March Meeting
Monday, March 8, 2004: Cutting Edge Technology & Building Design
Architects, engineers, contractors, and building product manufacturers are all entering into an era of enormous change - advances in visualization and fabrication techniques are altering the way we work, new materials invite unusual usages, experimental forms require unconventional means of construction.
Renee Cheng, architect, professor and Director of Design at the University of Minnesota, will discuss innovation in architectural design and construction. Her research involves documenting case studies of buildings that integrate design with emerging technologies. She will show examples from Frank O. Gehry Associates, Tripyramid Design, SHoP Architects, Arup Engineers, and others. Interested in ways that design ideas are mediated as they become built reality, Cheng will bring an interesting perspective to our chapter's ongoing discussion of building quality and performance. Professor Cheng has been recognized for teaching excellence at the local, state and national levels with awards such as AIA Arizona Educator of the Year, 2000, and ACSA/AIAS New Faculty Teaching Award, 1996. Her teaching motto might be summarized by Josef Albers' reply when asked why he taught - "to make open the eyes."
5:30-6:00 PM - Registration/Social Hour
6:00-6:45 PM - Dinner & Meeting
6:45-8:00 PM - Presentation & Q/A
Location: McNamara Center, Gateway Building, Minneapolis Campus, University of Minnesota. See map at http://www.alumnicenter.umn.edu/Dir&Parking.htm
For more information, call 763-744-1424.
April Meeting
Monday, April 12, 2004: Getting Masonry Right - the First Time!
Masonry has been a part of the construction industry for thousands of years. Why do we still have trouble getting it right? Come to the April meeting and find out while you have a chance to get your hands dirty "playing in the mud"!
Our April meeting will be held at the Mason Training Center in St. Paul, where we'll have a chance to look at masonry design and construction from three perspectives: 1) How to write effective specifications; 2) How drawings should be detailed and and how they are interpreted by craftspeople; and 3) Getting down and dirty with some light-hearted exercises using real materials for installation. Our guides will be industry specialists, including Olene Bigelow, Minnesota Area Director of Market Development and Technical Services for the International Masonry Institute, stone carver and mason Mark Wickstrom, Apprenticeship Coordinator for the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local #1 Minnesota, and Michael Cook, Vice President and Field Representative for BAC Local #1 Minnesota. Appropriate dress for an afternoon of on-site application and a picnic-style dinner is "old blue-jeans and even older shoes." As usual, a meeting announcement will be sent to all members, but please note that RSVPs will be required no later than 2 April.
Education Roundup
Audio Exchange Program Schedule
Register today for one of these 90-minute interactive education sessions. The $159 member/$254 non-member price is per site, not per person, and all attendees may earn continuing education credits (CEUs, ECHs, and LU Hours). All sessions are held 2-3:30 pm Eastern Time. Registration closes 2 days before each event.
March seminars:
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Wednesday, 3 Mar: Product Selection Process, Linda E. Brown, CSI, CCS, CCCA
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Wednesday, 10 March: Integrating Drawings & Specs, Robert Johnson, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, AIA
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Thursday, 11 March: Solving Your Security Issues with Door & Hardware, Mark Berger
For more information, follow this link, or else go to www.csinet.org and click on "Education" and then look for Audio Exchange under "Hot Topics."
CSI Business
Prospective Member Packages Now Available
Do you know someone who might be thinking about joining CSI? The Membership Committee now has Prospective Member Packages, which contain information about CSI, the benefits of membership, and certification programs, and a membership application form. Also included is information about the Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter, highlighted by our Desktop Reference, with contact information for chapter leaders and a list of programs and member activities.
If you want Prospective Member Packages, call our Administrative Assistant at 763-744-1424, or send an e-mail request to info@csi-msp.org. Packages will also be available at monthly chapter meetings.
Student Membership Committee Announcement
The Student Member Ad Hoc Committee is looking for Chapter members who would be interested in joining a recently formed, standing Student Membership Committee.
As the "construction educators," this is a great opportunity to help shape the direction of this committee and to once again promote the benefits of student membership in CSI to area educational institutions with a construction curriculum.
We would like to hear from you in time to meet with us at our next meeting, 9 March 2004 at 4:00 PM. Please reply to the e-mail address posted below with your name, e-mail address, and phone number, and more detail will be provided.
Dean E. McCarty, CSI, CCS, SCIP, CICC, is president of McCarty Consulting Services, Inc., a specification-consulting firm. He may be reached at dean@mccartyconsulting.com.
CSI Golf Outing Heading to New Location for 2004!
Mark Wednesday June 9th, 2004 on your calendar for this years golf outing. We will be trying out a new location this year at StoneRidge Golf Club located just off Interstate 94 and past the 494 loop as you go east to Wisconsin.
The Golf Committee is excited about the new location and can't wait for Spring! Watch for registration forms and sponsorship request forms in specifics lite.
If you have any questions or suggestions for this years outing, please give me a call at (952) 854-8723 or send me an email at etjohnson@krkline.com.
Eric Johnson
CSI Golf Committee Chair
2004 North Central Region Conference Update
Over the past six months there has been much talk about the purpose and value of our annual region conference. As the four co-host chapters (Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, and Northern Illinois) have planned for this year's conference, I feel that we have listened to the comments of the members and leadership and that we have responded to the variety of comments.This 2004 NCR Conference is scheduled for July 29 through August 1, 2004, at Abbey Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It's not Sioux City, Iowa, the geographic center of the region, but we are within 50 miles of both the Mitchell, Milwaukee, and O'Hare, Chicago, airports. The resort is on beautiful Lake Geneva, one-time home to many of Chicago's famous and infamous, with great facilities for learning and relaxing. We have secured an exceptional room rate of $129/ per night, which is usually significantly higher during the summer months. See www.theabbeyresort.com for what is available during your stay.
Mr. Dennis J. Hall, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, will present the new MasterFormat 04, and explain its changes and use for the next decade and beyond. This will be a valuable seminar for everyone in the design and construction industry.
The schedule has been compressed by eliminating several features that add time and cost, so people who wish to come just for the leadership seminars can arrive on Friday morning and leave Saturday afternoon - though we hope you will decide to stay longer!
For those who want to relax a little before digging into two days of events in hotel seminar rooms, we have a golf outing planned for Thursday afternoon at Abbey Springs, an incredible golf course with fantastic views of the lake, nestled in the rolling and wooded hills just 5 miles from the resort. The day's event will include not only golf but also lunch and a barbeque dinner. (More info at www.abbeysprings.com.)
As always there will be events for spouses, in case lying out by the pool or walking along the lake is not to their liking. We are currently looking at such possibilities as a tour of Yerkes Observatory, or a trip to Frank Lloyd Wright's Johnson Wax Offices and Wing Spread, or maybe a tour of the newly renovated 10 Chimneys; Lynn Fontanne's and Alfred Lunt's home where they entertained such notable stars as Noel Coward, Helen Hayes, and Lawrence Olivier.
What more could you ask for? Great topics, a great place, and a great price. I hope to see you at Lake Geneva this summer! J. Gerard Capell, CSI, CCS, AIA Conference Chair
Call For 2005 Convention and CSI University Topics Now Open
CSI is accepting education session submissions for 2005 events including The 49th Annual CSI Show & Convention and 2nd CSI University
Annual Conference. Proposals must be submitted electronically by April 30, 2004. More information...
CSI Document Release Dates
The new "Project Resource Manual", which replaces the current Manual of Practice, is scheduled for release in June 2004, to be followed in the Fall by MasterFormat 04. Watch the CSI Leader and NewsDigest for details.
Coming CSI Events
2nd CSI University Annual Conference, San Antonio, July 8-10. Registration opens in March. Visit www.csinet.org/csiuniversity for more information.
6th Annual Product Representative Academy, Denver, October 27-29. Registration opens in May. Visit www.csinet.org/prainfo for more information.
End of specifics lite, March 2004,
A Newsletter Published by the
Minneapolis - St. Paul Chapter of the Construction Specifications
Institute