For Immediate Release

March 31, 2010

R. Miller Architecture was honored to be presented the AIA Orlando Award of Excellence for the Air Force Chapel at the annual Architecture Gala. The award was particularly rewarding given the “unanimous vote” by the jury of internationally renowned architects. The jury members included: Rodney Mateau, AIA; Laurinda Hope Spear, FAIA; and Marilys Nepomechie, FAIA.

“Our focus for inspiration was developed around military aircraft” says Bob Miller, FAIA. Whether a P51 Mustang, or the contemporary F22 Raptor, the pilot’s experience is exhilarating sitting in an elliptical bubble surrounded by the sky. The design of the narthex, nave and chancel was conceived out of this experience. Contemporary aircraft have very angular functional components connected to the fuselage. Our design solution emphasizes the primary gathering space as the central component of the building. The Catholic chapel, various offices, sacristies, and other required rooms gather around the central ellipse in angular clusters somewhat similar to an aircraft. When engineered the whole aircraft communicates movement and speed even when sitting perfectly still. We planned our design to have a corresponding dynamic.

Features such as being on axis with the entry drive, its distinctive texture and shape and being elevated 48″ above the main approaching drive will provide a strong invitation to explore this one-of-a-kind chapel. The proposed Chapel communicates its spiritual purpose in many ways. The elevated structure inspires one to “lift up your eyes” and ascend into “His Holy Temple”.  As a place of singing and music we have planned for excellent acoustics through the design and refined tuning capabilities. The considerable visibility of the sky, stars and clouds is a reminder of many accounts and attributes of the heavens described in the Holy Scriptures. At the same time technology will enable us to control unwanted daytime glare. Finally stained glass, artistic works and special Bible passages will be properly displayed thus distinctively creating a house of worship and prayer.

Since the shocking news of this massive earthquake our firm has received numerous phone calls, emails and inquiries of concern. Thank you to our many clients, consultants and friends for your care. If you are interested in helping make a financial contribution please consider www.Danitaschildren.com – a non profit organization with the highest charity navigator’s rating.

So keep coming back to check out what’s new at R. Miller Architecture, Inc. this year – see our Vision for 2010!

In 2000, Casa Feliz was threatened by demolition. Supported by the Winter Park City Commission, local preservationists joined forces to save this landmark and the 750-ton building was moved to its current location just 900 feet west of its original site. Guided by the original blueprints and historic photographs, Rogers’ son John H. “Jack” Rogers, a noted architect in his own right, led the exceptional effort to restore the building. Highly skilled craftsmen and artisans returned the building to its 1933 condition. In addition to serving as a house museum with regular visiting hours, Casa Feliz also plays host to public meetings and private events. The Friends of Casa Feliz are also developing an exhibition in the building dedicated to the life and work of James Gamble Rogers II.

For more information about this exceptional Historical Home please visit www.CasaFeliz.us

Congressman John Mica, of the 7th District of Florida, has championed many landmark projects creating public awareness of the value of architects and architecture to society. Congressman Mica was first elected to the United States Congress on November 3, 1992, to represent six counties from the suburban areas of north of Orlando to the Jacksonville city limits. He is currently serving his eighth term in the 100th Congress, which began January 4, 2007.

During his tenure many historical projects have been successfully completed including The Capitol Visitors Center in Washington DC where Mr. Mica worked directly with the Architect of the Capitol, Alan Hantman, FAIA. The project more than doubled the US Congress building by adding 580,000 s.f. and was completed in December 2008.

He has been a strong advocate for excellent design for our veterans including the new $600M Orlando VA Hospital to be located in the “Medical City”. He has also worked hard to promote quality architecture for new clinics in Orange City, Daytona Beach, and Sanford.

Other efforts include the historical preservation of the Athens Theatre Restoration in Deland, Florida, several local US Post Offices, and the Daytona Beach Housing Authority.

But perhaps his greatest accomplishment to date has been building community through a tremendous vision called Sunrail. Sunrail is a commuter rail transit project that will run along a 61-mile stretch of existing rail freight tracks in the four-county area including Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Volusia. The project will ease our congested roadways, by creating a proven intermodal transportation solution.

The net economic impact in our 4 surrounding counties over the next 30 years:

• More than $981 million in commercial business sales
• More than $295 million in household earnings
• 11,523 jobs, and
• 17 architecturally designed stations

R. Miller Architecture, Inc. was honored to have Congressman Mica and his aid Dick Harkey as their dinner guests at the auspicious occasion which occurred at the Orlando Country Club.

Founded by Danita Estrella in 1999, Hope for Haiti Children’s Center is a dynamic Christian ministry that is changing children’s lives in the most impoverished nation of our Western Hemisphere. Their growing outreach includes a loving home for over 75 orphans, a solid Christian education for over 500 children, over 17,000 nourishing meals a month for the hungry, a church family and weekly services for the community, medical care for the children and evangelistic outreach to other areas of the community through Safari Sunday School programs. For more information please visit www.danitaschildren.org.

R. Miller Architecture Inc. is pleased to have served Hope for Haiti since 2001 by providing pro-bono design services. Staff from R. Miller have travelled to the site on 10 occasions to facilitate construction.

October 2008
By John Gendall (with permission)
www.architectmagazine.com

In 2005, The San Francisco nonprofit Public Architecture created The 1%, a program that recruits architecture firms to pledge 1 percent of their billable hours to pro bono work. To date, more than 400 firms have signed up. “When we formed Public Architecture [in 2002] and started looking into ways of doing pro bono work, we found little help within the community, including the AIA”, says executive director John Cary. “That’s one reason we launched The 1%”. However, he adds, “the AIA represents its individual members. We approach pro bono as something that involves the entire firm.”

The 1% released the results of its second annual survey of participating firms in August, revealing the time spent on pro bono, as well as the types of projects and the motivations for, and limitations of, doing such work. More than two-thirds of responding firms reported committing 2 percent or more of their time to pro bono work – the best news from the survey, says Cary. “It really shows the generosity of firms.”

Reflecting this growing engagement with pro bono work, the American Institute of Architects released a draft of pro bono guidelines this summer, inviting members to comment before the AIA board of directors votes on them at year’s end. Whereas groups like the American Bar Association and the American Medical Association have long maintained such guidelines, the AIA did not address the subject until it amended its code of ethics in 2007.

“The institute’s commitment to these guidelines owes a great deal to the success of the AIA 150 Blueprint for America initiative,” says Anthony Costello, Irving Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Architecture at Ball State University and the guidelines’ primary author. For the initiative, part of the AIA’s sesquicentennial celebration in 2007, “hundreds of architects engaged in providing thousands of hours of pro bono planning and design services,” notes Costello.

Cary points out that design is only one aspect of pro bono work: “The list of project firms are involved in really speaks to the ways an architect’s skills can be used, whether it’s sitting on community boards, providing education, or providing architectural services.” And firms of every size are joining in, “from sole practitioners to large, global companies,” says Cary.

HOK is one such global firm. Kenneth Drucker, senior principal and the director of design for the New York office, says, “Our offices typically have at least one pro bono project per year. We work in communities where we have offices, and we like to work with institutions where we have a commitment from one of our employees.”

The next step for the program, says Cary, is “to align our firm recruitments with places that have requested assistance.” To that end, The 1% solicits nonprofits to register when they encounter challenges that could be solved through professional architectural services.

“The growing commitment to pro bono is evident in the phenomenal growth of [The 1%],” says Costello. “We are seeing architects emerging as civic leaders in their communities and changing the commonly held image of the architect as an elitist servant of the corporate or wealthy client.”

The profession of architecture has directly benefited from Miller’s passion to seek out uniquely diverse opportunities to improve conditions for people through government and volunteer service. During the past 15 years he has personally invested more than 7,000 hours as an elected City Councilman, Chairman and Board Member on more than 12 government and faith-based volunteer organizations, and volunteer architect for the City of Maitland Downtown Redevelopment Plan.

Miller was selected to receive the award by a jury of his peers. The award was bestowed upon Miller at the AIA Florida Convention at The Breaker’s in West Palm at their annual convention August 2, 2008.

Miller is the President of R. Miller Architecture, Inc. in Winter Park and former City of Maitland Councilman.

More than bricks and mortar, the design, by R. Miller Architecture Inc. of Winter Park reflects the mission of the church “…to be a lighthouse to the community”. The contemporary structure features a 40′ tall cross in the glazing of the main exterior which is illuminated at night. The new sanctuary is approximately 50,000 square feet with seating for 1,250, state-of-the-art lighting and sound system, a 50 seat prayer chapel, and a spacious lobby.

The new sanctuary completes the 20 year vision of the master campus by replacing the previous house of worship which was built in 1968. The campus is a network of properties located in South Orlando including:

• The Media Center – comprised of a library with more than 21,000 volumes, and the Technology Resource Center providing computers with Internet Access
• Guidance Center – A College Resource Center with career counseling materials
• Pine Castle Christian School—with 750 students attending and 60 full-time staff
• Lighthouse Educational Center – which houses the Elementary & Middle School classrooms
• The Family Life Center
• Candler Center – which is home to the athletic training room and weight room, an art center, a music center, and a photography classroom
• Beacon House
• Crawford Field – a place for school sponsored family gatherings, student activities, and outdoor classes
• Former Main Sanctuary built in 1968

April 2008, recipient Building of America Award.

The award, presented by the Real Estate & Construction Review, honors the region’s most innovative, unique and challenging projects – projects that are particularly noteworthy and/or that give back to their respective communities.