by Evan H. Shu, FAIA

The World Trade Center in Boston was a hotbed of educational activity in mid-November, 2003 as some 15,000 architects, engineers, contractors, owners, and assorted construction professionals attended the 19th annual Build Boston conference.

Organizers of the event noted a strong surge in seminar attendance, a good 15 percent beyond last year's numbers. And no wonder, with many states — in addition to professional organizations — now requiring continuing education credits. Build Boston offered hundreds of educational options to satisfy just about any registration requirement or professional curiosity.

On the trade show floor, some 350 exhibitors parlayed their wares with the help of this year's presentation darling, the flat-screen monitor. Also on display were impressive exhibition boards from several national and regional award programs.

Educating Our Spaces

Since the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001, security has become a more important part of the architect's design checklist. In the seminar, "How to Integrate Security into Architectural Spaces," a panel of experts explained that a "threat and vulnerability assessment" (TVA) was becoming a standard programming tool.   >>>

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An edible display of Boston's Custom House tower on display at the Build Boston conference in November 2003. Photo: Evan H. Shu, FAIA Build Boston shed light and satisfied the intellectual curiosity of many architects from the northeastern United States. Artichoke light by Louis Poulsen Lighting. Photo: Evan H. Shu, FAIA   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.