Show Notes

Site News

Cooool MOW makes a debut on the show this week.  We discuss flash mobs, Italy, falling ceilings, and more.  The show this week may be a little shorter but we’ve packed in lots of architecture goodness for your listening pleasure!

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Show Notes

Site News

• New Facebook Fans
  • Jason Silva
  • Gray Dougherty
• All the album art for past shows has been added to our FaceBook page
  • http://www.facebook.com/sloarch

Cal Poly News

• Professor Monica Rossi to join the Architecture Department
  • http://arch.calpoly.edu/people/rossi.html
  • Prof. Monica Rossi will be joining the Architecture Department for the Spring 2011 quarter. Monica currently teaches at the Eduoardo Vittoria School of Architecture and Design, University of Camerino, Ascoli Piceno, Italy, and will be assisting the Department in the second year design sequence, ARCH 253.
• Flash Mob @ Farmers Market in SLO
  • Thursday, March 10 · 7:00pm
  • http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=201804866499601&index=1
  • Two rehearsals, Feb 26th, March 5th
  • Dance to Michael Franti’s “Say Hey” ending with marriage proposal

Discussion Point – from Nick Williams

• to architects/builders/designers…your opinion on this one: why do arch/design competitions expect you to pay a hefty registration fee to submit a proposal?? they want us to 1) take a substantial amount of unpaid time to conceptually design a project to have a chance of winning the comp & 2) want us to pay a fee to do so? so they want our IDEAS and they want US to pay THEM?? dont make no cents…

COOOOL MOW (material of the week)

• Pneumocell
• neumocell is an assembly kit of inflatable building elements inspired by biological cell structures. The pieces can be connected, by nylon zippers, in myriad configurations to create a full self-supporting structure. Each cell is made out of flame-retardant thermoplastic polyurethane foil. Cells are airtight, protect against solar radiation, and do not require constant inflation.
• This reminds me of Bucky’s geo. dome
• http://pneumocell.com: Worlds worst website!
• http://www.architectmagazine.com/building-materials/pneumocell-assembly-kit.aspx

General News

• Autodesk Introduces New iPad App to Make Engineering Fun for Teens Autodesk
  • TinkerBox Now Available on the App Store
  • http://bimboom.blogspot.com/2011/02/autodesk-introduces-new-ipad-app-to.html
• UC Santa Barbara:  Bren’s Collapse Points to Construction Faults
  • http://www.dailynexus.com/2011-02-15/brens-collapse-points-construction-faults/
  • “On Oct. 30 of last year, a 4,000-pound concrete segment of the building’s ceiling — measuring 20 by 25 feet across — collapsed in the exterior lobby area. An analysis of the accident ultimately revealed that several of the building’s structural wires were not taut and that suspension anchors were installed incorrectly in the ceiling prior to the building’s opening in 2002”
  • Full report can be found here:
  • http://facilities.ucsb.edu/_client/pdf/dcs/bren/ESH-2-7-11-Bren-Report.pdf
  • http://facilities.ucsb.edu/departments/dcs/default.asp
• Elizabeth Wilbraham, the first lady of architecture
  • http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/architecture/elizabeth-wilbraham-the-first-lady-of-architecture-2215936.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbraham_Baronets
• Why Duany is wrong
  • http://www.newgeography.com/content/002046-why-duany-wrong-about-importance-public-participation
  • New Urbanist Andrés Duany’s remarks in January’s ARCHITECT magazine about how public participation prevents great work are stirring debate. Della Rucker writes that mall architect Victor Gruen was “the Andres Duany of his day”—and his ideas for malling downtowns ruined a good many of them across the country. His “ideal solutions” were implemented without attention to local input. “If the people who live around a proposed development oppose a development, chances are those people know something that is important to the health of their neighborhood and the larger community,” Rucker writes. “If we think that we know more than to have to listen to them, then we are no better than little Napoleons in big capes, creating monuments to our hubris that our children and grandchildren will have to clean up.”
• Feb. 22 – Free CDT Certificate Information Webinar!
  • https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/716371929
  • Still debating taking the Construction Documents Technologist (CDT) certificate exam?
  • Participate in a FREE webinar on the CDT Certificate
  • Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 3pm ET.
  • The CDT 101 webinar is an opportunity to learn about the benefits of CSI’s Construction Documents Technologist certificate. The webinar will cover the requirements and resources needed for successful exam preparation and study.
  • http://www.csinet.org/cdt

Wind power is disturbing the peace but there may be hope for White House solar power, Uncle Frank’s masterpiece is desecrated, buildings remain empty, and Autodesk is getting way to friendly with Apple.

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Show Notes

Site News

Cal Poly News

General News

Justin Ribble, LEED AP, Associate AIA, B’Arch ’03 joins us for a conversation about a number of great three letter acronyms:  CAB, CSE, IDP, AIA, ARE, ACE, and BIM.

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Show Notes

Site News

• New Facebook Fans
  • Monica Shahrokhfar
  • Greg Wynn

• Tim’s big adventure with the CAB
  • A Big thank you to Elise Drakes and Mark Drwyer
  • What are the CAB offices like?
    • Shout out to Erin, receptionist at the CAB
    • Number of employees in the CAB office
  • Why do commissioners volunteer to give the oral exam?
    • They care about the profession
    • Free Food!
  • Shout out to Lily Dong!
  • What about loosing the oral component of the test?
    • Can IDP add it?
  • Pass rate of the California Supplemental Exam (CSE)
    • Haley has some numbers!
      • 2006-2007 –  1,082 candidates – pass rate = 47%
      • 2007-2008 – 901 candidates – pass rate = 50%
      • 2008-2009 – 1,043 candidates – pass rate = 48%
      • 2009-2010 – 838 candidates – pass rate = 51%
    • Tim thinks the pass rate is fair given his understanding of the process
  • Are Californian architects better than other architects from other states?

General News

• THE SIX-MONTH RULE
  • By the time you’re probably listening to this, it’s probably in effect, so get informed and get to logging those IDP hours!!
  • Due to system performance under severe volume pressure the reporting deadline for the Six-Month Rule has been extended to Friday, July 2, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The e-EVR is operating at full capacity. Please be patient as you may encounter lengthy response times. It is strongly recommended that you continue to be diligent in your efforts to access the e-EVR during off-business hours.
  • http://ncarb.org/

Rapid Fire Questions:

• Cal Poly or Berkeley? Cal Poly
• Autocad or Revit? urgh… Revit
• Parallel bar or T-Square? T-square
• Facebook or LinkedIn? Facebook
• Arch Record, Arch Digest, or Architect? Record
• Drafting dots or tape? tape
• Yellow trace or white? yellow… only communists use white
• Ad Markers or Prisma? Ad
• Pen or Pencil? pen, all the way
• Mac or PC? both… Mac for home, PC for work
• What’s the Meaning of Life? FUN (to enjoy the time that you have while you’re still here)

SCORE: 746

Interview

• Who are you?
  • From Oregon, decided to see the world and rather than go to Univeristy of Oregon he decided to go to Cal Poly.
  • San Luis Obispo was actually like his hometown, so the adjustment was good.
  • He finished in 6 years, and is glad that he took the time to enjoy his senior year rather than hurrying up to finish and get out.
  • He was able to work in a few offices before he , so when he needed to find a “real job in the real world” he was able to apply those past experiences.
• He has felt disconnected in the years since graduation?
  • When he found sloarch.com, after searching for a Revit question, he was happy to have a place to feel more connected.
  • He’s only a few hours away from SLO and feels that he should get back and get involved.
  • It’s interesting since it is a larger program and students move all over the place after graduation, so having a chance to reconnect and get back into the network being created is a really good thing.
• He’s worked with a lot of Cal Poly grads.
• He spent his 4th year in the east coast program:
  • While here in CA, you can almost always find a Cal Poly grad in a firm, on the east coast it was “Cal Poly what?”
  • Living outside of D.C. and Alexandria makes you feel the political pressure in the area, so there is more competition and rivalry in all aspects of life let alone the program you come from.
  • It was a great experience, he was able to step outside and feel a part of programs outside Cal Poly, which was a great experience since it gave him persepctive.
  • The diversity of professors at the program, where they came from and their specialties was great.
  • It was nice to see how other schools teach design.
• Why stay in CA after graduation?
  • Looking back he wanted to get back east, it’s a great place to live but it’s hard to afford it.
  • Sacramento was a good market and affordable.
  • While there are parts of Oregon that he misses he feels that he has experienced all he could for the time being there, so he’s happy in Sacramento for the time being.
  • Oregon is to California as Sacramento is to San Francisco, to put it in perspective.
• Working towards licensure?
  • Doesn’t have to complete IDP, so he’s happy about that.
  • Took his first exam about a year or so ago, then work got really busy and it was hard to come home after a long day and study, so recently he’s getting back into studying, taking ARE study classes at the local AIA Chapter.
  • The goal is to take 4 exams between now and September.
  • The firm he works at currently is really supportive about professional development. Use this time to do what you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t have time, to become better.
• ACE Mentoring, how is he involved?
  • It’s one of those things that he always wanted to do, mentoring high school students about what the profession is and what a career in the building industry is really like.
  • Pay it forward a bit.
  • He’s learned a lot about how others view our field, their perception of “architects” and what they do.
  • Exposing students to the multidisciplinary aspect of our profession as well as the professional and office conduct that you need to know to be a professional.
• Strong feelings about Autodesk??
  • His office recognizes that Revit is the direction to go, so they’re in the process of transitioning everyone to Revit one by one and they’re currently working on their first Revit project.
  • After going to an outside training session there was a need to develop their own way to use Revit based on the type of high end design and modern work his firm does.
  • His biggest gripe is the license process and releases, having to re-up every year isn’t sustainable or do-able, especially right now with the economy.
  • He’s slowly prying himself away from Sketchup and CAD.
  • He recognizes how powerful Revit is and how you can make it do what you want it to do… as long as you keep up your subscription.
  • Transistion is always slow and has it’s hang ups and resistance.
  • Revit is changing the role of the “CAD drafter”.
  • On the flip side, students now are learning Revit, and by the time they become employees think of the change the profession will have seen.

Alexander Tsai, Cal Poly class of  ’98, Associate AIA, Regional Associate Director for AIA California Council and good friend of Haley gives Tim a lesson on the importance of The American Institute of Architects and joins in a great conversation.

Don’t forget to tell your friends about us, join our Facebook Group, leave reviews on iTunes, vote for us on Podcast Alley, and follow us on Twitter!

Show Notes

Site News

• 6 new fans on Facebook
• Email from Somer

Cal Poly News

• 2009-10 Hearst Lecture Series – Spring 2010 Integrated Practices.
  • “Under the directorship of Prof. Mark Cabrinha, the College has been fortunate to draw to campus a number of distinguished guest speakers who have shared their knowledge with students, faculty, and guests. Please mark your calendar, and we hope that you will be able to join us this quarter and enjoy several of the lectures.”
  • Elena Manferdini: Atelier Manferdini, Friday, April 2nd, 2010, 4:00pm, Business Rotunda (03-213) For additional information, visit Elena Manferdini’s web page.
  • http://www.ateliermanferdini.com/
• Alpha Rho Chi sponsors Portfolio workshop
  • Berg Gallery
  • Saturday, April 10th, 12-5pm
  • Lunch will be provided

Other News/Topics

• Revit 2011 new features
• Autodesk Assistance Program Extended through Jan 31 2011
  • http://www.autodesk.com/assistance
• Architects float prison-in-the-sky idea
  • http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20000681-1.html
• Why there isn’t a market for modern homes?
  • http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/26/AR2010032600029.html
• What Next: Skyscrapers
  • http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126890098467863863.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines
• Old-school architect creates an iOpener
  • http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/88796897.html

Rapid Fire Questions… maybe not so rapid

• Cal Poly or Berkeley? Cal Poly
• Autocad or Revit? Revit
• Parallel bar or T-Square? T-Square
• Facebook or LinkedIn? both
• Arch Record or Arch Digest? both… or record
• Drafting dots or tape? dots
• Yellow trace or white? yellow
• Ad Markers or Prisma? primsa
• Pen or Pencil? both
• Mac or PC? PC

Score: 90080-02
Alex questions the philosophical reasoning behind our Rapid Fire Questions… so perhaps he is the ultimate winner?

Interview

• What’s your story?
  • born and raised in Taiwan, moved here when he was 13
  • went to Cal Poly, graduated and opened his own practice in the bay area.
• Currently serving as the Regional Associate Director (RAD) for the AIA California Council, he was also the first Associate member to sit on the AIA California Chapter Board of Directors, and has also sat on the Board for AIA San Francisco and been the chair of BAYA (Bay Area Young Architects).
  • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BAYA/
  • BAYA – Bay Area Young Architects on Facebook
• His Rad position means that he currently serves on the AIA National Associates Committee (NAC) representing the Associates of California at the National level of the AIA.
  • http://www.aia.org/professionals/groups/nac/AIAS078702
  • As the California RAD he also sits on the Council of Advisors for the AIA CC Academy for Emerging Professionals (AEP) along with Haley.  The AEP brings together Emerging Professionals in California in various career stages; students, interns pursing licensure, or perhaps not pursuing licensure; and architects licensed in the past 10 years.  This group offers cross mentorship.
  • http://www.aiaccaep.org/
• What brought him to AIA?
  • He wasn’t involved in the AIA until later in his career
  • While at Cal Poly he was the vice chair of the CAED council at Cal Poly but not really involved with the AIAS.
  • After Cal Poly he started his own business and it got lonely as a sole practitioner, so he got involved with BAYA to help start a network and from there he started getting more and more involved.
  • He started to realize there are many resources that the AIA offers, and wanted to get involved.
  • The AIA isn’t perfect, that’s why he’s involved to help change it!
• How does he keep in touch with the needs of Associates in California?
  • The main source of information is the AEP
  • We have a network throughout the state that helps gives us information through all of the local chapters
  • The AEP works to develop this network so members in those various career stages of Emerging Professionals feel that their membership is of value and their needs are represented accurately.
• We put Tim on the spot!!!  Why has Tim never been involved with the AIA, and what would be the reasons for him to get involved?
  • There are events you can attend for free
  • All recent Cal Poly (or Arch. Program) graduates get a free Associate AIA membership for 1 year and entry into the National Convention
  • Networking, meeting people locally in your profession
  • Fellowship and commradory with other professionals
  • Advocacy, not only for AIA members but all Architects, on state and national issues
  • Public awareness and outreach
• Is there something you wish you had done or known when you were still at Cal Poly?
  • Don’t dwell in the past, it distracts from the now!  – a quote from one of Alex’s favorite movies, “The Incredibles.”
• What kind of advice can you give to current Cal Poly students?
  • Encourage them to get out of the studios, get out and look around, it’s important to have a full and complete college education and experience, get involved with student council and sports, it’s important to broaden your horizons with things outside the world of architecture
  • While we sometimes travel in packs, it’s important to be able to communicate with those outside of the CAED
  • Get involved, even the best looking resume won’t necessarily get you the job, sometimes it’s the network you’ve built, how effectively you communicate and how plugged into your community you are
• AIASF.org has a jam packed calendar of events!!!

Currently all the content on Seek is free.  I have a couple of Revit families on TurboSquid but my sales have come nowhere close to compensating for the time and effort put into their creation.  For content creators this good news because it will hopefully increase exposure of the content given that Seek search is built into Autodesk’s products.  There are still a lot of questions like if TurboSquid’s content will be integrated into Seek’s search results or if there will just be a link saying something like “more content here.”

We should know more after Autodesk’s official announcement.

TurboSquid’s announcement is below:

TurboSquid has some exciting news — today we signed a major agreement with Autodesk to benefit our sellers. TurboSquid has been named as Autodesk® Seek’s exclusive marketplace provider for the purchase of user-generated 3D content. TurboSquid will provide marketplace services for 3ds Max, Revit, Maya, Softimage, AutoCAD, Mudbox and other Autodesk application files.

We’re so excited about the opportunities this agreement will offer that we wanted to share the news with you right away. We’ll make an official announcement with Autodesk in the next few weeks.

Matt Wisdom | Chief Executive Officer | TurboSquid.com