Attention high school students and teachers: Join us for our monthly “Ask an ACE” series.
Learn about various careers in the Architecture Construction and Engineering (ACE) industry. Hear about a typical work day and learn what it takes to get a job in the field. Then, get answers to your questions about opportunities to design and build your world!
Resiliency is the ability to quickly recover from disruption. But, how quickly can our buildings and systems bounce back from natural or man-made disasters? Can our infrastructure rapidly adapt to changing environmental, social, and economic conditions?
Join AIA Virginia for an exploration of resiliency in the built environment this ARCH-tober and discover why investing in resilient solutions can help protect us all.
Shoreline Restoration and the Elizabeth River Project Sam Bowling, AIA | Architect & Project Manager, Work Program Architects Joe Rieger | Deputy Director of Restoration, The Elizabeth River Project Living Shorelines and shoreline buffers help protect against erosion, restore wildlife habitat, and help mitigate tidal flooding. Using the Ryan River Lab as a case study, learn how buildings can be a model for protecting both the ecosystem and humans as sea levels rise.
Earn 1.0 AIA LU|HSW
Tuesday, Oct. 4 @ 4-5 p.m. Carbon Sequestration and Local Economies Anthony Flaccavento | President, SCALE Emerging out of experience and research in Appalachia and many other communities around the country, discover a range of resources to support efforts to launch or accelerate sustainable economic development and local food systems.
Earn 1.0 AIA LU|HSW
Decarbonization and the Built Environment Michael Lenox, Ph.D. | Tayloe Murphy Professor of Business Administration, Senior Associate Dean and Chief Strategy Officer, University of Virginia Learn about the urgent imperative to address carbon in the building sector and understand how policy changes and emerging technologies can help accelerate the transition.
Earn 1.0 AIA LU|HSW
Master Planning for Resiliency Paula Loomis, Ph.D, FAIA | Director of Research, Senior Architect, Senior Planner, Urban Collaborative Meet the challenges of a rapidly changing climate. Learn how we can protect our structures, systems, and natural spaces by working in collaboration with designers, citizens, and policy-makers to build climate-resilient communities.
Earn 1.0 AIA LU|HSW
This series is organized by AIA Virginia’s Outreach Advisory Council.
The Design Awards recognize outstanding design, built and unbuilt, from the past eight years. The location of projects is not restricted, but any built works submitted for consideration must have been completed after January 1, 2015. The entry deadline is June 28, 2022.
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.
Anne Marie Duvall Decker, FAIA, with her partner, Roy Decker, FAIA, founded Duvall Decker in Jackson, Mississippi — a place defined by both palpable need and engaging culture. The firm is a diverse and expanded practice, employing planning, development, design, and building care to promote the quality of the built environment and the health and well-being of its inhabitants. Duvall Decker delivers design excellence and promotes social, economic, and environmental quality, no matter the scope, type, budget, or scale of the project.
Anne Marie pursues a meaningful public architecture that elevates the individual human experience. She has designed award-winning public schools, affordable housing, state institutions, libraries, and university buildings that embrace their physical surrounds and cultural traditions with innovation and invention. She is the leader in the studio, fostering design quality, detailing building construction, making exemplary construction documents, and finding ways to be efficient and have joy in the work.
Anne Marie Duvall Decker, FAIA, received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Mississippi State University. She is a recognized contributor to the advancement of the profession. She has served as a board member and past President of AIA Mississippi and as a trustee and past Chair of the AIA Trust. Anne Marie is often invited to share the firm’s work and her experience as a lecturer, critic, teacher, and design juror, most recently serving as Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design. She has served on the jury for the 2018 AIA Institute Honor Awards for Architecture and as a selection committee member for the Architectural League of New York’s American Roundtable initiative. Most recently, she serves the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations as an Industry Advisory Group Peer.
Entries to the 2022 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.
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, 2015. Enter online.
What’s new in 2022? In response to feedback from entrants and jurors, we’ve launched an Unbuilt Architecture category and clarified the description of the Design for Context category.
Entries are due by 5 p.m. on June 28, 2022.Note: You should be prepared to submit your concealed ID and project submission upon entry.
Entry fees
AIA VirginiaMembers: $190 for the first project $160 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): $245 for the first project $220 for each additional project The Small Projects Category has a reduced entry fee of $200
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.
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 2022 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 17, 2022, 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.
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 Professional 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 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.
AIA Virginia is pleased to announce the 2021 Awards for Excellence in Architecture. Also known as the Design Awards, these honors celebrate projects no older than seven years that contribute to the built environment and are clear examples of thoughtful, engaging design. Award categories include Architecture, Contextual Design, Historic Preservation, Interior Design, and Residential Design. Within each of the 5 categories, consideration was given to sustainability, affordability, social impact, innovation, durability, addressing the natural and built context, and meeting the specific needs of the client.
From a field of 150 entries, only 20 were selected by the jury for recognition. These few projects stood above the rest as particularly notable. A project is recognized with an Honorable Mention for incorporating approaches that advance the profession. Awards of Merit are presented to those project worthy of recognition and an Award of Honor is reserved for those projects deemed by the jury to be truly exceptional.
This year, the program included new and revised awards categories — including a small projects award and extended use awards. 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.
In the ADAPTIVE OR CONTINUED USE category
The work of retrofitting, renovating, adapting, and remodeling existing buildings accounts for almost half of U.S. architecture billings. This award celebrates design interventions upon existing buildings that help achieve carbon reduction through creative reuse and adaptation.
Award of Honor
1125 Commerce (Richmond, Va.)
Architecture Firm: Two Street Studio Owner: Spy Rock Real Estate and Crescent Development General Contractor: J.D. Lewis Construction Management, Inc. Structural, Civil, Landscape: Balzer and Associates, Inc. MEP Engineers: ONEIL Engineering Services Historic Consultant: Sadler & Whitehead Architects, PLC Envelope Consultant: TAM Consultants Inc. ADA Consultant: MJC Designs, LLC Photographer: Keith Isaacs Jury Comments: This clever adaptive reuse of an existing warehouse building to create affordable housing using Universal Design standards really “hit it out of the park.” The jury appreciated the interconnected series of open-air courtyards that function as pedestrian streets and spaces for community-building.
Award of Merit
Allan Myers (Chesapeake, Va.)
Architecture Firm: VIA design architects, pc Owner: Allan Myers, Inc. General Contractor: Heartland Construction, Inc. Structural Engineer: NRW Engineering, P.C. MEP Engineer: Robert G. Dashiell, Jr., Inc. Landscape Architect: Insite Studio Interiors and Branding: VIA design architects, pc Photographers: UPStudio, Yuzhu Zheng Jury Comments: The jury appreciated how this well-executed adaptation revealed the geometry of the structural trusses, highlighting one of the best features of the existing building.
In the ARCHITECTURE category
The jury considers aesthetics, adherence to the client wishes, proven and projected building performance, and concept development during its deliberations.
Awards of Honor
University of Virginia’s University Hospital Expansion (Charlottesville, Va.)
Architecture Firm: Perkins & Will Owner: University of Virginia Health System General Contractor: Skanska MEP Engineer (New Construction): BR+A MEP Engineer (Renovation): Valley Engineering Civil Engineer: VHB Landscape Consultant: Rhodeside & Harwell Green Roof Consultant: Roof Meadows Helipad Design and Construction: FEC Helicopters Photographer: Halkin Mason Photography Jury Comments: The jury called this thoughtful hospital refreshingly clever and beautifully detailed. They particularly appreciated the attention to lighting. “Hospitals are really difficult to do well,” they said. “This is one of the better ones.”
Lubber Run Community Center (Arlington, Va.)
Architecture Firm: VMDO Architects Owner: Arlington County Parks and Recreation General Contractor: MCN Build Photographer: Tom Holdsworth Photography Jury Comments: The jury commended the site plan, calling the approach “really gorgeous.” “I love how the project is nestled into the landscape with the building emerging out of the land. It’s definitely one of the more original projects we’ve seen.”
Awards of Merit
Old Dominion Boat Club (Alexandria, Va.)
Architecture Firm: Winstanley Architects & Planners Owner: Old Dominion Boat Club General Contractor: Forrester Construction Photographer: Jessica Marcotte Photography Jury Comments: The jury appreciated how the nautical iconography was incorporated in a contemporary way, as well as the simplicity of the volume and material choices. “There’s a nice discipline to it,” the jury said. “The way the designers united the old and the new was skillfully done with a real attention to detail. It’s beautifully crafted and subtle.”
Quirk Hotel (Charlottesville, Va.)
Architecture Firm: ARCHITECTUREFIRM Owner: Quirk Charlottesville, LLC General Contractor: Martin Horn Photographers: James Ewing Photography and Palindrome Creative Co. Jury Comments: The jury called this project, “very simple, but very beautiful … The vaulted ceilings and variations in geometries create a really interesting interior. It feels very contemporary while being respectful to its context. “I think this is one of the strongest projects,” said one juror. “It doesn’t feel out of scale, even though it’s clearly so much larger.”
Honorable Mention
Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (Mexico)
Design Architect: Richard Kennedy Architects (RKA) Architect of Record: Page Southerland Page, Inc. Associate Architect: Hammel, Green, and Abrahamson, Inc. (HGA) Owner: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations General Contractor: BL Harbert International Photographer: Gabe Border Engineering Consultant: Arup Fire Protection: Rolf Jensen & Associates Geotechnical Engineering: Schnabel Engineering Jury Comments: The jury appreciated this project, calling it “very elegantly built” and noting that it was among the better of the large scale projects they saw.
In the CONTEXTUAL DESIGN category
The awards for contextual design are chosen based on outstanding architecture that perceptibly reflects the history, culture, and physical environment of the place in which it stands and that, in turn, contributes to the function, beauty, and meaning of its larger context.
Award of Merit
The Loos at Hermitage Museum & Gardens (Norfolk, Va.)
Architect: Hanbury Owner: Hermitage Museum & Gardens General Contractor: E. T. Gresham Company Photographers: Yuzhu Zheng Photography, Justin Hankins Photography Jury Comments: The jury was charmed by this restroom nestled neatly into its bucolic context.
In the HISTORIC PRESERVATION category
The historic preservation category focuses specifically on excellence in strategies, tactics, and technologies that advance the art, craft, and science of preserving historically significant buildings and sites. The jury takes into consideration adherence to local, state, and national criteria for historic preservation.
Award of Merit
The Residences at St. Elizabeths East Campus (Washington, D.C.)
Architecture Firm: Cunningham | Quill Architects Co-owners: Anacostia Economic Development Corp. and Flaherty & Collins Properties General Contractor: GCS Sigal Landscape Architects: OEHME, VAN SWEDEN Structural Design: Robert Silman Associates MEP Design: Setty & Associates International Sustainable Design Consultant: Sustainable Design Consulting LLC Historic Consultant: EHT Traceries Inc. Civil Engineering: Wiles Mensch Corporation Code Consultant: Jenson Hughes Photographer: Hoachlander Davis Photography Jury Comments: The jury called this project “clever and thoughtful,” and “truly comprehensive.” They also appreciated the care taken to improve the spatial quality to create a warm environment.
In the INTERIOR DESIGN category
Interior design projects are judged on mastery of composition, functionality, material and color palettes, and well-integrated adherence to the highest levels of accessibility, health and safety, environmental, and occupant-comfort considerations, standards, and regulations.
Awards of Merit
Met Square (Washington, D.C.)
Architecture Firm: Gensler Owner: Boston Properties General Contractor: Davis Construction Photographer: Jessica Marcotte Jury Comments: The jury found the architrave to be particularly notable, remarking that it “really completed the ground level space.”
Leidos Headquarters (Reston, Va.)
Architecture Firm: Gensler Owner: Leidos General Contractor: HITT Contracting, Inc. Photographer: Garrett Rowland Jury Comments: The jury appreciated the conceptual ideas expressed in this project, calling it “adventurous.”
In the RESIDENTIAL DESIGN category
Aesthetic appeal and functionality are two long-established criteria for home design, as are affordability and resource efficiency. The jury looks at each submission in its totality toward meeting those goals.
Award of Honor
Wildcat Mountain Residence (The Plains, Va.)
Architecture Firm: David Jameson Architect Inc. Owner: Withheld General Contractor: PureForm Builders Photographer: Paul Warchol Jury Comments: “This project has beautiful spaces, inside and out,” said the jury. They particularly appreciated the entry.
Awards of Merit
Three Hills House (Fredericksburg, Va.)
Architecture Firm: ARCHITECTUREFIRM Owner: Michele & Arash Mansouri General Contractor: Van Zandt Restorations, LLC Photographer: James Ewing Jury Comments: The jury appreciated the rigor of this project and that it is not only independent of the public power grid, but actually produces a surplus of energy. Concealing the solar panels on the roof was clever.
A Complemented Tudor (Arlington, Va.)
Architecture Firm: Donald Lococo Architects Owner: Eric and Jill Lyttle General Contractor: Clemens Builders, LLC Photographer: Hoachlander Davis Photography Jury Comments: The jury appreciated this project’s whole concept — particularly the thoughtful interiors.
Honorable Mention
Crooked Bow Tie House (withheld)
Architecture Firm: Reader & Swartz Architects, P.C. Owner: Withheld General Contractor: Willoughby Construction and Consulting Structural Engineer: Painter-Lewis, PLC Photographer: Nathan Webb, AIA, LEED AP Jury Comments: The jury particularly appreciated this project for its boldly contrasting façade.
In the SMALL PROJECTS category
Design excellence can be achieved, no matter the size or scope of a project. These awards celebrate projects with modest budgets that have a substantial impact. Small Project Awards are given in three categories, offering opportunities for recognition to a wide range of project sizes and budgets. All projects must demonstrate design achievement, including how the project fits into its environment and how the project connects to the Framework for Design Excellence.
Projects under 5,000 Square Feet
Award of Merit
Dual Modern (Silver Spring, Md.)
Architecture Firm: KUBE architecture PC Owner: Janet Bloomberg General Contractor: ThinkMakeBuild Photographer: Hoachlander Davis Photography Jury Comments: “I like this funky little thing,” one juror exclaimed, calling it a “little bit of So Cal in the woods.”
Projects up to $150,000
Award of Merit
Camp Barker Memorialat Garrison Elementary School (Washington, D.C.)
Architecture Firm: After Architecture, LLC Owner: D.C. Department of General Services Fabricator: Bruce Baldwin Sculptor: Bronze Narrative Bas Reliefs — Vinnie Bagwell Structural Engineer: Yun Associates, LLC Photographer: Sam Oberter Jury Comments: There is a humbleness to this project that the jury admired. “Monuments should be used,” they said. The jury appreciated that “the monument would be something you pass through instead of something to be revered and looked at upon a pedestal.” “Oftentimes,” they continued, “these projects don’t have any architectural aspiration whatsoever and the politics overrule. This one does have an architectural aspiration.”
Projects up to $500,000
Honorable Mention
Jackson Modern (Richmond, Va.)
Architecture Firm: Two Street Studio Owner: Jackson Modern LLC General Contractor: QHCI Photographer: Trevor Davis Jury Comments: “This project is not like any of the others,” said one juror. “It’s respectful of its context. I really love the section and the skylights.”
In the UNBUILT WORK category
Unbuilt work was considered, as long as it was commissioned by a client as opposed to hypothetical work completed in the mode of research or academic training.
Honorable Mentions
Playground+ (Richmond, Va.)
Architecture Firm: HKS, Inc. Owner: Hillside Court Resource Center, Patrice Shelton General Contractor: Barton Mallow Renderings: Palmtech Jury Comments: The design team is doing something really notable with this project, and it should be recognized for its societal benefits.
Library of Songdo International City (South Korea)
Architecture Firm: mcdowellespinosa architects Owners: Yeonsu-gu office, Incheon-si, S. Korea Architecture Division Photographer: mcdowellespinosa architects Jury Comments: “This project has a clear diagram and the CLT bookstack is an interesting idea. I liked the clarity of it becoming a structural core as well as a programmatic core. It’s one of the more adventurous projects.” It’s like “New Brutalism,” said one juror.
About the Awards
All entries must be the work of architects who have an office in Virginia or are members of AIA Virginia. The location of projects is not restricted, but any built work submitted must have been completed after January 1, 2014. Un-built work was also considered, as long as it was commissioned by a client as opposed to hypothetical work completed in the mode of research or academic training.
In the past, Visions for Architecture, our annual celebration recognizing AIA Virginia’s Honors and Design Award winners has served as a fundraiser to support a wide range of architectural education.
Like last year, in 2021 we’re using Visions to raise funds to support scholarships. 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.
Your gift will directly, and meaningfully, contribute to diversity in the profession. Please give today.
Donna Woodrum Dunay, FAIA, will be recognized with the William C. Noland Medal by AIA Virginia for her significant and sustained work across education, advocacy, service to the profession, and leadership. As the highest honor bestowed by AIA Virginia upon 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.
Alex Nyerges, Director and CEO of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), will be recognized with the 2021 Architecture Medal for Virginia Service. 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.
Nick Cooper, AIA, principal and design director at HKS in Richmond, will be presented AIA Virginia’s 2021 Award for Distinguished Achievement. The award 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.