Opportunity to Serve on the Commonwealth’s AARB

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The Commonwealth of Virginia’s  Art and Architectural Review Board (AARB) reviews and advises the Governor on the acquisition and design of works of art, buildings and structures on property owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Agencies are responsible for submitting project information to AARB for its consideration.

The AARB meets year-round, in person, on a monthly basis and is comprised of seven voting members, to include a designee of the Department of Historic Resources, and six citizen members appointed by the Governor. Of the citizen members, one shall be an architect who may be appointed from a list nominated by AIA Virginia.

In June 2022, an opening to serve in this capacity will become available.  AIA Virginia plans to present a slate of qualified candidates to the Governor’s office for consideration.  For those that are interested, please email your submission to AIA Virginia Executive Vice President, Corey Clayborne at cclayborne@aiava.org  by May 23, 2022, in a single pdf format. Click here for submission requirements.

All submissions will be provided to AIA Virginia’s Advocacy Advisory Council and the organization’s Executive Committee for endorsement prior to submission to the Governor.

2022 Architects SPEAK UP!

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“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” – Shirley Chisholm

Architecture in practice exists at the crossroads of Policy and the Built Environment. Architects regularly advance solutions that directly address the social, environmental, and economic challenges of today and tomorrow. As natural problem solvers, architects do not see empty lots as only places to build; we see them as places to build hopes and dreams.

We need your participation in AIA Virginia’s 2022 Architects SPEAK UP! this May.

Register by filling out this Interest Form. If you participated last year, please sign up again as we will reconvene with the legislator that you met with. All participants will be properly trained before engaging in the virtual conversations.

Program Purpose

The purpose of Architects Speak Up! meetings will be for AIA Virginia members to acquaint themselves with their in-district legislator(s) and effectively articulate the importance of architects and architecture in their community. The anticipated result is a structured and coordinated outreach event that can occur simultaneously within each of the five local components. For this years’ Speak Up! event we will be meeting and reconnecting with the nine legislators we met with last year and expanding to six new legislators.

What have we already accomplished?

AIA Virginia’s Joint Legislative Committee works in partnership with the American Council of Engineering Companies of Virginia during each General Assembly session for our advocacy efforts, collaborating to define common goals that benefit the combined A/E communities.

One outcome of our advocacy efforts is the strong relationships we have made with state legislators. For example, we led the passage of HB 429 Virginia Public Procurement Act, introduced by Del. David Bulova (D-Fairfax). This bill simplifies the current Public Procurement Act regarding term contracts thus allowing more access for more firms. We have also passed bills that strengthen Qualifications Based Selection, impose a statute of limitations, and influence policy on school safety design.

Other ways to make a difference:

If you are not able to participate in the event, there are other ways you can support AIA Virginia’s legislative objectives! We are embarking on our 2022 PAC fundraising plan and we could really use your help and financial support in closing our fundraising gap for Q2. Can you contribute $50, $100, or $200 today? Give Now!

If you already are a supporter of the PAC or are a current participant in lobby month – thank you! Every aspect of participation helps support our collective goals. Please forward this email to your firms, colleagues, and other friends in the architecture community who are as interested and passionate as you are!

submitted by Maggie Dunlap, Assoc. AIA

Blacksburg Mayors Innovative Design Cohort Design Charrette

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submitted by Rebecca W. E. Edmunds, AIA

Last summer, at the urging of Blacksburg Mayor Leslie Hager Smith, the Town of Blacksburg submitted its ideas for a retail incubator project to the Mayors Innovative Design Cohort, a national partnership between the AIA and the Mayors Innovation Project to help create zero-carbon, resilient, healthy, and equitable cities. The Blacksburg project became one of three awarded technical assistance and preliminary funding.

Blacksburg Deputy Town Manager Chris Lawrence and AIA Blue Ridge Past President Kevin Jones, AIA, led the charrette process for three groups, each composed of architects, community business leaders, and Town staff. The kick-off to the design process focused on generating ideas to transform the former Cook’s Cleaners building into a hub for new retail businesses and community engagement. The 28-foot-wide Main Street façade fronts a 170-foot-long space with roughly 4,000 net square feet of open space. The project seeks to be sustainable both in its design and its business operational model. Working with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in their Voluntary Remediation Program, a remediation plan is in place for encapsulating contaminants and installing a vapor extraction system to deal with the contaminants in the soil.

The project will potentially provide a new home with an office and shared conference space for two area nonprofits—the DBI (Downtown Blacksburg Inc.) and the Blacksburg Community Arts Information Office. DBI is seen as the potential operator/manager for the retail vendors the project hopes to attract.

Additional program elements envisioned by charrette participants include exhibition and presentation space to attract activity to benefit vendors, a work area, storage, restrooms, kitchenette, and other support spaces. They also brainstormed and presented strategies for engaging pedestrians and bringing diversity to the established restaurant and bar culture of Main Street. Elements such as small-scale performance space, area for after-hours events, art installations, and exhibitions, and transparent partitions to facilitate visibility into the deep footprint emerged as potential features by all three breakout groups. The groups emphasized flexibility in the configuration and design of retail spaces as key to accommodating a diversity of vendors and allowing for their evolution and growth over time. With socioeconomic disparities being one of the lead causes of inequity in Southwest Virginia, community members and designers alike felt outreach would be required to encourage the diversity desired.

Sustainability and resiliency in buildings drive the mission of both organizations supporting the Cohort and were topics for design and economic planning. Suggestions included solar panels on the extensive roof and green guidelines for vendor selection.

A second meeting is planned for late April, with the goal of completing the process in June for the development of an RFP for design services.

Photos courtesy of Coe Sweet

ARCHITECTS Speak Up! 2022 Registration Open

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“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” – Shirley Chisholm

Architecture in practice exists at the crossroads of policy and the built environment. Architects regularly advance solutions that directly address the social, environmental, and economic challenges of today and tomorrow. As natural problem solvers, architects do not see empty lots as only places to build; we see them as places to build hopes and dreams.

We need your participation in elevating our profession: AIA Virginia’s ARCHITECTS Speak Up! 2022.

Architects often do not receive a seat at the table when it comes to making important policy decisions, creating a gap between seeing problems and solving them at a macro-scale. AIA Virginia’s advocacy initiatives form a natural bridge between architects and policymakers, allowing architects to be involved in the processes that impact not only our individual practices but our architectural community at large.

Advocacy means not only recognizing a problem but also taking the steps to make a difference. Good advocates organize themselves and their communities to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow. As architects, we engage in advocacy regularly during our practice – sometimes we do not even know when we are doing it!

Please register here>>

About ARCHITECTS Speak Up!

The purpose of these meetings will be for AIA Virginia members to acquaint themselves with their in-district legislator(s) and effectively articulate the importance of architects and architecture in their community. The anticipated result is a structured and coordinated outreach event that can occur simultaneously within each of the five local components. For this year’s ARCHITECTS Speak Up! event we will be meeting and reconnecting with the legislators we met with last year and expanding to 5-8 new legislators.

AIA Virginia is looking for your participation in these scheduled virtual meetings this May. We are looking to pair a few Architects with legislators from their home district. This is a tremendous opportunity to familiarize yourself with whom represents YOU in the legislative chambers in Richmond. We want you to advocate and introduce yourself and AIA Virginia as a resource for industry issues in a relaxed (Zoom) environment. 

PAC:

If you are not able to participate in ARCHITECTS Speak Up!, then that’s ok!

There are other ways you can support AIA Virginia’s advocacy and community engagement objectives. We are embarking on our 2022 PAC fundraising plan and we could really use your help and financial support in closing our fundraising gap for Quarter 1. Can you invest $50, $100, or $200 today? You can invest at Supporters of the AIAVA Political Action Committee – AIAVA PAC.

Every aspect of participation helps support our collective goals. Please forward this email to your firms, colleagues, and other friends in the architecture community who are as interested and passionate as you are.

General Assembly Wrap-Up

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The General Assembly adjourned sine die on March 12. The House and Senate were not able to come to an agreement on the budget and had a number of bills in conference that were not finished. As a result, the General Assembly will be coming back for a special session to finish all unresolved business. At this point, it is unclear exactly when this session will occur but it will happen sooner rather than later. When the legislature does reconvene, they will be limited to only working on the budget and any other bills that were still pending in conference committees at the time of adjournment.

Below is a list of the key bills that AIA Virginia worked on during this Session and the respective results:

HB 429 – Bulova and SB 225 – McPike – Virginia Public Procurement Act; architectural and professional engineering term contracting.

[AIA/ACEC Bill – Signed by President of Senate]

This legislation provides that the sum of all projects performed in an architectural and professional engineering contract term shall not exceed $10 million, and the fee for any single project shall not exceed $2.5 million. The bill allows a contract for multiple architectural or professional engineering projects to be renewable for up to three additional terms at the option of the public body. Current law limits the sum of all projects performed in a one-year contract term to $750,000, with up to four additional one-year terms at the option of the public body, and limits the fee for any single project to $150,000, with numerous specific exceptions to those limits, including a limit for total projects for rail projects of $5 million and for highway projects, $8 million. This bill simplifies the code section so that there is continuity between jurisdictions regarding limits on term contracts while providing more access for firms. Both of these bills have been signed by the President of the Senate and are on the way to the Governor’s desk.

HB 971 – Byron – Commonwealth’s taxation system; conformity with the Internal Revenue Code, etc.

[Signed by Governor]

Governor Youngkin signed this bill into law that ensures aid granted to businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program and Rebuild Virginia grants during the pandemic will not be treated as taxable income.

For a complete list of legislation that AIA Virginia was monitoring and weighing in as appropriate at the following link>>

AIA Virginia General Assembly Update

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We have just reached the halfway marker of the General Assembly. The “Crossover” date of February 15 occurred this week which was the last day for the House and Senate to act on its own legislation. If a bill did not get a hearing before this date, it automatically dies.

Please find below the bills that AIA Virginia is tracking “Actively” and “Monitoring”.  The bills of interest that did not pass this year are listed under the “Dead” category.

ACTIVE

These bills are being actively lobbied by Williams Mullen, AIA Virginia, and ACEC Virginia. This does not necessarily mean we are testifying before committees on all of these bills. It could mean that we are engaged in conversations with bill patrons or other industries that can alter the legislation’s outcome.

HB 282 – Coyner – Criminal records; effect of criminal convictions on licensure, data to be included in report.

HB 429 – Bulova – Virginia Public Procurement Act; architectural and professional engineering term contracting. [AIA/ACEC Bill – Passed House 99-0]

HB 816 – Torian – Va. Public Procurement Act; any bid or offer under Act to identify all subcontractors.

HB 881 – Fowler – Contracts; payment clauses to be included, right to payment of subcontractors.

SB 225 – McPike – Virginia Public Procurement Act; architectural and professional engineering term contracting. [AIA/ACEC Bill – Passed Senate 38-0]

SB 290 – Favola – State agencies and localities; solar-ready roof requirements, etc.

MONITOR

AIA Virginia is watching bills placed in this category.  Often, we are watching bills because they are of interest and we want to remain informed.  When this is the case, it is often another organization taking the lead due to its specific expertise and political relationships.  If amendments are introduced that make a bill in this category detrimental to our profession, then it is moved to the ACTIVE list and we engage.  There are some bills that AIA Virginia does not take a position on.  An example of this would be bills that define “small business”.  Because of the composition of our membership, we would not want to take an action that would hurt any of our members.

HB 5 – Morefield – Flood Relief Fund; established.

HB 19 – Fowler – Virginia Public Procurement Act; public higher educational institutions, disclosure by offerors.

HB 73 – Ware – Electric utilities; definitions, aggregate capacity requirements for renewable energy facilities.

HB 74 – Ware – Va. Clean Economy Act; non-bypassable charges, energy-intensive trade-exposed (EITE) industries

HB 101 – Head – Group health benefit plans; sponsoring associations, formation of benefits consortium. (Similar bills: HB 245, HB 884, HB 1169 )

HB 208 – Webert – Regulatory Innovation, Department of and Virginia Regulatory Sandbox Program; created, report.

HB 221 – Davis – STEM+C; included in Standards of Learning.

HB 244 – Webert – Regulatory Budget Program; DPB to establish a continuous Program, report.

HB 282 – Coyner – Criminal records; effect of criminal convictions on licensure, data to be included in report.

HB 332 – Head – Income tax, state and corporate; credit for small businesses.

HB 474 – Brewer – Automatic fire sprinkler inspectors; certification, exempts building officials and fire officials.

HB 516 – Bulova – Flood resiliency & protection; implements recom. from first Va. Coastal Resilience Master Plan.

HB 517 – Bulova – Chief Resilience Officer; clarifies designation and role.

HB 563 – O’Quinn – School Construction Matching Grant Fund and Program; established, funding sources.

HB 741 – Bell – Annual public elementary and secondary school safety audits; creation or review of school building.

HB 818 – Torian – Virginia Public Procurement Act; prompt payment of bills by state agencies, etc.

HB 820 – Torian – Small Business and Supplier Diversity, Department of; disparity study.

HB 847 – Bloxom – Coastal Virginia Resiliency Authority; established, report.

HB 903 – Lopez – Virginia Green Infrastructure Bank; created.

HB 1006 – Brewer – Income tax, state and corporate; deductions for business interest.

HB 1161 – McGuire – Virginia Public Procurement Act; required contract provisions, prohibition.

HB 1210 – Hope – Historic preservation; filing of a historic designation application.

HB 1225 – Bulova – Energy performance-based contracts; roof replacement.

HB 1287 – Runion – Virginia Public Procurement Act; preference for recycled materials.

HB 1289 – Head – Uniform Statewide Building Code; exemption for certain use and occupancy classifications.

HB 1301 – Kilgore – Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparedness Act; repeals Act.

HB 1309 – Bulova – Resilient Virginia Revolving Loan Fund.

HB 1310 – Shin – Virginia Public Procurement Act; moderate-risk contracts; federal General Services Administration.

HB 1325 – Reid – Local governments; additional powers, Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy financing programs.

HJ 16 – Hodges – Coastal Flooding, Joint Subcommittee studying; continued, appropriation.

SB 94 – Howell – Internal Revenue Code; conformity of the Commonwealth’s taxation system.

SB 117 – Newman – Local school divisions; budget bill to include appropriation of surplus for operational costs.

SB 121 – Hackworth – Contractors; exemption from licensure for work providing remodeling, etc., valued at $25,000, etc.

SB 153 – Locke – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Secretary of; created.

SB 195 – Mason – Group health benefit plans; bona fide associations, formation of benefits consortium. [Similar bill: SB 549]

SB 210 – Petersen – Virginia Public Procurement Act; public higher educational institutions, disclosure by offerors.

SB 276 – Stanley – School boards; unexpended local funds for capital projects.

SB 288 – Ebbin – Income tax, state and corporate; deduction for business interest disallowed.

SB 400 – Hanger – Agritourism event buildings; authorizes the BHCD to promulgate regulations related to buildings.

SB 409 – Morrissey – Criminal convictions; effect on licensure, date to be included in biennial report.

SB 471 – McClellan – Literary Fund; open application process for loans, maximum loan amounts, etc.

SB 472 – McClellan – Retail sales & use tax, additional local; use of revenues for construction or renovation of schools.

SB 473 – McClellan – School Construction Fund and Program; created and established.

SB 481 – McClellan – School boards and local governing bodies; unexpended local funds, etc.

SB 550 – Bell – Virginia Public Procurement Act; payment clauses to be included in contracts; right to payment.

SB 551 – Marsden – Flood resiliency & protection; implements recom. from first Va. Coastal Resilience Master Plan.

SB 732 – Lewis – Climate resilience; locality’s comprehensive plan to consider strategies to address.

DEAD

The following depicts the bills of interest to AIA Virginia that were introduced but were not successful.  This list is expected to grow as the General Assembly advances. 

HB 12 – Anderson – Public school buildings; limits entry points, screening individuals.

HB 119 – March – Public-Private Competition Act; created, repeals Competitive Government Act, etc.

HB 251 – Simonds – School boards and local governing bodies; unexpended local funds, etc.

HB 252 – Simonds – School division maintenance reserve tool; Department of Education to develop or adopt and maintain.

HB 253 – Simonds – Literary Fund; open application process for loans, maximum loan amounts, etc.

HB 254 – Simonds – School Construction Fund and Program; created and established.

HB 273 – McNamara – Income tax, state; subtractions and deductions related to Paycheck Protection Program loans.

HB 295 – McNamara – Income tax, corporate; reduces tax from its current rate.

HB 352 – Watts – Income tax, state and corporate; business interest.

HB 364 – Willett – Regional planning; climate resilience to be included as part of strategic plans.

HB 374 – Williams Graves – Virginia Public Procurement Act; construction contracts, requirement to submit list.

HB 379 – Sullivan – Energy benchmarking; access to data on energy usage in certain buildings, civil penalty.

HB 471 – Subramanyam – State agencies and localities; solar-ready roof requirements, etc.

HB 531 – Hudson – Sales and use tax, additional local; revenues to support construction or renovation of schools.

HB 602 – Hayes – Flood Control, Department of, and Commonwealth Flood Plan; created, report.

HB 608 – Bourne – School boards; unexpended local funds for capital projects.

HB 701 – Kory – Uniform Statewide Building Code; local building codes and regulations, etc.

HB 707 – Keam – Transportation funding; statewide prioritization process, resiliency.

HB 757 – Krizek – Employment; anti-harassment training requirement.

HB 905 – Lopez – Energy efficiency standards; more stringent energy efficiency requirements.

HB 966 – Subramanyam – Va. Public Procurement Act; executive branch agencies’ goals for participation by small businesses.

HB 967 – Subramanyam – General Services, Department of; point-based program for prime contractors.

HB 998 – Kory – Building energy use intensity; reporting, reduction, requirements, incentive programs.

HB 999 – Maldonado – New structures; construction evaluation of impact of types of electricity.

HB 1099 – LaRock – Retail sales & use tax, additional local; use of revenues for construction or renovation of schools.

HB 1100 – LaRock – Public elementary and secondary school buildings; standards for maintenance, operations, etc.

HB 1219 – Lopez – Historic rehabilitation tax credit.

HB 1253 – Fowler – Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; licensure by apprenticeship.

SB 15 – Favola – Insurance; paid family leave.

SB 239 – Hashmi – STEM+C; included in Standards of Learning. 

SB 452 – Boysko – Local governments; additional powers, energy efficiency of buildings.

SB 532 – Stuart – Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparedness Act; repeals Act.

SB 540 – Peake – Income tax, state and corporate; credit for small businesses.

SB 569 – Kiggans – Coastal Virginia Resiliency Authority; established.

SB 603 – Stanley – Public elementary and secondary school buildings; standards for maintenance, operations, etc.

SB 734 – Ruff – Va. Public Procurement Act; population thresholds for architectural & prof. engineering contracting.

SB 747 – McDougle – Uniform Statewide Building Code; religious exemptions.

If you have any questions, please feel free to submit them to Corey Clayborne, FAIA at cclayborne@aiava.org

2022 Political Outlook in Virginia

Posted on by cguske

On January 12th, the Virginia General Assembly gaveled into the 2022 session. In even-numbered years, the General Assembly convenes for a “long session” which is 60 days as prescribed by the Constitution. The COVID-19 pandemic still looms, but legislative business will be conducted in person with protective protocols.

A year ago, Democrats controlled both chambers and the Governor’s mansion making significant advancements in their legislative agenda without any legitimate opposition. However, the November elections cast a new narrative for this year. Republicans flipped the House of Delegates, commanding a 52-48 majority, and swept all three statewide offices (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General). Democrats still hold a narrow 21-19 majority in the Senate. However, all it takes is one Democrat to break ranks and the scales tilt the other way with a Republican Lieutenant Governor casting tie-breaking votes.

Please note the following key dates of the session:

  • January 12 – General Assembly session convenes
  • January 21 – Bill cut-off (last day to introduce bills and certain joint resolutions)
  • February 15 – Bill crossover (last day for each house to act on its own legislation)
  • March 12 – Session adjourns sine die
  • April 11 – Last day for Governor’s action on legislation
  • April 27 – Reconvened session

AIA Virginia’s Legislative Priorities

AIA Virginia will be introducing HB 429 carried by Del. David Bulova (D-Fairfax) which drastically simplifies the Virginia Public Procurement Act regarding architectural and engineering term contracts. The bill provides that the sum of all projects performed in an architectural and professional engineering contract term shall not exceed $10 million, and the fee for any single project shall not exceed $2.5 million. In addition, the bill allows a contract for multiple architectural or professional engineering projects to be renewable for up to three additional terms at the option of the public body. Currently, there are numerous project and fee limits based on locality population size, type of work, and a host of other factors. The companion to this bill is SB 225 carried by Sen. Jeremy McPike (D-Woodbridge).

In addition, we have played a strong supporting role in the legislature’s bipartisan Commission on School Construction and Modernization. Several of the Commission’s recommendations are being presented as bills in which we will be prepared to lend our support as needed. Finally, as a follow-up to our inaugural ARCHITECTS Speak Up! event last year, we will be following legislation related to the program’s key topics of Design of Healthy and Safe Schools; Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in the Built Environment; and the Design of Affordable Housing.

Please support our advocacy efforts by investing in our PAC at Virginia American Institute of Architects PAC.  We can’t do the great work we are doing without your support.

AIA Hampton Roads Wins the AIA Virginia PAC Award for the Second Time

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For the second time in four years, AIA Hampton Roads won AIA Virginia’s annual PAC Award termed the “Rumble in the Jungle”. As the winner, the local component will receive $1,000 from AIA Virginia for use during its 2022 Architecture Week to enhance its public outreach efforts. AIA Hampton Roads was the only team to have 100% investment participation from its Board of Directors which was the difference between winning and losing. In addition, 5.4% of its total membership was invested [the 2017 statewide participation rate was roughly 2%], and the average contribution per member out of the total component membership of 352 individuals was $24.25.

The AIA Virginia PAC Award looks to celebrate the engagement and commitment of a local AIA component that supports the advancement and mission of the PAC.  The award criteria are based on a point total calculation based on three areas: local component Board participation, 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.

Invest at www.aiavapac.org

AIA Virginia is thankful for the following 2021 PAC Investors:

$2,500 to $4,999

Hanbury
PMA Architecture
VMDO Architects

$1,000 to $2,499

Glave & Holmes Architecture
LeMay Erickson Willcox Architects
Quinn Evans
VIA Design Architects

$500 to $999

MG2 Corporation
MTFA Architecture
William “Bill” Brown, AIA
Jeremy Maloney, AIA

$200-$499

Conkey Architects
Frazier Associates
Galvin Architects
Anonymous 
Scott Campbell, AIA
R. Corey Clayborne, FAIA
Eric Keplinger, AIA
David King, AIA
Jeanne LeFever
Carolyn Rickard-Brideau, AIA
J. Mitch Rowland, AIA
Elisabeth Sloan, AIA
Lou Wolf, AIA

$100-$199

Alloy Architecture & Construction
Architecture AF
Colley Architects
Galvin Architects
Kerns Group Architects
KGD Architecture
Powe Studio Architects
Reader & Swartz Architects
r4 llc
Colin Arnold, AIA
JW Blanchard, AIA
Robert Dunay, FAIA
Rebecca Edmunds, AIA
Thomas Ellis, AIA
Eliza Engle, AIA
Nathaniel McCormick, AIA
Rob Reis, AIA
James Scruggs, AIA
Nick Serfass, FAIA
Michael Spory, Assoc. AIA
Chris Venable, AIA
Nick Vlattas, FAIA
Steve Wakeman, AIA

Up to $99

B. Grace Design, LLC
MSStudioarchitecture, LLC
Anonymous [ 9 ]
Ryan Alkire, AIA
Krystal Anderson, AIA
Ron Anderson | Nello Wall Systems, Inc.
Kelly Batchelder
Scott Boyce, AIA
Debbie Burns, Hon. AIA
John Burns, FAIA
Phoebe Crisman, AIA
April Drake, AIA
Maggie Dunlap, Assoc. AIA
Robert Easter, FAIA
Braden Field, AIA
Rhea George, Hon. AIA VA
John Glenn, AIA
Cathy Guske, Hon. AIA VA
Charles Hendricks, AIA
Stephen Kulinski, AIA
Michael Lawson, AIA
Roland Lemke, AIA
Spencer Lepler, AIA
Joe McCoy, AIA
Joshua McKenrick, AIA
Shawn Mulligan, AIA
Marci Parrish
Kathryn Prigmore, FAIA
Gareth Ratti, AIA
Maury Saunders, AIA
Amanda Schlichting, AIA
Kristen Smith
Mark Treon, AIA
Nick Wade, AIA
Chris Warren, AIA
Ed Weaver, AIA
Rob Winstead, AIA

Want to Make an Impact? Get Involved in the Code Development Cycle

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The 2021 Code Development Cycle is underway, and it is critical for architects to have a seat at the table!

Submit code change proposals

The Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development’s (BHCD) online code development system cdpVA opened on Oct. 1 for submission of code change proposals. The tentative deadline for the 2021 cycle is May 1, 2022. We encourage you to submit your code change proposals as early as possible to ensure the greatest amount of time for discussion.

The cdpVA system will be used as the primary source for important information related to the process — including stakeholder meeting information.  We encourage you to check cdpVA regularly for the most up-to-date information.  

Get involved in a Stakeholder Workgroup

General Stakeholder Workgroup meetings will be convened three times during the proposed regulations phase, for the purpose of discussing all individual code change proposals. The following is the tentative schedule for the first General Stakeholder Workgroup meetings:

March 1, 2022: VCC (Virtual)

March 2, 2022: VEBC (Virtual)

March 3, 2022: Energy (Virtual)

March 4, 2022: VMC and SFPC (Virtual)

March 8, 2022: Residential (Virtual)

March 9, 2022: Trades (Virtual)

Meeting agendas will be posted to cdpVA and distributed to the Code Development stakeholders list approximately 3 weeks prior to each set of General Stakeholder Workgroup meetings. The agendas will include a list of proposals that will be discussed at the meeting, as well as the meeting time and virtual meeting links. Make your voice heard by participating in these important discussions.

Descriptions of General Stakeholder Meetings (Subject Matter Groupings)

VCC: Virginia Construction Code (USBC Part I) including USBC Part I administrative provisions; IBC; VCS; VADR; IBSR; and MHSR.

VEBC: Virginia Existing Building Code (USBC Part II) including USBC Part II administrative provisions; and IEBC.

Energy: All technical energy provisions of the VCC, IECC and IRC; does not include administrative provisions.

VMC: Virginia Maintenance Code (USBC Part III) including USBC Part III administrative provisions.

SFPC: Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code including SFPC administrative provisions.

VRC: Residential technical provisions of the VCC and the IRC; does not include administrative or trades provisions

Trades: All technical trade provisions (mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fuel gas), including residential trade provisions, of the VCC, IRC, IPC, IMC, and IFGC; does not include administrative provisions.

Margarella Appointed to State Building Code Technical Review Board

Posted on by cguske

Jonah Margarella, AIA was appointed by Governor Northam to serve on the Commonwealth of Virginia’s State Building Code Technical Review Board (SBCTRB). Put forth by AIA Virginia, Margarella is a Studio Director at Baskervill and serves on the AIA Richmond Board of Directors.

The SBCTRB’s primary purpose is to hear appeals from enforcement actions under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (VUSBC), the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code (VSFPC), the Virginia Industrialized Building Safety Regulations, the Virginia Manufactured Home Safety Regulations and the Virginia Certification Standards. A secondary function of the SBCTRB is to provide interpretations to the provisions of the VUSBC and VSFPC and make recommendations to the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development for future modifications, amendments, or repeal of such provisions.