Under the leadership of 2007 president Zigmund Rubel, the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of 
Architects (AIA) is focusing on integrated practice, virtual design, and building information modeling (BIM). The chapter has launched a new salon series, design award, and committee concentrating on the subjects.
Through the new program, Rubel, a principal at design firm Anshen+Allen in San Francisco, intends to increase awareness, information, and access on integrated practice, which is based on working collaboratively and sharing risk and reward in the design, construction, and fabrication process. Due to its team nature, efficiency is dependent on systems which streamline communication, such as building information modeling and project-based websites.
The salon series kicked off in March. A total of eight sessions, held the fourth Tuesday of the month, will tackle topics including case studies, alternative business models, future possibilities, and risk and cost aspects of integrated delivery. The series will also be available online.
The design award, implemented via a new category in the organization's established design awards program, honors collaborative project delivery teams using building information modeling as the medium for delivery. The first winners were announced April 19 at the AIA San Francisco Design Awards Gala: A piano studio by Cirque Architecture; the Camino Medical Group Mountain View Campus by Hawley Peterson & Snyder Architects; and the California Academy of Sciences by Renzo Piano Building Workshop.
The new committee will help develop salon programming and integrated practice educational material for members.
