MOBIUS LA 2009 CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

 

THURSDAY JUNE 25TH
_____________________________


9:15 AM - 12:30 PM
Stepping Thru Accessibility for New Public & Private Commercial Buildings per CBC & ADA
(3.0 HSW LU  – also offers certificates to fulfill SB 1608, the ADA mandatory continuing education requirement for license renewal with the California Architects Board)

  1. Janis Kent, AIA – Perkowitz + Ruth

An overview of accessibility items will be addressed on California public and private commercial projects from beginning to end on both ADA and CBC

Session Description: A review of new construction Accessibility issues for publicly and privately funded buildings in California. We will look at a broad view as one progresses from the street, thru the site, and to the buildings, touching on site amenities and their accessibility. We will review a combination of architectural details, plans, and photographs of existing conditions emphasizing new proposed ADA standards and their impact on the current CBC. Important points will be reviewed pertaining to items that can be easily implemented to comply with these upcoming standards providing everyone with a head start.

9:15 AM - 12:30 PM
BIM, The Law, and The Revolution In Project Delivery
(3.0 LU)

  1. Doug Childers, AIA - Morris Architects
  2. Roy Griffith - Gehry Technologies, Inc.
  3. David M. Seastrom - DPR Construction, Inc.
  4. Rob H. Shaffer Jr. - Zetlin & De Chiara LLP
  5. Christof Spieler, P.E. - Morris Architects
  6. Robert W. Vanech - Cadforce, Inc.

BIM promises to change the way we've been designing, documenting, and building projects for a century. Learn how contracts and software are enabling collaborative teams.

Session Description: Coming Soon!

= = = = 12:30 PM - 1:45 PM LUNCH BREAK = = = =

1:45 PM – 5:00 PM
Trouble Spots in the 2007 CBC: The Top Ten Code Issues Encountered During Drawing Reviews
(3.0 HSW LU)

  1. Nate Wittasek, P.E., LEED AP – ARUP

Provisions of the 2007 CBC that cause the most confusion to designers.
Session Description: An overview of requirements pertaining to areas of refuge, assembly egress strategies, elevator lobbies, exit discharge, exterior exit stairs, non-separated mixed use construction, open and enclosed interior exit stairs, mezzanines, occupant loading strategies, and roof access.

1:45 PM – 5:00 PM
How to Protect Yourself and Get Paid
(3.0 LU)

  1. John V. Hogan IV, Esq. - Collins Collins Muir + Stewart LLP
  2. Robert H. Stellwagen, Esq. - Collins Collins Muir + Stewart LLP

In today's economy, it is extremely important to negotiate a better contract that ultimately will assist you in increasing your chances of getting paid!

Session Description: In these tough economic times, the construction, architectural, engineering and land surveying industries have been greatly impacted.  Financing that was readily available several months ago is no longer available.  Simply put, the constriction of financial lending has made it harder to get paid. 

Lenders are being more scrupulous and selective in their lending, so projects are being put on hold, properties are being foreclosed, and owners and developers are going into bankruptcy.  These times are particularly difficult for design professionals whose livelihoods are intertwined with this industry, the landscape of which has so drastically changed.  Now more than ever, is the time for design professionals to ensure that they understand the new AIA contracts and negotiate more favorable terms in their contracts.

Participants will learn the current legal issues relating to the new AIA contracts, how to negotiate a better contract, how to protect their lien rights, and how to increase their chances of getting paid before, during, and after a project.

 top

FRIDAY JUNE 26TH
_______________________

9:15 AM – 10:45 AM
What Every Architect Needs To Know About IDM's, Mediation and Arbitration!
(1.5 LU)

  1. Michael R. Powell - American Arbitration Association
  2. Edward K. Takahashi, FAIA - Edward K. Takahashi Architectural Corporation
  3. Chester A. Widom, FAIA - WWCOT

There are risks in all projects. When it comes to dispute resolution, you need to know the risks of not choosing AAA arbitration in the AIA form contracts.

Session Description: The format will be an interactive presentation facilitated by a moderator.  The presentation will include a PowerPoint as well as relevant written materials. The moderator will pose probing questions to the faculty and audience.

The presentation will focus on the specific provisions of the 2007 AIA Contract Documents® dealing with alternative dispute resolution (ADR): IDM’s, Mediation and Arbitration.   The audience will learn how the various dispute avoidance and resolution techniques work and how to utilize them to effectively avoid and resolve disputes.

New! The 2007 AIA Contract Documents® require that all claims be referred to an IDM as a condition precedent to AAA mediation. Under the documents, parties may choose an IDM other than the project architect. The AAA IDM Procedures, introduced in January 2009, were developed to provide an IDM selection process to parties who want to choose an IDM other than the project architect.

The audience will receive best practice tips from a panel of leading architect/neutrals and leave with a clear understanding of how and why ADR works as well as strategies to select the ADR processes that will be most effective to resolve their design disputes and prevent or mitigate future ones.

9:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Preservation design IS sustainability: Sustaining historical and environmental integrity in historic districts
(1.5 HSW/SUSTAINABLE DESIGN LU)

  1. John H. Arnold, AIA - Killefer Flammang Architects
  2. Suzanne Lloyd-Simmons, IIDA – IIDA Associate
  3. George Taylor Louden, AIA – GTL | HA

Appropriate design in historic districts is necessarily compliant with the integrity of place and the environment. Rehabilitating buildings in historic districts is essentially sustainable design.

Session Description: Historic districts require an awareness of the integrity of place and the appropriateness of design in their particular environment. Rehabilitating buildings in historic districts is primarily an act of sustainable design. Performing this work in compliance with recognized review standards requires diligence and creativity. This session will stress the benefits of coordination with historical-cultural review standards and various sustainable design parameters.

Participants will learn the process of review in historical districts in Los Angeles and other localities, highlights of recent changes in ordinances and regulations, and the hierarchies of local, state, and federal review standards and guidelines. Coordination with City Planning departments, local Offices of Historical Resources, and locally landmarked properties will be discussed and outlined for successful project reviews.

Participants will learn the approaches of various sustainable design initiatives, and how rehabilitation complies with multiple benefits of a sustainably rated project. Recent updates of sustainable programs to better reflect the value of preservation in achieving sustainable goals will be reviewed.

This session will conclude with examples of projects that successfully blend sustainable design initiatives with historical designs, in compliance with review ordinances and guidelines. Sustainable and historical designs are a mutually supporting and collaborative goal.

9:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Parks Without Borders:  Public Park Design Across Agencies, Boundaries and Systems
(1.5 HSW LU)

  1. Claire Bowin, AICP, LEED AP – City Planner, City of LA
  2. Susan Cloke - Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commission
  3. Russ Guiney - Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation
  4. Melody Kanschat - Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
  5. Stephanie Reich, AIA - City of Glendale, Planning Department
  6. Deborah Richmond, AIA - Touraine Richmond Architects
  7. Ron Schafer - Angeles District California State Parks
  8. Woody Smeck – National Park Service

Parks Without Borders is a forum for the presentation and discussion of issues and case studies related to linking national, state and local parks.

Session Description: This seminar will continue a discussion that took place in San Francisco last December at the Designing the Parks conference. It focuses on our local situation, with the many layers of different park agencies and public spaces that co-exist in and around Los Angeles--their landscapes, facilities, paths, ecosystems and the like. Topics to cover will range from the visitor's experience and understanding of how national, state and local parks connect to one another to how ecosystems in different parks echo and support each other;  how agencies can leverage influence, legislation and funding in support of one another;  how as designers, we can make these connections both understandable and functional.

9:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Managing the LEED Documentation Process
(1.5 HSW/SUSTAINABLE DESIGN LU)

  1. Elizabeth Durney, LEED AP – KEMA Green
  2. Alexander Spilger – GreenStep Education

This workshop will give participants an understanding of the unique tools & systems involved with successfully managing the LEED documentation process.

Session Description: Successfully managing the LEED documentation process requires specific knowledge, tools and skills that are not covered in the LEED Reference Manual. This 1.5 hour workshop is a condensed version of the six-week LEED Project Management course that GreenStep teaches through UC Berkeley Extension. It is designed for professionals who are familiar with the prerequisites and credits outlined in the LEED Rating System, but who are looking to go beyond the basics to gain a deeper understanding of the unique processes involved with managing a LEED project.

Workshop participants will understand how to facilitate an eco-charrette, navigate LEED Online, troubleshoot potential setbacks and evaluate the cost to benefit ratio of various credits and design strategies. The workshop will also present the tools and systems involved with tracking the specific responsibilities of each team member.
The goal of this intensive workshop is to empower participants with the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to successfully manage the LEED documentation process from start to finish.

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Trouble In Building Paradise? An Overview of Avoidance and Alternatives In Handling It
(1.5 LU)

  1. Allison Kuharski, AIA – Screed Architecture
  2. Marlon Schulman, Esq.
  3. Larry Slade, Esq. – Slade & Associates

Achieving Success by Planning for Failure: Alternative ways to view and deal with the inevitable conflict(s) inherent in and arising during the building process.

Session Description: A presentation and conversation with Moderator and Panelists whose backgrounds include: Law, Mediation, Architecture, Project Management, Homeownership, & Construction.

By examining the potential pitfalls and dissecting the true role that planning and attitude have, attendees, whether they be homeowners, architects, contractors, builders, project mangers or “other”, will be encouraged to approach projects as an opportunity to Plan for Conflict and by doing so, be ultimately prepared in a positive, constructive manner to overcome adversity and the delays which are finally counterproductive to needs, desires and bottom lines. Common problems and the place of litigation and lawyers will be discussed. The rising and crucial role of Alternative Dispute Resolution will be defined and examined.

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Vertical Transportation (Elevator) Design and Technology
(1.5 HSW LU)

  1. Michelle S. Baratta – Lerch Bates, Inc.
  2. Mike Farris – Lerch Bates, Inc.

How does the correct application of elevator design affect your core especially at schematic design? How do you apply new technology and codes to building design?  This seminar will help generate discussion on these issues.

Session Description: Elevator Deign Guidelines; Lerch Bates will present a seminar on Elevator Design and Technology.  This seminar will provide general guidelines on how to set the core of the building and what parameters impact that core.  They will explore the differences in elevator application and how new technology impacts those applications.  The correct application is critical to having the appropriate and most effective application for each type of building.  New technologies will be reviewed with emphasis on the design of building components such as machine rooms, hoistway sizes and roof penetrations due to overhead clearances.  The flow of traffic in buildings as tenants/user groups enter and exit will also be discussed as this is affected by the new control systems.  Finally, new code regulations will be reviewed and analyzed.  These regulations have resulted in larger cores due to stretcher compliance, hoistway venting and pressurization, areas of refuge and standby power, etc.

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
The Space in Between - Designing the Public Street
(1.5 HSW/SUSTAINABLE DESIGN LU)

  1. Amber Hawkes - Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc.
  2. Martin Leitner, Assoc. AIA – Urban Studio
  3. Georgia Sheridan - Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc.

The Street as Living Room: in an era of extreme makeover shows, design magazines, and starchitecture, why is street design stuck in the past?  Learn new concepts for dynamic streets.

Session Description: While architecture and interior design have morphed over the years with changing art movements, politics, the availability of materials, etc., the design of public streets has remained fairly stagnant. Most American streets host the same style street lamps, benches, trashcans, and tree grates that first appeared in turn of the 19th century cities. Bike lanes, diagonal parking, and bioswales are the closest cities have come to "innovative" street design.

This presentation looks at the design of our public streets - the largest category of urban public space - as places to innovate, captivate, and create vibrant and sustainable cityscapes. By looking at streets as enclosed spaces - and positive spaces rather than negative voids - urban designers can apply the same principles of interior design and architecture to public streets, exploring color, texture, light, depth, and technology to enhance the experience of civic life.

This presentation will inform and inspire planners, architects, and designers to acknowledge the importance of "the space in between."  Participants will be presented with a toolkit of design principles and planning precedents that help conceptualize the public street as a vital civic space.  We will present flexible, dynamic design policies that recognize the importance of streets as spaces in themselves.

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Running a Design Focused Practice Like You Mean It
(1.5 LU)

  1. Michael Hricak, FAIA - Michael Hricak Architects

Getting Creative About Being a Creative Business.

Session Description: Conventional wisdom suggests that practitioners choose between having either a "business based practice" or a "practice based business". This seminar will demonstrate how to serve both the client's interests and maintain the architect's goals and values while keeping the practice in the black. Topics will include those areas traditionally troublesome for maintaining office profitability along with specific examples of tools and procedures that use design and communication skills to correct and avoid common practice problems.

Architects have been trained to consider the running of a business as a troublesome byproduct of having the freedom and opportunity their own practice allows. Plainly put, architects are so busy working IN the business that is providing architectural services that they seldom work ON the business, in this case a practice in which ordinary people can achieve extraordinary results.
This approach to practice grows out of the observation that architects are 100% leveraged in terms of success. For an architect to be successful (to satisfy the needs and goals of the client and the public) the architect relies on others to execute their ideas by following instructions. These instructions assume an ability on the part of the architect to lead a team of individuals, gather, coordinate and distribute information, and follow up by anticipating conflicts and misinterpretations. Without these core skills, the fruits of the architect‚s design skills will remain ideas rather than becoming realized.

top

= = = = 12:30 PM - 1:45 PM LUNCH BREAK = = = =

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
From Beginning to End
(1.5 LU)

  1. Jim Atkins, PE – Merlone Geier Partners
  2. Sarah Dusseault - Senior Policy Advisor to Eric Garcetti, City of LA
  3. Daniel Gehman, AIA, LEED AP – TCA (Thomas P. Cox: Architects)
  4. Gail Goldberg, AICP - Department of City Planning, City of LA
  5. Jan Perry - Councilwoman 9th District, City of LA
  6. Bill Witte - The Related Companies

What are the hurdles and lessons learned regarding the formation of effective partnerships between local government and private architects and developers?

Session Description: In today’s world, architects and developers are often challenged to “wait it out,” while their projects take years to come to fruition. The more complex the projects, the longer they take to bring to the finish line, and the more challenges there are along the way.  This is especially true with public/private partnerships within the urban environment. From land assemblage to the entitlement process, to project design, every step of the journey can be arduous and time consuming. For better or worse, the development of commercial and residential projects in urban areas is increasingly the result of collaborations with the public sector.  Public/private ventures have value.  There is a host of incentives at the federal, state and local level that developers can capitalize on when building some urban projects such as TOD and historic preservation/adaptive reuse.  But with every change that happens and as the marketplace tightens, we search for the positive purpose that propelled the original effort, and cling to it doggedly. What are the hurdles and lessons learned regarding the formation of effective partnerships between local government and private architects and developers?  This workshop will present how to gain public and political support needed for these types of collaborations.

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Below-Grade Waterproofing Fundamentals
(1.5 HSW LU)

  1. Thomas L. Bane, PE - Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (SGH)
  2. Kimberly A. Shaw – Grace Construction Products
  3. Judson A. Taylor, AIA - Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (SGH)

This presentation presents basic concepts of below-grade waterproofing, pros and cons of typical waterproofing systems and common pitfalls and strategies to mitigate leakage.

Session Description: Below-grade waterproofing is a rapidly evolving field with new materials and techniques reaching the market each year.  This presentation illustrates fundamental concepts of successful below-grade waterproofing, from starting and geotechnical analysis through drainage and waterproofing design, construction and, if required, remedial repairs.  The presentation includes several case studies that illustrate failures and how they could have been avoided.

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Architects and Transit In Los Angeles
(1.5 HSW/SUSTAINABLE DESIGN LU)

  1. Sam Lubell - The Architect's Newspaper
  2. Eric Owen Moss, FAIA – Eric Owen Moss Architects
  3. Jorge Pardo, AIA - Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
  4. Simon Pastucha - LA Department of City Planning Urban Design Studio
  5. Geoff Wardle - Art Center College of Design
  6. Peter Zellner, Assoc. AIA – SCI-Arc

How architects can help reinvent Los Angeles's transit system.

Session Description: Participants in the session will discuss new ideas for  LA's transit environment, many of them from The Architect’s Newspaper and SCI-Arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture) competition, A New Infrastructure: New Transit Solutions for Los Angeles.

The competition encouraged entrants to develop solutions that dramatically rethink the relationship between transit systems, public space and urban redevelopment. Competitors were encouraged to work within the parameters of LA County Ballot Measure R, focusing both on specific rail extension projects and on larger-scale, inter-related transit planning challenges.

Ideas range from design of transit vehicles, stations, transit oriented development, parks, and entire neighborhoods. New plans don't just incorporate new approaches to design, comfort, and sustainability, but they also rethink the connections between infrastructure and the rest of the built environment.

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Playing By the Rules Wins Second Place
(1.5 LU)

  1. Thomas F. Bulatewicz, RA – Rainmaking Group

Stretching the normal limits of competition to win your next client!

Session Description: Numerous true-to-life, outside the box, marketing case studies will be objectively presented and the audience will vote on whether the circumstance is a brilliant marketing strategy or an unprofessional breach of marketing ethics. In addition, you may simply consider it a common practice. Those Firms that have tested the limits of standard competitive practice have won many of the highest profile projects.

The audience will decide for themselves if they are eager to follow a similar path to their next project. The voting will take place at the conclusion of each case study and the tabulation will occur before the session ends. During the tabulation period, the „Go ˆ No Go Strategy‰ evaluation process will be discussed with examples of the criterion used by the marketing savvy firms. The voting results of the case studies will be the closing of the session allowing each person to know where they stood against their peers on the issues.

Architects have a code of conduct to use as a guide in routine practice. The program will focus on the questionable tactics used in marketing and new business development by some of the Design Giants. Securing new clients is difficult enough without the added difficulty of competing against firms that make up their own rules as they go along.

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Designstorm®: Taking Corporate America by Surprise
(1.5 LU)

  1. Rob Ball – Art Center Faculty
  2. Karen Hofmann - Art Center Director of the Color, Materials and Trends Exploration Laboratory
  3. Sherry Hoffman - (M)Arch. branded architectures
  4. Grant Poznick – Art Center Student
  5. TBD - Corporate America Client

Designstorm® is a collaborative creative process that engages all participants; students, faculty and corporate partners, through brainstorming and rapid visualization techniques, to explore opportunities and develop innovative solutions for brands and manufacturers.

Session Description: Designstorm® is a fast-paced, immersive project format created by faculty at Art Center College of Design to engage with corporate partners in new ways. Designstorm® participants consist of members from the corporate partner, and Art Center faculty and students from multiple disciplines such as advertising, product, graphic and environmental design. Students are encouraged to generate innovative design solutions for global brands.

On day one, students, faculty and sponsor participants share their insights and knowledge of trends, drivers and enabling technologies for their industry in order to identify needs and discover opportunities for the brand to enter the global market in new ways.  After the group is divided into multi-disciplinary teams, a series of ideation and critique sessions take place on day two with an emphasis on creating future scenarios and innovative design experiences.  Day three is spent refining promising concepts and delivering final visual narratives to the sponsor.

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
The Current State of Water and Power in Southern California
(1.5 HSW/SUSTAINABLE DESIGN LU)

  1. Stuart Magruder, AIA, LEED AP - Studio Nova A Architects, Inc.
  2. Paul Poirier, AIA, LEED AP - Poirier + David Architects

Hear two perspectives on the current state of water and power issues in Southern California, focused in particular on how they relate to sustainability in architecture.

Session Description: How will Southern California manage its growth in the next twenty years as it sees an expanded demand for resources and a diminished supply of those very resources?  
 
While the limits of sprawl may have been reached, Southern California will continue to grow to some 23 million people by 2030.  With this increased population demand for power and water will increase.  New sources of power will need to comply with ever stricter carbon emissions requirements and overcome land use issues. New sources of water do not exist and existing supplies are diminishing as we into an extended drought.
 
This presentation will look at ways that solar power and water conservation create a sustainable future.  Several major Southern California utilities are embarking on massive solar projects in the region.  How will these efforts affect the built environment?  How can designers incorporate solar in meaningful ways?  Water rationing, already a fact of life in several Sothern California municipalities, is bound to become widespread.  How can the connection between water use and power use be turned to our region’s advantage?  What strategies help use and re-use water to the region’s advantage?
 
Hear from two Southern California architects on strategies to improve the demand and supply side of the water and power equation.

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Creating The “THERE” There: New Places, Public Spaces And Mobility Choices for Downtown LA
(1.5 LU)

  1. Jessica Wethington McLean – Executive Director, Bringing Back Broadway
  2. Melani V. Smith, Assoc. AIA - Meléndrez
  3. Shiraz D. Tangri – Alston + Bird LLP
  4. Ted Tanner, AIA – AEG Real Estate Development
  5. Martha Welborne, FAIA – The Grand Avenue Committee

An examination of Downtown projects creating a new sense of place in the urban core, including the Streetcar, LA Live!, Bringing Back Broadway and the Grand Avenue Civic Park.

Session Description: As Downtown Los Angeles undergoes a phenomenal revitalization, new residents, employees and visitors are demanding new public facilities.  New parks, transportation options and other public spaces are increasingly in demand.  With public resources ever more limited, the City has turned to the private sector for assistance in creating and developing new public facilities.  This panel discussion will use case studies to examine how civic leaders, architects, developers, planners and designers are helping re-define Downtown’s public domain.  Each of the discussion projects - the Downtown Streetcar, LA Live!, the Bringing Back Broadway initiative, and the Grand Avenue Civic Park - presents different challenges and opportunities for transforming unique Downtown neighborhoods. 

Topics of discussion will include: 
(1) How can improvements to the public realm contribute to shaping a sense of place, as well as facilitate economic development initiatives?
(2) What can Los Angeles learn from similar efforts implemented in other cities? 
(3) How can the private sector tap into public resources to get projects designed and built? 
(4) How can developers and their architects enhance their private developments by focusing on the public domain?

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Bioteaming; Using Lessons from Nature in Developing Virtual Distributed Teams
(1.5 LU)

  1. Cliff S. Moser, AIA, MSQA, LEED AP – Cadforce, Inc.
  2. Robert W. Vanech – Cadforce, Inc.

How to create the next generation of high performing teams: Bioteam.

Session Description: Bioteaming is the evolution of the High Performing Team. This session will outline how to create a Bioteam by using a case study of the development of a global BIM modeling team.

top

SATURDAY JUNE 27TH
_______________________

9:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Morality and Architecture
(1.5 LU)

  1. Alejandra Lillo, Assoc. AIA - Graft
  2. Li Wen, AIA - Gensler

The changing conditions in terms of economy and politics require architects to rethink the aspects of morality in architecture.

Session Description: David Watkin states in his book „Morality and Architecture” that „There is also an evolutionary assumption that in each epoch a new economic structure or a new Zeitgeist is 'struggling to be born'. It thus becomes the obligation of creative spirits, be they poets, architects, or whatever, to 'express' that new nascent spirit. To express an antiquated Zeitgeist is to be condemned as a poor artist or architect.”

As we are about to enter a new era in terms of economy and politics the question arises, how architects can express this new spirit of the time. This question of morality in architecture of course can not only be answered in a purely formal way, but has to be examined in a more complex and holistic approach. What are our responsibilities towards society in terms of ecological approaches, new programmatic strategies and the concept of globalization? Is it desirable to practice within the framework of the global capitalist market, or will we have to shift our focus to more regional aspects and social, economic and ecological conditions?

9:15 AM – 10:45 AM
The Owner-Architect Agreement: Nuts & Bolts - Magic Words & Phrases - Insurance
(1.5 LU)

  1. Mehrdad Farivar, FAIA, Esq. - Morris Polich & Purdy LLP
  2. Sherall Gradias - Dealey Renton & Associates
  3. Christopher J. Menjou, Esq. - Morris Polich & Purdy LLP

This presentation is designed to educate the practicing architect about approaching, negotiating, reviewing and closing a deal, using a written contract.

Session Description: In good times and bad, the Owner-Architect Agreement remains the most basic risk management tool at the architect‚s disposal. This presentation is designed to educate the practicing architect about approaching, negotiating, reviewing and closing a deal, using a written contract.

The presentation focuses on three areas:

1) Nuts & Bolts: Contract basics; Types of Owner-Architect Agreements; Form versus custom contracts; Task order contracts; Formatting; Specifics versus standard conditions; Attachments and Exhibits to contracts; Integrated project delivery.

2) Magic Words & Phrases - Certain words and phrases frequently seen in contracts have magic powers. They can protect, or they can hurt. We will describe the legal significance of these key words and phrases to the practitioner in a simple and clear way. Words and phrases to be discussed will include: Assignment; Attorney fees; Copyrights and patents; Indemnification; Limitation of Liability; Liens; Releases; Waivers; Mediation; Termination; Arbitration; Subrogation and others.

3) Insurance Issues: Types of insurance frequently required by owners: professional liability, general liability, workers compensation, and automobile; Additional Insured; Sub Consultants‚ Insurance; Project Insurance.

9:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Basic Hand-Drawing Techniques for Architects and Interior Designers
(1.5 LU)

  1. Scott Johnson, CID, IALD, LEED AP – Wolcott Architecture | Interiors

Color hand-sketch secrets revealed: What was old is new again.

Session Description: Fluency in the visual language of drawing is necessary in communicating design. Here you will learn some basic color hand-drawing techniques you can use for presentations, and some unique tips on how to leverage your photography and basic computer software to create hand sketches that look as though made entirely from scratch. Easily understood step-by-step images will show drawing techniques and media used, all of which are commonly utilized tools of architects and designers. We will touch on the use of the 3D modeling program, SketchUp, to show ways to both import and export hand sketches. The emphasis is on speed and cost-effectiveness to obtain a presentation-worthy color drawing that doesn’t look like CAD. The seminar will also include quiz questions relating to commonly asked questions about commercial interiors.

9:15 AM – 10:45 AM
The Architecture of the Aftercity
(1.5 LU)

  1. Tom Marble, AIA – Marble Architecture

Moving past the standard discourse on urbanism to address the question: Beyond or between public and private sector forces, is there a third way to make cities?

Session Description: This session draws from topics introduced in my recent pamphlet, “After the city, this (is how we live)” published by the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design.  Using a series of photographic comparisons it will show how historical making of cities differs from the more market driven “masterplanned community” model that has emerged in the last quarter century. The comparisons will attempt to illustrate the differences at the various phases of development as well as explore how each strata of society is impacted by the two approaches. Rather than burden the audience with overarching theories privileging one form of city-making over another, the photographs hope to show both in all their rawness, encouraging a sober look at the reality and derailing an easy retreat to any participant‚s preconceived ideas of the ways cities work.   The session will be opened up to the audience: opinions will be solicited, viewpoints aired; my aspiration is that, in the end, the session will reveal what has succeeded in each approach, what has failed, and where urban design might be headed in our new economy.


11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Think Small:  Reconsidering the Size Matter
(1.5 HSW/SUSTAINABLE DESIGN LU)

  1. Ric. Abramson, AIA - Workplays studio*architecture
  2. Jane Blumenfeld - City of Los Angeles, Planning Department
  3. Liz Falletta - Falletta Development
  4. Mott Smith - Civic Enterprise Associates, LLC
  5. Todd Wexman - Auburn Home, LLC

"Think Small - Reconsidering the Size Matter" shows that bigger is no longer automatically better when it comes to new options for single-family, detached homes.

Session Description: Increasing costs of land and construction have limited home ownership options in Los Angeles yet an emerging demographic in the domestic market is buyers who want to own their own homes, but for whom large yards and the required upkeep and expense are not desirable.  This session investigates new opportunities in the detached single-family home market made possible by the LA City Council’s passage of “The Small Lot Subdivision/Detached Townhome Ordinance.”

Speakers will address a new model for urban living - the "Small Lot" concept - geared toward smart growth and sustainable building practice for single or extended families. The “Small Lot” example responds to the need for greater density in Los Angeles, while expanding the base of buyers able to afford their own homes. Participants will learn how a single larger parcel in a multi-family zone can now be legally subdivided into smaller lots of at least 600 square feet.  One fully detached, single-family home with an independent foundation can be built on each of these lots. 

Eliminating the disadvantages of condominiums, the “Small Lot” concept offers new single-family living options and finds virtues in the current trends toward downsizing and simplifying our lifestyles.

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Brand Experience: The Benefits of Integrated Design
(1.5 LU)

  1. Becky Ebenkamp – Brandweek
  2. Grant C. Kirkpatrick, AIA - KAA Design Group
  3. Qingyun Ma – Dean, USC School of Architecture
  4. Krishnan Menon - Phenomenon
  5. Melanie Robinson, RAIC, AIGA – KAA Design Group


Thought-leaders in branding, architecture and design discuss the importance of artistic collaboration and the use of innovative materials in creating superior marketing collateral.

Session Description: For Melanie Robinson, Principal and Director of KAA Design Group’s Brand Experience Studio, the most exciting work in design happens at the intersection of two or more disciplines; where knowledge from one finds relevance in another.

Integrated Design is a collaborative design methodology emphasizing the integration of knowledge and expertise in the development of a complete experience. The integrated design process requires multidisciplinary collaboration with key stakeholders and design professionals, who are committed to inquiry and advocacy, from conception to completion. Decision-making protocols, complementary design principles, and a unified vision support the opportunity to dream without boundaries, then apply a reality check to determine what’s achievable in today’s terms and provide a road map to the future.

Attendees will learn how to collaborate as a group of creative thinkers with multiple design expertise from vision to execution. Through a live exercise, panelists will demonstrate the creative chemical reaction that results from a shared mentality shift and the application of the integrated design methodology.

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Sustainable Architectural Expression: Solar Design for the 21st Century
(1.5 HSW/SUSTAINABLE DESIGN LU)

  1. Jesse Bornstein, AIA - Jesse Bornstein Architecture
  2. Noah Golden – Golden Energy

Explore cutting edge architectural design that  integrates solar systems and exploits their esthetic, multifunctional and cost effective potential.

Session Description: While the green aspects of Obama’s stimulus package may engender hope, while Schwarzenegger’s goal of one million solar arrays on the rooftops of California is laudable, while the institution of incentive programs for solar installations is much needed, solar need not be left solely to unseen or unattractive adaptive reuse rooftop applications. What about the aesthetic potential of green design? This seminar is a call to arms for architects to take the lead and inspire us all with celebratory, expressive green design. 

In this seminar, participants will explore how the latest green technologies can be fully integrated aesthetically, functionally and sometimes provocatively, into modern architectural design.

Local and International Overview: The seminar will start out with a visual overview of good, bad, ugly and beautiful examples of solar and other mechanical systems in our local built environment.  This PowerPoint presentation will extend its scope to include some magnificent solar-based architecture from abroad.

Multi-functioning, Economically Viable, State-of-the-Art Technologies: After this visual overview of our local landscape and of the latest and greatest green architecture from around the world, participants will be provided with a bullet point run through of:
1. The multiple functions that solar arrays can provide depending on their orientation and placement on a given building site,
2. The near and long term economic benefits of solar including internal rate of return and life-cycle costing
3. The state-of-the-art green technologies currently, or soon to be, available.

Case Studies: We will then narrow our focus on a handful of case studies, including such local projects as Pugh+Scarpa’s Solar Umbrella House and/or Colorado Court, Moore Ruble Yudell’s Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Garage and Jesse Bornstein Architecture’s GreenOn19 Sustainable Townhomes as well as a project or two from overseas. 

Design Exercise: To wrap up the seminar, participants will be provided with a generalized hypothetical project to design.  Participants will be organized into design teams (optimally with at least one architect, developer and solar specialist per team).  Each group will be provided with a Site Plan, Program Requirements, 3D building envelope, urban context, solar orientation and specific energy requirements and associated number of PV modules.  Time allowing, each team will be given approximately three minutes to present their project to the rest of the seminar participants.

top

= = = = 12:30 PM - 1:45 PM LUNCH BREAK = = = =

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Marrying Art & Architecture: How the Perception of Place is Benefited by Site-Specific Art
(1.5 LU)

  1. Frederick Fisher, FAAR - Frederick Fisher and Partners Architects
  2. Merry Norris, Hon. AIA/LA - Merry Norris Contemporary Art
  3. Marc Pally - Artist and Public Art Consultant
  4. Ed Suman - Carlson & Company
  5. Elyn Zimmerman - Artist

This panel discussion will explore the cost, process and benefit of artist collaboration on new architectural projects.

Session Description: Victoria Newhouse observes in her book, Art and the Power of Placement, the place which art is displayed affects the perception of that art.  So too art can enrich architecture and urbanism.  Institutions realize how art supports a creative ethos.  This suggests that greater emphasis should be given in the incorporation of site-specific art, but it also invites an opportunity for artistic synthesis in the design process.  The process of truly integrating art, instead of just hanging it on a wall or plopping it on a plaza, is complicated and challenging for all the parties: architect, artist, contractor and client. The process requires all the parties to adjust their normal working process while becoming collaborators.
This panel of architects, artists, art consultants, and art critics will discuss how to manage this collaboration from a perspective of cost, process and benefit, so as to create unique artwork and architecture that cannot be achieved otherwise.

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Integrating Design and Technology: Performance as Paradigm
(1.5 LU)

  1. Frances Anderton - KCRW
  2. Alice Kimm, AIA - John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects
  3. Tom Reiner - Buro Happold
  4. Roland Wahlroos-Ritter - wroad

We will highlight case studies of architectural projects that embody a high level of collaboration between architects and engineers, utilizing a wide range of contemporary digital design and fabrication methodologies.

Session Description: New digital design and fabrication technologies are making it possible to produce architecture that is highly integrated with respect to concept, form, performance, and fabrication.  Collaboration between engineers and architects is becoming seamless, and cross-fertilization between design and other industries is moving towards becoming the norm. Participants will learn about the design processes that have informed some successful case studies, and how they might be applied to other projects.

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Using Web 3.0 Technologies to Promote your Practice
(1.5 LU)

  1. Alex Oliver - Igloo Studios
  2. Michael Tadros – Igloo Studios

Have you Googled yourself lately? Learn how to maximize your online presence by leveraging free, interactive web-based technologies.

Session Description: Learn to use Web 3.0 Technologies to promote your practice. Use free or low cost CAD Software (I.e. Google SketchUp), Online Mapping Technologies (Google Maps), Online Videos (YouTube), Pictures (Picasa), Blogs (Wordpress), and Viral Networking sites (LinkedIn) that support/leverage a digital design practice. Reference case studies of Mike McDonald Construction, Blue Marble Project, Sustainable Industries Magazine that illustrate methods to create and share online media for marketing and promotions.

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Can Green Roofs Bloom In The Desert?
(1.5 HSW/SUSTAINABLE DESIGN LU)

  1. Ohaji Abdallah - City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering
  2. John Chase, Assoc. AIA - City of West Hollywood
  3. Coomy Kadribegovic - Davis Langdon
  4. Paul Kephart – Rana Creek
  5. Katie Spitz, AIA, ASLA, LEED AP - Katherine Spitz Associates, Inc.

Join us for a provocative panel discussion about the realities, opportunities and challenges facing green roof projects in Los Angeles.

Session Description: Green roofs promise multiple benefits for greening our cities: sustainable management of stormwater runoff and heat gain, aesthetic value, even biodiversity and habitat. In arid areas like Los Angeles, questions remain about the effectiveness and suitability of green roofs.  Join us for a provocative panel discussion about the realities, opportunities and challenges facing green roof projects in Los Angeles.

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Whose Art is it Anyways?
(1.5 LU)

  1. Michael B. Lehrer, FAIA - Lehrer Architects LA
  2. Rebeca Mendez - Rebeca Mendez Design
  3. Merry Norris, Hon. AIA/LA - Merry Norris Contemporary Art
  4. Michael Palladino, FAIA - Richard Meier & Partners Architects, LLP
  5. Laura Zucker - Los Angeles County Arts Commission

What are the challenges and opportunities of adding meaning, delight and economy when artists and architects collaborate?

Session Description: Addressing the poetics, possibilities, turf issues and logistics of incorporating/synthesizing art and architecture, this panel will look at four case studies: the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder / County Clerk Elections Operations Center, the University of Cincinnati Student Recreation Center, the Andaz West Hollywood, and the Getty Center as examples of the harmonious integration of art and architecture. Each panelist will offer a distinct perspective on the benefits and challenges of merging and architecture. How does art and design give palpable expression to the meaning of an enterprise/institution? Who gets credit for what? Who pays? Who chooses? And how are the client, the users and the public most fully and meaningfully engaged?

 

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences, JW Marriott at LA Live and Convention Center at LA Live: Design, Engineering and Construction of a 55 storey Condominium-Hotel
(1.5 LU)

  1. John Adams, AIA – Gensler
  2. Kap Malik, AIA – Gensler
  3. Christian Robert, LEED AP – Gensler
  4. Warwick Wicksman, AIA – Gensler
  5. Ryan Wilkerson, S.E. - Nabih Youssef Associates | Structural Engineers

A Hotel/Condo tower, an innovative structure, a parametric BIM model and other innovations allow the design team to create a solution beyond the standard high-rise hotel typologies.

Session Description: Condo-Hotels are emerging as a new financial model. They are mitigating initial investment risk by integrating the cash-flow of the hotel into the financial performance model.

To give the audience insights into to a local high-rise example for this building type, the architects and engineers will lead through the design and construction process and highlight key innovations. A separate hard had tour in addition to the lecture will augment the lecture.

The LACCH integrates two distinct hotel types with condominiums. Participants will understand the challenges in organizing separate service, circulation and B.O.H. systems and how the design integrated fairly rigid hotel modules with more a flexible condo layout into a large concept.

The lecturer will illustrate a performance based design process of the innovative ‘Steel-shear-plate’ system and the early selection process and compare to other options.

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Psycho-Decorating 101, or how to work with an interior designer to create a seamless project which represents the client’s desires and create a home with character
(1.5 LU)

  1. Melinda Ritz - Interior Designer & Set Decorator, 7-time Emmy nominee and 3-time Emmy winner for Excellence in Art Direction on Will & Grace

Welcome to Psycho Decorating. "Psycho" is short for the psychology that is involved in interpreting the needs of the client to maximize their desires and preferences while developing a property to reflect an individual sense of style.

Session Description: Melinda Ritz is a 3 time Emmy winning set decorator and residential property designer and  developer through her namesake design firm Melinda Ritz Interiors. Through her work in creating characters for film and t.v., Melinda translates her expertise to creating highly personalized  environments that reflects the clients character and life preferences. This is a highly evolved process that takes property development and design to a higher level of personalization and and expression of how the client likes to live.

Melinda believes that this process starts very early in the design process with the architect and designer working in union with the client to fully develop and consider every aspect of project development to better represent the needs of the client. Melinda Ritz also uses the technique of "Psycho Decorating" created in 1979 as a format by which designers and architects can better interpret the needs of their clients. Melinda will produce a visual presentation using photos from her work on "Will & Grace" as well as some of her design projects, and including items culled from other resources to explain the process. it will be very fast moving.

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Deconstruction Uncovered
(1.5 HSW/SUSTAINABLE DESIGN LU)

  1. Mehrdad Dabbagh, LEED AP - Level
  2. Kris D. Kimble, Affiliate AIA/LA – the green hive
  3. David McKechnie – Habitat for Humanity
  4. Vince Sabotin, LEED AP – Waste Management (WM)

ZERO waste goals are not pie in the sky.  Hear from the team that put the plan in place and delivered on the promise.

Session Description: It takes several parties to achieve the maximum waste re-use, recycle or diversion from a project.  We will address a real world project with the challenges and success that have come along with it.  Architects, contractors and owners will learn how to plan and execute their own deconstruction ZERO waste goals.

top