AIA Virginia Newsletter: May 2026

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From the President
President Bill Hopkins shares his thoughts on the recent Design Forum XVII at Virginia Tech.
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Design Forum XVII Reflections
“We, as a discipline, are capable of designing the future we want.” Design Forum feels like a gift, a rare opportunity to immerse ourselves in inspiration.
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A Call for Candidates
Are you interested in running for the board of directors? We are looking for At-Large Director and President-Elect candidates.
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Resiliency Speaker Series
Join us on Zoom starting May 19th to explore resiliency in the built environment and discover why investing in resilient solutions can help protect us all.
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Historic Waterford Tour + Picnic
Join AIA Virginia and AIA DC for a tour of three historic structures in Waterford on Saturday, May 23.
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AIA Virginia Honors Call for Nominations
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 AIA Virginia Honors. Who will you nominate?
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Design Awards Call for Entries
Entries are now open for the 2026 Awards for Excellence in Architecture
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Register Now: AIA Virginia COTE Sustainability Summit
From Vision to Action: The AIA VA COTE 2026 Sustainability Summit is a full-day event designed to spark inspiration, elevate practitioners’ insights, and produce tangible next steps for the profession. Join us on Thursday, May 28, and don’t wait to register; tickets are limited.
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Path to Licensure Webinar
We invite all our Associate members on the path to licensure to join our State Licensing Advisory for an online discussion on May 29th at noon.
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Meet the Class of 2026
Get to know our Emerging Leaders in Architecture class of 2026.
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VA COTE + USGBC Building Tour
Our May tour will be the LEED Silver Virginia Tech Data and Decision Sciences Building in Blacksburg.
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2026 PAC Award
We have launched the PAC Challenge for 2026. AIA Coastal Virginia took home the $1,000 last year, but it’s a whole new competition for 2026.
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Design Awards Jury Chair Announced
Dean Maltz, AIA, of Shigeru Ban Architects (SBA) in New York City, will chair the 2026 AIA Virginia Design Awards.
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VA COTE + USGBC Building Tour
Our June tour will be at The Edgar Shannon Library in Charlottesville.
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Save the Dates for ArchEx 2026: Threshold
ArchEx 2026 will be held in Richmond on November 4-6, 2026. Registration opens on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
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We Need You
We need volunteers to join the Education Advisory Council. This is meaningful, high-impact work – and we need representative voices from across the state and our member constituencies to ensure our programs truly serve their needs.
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Rathbone Appointment
Jane Cady Rathbone, FAIA, has been appointed to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
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Licensing Changes to CSI’s Specifications Formats
As of March 2026, CSI has changed its licensing structure and method of access for all its specification formats.
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Demystifying NCARB AXP Experience Setting O
Our State Associates Representative, Aidan Brown, discusses alternative methods to collect AXP hours.
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SFx Virginia Updates
A candidate forum and an upcoming May 21st online meeting are on the agenda for the Small Firm Exchange (SFx) Virginia.
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Welcome New Members
We are always excited to welcome new members to Virginia. The following members recently joined AIA Virginia.
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Cinco De Mayo
The AIA Virginia J.E.D.I. Committee encourages you to learn more about Cinco De Mayo.
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Newly Licensed
We all understand the dedication and effort required to study for and pass the ARE. Congratulations to the following members for passing their exams and gaining licensure.
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Amber Book
Are you ready to get licensed? Access the ARE study materials – the Amber Book for 60 days for just $99.
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State Building Code Technical Review Board – Overview and Updates
Read about the recent Review Board appeal cases and code interpretations.
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VANOMA Project Pipeline
Please consider contributing to VANOMA’s Project Pipeline. This enriching camp is designed to introduce students (grades 8–12) to the world of architecture and design.
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Guides in Action (EDI monthly series)
Starting in May, the AIA EDI Strategies Team will host a monthly discussion series (third Thursday, May–October, 4 pm ET). Each session focuses on a chapter from the Guides for Equitable Practice and demonstrates how to use the Activation Kit to support learning and implementation. Space is limited.
First session: May 21 | 4pm ET | Register >
Topic: Intercultural competence (Chapter 1)

AIA National Call for Volunteers launched May 1
The 2027 AIA National Call for Volunteers is now open, with applications accepted through June 15. Members can express interest in 80+ opportunities, including roles on the AIA Board of Directors, Strategic Council, board-level advisory committees, national award juries, knowledge communities, peer reviewers, and micro-volunteering opportunities.
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AIAVA Foundation
Make your tax-deductible donation today.
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2026 PAC Award Competition

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We have launched the PAC Award Challenge for 2026. It’s time to celebrate the engagement and commitment of a local AIA component that supports the advancement and mission of the PAC; one of the sharpest tools in our advocacy toolkit.

Contribute to the PAC

Points are accrued in three areas: local component Board participation, the percentage of local component’s membership who have invested in the PAC, and the total amount of money invested by the members of the local component. Points are allocated as follows:

  1. Local component Board participation
    a. Did 100% of the Board of Directors invest in the AIA Virginia PAC?
    i. Yes = 20 points
    ii. No = 0 points
  2. Percentage of local component members who have invested in the AIA Virginia PAC
    i. Component with highest % = 40 points
    ii. Component with second highest % = 20 points
    iii. Component with third highest % = 10 points
  3. Average investment per member from the total local component membership
    i. Component with highest average investment/member = 40 points
    ii. Component with second highest average investment/member = 30 points
    iii. Component with third highest average investment/member = 20 points
    iv. Component with fourth highest average investment/member = 10 points
    v. Component with fifth highest average investment/member = 0 points

Current Leaderboard:
AIA Coastal Virginia – 80 points
AIA Blue Ridge – 40 points
AIA Central Virginia – 40 points
AIA Northern Virginia – 10 points
AIA Richmond – 0 points

Scoring will close on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EST. The winning component goes home with $1,000 cash for Architecture Week/Month and the trophy at Architecture Exchange East in November. 

AIA Coastal Virginia is the reigning champ, but it’s a new competition – we’ll see who prevails. And if you need additional inspiration, Patrick Cushing, our retained lobbyist, shares his perspective on the importance of the PAC.

SFx Virginia Update

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Greetings Small Firm Exchange Virginia,

It was a true pleasure to see many of you this past month at AIA VA’s Design Forum.  Virginia is an amazing place to practice, not just for our long history of architectural excellence, but also because of the community. 

At the National level, last month SFx held it’s first ever AIA Candidate Forum.  This is not only a milestone for the SFx organization but also shows the importance of small firms as the backbone of AIA, representing ~75% of all firms nationwide.  Candidates for AIA President-Elect and At-Large Board positions were given the opportunity to speak to SFx State representatives throughout the nation.  You can read more about the Candidate Forum in this newsletter from National SFx Chair Daguin Fortuna: 

SFx Chair Letter – April 2026 A Defining Moment for Small Firm Representation

And here is the SFx Insider for April 2026.  This includes a brief synopsis of each candidate and their platform.  You will need to click on the PDF attachment:

April SFX Insider: Meet the Candidates

We continue to hold monthly virtual meetings every 3rd Thursday. Our next SFx VA meeting will be May 21, 2026 at 12:30 PM.  If you have not yet had the opportunity to attend, we would love to have you join us.  Microsoft Teams meeting credentials are noted below

Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/27388847162207?p=nt7AoY44rX6X3LiBpo
Meeting ID: 273 888 471 622 07
Passcode: D3x3bD2k

Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions, comments, or ideas.  cj@circlesquarecross.com

State Building Code Technical Review Board – Overview and Updates

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The State Building Code Technical Review Board (Review Board) is a 14‑member body within the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), whose members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the General Assembly. One member is selected from a slate nominated by AIA Virginia. The Review Board plays a key role in ensuring consistent statewide application of Virginia’s building and fire codes.

The primary purpose of the Review Board is to hear appeals from enforcement actions under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC), Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code (SFPC), Virginia Industrialized Building Safety Regulations, and Virginia Amusement Device Regulations. Applicants for appeals are generally persons or entities regulated under the applicable codes and who disagree with an enforcement action or are otherwise aggrieved by the application of the code. The codes require the filing of an appeal within a certain time period and generally an appeal must first be made to the local board of appeals and then to the Review Board if relief is not granted by the local board. Both the building and fire codes contain provisions advising of the right to appeal and directing aggrieved parties to the appropriate appeals board.

A secondary function of the Review Board is to issue official interpretations of the USBC and SFPC and to provide recommendations to the Board of Housing and Community Development regarding potential changes to these codes. Interpretation requests may be submitted by code enforcement personnel with the approval of the local building, maintenance, or fire official.

Throughout 2025 and early 2026, the Review Board heard numerous appeal cases and considered several code interpretations. Topics included:

  • Appealability of criminal summonses issued under the SFPC
  • Whether the removal of a local fire official can be appealed
  • Unsafe structures and demolition prior to conclusion of the appeals process
  • Egress requirements and exit remoteness
  • Fireworks displays and licensure
  • Shaft enclosures in Coastal A and Coastal High-Hazard areas
  • Assisted living facilities within Group R-2, R-3, or R-5
  • Crawlspace repairs and alterations
  • Additional technical matters

Additional details and information related to the above topics can be found at the Review Board’s webpage, here: https://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/state-building-code-technical-review-board-sbctrb

For questions or assistance, please contact the State Building Codes Office within the DHCD.

State Building Codes Office
sbco@dhcd.virginia.gov
804-371-7150

Demystifying NCARB AXP Experience Setting O

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When navigating NCARB’s Architectural Experience Program (AXP), it can take a while to fill all six buckets. Speaking for myself, it was quite the challenge to acquire all of my Construction and Evaluation hours. That was until I realized there are alternative methods to collect AXP hours. Welcome to Experience Setting O: Other Experience Opportunities. If you have had an internship at an engineering firm, have volunteered at a construction event, or have recently entered a design competition, you may be entitled to AXP compensation!

We put together a quick one-page document demystifying a handful of different methods for collecting hours in Experience Setting O. While there is no minimum requirement in this category, there is a maximum. A candidate may earn a maximum of 1,860 hours under experience setting O. Please refer to the AXP Guidelines from NCARB for more information on who can approve the hours and additional opportunities.

Design Awards Jury Chair Announced

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Dean Maltz, AIA, is set to convene and chair the Design Awards Jury for AIA Virginia. As a Managing Partner at Shigeru Ban Architects (SBA), based in New York City and focusing on the Americas, Dean is responsible for executing Shigeru Ban’s creative vision for experiential architecture and design at all scales. He holds a B.Arch. from the Cooper Union School of Architecture and an M.Arch. from Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Advocating for low-carbon design practices, Dean is a vocal proponent of the use of mass timber construction as a sustainable alternative to concrete and steel. He is a frequent lecturer and speaker at universities and industry events while holding licenses to practice architecture in seven U.S. states.

A part of SBA for more than 20 years, Maltz has led multiple award-winning projects recognized for design excellence and technological innovation, including Cast Iron House (2021), Aspen Art Museum (2014), and Metal Shutter House (2010).

His current projects include the Altadena Center for Community in Los Angeles (2026); a 19-story hybrid mass timber residential condominium in Vancouver (2028); a 14-story residential condominium in Miami (2029); and a single-story pre-K wood structure in Maui (2026).

Dean is a recipient of the AIA Henry Adams Certificate of Merit (1984), the American Society of Interior Design Pinnacle Award (2005), and the Peter Cooper Public Service Award (2024).

Submissions are now being accepted for the 2026 AIA Virginia Design Awards>>

Licensing Changes to CSI’s Specifications Formats

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by Hana Nguyenky, AIA

As of March 2026, CSI has changed its licensing structure and method of access for all its specification formats. These formats include OmniClass, UniFormat, MasterFormat, and SectionFormat. The fee structure is currently advertised as a firm-wide subscription-based license, where the cost will depend on annual firm revenue. Previously, licenses to use any formats were issued to the individual. Those previously issued licenses for digital and printed copies of the formats will remain active, and individuals will be held to the licensing user agreements they accepted during their purchase. Anyone who wishes to use the previous formats may continue to do so without changing their license. If their specifications are monetized and used by others without a license, then a new license will be required of those users.

If you currently outsource specifications writing to a third-party firm, you still must have a license if you use the specifications as a deliverable within a project manual or referenced on the drawings. If you utilize a third-party platform to write your project specs, you must also have a license to export, share templates, and submit as a deliverable. This is in addition to the software platform having their own agreements to use the formats within their products. 

For more information, visit https://www.csiresources.org/standards/cds-faq. There are additional links provided at the bottom of that webpage.

To learn more about the new method of access to the formats, visit https://theconstructionstandard.com/.

Please email CSI for questions about their formats at csi@csinet.org and email CDS for questions with specific use cases at info@theconstructionstandard.com.

Rathbone Appointed to Virginia Tech Board of Visitors

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Virginia Tech Alumna Jane Cady Rathbone, FAIA, principal and CEO Emeritus of Hanbury, was recently appointed by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors for a term that will commence on July 1, 2026.

Jane received her Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech (1980).

Throughout her career, Jane has had significant influence on the planning and design of university campuses. Her firm has worked with more than 150 campuses throughout the United States and abroad. In addition, she has taught issues related to campus architecture, including nine years as an instructor for one of Harvard’s Graduate School of Design’s Executive Education summer courses.

In 2017, Jane was fittingly recognized with the William C. Noland Medal; the highest award AIA Virginia bestows on a member architect, in honor of a distinguished body of accomplishments, sustained over time, that spans a broad spectrum of the profession and that transcends the scope of normal professional activities.

Please join us as we applaud Jane for her continued service and congratulate her on this distinguished appointment.

Design Forum Reflections

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Over the last few days, I’ve been reflecting on last week’s Design Forum held at Virginia Tech.  Not only did I come away inspired and reenergized, I also have a renewed sense of optimism for our profession. The program underscored the impact that architects and designers can have on society, not only through the places we design, but through how we think, lead, and engage with the communities we serve.

The theme of Design Forum XVII was “Against the Grain.” Each speaker offered a distinctly different approach to this theme – from the creative and innovative use of local building materials, to reimagining centuries-old building materials through advancing technologies, to mitigating threats to fragile ecosystems through both building and landscape design. Together, these examples reinforced that meaningful design often begins with a willingness to challenge convention.

The event also reminded me that good design is not just about aesthetics. It is equally about the underlying values that fuel the work we do for our clients and communities. In that sense, good design is not only visible in the built product; it is embedded in the systems and processes that shape the work from the very beginning. 

This reflection also brought me back to something I shared last November at Architecture Exchange East: that optimism is a key characteristic of effective leadership. As Melinda Gates has said, “Optimism isn’t a belief that things will automatically get better, it’s a conviction that we can make things better.” That idea felt especially relevant after the Forum. The future of architecture will be shaped by practitioners who are willing to think differently, act boldly, and be agents of the positive change our profession can create.

Sincerely,
Bill Hopkins, AIA
AIA Virginia President

Read 2026 Design Committee Chair, Jesse Gemmer’s reflections and view the DFXVII gallery>>

Newly Licensed

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We understand the dedication and effort required to study for and pass the ARE. Congratulations to the following members for passing their exams and gaining licensure. This is great news that thrills all of us and we are so proud to call you architects!

Emily Koller, AIA (Northern Virginia)
Mahamudul Hasan Asif, AIA (Northern Virginia)
Grace E. Becker, AIA (Northern Virginia)

Have you recently passed the ARE? Change your membership to Architect at me.aia.org

Are you ready to get licensed? AIA Virginia has discounted 60-day Amber Book subscriptions. Read more about it here>>

Support our Associate members on their path to licensure with your support of the discounted Amber Book subscription. Donate to the AIA Virginia Foundation

Have questions about licensure? Contact AIA Virginia’s State Licensing Advisor, Gina Robinson, AIA, at gina.robinson@hdrinc.com