VSAIA

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.

Everybody, so the saying goes, complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it.  The same cannot be said about the building code.  Architects can do something about it …  including how current and future building-code officials interpret it.

For many years John McGrann, AIA, helped fashion this perspective through his tenure on the Building Code Academy Advisory Committee.  But he left that position in 2008.  Another architect is needed for the position.

To obtain first-hand knowledge of what is entailed in the position, contact McGrann in Richmond at (804) 343-1010 or  jmcgrann@baskervill.com.

The committee meets in person at least annually and attempts to meet quarterly.  Depending upon the situation, the committee can meet via conference call or email.  The committee advises the Board and director of the Department of Housing and Community Development “on policies, procedures, operations, and other matters pertinent to enhancing the delivery of training services provided by the Building Code Academy.”

The Virginia Society AIA may nominate architects for one slot on the 17-person committee.  If you are interested in this position, please get in touch with Duncan Abernathy, AIA, (daber@aiava.org) after conferring with McGrann.

© 2006, The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.

On the heels of a nearly three-point increase, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) climbed into positive terrain for the first time in five months. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects  reported the August ABI score was 50.2, up from the mark of 48.7 in July. 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 57.2, up from mark of 56.3 the previous month.

“Until the economy is on firmer ground, there aren’t likely to be strong increases in demand for design services,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, Ph.D., Hon. AIA. “In the meantime, we can expect to see design activity alternate between modest growth and modest decline.”

Key August ABI highlights:

• Regional averages: South (52.2), West (51.2), Northeast (45.5), Midwest (45.3)
• Sector index breakdown: multi-family residential (53.0), institutional (50.2) commercial / industrial (47.9), mixed practice (46.8)
• Project inquiries index: 57.2

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

About the AIA Architecture Billings Index
The Architecture Billings Index (ABI), produced by the AIA Economics & Market Research Group, is a leading economic indicator that provides an approximately nine to twelve month glimpse into the future of nonresidential construction spending activity. The diffusion indexes contained in the full report are derived from a monthly “Work-on-the-Boards” survey that is sent to a panel of AIA member-owned firms. Participants are asked whether their billings increased, decreased, or stayed the same in the month that just ended as compared to the prior month, and the results are then compiled into the ABI.  These monthly results are also seasonally adjusted to allow for comparison to prior months. The monthly ABI index scores are centered around 50, with scores above 50 indicating an aggregate increase in billings, and scores below 50 indicating a decline. The regional and sector data are formulated using a three-month moving average. More information on the ABI and the analysis of its relationship to construction activity can be found in the White Paper Architecture Billings as a Leading Indicator of Construction: Analysis of the Relationship Between a Billings Index and Construction Spending on the AIA web site.

Tye Farrow, with the Farrow Partnership, has gained international recognition for the design of public and private sector buildings that enhance health.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) on Monday, Sept. 24, announced a ten-year commitment to develop design and technology solutions for cities that address challenges faced on public health, sustainability, and resiliency to natural disasters.

“This announcement by AIA National is timely,” said John Braymer, Executive Vice President of the Virginia Society AIA. “The Keynote Speaker at Architecture Exchange East, the Society’s annual conference and trade show,  is Tye Farrow. Farrow’s work has gained international recognition for the design of public and private sector buildings that enhance health. We’re pleased to continue to bring the profession’s leading thinkers to Virginia to share their  influential work.”

AIA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy, FAIA, announced the Commitment to Action at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, where more than 1,000 global leaders are gathering to address the theme, “Designing for Impact.”

The commitment by the AIA features three initiatives:

• University research on solutions-based outcomes. Three university-based projects have been selected for year-one funding that demonstrate the importance of design on public health. In addition, the 2013 Latrobe Prize through the AIA College of Fellows will fund research that aligns with this commitment.

• Community Planning Process. The AIA will mobilize interdisciplinary university teams engaged with community and professional partners in one of the world’s largest cities to address complex problems using design thinking and technology innovation.

• Show Us Your APPtitude hackathon. The hack-a-thon, in which computer experts gather to come up with the most creative app or technology based solution to a given need or problem, springboards from the community planning process byproviding related design and technology solutions. Students and other participants from a variety of disciplines will have the opportunity to compete for a prize that recognizes achievable, inventive solutions.

The recipients of the first-ever Decade of Design research grants are:

• Texas A&M University – Evaluating Health Benefits of Liveable Communities: Toolkit for measuring the health impacts of walkable communities, validated with an empirical study of a LEED for Neighborhood Development project in Austin.

• University of Arkansas – Fayetteville 2030: Creating Food City Scenario Plan: The study of planning possibilities and design solutions for creating a local food infrastructure while accommodating a quickly growing population.

• University of New Mexico – Establishing Interdisciplinary Health-Architecture Curriculum: Pilot program to develop a framework for implementing a three-year interdisciplinary program for addressing health issues in local neighborhoods.

These research projects launch the AIA’s long-term commitment to advance public health through design in the United States and beyond. As communities across the globe face increasingly complex challenges to their quality of life, the AIA will work with other partners within the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to find innovative solutions. Partners and sponsors already signed up include the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).

The AIA expects to announce additional sponsors in the near future.

About The American Institute of Architects
For over 150 years, members of the American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. Members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct to ensure the highest standards in professional practice. Embracing their responsibility to serve society, AIA members engage civic and government leaders and the public in helping find needed solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit www.aia.org.

About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,100 commitments, which are already improving the lives of nearly 400 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $69.2 billion.

CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

About The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture is a nonprofit, membership association founded in 1912 to advance the quality of architectural education. The school membership in ACSA has grown from 10 charter members to over 250 schools in several membership categories. These include full membership for all accredited programs in the United States and government-sanctioned schools in Canada, candidate membership for schools seeking accreditation, and affiliate membership for schools for two-year and international programs. Through these schools, over 5,000 architecture faculty are represented. In addition, over 500 supporting members composed of architecture firms, product associations and individuals add to the breadth of interest and support of ACSA goals. ACSA, unique in its representative role for schools of architecture, provides a forum for ideas on the leading edge of architectural thought. Issues that will affect the architectural profession in the future are being examined today in ACSA member schools. The association maintains a variety of activities that influence, communicate, and record important issues. Such endeavors include scholarly meetings, workshops, publications, awards and competition programs, support for architectural research, policy development, and liaison with allied organizations.

About Rocky Mountain Institute
Rocky Mountain Institute is an independent, entrepreneurial, nonprofit think-and-do tank. RMI emphasizes integrative design, advanced technologies, and mindful markets in fulfilling its mission to drive the efficient and restorative use of resources. RMI’s strategic focus is to map and drive the U.S. transition from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables by 2050. Visit http://www.rmi.org for more information.

© 2006, The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.

In addition to educational sessions, architectural tours, special events, and the cutting-edge vendors you’ll find at ArchEx, AIA national is sending Kyle McAdams to interview you on behalf of its repositioning project. The year-long process is exploring the perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, needs, and value of architects. The data will be used to inform the development of a comprehensive plan to advance the position of architects and bolster the national dialogue about their role in society.

The design and marketing firm Pentagram and the association consultant firm LaPlaca Cohen have been hired to help with the effort, which began in March 2012. In CEO Robert Ivy’s words, their research will “filter up through the organization. They’re not telling us what to do. What they’re really doing is active listening.” Their findings will offer a new way to communicate about architecture and the AIA’s role within the profession. Once this message is synthesized, the two firms will investigate what communications channels would best serve to disseminate these messages to target audiences. Their findings will be announced at the 2013 AIA Grassroots conference.

ArchEx is the Society’s annual conference and expo — now celebrating its 25^th year — and it takes place Nov. 7–9, 2012, in Richmond. Online registration for ArchEx is open through Oct. 30; register by Sept. 26 to secure the Early Bird rates.

© 2006, The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.

The AIA is partnering with the US Department of Commerce to conduct the first Architecture Trade Mission to India.

India has a quickly expanding economy that offers many opportunities for US firms to export their architectural services. Conducting the mission through US Department of Commerce will allow participants to meet with Indian state and local government officials, pre-screened potential buyers and agents, as well as partake in networking events. This mission will focus on five key areas: Master Planning, Mixed Used Development, Health Care, Airports and Educational Institutions.

The rapid growth of the Indian economy has created a pressing need for infrastructure development. India is seeking to invest $1 trillion in its infrastructure during 2012-2017. The country requires significant outside expertise to meet its ambitious targets.

Trade mission participants will visit the cities of Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore.

• Chennai, the rapidly developing capital of the Tamil Nadu state off the Bay of Bengal, is the second largest port city in India and home to over 8.9 million people. Its economy is expected to grow to 2.5 its current size by 2025, approximately $100 billion in growth.

• Kolkata is the historic capital of the state of West Bengal on the Hooghly River, ranking third in economic output to Mumbai and New Delhi. After a period of decline from 1970 to the mid-nineties, the increasing density of the city is creating demand for new high-rise residential projects, resorts and commercial complexes as well as a need for restoration of many historic heritage sites.

• Bangalore, the capital of the Karnataka state, is known as “India’s Silicon Valley”, a leading service industry city with the second largest population in the country. A large metro rail expansion and growing job market is expected to attract a sharp increase in residents and a potential real estate boom.

Find out more about the application process and the mission>>

© 2006, The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.

Make sure your voice is heard. AIA Contract Documents® is in the process of updating its industry standard Digital Practice documents for use on construction projects involving BIM and other forms of digital data. Drafts of the updated documents are now available for public review and comment. Reviewers can comment through a short survey with the option to provide section-by-section comments, if they so desire. The public comment period will end Sept. 24. The updated draft documents are:

AIA Document E203™-2012, Building Information Modeling and Digital Data Exhibit

AIA Document G201™-2012, Project Digital Data Protocol Form

AIA Document G202™-2012, Project Building Information Modeling Protocol Form

Share your comments>>

Join the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects, the Virginia Center for Architecture, and Inform magazine in a celebration of the very best work from designers working from Virginia.

This year for the first time, to recognize both the importance of context in building design and the important distinction of residential design as a building type, the Virginia Society AIA has added two new categories—Contextual Design and Residential Design—to the previous three: General Design, Historic Preservation, and Interior Design to the 2012 Awards for Excellence in Architecture presented by IMAGINiT Technologies.  (See the more detailed description of each below.) Entrants will identify the category for which a project is submitted in the registration documentation. Projects may be submitted in multiple categories with a separate PDF submission and fee payment for each category. Submissions are to be in PDF format and include one page of written description and five pages of illustration. Illustration pages may contain multiple images—plans, sections, axonometrics, details, renderings, and photographs with credits—and captions at the submitters discretion.

The 2012 VSAIA Awards for Excellence presented by IMAGINiT Technologies are sponsored by IMAGINiT Technologies, a Rand Worldwide Company,  SKANSKA USA,  Haynes Whaley Associates, Inc. and Vanderweil Engineers, LLP.

Awards certificates are presented each November at Architecture Exchange East, the Virginia Society’s annual conference. They are also honored during the Visions for Architecture gala, in Inform Magazine, and serve as the subject of an annual exhibition at the Virginia Center for Architecture.

All entries must be the work of licensed architects who have an office in Virginia OR are members (including associate members) of the Virginia Society of the AIA.

The timeline schedule for the 2012 awards program:

Entries are due July 13.

Project submissions are due electronically July 27.

The fee schedule for the 2012 awards program is:

Virginia Society AIA Members—$175 for the first project and $150 for each additional project

Not a Virginia Society AIA Member, but with an office in Virginia—$225 for the first project and $195 for each additional project

Virginia Society AIA Associate Members—$80 for all projects

Contextual Design

Buildings do not exist in isolation. The Award for Contextual Design recognizes outstanding architecture that perceptibly reflects the history, culture, and physical environment of the place in which it stands and that, in turn, contributes to the function, beauty, and meaning of its larger context. Evaluation criteria include:

• Does the design contribute to the fabric of the surrounding physical context through tangible qualities such as scale, form, materials, and architectural vocabulary?
• Does the design demonstrate an understanding of the history and culture of the place and embrace traditions relevant to its context?
• Does the design creatively embody the identity or mission of the client?

Requirements for submission should include a description of the context and how this context is reflected in the design, as well as images (photographs or drawings; at least two) that distinctly reveal the surrounding context of the project.

Residential Design

Aesthetic appeal and functionality are two long-established criteria for home design. More frequently, especially in the last several years, families have also been looking for affordability and resource efficiency. The jury will focus on the issues of:

• Design that suits the needs of the home owner or resident, regardless of any particular style, and is easily maintained, filled with adequate natural light and fresh air, energy and water efficient, and is universally accessible.
• Community building, in that the residence is well-sited with respect to views and amenities such as transit, shopping, recreation, and congregation.

Submissions should include a description of the sustainability and community-building programmatic aspects of the residence, interior and exterior photographs, plans, and/or drawings, and a site plan.

General Design

Designers may submit projects of all types (including residential) for consideration in the General Design category. In their deliberations, the jury will consider aesthetics, adherence to the client program, proven and projected building performance, and concept development. As with all categories, entrants will submit a project description and five pages of illustration, each of which may contain plans, sections, renderings, photographs, and captions, as the entrant deems suitable to describe the outstanding elements of the project.

Historic Preservation

The Historic Preservation category focuses specifically on excellence in strategies, tactics, and technologies that advance the art, craft, and science of preserving historically significant buildings and sites. The jury will also take into consideration adherence to local, state, and national criteria for historic preservation.

Interior Design

Interior Design projects of distinction will evince mastery of composition, functionality, material and color palettes, and well-integrated adherence to the highest levels of accessibility, health and safety, environmental, and occupant-comfort considerations, standards, and regulations. Submissions will highlight accommodation of project goals, including the client’s specific programmatic requirements, in a single page of text supplemented with five pages of illustrations in PDF format.

The Juries

The juries for each of the five categories comprise architects, educators, and related professionals working outside the Middle Atlantic region who are well-recognized for their work pertaining to their particular categories. Jury chairs will be highlighted in an upcoming Design Awards announcement.

The Institute is initiating a first-ever survey to collect key relationship information relative to architects and lawmakers to help organize and strengthen state and federal advocacy efforts.  While every state grapples with different legislative issues, one common thread to success is a unified voice – at both the grassroots and grass-tops (personal relationship) levels.  Once compiled, the AIA State and Local Relations team will provide reports to each state component to use in building their efforts to (1) stave off encroachments into architectural practice by other groups, (2) protect qualifications-based selection (3) maintain and refine appropriate project delivery methods and (4) advance the business interests of the architectural profession.

To complete the 3-minute survey, click here. After you log in using your AIA account username and password, you will click on the “Learn More” button under “Legislator Survey.” Your home address should already be entered for you.  Confirm that the address is correct then click “Search” to find your elected officials.  From there you will be able to enter relationship information with an easy drop-down menu for each of your government representatives.  If you’ve forgotten your password, don’t fret, you can easily click “forgot my password” and the password will be immediately sent to your email address to complete your log in. This type of initiative is what many of you have requested from our National Component so please take a few minutes of your valuable time for this survey

Virginia Tech’s LumenHAUS was honored for their 2012 Institute Honors Award during the 63rd Annual Honors and Awards Celebration session at the AIA National Convention and Design Exposition on Friday, May 18, 2012.

The Institute Honors Awards program recognizes achievements for a broad range of architectural activity to elevate the general quality of architecture practice, establish a standard of excellence against which all architects can measure performance, and inform the public of the breadth and value of architecture practice.