RAIC ALBERTA CHAPTER

The RAIC Alberta Chapter has taken an important step forward in strengthening the voice of architects in Alberta and across the country.

Since its inception in 2006, the Chapter has maintained a website utilizing volunteer resources. In an effort to enhance the long-term viability of the chapter, the website and other online collaboration tools have been successfully upgraded and transferred to the RAIC National Office where a staff of web administrators will now be responsible for keeping everything up and running.

The most visible results of this change are a new look, a new website address - www.raic.org/alberta – and a new general email address – alberta@raic.org. The former website name and email address will forward to the new locations through February of 2010.

The RAIC National Office will ensure the continuity of web technology from one volunteer committee to the next. This empowers the Alberta Chapter to concentrate on providing content for the site, which has been structured to require a minimal amount of technical skill. A series of online training videos has been created by the Alberta Chapter specifically to help new committee members get involved.

Chad Oberg, the Chapter’s outgoing Communications Executive responsible for the creation and maintenance of the website to date, notes that “like the blogging movement in general, this initiative represents an effort to democratize the process of web publishing and move it directly into the hands of architects.”

An Intern Architect himself, Oberg also emphasizes the “tremendous opportunity to reach out and participate in vibrant online communities that exist on sites like facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and Wikipedia. We need to go to where the people are, as opposed to sitting back and hoping they’ll stumble upon our little corner of the internet.”

This priority is shared by Kevin Mullin, the Chapter’s current Communications Executive, who will help shape the future of raic.org/alberta as the base for this type of online advocacy.

Perhaps most importantly, with these new resources the RAIC National Office has expressed an interest in utilizing both the technology and training videos of the Alberta Chapter as a template for new provincial chapters as they begin to emerge.

RAIC Corner

R. Wayne Guy FRAIC

I was gratified to see the Canadian entries in the publication of 1000x Architecture of the Americas published by Verlagshaus Braun of Germany.

Out of the 1,000 buildings featured throughout the Americas and the Caribbean, the Canadian submissions fared extremely well as distinctive, imaginative, inventive, technically sophisticated works possessing both personality and presence.

I am proud to say that Canadian architects rank among the best in the world. This is the good news.

The bad news is that the average age of a Canadian architect is over 50, the average age of an intern architect is 36 and for every two architects that retire, only one fills their place.

In addition to the graying of the profession, the earning potential of an architect has dropped to less than one third of that of our engineering counterparts in some parts of the country — society seems to view our profession as a luxury rather than a necessity.

This article is a call to arms for all architects, intern architects and students of architecture in this country to advocate on behalf of the profession as the future livelihood of the profession and our legacy of excellence is on the line.

The following are a series of promising RAIC initiatives geared toward sustaining and renewing the profession and increasing our numbers:

• The institute has been working in conjunction with the 11 provincial and territorial associations, the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) and the Council of Canadian University Schools of Architecture (CCUSA) to harmonize the continuum between education, internship and practice and remove some of the administrative friction which has plagued the system.This should provide a smoother process to registration resulting in less attrition of candidates.

• The RAIC Centre for Architecture at Athabasca University is the proposed name for a new facility in Alberta that, it is hoped, will develop a distance-learning program for a recognized diploma in architecture.It will satisfy the educational requirements of the Canadian Architectural Certification Board.This bilingual program is being overseen by an interim program advisory council, comprised of leading practitioners and academics.It will eventually be available to aspiring architects in every community in Canada. This program, a renewal of the RAIC Syllabus, should be launched by 2010.

• There is also a new made-in-Canada registration exam for architects.Several years ago, RAIC advocated for a Canadian registration examination and we are pleased that this has been achieved.Architectural associations in Quebec, Alberta and Ontario created the new Canadian registration exam and all provincial and territorial licensing authorities, except one, have adopted it. The first sitting was in November 2008.It replaces the U. S.-developed exam, which required multiple sittings that put undue hardship on interns.The new test, which is partly based on the Canadian Handbook of Practice (CHOP), has been received enthusiastically. The Alberta Association of Architects (AAA) has indicated that 40 per cent of their interns have already registered for the exam. The numbers appear to be similar in Ontario and Québec.

These initiatives are encouraging, but only the tip of the iceberg.

To effect real change, a grassroots network is required. Grassroots networks are starting with new RAIC Chapters in B.C. (Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island), Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

Be sure to support the RAIC Chapter in your region and work at increasing our influence!

To retain interns and encourage them to become licensed, principals of firms are encouraged to assist and pay for the examinations and registration of their intern architects. It’s a good succession plan. Interns are encouraged to write those exams and be counted.

Not only must we increase and sustain our numbers, but Canadian architects must also be considered by the general public, building owners and other clients as providing an essential and valuable service to society.

R. Wayne Guy, FRAIC, NWTAA/PP, is the RAIC regional director, Alberta/NWT.

First provincial chapter of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada looks back then sets sights on future

Red Deer, Alberta, July 19, 2008 — Today architects from across Alberta came together to mark the premier changing of the guard of the first-ever provincial chapter of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). New executive joined the pioneering members of the inaugural committee to reflect on past successes and to look forward to future possibilities.

Two years ago the formation of the Alberta Chapter achieved an historic first for the nation-wide and century-old organization. Representing more than 3,500 Architects, the RAIC provides the national framework for the development and recognition of Architectural excellence. Developing provincial or local chapters will energize the organization’s grassroots. And while advocacy on behalf of architecture and its practice will continue to be a main focus of the Alberta Chapter, to be heard beyond its membership the new executive understands that it will need to do more than just preach to the choir.

“In fact”, says incoming Chapter president, Robert Stirling, MRAIC, “we’re not going to ‘preach’ to anyone. Our goal is to build a local constituency outside of Architecture that believes, as we do, that design matters in Alberta and that the design of the built environment in particular matters more now than perhaps at any time in our province’s history.”

The RAIC believes that architecture’s place in this larger but local context has economic, cultural and environmental dimensions that are of significant benefit to all Albertans. The Alberta Chapter, by framing, highlighting and affirming these dimensions for the widest possible audience, hopes to build relationships and form alliances with like-minded citizens, associations and institutions from across the province.

Established in 1907, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada is a voluntary national association and is the voice for architecture and its practice in Canada. Alberta is currently home to over 400 RAIC members giving the provincial chapter the ability to effectively represent the national body locally while providing a strong voice for local initiatives at a national level.

For more information:

Robert Stirling
Architect, AAA, MRAIC
RAIC Alberta Chapter
403-283-7796
http://www.raicalberta.org

About the 2008 Executive Committee:

Robert Stirling (President) is an architect currently with the firm of GEC Architecture in Calgary. With 15 years of experience, he has led or been part of many multi-disciplinary teams and served clients from every sector through a broad range of building types. Robert believes that the impacts of architecture and the built environment cut across scales, across economic sectors, and across cultures. He further believes that nowhere could these impacts be more important, or as timely, yet more misunderstood or simply unrecognized than right now and right in our own back yard. He therefore looks forward to working with the incoming RAIC Alberta Chapter executive as they continue to provide strong, grassroots advocacy for architecture throughout the province.

Loraine Fowlow is Interim Dean and Associate Professor of Architecture in the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary, where she has been on faculty since 1995. With degrees in both civil engineering and architecture, her area of teaching is structures for architects, with an emphasis on the integration between structural and architectural design. Her primary research area is the (in)authentic environment, a subject upon which she has published numerous papers, as well as presented her work internationally. Publications include international academic journals, conference proceedings, Canadian Architect magazine, the Canadian Encyclopedia, and most recently, a book on contemporary winery design for John Wiley & Sons, London (Wine By Design, 2005). Loraine is also a Member of the Board of Governors of the Steel Structures Education Foundation, the educational arm of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, and runs their architecture program, including the national Architecture Student Design Competition.

Basel Abdulaal, born in Damascus, is an Intern Architect with Kasian Architecture Interior Design and Planning Ltd and has over 15 years of successful experience in architectural design, interior design and construction. Basel has participated and won awards in international architectural competitions. He is pursuing his Masters of Science in construction and management at the University of Alberta. Recently a research paper on Simulation of Modular Building Construction (co-author), has been accepted providing him with an opportunity to be a Presenter at the 2008 International Winter Simulation Conference and publication of the paper in the Proceedings. As a member with RAIC Alberta Chapter executive committee, Basel is committed to preserve and develop an architecture that is aesthetic, functional, and sustainable.

Peter Osborne is an Architect practicing in Edmonton with Stantec Architecture Ltd. He is a native of Alberta who is glad to be working and contributing to architecture in his home province. He has worked on projects around Alberta including, The Elephant Crossing at the Calgary Zoo, Enterprise Square and the Southgate Transit Centre. Peter is also a regular contributor to OnSite Review Magazine.

Erin Hafichuk is an intern architect with GEC Architecture. Prior to joining GEC in 2006, Erin worked with Group 2 Architecture Engineering Ltd. from 2000. She brings an extensive amount of planning and design experience in educational design, master planning, and sustainable design. Erin is currently involved in the design of the new Clinical Skills Building for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary, an innovative new facility seeking LEED Platinum certification. Erin has proven herself an accomplished designer, planner, and facilitator.

Ben Gardner is an Intern Architect with Brinsmead Ziola Kennedy Architecture in Edmonton, Alberta.  Mr. Gardner received his Architectural degree from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and has ten years of practical experience in Western Canada.  He has a passion for the built environment and enjoys participating in all aspects of the development process.  Mr. Gardner sees the role of the Architect gaining increasing importance in global and domestic economies as population demographics change from rural to urban models, and towards more sustainable forms.

Rounding out the new Executive Committee are Kevin Mullin, Sam Oboh (Past President) and Chad Oberg (Communications).

In the Photo: Robert Stirling, Kevin Mullin, Basel Abdulaal, Peter Osborne, Loraine Fowlow

(Editor’s Update: The following Call for Nominations pertains to the Alberta Chapter Executive, and is hopefully not to be confused with the National RAIC’s search for a Regional Director for Alberta-Northwest Territories. While the Regional Director and the Alberta Chapter Executive work closely together on a great number of initiatives, the national position is being sought through a separate nomination process from that described below.)

The RAIC Alberta Chapter Executive is composed of 7 voting representatives from five different regions of the province: Two (2) representatives from Calgary region, Two (2) representatives from Edmonton region, One (1) representative from Central Alberta, One (1) representative from Southern Alberta and One (1) from Northern Alberta.

Nominations are hereby invited to elect the Chapter’s regional representatives to fill the following vacancies:

Calgary Region - Two (2) Vacancies
Edmonton Region - Two (2) Vacancies
Central Alberta - One (1) vacancy
Northern Alberta - One (1) vacancy
Southern Alberta - One (1) vacancy

In line with the objectives laid out at the chapter’s inauguration in 2006, individuals are elected as the chapter’s regional representatives to represent, advocate and strengthen the architectural profession from grassroots level and to advance the general interest of the RAIC membership in Alberta.
Continue reading →

As a representative of the RAIC Alberta Chapter, Laura Plosz attended the AIA Grassroots 2008 Leadership and Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. The conference is an annual event held for the leaders of the various components within the AIA, designed to share skills and strategies for advocating for architecture at the local, state and federal levels. Over a thousand representatives from across the United States attended, as well as a few guests from the RAIC.

Continue reading →

This posting was forwarded to us via the Contact section of this website:

Herman Miller currently has an outstanding opportunity for a professional Healthcare Designer based in a home office preferably in Calgary, Edmonton or Toronto. This dedicated member of the Herman Miller for Healthcare direct team will be responsible for increasing sales by partnering with the sales teams, dealers, other members of the healthcare team, and our healthcare clients to address facility design needs including clinical, administrative, and public spaces within the healthcare environment. You will be responsible for creating solutions through programming with end-users, preliminary design and presentation, and final specification of computer-generated layouts creatively using Herman Miller for Healthcare system products. You will also coordinate project time frames, buyouts, and installation documents in a timely and professional manner. This position is home based with up to 40% travel for client meetings.

Continue reading →