2024 Design Awards Jury Chair

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AIA Virginia is pleased to announce that Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, Principal and Design Leader at Mark Cavagnero Associates Architects in San Francisco, California will chair the 2024 AIA Virginia Design Awards Jury.

Make sure you submit your projects by June 28th>>

Mark Cavagnero directs a large architecture firm in California. He began his career in New York being mentored by Edward Larrabee Barnes, a nationally prominent architect known for work in the arts and higher education. In 1993, Mark established Mark Cavagnero Associates in San Francisco. The firm’s first project was the modernization of the iconic California Palace of the Legion of Honor. Over the course of the next three decades, Mark has led the design of a large and significant portfolio of new buildings and building modernizations. These projects have been widely published nationally and internationally and have received numerous awards. Projects include the SFJAZZ Center, the Oakland Museum of California, the ODC Theater Center, the Moscone Convention Center, the San Francisco Public Safety Building, the Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera, the Finn Center in Mountain View, and the Bowes Center for the Performing Arts at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His work has included multiple projects in New York, Chicago, and Atlanta. He also has executed projects in numerous locations abroad: London, Amsterdam, Munich, Dublin, Tokyo, Paris, Hyderabad, and Sydney. He also currently serves as the master architect for the global software company Salesforce. Current projects include three embassies for the U.S. State Department- located in Estonia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Burkina Faso.

Mark’s projects have garnered well over 100 major design awards. These awards range from national, state, and local awards from the American Institute of Architecture, the Chicago Athenaeum Awards for both International and American Architecture, the International Interior Design Association Awards and numerous others. Mark was personally honored with the 2010 Distinguished Practice Award and the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Maybeck Award from the American Institute of Architects. In 2012 the firm received the Firm of the Year Award from the California Council of the American Institute of Architects. Under Mark’s leadership, the firm ranked #8 in Architect Magazine’s ranking of the top architecture firms in the country for design.

Mark has been very involved in the community in California. He has been a Board Member for a number of institutions, by way of example, currently serving on the Board of Trustees of the UC Berkeley International House, an organization initiated by the Rockefeller family to promote international understanding and collaboration for the past hundred years. His community efforts have also included many tasks of planning commission participation and chair leadership, athletic coaching, involvement with libraries and theater organizations, and fundraising for his college and graduate school alma maters. He has served UC Berkeley’s School of Architecture as a distinguished Howard Friedman Professor and as a member of the Chancellor’s Curriculum Committee.

Support the PAC – Win $1,000 for your Chapter

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The AIA Virginia PAC is one of the sharpest tools in our advocacy toolkit. The AIA Virginia PAC Award celebrates the engagement and commitment of a local AIA component that supports the advancement and mission of the PAC. The winning component goes home with $1,000 cash for Architecture Week/Month and the award trophy at Architecture Exchange East in November. AIA Blue Ridge took home the cash and trophy for 2023.

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.

Current Leaderboard:
AIA Blue Ridge – 80 points
AIA Central Virginia – 50 points
AIA Richmond – 30 points
AIA Northern Virginia – 10 points
AIA Hampton Roads – 0 points

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

Scoring will be closed on Friday, October 11, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Make your investment today at www.aiavapac.org

Design Forum Reflections

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By Michael Spory, 2024 Chair, Design Committee

The places we gather shape us. Just over a month ago, over two hundred of us grabbed our fancier clothes, empty notebooks, and perhaps a design-y friend or two and raced to Richmond’s Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) for AIA Virginia’s bi-annual Design Forum. You may not have known what to expect, other than the featherlight expectations of hearing about great design, something about AI, or at least to see that Steven Holl museum that I’d heard about?

Well, I know that even after planning for 18 months, I left with much much than I anticipated–a head swimming with creative energy, a thicket of insights, several pages of hastily scribbled ideas not nearly as organized as I’d like, and several new friends–and a great appreciation for our design community in Virginia. I was honored that amidst deadlines, phone calls, urgent construction responses, and class schedules, so many of my you all as my colleagues chose to join for a conversation about the present conundrum of how our architectural sensibilities of craft are crashing into the next waves of technological innovation–artificial intelligence, machine learning, automated fabrication, to name a few. 

And amidst my own [un]certainty about all this, I felt this tension release slightly as I glimpsed the jagged, swirling white columns dotting the tables–collaboratively inspired by our Forum attendees and fabricated by the Center for Design Research students from Virginia Tech, UVA, Hampton, and Howard. I wonder where these young creative minds might further our traditional Virginia neoclassical columns as a living remnant of our historic material culture, that is on the precipice of something new.

I saw how the rigorous experimentation of Dwayne Oyler’s work collided with the material quietness of Billie Tsien, the refined and cantankerous earthiness of Rick Joy, the joyful embrace of ecologically minded craft for Ted Flato. I listened to the din of break-time conversations in the lobby, over dinner, with coffee and scribbled notes, sharing insights and imagery as we approach new horizons of craft on cyberfrontiers. 

While listening to this energy, I wondered how we go from here. I wonder what design challenges we’ll face in two years for the next Design Forum, in 10 years, in 50 years, in 200 years. In a polarized, uncertain time, I came back from Design Forum XVI with both the gentle reassurance and the quiet unsettling of great conversations–the ones that always end before you are quite ready for them to be done. I felt that spark of creative energy again–and I hope it continues to echo out beyond our Forum gathering on Broad Street, beyond Richmond, beyond the mountains and rising tides of our wide Commonwealth.

If you did not get to enjoy Design Forum this time, I hope we see you in 2026! And until then, may you continue to gather in places of beauty, wonder, and gratitude that shape you as richly as our Design Forum has shaped me.

Photos from AIA Virginia Staff

From the President’s Desk

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Happy May! As the blossoms yield to breezes and the forest canopy emerges, first fruits appear on the vines, and fish abound in rivers and the bay, I’m grateful to experience the cycles, seasons, and abundance of Virginia’s mountains, valleys, and coastal areas while connecting with members across the commonwealth. And I’m reminded of our common commitment to protect and promote these assets as we design a better built environment. AIA Virginia has enjoyed a banner spring, and we’ve got more opportunities to share and learn together. Here’s an update.

In April, we hosted Design Forum XVI, where students, practitioners, educators, and emeritus members packed the ICA at VCU to gather, eat, make, get inspired, and gain wisdom and insights from four remarkable keynote speakers. The words and work of Billie Tsien, Ted Flato, Rick Joy, and Dwayne Oyler still resonate with me, and I’m thankful for our time together and for our Design Committee for making it all happen.

Our April Board of Directors meeting was held at Hampton University, where Ex-Officio board member Dr. Daya Taylor, AIA, NOMA shared their studio spaces, introduced us to HU faculty and staff, and allowed us to participate in a 3rd-year project pin-up.

Just last week, AIA VA hosted our first 2024 Town Hall in downtown Roanoke, where leaders, members, and friends of AIA Blue Ridge came out for an evening to connect, share, and learn more about our activities and advocacy efforts. See below for a schedule of 2024 Town Hall events at each local component. Please save the date and look for more information on our Events page or from your local component!

And finally, I’m excited to attend AIA24 in Washington DC, where more than 250 AIA Virginia members will join AEC industry professionals from across the globe to connect, learn, tour, and celebrate. It’s not too late – register here!

Kelly D. Callahan, AIA
2024 President, AIA Virginia

2024 AIA VA Town Halls
5/23 AIA Coastal Virginia
6/21 AIA Richmond
9/5 AIA Central Virginia
10/3 AIA Northern Virginia

AIA Virginia letter of concern to AIA leadership
AIA Virginia recently became aware of various letters of concern sent to AIA National leadership related to AIA’s processes, finances, and proposed bylaws revisions. Two weeks ago, AIA Virginia, in partnership with our local component’s leadership, issued a letter of concern to AIA’s board of directors requesting a third-party review and transparent communication related to the allegations. Last week, AIA responded acknowledging our concerns and ensuring actions were being taken. As a member-driven organization, we trust that AIA will act with integrity and swiftly address these concerns. For our part, AIA Virginia continues in its commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability to our members. AIA Virginia’s board of directors’ meetings are held on the 3rd Friday of even-numbered months and are open to members. A financial report, membership data, and opportunities for involvement are presented at our annual meeting each November, and all substantive proposed revisions to our bylaws are published early and voted on by our membership at the annual meeting. To ensure open lines of communication and knowledge sharing between state and local component leaders, AIA Virginia hosted an inaugural state Leadership Summit in January, and we will continue to meet every six months. I’m grateful to serve you, our members, alongside our committed leaders and faithful staff, and hope that you will reach out to me, President-Elect Meagan Jancy, AIA, or EVP Paul Battaglia, AIA, with any questions or concerns related to this matter.

Please note that time was of the essence in getting this letter to AIA leadership. As such, AIA Central Virginia and AIA Coastal Virginia did not get their approval to us in time to be included in the signatories.

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 Architect Members
Zeena Al-Nasser, AIA (Northern Virginia)
Phillip Horst, AIA (Coastal Virginia)
Kyle Moir, AIA (Blue Ridge)
Jesse Robeson, AIA (Northern Virginia)

New Associate Members
Kayla Hinds, Assoc. AIA (Richmond)
Christiana Johnson, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)
William Kopp, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)
Alejandra Landaverde, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)
Guido Seoanes, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)
Erika Workman, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia)

Transferred In
Ahmed Hashem, Intl Assoc. AIA (Blue Ridge) from AIA Ohio
MacKenzie Miller, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia) from AIA Pennsylvania
Mark Palmer, AIA (Richmond) from AIA|DC
Rob Sabbir, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia) from AIA California
Andrew Vargo, AIA (Northern Virginia) from AIA Maryland
Robert Volpe, AIA (Northern Virginia) from AIA|DC

New/Renewed Allied Members

View all of the AIA Virginia Allied members

Meet the 2024 Honors Committee

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AIA Virginia President, Kelly Callahan, AIA has made the following appointments to the 2024 Honors Committee:

Bill Brown, AIA (Chair)

Bill Brown, AIA (Chair)
Scott Campbell, AIA
Tim Colley, AIA
S. Jeanne LeFever, AIA
Robert Reis, FAIA
Warees Smith, AIA
Lori Garrett, FAIA
Bruce Wardell, FAIA
Shannon Dowling, AIA
Eric Keplinger, AIA
Erin Webb, AIA
David Prevette, AIA
Nina Comiskey, AIA
Paul Battaglia, AIA (staff liaison)

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 is now open. The submission deadline is June 14, 2024.

AIA Virginia Newsletter: April 2024

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An Advocacy Coda: Lessons Learned
Recently, and more than once, I was asked what lessons I had learned through the experience of our advocacy efforts during the recent General Assembly session. Excellent questions should not remain unanswered.
More>>

Register by Thursday at 5 p.m. for Code Event
Join us in Roanoke on April 25th for a Lunch and Learn presentation of the recent 2021 VCC changes and then a panel discussion with Jonah Margarella, AIA, Florin Moldovan, MCP, and Tommy Hahn, local Building Commissioner.
More>>

Resiliency Week is Next Week
Join AIA Virginia for an exploration of resiliency in the built environment and discover why investing in resilient solutions can help protect us all – on zoom from Monday, April 22-Friday, April 26, noon-1 p.m.
More>>

Call for Entries: Design Awards
Entries to the 2024 Design Awards program are now being accepted. AIA Virginia’s Awards for Excellence in Architecture (also known as the Design Awards) recognize outstanding design, built and unbuilt, from the past seven years. The program is juried by a team of esteemed practitioners from outside of the region.
More>>

Call for Nominations: AIA Virginia Honors
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 2024 Honors Awards program.
More>>

Advocacy Update: at (very close to) the End of the General Assembly Session
Some rapid-fire updates on advocacy efforts…
More>>

Associated Thoughts: A Reflection on Craft and Design Forum XVI
A few weeks ago, AIA Virginia and their Design Committee hosted the Design Forum XVI, focusing on [Un]Certainty: Reflections on Craft at the Cyber Frontier. The event and accompanying discussions were both humbling and thought-provoking.
More>>

2024 AIA Virginia Prize Winners Announced
During the first weekend of February, students across the Commonwealth participated in the 2024 Virginia Prize. See who took the top prize this year.
More>>

ArchEx 2024 Call for Presentations Closes April 30th!
Architecture Exchange East is the annual thought-leadership conference and expo bringing together the brightest minds and most engaging speakers!
More>>

Knowledge Community Grants
AIA Virginia is awarding one, $1,000 grant to a knowledge community making an impact throughout the Commonwealth. Apply before May 31, 2024.
More>>

Fellows Fête 2024
Take a look at the celebration at Barboursville last month that welcomed our 4 newest Fellows.
More>>

Save the Date for a COTE webinar
The AIA Virginia Committee on the Environment will be holding a webinar on May 14th. More information is coming soon! Check out what else they have planned for 2024.
More>>

An Update from the AIA Strategic Council
Representative Robert Easter, FAIA, NOMAC shares an update from the AIA Strategic Council.
More>>

ACE Virginia Forum: Keys to the Virginia Building Code
Join AEC Virginia on May 8th from 1:30-4:00 p.m. in Richmond to hear from local government building officials about concerns/issues with implementing the building code. Bring your questions! This event will help the AEC industry build relationships with building officials and offer networking with peers and colleagues.
More>>

Virginia’s Secretary of the Commonwealth, Kelly Gee, encourages us to consider applying to be a Gubernatorial appointment to one of 320 boards that serve specific roles for the state. Three boards have openings reserved specifically for architects to start July 1, 2024!
More>>

Welcome These New Members
We are always excited to welcome new members to Virginia. The following members recently joined AIA Virginia.
More>>

Newly Licensed
Congratulations to the following member for passing their exams and gaining licensure.
More>>

Amber Book
Are you ready to get licensed? AIA Virginia offers associate members a 60-day subscription to the Amber Book for only $99.
More>>

Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities
AIA Virginia events calendar: https://www.aiava.org/events/
Check out the statewide events calendar here: https://inform-magazine.com/events/

Call for Entries: 2024 Design Awards

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Entries to the 2024 Design Awards program are now being accepted. AIA Virginia’s Awards for Excellence in Architecture (also known as the Design Awards) recognize outstanding design, built and unbuilt, from the past seven years. The program is juried by a team of esteemed practitioners from outside of the region.

Each entry will be judged on how successful the project is in meeting its individual requirements. Consideration is given to aesthetics, social impact, innovation, context, performance, and stewardship of the natural environment — with particular emphasis on the Framework for Design Excellence.

Each entry must include a completed Framework for Design Excellence Project Information Form as page one of their submission. Note: Entrants should not feel obligated to respond to every measure within the Framework — only those that apply to the project being submitted. It is understood that every project is different and may not respond to each measure within the Framework. The jury will consider each design holistically and within context. (Note on the form itself – make sure all of your entry text is visible from the PDF before uploading.)

No specific number of awards is set, and the program is open to all categories of building as well as interiors projects. The location of projects is not restricted, but any built works submitted for consideration must have been completed on or after Jan. 1, 2017. Enter online.

The Design Awards program is sponsored by:

Gold
Bamforth Engineers + Surveyors
Silver
Epic Metals

Awards Categories include:

  • Architecture;
  • Design for Context;
  • Unbuilt Architecture;
  • Extended Use;
    • Historic Preservation
    • Adaptive or Continued Use
  • Interiors;
  • Residential; and
  • Small Projects
    • Up to $150K in construction cost
    • Up to $500K in construction cost
    • Under 5,000 square feet

Check out the complete descriptions of each award category, and review the regulations, eligibility requirements, and frequently asked questions for more information.

Entries are due by 5 p.m. on June 28, 2024. Note: You should be prepared to submit your concealed ID and project submission upon entry.

Entry fees

AIA Virginia Members:
$210 for the first project
$180 for each additional project
The Small Projects Category has a reduced entry fee of $100
Note: The entrant must be a member of AIA Virginia to be eligible to receive the member discount. The submitting AIA Virginia member must be a contributor to the design team.

Non-members of the AIAVA (must have an office located in Virginia):
$295 for the first project
$270 for each additional project
The Small Projects Category has a reduced entry fee of $200

Not an AIA Virginia member? Apply for unassigned membership.

About the Framework for Design Excellence

Developed by members of the AIA, the Framework for Design Excellence, represents the defining principles of good design in the 21st century. It’s intended to be accessible and relevant for every architect, every client, and every project — regardless of size, typology, or aspiration.

The 10 measures that make up the Framework are intended to inspire progress toward a zero-carbon, equitable, resilient, and healthy built environment. They represent standards of excellence as defined by members of the AIA. These measures align with the AIA’s core values which are collectively defined by members across the country.

The completed Framework for Design Excellence Project Information Form is required and shall be page 1 of each submission. The remaining 6 pages of each submission may be designed and defined by the entrant.

Use the Project Narrative section to describe how the design aligns with the Framework for Design Excellence. Entrants are encouraged to address all applicable measures.

We recognize every project is different and may not respond to every measure within the Framework. The jury will consider the design holistically and within context.

Data may not be available for some metrics on the form, or the client may prefer to keep certain metrics confidential. If this is the case, space is provided on the form to provide an explanation.

Entrants are encouraged to call out extraordinary responses to specific measures in the remaining 6 pages of their submission as well.

Call for Nominations: AIA Virginia Honors 2024

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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 2024 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 14, 2024, 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. (nominations for 2024 are now closed.)

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.

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.

Knowledge Community Grant

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Do you have a passion for one of these knowledge communities?

Are you interested in re-invigorating an AIA knowledge community throughout Virginia? Do you need some seed money for a special speaker or an in-person statewide event? A grant program is available to any statewide knowledge community (new or already up and running.) Your knowledge community could be awarded up to $1,000 to remove programmatic barriers and to enhance the quality of programming. One grant will be awarded each year. Total amount of grant not to exceed $1,000.

Eligibility requirements

  • Must be an AIA recognized KC either currently organized or newly formed. (Virginia Women in Design is also eligible.) Grant monies could be used to start a recognized KC.
  • KC volunteer committee must have statewide representation.
  • Program/initiative goal should be to reach members across the Commonwealth.
  • Grant monies to be used for honoraria, materials, venue, technology, and/or something that advances the efforts of the KC.
  • Any grant recipients agree to submit a follow-up article/pictures (30 days after event) to show how the grant helped advance the mission. This article will be shared with the AIA Virginia membership through email, social media, Inform Magazine, etc.

Application process

  • Applications will be open now through May 31, 2024.
  • Applications can be submitted by the KC chair or committee members.
  • Complete online application here>> https://www.aiava.org/knowledge-community-grant/
  • Monies will be awarded and available starting July 1, 2024.