Winning Design Team for the National Pulse Memorial & Museum Announced
ORLANDO, FL. – Oct 30, 2019 – onePULSE Foundation, the not-for-profit established to honor and preserve the legacy of the 49 killed and all those affected by the June 12, 2016 Pulse nightclub tragedy, today announced that Coldefy & Associés with RDAI, Orlando-based HHCP Architects, Xavier Veilhan, dUCKS scéno, Agence TER, and Prof. Laila Farah, has been selected to design the National Pulse Memorial & Museum.
Mayra Alvear, whose daughter, Amanda Alvear, was killed in the Pulse tragedy, and Pulse survivors Neema Bahrami and Brian Reagan were joined by onePULSE Foundation CEO Barbara Poma, Orlando and Orange County Mayors Buddy Dyer and Jerry L. Demings along with local leaders and community advocates to make the announcement during a special event at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
The winning team’s concept design serves as a starting point for discussion and a basis for the design but is not the final, finished memorial and museum. Over the next year, Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP will work to further refine the designs so they can best reflect community feedback.
“The National Pulse Memorial & Museum will honor the 49 lives taken and all those affected while also educating visitors and future generations on the profound impact the tragedy had on Orlando, the U.S. and the world,” said Barbara Poma, onePULSE Foundation CEO. “We are excited to work with Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP and the full team, whose next step is to embark on a master plan for the project, which will include robust community engagement.”
Upcoming Event at ZYSCOVICH's Winter Park office to commemorate its 10th Year Making People Places in Central Florida
Dan Kirby, FAIA, FAICP, a principal with Jacobs has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Architects Foundation.
The Architects Foundation is the philanthropic partner of The American Institute of Architects (AIA). The Washington, DC based not-for-profit organization’s purpose is to harness the irrepressible spirit of architects to support and empower a next-generation design community to create places that make us all better people. The Architects Foundation leads philanthropic efforts that lay the foundation of architecture’s future by attracting, inspiring, and investing in a diverse next generation of architects to have positive impact in the world. In 2018, the Architects Foundation awarded over $430,000 in scholarships. In addition, the Architects Foundation operates the Octagon Museum.
Kirby is past member of AIA Strategic Council and past president of AIA Florida. He has been a recipient of the AIA Florida Gold Medal, AIA Florida Silver Medal, and the AIA Orlando Medal of Honor. In December, Kirby completes his term as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Orlando Foundation for Architecture. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Foundation for Architecture and was also Co-Chair of the Host Committee for the A’17 Conference on Architecture.
2019 AIA Component Matching Scholarship Grant Award
AIA Orlando has been selected to receive an AIA Component Matching Scholarship Grant Award in the amount of $500. Since 2005, AIA has been awarding the scholarship grant to our local and state components in their mission to support scholarship programs for architecture students. The AIA Component Matching Scholarship Grant Award is a MATCHING GRANT program and a joint program with AIA National.
Fellows investiture for Robert Yohe, FAIA
The American Institute of Architects College of Fellows Investiture Ceremony honors architects who have made significant contributions to architecture and to society.
AIA elevates 115 members and nine international architects to the College of Fellows
The American Institute of Architects elevates 115 members and nine international architects to the College of Fellows. Among them our own, Martin A. Gold, FAIA and Robert E. Yohe, FAIA
The fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and made a significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.
AIA fellowship recognizes significant contributions to the profession of architecture and society. Join us in recognizing and congratulating our new Fellows!
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ACTION REQUESTED: Design + Advocacy = Impact and Change
This year, AIA launched the “Blueprint for Better” campaign – a proactive effort that highlights the role of architects as thought and action leaders in improving America’s cities, towns and neighborhoods. A major part of this campaign also focuses on encouraging architects to work with local, state and federal officials to solve public policy issues that directly affect the work they do every day.
Bottom line: just as we are leading through design, architects must also lead in developing policy solutions on issues that affect our profession, our businesses and the communities we serve. If we are to truly make change in our communities and the nation, we need to both practice architecture AND advocate on policies that influence the built environment. Only then can we truly create a “blueprint for better.”
Here is how you can help. Through the new Architect Action Center you can easily contact your Members of Congress to educate them on critical issues, including sustainability, housing, resilience, school safety and student loan debt.
We have a great opportunity, as a profession, to weigh in on the issues that we know will be considered by Congress in January, regardless of who controls the House or Senate.
Together, we can continue to lay the groundwork for ensuring that our profession and our country achieve a blueprint for better. Act now!
William J. Hercules, FAIA, FACHA, FACHE earns top healthcare management credential!
CHICAGO, 5 Dec 2018 —William J. Hercules, FAIA, FACHA, FACHE, and CEO of Orlando-based WJH Health was recently elevated to a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the nation’s leading professional society for healthcare leaders.
“The healthcare management field plays a vital role in providing high-quality care to the people in our communities, which makes having a standard of excellence promoted by a professional organization critically important,” says Deborah J. Bowen, FACHE, CAE, president and chief executive officer of ACHE. “By becoming an ACHE Fellow and earning the distinction of board certification from ACHE, healthcare leaders demonstrate a commitment to excellence in serving their patients and the community.”
While approximately only 20% of all healthcare executives carry the FACHE distinction, Mr. Hercules is only one of two architects globally with fellowships in the American Institute of Architects, American College of Healthcare Architects, and the American College of Healthcare Executives. “This third-party confirmation carries a very unique set of qualifications at the nexus of healthcare architecture and administration, which is the point of my national practice,” Hercules stated.
To obtain ACHE Fellow status, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination, meeting academic and experiential criteria, earning continuing education credits demonstrating professional/community involvement, and a commitment to lifelong learning.
For more information regarding the FACHE credential, please contact the ACHE Division of Member Services at (312) 424-9400, by emailing contact@ache.org, or visit ache.org/FACHE
Orlando Foundation of Architecture Seeking Application for Board and Committee Members
The Orlando Foundation of Architecture’s board is seeking to appoint two (2) Architect positions and five (5) open non-architect positions. In addition, the Board Members of OFA is seeking volunteers for Committees which currently include, but not limited to, Scholarship, Public Outreach, Tours, Education and Fundraising. In keeping with OFA By-Laws, two must be AIA architect members for terms of up to three years with terms commencing on January 1, 2019. A copy of the by-laws is available upon request.
The American Institute of Architects College of Fellows Investiture Ceremony
The American Institute of Architects College of Fellows Investiture Ceremony, honoring 52 architects who have made significant contributions to architecture and to society...among them, AIA Orlando members, Jacki Hale and Nate Butler. Congratulations on your elevation to the AIA College of Fellows!
Entry fee: $450
Second and Third Year Fellowship candidates should contact HonorsAwards@aia.org when they begin their submission for the 2018 program. We have your previously submitted letters on file and will upload them after the deadline.
Click the link below to enter the
AIA National Fellowship page
AIA School Safety Campaign
Architects and the power of design can and must be an integral part of addressing our nation’s ongoing school violence problems. This is the message I will deliver to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen today when I testify before the Federal School Safety Commission on behalf of the members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Last week, Jay Brotman, AIA, did the same when he spoke to Secretary Nielsen and other White House cabinet officials about this important issue. And we need your voice to carry this message across the country to your elected officials.
In the coming weeks and months, you will have more opportunities to weigh in directly with elected officials. But, it starts with signing this petition. Once it reaches 50,000 signatures, it will be delivered to elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels. Therefore, remember to spread the word after you sign it.
Launched last week, the ultimate goal of AIA’s school safety initiative is to protect our students and teachers by advocating for new laws that will prioritize design as part of the solution to school violence. We know architects can help in many more ways too.
But as a first step, join me in signing this petition.
Sincerely,
Russell Davidson, FAIA, 2016 AIA President
Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA)
Congress passed the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) paving the way for AIA to advance opportunities for architects to better serve communities when disasters occur. It is expected to be signed into law in the coming days.
The bill includes AIA authored language that will have the following positive impacts:
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Paves the way for communities to better utilize architects during their disaster recovery efforts, namely through AIA components’ administration of AIA’s Safety Assessment Program (SAP)
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Requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency, architects and engineers to co-develop standardized best practices for building-safety assessments that focus on a building’s structural integrity and livability post disaster
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Ensures that local and state officials understand the role of architect volunteers, which are a vital resource to the recovery of communities after a disaster
Since 1972, AIA and its thousands of architect volunteers nationwide have been helping communities recover from disasters through AIA's Disaster Assistance Program which includes SAP. Passage of this legislation will also help to reinforce, among federal, state and local officials, this program and the benefits of utilizing architects to help communities be resilient – both before and after disaster strikes.
For the latest updates on issues impacting architects, join AIA's Architect Action Alerts by texting "AIA" to 40649.