It will, indeed, be a happy New Year for architects in Massachusetts if Governor Patrick signs the new Lien Law legislation.
To bring you up to date on this important piece of legislation, the Lien Law essentially gives design professionals in Massachusetts the same property lien rights now enjoyed by contractors. Thirty-eight other states have already enacted similar laws. This legislation has long been sought by the BSA’s Legislative Affairs Committee, and is supported by numerous other professional societies such as AIA Massachusetts, the MA Bankers Association, and the ASM (subcontractors). It was originally filed two years ago as two separate bills: House Bill H1769, sponsored by the current House Majority Leader James Vallee, and Senate Bill S1806, sponsored by Senator Karen Spilka. Both bills were filed with the Joint Judiciary Committee which favorably “reported out” the bills as one consolidated piece of legislation – Senate Bill S2512. BSA members Mike Hicks and John Nunnari were particularly effective in managing the progress of this legislative effort.
Earlier this month both the Senate and the House concurred with one another’s amendments, and concluded their formal enactment of the legislation yesterday. The Governor now has ten days within which to either sign or veto the bill. He is expected to sign it into law, and it will take effect in July, 2011. If you would like more information on the Lien Law, please contact John Nunnari at the BSA (617-951-1433 ext 263).
Let’s hope that Governor Patrick doesn’t turn out to be Governor Grinch!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Keeping Promises
I went Christmas shopping this weekend and bought a Pogo stick for my Godson. I just thought you would like to know that I keep my promises.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thanksgiving
This weekend the new Watkins Center at Heywood Hospital opened in Gardner, Mass; on Thursday evening I attended a reception at the hospital and met many of the clinicians who helped shape the design.
I particularly enjoyed speaking with Rick Ellbeg who is the hospital’s Director of Critical Care, Emergency, and Surgical Services. Rick was involved throughout the design and planning process and was justifiably proud of the end result. However, he emphasized that it was the extraordinary experience that he and his staff had with our design team that made the project so successful. He thanked me and said, “You are fortunate to be leading such a great group of people.” The next day at work I reread the foreword to our firm’s monograph. In it I had written, “As we conclude our first century of practice, we recognize that our most valuable asset is our people – talented, inspiring and thoughtful people with exceptional credentials.”
So, let me take this opportunity to give thanks to the Heywood Hospital design team and to all the TRO Jung|Brannen staff who make my job so enjoyable; and, finally, thanks to Rick who reminded me.
I particularly enjoyed speaking with Rick Ellbeg who is the hospital’s Director of Critical Care, Emergency, and Surgical Services. Rick was involved throughout the design and planning process and was justifiably proud of the end result. However, he emphasized that it was the extraordinary experience that he and his staff had with our design team that made the project so successful. He thanked me and said, “You are fortunate to be leading such a great group of people.” The next day at work I reread the foreword to our firm’s monograph. In it I had written, “As we conclude our first century of practice, we recognize that our most valuable asset is our people – talented, inspiring and thoughtful people with exceptional credentials.”
So, let me take this opportunity to give thanks to the Heywood Hospital design team and to all the TRO Jung|Brannen staff who make my job so enjoyable; and, finally, thanks to Rick who reminded me.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Geoengineering
Today is my Godson’s sixth birthday, I almost gave him a pogo stick, but instead I bought two “young scientist” projects that teach simple lessons in climatology and renewable energy through entertaining experiments that any six year old kid can do. I know the pogo stick sounds like more fun, but I think he has a future as a geoengineer and I wanted to get him started early!
Geoengineering is an emerging science that studies the potential manipulation of the Earth’s climate to offset global warming. The most seductive proposal now under consideration involves injecting sulfur dioxide into the upper atmosphere to simulate, on a global scale, the effects of the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991 when the Earth’s temperatures cooled considerably from the ash cloud. And, it’s cheap and relatively easy to do. So, what’s the problem, you ask? Well, scientists recently met in Japan and agreed to defer geoengineering initiatives until the international effects on such diverse things as rainfall and terrorism can be studied in detail. Very sensible; they point out that we don’t want a rogue nation to upset the atmospheric apple cart. However, I think there is a more fundamental reason to reject geoengineering proposals such as this. If you’ll pardon the pun, it’s an unsustainable quick fix. As Americans, we want a quick fix for everything. For example, we’d rather take a diet pill than eat sensibly and exercise regularly. Our grandchildren {and Godchildren} deserve better.
Don’t worry, this Christmas I’ll get him the pogo stick.
Geoengineering is an emerging science that studies the potential manipulation of the Earth’s climate to offset global warming. The most seductive proposal now under consideration involves injecting sulfur dioxide into the upper atmosphere to simulate, on a global scale, the effects of the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991 when the Earth’s temperatures cooled considerably from the ash cloud. And, it’s cheap and relatively easy to do. So, what’s the problem, you ask? Well, scientists recently met in Japan and agreed to defer geoengineering initiatives until the international effects on such diverse things as rainfall and terrorism can be studied in detail. Very sensible; they point out that we don’t want a rogue nation to upset the atmospheric apple cart. However, I think there is a more fundamental reason to reject geoengineering proposals such as this. If you’ll pardon the pun, it’s an unsustainable quick fix. As Americans, we want a quick fix for everything. For example, we’d rather take a diet pill than eat sensibly and exercise regularly. Our grandchildren {and Godchildren} deserve better.
Don’t worry, this Christmas I’ll get him the pogo stick.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Gather No Moss…..Again!
I will apologize in advance for beating this subject to death, but I just couldn’t resist the temptation to point out that an employee’s character is far more important than his/her talent.
Four weeks ago I blogged about Randy Moss and the fact that the coach of the Patriots, Bill Belichick, elected to trade the future Hall-of-Famer in mid-season to the Minnesota Vikings. Many football fans thought that Brad Childress, the coach of the Vikings, had put one over on Bill until Childress unceremoniously dumped Moss by placing him on waivers after only three games as a Viking. Unfazed and unapologetic, Moss watched as twenty-one teams declined to sign him until the Tennessee Titans finally claimed him off the waiver wire. The Titan’s coach, Jeff Fisher, gushed about his good fortune. He then made a prophetic observation, calling Moss “a tremendous threat wherever he has been.”
Four weeks ago I blogged about Randy Moss and the fact that the coach of the Patriots, Bill Belichick, elected to trade the future Hall-of-Famer in mid-season to the Minnesota Vikings. Many football fans thought that Brad Childress, the coach of the Vikings, had put one over on Bill until Childress unceremoniously dumped Moss by placing him on waivers after only three games as a Viking. Unfazed and unapologetic, Moss watched as twenty-one teams declined to sign him until the Tennessee Titans finally claimed him off the waiver wire. The Titan’s coach, Jeff Fisher, gushed about his good fortune. He then made a prophetic observation, calling Moss “a tremendous threat wherever he has been.”
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Collaboration
The rescue of the Chilean miners is a remarkable story of collaborative teamwork.
Thirty three miners were trapped more than two thousand feet below ground after hundreds of tons of rock collapsed and isolated them. Rescuers persevered for seventeen days before the miners were located and confirmed to have survived. The miners subsisted on milk and a spoonful or two of tuna fish rationed every two days and somehow maintained their unity and optimism. Hundreds of engineers, medical personnel, and construction workers collaborated on a bold, untested rescue plan that few thought would succeed. In the end, all thirty three were extracted safely sixty nine days after the ordeal began. Even NASA helped. A spokesperson for the mining company called it “a triumph of the human spirit.”
At TRO Jung|Brannen we realized long ago that talent, experience, and even hard work are simply not enough to ensure remarkable outcomes. Collaborative teamwork alone is omnipotent. It is not hard to imagine how the miners’ fate may have been different had the rescuers worked in isolation, or bickered over authority, or put their own interests before those of the miners. But none of that happened.
This month TRO Jung|Brannen is beginning its first major project, MaineGeneral Hospital, involving the Integrated Project Delivery {IPD} process. Like the rescue of the Chilean miners, IPD is a bold, but largely untested methodology and many design firms are reluctant to embrace it. IPD requires all project participants – owner, architect, and contractor – to unselfishly subordinate their own interests in support of the project’s welfare, to willingly trust one another, and to relentlessly collaborate until a successful outcome is achieved.
The Chilean miners would love it.
Thirty three miners were trapped more than two thousand feet below ground after hundreds of tons of rock collapsed and isolated them. Rescuers persevered for seventeen days before the miners were located and confirmed to have survived. The miners subsisted on milk and a spoonful or two of tuna fish rationed every two days and somehow maintained their unity and optimism. Hundreds of engineers, medical personnel, and construction workers collaborated on a bold, untested rescue plan that few thought would succeed. In the end, all thirty three were extracted safely sixty nine days after the ordeal began. Even NASA helped. A spokesperson for the mining company called it “a triumph of the human spirit.”
At TRO Jung|Brannen we realized long ago that talent, experience, and even hard work are simply not enough to ensure remarkable outcomes. Collaborative teamwork alone is omnipotent. It is not hard to imagine how the miners’ fate may have been different had the rescuers worked in isolation, or bickered over authority, or put their own interests before those of the miners. But none of that happened.
This month TRO Jung|Brannen is beginning its first major project, MaineGeneral Hospital, involving the Integrated Project Delivery {IPD} process. Like the rescue of the Chilean miners, IPD is a bold, but largely untested methodology and many design firms are reluctant to embrace it. IPD requires all project participants – owner, architect, and contractor – to unselfishly subordinate their own interests in support of the project’s welfare, to willingly trust one another, and to relentlessly collaborate until a successful outcome is achieved.
The Chilean miners would love it.
Gather No Moss
As everyone in New England now knows, the Patriots’ star wide receiver, Randy Moss, was recently traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a fourth round draft pick. For those of you who follow this blog but don’t necessarily follow professional football, a fourth round draft pick isn’t worth very much. So, how come smart people like Owner Bob Kraft and Coach Bill Belichick traded a future Hall of Fame player for such a bargain basement price? The answer is simple: Randy Moss may be talented but he has a bad attitude! And, attitude trumps talent every time.
At last week’s meeting of the AIA Large Firm Roundtable I had lunch with a CEO colleague who expressed frustration with one of his top design principals. It seems that the guy just can’t keep his ego in check and is causing enormous frustration within the firm and compromising client service. He asked for my advice. The more this CEO talked about his problem, the more I realized that not once during my thirteen year tenure as CEO have I had to deal with a bad attitude from our immensely talented design leaders. They are among the most collaborative and selfless employees at TRO Jung|Brannen.
I told him to get rid of the Moss.
At last week’s meeting of the AIA Large Firm Roundtable I had lunch with a CEO colleague who expressed frustration with one of his top design principals. It seems that the guy just can’t keep his ego in check and is causing enormous frustration within the firm and compromising client service. He asked for my advice. The more this CEO talked about his problem, the more I realized that not once during my thirteen year tenure as CEO have I had to deal with a bad attitude from our immensely talented design leaders. They are among the most collaborative and selfless employees at TRO Jung|Brannen.
I told him to get rid of the Moss.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A Proverb
Today I signed a letter of intent on behalf of The Boston Society of Architects to relocate the BSA's offices and to open a new center for design and architecture in 2011.
This LOI is the bold culmination of months of research, deliberation, and spirited debate among the BSA’s dedicated staff, its Board members, our consultants, and dozens of additional BSA professionals who volunteered their time and diverse expertise so we might better accommodate our chapter’s broader vision of civic engagement and education.
During the process, we reaffirmed what architects have always known: namely, that truly transformational decisions of enduring value are best achieved through a shared journey of informed discovery, and that extraordinary outcomes occur only when the complex array of conditions, challenges, and opportunities that define a problem are rigorously investigated and questioned from many viewpoints. Only through interdisciplinary collaboration is fresh thinking and unconventional design vision realized.
As the Japanese proverb says: “none of us is as smart as all of us!”
This LOI is the bold culmination of months of research, deliberation, and spirited debate among the BSA’s dedicated staff, its Board members, our consultants, and dozens of additional BSA professionals who volunteered their time and diverse expertise so we might better accommodate our chapter’s broader vision of civic engagement and education.
During the process, we reaffirmed what architects have always known: namely, that truly transformational decisions of enduring value are best achieved through a shared journey of informed discovery, and that extraordinary outcomes occur only when the complex array of conditions, challenges, and opportunities that define a problem are rigorously investigated and questioned from many viewpoints. Only through interdisciplinary collaboration is fresh thinking and unconventional design vision realized.
As the Japanese proverb says: “none of us is as smart as all of us!”
Friday, August 6, 2010
Just the Facts, Ma’am
It is sometimes difficult to separate fact from fiction when it comes to global warming. However, I just returned from a week of hiking in Glacier National Park in Montana and faced the facts firsthand.
Glacier was declared a national park in 1910, and at the time had nearly 150 glaciers. Today there are only about 25 remaining and those are meager compared to their former majesty. On the final day of my vacation, I completed a twelve mile hike to Grinnell Glacier on the east side of the continental divide. It was named for the man most responsible for Glacier’s designation as a national park, and it is still an impressive natural wonder. But I was dismayed when our guide showed us a series of five photographs of Grinnell Glacier, each taken from the same vantage point, but about 20 years apart. They revealed that Grinnell has lost more than 90% of its mass since the park was founded, and is now receding at an alarming rate. Scientists predict that at the current rate of melting, there will be no more glaciers whatsoever in the park within 20 years!
While climatologists acknowledge that the globe is probably in a natural cycle of warming, they broadly condemn man’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions which has artificially accelerated the rate of that warming.
Those are the facts.
Glacier was declared a national park in 1910, and at the time had nearly 150 glaciers. Today there are only about 25 remaining and those are meager compared to their former majesty. On the final day of my vacation, I completed a twelve mile hike to Grinnell Glacier on the east side of the continental divide. It was named for the man most responsible for Glacier’s designation as a national park, and it is still an impressive natural wonder. But I was dismayed when our guide showed us a series of five photographs of Grinnell Glacier, each taken from the same vantage point, but about 20 years apart. They revealed that Grinnell has lost more than 90% of its mass since the park was founded, and is now receding at an alarming rate. Scientists predict that at the current rate of melting, there will be no more glaciers whatsoever in the park within 20 years!
While climatologists acknowledge that the globe is probably in a natural cycle of warming, they broadly condemn man’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions which has artificially accelerated the rate of that warming.
Those are the facts.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
What Could Be Worse?
Some of you may have watched the one hour “special” the other night during which Lebron James revealed his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat basketball team. I did not, but I understand that it was American television at its worst.
The very next night, the story was national news and Diane Sawyer featured film clips of fan reaction from Cleveland. I was particularly struck by one young man who was utterly devastated and sobbed uncontrollably, declaring that “this is the worst thing that can happen ever happen to me in my whole life!”
The evening before Lebron’s revelation, I had the honor to act as auctioneer at TRO Jung|Brannen’s annual Pan Mass Challenge fund raiser for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. A guest from DFCI opened our event by sharing with us the story of her young son’s two year battle with cancer – a fight he lost a few years ago. She spoke of the extraordinary care of the medical staff and of her child’s determination and unyielding spirit.
I wish the young man from Cleveland had been there.
The very next night, the story was national news and Diane Sawyer featured film clips of fan reaction from Cleveland. I was particularly struck by one young man who was utterly devastated and sobbed uncontrollably, declaring that “this is the worst thing that can happen ever happen to me in my whole life!”
The evening before Lebron’s revelation, I had the honor to act as auctioneer at TRO Jung|Brannen’s annual Pan Mass Challenge fund raiser for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. A guest from DFCI opened our event by sharing with us the story of her young son’s two year battle with cancer – a fight he lost a few years ago. She spoke of the extraordinary care of the medical staff and of her child’s determination and unyielding spirit.
I wish the young man from Cleveland had been there.
Friday, June 11, 2010
A Good Call
The officiating of the Celtics Lakers NBA finals has been the hot topic on all the sports radio talk shows lately. It seems that the officials have made one bad call after another, upsetting players, coaches, and fans alike.
Well, yesterday morning I was on the receiving end of a call from one from our clients. A really good call……the kind every CEO likes to get. Their Director of Engineering was anxious to tell me what an extraordinary job our engineering design team had done for the hospital. TRO Jung|Brannen has been fortunate to have served this particular client for several decades and we are now completing the construction of a major bed tower project on campus. The Director was delighted to report that the hospital will be receiving a rebate of several hundred thousand dollars from the local utility company as a direct result of the energy conservation features in the design of our project. He mentioned the specific contributions of each member of our engineering staff and concluded by telling me that I had “an extraordinary team.”
The Celtics and Lakers should be so lucky!
Well, yesterday morning I was on the receiving end of a call from one from our clients. A really good call……the kind every CEO likes to get. Their Director of Engineering was anxious to tell me what an extraordinary job our engineering design team had done for the hospital. TRO Jung|Brannen has been fortunate to have served this particular client for several decades and we are now completing the construction of a major bed tower project on campus. The Director was delighted to report that the hospital will be receiving a rebate of several hundred thousand dollars from the local utility company as a direct result of the energy conservation features in the design of our project. He mentioned the specific contributions of each member of our engineering staff and concluded by telling me that I had “an extraordinary team.”
The Celtics and Lakers should be so lucky!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Oil and Water
The other day I attended a breakfast seminar and had the pleasure to listen to Jim Gordon, the CEO of Cape Wind, speak about his recently approved project which involves constructing 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound.
Not surprisingly, his proposed wind farm was strongly opposed by special interest groups who maintained that it would damage the fragile ocean environment, among other things. The regulatory review process took nine years to complete and cost Cape Wind millions of dollars. The Environmental Impact Report alone was 60,000 pages long!
Contrast that odyssey with the Interior Department Mineral Management Service’s review of British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig which exploded and sank 40 miles off the Louisiana coast on April 20 and is currently spewing thousands of barrels of oil each day into the Gulf of Mexico. BP was granted a “categorical exclusion” from the National Environmental Policy Act and was required to file an Environmental Impact Assessment that was only 17 pages long. Approval was granted in a matter of months, not years.
It should be evident to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that oil and water don’t mix. However, wind and water do.
Not surprisingly, his proposed wind farm was strongly opposed by special interest groups who maintained that it would damage the fragile ocean environment, among other things. The regulatory review process took nine years to complete and cost Cape Wind millions of dollars. The Environmental Impact Report alone was 60,000 pages long!
Contrast that odyssey with the Interior Department Mineral Management Service’s review of British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig which exploded and sank 40 miles off the Louisiana coast on April 20 and is currently spewing thousands of barrels of oil each day into the Gulf of Mexico. BP was granted a “categorical exclusion” from the National Environmental Policy Act and was required to file an Environmental Impact Assessment that was only 17 pages long. Approval was granted in a matter of months, not years.
It should be evident to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that oil and water don’t mix. However, wind and water do.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Common Sense Politics
Okay, I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but believe it or not there is a hearing today on Capitol Hill on a subject both parties can support.
A special House Financial Services Committee is hearing testimony today from design and construction professionals, among others, concerning the credit crisis which has resulted in the protracted delay of numerous construction projects and in the unprecedented employment decline of architects, engineers, and construction workers. In spite of the fact that our industry accounts for more than 11% of the country’s GDP, more than 25% of those working in our industry are currently unemployed.
The AIA recommends adoption of two bills that are targeted at reducing and resolving credit risk: The Capital Access for Main Street Act of 2010 {H.R. 5249}, and The Covered Bond Act of 2010 {H.R. 4884}. I sent letters today to Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown, as well as to my Representative, Stephen Lynch, urging their support of both legislative initiatives.
Thomas Paine would approve.
A special House Financial Services Committee is hearing testimony today from design and construction professionals, among others, concerning the credit crisis which has resulted in the protracted delay of numerous construction projects and in the unprecedented employment decline of architects, engineers, and construction workers. In spite of the fact that our industry accounts for more than 11% of the country’s GDP, more than 25% of those working in our industry are currently unemployed.
The AIA recommends adoption of two bills that are targeted at reducing and resolving credit risk: The Capital Access for Main Street Act of 2010 {H.R. 5249}, and The Covered Bond Act of 2010 {H.R. 4884}. I sent letters today to Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown, as well as to my Representative, Stephen Lynch, urging their support of both legislative initiatives.
Thomas Paine would approve.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Architect 50
Architect magazine just published its list of the top 50 architectural firms in the country, and TRO Jung|Brannen is ranked #46. Last year we were ranked #49.
On May 27, 2009 I posted a blog and commented favorably about Architect magazine’s inaugural list and their unusual approach to ranking the overall quality of firms by a balanced evaluation of three metrics: profitability, sustainable practices, and design awards. On the surface, I still like the concept; but there are flaws.
First, the profit evaluation is biased to favor firms that outsource a large percentage of their gross fees. Net revenue per employee, not gross revenue, is the more meaningful profitability figure. Second, the design metric considers only awards for the current year rather than a more balanced perspective of design recognition over a longer period of time, say three years. Finally, the results from 2010 are quite inconsistent with those of 2009, despite the magazine’s insistence that the differences are “not dramatic.” For example, William Rawn – ranked #1 in 2009 – is ranked #50 in 2010; and, Rafael Vignoly – ranked #4 in 2009 – didn’t even make the top 100 this year! Such wild swings are hard to rationalize and may make the rankings appear capricious to some.
That having been said, I am delighted that TRO Jung|Brannen is considered by Architect magazine to be among the best firms in the country. On that point, I certainly agree.
On May 27, 2009 I posted a blog and commented favorably about Architect magazine’s inaugural list and their unusual approach to ranking the overall quality of firms by a balanced evaluation of three metrics: profitability, sustainable practices, and design awards. On the surface, I still like the concept; but there are flaws.
First, the profit evaluation is biased to favor firms that outsource a large percentage of their gross fees. Net revenue per employee, not gross revenue, is the more meaningful profitability figure. Second, the design metric considers only awards for the current year rather than a more balanced perspective of design recognition over a longer period of time, say three years. Finally, the results from 2010 are quite inconsistent with those of 2009, despite the magazine’s insistence that the differences are “not dramatic.” For example, William Rawn – ranked #1 in 2009 – is ranked #50 in 2010; and, Rafael Vignoly – ranked #4 in 2009 – didn’t even make the top 100 this year! Such wild swings are hard to rationalize and may make the rankings appear capricious to some.
That having been said, I am delighted that TRO Jung|Brannen is considered by Architect magazine to be among the best firms in the country. On that point, I certainly agree.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Inspiring People
I spoke with the staff of the Boston Business Journal today and it is with great pride that I share this news: TRO Jung|Brannen is among this year’s winners of the “Best Places to Work in Greater Boston”. We are one of twenty firms that were selected in their mid-sized company category and the only architectural firm among all the winners in all categories! The top firms in each category will be announced on June 11.
Nearly 500 firms in Greater Boston were nominated for consideration, and the BBJ conducted surveys of employees to evaluate each company based on various metrics such as trust, communication, and work/life balance. More than 90% of our employees took the time to respond to the BBJ’s evaluation survey and it is their enthusiasm for our firm that made the difference.
I feel privileged to work with such extraordinary people.
Nearly 500 firms in Greater Boston were nominated for consideration, and the BBJ conducted surveys of employees to evaluate each company based on various metrics such as trust, communication, and work/life balance. More than 90% of our employees took the time to respond to the BBJ’s evaluation survey and it is their enthusiasm for our firm that made the difference.
I feel privileged to work with such extraordinary people.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Relief Pitching
Keeping with the spirit of the new baseball season, here is my “pitch” for economic relief. The new economic development bill (S.2331) that is making its way through the Massachusetts legislature enjoys the backing of both the Senate President and the House Speaker and is, therefore, very likely to be enacted during this legislative session. This bill makes good economic sense for the Commonwealth.
Among its many provisions, under Section 61, is the establishment of a Health and Educational Facility Authority: a nine member group appointed by the Governor and charged with the responsibility of issuing revenue bonds to facilitate the design and construction of much needed projects among the Commonwealth’s not-for-profit institutions providing higher education and healthcare to our citizens.
During this recession, architects have watched helplessly as many of our not-for-profit clients struggled in vain to find adequate financing in a climate of increasingly tight credit. This bill addresses that problem and I hope that it will serve as a model for other states looking to stimulate their design and construction industries.
This bill is a home run!!
Among its many provisions, under Section 61, is the establishment of a Health and Educational Facility Authority: a nine member group appointed by the Governor and charged with the responsibility of issuing revenue bonds to facilitate the design and construction of much needed projects among the Commonwealth’s not-for-profit institutions providing higher education and healthcare to our citizens.
During this recession, architects have watched helplessly as many of our not-for-profit clients struggled in vain to find adequate financing in a climate of increasingly tight credit. This bill addresses that problem and I hope that it will serve as a model for other states looking to stimulate their design and construction industries.
This bill is a home run!!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Wake Up, Boston!
It’s time that Boston cultural leaders wake up to the fact that we are rapidly losing our passion for the arts.
This Friday’s edition of The Boston Globe featured a page one story entitled “Another Jewel Lost in the Greenway Crown.” It lamented the demise of the New Center for Arts and Culture, a proposed centerpiece of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and attributed its failing to the moribund economy. Like other cultural facilities planned for the Greenway, such as the Boston Museum and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Garden Under Glass, the New Center was unable to raise sufficient funds to bring its noble vision to reality.
In this Sunday’s Boston Globe, Dushko Petrovich issued a compelling wake-up call, characterizing Boston’s art scene as “fragmented” and “complacent”…he even called it sleepy! ”If Boston took the initiative”, Petrovich said, “if its political and cultural leaders got behind the idea, it could make itself into a real engine for the creative life”.
This brings me to the opportunity that the Boston Society of Architects is now considering, namely the relocation of its offices and the opening of a museum for Design and Architecture at the new Russia Wharf building on the Fort Point Channel. A task force is currently studying the proposal and the Board will thoroughly vet the subject in the coming weeks. This Tuesday evening at 6PM, during an open forum at BSA headquarters on Broad Street, the membership has been invited to air their views on the proposal and contribute their suggestions. I would encourage all interested BSA members to attend. To use Petrovich’s words, this could be the BSA’s “moment of opportunity” to play a role the cultural and artistic renaissance of our city.
Let’s not be caught napping.
This Friday’s edition of The Boston Globe featured a page one story entitled “Another Jewel Lost in the Greenway Crown.” It lamented the demise of the New Center for Arts and Culture, a proposed centerpiece of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and attributed its failing to the moribund economy. Like other cultural facilities planned for the Greenway, such as the Boston Museum and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Garden Under Glass, the New Center was unable to raise sufficient funds to bring its noble vision to reality.
In this Sunday’s Boston Globe, Dushko Petrovich issued a compelling wake-up call, characterizing Boston’s art scene as “fragmented” and “complacent”…he even called it sleepy! ”If Boston took the initiative”, Petrovich said, “if its political and cultural leaders got behind the idea, it could make itself into a real engine for the creative life”.
This brings me to the opportunity that the Boston Society of Architects is now considering, namely the relocation of its offices and the opening of a museum for Design and Architecture at the new Russia Wharf building on the Fort Point Channel. A task force is currently studying the proposal and the Board will thoroughly vet the subject in the coming weeks. This Tuesday evening at 6PM, during an open forum at BSA headquarters on Broad Street, the membership has been invited to air their views on the proposal and contribute their suggestions. I would encourage all interested BSA members to attend. To use Petrovich’s words, this could be the BSA’s “moment of opportunity” to play a role the cultural and artistic renaissance of our city.
Let’s not be caught napping.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Hot Pants
In November, 2009, TRO Jung|Brannen and YRM announced the formation of Nuclear Design Partnership {NDP} – a professional collaboration which combines the skills, strengths, and experience of our two international design firms. NDP offers a broad range of design services to address the entire lifecycle of the development of nuclear energy facilities, from master planning to decommissioning.
Just the other day I had the opportunity, with eight other NDP professionals, to tour one of New England’s most prominent nuclear energy stations; and, I ran into a bit of a problem. Not surprisingly, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has very strict protocols governing security and safety. The primary goal of regulators and owners alike is to operate the plant with minimal risk to the public, visitors, and staff, and they do a very thorough job of it. As a result, the safety briefings and scanning procedures are both rigorous and time-consuming, both when you enter the facility and when you leave.
In our case, we encountered no difficulties with our initial screening process or during the tour itself; the problem occurred as we were leaving the radiation control area and I was subjected to a final full body screening to detect radon particles. It seems that I had worn the kind of cheap synthetic pants that tend to create static electricity, and the static had attracted an unacceptably high amount of radon to my pant legs. In short, I had “hot pants.” To make matters worse, the control officer said that I couldn’t leave the facility until the radon readings diminished. “How long will that take?” I asked. “Oh, not long,” he replied. After standing in front of a fan for twenty minutes, we took a second reading, then a third…..then a fourth. All “hot.” After more than an hour, and a total of twelve failed tests later, I had visions of spending the rest of the night there until my pants “cooled off,” so I offered to throw my pants in the trash and exit in my underwear. But, apparently the NRC frowns on that sort of thing.
Obviously, since I am now writing this blog post, I am happily back in my office thanks to the kindly intervention of a safety supervisor who put me through an alternative screening process and gave me my “get out of jail free” card.
But, for some reason, no one in the office will come near me!
Just the other day I had the opportunity, with eight other NDP professionals, to tour one of New England’s most prominent nuclear energy stations; and, I ran into a bit of a problem. Not surprisingly, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has very strict protocols governing security and safety. The primary goal of regulators and owners alike is to operate the plant with minimal risk to the public, visitors, and staff, and they do a very thorough job of it. As a result, the safety briefings and scanning procedures are both rigorous and time-consuming, both when you enter the facility and when you leave.
In our case, we encountered no difficulties with our initial screening process or during the tour itself; the problem occurred as we were leaving the radiation control area and I was subjected to a final full body screening to detect radon particles. It seems that I had worn the kind of cheap synthetic pants that tend to create static electricity, and the static had attracted an unacceptably high amount of radon to my pant legs. In short, I had “hot pants.” To make matters worse, the control officer said that I couldn’t leave the facility until the radon readings diminished. “How long will that take?” I asked. “Oh, not long,” he replied. After standing in front of a fan for twenty minutes, we took a second reading, then a third…..then a fourth. All “hot.” After more than an hour, and a total of twelve failed tests later, I had visions of spending the rest of the night there until my pants “cooled off,” so I offered to throw my pants in the trash and exit in my underwear. But, apparently the NRC frowns on that sort of thing.
Obviously, since I am now writing this blog post, I am happily back in my office thanks to the kindly intervention of a safety supervisor who put me through an alternative screening process and gave me my “get out of jail free” card.
But, for some reason, no one in the office will come near me!
Stunning
Until now I have been too stunned to comment on the recent election of Scott Brown to the United States Senate. But I regained my senses when I read Joan Vennochi’s OP-ED piece in the Boston Globe earlier this week. She suggested that he got elected, in part, because of his good looks!
I asked myself if it is possible that the American voting public is so shallow that they will actually vote for someone based on their looks. Then I recalled the 1960 Presidential debate between Richard Nixon and JFK. Polls taken immediately after the debate showed that voters who listened only to the radio broadcast thought that Nixon won the debate, while those who watched on television thought that JFK won. It seems that JFK’s good looks may have, indeed, influenced the voters…….and you’ll have to admit that Nixon was sweaty and badly in need of a shave!
But in the Brown–Coakley campaign was the outcome really a reflection of superficiality over substance as Joan seems to be suggesting? I don’t think so. But, I will acknowledge that her argument reminded me of a line from the famous children’s book, The Little Prince, written many years ago by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. In it, the Little Prince befriends a fox, who shares his secret: “everything essential is invisible to the eye”.
Only time will tell if the stunning Senator-Elect has the substance to lead effectively.
I asked myself if it is possible that the American voting public is so shallow that they will actually vote for someone based on their looks. Then I recalled the 1960 Presidential debate between Richard Nixon and JFK. Polls taken immediately after the debate showed that voters who listened only to the radio broadcast thought that Nixon won the debate, while those who watched on television thought that JFK won. It seems that JFK’s good looks may have, indeed, influenced the voters…….and you’ll have to admit that Nixon was sweaty and badly in need of a shave!
But in the Brown–Coakley campaign was the outcome really a reflection of superficiality over substance as Joan seems to be suggesting? I don’t think so. But, I will acknowledge that her argument reminded me of a line from the famous children’s book, The Little Prince, written many years ago by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. In it, the Little Prince befriends a fox, who shares his secret: “everything essential is invisible to the eye”.
Only time will tell if the stunning Senator-Elect has the substance to lead effectively.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Year's Resolutions
Each January, as the New Year dawns, I reflect on what transpired during the previous twelve months and make earnest vows of self-improvement for the coming months. We all do this, I suppose, and sometimes we even stick to our resolutions for a while – I actually didn’t eat any French fries for an entire month last year!
Anyway, as I was writing mine down I recalled a video I had watched the previous day of my sister-in-law’s recent wedding. In the video her new husband reads a poem to her in which he makes several vows, among them this one; ”to make our own rainbows.” So, at the considerable risk of plagiarism, I’d suggest that we put that one at the top of our lists for 2010. Let’s all create as many rainbows as possible every day - in our work, our marriages, our friendships, and in ourselves.
I liked it so much that I scratched off all the other resolutions I had, including the one about French fries.
Anyway, as I was writing mine down I recalled a video I had watched the previous day of my sister-in-law’s recent wedding. In the video her new husband reads a poem to her in which he makes several vows, among them this one; ”to make our own rainbows.” So, at the considerable risk of plagiarism, I’d suggest that we put that one at the top of our lists for 2010. Let’s all create as many rainbows as possible every day - in our work, our marriages, our friendships, and in ourselves.
I liked it so much that I scratched off all the other resolutions I had, including the one about French fries.
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