Insurance Rates – What Can You Expect in 2022?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

It’s been a while since I’ve read any Dickens, but the first sentence of “A Tale of Two Cities” is an apt description of our current environment.

While the coronavirus has turned our world upside down, our economy has remained surprisingly robust. The purpose of this article is to provide background on the economics of the insurance business in general and provide some insights on what you can expect when budgeting insurance costs for 2022.

Read more from the Insurance experts at Cavignac:

Powerhouse Company Kingspan Light + Air USA Announces the Acquisition of Solatube International

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (June 9, 2022) — Kingspan Light + Air USA announced that it has acquired Solatube International Inc., the worldwide leading manufacturer and marketer of tubular skylights. Kingspan Light + Air USA is a leading provider of daylighting products and a division of Kingspan Group PLC. The deal closed Dec. 10, 2021.

Solatube International, with its trailblazing solutions of tubular skylights and ventilation systems, will continue to operate as an independent company under the Kingspan Light +Air umbrella, with Robert E. Westfall Jr. staying on as Solatube’s president.

“We are all thrilled to be part of Kingspan Light + Air, which will give us additional reach and resources to escalate Solatube’s growth so we can bring natural light and fresh air to more people than ever before,” said Westfall. “I don’t think we could have found a better family to be part of. Our synergies are remarkable and culturally we fit like a glove.” 

“Solatube has been a phenomenon in the industry. Its ingenious products, clever marketing and passion for making natural light a human right has fascinated our industry,” says Marci Bonham President - The Americas, at Kingspan Light + Air. “We are excited to have Solatube International in our portfolio. We are combining two highly regarded, innovative companies, creating a daylight industry powerhouse and ensuring that more people will have access to natural light.”

 The companies are exhibiting together at the 2022 AIA Expo in Chicago, June 22 to 25, booth number 2343.

About Solatube International

Solatube International, Inc. is widely recognized as the daylighting industry innovator, having earned worldwide acclaim for its unrivaled ability to transform interior spaces with natural light. Based in California, the company is the leading manufacturer and marketer of tubular daylighting devices (TDDs) for all types of residential and commercial applications, and residential energy-efficient home ventilation systems. Solatube established the tubular daylighting category, bringing daylight to environments and people never before possible for more than 30 years. For more information about the company and its related products, visit www.solatube.com

About Kingspan Light + Air

Kingspan Light + Air was established in 2016 to bring to life Kingspan Group’s vision of providing truly holistic building envelope solutions. By combining decades of industry expertise with core competencies in daylighting, natural ventilation and smoke management solutions, the division supports the creation of healthy and sustainable built environments in the education, commercial, industrial, retail, leisure, residential, healthcare and infrastructure sectors.

In the years since it was launched, Kingspan Light + Air has expanded both geographically and in terms of its solutions offering. With operations in North America, Great Britain, Ireland and across Continental Europe, Kingspan Light + Air is serving its customers’ ever-growing needs, delivering solutions for complex building projects around the globe. The division currently employs over 2,600 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.kingspan/us.

Commissioning: So You Want to Be a CxA

Commissioning: So You Want to Be a CxA

Commissioning gained a strong presence in the design and construction world in the early 21st century, thanks largely to the advancements in "smart buildings." But commissioning was not universally welcomed by architects, engineers and other design professionals as an effective method to improve building performance and gain owner satisfaction. Indeed, many design professionals viewed it as a disruptive and unwanted intrusion into their profession that led to a lot of second-guessing regarding a project's design.

Commissioning offers many benefits as an effective and objective quality-control process. It increases the chances that a project operates as intended, helps provide a safe and healthy facility, improves energy efficiency, reduces ongoing operating costs, improves the capabilities of the operations and maintenance staff, and establishes documentation for future reference.

Learn more from the Insurance experts at Cavignac by using the link below.

Recognizing the 2021/2022 Design Award Winning Projects

Congratulations to our 2021/2022 Design Awards Winners!

The American Institute of Architects, San Diego Chapter (AIASD), proudly announces the 2021/2022 Design Award recipients—a list honoring innovative design, with an emphasis on sustainability over a broad range of categories. This year had a particular focus on design excellence in San Diego- celebrating those projects that demonstrate exemplary design skill of formal, functional and technical requirements, including ecological and environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and a strong sense of place.

Award winners were announced to the AIA San Diego membership on Thursday, May 19th at the annual Design Awards ceremony. The 2021/2022 Design Awards ceremony took place at the Guild Hotel in Downtown San Diego following a two-year hiatus of traditional awards gatherings.

In March, a five-person jury deliberated between more than 100 entries and refined the list to a select group who were honored from the podium at the awards ceremony. The buildings span a spectrum from residential to institutional and included multifamily, museum, commercial, municipal, research, hospitality, utilitarian, and urban design. 

This year’s jury comprised five dynamic voices from AIA Texas: Jury Chair: Andrew Herdeg, FAIA, Maija Kreishman, AIA, Shelby Blessing, AIA, Trinity White, AIA, and Ricardo Maga Rojas, Assoc. AIA.

Use the link below for project details and photos.

PRESENTING THE 2021/2022 AWARD-WINNING PROJECTS & FIRMS:

Architecture   

Honor Award: County of San Diego Assessor, Recorder, County Clerk (ARCC) East County Offices and Archives - The Miller Hull Partnership

Honor Award: Center for Novel Therapeutics- Perkins & Will

Merit Award: Parco- The Miller Hull Partnership

Merit Award: Center for Coastal Studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography- The Miller Hull Partnership

Merit Award: UC San Diego, I-5 Electrical Switching Station- A R C H I T E C T S hanna gabriel wells  

Merit Award: Keeler Court Apartments- BNIM

Merit Award: SaltWater Farm Bed + Breakfast- RAD Lab

Interior Architecture

Merit Award: SD Tech Center- Gensler

Merit Award: UC Riverside Success Center- Gensler

Merit Award: Del Mar Highlands Sky Deck - RDC-S111, Inc.

Divine Detail

Honor Award: Mingei International Museum – LUCE et Studio

Merit Award: SD Tech Center Reception Booth- Gensler

Unbuilt

Merit Award: San Clemente Marine Safety Headquarters- HMC Architects

Residential Design

Merit Award: Sunset Cliffs- G Coleman Architect

Legacy Award

The Little Italy Neighborhood Developers (LIND) Block-

Robin Brisebois, James Brown, Kathleen McCormick, Rob Quigley, Lloyd Russell, Jonathan Segal, Ted Smith

Patron Of The Year

Mingei International Museum | Director, Rob Sidner , Board Trustees, Management Staff

ADU

ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit): Honor: The Wing House- B Young Design, Bryn Young, AIA

ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit): Merit: Dewey Street ADU- PALO

Proyectos Y Arquitectos De Tijuana

Honor: C-Street Housing- CRO Studio

Honor: Casa Uno- T38 - Alfonso Medina

Merit: D3, Villagrán - T38 - Alfonso Medina

Student Design

Honor: Colina Del Sol Park- William Anderson | NewSchool of Architecture & Design

Merit: Bayanihan: Communal Spirit - Aera Isabelle Palaganas | NewSchool of Architecture & Design

Congratulations to all the honorees!

2022 Top 50 Women Of Influence In Architecture & Design

San Diego Business Journal Recognizes AIA San Diego Members as Women of Influence in Architecture and Design.

Every year, The San Diego Business Journal celebrates female trailblazers in San Diego architecture by highlighting their careers and accomplishments. We are excited to announce the Women of AIA San Diego featured in 2022.

MELINA ALUWI, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Higher Education Sector Leader | Associate Principal HED

MATHILDA BIALK, AIA Principal Studio E Architects

MARGIT E. WHITLOCK, AIA Principal and Creative Director Architectural Concepts, Inc

SANDRA GRAMLEY, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD&C Principal Platt/Whitelaw Architects

JENNETTE LA QUIRE, AIA, LEED AP IC+C National Pre-K-12 Sector Leader | Principal HED

CHRISTINA MANNION, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP Studio Manager, Architecture Ware Malcomb

MAXINE WARD, AIA Principal Studio E Architects

The Ins and Outs of Additional Insured Status

The Ins and Outs of Additional Insured Status

You really can't blame your clients for trying to secure optimum financial protection for their building projects in the event something goes wrong. After all, projects are sizeable, long-term investments that can make or break an owner depending on the performance of the design and construction teams involved.

Insurance plays an important role in providing clients financial protection against such losses. That's why nearly all experienced clients specify the minimum levels of policy limits for various types of insurance that must be carried by the contractors, designers and other parties to the project.

Learn more from the Insurance experts at Cavignac by using the link below.

Elevating Black History Month

REFLECTIONS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING’S LEGACY

“IF YOU CAN'T FLY THEN RUN, IF YOU CAN'T RUN THEN WALK, IF YOU CAN'T WALK THEN CRAWL, BUT WHATEVER YOU DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD.” MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

This MLK day, let’s take a day of reflection and action in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Legacy. We invite you to contemplate how racial inequities have shaped our cities and how we can design for and best serve our diverse communities in the future.

February is Black History Month and this year we would like to reflect on MLK’s dream for equity for all. All year long we will explore issues in equity through our new Equity In Series.

San Diego Black History

(Photo Credits: The Modernist, San Diego History Center, BlackPast.org, Trip Advisor, Harvard GSD)

Designer Spotlight

Check out this month’s previous designer spotlights by clicking on their photos below!

BLACK HISTORY MONTH RESOURCES

Check out these local and national programs, resources and events below related to Black History month. We invite you to learn, connect or get involved!

AIA National - Race and Equity Resources

Allison Grace Williams - learn about influential architect Allison Williams and her project at the Calexico Port of Entry

Afrikan Student Union at SDSU

African American Black Resources - Southwestern College

Architect Magazine - Celebrating Architecture

Black Student Union Coalition - San Diego Unified School District

Black Tech Link & SD National Society of Black Engineers Joint Mixer - Feb 1st @ 6p National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) and Black Tech Link

Black COMiX Day 2022 - Feb 19th 10AM-6PM, BLACK COM!X DAY is a Black comic-con for all ages and all people

Black Owned Businesses San Diego- explore and support local black owned businesses in our community

Black Student Organizations - USD

Black Student Union - Cuyamaca College

Black Resource Center UCSD

Celebrate San Diego Black History & Heritage - Explore and learn about our community’s rich black heritage and history at San Diego’s History Center’s website

Diversity Resources - San Diego Mesa College

Directory of African American Architects - in the US

HBCU (Historic Black College Union) Career Fairs 2022

Hotel Robinson (the Julian Hotel) - Learn about one of the first black owned hotels in San Diego County at this KPBS article

KPBS Celebrates Black History Month - article

Martin Luther King’s Fair Housing Legacy - article

MLK Day Of Service

Remembering Black Wall Street Gala - Feb 26th @ 6p, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)

San Diego Public Library - Black History Month Program

San Diego National Organization of Minority Architects Chapter

ULI Building Healthy Places Book Club