VSAIA

2012 VSAIA President, Lori Garrett, AIA, presents the 2012 Noland Award to Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA

Do you have an extraordinary colleague? Do you know an organization working to support architects or the built environment in Virginia? The VSAIA Honors program is accepting nominations for Virginians who exemplify the profession’s highest ideals and who are committed to enriching the built environment.

Nominations should be submitted electronically as one PDF document up to 20 pages (not including letters of support), and no larger than 50 MB.

If you have any questions, or if you are having trouble uploading your nomination, please contact rgeorge@aiava.org or (804) 644-3041, ext. 302. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, July 19, 2013.To see the evaluative criteria, submission materials, and a list of past honorees, visit the Society Honors page and click the award name.

The submitter should be prepared to provide unrestricted high-resolution images to be used in connection with publicity of the program and the recognition of the honorees at Architecture Exchange East on Nov. 6–8, and at Visions for Architecture on Nov. 8.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for the Honors program. If you know of an organization that is interested in supporting Virginia architects, please share the benefits or encourage them contact Rhea George for more information.

Three Virginia members — Alan L. Hansen, FAIA, Robert W. Moje, FAIA, and Elizabeth A. Reader, FAIA — have been elevated to Fellowship, the AIA announced today.

Alan L. Hansen, FAIA

Hansen, a Director at DBI Architects, Inc., is noted for his work to form the Loudoun County Design Cabinet through the county’s Department of Economic Development. The Cabinet promotes high-quality, environmentally sustainable, and culturally respectful architectural and landscape design in one of the fastest growing communities in Virginia.  The Design Cabinet is made up of planners, architects, landscape architects, and engineers who, in volunteer collaboration, resolve community design challenges that arise when an agrarian county steeped in historical significance faces sweeping cultural and economic change.  Having successfully set the Design Cabinet in motion, Hansen encourages every architect in a community without a design recognition mechanism to create one as a Citizen Architect, thereby embracing the AIA’s national initiative to promote design excellence through collaboration with community decision makers.

Robert W. Moje, FAIA

A founding principal of VMDO Architects in Charlottesville, Moje has advanced the practice of educational facility design considerably by developing innovative instructional environments for a multitude of school districts, enriching the spaces where children learn and where educators teach. He leads VMDO Architects’ public K-12 school projects, directing design teams to create great schools that inspire students to become active participants in the learning process. In the current fast-paced Information Age where students cannot learn enough, fast enough, solving that mission has required a new direction in educational architecture. Moje has defined this new direction with his commitment to designing every school space – hallway, cafeteria, playground, and classroom alike — in innovative ways that promote opportunities for teaching and learning.

Elizabeth A. Reader, FAIA

In a small city within a rural area, Reader has established a vibrant, diverse, collaborative architecture practice that excels in design and is committed to bettering the community. Along with her husband and partner, Beth Reader began her practice — Reader & Swartz Architects, P.C.,  — during the 1990 recession, in a small city of 21,950 people, proving that architecture firms don’t need to be located in large metropolitan areas to be viable. The firm has received over fifty design awards, from national, state, and regional entities for a diverse range of project types, from low-income housing, to museums, to innovative adaptive reuses of historic buildings. The firm’s work has been published in many books and magazines. Additionally, she has served as an advocate for architecture and small design firms by serving as both a juror, and a speaker, for many AIA programs. Over the years, design award juries have consistently praised her ability to achieve excellence in design. Doing good design work, despite a project’s budget or location, is an essential component of her practice.

The Fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.

The 2013 Jury of Fellows from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) elevated 122 AIA members to its prestigious College of Fellows. Out of a total AIA membership of over 80,000 there are over 3,000 members distinguished with this honor.

The 2013 Fellows will be honored at an investiture ceremony at the 2013 National AIA Convention on Friday, June 21.

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) is beta testing a cloud-based service that will allow customers with 64-bit Windows operating systems and Macs to access the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) Practice Programs software.

The software, which offers sample vignettes for candidates to solve, is designed to run on 32-bit operating systems. In response to customer feedback, NCARB has been working to develop a solution that allows customers with 64-bit systems and Macs to access the practice programs.

Beta Test Runs Jan. 22–March 18, 2013
A beta version of the ARE Practice Programs service will be offered free of charge through an NCARB account from Jan. 22–March 18, 2013. The beta test will help NCARB troubleshoot any technical issues, determine potential usage levels, and gain customer feedback.

Start Your Free Trial Today
Users with an NCARB account can participate in the free trial by following these instructions:

1) Log in to my.ncarb.org.

2) Click the ADD button next to ARE Practice Programs to add the service.

3) On the NCARB Services page, press the Start Trial button to begin your free trial. Please note: This service requires an internet connection.

4) On the ARE Practice Programs Access page, follow the instructions, and use the login information to access the service.

Virginia Society AIA Members:

I am writing to encourage your participation in the Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design Career Day and Design Expo. Under the leadership of Greg Tew, Director of Professional and Industry Relations, the Career Day and Design Expo on February 25 will be a unique and exciting event for Virginia Society AIA members and firms to show support for design education. With more than 1,000 students in four programs; Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture and Industrial Design, our Career Day and Design Expo is a chance to share your knowledge and insight with the next generation of design professionals. If your company has hiring plans for interns or graduates, you need to attend, if not, think of the event as an opportunity to meet and mentor students that share our commitment to make a difference in life with design.

Booths are still available, reasonably priced, and include an invitation to our annual Sunday evening reception prior to the Monday event.

All of the necessary information is available at the Career Day and Design Expo website, here’s the link<http://expo.arch.vt.edu/>.

Sincerely,

Jack Davis, Dean
College of Architecture and Urban Studies Virginia Tech

President Elect, Virginia Society AIA

Michael Graves, FAIA. Courtesy of Michael Graves & Associates. Photography by Barry Johnson.

Michael Graves, FAIA, has been credited with broadening the role of the architect in America. He and his two firms promote good design for all, at scales that range from towers to teakettles and in disciplines that range from master planning, architecture and interior design to product design and graphics. A new exhibition at the Virginia Center for Architecture tells the story of the breadth of Graves’ work, including architecture, furniture and consumer products, along with Graves’ own artwork.  The exhibition, From Towers to Teakettles: Michael Graves Architecture and Design, will be on view at the Virginia Center for Architecture from Jan. 17–March 31, 2013.

Among the featured  projects is Resorts World Sentosa, a recently completed 3.5 million-square-foot resort in Singapore designed top to bottom by the Graves firms, including Hotel Michael, named for the architect himself.  Other projects include the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia, St. Coletta School of Greater Washington, and the U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C. Furniture and products will be represented by iconic pieces from the 1980s as well as current work.

The Center will host an Opening Reception featuring remarks by Karen Nichols, FAIA, Principal at Michael Graves & Associates on Thursday, Jan. 17 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. There is no charge to attend, but spaces are very limited. For reservations, call (804) 644-3041, ext. 100 or secure your space online.

On the evening of Thursday, Feb. 7, the Center will present a Curated Conversation with Michael Graves, FAIA. Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, the Center’s executive director, will host a discussion, diving into a range of design topics with the celebrated architect. To accommodate a large crowd, the Conversation will be held in the chapel at First Baptist Church at 2709 Monument Avenue, just blocks from the Center. This event is free, but spaces are limited and reservations are recommended.

Following the discussion, the Center will host a Dinner with Michael Graves.  Enjoy a lively cocktail hour, with passed hors d’oeuvres, followed by an intimate, seated dinner and dessert in the Center’s dazzling galleries. Hear remarks by Michael and engage in warm conversation with members of Virginia’s design community. Tickets are $100 and proceeds benefit the VCA. Spaces are very limited and reservations are required. Call (804) 237-1764 or purchase tickets online.

Billings at architecture firms accelerated to their strongest pace of growth since December 2010. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the October ABI score was 52.8, up from the mark of 51.6 in September. This score reflects an increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 59.4, compared to a mark of 57.3 the previous month.

“With three straight monthly gains — and the past two being quite strong — it’s beginning to look like demand for design services has turned the corner,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “With 2012 winding down on an up-note, and with the national elections finally behind us, there is a general sense of optimism. However, this is balanced by a tremendous amount of anxiety and uncertainty in the marketplace, which likely means that we’ll have a few more bumps before we enter a full-blown expansion.” 

Key October ABI highlights:

• Regional averages: South (52.8), Northeast (52.6), West (51.8), Midwest (50.8)

• Sector index breakdown: multi-family residential (59.6), mixed practice (52.4), institutional (51.4), commercial / industrial (48.0)

• Project inquiries index: 59.4

The regional and sector categories are calculated as a 3-month moving average, whereas the index and inquiries are monthly numbers.

Wiley|Wilson’s Richmond office is one of only eight offices in the nation to receive the 2012-2015 Intern Development Program Outstanding Firm Award, a release from the national AIA announced Nov. 15, 2012.

In addition to two other offices from the Mid-Atlantic region—The Freelon Group Architects, Durham, and the Washington office of EYP—the other recipients were SOM, Chicago; The Cuningham Group, Minneapolis; and the Albany, Boston, and New York City offices of EYP.  Their recognition shows a deep commitment to the IDP program by going well above the program’s baseline criteria for preparing interns to enter the profession of architecture and for demonstrating innovation in that commitment.

The national IDP Advisory Committee, which selected the awards, also named recipients for the 2012-2015 IDP Firm Award: Architecture Incorporated, Sioux Falls, S.Dak.; BBH Design, Raleigh; IKM Inc., Pittsburgh; McKinney York Architects, Austin, Tex.; STOA Architects, Pensacola, Fla.; ZGF Architects, Portland, Ore.; Mancini Duffy, New York City; and the Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Wilkes-Barre, Pa. offices of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

The Virginia Society AIA Awards for Excellence in Architecture presented by IMAGINiT Technologies  and the Society’s Honors Awards were presented at the 2012 Visions for Architecture gala at the Hotel John Marshall on Friday, Nov. 9, 2012.

Officers for the 2013 Board of Directors were elected at the Annual Meeting of the Membership on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

Albert “Jack” Davis, FAIA, was elected as First Vice President/ President-Elect.

William E. Evans, AIA, was elected as Vice President, Professional Excellence

Valerie Hassett, AIA, was elected as Vice President, Government Advocacy

Robert V. Reis, AIA, was elected as Vice President, Communications and Outreach

Eric Keplinger, AIA was elected as Secretary

First Vice President/ President-Elect, Edward J. Gillikin, Jr., AIA, will move into the position of President and Lori S. Garrett, AIA, will move into the position of Immediate Past President. Nicholas E. Vlattas, AIA, continues as Treasurer.

Did you convert a former barn, grain silo, water tower, oil derrick, submarine, hollow tree, mausoleum, elevator shaft, post office, dam, or anything on wheels into a single-family residence?

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MORE INFORMATION

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