RAIC Alberta Sponsorships

The RAIC Alberta Chapter was a proud sponsor of the Structures Preparation Course organized by the Alberta Association of Architects and conducted by Prof. David Thaddeus in Calgary from May 25-27.

Over 52 Intern Architects signed up for the course, designed to assist in writing the NCARB exams covering General Structures and Lateral Forces.

The session also presented the opportunity to share information on the RAIC, its Alberta Chapter, the benefits of membership, and application procedures (PDF links).

Annual Report Presented

The RAIC’s Regional Director for Alberta/NWT, Len Rodrigues and Alberta Chapter Chairperson Samuel Oboh attended the OAA / RAIC 2007 Conference and Festival of Architecture in Toronto from May 9 -12.

The first Annual Report of the RAIC Alberta Chapter was presented to the RAIC Board of Directors by Len Rodrigues during the festival. The theme for the festival was The next 100 years: Healthy Buildings, Healthy Communities. Highlights of the festival included festivities to celebrate the centennial of the RAIC; Celebration of Excellence - OAA / RAIC Awards Ceremony; RAIC College of Fellows Convocation featuring Francine Houben and Arthur Ferrari (from RAIC Alberta) who was elected into the RAIC 2007 College of fellows.

A copy of the RAIC Alberta Chapter Annual Report is available as a PDF download from this site.

RAIC Alberta Member Watch

The RAIC Alberta Chapter would like to officially recognize and congratulate Vivian Manasc, FRAIC and Arthur Ferrari, FRAIC. Vivian Manasc, FRAIC has completed a successful tenure as National President of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for 2006 – 2007. Congratulations are also extended to Arthur Ferrari, FRAIC for his investiture into the RAIC College of Fellows.

Speak Up on Land Use

The Alberta Government is holding a series of public consultation sessions over the next two weeks as part of the development of a Land-use Framework for the province. From the Press Release:

“A Land-use Framework will provide the context, overall direction and decision-making framework to govern and manage land use in the province. It will guide land-use decisions on all land, except federal such as national parks and Indian reserves. The framework is intended to meet Albertans’ long-term social and economic goals based on good environmental management.”

To obtain more info including dates and times for the public sessions please visit this link.

Stamps of Approval

Canada Post has marked the centennial of the RAIC through an issue of four special stamps celebrating architectural excellence in Canada. Two of the four buildings released on May 9 are from Alberta.

The RAIC Alberta Chapter congratulates Douglas Cardinal for St Mary’s Church in Red Deer and Arthur Erickson for the University of Lethbridge - both buildings are significant architectural icons, not only for the province of Alberta but for the entire country.

For more information see Canada Post’s Press Release.

Urban Design Awards Update

The Edmonton Urban Design Award Committee has been formed and is working in earnest on preparations for the event. The committee is made up of Architects, Urban designers/Planners and Landscape Architects from the City of Edmonton. The Committee had it’s inaugural meeting on Friday, May 4 2007 at Manasc Isaac Architects office in Edmonton. The next meeting of the Committee will be held on the 14th of May 2007 at IBI Group Architects office in Edmonton.