New Members

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We are always excited to welcome new members to Virginia. The following members recently joined the ranks of AIA Virginia.

New Associate Members

Alaa Aswad, Intl. Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)
Mohammad Babaei, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)
Sreeya Brahma, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)
Nathanael Diemer, Assoc. AIA (Richmond)
James Ford, Assoc. AIA (Richmond)
Seung Jin Han, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)
Shukrullo Mirvaydullaev, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)
Gianluca Sanzone, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)
James Wylde, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)

Transferred In

Kenneth Aunchman, AIA (Northern Virginia) from AIA Oklahoma
Claire Barrows, AIA (Richmond) from AIA DC
Valerie Boudreaux, AIA (Northern Virginia) from AIA DC
Tiffany Mayhew, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia) from AIA Maryland

New/Renewed Allied Members

Hessam Nabavi, Promotions Director, Virginia Ready Mixed Concrete Association

View all of the AIA Virginia Allied members

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!

Anna Krüger, AIA (Richmond)
Adam Hines, AIA (Blue Ridge)
Arnold Lee, AIA (Northern Virginia)

Have you recently passed the ARE? Upgrade your membership to Architect using this AIA form. or send an email to your Member Services Director, Cathy Guske, cguske@aiava.org

Are you ready to get licensed? AIA Virginia has 60-day Amber Book subscriptions for $50 here>>

Have questions about licensure? Contact AIA Virginia’s State Licensing Advisor, Michael Hammon, AIA at mhammon@glaveandholmes.com

2023 AIA Virginia Prize Jury Announced

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AIA Virginia is pleased to announce the jury for the 2023 AIA Virginia Prize. The competition — which took place over the weekend of Feb. 10-13 weekend —challenged students to design a house for two artists that will include their workshop and a public program in the form of an exhibition space and an educational space.

The AIA Virginia Prize is a design charrette that engages students at all of the accredited architecture programs in Virginia.  Conducted simultaneously at each institution, students are given the competition program Friday at 5 p.m. They work over the weekend to create a board presenting their design solution by 9 a.m. the following Monday.  The competition is intended to promote collaboration between the profession, students, and professors in Virginia.

Each school’s faculty reviewed the submissions and sent up to 10 finalists for final consideration by the jury which will be chaired by Forrest Frazier, AIA.

About the Jury

Forrest Frazier, AIA studied Architectural History and Design at the University of Virginia before receiving his Master’s in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was the recipient of the Stephen Lenci Award and Chester Miller Traveling Fellowship. He has over fifteen years of broad professional experience at award-winning design firms including Mark Cavagnero in San Francisco, Alterstudio in Austin, and Tod Williams Billie Tsien in New York. Prior to founding Two Street Studio, Forrest worked on high-end residences in Manhattan and the Hamptons with the acclaimed boutique architecture/development firm founded by Cary Tamarkin. Forrest is the director of Two Street Studio’s Richmond office. 

Azadeh Rashidi, AIA is a Registered Architect and Project Manager at Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners (TWBTA).  She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Architecture from the University of Virginia, where she has also taught.  Since joining TWBTA in 2008, she has managed several of the firm’s projects from conception to completion.  Her expertise working with cultural buildings for the firm began with the David and Reva Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago. Azadeh has also overseen the renovation and expansion of the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College. Most recently, she completed TWBTA’s renovation of David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, home to the New York Philharmonic. Prior to her work at TWBTA, she was an associate at WG Clark Architects in Charlottesville, VA, and was involved in the design of the award-winning addition to the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia. Beyond her practice as an architect, Azadeh is devoted to creating opportunities for young designers of diverse backgrounds and spearheads TWBTA’s mentorship program.

Everald Colas, AIA is an award-winning Haitian American architect, educator, and storyteller and is the founder of Storyn Studio for Architecture. He has led a variety of internationally acclaimed projects during his time as an architect and specializes in projects that require a sensitive approach to integrating mixed-use buildings in a historical context. As a practitioner, he is committed to civic engagement and how design can promote stronger communities, create more inclusive spaces, foster place-making in a neighborhood, and be identity-affirming to individuals within a community and greater city. He is motivated to find solutions for designing equitable spaces for all voices and believes that design is a tool for social change. Before creating Storyn, Everald was a senior architect for Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Everald holds both a Master of Architecture degree and a Master of Science in Architectural Pedagogy from The University of Florida. In 2018, he co-founded and organized the annual University of Florida School of Architecture COMING HOME Alumni Lecture Series. He has been awarded the Garcia Award for Design Excellence by the Tampa Bay AIA, Florida’s Young Architect Design Award, and the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Florida.

Spring is Upon Us

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Spring is upon us… (I hope). I for one am happy that spring has arrived as it brings about change all around us.

  • New growth in the trees.
  • Plants breaking free of the earthly bonds, seeking warmth and growing.
  • The sounds of brightly colored birds
  • New and different kinds of weeds are growing in my yard (not really happy about the weeds, but that is a different conversation.)

But most importantly, it is still daylight when I leave the Office.

It is also a busy time at AIA Virginia and the components around the state. Everyone has been busy putting together great events and other opportunities for growth and participation.

  • Some local chapters are celebrating Architecture Month in April. Check out the event calendars for AIA Hampton Roads, and AIA Northern Virginia.
  • In celebration of Resilience Week in Virginia, AIA Hampton Roads is presenting a series of seminars on resiliency. These seminars are scheduled for the week of April 17th. Register today>>
  • The AEC Conference is scheduled for April 25th and 26th in Richmond. This event is the result of the joint efforts by AGC, ACEC, and AIA Virginia. The conference brings together the architectural, engineering, and construction community in one location. Register today>>
  • The Art of Practice is scheduled for June 23rd in Charlottesville. This year’s focus is on preparing for economic stress and maintaining resilience. Only 50 tickets will be sold so Register today>>
  • AIA Virginia has issued the Call for Entries for the 2023 Design Awards Program. More here>>
  • The Call for Nominations for AIA Virginia Honors is now open too. More here>>
  • Planning is well underway for ArchEx ’23 scheduled for November 1st thru 3rd, in Richmond. Save these dates for our annual family reunion!

The events take the time and energy of a dedicated few to plan and execute. I encourage each of us to take a few minutes and visit the website of each of our local components and AIA Virginia. Find out how we can make a connection, serve in our communities, and participate.  There are several components looking for committee members and board members.  Each one of us is an important part of AIA.

Look forward to seeing you all at the AEC Conference.

Mitch Rowland, AIA
President
AIA Virginia

Call for Nominations: 2023 Honors

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Do you have a colleague who deserves recognition? Is there a firm with a great culture that consistently produces incredible work? Is there a building that has captured your heart? Consider nominating them for an award in AIA Virginia’s 2023 Honors Awards program.  

The Honors program recognizes the best efforts of Virginians who — by profession or avocation — have made creating, preserving, and enhancing Virginia’s communities an important life commitment.

Nominations

Nominations must be submitted online. Nominations should be submitted as a single PDF up to 20 pages (not including letters of support) and no larger than 15 MB.

Nominations for all AIA Virginia honors may be made by individual members, by chapter honors committees, by AIA Virginia committees, or by the Board of Directors itself.

Current AIA Virginia Board members and Honors Committee members are not eligible for any award. Members of the Honors Committee may not be used as a reference or adviser or be solicited by the candidate or the candidate’s advisor.

The deadline is Friday, June 16, 2023, at 5 p.m.

Eligibility

Eligibility criteria and submission requirements vary by award. Click on the awards listed below for additional details and to review past recipients.

Submit a nomination.

Award Categories

Professional Awards

The William C. Noland Medal, as the highest award bestowed on a member architect, is intended to honor 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. Only one medal may be bestowed each year.

The T. David Fitz-Gibbon Virginia Architecture Firm Award, as the highest honor bestowed by AIA Virginia to a Virginia-based architecture firm, recognizes a firm that has consistently demonstrated outstanding and continuous contributions to design, the profession, and to the community for at least ten years.

The Virginia Emerging Architect Award recognizes the accomplishments of an emerging leader in Virginia for their contributions to the profession in any of the following: design, research, education, service as a “citizen architect,” service to the profession, service to the community, or initiatives to advance social justice, equity, diversity, or inclusion.

*NEW FOR 2023* The Virginia Associates Award recognizes the accomplishments of individual Associate AIA members for being outstanding leaders and creative thinkers for significant contributions to their communities and the architecture profession.

The Award for Distinguished Achievement recognizes either a singular achievement by an architect or the work of an entire career in any of the following: design, practice, education, service as a “citizen architect,” service to the profession, or initiatives to advance social justice, equity, diversity, or inclusion.

The Test of Time Award recognizes architectural design of enduring significance. The structure should be in Virginia and must be no less than 25 years old. Building use may change over time if the overall design is cherished as a significant contribution to the community and the built environment.

Public Awards

The Architecture Medal for Virginia Service is AIA Virginia’s most prestigious public award, honoring an individual or organization that has made an unusually significant contribution to Virginia’s built environment or to the public’s understanding and awareness of the built environment. Only one medal may be bestowed each year but may be given simultaneously to more than one person.

Honorary Membership is bestowed upon a person of esteemed character who is not eligible for membership in the AIA Virginia but who has rendered distinguished and exemplary service, over a sustained period of time, to architecture and the built environment within the domain of AIA Virginia.

AIA Virginia Honors may be bestowed on non-member individuals or organizations that have inspired, influenced, or complemented the architecture profession in Virginia through practice of an allied profession, research, education, planning, legislation, architectural writing, the arts, or crafts. An individual who has previously been elected an Honorary Member of AIA Virginia is ineligible to receive AIA Virginia Honors.

2023 Honors Committee Appointed

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At the Feb. 14, 2023 meeting, the AIA Virginia Board of Directors affirmed the following appointments to the 2023 Honors Committee:

David Keith, FAIA (Chair)
Bill Brown, AIA
Scott Campbell, AIA
Tim Colley, AIA
Emily Hogan, AIA
Randy Holmes, FAIA
Jeanne LeFever, AIA
Rob Reis, FAIA
Warees Smith, AIA
Kevin Sneed, FAIA
Michael Spory, Assoc. AIA
Karen Van Lengen, FAIA
Kenneth Wiseman, FAIA

The honors program recognizes the best efforts of Virginians who, by profession or avocation, have made creating, preserving, and enhancing Virginia’s communities an important life commitment.

The call for nominations launches April 12, 2023.

Art of Practice Registration

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2023 - Art of Practice

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Meet Karen Van Lengen, FAIA

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Karen Van Lengen, FAIA, is an architect, the Kenan Professor of Architecture, and former Dean (1999-2009) of the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia. To her deanship, she brought a decade-long conversation on the relation of ethics and aesthetics to the School and successfully introduced several faculty-designed additions and renovations to the Architecture School that gave the University a new vision of campus architecture. Her current research focuses on the exploration of sound and communication as an integral part of the architectural design process. With artist Jim Welty, they have created interpretive visual animations of the soundscapes of iconic buildings and landscapes. Their work is included in the permanent collections of several international museums. Van Lengen has authored several books and articles related to themes of sonic spaces, and landscapes. Van Lengen began her professional career as an Associate of I.M. Pei & Partners before founding her own award-winning firm in New York City, Karen Van Lengen Architects.

Where did you go to architecture school?

Columbia University School of Architecture Planning and Preservation, MArch.

What do you think it takes to be an architect?

A strong dedicated belief in the future. That what we design, make, alter, and restore can positively influence the world around us and one another.

Is there an architect that particularly inspires you?

There are many: Hans Scharoun, Sauerbruch and Hutton, Thom Pfeiffer, Deborah Berke, Lacaton & Vassal, Jeanne Gang, Toshiko Mori and others.

What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?

Hard to pin that down to one meal, but off the top of my head, a delicious memory comes from a tiny informal restaurant in Portoria, Umbria, Italy where I had the most exquisite Linguine Porcini, never to have been matched since. At home, I would say Red Snapper Soup made by my husband Jim Welty.

Why do you volunteer with AIA?

The organization is an essential part of our professional community. It allows a diversity of people, from practitioners to academics to work together for the common good of our very important designed and natural environments.

AIA Virginia Fellows Profiles

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Fellows Profile Submission

Submit information for publication on the Fellows page at www.aiava.org

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AIA Virginia Newsletter: March 2023

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The Echoes of Whitney M Young, Jr.
On the 17th of February, during Black History Month, Virginia State Senator Ghazala Hashmi sponsored Senate Joint Resolution 373 in which the General Assembly commends Robert L. Easter, FAIA for having received that award.
More>>

Reis Elevated to Fellowship
AIA Virginia member, Rob Reis, FAIA has been elevated to Fellowship in the prestigious College of Fellows, AIA’s highest membership honor.
More>>

Advocacy Summit
Are you interested in actively participating in legislative, regulatory, or other advocacy activities? If so, please plan to attend the AIA Virginia Advocacy Summit on Friday 5 May in Richmond.
More>>

The Art of Practice
Save the date for the biennial “Art of Practice” conference on Friday 23 June 2023 in Charlottesville, Virginia. This year’s event will focus on preparing for economic stress and maintaining resilience.
More>>

What’s Happening at YAF
Young Architect Representative, Carrie Parker, shares updates including the Future Forward Grant and the retirement of NCARB’s rolling clock.
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Welcome These New Members
We are always excited to welcome new members to Virginia. The following members recently joined AIA Virginia.
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ArchEx ’23: Call for Presentations
Last call for presenters and fresh voices to share their research and expertise at ArchEx ‘23 in person in Richmond on Nov. 1–3, 2023.
More>>

Inform’s New “Member Voices” Feature Wants You!
Inform welcomes thought leadership from its members across the Commonwealth under the banner of “Member Voices.” Send us ideas, case studies, research, and best practices you want to share with others. Email Bill Richards by the deadlines below to get started:

Here are some topics to get you going:
Transportation and adaptation: By March 27
Landscapes of remembrance: By April 24
Decarbonization: By May 22

The General Assembly is (Almost) a Wrap
The Budget has not been resolved. The “Veto Session” is scheduled for 12 April. And the Governor could convene a special session. But many have already remarked that this General Assembly session was generally, and comparatively, “quiet”.
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The Fundamental Value of the Building Code
Architects are possessed of many skills and capabilities, amongst which we value technical expertise, including our command of the building code. We do well to consider not only what the code is now, but also how it might be, and the impact of potential revisions.
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Participate in an International Study on DEI
The International Union of Architects (UIA) is conducting a global study of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues within the architecture profession. Please take a few minutes to complete a brief survey, which will provide valuable insight into DEI trends and practices in the United States.

Newly Licensed
Congratulations to the following members for passing their exams and gaining licensure.
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Virginia Licensing Advisor
Are you interested in helping young EP’s through the licensure process? AIA Virginia is looking for a new Licensing Advisor to represent our members starting in July 2023.
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Knowledge Community Grants
Started in 2022, AIA Virginia awards $2,000 a year to statewide knowledge communities to enhance reach and programming. Applications now being accepted for 2023!
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AEC Spring Conference this April
Speakers, presentations, and roundtables will address important issues such as leadership, business development, legislative advocacy, risk management, recruitment and retention, and the economic forecast for the industry.
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Featured Job Posting: Gaines Group Architects
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Highlights from the February Board Meeting
Inclusivity is the theme of the brightest highlights from our most recent Board of Directors meeting.
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Are You Ready to Get Licensed?
AIA Virginia associate members can get a 60-day subscription to the Amber Book for only $50.
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Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities
Check out the statewide events calendar here>>

Women’s Leadership Summit (WLS) is coming to Boston, September 14-16, 2023, and is looking for fresh, inspiring, and empowering content. This premier event brings together the industry’s largest network of diverse women who are breaking down barriers, making themselves visible, and manifesting the careers they want—while making a difference in the world. The call for proposals is open! Submissions are due by April 7, 2023.
Learn more and submit here>>