The American Institute of Building Design (AIBD) inducted Anchorage businesswoman, Karen Kassik-Michelsohn, FAIBD, of Michelsohn & Daughter, into the office of President at its Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Karen is a certified member of the organization and for over 30 years has served at various local, state, and national positions. With a strong focus on membership and education, Karen’s third aim is to be a career source. “We have a responsibility to our community to provide a qualified workforce for the future,” she stated during her installation ceremony.
Mrs. Michelsohn is the only female builder in Anchorage. Relocated from Florida to Alaska, Karen is an award-winning designer with over 30 years’ experience. She specializes in custom home and remodeling design. Her eye for detail has earned her rave reviews from clients and numerous awards across the country. Karen’s career in the building industry began in 1987 in Florida with Lucia, Kassik & Monday, Inc., where she spent 23 years with the company, working her way up to president and partner. Karen is currently serving as president of the Anchorage Home Builders Association, receiving the “Builder of the Year” award in 2016.
The same evening, the AIBD welcomed its new inductees into the College of Fellows. The AIBD College of Fellows selects its members for having contributed notably to the advancement of the profession of building design by general excellence, by composition and literature, or by design, and public service. The four professionals installed in 2018 are John Fought of Baker Street Designs in Clearwater, Florida, Leonard Vogel of Vogel Residential Designs in Durham, North Carolina, Richard Emigh of LUD2 in Capitola, California, and Steven Mickley, from Jupiter, Florida.
John Fought was chairman of the AIBD’s Concept Awards competition, a portion of the Southeast Builders Conference Aurora Awards program, for ten years. In 2013 John was the Chairman of the SEBC Aurora Awards. John is on the National Council of Building Designer Certification (NCBDC) and served as its president for four years.
Richard Emigh has served as AIBD Treasurer for eight years and is the Past President of the AIBD, California Society. He has been a member of AIBD for 24 years and has served on the State Board for the past twelve years. He has a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from the University of Oregon.
Leonard Vogel has served the organization at the local and national levels for almost four decades. Len was an officer in the AIBD, North Carolina Society for many years and while that time represented the society as a member of the House of Delegates. He is a former member the NCBDC and served as its president for four years.
Steve Mickley joined AIBD as a member in 1995 and became involved quickly. Steve was named Designer of Year in 2000 for establishing the Institute’s CE Provider program. A few years later he was the first recipient of the President’s Award for his industry outreach by way of live design competitions hosted at various building shows throughout the country. He has served as the AIBD Executive Director since 2004.
Each year, the AIBD recognizes a member that has contributed greatly to the advancement of the organization with that past twelve months. The year’s prestigious Designer of the Year title goes to Colorado Springs building designer, Bernd A. Kern. Bernie, as he’s most commonly known, received this recognition for his work within the organization as well as the industry outreach his work has produced for the organization. In 2012, Bernie assembled a group of building designers and formed the High-Performance Homes Team (HPHT) with a mission to provide resources and education on building energy efficient, comfortable, and environmentally safe homes. This purpose led Bernie to a stage at the International Builder Show (IBS) in both 2017 and 2018 where he and the HPHT designed a Tiny House Lab for the show’s High-Performance Building Zone. “The building had to be a Tiny House with various wall and roof framing configurations considered to be high-performing and energy efficient,” Bernie said of the specifications given to him by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), owners of the IBS. Recently, the NAHB approached the team again to design a Radon Test Model.
At the evening’s conclusion, AIBD presented Alaskan builder Paul Michelsohn with its Honor Award of Excellence for his contributions to the advancement of residential design, home construction, and building codes through example, volunteerism, and advocacy. He currently serves as Chairman of the National Association of Home Builder’s Construction Codes and Standards Subcommittee and in July was named a Senior Lifetime Member of the NAHB’s Board of Directors. The AIBD presents its Honor Award of Excellence to pay tribute to industry professionals outside the organization. The first recipient was President Donald J. Trump, in 2001, for his restoration of Mar-a-Lago, the former Marjorie Merriweather-Post estate in Palm Beach, FL. In 2003, The Institute of Classical Architecture and Art received the honor for their commitment to education. The third person to be recognized was Sarah Suzanka in 2005 for her work in residential architecture and literature. Then in 2007, AIBD honored author and speaker Marianne Cusato for having created the Katrina Cottage in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
All of this pomp and circumstance took place during the AIBD’s annual American Residential Design Awards (ARDA) gala dinner. ARDA is a progression of the AIBD Annual Design Competition, which has been in existence for more than 66 years. This year’s program attracted 144 entries from 41 design firms in 18 states. ARDA was led by committee chairperson, Robert Klob of Chandler, Arizona, and judged by Allen Beaumont of B&A Design Studio in Sanford, Florida, Lynne Pratt of Pratt Building Company in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and Sean J. Tobin of Tobin Studio PLLC in Raleigh, North Carolina. The ARDA is sponsored by PortfolioHomePlans.com. To view all of the winning ARDA projects, visit ResidentialDesignAwards.com.