In his own words:

 Moises Berrun has joined Tocci as a VDC Modeler.  Moises is currently stationed in Newark, NJ working on the modernization of the Peter Rodino Federal Building.

Moises likes buildings.

He likes to demolish buildings.

He likes to design buildings.

He likes to model buildings.

Moises is excited to have found a company and group of people that are as excited about buildings and the craft of building as he is.  Moises believes that good buildings and environments can improve the quality of life and make people feel good.

Moises grew up on the thunderstruck plains of a central Texas cattle ranch, raising cattle until university studies drew him to architecture.  Moises earned a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University and a master of architecture from Yale University.

Moises lives in Brooklyn, New York and hopes to one day have a dog.

Beyond what Moises has told you about himself, you might like to know that Moises helped cows give birth out on the range in Texas.  He learned about process while working for a manufacturing plant. He studied abroad in Rome and Barcelona.  At Yale he held three teaching assistantships.  As an architect his work includes hospitals in New York City, historic courthouses in Texas, and a museum in Africa.

He just finished running the Chicago marathon. But perhaps the most significant detail you should know about Moises:  he’s a great cook. His first week at Tocci he made biscuits from scratch (without the usual aids of measuring cups and spoons and a regular oven) under Heidi’s watchful eye. Success! Biscuits were served at coffee break and promptly devoured.

Rodino calls him back to New York, and we will miss him, especially on Wednesday mornings.

Graham was introduced to Tocci while taking a REVIT course at BAC taught by George Hunt, one of our modelers.  He is completing his testing to become a registered architect.

In his own words:

Born and raised in Boulder Co., I developed a deep appreciation for the outdoors—especially mountain biking, back-packing and snowboarding.

I developed a passion for architecture and design at an early age after having visited my Great Grandfathers house in Scotland which was designed by the renowned architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

With interests in both architecture and the outdoors I stayed in Colorado to study architecture where I graduated with a Bachelor’s of Environmental Design and Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Colorado.

Architecture should respect and be informed by the natural environment, so I continue to educate myself in sustainability:  Biomimicry, Passive House, and LEED etc.

 I moved east six years ago after meeting both my “future” wife and a residential contractor on a group trip to Teotihuacan Mexico.  I found a job with an architect in Marblehead via that same contractor and joined my “future” wife in Marblehead where we bought a house.  Soon after, I designed her acupuncture studio off our home.

Graham brings a wealth of experience to Tocci, having worked on his own and with a variety of teams designing buildings of all types:  residential and commercial, public and private, labs and offices, renovations and new construction.

Through an internship at Tool, a product design firm with prestigious clients like Thule, Burton, and Lightolier, he’s sharpened his problem-solving skills.

Regarding creativity, He’s done both framing and finish carpentry, designs furniture, draws and paints with both oils and acrylics.

But some of these activities may soon be curtailed– in the next five weeks Graham and his wife are expecting their first child.  Congratulations Graham and welcome to the Tocci Team!

Photo Credit: AP

Usually the Bahamas brings to mind sunshine, beaches, and palm trees—but unless you happen to be a tourist, there isn’t so much easy living since Hurricane Irene. Andy Reinach from Alexandria Real Estate is doing what he can to change that.  He’s participating in Habitat Bahamas “Fly-In and Help Out Event” by flying down his ~50 year old 4-seater Bonanza loaded with 800 pounds of building supplies donated by Consigli Construction. Tocci is lending a hand by donating the fuel for Andy’s mission.

The following info is from their website www.bahamashabitat.org

Bahamas Habitat  (not affiliated with Habitat for Humanity) is a Christian organization doing extensive community development, housing renovation and construction throughout the Bahamas.

Since the Bahamas is easily accessible by private aircraft, Bahamas Habitat partners with sponsors involved in aviation like pilots, aircraft owners and aviation industry participants. Our bi-annual Fly-In & Help Out Event allows Pilots and Aircraft Owners to directly support the vital mission of the Bahamas Habitat.

In January 2010 BMH mobilized hundreds of pilot volunteers in response to the Haiti Earthquake.  Our volunteers flew over 400 missions and delivered hundreds of thousands of pounds of critical supplies to unreachable remote areas. Our work in Haiti and the Bahamas in 2010 was recognized by the National Aeronautic Association through their Public Benefit Flying Awards.

Participants in our programs develop as servant leaders and come away with a stronger faith and a meaningful connection to a part of God’s work. You can volunteer to fly missions for us or join a Fly-In & Help Out event to make the trip and see for yourself the need and potential.

We encourage you to bookmark our News Blog, learn about the upcoming Fly-In & Help Out Event or  find out more at News Blog.

***UPDATE***

We recently received a scan of November’s AOPA Pilot magazine from Andy Reinach that details the trip. Read below!

PDF Link

Please welcome Heidi McClurkin Pope, AIA, CSI, LEED AP BD+C who has joined Tocci as a VDC Modeler.  Long a user of CAD and BIM, she is excited to have found a company that understands the possibilities of managing projects in the virtual as well as the physical realm.

A resident of New Hampshire, she grew up as a military brat and attended 11 schools before graduating from high school.  She then went off to college in Atlanta to fulfill her grandfather’s dream of SOMEONE in the family FINALLY going to Georgia Tech.  After graduating from Tech, she worked in Atlanta, Cleveland, Honolulu, Cleveland again, and Boston, before taking a breather from architecture to work at Autodesk as a QA Analyst (meaning trying to find ways to break the software before customers found them, with mixed success!).

Her husband is also an architect, and they expect that their attempts to design their own home together will provide much amusement to their friends and co-workers.  The land is purchased, the house site is cleared, and…well, that’s as far as they’ve gotten in 3 years.

Heidi has many interests, generally running in the book-ish and craft-ish veins, although she also knows how to make gold and silver jewelry, how to use a chainsaw, and is learning how to shoot sporting clays (well, really learning to actually HIT the blamed things).  Her husband has been racing cars in the Spec Miata class for many years, and Heidi is anticipating starting driving school next year too.

We appreciate the depth and breadth of life experience  Heidi brings to Tocci and look forward to the ways in which her involvement will enrich us all.

Nonsense Chart No.6 by 1chord & a fib.

A national survey by the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) in collaboration with SEAoT and CASE on the topic of Building Information Modeling.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SEIBIM-survey2011