VSAIA

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced its support for the International Green Construction Code (IgCC), a new model code intended to help conserve energy in both commercial buildings and residential structures while providing direction for safe and sustainable building design and construction. The International Code Council (ICC) published the IgCC March 28.

“The IgCC is a tool that, when adopted nationwide by states and communities, will create a path for the United States to follow in cutting energy use in one of its biggest energy consumers – commercial buildings,” said AIA President Jeff Potter, FAIA. “Now that the IgCC is final, American architects can use the Green Code to help the U.S. lead the way in designing sustainable buildings and infrastructure.”

Early versions of the IgCC released during the development of the code are already in use by states and jurisdictions, demonstrating the need and demand for safe and sustainable design and construction. With the IgCC’s release tomorrow, the AIA will continue its effort to provide information and education resources to its members engaged in the adoption of the IgCC in their states. In May, the AIA will publish a guide to the IgCC that will be available at the AIA’s annual convention in Washington, D.C. May 17-19.

The IgCC was developed at public hearings with input from experts in code development and enforcement, architecture, engineering, building science, environmental advocacy, government, business, academia and the public. Besides the AIA, IgCC cooperating sponsors include ASTM International, ASHRAE, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

The Green Code acts as an overlay to the existing International Codes, including provisions of the International Energy Conservation Code for some baseline requirements. The IgCC provides model code language that establishes a baseline for new and existing buildings related to energy conservation, water efficiency, site impacts, building waste, material resource efficiency and other sustainability measures. The ongoing development and evolution of the IgCC serves as the best process to monitor, validate and develop green regulations that are useable, enforceable and adaptable.

AIA CEO Robert Ivy, FAIA, and Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA, President of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) are pleased to announce the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding underscoring the two organizations’ mutual interest in the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance buildings and the desire to collaborate on issues surrounding these topics.

“Through cooperation and coordination on the issues impacting the entire building community and the pursuit of high-performance buildings, the Institute and AIA can work towards improving our nation’s buildings. We are very pleased to work with AIA on such an important effort,” said Green upon signing.

One of the first projects the two organizations will work on collaboratively is the joint development of an on-line portal for building industry research and knowledge. Intended to be accessible to the public, this initiative will include the participation and contribution of a variety of building science and performance disciplines. NIBS and AIA anticipate this partnership will culminate in providing a centralized location for the knowledge and research efforts underway that are relevant to the building industry.

About the new partnership and the outline of work planned, Ivy said, “The AIA has long recognized the power of knowledge to inform design. For many years, the AIA Knowledge Communities have provided ample testimony to the value of that orientation. The AIA-NIBS research portal will enable practitioners to use knowledge creatively in ways for which they have impatiently hoped. Now the wait is over.”

Later this year, NIBS and AIA will also collaborate on an industry summit bringing together leaders in the fields of architecture, construction and engineering. The summit will focus on elevating awareness and understanding of how design adds value to the building process, whether it’s expressed through increased property value or the health, safety and welfare of the building’s users.

Additionally, AIA and NIBS are working together on High Performance Buildings: Combining Field Experience with Innovation, the third Building Enclosure Science & Technology (BEST) Conference, April 2-4, 2012, in Atlanta. The Conference is part of the Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council’s (BETEC) mission to explore the advancement of energy efficiency of buildings as well as the durability of buildings as affected by moisture and the indoor environment. The AIA and NIBS have been partners in the Building Enclosure Councils since 2004.

About the National Institute of Building Sciences

Inform magazine announced that Michael J. Crosbie, Ph.D., FAIA, will head the 2012 Inform Awards jury.

Crosbie is Chair of the Department of Architecture and an associate professor at the University of Hartford. He has been involved in architectural education for more than 20 years, and has lectured at architecture schools across the U.S. and abroad. He has been an editor for a number of national architectural magazines, and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Faith & Form, a journal on religious art and architecture. He is the author of more than a 20 books on architecture (including 5 books for children). He is also a frequent contributor to Architectural Record and writes about architecture and design for the Hartford Courant. A licensed architect, Crosbie previously practiced with Centerbrook Architects  and consults with Steven Winter Associates. He studied architecture at Catholic University.

The Inform Awards recognize outstanding work in landscape architecture, interior design, and object design. The program is open to anyone in the Inform magazine primary circulation area, including architects, interior designers, landscape architects, furniture designers, industrial designers, students, and faculty.

Entrants must have a business address in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, or North Carolina, and submitted work must have been completed after January 1, 2007.  More>>

Each year the AIA nominates 10-15 practitioners to serve as AIA representatives on National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) school visits.

Nominations are for a four year term, 2013-2016, and AIA representatives may be scheduled for up to one school visit per year.  The AIA seeks members with a range of experience from various geographic locations to serve on visiting teams along with representatives of AIAS, ACSA, and NCARB. Spanish-speaking practitioners are needed and diversity among team members is desired.

School visits are over a 5-day period from Saturday–Wednesday and are generally planned during the months of February and March each year. NAAB is responsible for scheduling team visits. Team member expenses are reimbursed. In order to be eligible to be assigned to a visiting team, nominees must complete the online training and the face-to-face workshop. The NAAB provides workshops 3-4 times each year usually in conjunction with collateral annual meetings. The AIA encourages members who apply to plan to attend the AIA Convention in Washington DC to attend the face-to-face training which will take place on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. Travel expenses for attending the training workshop are the responsibility of the nominated member

If you would like to be considered, please submit a letter of interest and one-page resume no later than March 1 to Suzanna Wight Kelley, AIA at suzannakelley@aia.org.

James P. Clark, FAIA

The Society’s Immediate-Past President James P. Clark has been elevated by the AIA to its prestigious College of Fellows — an honor awarded to members who have made contributions of national significance to the profession.

Throughout his 25 years of membership in the AIA, Clark has worked tirelessly to create programs that empower collaborative connections between architects, students and institutions that inspire awareness, creativity, education and excellence.

Clark founded and chairs the National Ideas Competition for the Washington Monument Grounds on the National Mall, a competition that has attracted both national and international attention and has facilitated free discussion outside the highly sensitive political world of reviewing agencies.  During his term as President of the Virginia Society AIA, he convinced the AIA, George Washington University, and architecture schools throughout the nation to sponsor the competition the results of which will be featured in an exhibition called Someday in the Park with George at the Virginia Center for Architecture opening April 12, 2012. Clark also founded and leads the Annual Interschool Design Competition at the National Building Museum and helped found AIA Northern Virginia’s School Connections Committee.  As the Society’s Vice President for Professional Excellence, he was instrumental in establishing the Prize for Design Research and Scholarship and the Emerging Leaders in Architecture programs.

The 2012 Fellows will be honored at an investiture ceremony on Thursday, May 17 at the 2012 National AIA Convention.

Robert Dunay, FAIA. Image courtesy Va. Tech.

Robert Dunay, FAIA, the T.A. Carter Professor of Architecture in the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech, has been named one of the 25 Most Admired Educators of 2012 by the magazine DesignIntelligence.

DesignIntelligence, the only national college ranking survey focused exclusively on design, annually selects educators and education administrators who exemplify excellence in design education leadership for this distinction. The disciplines of architecture, interior design, industrial design, and landscape architecture are included.

This is the third time Dunay has received this recognition from the magazine.

Other notables include Scott Poole, who recently left Virginia and his position as director of the School of Architecture and Design at Virginia Tech to become Dean of College of Architecture and Design at the University of Tennessee; and Elizabeth Meyer, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at University of Virginia’s School of Architecture.

Record House Revisited; David Jameson Architect. Photo © Paul Warchol

Virginia member David Jameson’s Record House Revisited in Owings Mill, Maryland, was selected as a 2012 recipient of the Institute Honor Awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for Interior Architecture. The award is the profession’s highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in architecture, interior architecture and urban design. Selected from over 700 total submissions, 27 recipients located throughout the world will be honored at the AIA 2012 National Convention and Design Exposition in Washington, D.C.

See the other winning projects. More>>

Virginia member Thomas McLaughlin died Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012. He had been treated for non-Hodgkins lymphoma for the past two years.

A native of Tarboro, N.C., McLaughlin graduated from N.C. State and went on to Harvard where he earned his MArch. He began his career in Boston, designing the city’s Children’s Museum and a transportation museum, and came to Richmond, Va., in 1989. He worked with Moseley McClintock Group, Rose Architects and was a principal with Odell Associates, before finishing his career with his own firm. He is well known for his work on the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, the Richmond Newspapers Inc. production building, the former Heilig-Meyers headquarters, the St. Francis Cancer Center, the Oliver Hill Courts Building, and courts facilities in Spotsylvania County, Henry County and Hopewell.

A memorial service will be held at the Virginia Center for Architecture on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, at 4:30 p.m.

Untitled 4, Carlton Abbott, FAIA

You’re probably familiar with Carlton Abbott’s work as an architect, but are you aware of his work as an artist? You might wonder when the architect of the  Museum of the Confederacy’s new Appomattox site, the Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia Beach and Jamestown Visitor Centers,  the Mt. Vernon Trail of the George Washington Parkway, and the Mariner’s Museum (among many, many other projects) has time to create works of art. After exploring the Virginia Center for Architecture’s newest exhibition Featured Fellows: The Art & Architecture of Carlton Abbott, FAIA you’ll probably wonder when he has time to create architecture! Carlton Abbott, FAIA, winner of more than 80 awards for architectural accomplishments, and son of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s original landscape architect, has enjoyed a brilliant career as an architect and artist. See a collection of his artwork including drawings, models, paintings, mixed media, sculpture and metal work on display at the Virginia Center for Architecture from Jan. 19 through March 25, 2012.

With five decades of art and architecture under his belt, Abbott shows no signs of slowing down. Abbott is a dedicated artist and designer whose career aspirations were inspired by his father, Stanley W. Abbott, the first resident landscape architect and primary designer of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Born in Salem, Virginia, in 1939, Carlton Sturges Abbott attended the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1963.  He also studied under a scholarship at the École des Beaux-Arts, Fontainebleau, France and ultimately became an architect, land planner, and president of Carlton Abbott and Partners in Williamsburg, Virginia.

In addition to being elevated in 1983 to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows, and receiving countless awards for design excellence, he was recognized with the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects’ two highest professional honors: the T. David Fitz-Gibbon Architecture Firm Award in 1995 and the William C. Noland Medal in 1999.

Special Events

The Art and Architecture of Carlton Abbott Opening Reception
Thursday, Jan. 19, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Be among the first to explore a collection of Carlton Abbott’s artwork including drawings, models, paintings, mixed media, sculpture and metal work. Enjoy light refreshments. Space is limited. RSVP to aliguori@aiava.org or (804) 644-3041, ext. 100 to secure your space. Free.

Art with Abbott Workshop
Friday, Jan. 27, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to get creative with Carlton Abbott.  The Williamsburg architect and artist provides an in-depth talk about his works on view and “draws” on his expertise to guide participants in mixed-media projects.  The experience includes drawing, painting, and additional creative hands-on opportunities.  The workshop is appropriate for anyone interested in learning more about artistic processes, the overlapping fields of art and architecture, and creativity (no previous art or architecture experience necessary).  $85 fee includes all supplies, instruction, and lunch. Space is limited. RSVP to aliguori@aiava.org or (804) 644-3041, ext. 100 to secure your space.

Carlton Abbott Trunk Show
Thursday, Feb. 2, 4–6 p.m.
Carlton Abbott draws on his architecture background to create captivating hand-sculpted silver pieces. Abbott hosts a trunk show and sale of these wearable works of art as featured in Belle magazine. RSVP to aliguori@aiava.org or (804) 644-3041, ext. 100 to secure your space.  Free.

SocialARCH
Tuesday, Feb. 7, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
The Virginia Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Virginia Center for Architecture host a social event featuring light refreshments and an exploration of Featured Fellows: The Art and Architecture of Carlton Abbott, FAIA. Meet Carlton Abbott and see a collection of his artwork including drawings, models, paintings, mixed media, sculpture and metal work. Sponsored by Shade & Wise Brick Company. Space is limited. RSVP to aliguori@aiava.org or (804) 644-3041, ext. 100 to secure your space. Free.

Carlton Abbott Coffee and Gallery Talk
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 9–10 a.m.
Join Carlton Abbott for a gallery talk and exploration of his work featured in the exhibition. Take part in an informal and enlightening conversation of the art- and architecture-based works on view, as well as learn about his inspiration and techniques. RSVP to aliguori@aiava.org or (804) 644-3041, ext. 100 to secure your space. Free.

The Art and Architecture of Carlton Abbott Family Day
Saturday, March 3, 1–3 p.m.
Create your own work of art, participate in a gallery tour, and complete a scavenger hunt!  Experiment with the ideas from the exhibition Featured Fellows: The Art and Architecture of Carlton Abbott and design a unique work to take home with you.

The Art and Architecture of Carlton Abbott Departure Party
Thursday, March 22, 4–6:30 p.m.
Join us for an evening with Carlton Abbott, light refreshments, and music as we celebrate the exhibition before it departs. RSVP to aliguori@aiava.org or (804) 644-3041, ext. 100 to secure your space. Free.

The Virginia Center for Architecture is located at 2501 Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia’s historic Fan District. The Center is dedicated to developing the understanding of the power and importance of architecture through programs, exhibitions, and its stewardship of an historic landmark. The Center is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Learn more at www.virginiaarchitecture.org.

LumenHAUS, courtesy Va. Tech

Virginia Tech’s acclaimed LumenHAUS has earned another feather in its much-adorned cap. This net-zero-energy house — which has garnered attention not only for design excellence but as an educational tool — has been awarded a 2012 Institute Honor Award for Architecture from the national component of the AIA. Recognized by the Society with a 2011 VSAIA design award and the Prize for Design Research and Scholarship in 2010, the LumenHAUS also took home the top prize at the European Solar Decathlon in 2010.

The house has been on display in New York’s Times Square, Washington, D.C. and alongside Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House as an exhibition, not only on good design, but as a tool informing the wider public about issues of alternative energy and sustainability.

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