5.9.08 | New York, NY | Architecture for Humanity is reaching out to raise funds for services to communities affected by Cyclone Nargis, which hit the heart of Myanmar. It also is reaching out to and supporting architects who are in-country or who have worked in-country in the past. $14,000 was raised (plus a 25% match) by over 240+ donors in the first 48 hours to support the rebuilding effort.
Contributions are used in the following ways:

• $15,000 supports a design team for six months to a year.
• $50,000 builds a transitional school (Just about the most important thing you can do as it allows parents to rebuild and begin working again)
• $150,000 builds a community complex (health clinic, daycare center, jobs training center, government offices.)

5.9.08 | St. Louis, MO | Susan Mitchell-Ketzes and Dan Mitchell were elected to the HOK Board of Directors for a one year term. Ms. Mitchell-Ketzes leads the Workplace Strategy Practice for HOK in Atlanta and is the managing principal of HOK Chicago. Dan Mitchell is also a managing principal for HOK Chicago and oversees the day-to-day management of the practice.

5.8.08 | Chicago, IL | HOK Chicago added Meghan Wunderlich to its staff as Director of Business Development. Ms. Wunderlich will handle marketing and new business development. Prior to joining HOK Chicago, Ms. Wunderlich was Manager of Architecture and Design Partnerships at Business Office Systems in Chicago

5.8.08 | Seattle, WA | Josh Khanna joined the Seattle office of IA Interior Architects as Project Manager. Ms. Khanna has over 13 years of experience in Corporate, Financial, and Entertainment design. She joins IA from Wolcott Architecture | Interiors in Los Angeles, where she also served as Project Manager.

5.7.08 | New York, NY | Bond., a new multi-disciplinary design studio, will debut on Saturday, May 17 during ICFF, at the Pomegranate Gallery, 133 Greene Street, NYC, from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM. The studio’s launch event, Bond..,will feature an exhibition of provocative and conceptual work from Director of Design/Founder Joe Doucet, and projects from his team of international designers.

5.7.08 | Chicago, IL | Richard Smith will lead HOK Chicago as the Director of the Science and Technology practice. With more than 20 years of professional experience, Mr. Smith will oversee HOK Chicago's major university and college, healthcare, science and research building projects.  Prior to joining HOK Chicago, Mr. Smith was a principal with Loebl Schlossman & Hackl's Higher Education Group, where he managed a variety of institutional and commercial building projects. 

5.7.08 | Ann Arbor, MI | Monica Ponce de Leon, professor of architecture and director of the Digital Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, was named dean of the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan, effective September 1, 2008, pending full board approval. Ms. Ponce de Leon also is a principal in Office dA, a design practice she launched with Nader Tehrani in Boston. 

5.7.08 | San Diego, CA | Architectural Concepts, Inc. (ACI) a hospitality-oriented architectural and interior design firm was honored with two awards by the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). The ARDY for Resort Architecture and Interior Design (Refurbishment) was given to ACI for Raintree Vacation Club's Club Regina (Los Cabos and Cancun) for creating a proprietary Art Program drawing on original artwork by emerging artists from Mexico who paint, sculpt and create metal art. ACI also received the ACE Community Service Award for its Lemon Drop3 Party, benefiting San Diego Habitat for Humanity.