AIA New Jersey
Mark Your CalendarsThe 2016 AIANJ State Convention (Design Conference) is in planning for October 20th at the The Palace in Somerset, NJ
The full day event will have tours, keynote speakers, continuing education course, the annual Design Awards, and a Student Design Competition. Save the date on your calendars now, more information and registration information to follow.
Earlier this month a story broke out of California from Fox News on two people who posed as licensed engineers and using stolen software, drew up plans for homes, apartments, commercial properties and strip malls in at least 56 cities in Southern California since 2003. These two men worked for a Professional Engineering firm and were “moonlighting” and were even poaching clients of the firm that employed them, which is what eventually led to the demise of their illegal actions. “There has never been a case involving alleged engineering fraud of this magnitude”, was a quote from the Detective on the case, who further was quoted saying,“ we just don’t know if the houses are safe, unsafe or suitable for habitation”.
I have spent many of my years as the Chair of the Licensing Subcommittee on the AIANJ Legislative & Government Affairs Committee, and throughout that time received communication from many members about people practicing architecture illegally in their community and what AIANJ would do about it. When I explained that it was their individual responsibility as a Registered Architect in NJ to report to the State Board of Architects of said illegal practice, the members were not willing to act. Why? Well in most cases they were afraid of some kind of repercussions. What repercussions could be worse than the effects that illegal practice has on our profession? Cheaper fees, sub-par services including construction without supervision, etc. I have said to each and every person who talks to me about this subject that it is OUR responsibility to police OUR industry. I personally submitted a complaint against a “designer” who proudly displayed their lawn sign, proudly marketed their services on their Facebook page with testimonials from clients and proudly presented themselves as an Architect. It was the lawn sign that told me the person was not a registered architect and led me to check with the State Board of Architects website and voila, no license! The designer gave all the necessary evidence through their Facebook page and website for me to use against them. I submitted a complaint to the State Board of Architects and a couple months later received a copy of the findings of the Board, which resulted in over $9,000 in fines. But the fines were not only levied against the designer, but against the registered Architect who signed and sealed the plans.
There is no doubt in my mind that there are tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars lost to the illegal practice of architecture here in NJ. The people practicing illegally are employees who are moonlighting, designers who went to architecture school but just don’t want to commit to the licensing process, design-builders, contractors, the list goes on. AIANJ is committed to take this problem on by way of educating the public about illegal practice and the dangers of those people who are posing as registered Architects. This subject is very important to the organization, but we cannot do this alone. We need our members to act vigilantly and report illegal activity to the State Board of Architects by filing a complaint. The form is very simple and takes 15 minutes to complete. I am also providing a link to a AIANJ Blog article on this subject providing more detailed information on filing a complaint.
We must all understand that the real repercussions by not filing a complaint are allowing those who are practicing illegally to continue to do so and to have a direct impact against our businesses and livelihoods. Once we take this seriously, we will begin to elevate the Value of the Architect.
Justin A. Mihalik, AIA
AIA New Jersey 2016 President
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by David Del Vecchio, AIA
AIANJ Legislative & Government Affairs Chair (L&GA)
A2023 was signed into law in New Jersey on January 11, 2016. The bill revises the definition of “responsible charge” as it pertains to licensed professional engineers and land surveyors. AIA New Jersey requested amendments to include architects along with the professional engineers and land surveyors included in the original language.
The original bill sought to revise the standard of supervision a professional engineer or land surveyor must give to individuals whose work affects the quality and competence of the professional services of the building design professional. More specifically, the bill would change the definition of “responsible charge” as it pertains to architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, or land surveying work.
The bill defines “responsible charge” to mean the providing of oversight by a competent building design professional by means calculated to provide personal direction to, and quality control over, the efforts of subordinates of the licensee which directly and materially affects the quality and competence of the professional services rendered by the licensee.
The bill amends a section of law that currently lists various acts or practices engaged in by a licensed closely allied professionals that are deemed to be acts or practices in which that licensee has not rendered proper supervision.
The bill removes from this enumerated list of acts or practices contained in current law reference to the regular and continuous absence from principal office premises from which professional services are rendered, except for performance of field work or presence in a field office maintained exclusively for a specific project.
AIA New Jersey Legislative Committee was successful in having the bill amended to revise the definition of “responsible charge,” as it relates to engineers and architects, to mean the provision of regular and effective supervision by a competent professional engineer or architect, as the case may be, who shall provide personal direction to, and quality control over, the efforts of subordinates of the licensee which directly and materially affects the quality and competence of the professional services rendered by the licensee.
The amendments specify that a licensee engaged in the rendering of a limited, cursory or perfunctory review of plans or projects in lieu of providing sufficient direction to, and quality control over, the efforts of subordinates of the licensee shall be deemed not to have rendered regular and effective supervision. Plan stamping is still plan stamping.
So while the bill allows building design professionals to provide personal direction and quality control to staff not located in the same office location, it maintains the prohibition Plan Stamping.
We are often asked what is the value of AIA membership. There are many things that can be listed as an answer, however the bigger truth is we can’t do any thing without the participation of our members. Make a difference in your profession. Become involved in your AIA.
AIANJ is looking for members who are interested in serving in officer positions for 2017. Every year an election is held to fill a number of these volunteer positions, this year the following are available:
2017 OFFICERS POSITIONS
– Treasurer (2 year term)
– 2nd Vice President (1 year term)
– 1st Vice President (1 year term)
– President Elect (1 year term)
– Regional Representative (3 year term)
This is an excellent opportunity to have a voice in the workings of an organization that builds and sustains the VALUE OF THE ARCHITECT.
The following 2017 Officer positions are multi-year terms and will continue to be held by previously elected terms:
President – Ben Lee, AIA
(Current President-Elect position)
Past President – Justin Mihalik, AIA
(Current President position)
Brandon Warshofsky, Assoc. AIA – Regional Associate Director
(First year of a 2 year term)
If you have not heard the AIA Convention is across the river this year.
Explore Philly
There’s a lot to love – home to Grace Kelly, Rocky Balboa, and South Philly’s Italian Market, PHL is more than a cracked bell. This May, 500+ sessions and thousands of architect and design professionals will come to visit Philly’s 100+ neighborhoods packed with personalities, flavors, and places to love.
Register today !
KSS Architects Awarded Two AIA New Jersey Service Awards
The New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIANJ) held their annual Awards Dinner Saturday, January 30th, presenting Service Awards to two KSS architects in recognition of their individual accomplishments that have provided distinguished service to the profession and to the Society.
Kyle Rendall, AIA, was named 2015 AIA NJ Young Architect of the Year, reflecting his dedicated professional and community achievements. Kyle attended the New Jersey Institute of Technology where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. Long before that, however, Kyle was proving his dedication to the practice of architecture, participating in his first internship in middle school. By the time he graduated from high school, Kyle was independently meeting with clients and running projects through schematic design and design development for a high-end residential firm in Hopewell, New Jersey.
Now an associate at KSS, where he has worked for six years, Kyle has contributed to the growth of the firm’s focus on PreK-12 education, taking a lead role in construction administration phases of team projects such as a mixed-use housing building for Teachers Village and an urban high school for KIPP NJ, and actively participating in marketing for future work.
Kyle’s dedication extends far beyond the office. Throughout his young career, Kyle has placed great emphasis on the belief that in order to live to the fullest within a community one must give back. Whether volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in Trenton and Newark, procuring and carrying out pro bono projects, or serving as the Captain of the Princeton Fire Department, Kyle continually pushes the envelope of what it means to be a good architect.
“Kyle’s wonderful combination of expertise and community service has made him an integral part of KSS’s team,” said Merilee Meacock, KSS Partner. “Kyle’s architectural knowledge of construction techniques for complex, sophisticated building types has been invaluable, and his dedicated community service and drive to complete pro-bono work strongly reflects KSS’s mission of meaningful change. We believe he is very well-deserving of AIA NJ’s Young Architect of the Year Award.”
Alicia Weaver, Assoc. AIA, was named 2015 AIA NJ Intern Architect of the Year. From an early age, Alicia kindled a passion for art and architecture, sketching Disney movie covers and building tree forts. A crystallizing moment arose when Alicia watched her father construct an addition to her childhood home, and she became determined to become an architect.
While participating in the East Asia Study Abroad program at the University of Florida, Alicia built a strong recognition of the transformation through various engagements between traditional and modern architecture. Specifically focusing on the rapid urbanization of China and its effects on the building industry, Alicia’s work became her honors thesis, earning her magna cum laude upon graduation with a Bachelor of Design in 2008.
At KSS, Alicia has contributed to several projects, leading the project team for the STS Distribution Center and Headquarters, implementing KSS’s first project with Building Information Modeling (BIM), and administering the LEED Silver Coca Cola Distribution Center and Headquarters. As co-leader of the firm’s Sustainability Practice Group, Alicia shares her expertise in firm-wide presentations and seeks to uncover the potential and experience of her peers.
Dedicated to the future of architecture, Alicia also leads the Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program at Hightstown High School, empowering high school students to pursue careers in ACE fields.
“Tenacity is the word that comes to mind when I think about Alicia,” said Ed Klimek, KSS Partner. “She has the courage to apply herself with full energy in all she does, whether it be design, working with contractors in the field, leading the ACE Mentorship program at KSS, or even snow boarding! Collaborating with Alicia always leaves you energized and excited about the work accomplished together.”
AIA New Jersey 