AEI 2006 Conference

           The Architectural Engineering Institute held its bi-annual conference in Omaha, Nebraska from March 29 to April 1, 2006 at the Embassy Suites Downtown. The event was highly successful and brought together practitioners, academics, and students from a wide variety of disciplines.  The 189 conference participants enjoyed 31 technical sessions with over 110 presentations, 6 free workshops, and 2 free technical tours. The workshop topics ranged from fire and smoke containment in high-rise buildings to the national effort on Hurricane Katrina. The technical sessions themselves also covered a wide array of topics ranging from topics such as Hurricane Katrina to structural, mechanical, and electrical systems. Both the technical sessions and the workshops offered great opportunities for attendees to earn PDH credits for engineers and AIA Learning Unit/Continuing Education credits for architects. Conference attendees were also treated to two tours, the first of which was of the Holland Performing Arts Center and the second the Peter Kiewit Institute at the University of Nebraska. 

           During the Holland Performing Arts Center Tour those in attendance were treated to an acoustics demonstration with live musical entertainment which demonstrated the different acoustical settings the hall had to offer.  Attendees were able to witness first hand the movement of acoustical panels and the enhancement that such movement brought to the different types of pieces that were performed.  This was a unique opportunity to witness the inner workings of a world-class facility renown for its acoustical excellence.  Demonstrations were also provided at the University of Nebraska’s Peter Kiewit Institute.  The demonstrations were designed to showcase the Institute’s capabilities as a an outstanding educational facility.  Tours were given by actual students and included labs where cutting edge technology was combined with excellent instruction to form an environment that fosters academic excellence.    

         Both tours were guided by architects, engineers, and academics who had first hand knowledge of the facilities, whether it was through design, construction, or instruction. Attendees were also treated to an ice breaker reception on Wednesday in which they were afforded the opportunity to meet and network with others in their field. Also during the conference many committees met, including the Board of Governors, The Academic Council, the Student Chapters, and the C2P Standards Committee. All of these meetings were designed with the idea of further expanding the role of AEI in the Architectural Engineering world and were very productive.