Arthur Platt, AIA, and Julie Ann Engh, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, co-chairs of the AIANY Architectural Tourism Committee, will lead the AIA NY architectural boat tour in connection with Building Design+Construction’s Under40 Leadership Summit in New York.
The tour, which will circumnavigate Manhattan, will provide U40 Summit attendees with information about the history and architectural details of numerous buildings visible from the 1920s-era yacht. The tour leaves the dock at 10 a.m. Friday, September 19. Attendees will earn 1.5 AIA CES learning units. To register, go to:
www.BDCnetwork.com/under40summit
Arthur Platt, AIA co-chair of AIANY’s Architecture Tour Committee, administers and regularly leads the Around Manhattan Architecture Boat Tour. He also created and hosts the Featured Guide Series. The series, introduced in 2012, invites a diverse range of recognized NYC waterfront experts to narrate a tour and share firsthand insights about their work along the city’s ever transforming edge. The 2014 series will focus on the crucial role ecological landscape design as a mediator between waterfront development, estuary health and climate change.
Through the AIA, he also leads walking tours and organizes tours of notable new buildings. Arthur’s early professional experience at Platt Byard Dovell Architects and Robert A. M. Stern Architects helped foster his interest new York City’s architectural history. He started his own practice in 1996 and in 1998 co-founded Fink & Platt Architects. Fink & Platt Architects creates highly crafted spaces, integrating a sustainable approach to architecture, restoration, and interiors. The firm recently completed a renovation and addition for JBI International, a nonprofit providing the blind and visually impaired with books in audio, large print, and Braille. At present, the firm is working on a master plan for Coney Island USA, the creator of the Mermaid Parade.
Julie Ann Engh, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, works in the architecture department at Highland Associates and studied architecture history at New York University. Julie is particularly interested in historic buildings and their potential for adaptive reuse projects. Her professional experience includes new construction and adaptive reuse residential, mixed-use, hospitality, retail, and medical projects.
Projects in New York City include the 57-story W Downtown Hotel and Residences and residential conversions of multiple Landmark Art Deco Jazz Age towers. Julie was the 2013 AIA New York State Associate Director and is an active member of the AIANY Emerging New York Architects (ENYA) Committee. She helped plan the 2012 ENYA Biennial Design Ideas Competition The Harlem Edge: Cultivating Connections and assists with the ENYA | FIGMENT | SEAoNY City of Dreams Pavilion Design Competition, which annually selects a winning entry to build on Governor's Island. A founding member of the AIANY Architecture Tour Committee and now its co-chair, Julie is a frequent contributor to AIANY's e-Oculus. In 2014 Julie was honored with the AIA Associates Award, the highest award given to individual associate AIA members.
Related Stories
| Nov 29, 2010
Data Centers: Keeping Energy, Security in Check
Power consumption for data centers doubled from 2000 and 2006, and it is anticipated to double again by 2011, making these mission-critical facilities the nation’s largest commercial user of electric power. Major technology companies, notably Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, and International Business Machines, are investing heavily in new data centers. HP, which acquired technology services provider EDS in 2008, announced in June that it would be closing many of its older data centers and would be building new, more highly optimized centers around the world.
| Nov 29, 2010
New Design Concepts for Elementary and Secondary Schools
Hard hit by the economy, new construction in the K-12 sector has slowed considerably over the past year. Yet innovation has continued, along with renovations and expansions. Today, Building Teams are showing a keener focus on sustainable design, as well as ways to improve indoor environmental quality (IEQ), daylighting, and low-maintenance finishes such as flooring.
| Nov 29, 2010
Renovating for Sustainability
Motivated by the prospect of increased property values, reduced utility bills, and an interest in jumping on the sustainability bandwagon, a noted upturn in green building upgrades is helping designers and real estate developers stay busy while waiting for the economy to recover. In fact, many of the larger property management outfits have set up teams to undertake projects seeking LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EBOM, also referred to as LEED-EB), a certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
| Nov 23, 2010
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library and museum, plus the Bush Institute, is aiming for LEED Platinum. The 226,565-sf center, located at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, was designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.
| Nov 23, 2010
Honeywell's School Energy and Environment Survey: 68% of districts delayed or eliminated improvements because of economy
Results of Honeywell's second annual “School Energy and Environment Survey” reveal that almost 90% of school leaders see a direct link between the quality and performance of school facilities, and student achievement. However, districts face several obstacles when it comes to keeping their buildings up to date and well maintained. For example, 68% of school districts have either delayed or eliminated building improvements in response to the economic downturn.
| Nov 16, 2010
Architecture Billings Index: inquiries for new projects remain extremely high
The new projects inquiry index was 61.7, down slightly from a nearly three-year high mark of 62.3 in September, according to the Architecture Billings Index (ABI). However, the ABI dropped nearly two points in October; the October ABI score was 48.7, down from a reading of 50.4 the previous month. The ABI reflects the approximate nine to 12 month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.
| Nov 16, 2010
Brazil Olympics spurring green construction
Brazil's green building industry will expand in the coming years, spurred by construction of low-impact venues being built for the 2016 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee requires arenas built for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro meet international standards for low-carbon emissions and energy efficiency. This has boosted local interest in developing real estate with lower environmental impact than existing buildings. The timing couldn’t be better: the Brazilian government is just beginning its long-term infrastructure expansion program.
| Nov 16, 2010
Green building market grows 50% in two years; Green Outlook 2011 report
The U.S. green building market is up 50% from 2008 to 2010—from $42 billion to $55 billion-$71 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction's Green Outlook 2011: Green Trends Driving Growth report. Today, a third of all new nonresidential construction is green; in five years, nonresidential green building activity is expected to triple, representing $120 billion to $145 billion in new construction.
