael Lingerfelt’s message and embrace not just the new technology, but the paradigm shift in thinking that goes with it.

By Nathan Butler, AIA

Ocoee, FL—Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on August 8, 2008 for the newest Art in Architecture affordable housing development in Ocoee, Florida. This third Art in Architecture installment, in Ocoee’s Lakewood Estates neighborhood, will create 54 new homes of varying sizes designed by the following six local architects and firms:

Carl Shea, AIA
C.T. Hsu + Associates, P.A.
The Evans Group
Fugleburg Koch Architects
Rhodes + Brito Architecs
The Young Architects Forum of AIA Orlando

The first development began in 2003, when the Orlando Regional Realtor’s Association (ORRA) purchased four lots in Orlando’s Holden Heights neighborhood. Local realtor Steve Chitwood contacted AIA Orlando inquiring if architects would donate their talent to improve affordable housing design.

In 2004, with TV cameras rolling and community leaders in attendance, four homes were opened. This successful project was noticed by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) who made this a national pilot program in 2005. Concurrently, the City of Winter Park, Florida had ten lots in the Canton Park Redevelopment area slated for affordable housing. In 2005, 10 homes were completed in Canton Park. The above projects provided 14 homes for underprivileged families who otherwise may not have the opportunity to own a piece of the American Dream.

The Art in Architecture program began as an initiative to address the following community issues:

• A ‘Not in my back yard’ view toward affordable housing
• A shortage of affordable housing units
• Rising costs of housing, real estate, and transportation costs
• Promotion of home ownership and equity building
• Limited affordable housing access to existing urban amenities

These issues have been addressed through the continued participation of local elected officials, community groups, non-profit organizations, and media outlets. Together with AIA Orlando, this program has benefitted the community by providing working class families with affordable access to well designed and built homes within easy reach of existing urban amenities.

In 2007, the success of this program became the foundation for AIA Orlando’s AIA 150 project, in which a DVD describing the development of the Art in Architecture program was created and distributed to AIA chapters across the country to facilitate replication of this program in AIA chapters across the country. AIA Orlando is now developing a presentation on this program for the 2009 AIA Grassroots convention in Washington, D.C. to share what we have learned with chapter leaders from across the country.

Thank you to all who have participated in this program over the years. We look forward to the next opportunity to work within the community to create our next Art in Architecture development.

By Allen Watters, Professor, Architecture, Valencia Community College

This past spring, a chapter of the American Institute of Architects Students (AIAS) was formed at Valencia Community College. The AIAS is an organization with a stated goal of serving communities as well as the architecture profession and educational system. The students at Valencia Community College take these missions seriously and look forward to facilitating a productive interface between academia and professional practice in central Florida.

The AIAS’ inaugural event was a Firm Crawl. A Firm Crawl is an AIAS sponsored activity that allows students to visit numerous firms in a single day to acquire multiple perspectives on methods and scales of practice and profession. Fifteen students participated in the Firm Crawl and were generously welcomed by the following firms: The Scott Partnership Architects, HHCP, RLF Architects and Engineers, CT HSU, Hunton Brady, DLR, and Heery International. Each firm that was visited gave freely of their time and knowledge, explaining projects and answering questions regarding the nuances of practice. It should be noted that although fifteen students participated, over thirty were interested in attending the event. As such, the AIAS looks forward to offering this event once again in the fall.

The Firm Crawl was hosted by Valencia Community College Professors Allen Watters and Kourtney Baldwin. The president of the AIAS is Brian Miles, who along with AIAS lead officers Ryan Simmons and Luis Burgos is currently a sophomore. Valencia Community College wishes to thank the following Architecture professionals for their generosity and dedication to ensuring the event was able to transpire: Kim Day, John Ehrig, Alan Helman, Wes Featherston, Steve Langston, Nathan Butler, CT Hsu, Maurizio Maso, Beau Bock, and Clay Ransone.

If you are interested in knowing more about the AIAS chapter or the Architecture program at Valencia Community College, please contact Allen Watters at dwatters@valenciacc.edu.

American Federal (Coral Gables) Building,Orlando, Florida.

Hoping to save a part of Orlando's architecture from the recent past, the Nils M. Schweizer Fellows (a Central Florida preservation organization) launched an international design competition for the preservation of this building's cast concrete building wrap.

Judging took place on Saturday August 23rd at Orlando City Hall on the nineteen entries received. Judges/architects were: Gene Leedy, one of the founding fathers of the Sarasota School of Architecture, Luigi Seta from DOCOMOMO FL Chapter, and Kevin Schweizer from the  Nils M. Schweizer Fellows, reviewed nineteen submissions from local and international designers. After much deliberation, the following winners were announced with a $360 1st Place Award going to:

1st Place
Jurgen Lehmeier and Rene Rissland
Nuremberg, Germany

2nd Place
Matthew Hutchinson
San Francisco, California

Honorable Mention - Architecture
Fielding W Featherston, AIA and Rebecca Talbert, AIA
Orlando, Florida

Honorable Mention - Sculpture
L2 Studios
Orlando, Florida

Honorable Mention - Site
Jefre Figueras Manuel
Orlando, Florida

Honorable Mention- Organizer's Choice
Kim Headland, Giancarlo Giusti, Eric Rice, John Thompson and Larry Wilder
Tampa, FL

Designs will be on display in the rotunda of Orlando City Hall through August 31st and then at the Orange County Administration building from September 1st - 15th.

For more information on the entries, please click here. Other details can be found at the Schweizer fellows website.

ORLANDO, FL – SchenkelShultz Architecture, Orlando, announced the firm was awarded a contract to design classroom, administration and cafeteria additions along with miscellaneous renovations to the School District of Lee County’s Lehigh Acres Elementary School at 200 Schoolside Court, Lehigh Acres, FL. Four buildings will be completely demolished and replaced with new construction to include administration offices, a new media center, art and music spaces, and replacement of the kitchen/cafeteria/auditorium. The facility will also receive a new chiller plant to update the HVAC system throughout as well as a sprinkler system for the complex. The Orlando office of SchenkelShultz is located at 200 East Robinson Street, Suite 300, Orlando, FL, phone 407-872-3322.

SchenkelShultz has designed more than 28 million-square-feet of K-12 projects in 28 Florida school districts. In addition, the firm has designed numerous higher education projects including the award-winning six-story Stetson University Lynn Business Center, the first LEED®-certified building in the state of Florida, and the LEED®-Gold certified Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University.

Robert W. White, AIA

ORLANDO, Fla. (July 9, 2008) – C.T. Hsu + Associates today announced that Robert W. White, AIA, has joined the firm as a senior project manager.

White has more than 30 years of experience in all phases of design and construction. His project work includes financial institutions, commercial, multi-family, health care, K-12 educational facilities, university research facilities, military facilities and theme parks; many in the multimillion dollar range. Most recently a senior project manager/office manager for K4 Architecture llc in Orlando, Florida, his career also includes assistant director of facilities planning and operations for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in Gainesville, Florida.

White graduated Cum Laude from the University of Florida in 1972 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1972 and holds professional accreditation with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

ORLANDO, FL – The Orlando-based Florida Division of Clancy & Theys Construction Company, one of America’s leading contractors, completed the new $10 million, design/build Winter Garden City Hall located at 300 West Plant Street in Winter Garden, Florida.

Winter Garden City Hall

Designed to reflect the Art Deco style of the original city hall built in 1937, the architecture for the 3-story, 44,400-square-foot facility preserves the historic integrity of the revitalized West Plant Street Corridor in downtown Winter Garden.

Clancy & Theys Construction partnered with architect C.T. Hsu + Associates, P.A., Orlando, on the design/build project according to Pete Pace, Florida Division CEO for Clancy & Theys.

BSB Design was recently honored for design excellence by the National Association of Home Builders at the 2008 50+ Housing Symposium in New Orleans, LA. BSB Design’s Sabino unit at The Preserve at Saddlebrooke in Tucson, AZ, received a Gold Achievement Award for “Best Active Adult Home Design Over 2,400 sq.ft.” The firm accepted the award from NAHB’s esteemed 50+ Housing Council.

The Preserve at Saddlebrooke is a master planned development targeting the 55 and over demographic. BSB Design worked with Robson Communities to develop several single family homes in the community, including the award-winning Sabino unit, which is the result of a design objective aimed at creating an upscale environment within an informal and relaxed approach. The home boasts ornate interior architectural detailing and an innovative relationship of indoor and outdoor spaces – including an intimate entry courtyard. Old World styling meets Southwest regional character to help capture the resort look and feel of the greater area.

Catering specifically to active adult buyers, the Sabino unit offers several unique, age-targeted design features. The single story plan includes extra-wide hallways, a walk-in shower and a maintenance-free HOA plan. The spacious master bedroom easily accommodates an active adult couple, but if residents ever desire separate sleeping quarters, a full guest suite at the opposite side of the home includes an attached walk-in closet, private bath and access to the covered patio at the rear of the home. Also, a casita at the front of the home is designed as a studio space, with a main greatroom/bedroom area, private bath and wet bar. These additional accommodations directly address the changing needs of aging residents by providing quality lifestyles and excellent guest spaces.

Contact Info:
Steve Krob – Marketing Coordinator
515-273-3212
skrob@bsbdesign.com

Orlando—HuntonBrady Architects, an Orlando-based architecture, interior design and master planning firm, has been selected to design a new instructional center for Central Florida Community College – Citrus County Campus in Lecanto, Florida.

The two-story, 35,000 square foot building significantly increases the size of the CFCC Citrus campus and contextually complements the existing buildings. It features state-of-the-art student services center, technology, classrooms, laboratories, a café, and a generous multipurpose room for special events and community activities. In addition, the new building will function as a hurricane shelter. The instructional center is designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).