Journal No. 42:
My Favorite Things
PDF version of SPP Journal 42

Letter from the Chair

Tech from the Heart: What Matters in Our Practice
by Louis B. Smith, Jr., AIA, NOMA
Recently I moved from Ann Arbor, Mich. to Charlotte. Since arriving I have taken several opportunities to wander around and look at the local architecture. (Okay, I was lost.) I found that there is a penchant here for the use of stone and patterned brick that very nearly rises to the level of a colloquial tradition. At the same time I have noticed that the use of stone is in itself inventive and varied. This stone is a “favorite thing” in the Charlotte community.

We found that most favorites submitted were things that have long been near and dear to architects: stone, timber, and light. We had a few other things that were more process and perspective than material. These included pieces on the use of green technology and software. What is remarkable to me is how these things can be interpreted so differently on different projects and in different regions. These items are inspirations that leak from our enthusiasm. They are the overflow of our passion. They are the way that better design inspires better design. Delve into your past a bit and be refreshed by how other people modernize familiar traditions.

The discussion of favorite things is the process that is behind the roundtables that the AIA Small Project Practitioners Knowledge Community is helping to form in local components all around the country. In these roundtables professionals share their favorites as a source of inspiration. Each person has something they can share and take away something they hadn’t thought of in quite the same way. So we invite you to read the favorite things presented here. Discuss your own with your colleagues around the lunch table or at the softball game or even at a coffee shop. Don’t feel that you have to limit your discussion to products. Favorite things can include marketing systems, financial software, project management techniques, water management details, computer-aided design (CAD) software (no, not everyone uses AutoCAD; do you know why those who don’t choose to differ?), Web sites, resources, and much more.

If you want a discussion bigger than your firm, or if your firm is small, we can help you form a roundtable in your local AIA component. Simply e-mail a note to spp@aia.org and we will help you get started with a roundtable toolkit. Make sure you check with your local component executive. In many places a Small Firms Committee or Small Project Practice roundtable already exists. We ask only that after you meet—though you may be grateful—you resist the urge to say ”Thank you for sharing.”

Louis B. Smith Jr., AIA, NOMA, is 2007 chair of AIA Small Project Practitioners.

In Memoriam: Diane Trevarrow Evans

by Louis B. Smith Jr., AIA, NOMA
In every culture death is recognized and addressed. In some it is more important how you die than how you live. In others death is assigned an insignificant role. We at the AIA have the sad duty to inform you of the passing of one of our leaders. In early October Diane Trevarrow Evans passed away as a tragic outcome of clinical depression. For us, it was how she lived that we want to remember. Read the full notice.

Every Detail Matters

by Diane Trevarrow Evans, AIA, NCARB
Like the Greatest Generation before us, we too can refrain from throwing away what can be renewed and purchasing only what is needed. In turn, less building material ends up in America’s already overcrowded trash dumpsters. Read the full article.

Window Selection

by Michael T. Boudreau, AIA
Make window selection a joy for you, the client and the contractor. Read the full article.

Mixed Tile: A Little Bit of Glitz and a Lot of Style

by Louis B. Smith Jr., AIA, NOMA
Giving a tile project the attention and effort to create specific layouts for specific places in your project may well be worth the effort. Read the full article.

My Favorite Things: Stone

by Deborah Pierce, AIA
I was jogging down a country road when I passed a dry stone retaining wall under construction. The simple words, “That’s a good-looking wall. Could you teach me what you know?” fell from my lips and the mason nodded. Read the full article.

Japanese Mud Plaster (in Utah)

by Mira Locher, AIA
Master plaster craftsman Naoki Kusumi took on the challenge of creating traditional Japanese mud plaster walls in a contemporary Utah house using only locally available materials. After locating the perfect red Utah mud, Kusumi had to come up with inventive solutions to work in the arid climate. Read the full article.

My Favorite Things: Architectural Salvage Timbers

by Kevin Harris, AIA
Each knot, mortise, check, and gouge reveal bits of that beam’s story. This architectural elder, when mixed with new construction, lends a sense of permanence and an air of tolerance to its interior. Read the full article.

Remembering Daylight

by Katherine Williams
I look forward to opening the curtains every morning and letting in the sun. In the evening, my bedroom windows facing the backyard get most of the sun. When I return home from work I can still enjoy a bit of sunshine and it also helps warm the space in winter afternoons. Read the full article.