AIA NE Update
Issue LIV
Jan 19, 2007

Hi !

In this issue, you'll read:
Architectural Registration Exam Study Seminar Announced
Renew Your Membership Today!
Legislative Update
AIA NE Members Participate in Grassroots
Attention Firm Principals/Supreme Court Ruling Vacation Time
Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects Adds Compliance Officer
Randy Brown Architects Winner: 2007 Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture
Request for Architectural & Engineering Interests
Nebraka Lied Main Street
Lifecycle Building Challenge
Calendar of Events - January 19
Interfaith Architecture Tour
AIA National Convention / May 3-5 / San Antoino

Architectural Registration Exam Study Seminar Announced

The 2007 AIA NE/ARE Study Seminars will be offered to all Architecture Registration Exam Candidates. The Seminar Series to begin on February 5 will feature the Structural Series. The Seminar encompasses a basic review of the major topics covered in each division of the ARE and serves to assist the Candidate's preparation by providing an organized approach to studying and by presenting concise and practical reference materials. The Seminar is presented by professionals with experience in each specific division of the ARE. Additional information and registration is available. Registration deadline is February 2, 2007.



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Renew Your Membership Today!

Thank you for your ongoing support and membership to the American Institute of Architects. A reminder your 2007 dues are due and may be paid on-line.



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Legislative Update

The Nebraska Legislature has introduced 705 legislative bills, the fewest number in 24 years. More than a third of this year's bills, 243, were introduced Wednesday, the final day for bill introductions.Next week's weekly update will summarize the legislation AIA Nebraska is monitoring. Save the Date for this year's AIA Nebraska Legislative Forum, February 20, 2007.


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AIA NE Members Participate in Grassroots

AIA Nebraska members will be participating in this year's Grassroots, February 7-10, in Washington, DC. The congressional issue briefs are below and available on-line. Meetings have been scheduled with the Nebraska Congressional Delegation to discuss the following federal agenda:

-Federal Building Energy Efficiency – Promoting the adoption of the 2030 Challenge in all Federal buildings.

-Sustainable Design and Water Quality – Promoting an amendment to the Clean Water act to develop green infrastructure that will reduce the amount of pollutants in the built environment.

-Tax Deductions for Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings – Promoting a tax break for green buildings built for commercial use.




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Attention Firm Principals/Supreme Court Ruling Vacation Time

Link to an opinion issued by the Nebraska Supreme Court, in which the Court holds that an employer must pay former employees who terminated employment, for their accrued, unused vacation pay. The employees in the case voluntarily terminated their employment, but the Court does not appear to draw a distinction between voluntary and involuntary terminations.

Significantly, the employer in the case had a handbook policy which clearly stated, "Upon termination, employees will not be paid for unused vacation time." The Court held that this policy conflicted with the definition of wages in Nebraska's Wage Payment Act, and that the statutory definition of wages could not be circumvented by agreement between the parties (in other words, the definition could not be "contracted around"). The handbook policy was thus held to be void.

The opinion does not address a situation where an employee does not terminate employment, but fails to use his or her vacation time during the year in which it accrues. In other words, the case leaves open the issue of the validity of a "use it or lose it" policy, whether contained in an written employment agreement with an individual employee, a generally applicable policy in an employee handbook, or a collective bargaining agreement.

This opinion is prompting the Legislature to take action to revise the statutory definition of wages or to otherwise clarify an employer's obligation to pay terminating employees for accrued, but unused vacation. Until the Legislature does so, however, our advice is to pay terminating employees (whose employment is situated in or governed by Nebraska law) for their accrued, unused vacation. Failure to do so carries the risk of liability for not only the vacation pay, but double or treble damages and attorney's fees.

Please call me at any time if you wish to discuss this opinion or its impact on your employee relations.

David Buntain
Cline, Williams, Wright, Johnson and Oldfather, L.L.P.
1900 U. S. Bank Building
233 S. 13th Street
Lincoln, NE 68508
(402) 474-6900
dbuntain@clinewilliams.com


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Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects Adds Compliance Officer


The Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects announced that Kandice Bremer has been hired as Compliance Officer. With more than 20 years of compliance, regulatory, and enforcement experience, Bremer will be responsible for enforcing Nebraska statutes related to architecture and engineering. This includes assuring that projects that require engineers and architects have them, and assuring that practicing engineers and architects meet state licensure requirements. She will also provide information to the public on the statutes and the safe design and construction of public works and building projects in Nebraska. Prior to coming to the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects, Bremer, a Nebraska native, was employed by the Nebraska Department of Roads, Right of Way Division and the Nebraska Health and Human Services System, Regulation and Licensure. She served as an elected county official in Chase County, Nebraska for 16 years.



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Randy Brown Architects Winner: 2007 Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture

2007 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture

AIA NE Member Nicole Ludacka, Associate AIA, The Architectural Offices served as a jury member for the 2007 Honor Awards.
The American Institute of Architects announced today the
2007 recipients of the AIA Institute Honor Awards, the profession’s highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in architecture, interior architecture, and urban design. Selected from nearly 700 total submissions, 29 recipients will be honored in May at the AIA 2007 National Convention and Design Exposition in San Antonio.

Eleven worthy projects were selected as the 2007 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture recipients. Schools and educational facilities made a remarkably strong showing, receiving 8 of the 11 awards. Jury members include: Jury Chair Richard Logan, AIA, Gensler; Elizabeth (Zibby) Ericson, FAIA Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott; Philip Freelon, FAIA, The Freelon Group; Thomas W. Kundig, FAIA, Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects; Nicole Ludacka, Assoc. AIA, The Architectural Offices; Kristal Peters, Howard University; Henry Siegel, FAIA, Siegel & Strain Architects; Victor Trahan III, FAIA, Trahan Architects; Jane Werner, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Additional information is available.

The crop of the 2007 Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture features a remarkable variety of project types. From small office spaces to college residences to an independent high school, these 11 projects showcase creativity and ingenuity, often on a small budget. Ten of the 11 projects are located in the U.S.; the eleventh is in Hong Kong. Jury members include: Chair Ann Beha, FAIA, Ann Beha Architects, Inc.; Hank Hildebrandt, AIA, University of Cincinnati; James Prendergast, AIA, Goettsch Partners; Ken Wilson, AIA, Envision Design; D.B. Kim, Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

“This was a highly competitive selection, and the chosen projects conveyed the clarity, innovation, and creativity which reflects our profession at its best,” said Jury Chair Ann M Beha, FAIA. “Some of the winning projects seem deceptively simple, but they reflect a level of complexity in thought and care that the jury associated with the highest design standards. The quality of execution, and the commitment to the environment were held as high standards for this jury, and many of the projects selected excelled both in their craft and stewardship.” Randy Brown Architects receives an interior honor award for the Better Business Bureau Heartland Office, Omaha.

Better Business Bureau Heartland Office Omaha, Nebraska / Randy Brown Architects The goal of this project was to create a physical manifestation of the BBB’s core values of integrity, stability, and openness. The materials chosen convey a stable, secure image. The exposed structural systems reinforce the cost-conscious, yet forward-thinking image and the material palette was kept monochromatic to preserve a sharp, timeless appearance.



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Request for Architectural & Engineering Interests

The University of Nebraska is seeking letters of interest from Architectural/Engineering firms or individuals licensed to practice in the State of Nebraska for University of Nebraska capital improvement program projects in the following categories:
1. Mechanical/Electrical Engineering Projects
2. General Purpose Projects
3. Research Specialty Projects

Letters of interest are due January 24, 2007.

Firms or individuals will be selected for a four-year period for projects with an estimated professional services fee ranging from $40,000 to $400,000. Interested parties should specify which projects they are interested in and request a "University of Nebraska Guideline for Preparation of Architect/Engineer Proposal," to prepare RFP's.

After a letter of interest is received, the University of Nebraska will provide information for submission of the request for proposal. Firms wishing to be considered for design of University-wide projects are to be mailed or submitted to:

Rebecca H. Koller, AIA, Assistant Vice President for Business & Finance
Director of Facilities Planning & Management
University of Nebraska
218 Varner Hall, 3835 Holdrege Street
Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0742

or e-mail letter of interest to: vschweitzer@nebraska.edu

No later than: January 24, 2007 Letter of Interest Due
February 14, 2007 Proposals due for Mechanical/Electrical Projects
February 21. 2007 Proposals due for General Purpose Projects
February 28, 2007 Proposals due for Research Specialty Projects

Selection of firms will be for a four-year period made upon recommendation of the Selection Committee to the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.

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Nebraka Lied Main Street


The January/February Ledger Now Available.


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Lifecycle Building Challenge

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and partners are calling on the nation’s architects, builders and others to participate in a competition seeking designs that facilitate reuse and minimize waste.

The Lifecycle Building Challenge – co-sponsored by the Building Materials Reuse Association, the American Institute of Architects and West Coast Green – invites professionals and students nationwide to submit designs and ideas by May 15 that support disassembly and anticipate the future use of building materials. Architects, reuse experts, engineers, builders,
educators and environmental advocates are encouraged to apply for the web-based competition.

The challenge, open to built and un-built work, has three main categories:
• Building—an entire building from foundation to roof
• Component—a single building assembly, system, or connector
• Service—a tool, method, or other idea

Outstanding entries in each category will be recognized and publicized, and top student designs will receive cash awards. All winners will be honored at the West Coast Green Conference in San Francisco in September. For more information or to enter the competition.

Lifecycle building maximizes material recovery to reverse the trend of disposing of large quantities of construction and demolition debris in landfills.

In the United States, buildings consume 60 percent of total materials flow (excluding food and fuel) and account for 33 percent of the solid waste stream. Building renovation and demolition accounts for 91 percent of the construction and demolition debris generated each year, while new construction accounts for only 9 percent. Between 2000 to 2030, 27 percent
of existing buildings will be replaced and 50 percent of the total building stock will be constructed.

These issues can be addressed by planning for a building or building component's eventual deconstruction or adaptation. By creating building components that can be easily recovered and reused, materials are kept at their highest value, resulting in reduced consumption of energy and resources.

"Lifecycle building innovations are about designing this building and the next," said Wayne Nastri, administrator of the U.S. EPA’s Pacific Southwest Office in San Francisco. “The challenge will raise the bar for both green building and environmental protection."

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Calendar of Events - January 19

Link to New Calendar of Events

Please join the local USGBC Flatwater Chapter for a presentation "High Performance Schools" at LEO DALY on January 23, 2007. See attachment "A high performance school is a school that enhances student performance; is environmentally friendly; and costs less to build, maintain and operate. This presentation addresses specific building design & construction strategies to accomplish these objectives. The discussion will also address life-cycle costing and the importance of early involvement of the engineering disciplines in the design process."

Women in Architecture
January 26, Omaha, 6:00 pm
Tour of MCC Learning Connector Hub (under construction), followed by dinner at Guaca Maya Mexican Restaurant (Further information through above link) RSVP by January 23, Kelley Rosburg, krosburg@bvh.com

2006 IBC and IRC Seminars
(Lincoln will be updating the 2006 Code in early 2007.)

NEBRASKALAND CONFERENCE OF BUILDING OFFICIALS and INSPECTORS
Location: Mahoney State Park, Ashland, NE / 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
2006 IBC Significant Changes, February 1, 2007
2006 IRC Significant Changes, February 2, 2007

ICC Instructors: Doug Thornburg and Gary Karow

Storm Resistant Concrete Homes and Buildings / National and local experts / 7 HSW
February 15 / Omaha

Save the Date for this year's AIA Nebraska Legislative Forum, February 20, 2007.

Design-Build Summit 2007
March 8 - 9, 2007, Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, MO

Join AIA Design-Build for a two-day conference in Kansas City, Mo. This conference will feature keynote presentations by award-winning architects who will discuss best practices in design, using the design-build project delivery method. Tours will be arranged and sessions will focus on outstanding design, bridging, integrated firms, architecture education, leadership, K-12 schools, and sports architecture.

Conference Speakers:

  • Gary Lapera, AIA, principal & studio head of Michael Graves & Assoc.
  • Thom Mayne, FAIA, principal of Morphosis and recipient of the 2005 Pritzker Prize (tentative)
  • Pavel Getov, designer with Morphosis on the CalTrans design-build project
  • George Heery, FAIA, father of "bridging" method and recognized leader in the construction program management
  • Harold Adams, FAIA, past chair of Design-Build Institute of America and RTKL Associates Inc.
  • Brad Buchanan, FAIA, principal of architect-led design-build firm of Buchanan Yonushewski Group
  • Joe Spear, AIA, award-winning designer and founding senior principal of HOK Sport
  • Dan Rockhill, renown professor of architecture at the University of Kansas, whose Studio 804 has won numerous awards




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Interfaith Architecture Tour

Beth Israel Synagogue and St. Cecilia Catholic Church
March 18 / Tentative Schedule

Meet at Beth Israel Synagogue
1:00-1:05 Welcome and introductions
1:05- 1:35 Overview of role of art and architecture in these two communities with possible slides offered by the Joslyn
1:35-2:35 Tour of Beth Israel led by Marty Shukert and congregant
2:35-3:00 Relocate to St. Cecilia
3:00-4:00 Tour of St. Cecilia led by Brother Woeger and congregant/music personnel
4:00-5:30 Reception, reflection and relationship-building at the Cathedral Cultural Center

Co-sponsored by the ADL Malashock Project for Interfaith Affairs, the Archdiocese of Omaha and the American Institute of Architects. $5 per person.



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AIA National Convention / May 3-5 / San Antoino


Not to early to book your rooms now.
Rooms filling quickly.

Register by February 7 to take advantage of the early bird registration.

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