CAJ to Host Conference on Securing the Nation’s Critical Infrastructures
Hold the date:
September 16–18 in Washington, D.C.
The AIA Committee on Architecture for Justice will co-host the second annual Congress on Infrastructure Security for the Built Environment (ISBE) September 16–18 in Washington, D.C. The ISBE conference format provides an opportunity for contractors, engineers, architects, and allied professions involved with designing, protecting, and securing the nation’s critical infrastructures to share knowledge and work together to define and develop an appropriate built world for future generations of Americans. The conference is in conjunction with The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) annual meeting. TISP is an organization formed as a direct response to the events of September 11, includes the AIA and 170 other public and private-sector groups whose expertise has a direct impact on the future security of America’s built infrastructure. See next week’s AIArchitect for more details.

Department of Interior Adds 18 Historic Landmarks
Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton designated 18 properties as National Historic Landmarks—spanning the gamut from two Frank Lloyd Wright houses to Elvis’ Memphis recording studio—at a Washington, D.C., ceremony July 31. Wright’s contributions to the list include his 1936 Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House, Madison, first house to reflect his ideas of “Usonian” architecture, and the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs Second House, Middleton, Wis., his only solar house. Read on for a complete list.

Stressful Buildings: Does Architecture Make Us Sick?
Over the past century, the physical effects that buildings can have on people have become more apparent. A body of scientific data and preventive guidelines has emerged to create the discipline of ergonomics, and repetitive motion syndrome, height-adjustable chairs, and keyboard wrist supports have became a part of the vocabulary of design professionals, especially those who plan for corporate offices. Chuck First, AIA, focuses this article on the psychological impact of stress and how buildings can either increase or reduce stress levels.

Three Approaches for Introducing Architecture to Young People
To give students interested in design and architecture an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and creativity, a California architect has organized a design competition open to all high-school students in Santa Barbara County. Further east, a Colorado architect is helping to develop Web-based educational resources for grades K–12 that teach critical concepts through a focus on architecture. And a practitioner and professor in Washington, D.C., found his bliss introducing elementary-school kids to the built environment.

Project watch
Wisconsin Residence Hall Gets New Lease on Life
The residents and staff of Bethesda Lutheran Home Services Inc., Watertown, Wis., will soon enjoy completion of the first of a four-phase, $45 million–$50 million plan to modernize and redesign their living complex, thanks to Eppstein Uhen Architects and The Bentley Company, both headquartered in Milwaukee. Updating the outmoded, dark, institutional-feeling residence halls, all built between 1950 and 1970, topped the list of design team and client concerns.

Your Kiplinger Connection (members only)
AIArchitect offers AIA members exclusive access to three stories a week to help them manage their practices and plan for the coming year. (Nonmembers may subscribe to The Kiplinger Letter.)
The Economy: The economic recovery is wobbly, but getting stronger. Energy: A new energy bill in Congress is a certainty this year. Conservation remains important. War on Terror: Counterfeit goods coming into the U.S. are financing terrorist activities. We’re in for a long and costly haul in Iraq.

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