They and their partners hosted a luncheon at the office to celebrate.

In the opening speech, on behalf of all the partners, Eric Sickbert said “We understand the importance of each of you in accomplishing what we are doing here at DLA. If it wasn’t for all of you doing what you do, with such excellence, we wouldn’t have the success that we had or have. Thanks go to everyone here. Each of you do matter in making DLA successful.”

The DLA Leadership Team also took the opportunity to recognize this year’s employee milestones:

Eric Kretschmer celebrated his 5 year anniversary last year on December 11.

Eric has been part of our elite team of licensed architects leading numerous difficult projects. Eric works with Crystal Lake School District, Mendota, Westminster and Cantigny Park. For each client Eric has delivered great service and successful projects.

An Illinois School Code expert, Eric took on U46 life safety surveys for all 50 + buildings and using his outstanding management abilities did an outstanding job; not a small task.

One of the most exciting projects Eric has completed was the Birnberg residence, a multimillion dollar internationally designed residence with unique and difficult details. In all his work, the final results are satisfied clients.

Shannon Baird celebrated her 10 year anniversary last year on April 29.

Shannon is a member of our exceptional team of architects.

One of her major accomplishments was a renovation project at one of the oldest, largest buildings in School District U46. It was a very successful project with everyone very pleased with the outcome of their working environment.

Since then she has taken the lead role on the teams for ECC and FRWRD. Those projects are going well, too. 

Wendy Covich celebrated her 15 year anniversary last year on October 28.

Wendy is a social media guru, a great asset to the marketing team and her personality and fresh ideas are always welcomed and greatly appreciated.

She has a unique, creative, perspective that pushes the envelope of our standard thinking and makes us pause and think.

That is always important; Bringing new and different ideas to the table is not only important to the marketing team but to all of our office.

Alex Romanovsky as of January reached his 15 years working with DLA.

Alex operates as our resident ER doctor of graphic design.

He is ready to take on any challenge at the drop of a hat and he is prepared to dig in and make sure he can do everything in his power to see that our best image is illustrated.

Often faced with deadlines or project schedules beyond his control, Alex handles it well and maintains his cool.

Matt Stoub will be working with us 5 years in May.

Matt is a skilled job captain with many talents. He excels in managing multiple projects with multiple architects giving him direction.

Matt is very dedicated and always willing to put in the extra effort to get a project out to meet the strenuous time schedules that we sometimes have. His documents and details provide limited questions in the field indicating his talent in producing details and creating excellent working drawings.

A key contributor in the DLA Social Committee, Matt ensures office events take off without a hitch and works to keep office morale high.

A rising star in the design area of architecture, Matt played a major role in the design of our new office, as well as the new offices for MAXIMUM Independent Brokerage.

Arturo Benitez will be working with us 5 years in July.

A member of our exceptional team of architects Arturo has a magical briefcase that carries the paper correspondence answer to any contractor or client question. He is amazingly organized and detail oriented which is evident by his clients’ accolades.

Arturo has been working almost exclusively at Ridgewood School District which has been necessary in order to manage the behemoth, multi-year, multi phased, inter-governmental project.

Through it all he has seen great success and Ridgewood truly enjoys working with him. His continued responsiveness to their needs is a great reflection on DLA.

Charmaine Lowe will be working with us 10 years in June.

A skilled job captain, Charmaine is extremely flexible, able to manage multiple projects with multiple architects that are asking for her time. Her abilities allow the architects she is working for, to sleep better at night knowing she is on their job.

She was part of the team on the Aurora Early Learning Center, giving that project her all.

Recently she has completed the Lockport East addition, working very hard to create a great set of working documents. You can’t ask for anything more than a set of tight working drawings that can hold up through the “line of fire” of the construction process. Charmaine’s drawings did an excellent job in accomplishing that.

Each of these talented individuals was recognized for their service to DLA. Those celebrating a 5 year anniversary received a key chain, a glass cube for the 10 year, and a clock for the 15 year anniversary. These gifts are a symbol that reflects to each employee that they have accomplished something important during their time here with DLA.

We’ve had a variety of professionals from the owners of the firm to the designers to our interns speak, and while we all focus on our own personal experience and the background that helped us get where we are, the thing we all have in common is an interest in learning and a passion for what we do.

It makes you think

Developing a talk about what you do for a living is a wonderful time to step back and take stock in the choices you made that brought you to this point in your career.

For an architect, the paths to licensure are fairly direct: college, then (most likely) grad school, then the structured IDP Training Program. By the time you’re licensed, you’ve dedicated ten years or more of your life to the pursuit of your career, longer if you take the time for military service or a family.

One of the things we emphasize to the students we speak to is that a career is really about the path you take.

It takes time to accomplish your goals, but having at least a general idea of where you want to end up will be your guide as you make the choices that result in your career.

It brings you down to earth

Speaking at Career Day can be challenging, and unless you have an especially exciting profession, a bit humbling. The challenge here is engaging the students and finding that connection that will keep them interested.

It’s important to have an outline of what you’ll discuss, but keep it simple. With any luck, there will be questions that take the conversation on interesting tangents. The more interactive, the better, but come prepared with stories that they can relate to.

We often discuss a project in the very building we’ll be talking in. Explaining how technically challenging it is to suspend a running track above a gymnasium and how the green roof next to it counteracts the forces of the load makes a whole lot more sense when you’re familiar with the space.

Students are often surprised at how the very math and physics classes they’re enrolled in really do arm them with skills that might apply to their job.

It pays it forward.

We might be experts now, but that wasn’t always the case. We’ve all been there. We’ve all had to decide what we wanted to be when we grow up.

Every student we speak to won’t be interested in following our career path. In fact, it’s possible that some of the students we speak to might have started keen on being an architect but, after hearing what the job really entails, run.  

But there is always the chance that one, just one, might catch that spark. They might be inspired to take that road less traveled. The exciting thing is, that they will know a little bit more about what to expect. They just might end up better prepared as they start that journey.

…and that is priceless.

What’s it all about?

Well, the way we talk about it is a great place to start; language can be a challenge because each of us might think a term has a different meaning. Three terms commonly used interchangeably in reference to the building and construction industry are Green Design (GreenBuilding), Sustainable Design (Sustainability) and High Performance Buildings. Definitions of these vary by who is defining them, for instance:

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines “GreenBuilding” as:

“The practice of maximizing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use resources – energy, water, and materials – while minimizing building impacts on human health and the environment, through the complete life cycle – from siting, design, and construction to operation, renovation and reuse.”

The US Green Building Council defines “Green Design” as:

“Design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and its occupants. This includes site planning, safeguarding water and the efficient use of water, promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy, conserving materials and resources, promoting indoor air quality for the benefit of current and future generations.”

The United Nation’s 1987 “Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development” (The Brundtland Principles) defined “Sustainable Development” as:

“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

In the book Cannibals with Forks, author John Elkington defines “Sustainable Development” as:

“The simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental quality, and social equity. Companies aiming for sustainability need to perform not against a single financial bottom line, but against this triple bottom line.”

The General Services Administration (GSA), in their publication The New Sustainable Frontier, takes a more global look at “Sustainability”:

“We must be aware of how our everyday decisions affect sustainability. Sustainable development isn’t just about good business and doing well by doing good, or even about personal virtue, it is about survival on this planet. Developing effective tools and strategies for survival requires an understanding of sustainability, and how we affect it through our everyday decisions.” 

Another common term is High Performance Green Building Design. It includes the integration of planning, site orientation, energy saving techniques, on-site renewable energy production, light reflective materials, natural daylight and ventilation, downsizing of building systems natural landscaping, water savings equipment, low maintenance materials or recycled construction materials, and smart building controls.

Whether the term is “Green”, “Sustainable”, or “High Performance”, the basic core values are the constant: tread lightly, be a good neighbor and don’t be a pig.

Each is about being a steward and a leader in the protection of the environment-at-large, energy conservation, and the quality of the indoor environment.

Photo credits:

• R0010602 by snapmatic

Values

“Maintaining strong values is the key to success in any field, chief among them is a solid work ethic.” – Cal Ripken Jr.

“Self-Discipline – Having purity of thought, being true to your values” – Source unknown

“Doing the right thing pays off.” – Source unknown

“The success of an organization is best measured by the quality of the people and organizations which it serves.” – Source Unknown

Passion

“In a game, nothing should be given away. The winner must be better and stronger and smarter. But most of all, he must be passionate. He must bleed love and spit fire.” – Warren Sapp, Tampa Bay Bucs

“Only you have the power within you – Just believe in yourself and the sea will part before you…” – Starlight Express (the musical)

“If only you use the power within you, needn’t beg the world to turn around and help you. If you draw on what you have within you, somewhere deep inside…” – Starlight Express (the musical)

“I am the Starlight. I can achieve – anything!” – Starlight Express (the musical)

“To be a winner, all you have to give is all that you have!” – Successories

“It’s my job, to be better than the best and that makes the day for me. Without it, I would be less – than what I expect of me.” – Mac McAnally, Jimmy Buffett

Dedication and Focus

“You miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take.” – Successories

“Regrets are a waste of time. They are the past crippling you in the present.” – Under the Tuscan Sun (the movie)

“This is a dream world, a dream life. But it only happens if you have the backbone and strength to do it.” – Andre Agassi

“Why have a vision?
Vision without action is merely a dream.
Action without vision just passes time.
Vision with action can change the world.” – Joel Barker

“Preparation makes you consistent. Consistency increases your value and makes you irreplaceable.” – Cal Ripkin Jr.

“Plan to fail, if you fail to plan.” – Mike Ditka

“Don’t just do what you have to – Do more than you need to.” – Source Unknown

“People can be divided into 3 groups:
Those who make things happen.
Those who watch things happen.
Those who wonder what happened.
Congratulations on being the captain of the first group!” – Source Unknown

“Climb above the noise and chaos to do the work that really matters.” – Source Unknown

“Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.” – Source Unknown

Commitment

“You always want to end on a high note, but I want to end knowing that I gave everything I had, and hopefully that the game was better because I was a part of it!” – Mia Hamm

(This is phrase that I use as my moral compass)

When I lecture on architectural theory, I often use the following quotes. It’s amazing the answers that I get when I ask who gave the quote. Generally, the most common answer is Frank Lloyd Wright. Who do you think said these quotes?

“Be still…My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought, cascading into a world of creative alternatives.”

“Be still…My mind is aglow with whirling transient nodes of thought careening through a cosmic vapor of invention.”

Give up? How about Hedley Lamarr, played by Harvey Korman, in the movie Blazing Saddles? I never thought of Harvey Korman as an architectural theorist!

Photo/video credits:

• Compass by Irina Patrascu

He and his daughter have hit the road to New Orleans. This is their second trip to help rebuild the Lower 9th Ward which was inundated with 12 feet of water after the levees broke during Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005. He helped rebuild 2 homes three years ago and this year they are working to complete a church in time for Easter this spring.

Believe it or not, after 6+ years there is still a great deal of work to do down there.  When he was last in the area, there was literally nothing left except foundations and a few homes that had been constructed by Brad Pitt. It will be interesting to see how much progress has been made in the last three years.

For those interested, there will be daily progress updates posted on the website www.restoretrinity.org  and the log for the mission trip he’s on is at http://www.restoretrinity.org/january-2012-mission-trips/jan-8-14-daily-log/.

When he returns, he’ll update the DLA Architects team on an overview of where things stand to date in NOLA and what progress has been made since he was last there.

Read more: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111007/news/710079811/#ixzz1a8Ii02EA

Excerpt from the article:

“We took something that was basically a couple of rectangular buildings and transformed them into a facility that meets the needs of today’s students,” said Paul Dawson, the college’s managing director of construction projects, in a news release. “This was a great accomplishment for our college.”

UPDATE

AIA Northeast Illinois 2011 Design Award Winner: Preservation / Adaptive Reuse – Merit in Architecture Elgin Community College Multi-Purpose Classroom Building…

ECC’s Multipurpose Classroom Building garners design award for … Chicago Sun-Times Sun-Times Media File Photo ECC-ECN-1111-001.jpg ELGIN — DLA Architects Ltd. has described the addition that turned two formerly light-industrial properties …

Architectural organization honors ECC for building design TribLocal The organization gave Itasca-based DLA Architects, which designed the building, … William Templin of Itasca-based DLA Architects said competition judges …

From the article in the Joliet Herald News:

“Our focus is on increased independence,” Barb Luoma, the transition house’s supervisor, said. “We need them to be as independent as possible.”
And what better place to learn than in a real-life setting. Otherwise, it would be like “teaching mechanics without a car,” Luoma said.

Read more:

Lincoln-Way Transition House helps give special-needs students a brighter future – Joilet Herald News.

So thinking about how both architecture and wine have a character, my tasting notes look at the varietal and compare them to an architecturally significant house design.

Like wine tasting in general, this is very subjective, so I’d love to hear your take on these wines, too.

Wine 1: 2010 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough.

My tasting notes are clean, crisp, citrus and refreshing.

To me this wine is all about the fruits, all about nature, much the same way Frank Lloyd Wright’s falling water house  is all about nature. Wright felt so passionately about the context of a building that he focused on integrating it into the landscape. He made it one with nature and certainly the crisp, refreshing characteristic of this wine is illustrated by the waterfall.

Wine Stats:  “92 points by Wine Spectator. Tangerine, mango and citrus flavors are pure and focused, smooth, round and wonderfully refreshing, with peach, Key lime pie, mineral and floral elements that really take off on the finish. Drink now.” via description at http://www.klwines.com/

Architecture stats:  Located in Mill Run Pennsylvania, built in 1935

Wine 2: La Crema Sonoma Coast 2009 Pinot Noir

My tasting notes are simple, spicy, smooth, sleek and sexy.

I love pinot noir; it has been my favorite wine for quite awhile.. incidentally, long before the movie Sideways. Anyway, pinot noir is a very hard grape to grow, but unlike many wines this is not a blend of grapes. It is all simply pinot noir, which is why I chose to pair it with the Farnsworth house by Mies Van der Rohe. 

It was an exercise in simplicity designed as a summer retreat for Dr. Farnsworth. It incorporated structural engineering that had not been done to date to accomplish the floating open plan that Mies was looking for.

This simple house has a lot of thought behind it, much the same way the pinot noir does. In fact Mies’ favorite part of the house was that you enter various terraces before you actually reach the level of the house. The entry was set that high to avoid the flooding from the nearby river but one could have easily chosen a simple direct stair instead, the architect wants you to slowly reach the top much the same way the pinot noir presents different tastes as you drink it.

Wine Stats:  “A perennial favorite, this Pinot Noir offers aromas of lush cherry and red plum, with subtle hints of black tea and cola. On the palate, flavors are ripe and elegant, centering on red cherry and spice with a touch of earthiness and dark chocolate. A rich, juicy mid-palate and vivid acidity lead to plush tannins on the finish. The result is a fabulous, appealing food wine” via description at www.cityspiritsdenver.com

Architecture Stats:  House was built in 1951 in Plano, Illinois.

Wine 3: Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec 2008

My tasting notes are big, bold, strong, velvety, hints of expresso with a lingering finish.

To me this wine has a “wow!” factor – it’s something that is out there. I chose to pair it with Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Batllo simply because it is big and bold project that really embodies what Gaudi is all about.

He is famous for continuing to design during construction and this wine certainly achieves that with the lingering finish. This piece of architecture pushes the limits of the building materials: stone reveals itself as soft and organic. The same holds true for the wine; it is big and lively, yet polished. The hints of espresso also take me back to mornings in Spain.

Wine Stats:  In Winespectator’s top 100 wines of 2010 and earned 90 points from Wine Spectator. “Very ripe and primal still, delivering a large core of velvety textured raspberry, fig and boysenberry fruit that is liberally laced with dark toast, pastis and roasted vanilla. Should settle in nicely with modest cellaring, as the structure is dense, but polished and integrated. Drink now through 2011.” via description at www.wine-king.com

Architecture Stats:  Built in 1906, Barcelona, Spain.

Have you sampled the wines? Or the designs? What are your impressions?

Photo/video credits:

• “More red wine please” by Gajen Indrakumaran on Flickr.com
• “Rolling River at Falling Water” by Karen Blumberg on Flickr.com
• “Farnsworth House” by Christopher Macsurak on Flickr.com
• “Casa Batlló Facade” by Son of Groucho on Flickr.com

So why wine and architecture – what do the 2 have in common?

• Architecture is a culture frozen in time much the same way wine is, wine is influenced by everything that is happening while those grapes are growing and architecture is the same way.
• They both continue to live and give pleasure to people long after they are created.
• They are subjective, someone might say that a building (or a wine) is bold and sexy and someone else might just say they hate it.
• They are fragile and must be maintained correctly or they will be ruined.
• They both have the potential to be priceless works of art.
• They can be paired with other things to compliment them.. or fight them.
• They can be Famous.

So let me tell you a good wine story…

A client of mine had been telling me that she was saving this bottle of a good wine that she had purchased in an auction to celebrate a 30 million dollar grant they had received. I really didn’t think much of it until the day a group of us sat down for lunch and she unveiled the bottle of wine to us.

Have you ever heard of Chateau Lafite Rothschild? It’s known as the Kings Wine at the French Court and has been for centuries. I really knew little about this wine other than the fact that it was rare and had never crossed my lips. Well it turns out this particular bottle of wine was older than I was, it was born in 1964 and the estimated value of the bottle was $1000! After it breathed for awhile, this was truly the most amazing wine I had ever tasted, but I couldn’t help but think “wow, what was happening in 1964.. what was going on that year?” It was like a walk back in time.

That is the same way I feel about architecture when I walk through a building, what was the architect thinking, what was happening in the world when this building was built? All these circumstances affected the outcome.. which brings me to the idea of a tasting and comparison of some “famous houses” to wine. No, there is no Chateau Lafite here today, but I highly recommend it if you have the chance.

To play along, you’ll want to head to the store to pick up the three wines on this shopping list. Once you have them, sample each of the varietals and take note of your impressions.

• Wine 1: 2010 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
• Wine 2: La Crema Sonoma Coast 2009 Pinot Noir
• Wine 3: Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec 2008

Photo credits:

• “Vino Venue reflection” by karlsbad on Flickr.com
• “Pour me some wine please!” by yashima on Flickr.com