All-Member Meeting & Pizza

For real this time, we promise.

The AIAS all-member meeting will be held today, October 27, in Room 1, starting at 5pm.  You need to be here to keep up-to-date on the latest events, from the department-wide pumpkin carving contest (DO YOU HAVE YOUR TEAM YET?) to the hot juicy cider we'll be providing at the accompanying AIAS Bake Sale.

This is an important meeting for:
     trip info!
     fundraising opportunities
     ways to get IDP credit with Freedom By Design

     and of course...hanging out with AIAS!

Right after the meeting at 6pm there will be our newest event, "Pizza With the Grad Students!"  Participants will be offered free pizza, advice on the GRE, grad school info, and of course some face time with our secretive graduate department.

They don't bite.
Seriously.

The Flipper Bridge

Ever traveled from China to Hong-Kong by car...most likely not, but there is a huge problem with it they drive on opposite sides of the road.  Hong Kong drive on the left and China is on the right, NL Architects from Holland solved the problem, a bridge shaped as an 8. The halves cross over each other and change sides as a part of the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities International Design Ideas Competition, but it did not even make the finals. The bridge however is a creative solution to flipping a bridge driving directions. "It was important to us to show that road design could be interesting and maybe even fun."

Check out the video on YouTube

Halloween Bake Sale Oct.29th at the SAC Pumpkin Carving Contest

Ghana Design/Build Exhibit, Oct.25th at 5pm

Did you miss the meeting on IDP? That's okay..here is IDP 101

IDP 101

Professor Craig Hinrichs, Educator Coordinator, Miami University 10/10

What does IDP do for me?

The IDP has six objectives:

1. Maintain a relevance to current architectural practice;

2. Define areas of architectural practice in which interns should acquire basic

knowledge and skills;

3. Encourage additional training in the broad aspects of architectural practice;

4. Provide the highest quality information and advice about educational,

internship, and professional issues and opportunities;

5. Provide a uniform system for documentation and periodic assessment of

internship activity; and

6. Provide greater access to educational opportunities designed to

enrich training.

The IDP is designed to make your internship a meaningful experience by

exposing you to many aspects of the profession so that you are prepared to

practice architecture independently.

Scary Movie Night: Oct.24th in Room 201 at 8pm

Do you need a break from studio? Come watch a scary movie with AIAS, popcorn and refreshments will be provided.

The New Face of AutoCAD

Autodesk has been doing a number of new updates in the past few months.  What are the  two most excited?

AutoCAD for the Mac, that is right you can use autoCAD without having to shut down your computer or install other program to use it.  
Check it out

-or-

For iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad users you can download AutoCAD directly to your phone, you can access your drawings and even draw on your device.
Check it out

Freedom By Design Charrette, Sunday Oct.24th at 4pm

The Freedom by Design team is hosting a 2 hour charrette from 4pm-6pm.  This will be a wonderful chance to work on projects outside of studio.  Please read the article from last week to get a good idea of what we will be working and trying to achieve.  If you have an question contact Mary Dickerson.

AIAS Forum: Early Bird Sign-ups End Oct.31st

Forum is one of AIAS's biggest events of the year being hosted in Toronto, Canada. 

Forum hosts a College/Career Fair with over 30 schools, Beaux Arts Ball to bring in the New Year with over 1000 students, keynote speakers, and experiencing Toronto's culture and architecture.  

Early registration is due October 31st, after the price increases by 150 dollars.  

Check out their website to register or get more information. 

What are you doing Wednesday Oct.19th?

1) You should be going to the AIAS Intern Development Program Seminar at 12:30pm in the Atrium hosted my Craig H.  Did you know that IDP has changed many of the requirements and dates for signing up.  Everyone from freshman up should attend, the new rules include you.  

2) AIAS All member meeting at 5pm in Room One.  There is will be updates on trips, events, and socials AIAS are having so you do not want to miss out.  We have some great events planned you will not want to miss. 

Freedom By Design visits Disabilities Advocate Utawna Leap

Last Sunday, members of AIAS had the incredible opportunity to tour the home of Utawna Leap (Miami '93).  Mother of a 9-yr-old with quadriplegic mixed-type cerebral palsy, Utawna is a passionate advocate for those with disabilities.  After her divorce, she and Lianna moved in with her parents, living in a carpeted multilevel house that was hardly suitable for Lianna and her wheelchair.  Utawna then began the search for a place of her own, even collaborating with Kathy McMahon-Klosterman and her Disability Studies class to create a video application to ABC's "Extreme Makeover Home Edition."  Although the application was unsuccessful, Utawna refused to let go of her dream of building Lianna a fully accessable home.

That's where graduate student Taryn Nye (Miami '06) stepped in.

Schools of Tomorrow Design Competition

Everyone has heard about the decrease in buildings being built and designed, however there are a few areas that have not been affected, Educational buildings is one of those.  The American Institute of Architects and Kawneer are hosting a student based design competition.  The competition is based on a elementary level based school, which allows for creativity. 

The registration deadline is October 18th and final submissions are due November 29th. This is a cash prize oppurtunity.

Winning students/teams and their AIAS chapters* will receive cash prizes totaling $7,225, with with an expected the distribution as follows:

• First Place $2,500
  (AIAS Chapter: $500)
• Second Place $1,500
  (AIAS Chapter: $275)
• Third Place $750
  (AIAS Chapter: $200)
• Three Honorable Mentions:
  $500 each

If you want more information please go to http://www.aias.org/kawneer/index.php

Taliesin West Apprentice Shelters...A new type of Dorm

The students of the Frank Lloyd Wright school are required to live in 10'x10' shelters in the desert when they are in their Scottsdale, Arizona location.  The tents started in the 1930's when the Wright's came out to the Taliesin West there was not enough money to build a structure to shelter everyone, therefore the Wrights and the apprentices designed and built their own shelters. Each of the shelters had strict guidelines from the fellowship, a budget of 1000 dollars and only getting support by local contractors, however they have to help build the structures.  This has been a huge learning experience, some of the building act like ovens during the day, other are open air and therefore cold at night, and others have become lightening rods.  
Check out some pictures of the Shelters 

German Exhange Exhibit in Cage Gallery, Oct.4th at 5

Come see one of the many study abroad opportunities while enjoying some amazing German Treats. 

From Design to Construction

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you actually constructed your studio project? 

The new Vdara hotel in Las Vegas is a new example of when it does not work.  The hotel guests have been experiencing the 'death ray' (named by the hotel staff), a powerful beam of reflected sun light, due to the curved facade of the building. The beam reflects into the pool area causing plastic cups and bags to melt, it has even been reported of burning guest. The buildings magnifying-glass effect at the Vdara is not the first, the Adventure Dome at Circus Circus, the Mandalay Bay, and Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall reflects the fun to the surrounding neighbors, raising their cooling cost. 

Conceptual ideas might not always apply to real world application, each design we do can have an impact to the surrounding areas and to the users. 

 http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100929/bs_yblog_upshot/swanky-new-vegas-hotels-death-ray-a-mild-inconvenience-for-some-guests

Reminder: Membership forms/ Money due Friday October 1st

New and Future AIAS, please remember Membership forms and Money are due today, Friday October 1st,  to Sarah Pytlik,  Stephen Young or put them in the envelope on the AIAS office door.