Author: Brenda Forton

California Architects 2019 CE Requirements

California Architects are required t complete 5 hours of continuing education in Disability Access by the last day of their birth month in odd-numbered years. AIA Members are also required to complete 18 Learning Units including 12 Health, Safety and Welfare (HSW) hours of continuing education annually.

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The Dubai Skyline Is About To Change!

The Da Vinci Tower, designed by architect David Fisher of Dynamic Architecture is scheduled to be built in Dubai 2020.  The 80-story mixed-use building will have the ability to rotate 360 degrees, offering spectacular views in every direction. But rotating floors won’t be all its inhabitants will experience, there’s more!  Voice-activated technology will allow residents to spin their apartments with voice command capability.

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New Courses for Virginia Architects

Their latest additions have gained popularity among Virginia licensed Architects who must complete 16 hours of State approved continuing education credits every two years by the end of their original licensure month to retain a license. AIA members are required to complete 18 hours annually.

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Delaware’s Architectural Legacies

On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first State to ratify the U.S. Constitution. It’s currently nicknamed “The First State”.  The Delaware River and Bay were named after the governor of Virginia, Thomas West, Lord De La Warr by the explorer Samual Argall.  Delaware is also famous for a few of its oldest architectural landmarks. You’ll find just a few of them in the images and descriptions below.  Although these buildings weren’t designed by Architects as we know them today, they represent American architecture’s early beginnings. Perhaps the buildings and structures you design today will become tomorrows architectural legacies.

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Amazing Alabama Architecture

“The house is the purest example of the Usonian. It incorporates detailing improvements and combines all the standard elements in a mature and spatially varied interior. Its exterior has an almost overpowering horizontality. The street facade forms a cypress wall from which springs the carport, a 20-ft cantilever utilizing concealed steelwork. Ten years after construction, the Rosenbaum’s had Wright extend the house…” — John Sergeant. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian Houses: The Case for Organic Architecture. p42.

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Gable End Anchoring And Framing In High Velocity Hurricane Zones – A Course For Florida Architects In The Aftermath Of Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael has come and gone, leaving in its wake a path of destruction and devastation. Mexico Beach, Florida was leveled by the 155-mph winds. The few homes that remain standing have sustained crippling wind and water damage which could take months or even years to rebuild. With the exception of one. The ironically named, ‘Sand Castle’ home on Mexico Beach has sustained limited damage due to the foresight of the home’s designer. The home was built to withstand 240-250 mph winds rather than the standard 120 mph winds. Popular features such as large, ocean-facing windows and an overhanging roof were avoided in the design of the home, further protecting the house from hurricane force winds. While many of these measures are cost prohibitive for the average home builder, lessons can be learned here.

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