AIA Michigan Newsletter
February 2014

Happy February!

2014 is a year of big changes for the AIA National, but we also have new developments here in Michigan that should be made known to the membership. This month I want to focus on the separation of AIA Michigan and AIA Detroit. Although AIA Michigan and AIA Detroit have been run separately for years, this year the AIA Detroit has moved out of the Beaubien House and into a different shared office space at DC3 

At the AIA National level, there have been developments with the Repostitioning Initiative and an invitation has been extended to all members to discuss current plans. Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, 2014 AIA President, Robert Ivy, FAIA, EVP/CEO, and Tina Litteral, Hon. AIA, 2014 CACE President, invite members to join them for a conversation about the progress of the AIA Repositioning Initiative. The next Town Hall call is Wednesday, March 26, 3-4pm ET and you can register to join in the conversation at www.aia.org/townhall.

My last update for the month concerns the Architecture Billings Index (ABI). After consecutive months of contracting demand for design services, there was a modest up tick in the ABI. The January ABI score was 50.4, up from a mark of 48.5 in December. This score reflects an increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The full report is also available to read here.

Welcome to our new members who joined, rejoined or transferred to 

AIA Michigan in January 2014:

• Date and title of event
• Estimated hours of continuing education (indicate HSW or LU)
• Cost associated with the event (if applicable) 

• Carl Roehling, FAIA, president & CEO of SmithGroupJJR, has been appointed to serve on the Joint Committee of the AIA and The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Roehling is also the 2014 Chair of the Mid Summer Conference committee, which is a collaboration of the AIA Michigan and the AGC of Michigan. To read the press release, click here.
• Kraemer Design Group, PLC has hired four new team members, including Laurie Frey Borer, AIA as a Project Architect. Congrats, Laurie!
• ROSSETTI has announced that Jonathon Disbrow, AIA, has been elevated to Associate of the firm by the Board of Directors. Congratulations, Jonathon! 
• ROSSETTI also annouced the hiring of Andrew Rudnycky, AIA, as Senior Technical Designer, Tom Stecker, AIA, as Technical Design Lead, and Bruno Lanni, Associate AIA, as Intermediate Designer.

• Visbeen Architects Inc., firm of Wayne Visbeen, AIA, won six "Best in American Living Awards" at the National Association of Home Builders' annual convention and exposition in Las Vegas held earlier this month. View the full press release here. 

• Gabe Alvey, AIA, is now with Diekema Hamann Architecture + Engineering and can be reached at galvey@dhae.com.

• Ed Pocock, AIA, is now at SmithGroupJJR and can be reached at edward.pocock@smithgroupjjr.com. Kristina Glusac, AIA, has also moved to SmithGroupJJR and can be reached at kristina.glusac@smithgroupjjr.com.

• Kathryn (Kathy) Lesniak passed away this month. Lesniak was the former President of the Michigan state association of the Women's Architectural League (WAL). She and husband John Lesniak, PA, were frequent Mid Summer Conference attendees and friends of many AIA Michigan members.

If you have changed firms, won an award, or have something to tell AIA Michigan, 

please email christine@aiami.com!

- March 5, 2014: Legislative Day (in partnership with AESLC), Lansing

- March 20-21, 2014: AIA Michigan Health Facilities Planning Seminar, Traverse City