By Lee Solomon, AIA
The Public Architects Knowledge Community will be sponsoring a full day Pre-Convention Workshop event on Wednesday April 26th, entitled WE203 - The Public Architect as City Builder, from 8:30am to 5:30pm, at the AIA 2017 Conference on Architecture in Orlando, Florida. We hope that both public and private Architects, as well as, members of the associated Architectural community attend this unique event. There promises to be many opportunities to learn more about the expectations of the architect working on civic infrastructure, new buildings and renovations of existing buildings. As the new federal administration takes shape, there will be many new challenges that the architect is tasked with managing to achieve the essential technical and community engagement objectives. The speakers will be providing a candid view of their portfolios of work and the skills necessary for their architects to successfully meet their demanding performance criteria and the many competing needs.
Workshop Description:
A public architect serves as a visionary for planning and delivering critical infrastructure to cities. In this workshop, you'll learn about leadership and technical skills that guide infrastructure development in cities. Skills covered during this full-day session include leading diverse teams on interagency and corporate levels, cultivating ownership, enforcing accountability, and maintaining high standards for staff and contractors. Sessions will profile infrastructure systems including water, transportation, housing, military installations, and institutional networks as well as different public entities. You'll leave this workshop with the confidence to take on a more prominent role as a “city builder” within your community. The biographies and presentations are listed as follows:
INTRODUCTION - Emily Marthinsen, AIA, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Physical & Environmental Planning, Campus Architect, University of California, Berkeley, Real Estate Division
SESSION CHAIR & INTRODUCTIONS - Lee Solomon, AIA, Deputy Director, New York City Housing Authority
PRESENTATIONS:
1. Institutionalizing Resilient Planning in the Department of Defense
Edmond G. Gauvreau, FAIA, Chief, Planning Branch, Installation Support Division, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
Brief overview of the development and implementation of sustainable master planning doctrine and principles that seek to create walkable, energy efficient, low impact development on military installations world-wide. Ed will cover the ten planning principles that the Department of Defense developed and now mandates be integrated into the installation master planning process, showing examples of where this process is already being implemented. He will also discuss new developments and further enhancements that will provide better data for informed decision making, and reduce energy usage through proper planning of facilities.
2. NYC Water Supply History, Gravity is Good
Paul D. Smith, Portfolio Manager, PE, NYC Department of Environmental Protection.
NYC and many outside communities enjoy the best drinking water in the world. The marvel of the NYC Water Supply System is that it travels up to 150 miles away from the Catskill Mountains by gravity. This presentation will cover the history of this incredible system from the development of the nearby Croton system to the development of the Catskill and Delaware Water Supply. From the 1600’s to the 21st century, gravity has worked for NYC and despite challenges, this is one law that has been proven successful over the decades and is one that that will not be repealed.
3. What is NextGeneration NYCHA?
Michael Kelly, AIA, General Manager, New York City Housing Authority
NextGeneration NYCHA will help save the Housing Authority for today’s residents and the next generation of New Yorkers. It's a long-term strategic plan that details how NYCHA will create safe, clean, and connected communities for our residents and preserve New York City's public housing assets for the next generation. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is the largest public housing authority in North America, with 400,000 residents. We also operate the largest Section 8 program in the country, helping 200,000 voucher holders pay their rent to private landlords. Our 10-year strategic plan, NextGeneration NYCHA (NGN), released in May 2015, will protect and preserve this priceless public resource for today’s residents and the next generation of New Yorkers. The goals of NGN are to: achieve short-term financial stability and diversify funding for the long term (Fund); Operate as an efficient and effective landlord; repair public housing and build affordable housing stock (Rebuild); and Engage residents to connect them to job opportunities and social capital.
4. Civic Infrastructure
Margaret O'Donoghue Castillo, FAIA, Chief Architect, NYC Department of Design & Construction
Infrastructure for the City is often thought of as roads, bridges, water management, power, etc. In this presentation we will look at a broader definition of Civic Infrastructure to include not only what is below ground but also what is above ground, public buildings and the public realm. We will show how important our libraries and cultural institutions, fire and police stations, streetscapes and plazas are to the underlying foundation of the City and how Civic Infrastructure must be thought of as an interrelated network of systems and services to create equitable, sustainable, resilient and healthy communities.
5. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s East Side Access Project
Michael Kaleda, PE, Senior Vice President and Program Executive, MTA Capital Construction Company
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s East Side Access project is one of the largest public transportation expansion projects in the United States. When complete it will allow the Long Island Rail Road to increase service into Manhattan by up to 50% of existing capacity. The project will serve 162,000 commuters per day saving them an average 30 to 40 minutes on their daily commute between Long Island, Queens and Manhattan’s East Side. It will relieve passenger and train congestion in New York City’s Penn Station and eventually allow an expansion of service for Metro North Railroad. Architects have played an important role in this project from inception to design development and now during construction. This presentation will provide an overview of the project, the roles architects play and lessons learned for future long duration public transportation improvement projects.
6. Architects as partners in enabling the public sector to be “City Builders”
Deborah Goddard, Executive Vice President for Capital Projects, New York City Housing Authority
This presentation will challenge the audience to define the composition of a City Builder and the very nature of quality, human scale, viability and feasibility in creating structures for an urban environment.
There will also be a discussion of the issues which undermine advancing important infrastructure to better serve social equity in a city. In this realm, Architects can be an important partner in progressing the needs of all residents to live and work in a dynamic and diverse metropolitan area. Hence, design will serve as a mediator to unlock the potential of an Architect to reconcile competing interests in their capacity as a planner and facilitator. We will break down the critical skills necessary to properly listen and translate the concerns of all stakeholders in the process.
DIGITAL POLLING
Kacey Clagett, LEED AP BD+C is Founder, Appleseed Strategy, a consultancy that provides firms which work with the built environment with integrated marketing strategy, business development and communications, as well as assistance with organizing public-private partnerships.
For more information, please visit Appleseed Strategy.
Lee Solomon is the Chair of the Public Architects Workshop at the 2017 AIA Convention. She has been a public service architect for over 25 years and currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Capital Planning Technical Group for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). She guides the capital planning process for the agency’s five and ten year plans. She previously held positions in the City of New York Office of the Mayor, Office of Management and Budget providing value management workshops for public projects totaling over $3.9 billion and worked at the Dormitory Authority for New York as well as the New York City School Construction Authority. Lee has 12 years of experience in the private sector heading up her own firm and managing projects for other architectural firms.