John H. Spencer Recognized as the 2020 Noland Medalist

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John Henri Spencer, FAIA, has been recognized with the William C. Noland Medal by AIA Virginia for his leadership within architectural education beyond the status quo to create opportunities for generations of architecture students. As the highest honor bestowed by AIA Virginia to an architect, the Noland Medal is intended to honor a distinguished body of accomplishments, sustained over time, spanning a broad spectrum of the profession, and transcending the scope of normal professional activities. The honor is in memory of William C. Noland, FAIA, one of the founders of the AIA in Virginia, its second president, and Virginia’s first member to be elevated to fellowship.

Spencer is a pioneering leader for Black architects in America, a distinguished teacher who influenced thousands of students, and a committed educational administrator who created countless programs, initiatives, and pathways for growth and mentorship. Under his leadership, the study of architecture at Hampton University evolved through focused curricular development, fundraising, and academic excellence–the pinnacle of a 63-year career of service in education, in the public arena, and to the profession of architecture. Spencer was born in Monrovia, Liberia to missionary parents serving at the Suehn Industrial Mission, which influenced his philosophy for teaching, community and professional service and social action. After high school in Huntington, West Virginia, John enrolled in the architectural engineering program at the Agricultural and Technical College (now university) in Greensboro, North Carolina. His education was interrupted by service in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and, upon discharge, John transferred to Hampton Institute (now University) graduating in 1956 with highest honors.

Spencer joined the faculty of the School of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he co-founded the Committee for the Collegiate Education of Black Students (CCEBS) with support from the Ford Foundation to increase the number of Black students enrolled at the school. The first group recruited by CCEBS arrived in 1968 and of the original 128 students, 90 graduated four years later in 1972–more than the total number of Black graduates of Amherst combined in its 105 years. In its first decade, CCBES recruited and Amherst graduated more than 2,000 Black students. At Amherst, he also led efforts to provide volunteer tutoring for Black students and led the Amherst Human Relations Council and Fair Housing Committee, and established Black history education in high schools that brought about positive change in the town of Amherst and beyond.

In 1970, Spencer returned to the Hampton Institute as Chair of the Department of Architecture, where he encouraged students to look beyond the campus gates and involve themselves in the larger community. Notably, he initiated a student exchange program between Hampton and Amherst, and a broader travel program soon followed, growing out of a need to strengthen the fifth-year planning studio. It began with trips to large American cities supported by alumni who provided housing and meals at no cost. With the support of faculty, Spencer revised and expanded the program to require a two-week travel module to foreign cities, from Europe to Asia, and from Africa to Latin America. Since then, he has always led by example, becoming the first Black architect elected to the National Architectural Accrediting Board, first Black architect appointed to the Virginia Licensing Board, and assuming numerous other local and national positions of influence within the profession.

In his nomination letter, Professor and Dean Emeritus of Howard University, Harry G. Robinson III, FAIA, noted, “His consistent leadership has contributed to the strength of the African American narrative in architecture and has increased the richness and stability of the Hampton University Department of Architecture. If the Noland Medal is the pinnacle of recognition, the contributions of Professor Spencer are nearly unmatched and exceeded most.”

The William C. Noland Medal will be presented at Visions for Architecture on Thursday, Oct. 8 in an online awards ceremony beginning at 4:30 p.m. The program is free but registration is required.

Crozet Elementary School Receives 2020 Test of Time Award

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Crozet Elementary School by VMDO Architects was intended to be a community anchor whose architecture reflects the modest, yet aspirational identity of this tight-knit, rural community. Thirty years later, AIA Virginia honors the project with the Test of Time Award for achieving a high standard of excellence and inspiring students, faculty, and staff with a unique and enduring design vision.

As Charlottesville and Albemarle County grew in the 1980s, traditionally agrarian communities like Crozet had to accommodate population growth while safeguarding the local ecology. Completed in 1990 and inspired by community stakeholders and a “village” concept, while also honoring classical Jeffersonian architecture, the design struck a balance between function and symbolism, which contributed to its distinctive forms. Writing in the pages of Inform Magazine, Elena Marcheso-Moreno noted, “Crozet Elementary grew out of a unique concept that highlights the image of the one-room schoolhouse. By recalling the ideal of the schoolhouse as an important town structure, this facility reinforces the importance of education while creating a new source of civic pride.”

VMDO recognized public expectations for a conventional main façade and balanced with a more progressive design throughout the rest of the 47,000 square feet of learning space. The school’s wings join together to encircle the library, in a nod to Thomas Jefferson’s placement of the Rotunda library at the center of his ideal campus plan less than 20 miles away. The library is the focal point and the heart of the school, and the enduring architectural characteristic that generations of students remember and cherish.

Light-filled classrooms and expansive views also figure prominently in the memories of former students–features long recognized as having health benefits, but rarely accomplished so thoughtfully and expertly as it was at Crozet. Lead designers Bob Moje, FAIA, and Randy Livermon, AIA, have steered this project and dozens of others by VMDO to continuously challenge the status quo of school design. Dan Simpson, now a principal at ZGF, also contributed significantly to the school’s design approach. Their goal at Crozet, beyond creating a salubrious learning environment, was to engender in students a lifelong love of learning about academic subjects, the natural world, materiality, and the power of good design.

“I know Crozet Elementary School very well and have a deep appreciation for the enduring quality of its design,” wrote Karen Marcus, School Principal from 2005 to 2010. “I believe that it set a new bar for school design and its legacy as an enjoyable and positive learning environment will last far into the future.”

The Test of Time Award will be presented at Visions for Architecture on Thursday, Oct. 8 in an online awards ceremony beginning at 4:30 p.m. The program is free but registration is required.

Cheadle, Cushing, and Daniel Granted Honorary Membership from Virginia Architects

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Judy Cheadle, Patrick Cushing, and Sam Daniel will be recognized by AIA Virginia with Honorary Membership for their sustained commitment and tireless work on behalf of the Commonwealth’s 7,000 licensed architects. 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.

Cheadle, who is retiring as AIA’s Director of Sales this year, served as the key business development team member instrumental in the financial success of AIA Virginia programs. For sponsors, exhibitors, and partners, she was the “face” of architecture, working tirelessly to make Architecture Exchange East, Design Forum, Art of Practice, and Inform Magazine valuable venues and resources for architects, product manufacturers, and everyone in the region’s design community. “ Her success is easily acknowledged by the number of allied partners who continue to support AIA Virginia year after year to build professional relationships with our 2,500 architects and designers,” says Elizabeth Reader, FAIA, in her nomination letter. “Undoubtedly, there is a direct and obvious link between Judy’s contributions to the profession and the success of AIA Virginia.”

Cushing, a Richmond-based attorney with Williams Mullen, has lobbied the Virginia General Assembly on behalf of the Commonwealth’s architects and engineers for nearly a decade, advancing the work of AIA Virginia’s and Virginia ACE’s Joint Legislative Committee. Cushing’s work has been instrumental in protecting Qualifications Based Selection, limiting low-bid practices for architecture and engineering services, and establishing a statute of limitations on design claims by state agencies, among other accomplishments.

Of Cushing, Kenneth Payne, AIA, Vice President of Quality Control, Risk Management, and Training at Moseley Architects and an AIA Virginia representative on the JLC, asks, “You may think, ‘Isn’t that what we pay him to do?’ Perhaps, but consider this: When negotiations were not going well and it looked like the other side was going to oppose our bill, Patrick could have given up, as well, but instead, encouraged us to keep discussions going.” Simply put, says Payne, “Patrick has rendered distinguished and exemplary service representing the architectural community before the General Assembly for nearly ten years.”

Daniel, of Daniel & Company, a full-service general contracting and construction management firm, is a committed preservationist who eagerly accepts projects with historical significance and executes thoughtful and contextual renovations and additions. His company’s passion for “Building History,” underscores decades of fruitful partnerships with Virginia’s premier firms to preserve whenever possible, restore in a respectful way, and construct anew with more than an eye toward the Commonwealth’s architectural heritage. “His leadership and support of the  Branch House through his stewardship efforts has been outstanding and the building’s health is turning the corner toward stabilization and prominence,” note architect Robert Boynton, FAIA, and AIA Richmond President Nick Cooper, AIA.

Daniel is also a champion of sustainability, encouraging all of Daniel & Company employees to participate in continuing education and obtain LEED Certification, enabling the company to successfully complete LEED Certified Projects, some achieving Gold status. Over the years, Daniel & Company has worked with a who’s who of Virginia firms, from Hanbury Evans to Carlton Abbott to BAM Architects to Odell to Commonwealth Architects, among dozens of others. His affiliations over the years have included the Virginia Council of CEOs, the Construction Specifications Institute, and the Monument Avenue Preservation Society, as well as Virginia AIA, about which Boyton and Cooper write, “His impressive credentials and his continued support of AIA Virginia will certainly enrich all of our architectural lives.”

Honorary Membership will be conferred at Visions for Architecture on Thursday, Oct. 8 in an online awards ceremony beginning at 4:30 p.m. The program is free but registration is required.

McDermott and Parker Honored with Virginia Emerging Professional Award

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Whitney McDermott, AIA, and Carrie Lee Parker, AIA, are recognized this year with the Virginia Emerging Professional Award by AIA Virginia. Launched in 2015, the Virginia Emerging Professional Award is intended to recognize the accomplishments of emerging leaders in Virginia for their contributions to the profession in design, research, education, discourse; service to the profession, mentorship, or service to the community. Most recipients are accomplished in several of these areas, and all demonstrate the strength of the architecture profession in their early promise as thought leaders and designers.

McDermott, an architect who holds degrees in civil engineering, architecture, and urban planning, has demonstrated an extraordinary consistency and focus for more than a decade on architecture’s capacity to improve the lives of others through construction innovation, design thinking, and community-focused collaboration. While at the University of Virginia, she became the Project Manager for the University of Virginia’s eco/MOD Design Build project and graduated with dual degrees in Architecture and Urban and Environmental Design. Post-graduation, she received a year-long fellowship at the Allegheny Mountain School and then returned to Charlottesville to help manage over 26,000 square feet of organic gardens at the city’s six elementary schools.

In 2017, McDermott began working with a group of residents from the Southwood Mobile Home Park, five miles south of Charlottesville, to create a strategy that would transform the way marginalized communities participate in community design. For nearly five years, she has offered her professional and volunteer time working with the 85 percent Hispanic community to create a resident-led strategy to guide the neighborhood’s redevelopment. McDermott has created and led the training programs for residents using the principles of Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) to reach across cultural boundaries in preparing workshops that communicate effectively. By employing ABCD coordination and governance, McDermott has helped residents create their own neighborhood redevelopment plan, write their own code of development, and create a mixed-income and mixed-use neighborhood 400 homes strong.

Parker, a Senior Associate at CannonDesign‘s Washington, DC office, works with higher education clients on large, complex projects, to improve the user experience and provide innovative solutions at all scales. Her leadership activities inside and outside of the office, however, define her nomination for this award. For two years, Parker worked tirelessly on behalf of a group of front line designers and emerging professionals from across the globe that directly advise the Cannon’s leaders as part of its NEXT Council. For two years, she also worked with NCARB to make its Licensing Advisors Summit a success and enrich the proceedings of its Intern Think Tank, committed to improving both the practices and policies of architecture. Currently, she serves on AIA’s Manufacturer’s Council as an architect volunteer to maintain bonds between building product manufacturers and design’s vanguard, as well as a proposal author for the DC Board of Trade’s “Urban Design and Quality of Life Working Group,” where she has advanced ideas for storm surge monitoring and photo point monitoring for public spaces. 

Her community work includes board leadership for Horizon House, a 291-unit building in DC entering its sixth decade and serving senior and disabled residents. Wielding a hammer, she worked with Rebuilding Together Alexandria to renovate and rehabilitate the homes of families and seniors in need, putting in the sweat equity her own community needed to not just survive but thrive. She has served as a board member for her own residential community, driving numerous capital improvements and providing pro bono design services for the renovation of the lobby, community center, pool house, and other amenities. Parker’s enthusiasm carries over to the office, as well. In her nomination letter, Patricia Bau, AIA, a principal and co-director of Cannon’s education practice, noted, “Carrie has served many roles in the life cycle of a project as programmer, planner, designer, project architect and project manager. Her versatility makes her a valuable member of our team locally as well as across the firm nationally.” Parker personifies the values of service leadership, community outreach, and mentorship, says Roland Lemke, AIA, a design principal at Cannon, in his nominating letter. “In the seven years that I have known her, she has positioned herself as an irreplaceable member of our team and office family.”

The Awards will be presented at Visions for Architecture on Thursday, Oct. 8 in an online awards ceremony beginning at 4:30 p.m. The program is free but registration is required.

Cox, Gordon, and Price Receive Awards for Distinguished Achievement

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Al Cox, FAIA, Christopher Gordon, AIA, and Mel Price, AIA, will be recognized with the Award for Distinguished Achievement next month by AIA Virginia. The Award for Distinguished Achievement recognizes the accomplishments of one or more architects each year in design, practice, education, service as “citizen architect,” service to the profession, or initiatives to advance social justice, equity, diversity, or inclusion.

Al Cox, FAIA, retired in March after 28 years as Historic Preservation Manager for the City of Alexandria, which is home to no fewer than six National Register historic districts and nine African-American historic places containing dozens of significant and contributing structures. Cox conceived and implemented several processes to streamline development review and build consensus between city officials, architects, developers, and citizens. By building relationships with all stakeholders and encouraging constructive public participation in the regulatory process, he became respected as a fair-minded, effective mediator, guiding development teams to the most appropriate design solution and consistently pushing them to accomplish their best work.

It was Cox’s conviction that the city is a living, evolving organism and not a museum frozen in time. In that vein, he fostered many successful new infill projects in Alexandria as well as many thoughtful and sensitive adaptive reuse projects throughout the city’s 15 square miles. A passionate preservationist, he was also a proactive advocate for good design, regardless of style. His philosophy, education and private sector experience was grounded in historic preservation for its cultural, economic and environmental benefits without limiting creative, appropriate modern design alternatives. The role of City Architect and the design review processes created by Mr. Cox provides a model that can, and should, be repeated in local governments throughout the country.

Christopher Gordon, AIA, is a national leader who collaborates with developers and zoning authorities to create affordable housing that advance the vision of a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable community. His comprehensive approach from concept through crafting innovative strategies to obtain financing through the whole life-cycle of the building, itself, shapes the efficacy of high-performing and affordable solutions for people. Gordon transforms lives, and as a founding principal of KDG Architecture in 1995, he has directed his firm to award-winning success while remaining anchored in the needs of clients and communities.

Chris’ 2018 Columbia Hills project for Columbia Pike in Arlington is one of dozens of examples of his design leadership over the last quarter century. The $91 million, 330,000 square foot project consisting of 229 units for low-income families, recently won a ULI Washington Trends Award as a national case study that blends a novel hybrid financing model with an EarthCraft Platinum certification with a host of amenities that bring richness and community to one of the areas largest apartment buildings. “Chris advances the profession of architecture resulting in lasting impact on society,” says Manoj Dalaya, FAIA, in his nominating letter, “and he is highly deserving of an Award for Distinguished Achievement.”

Mel Price, AIA, has spent nearly two decades building a strong reputation for designing and leading numerous successful projects at all scales. When Mel Price and her partner, Thom White, opened their Norfolk firm Work Program Architects in 2010, they also pushed a different sort of philosophy of firm management through transparency about finances and salaries, prioritizing collaboration and openness above all in projects, and reserving 10 percent of firm profits to cover pro-bono service. In short, Price built a practice worth emulating with an unrelenting focus on community.

Price has also built a practice that’s helping secure Norfolk’s future. Coastal resilience is an urgent challenge that will affect the lives of millions of Americans, 1.7 million of which live in the Hampton Roads region. By forging close ties to her home city, Mel and WPA have steered several projects to completion that are born of a focus on resilience, will help ensure a sustainable future, and will repair communities long derelict or suffering. The Elizabeth River Project’s Resilience Lab, the Elizabeth River Trail, government grants for the Ohio Creek Watershed encompassing Norfolk State University and the Chesterfield Heights neighborhood, OpenNorfolk, and the Selden Market are all prime examples of Price’s valuable contribution to the region.

The Awards will be presented at Visions for Architecture on Thursday, Oct. 8 in an online awards ceremony beginning at 4:30 p.m. The program is free but registration is required.

Bulova and VCU Office of Planning and Design Recognized with AIA Virginia Honors

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Delegate David Bulova and the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Office of Planning and Design were recognized with AIA Virginia Honors in 2020. 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.

AIA Virginia Honoree, the Honorable David Bulova, is a delegate from Virginia’s 37th House District, representing the City of Fairfax and parts of Fairfax County. Bulova’s achievements in the areas of smart growth, equity, and alternative energy have garnered praise from many quarters, and his reputation as a results-driven legislator is matched by his knowledge of architecture’s practice and regulation. His appreciation for the role architecture and planning play in shaping livable places without compromising environmental health has been made abundantly clear by his legislative achievements in the areas of transportation, education, affordable housing, energy, and the environment. As an acclaimed member of the allied field of environmental planning, and as a respected member of the Virginia House of Delegates for fifteen years, Delegate Bulova has championed legislation that furthers the goals of AIA Virginia’s Strategic Plan and Directory of Public Policies and Position Statements. Those achievements include House Bill 1471 giving Fairfax additional authority to negotiate with developers to provide affordable housing, House Bill 1913, authorizing localities to require sidewalks during development to promote walking, biking, and public transit, and House Bill 1158, requiring the review of a state water supply plan by the State Water Control Board when making permitting decisions. Delegate Bulova’s personal, professional, and legislative endeavors attest to his commitment to equity and sustainability in both the built and natural environments; a commitment that we share as architects.

AIA Virginia Honoree, the VCU Office of Planning and Design, led for the last 27 years by Mary P. Cox, FAIA, has transformed the City of Richmond’s largest campus from a commuter school into a rich and vibrant collegiate community. VCU has taken its place among its peers with robust enrollment numbers and by investing more than $1.5 billion in new construction, renovations, and additions in the 27 years of the Office of Planning and Design’s existence. Acting as the design conscience of VCU, the Office of Planning and Design has effectively collaborated with architects over the years and challenged them to consider Richmond’s urban fabric, the university’s needs, and the health and wellness of its students, faculty, staff, and neighbors.

The office, itself, is known as an environment of mutual trust and respect in its support of staff and the creative process of design, as well as an effective public advocate of architectural literacy. The Office of Planning and Design has long partnered with organizations to engage the architecture profession, the larger design community, and the public’s trust, including AIA Virginia, the Association of University Architects, the Society for College and University Planning, and the Children’s Museum of Richmond, among others.

At the helm, Noland Medal recipient Mary Cox has defined, defended, reinvigorated, and advanced the Office of Planning and Design, which, in turn, has advanced VCU’s standing within higher education. As part of her tenure, no fewer than five master plans have been adopted by the university, and dozens of new academic, medical, athletic, and research facilities have been designed and constructed. Her retirement in July of 2020 signals the end of an era for the Office of Planning and Design, but her vision and steadfast commitment over the years has created an ample foundation for VCU’s next chapter at a time when concepts like physicality, health, and community will need to evolve at campuses everywhere.

The Awards will be presented at Visions for Architecture on Thursday, Oct. 8 in an online awards ceremony beginning at 4:30 p.m. The program is free but registration is required.

Virginia Beach City Public Schools Awarded the Architecture Medal for Virginia Service

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Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) will be awarded the Architectural Medal for Virginia Service this year for its commitment to environmental, social, and financial health in its building campaigns, and aligning this commitment with curricular innovation. As the AIA Virginia’s most prestigious public award, the Architecture Medal for Virginia Service honors an individual or an organization that has made an unusually significant contribution to Virginia’s built environment or to our understanding and awareness of the built environment. Since 1984, and with this year’s award, 35 individuals and two organizations have been premiated with the medal.

VBCPS students actively learn about the interconnectedness of our world, and through the shool district’s efforts, they are able to recognize the importance of place, values, and culture in the Commonwealth. For the past 15 years, VBCPS has been both a regional and statewide recognized leader in school design and sustainability. Since the development and initiation of their Sustainable Schools program in 2006, VBCPS has constructed nine LEED buildings, and plans to complete three more in 2020 alone, bringing its LEED building inventory to over 2 million square feet. Since 2006, they have managed to reduce their energy use per square foot by 27 percent, even while adding nine percent to their total building square footage, resulting in a cumulative cost avoidance of $45 million since 2006.

VBCPS’s commitment has expanded beyond the building envelope to demonstrate how the Commonwealth’s fourth largest school district can walk the walk on sustainability in a real and long-term way. Examples include implementing a “cook-from-scratch” program for cafeteria food (thereby relying less on packaged items and instructing students on food sourcing and preparation), to supporting electric buses and charging stations, to its 25-year partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to create outdoor learning experiences, to integrating sustainable messages, practices, and principles into all aspects of its curriculum for all grades.

In his nomination letter, AIA Hampton Roads President Scott A. Campbell, AIA, applauded “VBCPS’s exceptional and relentless dedication to their mission of ‘educating students about the Triple Bottom Line and understanding the interconnectedness and interdependency of social, economic and environmental systems,” and calling VBCPS’s award, “a well-deserved honor for their incredible accomplishments in school design and sustainability.”

The Architecture Medal for Virginia Service will be presented at Visions for Architecture on Thursday, Oct. 8 in an online awards ceremony beginning at 4:30 p.m. The program is free but registration is required.

Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Ambassador?

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Are you a social butterfly? Are you professionally curious? Are you hoping to expand your professional network? If the answer to any (or all) of these questions is yes, consider becoming a Foresight Ambassador!

The job is simple. You’ll join us for Foresight 2020 programming (for FREE!) and in exchange we just ask that you do the following:

  • Encourage your colleagues to register for Foresight 2020
  • Attend Foresight 2020 programming
  • Engage with your fellow attendees
  • Ask questions during panel discussions and Q&A periods
  • Thank sponsors and exhibitors

Essentially, you’ll help serve as hosts of this party – making sure everyone feels welcomed and connected.

This is a great opportunity for job seekers or anyone whose professional development budget has been cut.  

If you are interested, please complete the form below no later than Oct. 1. Ambassador positions are limited. We’ll be in touch later to confirm the details of your participation and offer training.

Foresight 2020 Ambassador Interest Form

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Call for Proposals: 20×20 @ YAFCON 2020

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Got 6 minutes and 40 seconds to tell us about the incredible things you’re doing to cultivate the next generation of architects? Come share your story at YAFCON 2020: The Empathic Architect this October. We’re seeking up to 6 presenters for a Pecha Kucha (PK)-style session on Friday, Oct. 30 for a session titled From the Ground Up: Cultivating the Next Generation. (What the heck is a PK?)

A good 20×20 presentation is creative, tells a great story, and shares something inspiring (with a little dash of humor mixed in).

It’s a format made for designers by designers. We know you’ve done some pretty amazing things to support the pipeline into the profession and we want to hear about them — whether it’s your work in a K–12 classroom, a brilliant summer camp program, or an innovative approach to mentorship.

We’ve only got time for 5-6 speakers, so pitch us your best idea by Sept. 24 and we’ll get back with you at the beginning of October.

YAFCON 2020 PK Proposal

We’re seeking presenters for a 20x20 program titled From the Ground Up: Cultivating the Next Generation on Friday, Oct. 30 at 5:30 p.m. Submit your proposal here.
  • We can't wait to hear about the work you're doing to cultivate and support the next generation of architects!
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Visions for Architecture Goes Online in 2020; Raises Money for Scholarships

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We’re doing things differently at Visions for Architecture this year. To keep everyone safer, our annual honors and awards program will take place online on Thursday, Oct. 8 beginning at 4:30 p.m. The program is free, but advance registration is required. We’re trying some new things — like announcing the Design Awards live — with the goal of creating a vibrant celebration of the people and organizations who mean so much to our profession.

In the past, this black-tie gala recognizing AIA Virginia’s Honors and Design Award winners has served as a fundraiser to support a wide range of architectural education.

At Visions 2020, we’d like to get more specific with our fundraising efforts. Our friends at Hampton University need our direct support and we’re asking you to join the cause.

In addition to recognizing our honorees, Visions will serve as a mini telethon to raise money to support Hampton University’s department of architecture Scholarship Fund. Hampton has a 5-year Master of Architecture program. Students in their final year of the program lose access to the traditional undergraduate financial aid such as Pell Grants. This fund directly helps these students when many funding streams are no longer available to them.

Support Virginia’s only HBCU with an accredited architecture program by making a charitable contribution today.

Since tickets to Visions are free this year (and there’s no travel cost or formalwear to purchase) we’re asking you to consider making a donation in the amount you might have spent to join us in person. Below are some suggested giving levels, but no amount is too small.

  • Champion: $600
  • Advocate: $400
  • Supporter: $200
  • Believer: $100
  • Friend: $25

Your gift will directly, and meaningfully, contribute to diversity in the profession. Please give today.

Donate

About Visions for Architecture

Visions for Architecture, created in 1998, is AIA Virginia’s annual Honors and Awards gala.

Visions celebrates the achievements of those whose work makes especially strong contributions to society and celebrates the recipients of AIA Virginia’s Honors Awards and the Awards for Excellence in Architecture.

Visions for Architecture 2020 will be held virtually and delivered through our online event platform Foresight 2020. Tickets are free, but advance registration is required. If you’re planning on attending any of the educational programming, Visions for Architecture is included free with all ticket options. If you’re only planning to attend Visions, select the Visions for Architecture and Social Events Only ticket when you register.

Visions for Architecture is generously sponsored by:

Gold
Hanbury
Phoenix Noise

Silver
3north
Linton Engineering LLC
Provectus, Inc.
Reader & Swartz Architects
SMBW
VIA design architects

Bronze
Ashwood Financial Partners
Conkey Architects
Lee/Shoemaker PLLC
R.C. Fields & Associates