Monday - November 28, 2016 AIA NM 2016 Grassroots Conference | Advocacy & Architecture in New Mexico Don’t miss out – register for the Friday, Dece

   
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Monday - November 28, 2016

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AIA NM 2016 Grassroots Conference | Advocacy & Architecture in New Mexico

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Don’t miss out – register for the Friday, December 9th conference (2.5 LU/HSW) – 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm.

For full details go to www.aianewmexico.org or call 505.328.3969.

Registration:
$45 for AIA NM members, $75 for non-members

Deadline for registration is by midnight, Wednesday, Dec. 7th.

Locations:

In person at -
Associated Contractors of NM, 6135 Edith NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107

By webinar in Santa Fe -
AIA Santa Fe Office, 444 Galisteo St., Santa Fe, NM 87501

OR

By webinar in Las Cruces -
ASA Architects, 201 N. Alameda, Las Cruces, NM 88004

Join us for a presentation and roundtable discussion from three different vantage points on why architects have a unique and powerful voice.

• J.D. Bullington, AIA NM Lobbyist, will discuss the current state issues affecting New Mexico in the upcoming 60-day session, as well as the impact of the recent election on state policies;

• Michaele Pride, AIA, NOMA, professor of Architecture at UNM SA+P and Associate Dean for Public Outreach and Engagement, will describe the positive effect that advocacy can have on our communities and how we can strengthen our voice;

• Trey Wheeler, AIA, NCARB, President of AIA Tennessee and partner in Cogent Design in Chattanooga, will discuss the importance of developing an advocacy infrastructure that is resilient and scalable for all levels of government. He will also look at the potential benefits of setting up a Political Action Committee (PAC).

AIA New Mexico thanks its Premier Sponsor –

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and the additional support of

R. J. Dean & Associates - Professional Liability Insurers, Inc.

AIA Santa Fe

ASA Architects

Associated Contractors of New Mexico

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US Court Blocks Overtime Pay Expansion

The US District Court, Eastern District of Texas, on November 22, 2016, blocked the implementation of changes to overtime rules set to go into effect on December 1st. The court issued a nation-wide injunction in a case brought by 21 states against the US Department of Labor regulation which sought to shrink the so-called “white collar exemption” more than doubling the salary threshold under which employers must pay overtime to their workers. The overtime pay rules were reported in the AIA NM E-Bulletin of Oct. 18, 2016, due to the fact that they would have significantly burdened many architecture firms.

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Changes to 2017 Draft State of New Mexico Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program

The New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority issued its final draft of the 2017 Qualified Allocation Plan on November 16th in response to comments submitted by AIA New Mexico and many architects, developers and other interested parties. (AIA New Mexico’s advocacy efforts were reported in both the September 23rd and October 10th AIA New Mexico E-Bulletins.) Though the elimination of longstanding Project Selection Criteria encouraging a high level of sustainable design was not changed in the new draft, two other concerns expressed by AIA New Mexico were eliminated in the new draft. The first is construction cost reductions which would have resulted in geographical inequality and a reduction in construction quality. The second was the caps on architect/engineering fees. These caps would have resulted in exceptionally low fees in the range of 2.5% of construction costs, less than half of the typical range.

The LIHTC 2017 Draft QAP issue was brought to AIA New Mexico’s attention by one of our members. We listened and responded. Though a “total victory” was not achieved, the addition of AIA New Mexico’s voice helped to make a positive difference.

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COTE Top Ten Awards Opportunity

Over the past year, the national AIA Committee on the Environment Advisory Group has extensively revised the criteria for the COTE Top Ten Awards. The AIA considers these awards the most widely recognized program celebrating sustainable design excellence. Top Ten winners receive more media attention than perhaps any other AIA program.

According to COTE research, no project in New Mexico ever has won a Top Ten Award. This represents an extraordinary opportunity for New Mexico architects. “Redefining Sustainable Design” – an article in Architect - spells out the changes in the awards requirements. See http://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/redefining-sustainable-design-aia-cote-overhauls-its-top-ten-awards-criteria_o. COTE will present an introductory webinar on December 9: “COTE Top Ten: New Measures for Success.” Registration is available at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7601543286122510594. Submissions are due January 18, at the new submission site: http://new.aia.org/awards/7301-aia-cote-top-ten-award

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