1. Preservation Nation
Can you guess where the nation’s first historic district is located? Boston? Washington, D.C.? Chicago? New York? Guess again—it was Charleston, S.C., in 1931. Since then, the “Old and Historic District” has grown to include more than 4,800 contributing structures. Join the Association for Preservation Technology International and the Preservation Trades Network in Charleston for “Cornerstones: Collaborative Approaches to Preservation,” which runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4. The conference centers on the intersection of preservation technology and art with a series of presentations and tours.
Learn more at apti.org.
2. New/Old Digs
Work is under way this month for the new Miami Center for Architecture and Design, which will occupy a downtown post office designed in 1912 by Oscar Wenderoth with Kiehnel and Elliott. This isn’t the first time the building has changed its stripes, having once housed a federal courthouse, the first government-chartered savings and loan, and the Miami Weather Bureau. Allan Shulman, FAIA, and his firm, Shulman + Associates, led the center’s renovation, which is slated to be completed early next year. The center will include exhibit and retail space as well as the offices of AIA Miami, which was instrumental in the project’s planning.
Learn more at aiamiami.org.
3. Holl Pass
Virginia Commonwealth University recently announced plans for the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA)—a state-of-the-art facility designed by Steven Holl Architects. The ICA will serve as a new gateway to the university and bring cutting-edge contemporary art exhibits to the city of Richmond. See Holl’s watercolors and more than 30 study models for the project in “Steven Holl Architects: Forking Time” at the Virginia Center for Architecture from Sept. 13 through Oct. 18.
Learn more at virginiaarchitecture.org.
4. Standard Bearer
Getting your architecture license can seem daunting, but luckily some firms help make it easier through the Intern Development Program (IDP), co-sponsored by the AIA and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Since 1991, the program has recognized shops that are committed to integrating licensure and work culture. Applications for the IDP Firm Awards are being accepted through Sept. 24.
Learn more at aia.org/IDPFirmAward.
5. Greetings from Asbury Park
Asbury Park, N.J., has gone through its share of ups and downs since Bruce Springsteen’s 1973 debut album put it on the map. Celebrating the boardwalk community’s resurgence, AIA New Jersey will host its annual Design Conference there on Sept. 13, and feature a mix of speakers and tours to highlight the Garden State’s design ethos.
Learn more at blog.aia-nj.org.
6. Seven Billion’s a Crowd
In March, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that the global population crossed the 7 billion mark—continuing an exponential growth trend. It’s no mystery why one of the greatest global challenges in the coming century will be natural resources—and the AIA College of Fellows wants to know how architects can respond in the 2013 Latrobe Prize call for submissions, which will close on Oct. 1. Recipients of the prize will receive $100,000 to conduct research on the critical issues around resource scarcity and the environment.
Learn more at aia.org/practicing.