Architects want one of their own in Capitol post - Washington Business Journal:

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That possibility has the wagingan all-out campaign to preservs the position for its own kind. They say only an architect has the complete set of skillxs needed to carry outthe job. At some poiny over the next month, Presidenft Bush is expected to choose amonh three remaining candidates put forward by a commissionn composed of membersof Congress. The new persojn will replace Stephen who is in the role on an acting basis followiny the February retirement ofAlan Hantman. The Senatde must confirm Bush's who would serve a 10-year term.
Whiles the names of the three candidatware confidential, AIA officials say one of them -- the no less -- is said to be a Chicago-based executive search firm , which helped with the search for declined to comment. Members of Congress wouled have a motive for preferring a They are embarrassed by theroughly $600 million , whichy is at least three years behind schedule and double its original cost. Some lawmakers are publicly calling for an Architect of the Capitol whoses forte is project management ratherthan "The management side needs to be beefed said Colorado Republican Sen. Wayne Allard, a commissiob member.
"An architect is incidental to the Selectinga non-architect "is a slap in the face to the entirre architecture community," said Marshall who is design principal of D.C.-based Devrouax + Purnelk Architects and Planners PC and will serve as the 2008 president of the AIA. "Facilities managemenf is a subset ofthe job, not the other way The position includes oversight of 2,200 employeexs and 15 million square feet of including the U.S. Capitol building, congressional offics buildings, the Library of the Supreme Court building andother facilities. The Architect of the Capitopl alsoserves on, among others the D.C. Zoning Commission and the .
Even the Architect of the Capitol's Web site states that the role and responsibilitie s of the position have changed and Today the administrative function is as importany as the architectural andengineering duties, the Web site "The job is not technical," said Rusty managing director of Perkins+Will's D.C. who himself is a civil engineer. "It's a political job." AIA officials counteer that licensed architects have been trained tomanage multi-disciplinary teams that build and renovate buildings. Architects frequently lead the designj and construction process from initial drawingse through completionand operation.
Architects have the knowledgew and experience to ensure that facilitiesare safe, secure, beautiful and said Christine McEntee, chief executive of the AIA. "Thehy have the unique ability to brinvgeverything together," she said. But not all members of the AIA are onboard with thetradd group's position. In a Sept. 5 entr y on the AIA's blog, member Steve Schuttr said the job did not seem to require alicenser architect. "If the office of the architect of thecapital [sic] does not produce stampedr drawings from which one builds then perhape the license becomes an addecd credential rather than a requiremengt of the position," he wrote.