Ming Fung Announced as 2021 Design Awards Jury Chair

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Design Partner of the widely-recognized LA-based firm Mithūn | Hodgetts + Fung, Ming Fung, FAIA, will serve as the jury chair for the 2021 Design Awards program.

About Hsinming Fung

Ming Fung’s design practice is energized by her lifelong commitment to the arts and education. She brings purpose, creativity and high production standards to an architectural practice widely admired for innovation and experimentation. As design partner, Ming has utilized a refined design palette towards the realization of each project, including the award-winning temporary Towell Library at UCLA, the 50-acre master plan for the Los Angeles Arts Park, and the Menlo-Atherton Performing Arts Center. Among her recent projects are a new performing arts center at CalArts and design of the Chapel of the North American Martyrs in Sacramento.

A leading figure in design and architectural education, Fung is in demand world-wide as a critic and lecturer. She has twice held the Eero Saarinen Chair at Yale University among other academic chairs. She was awarded the Gold Medal Award by AIA Los Angeles, served as Presidential Appointee to the National Endowment for the Arts Council, and was a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Rome Prize Advance Fellowship.

About the Design Awards

AIA Virginia’s Awards for Excellence in Architecture 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, 2014. The entry deadline is June 24, 2021.

There are six categories in the Awards for Excellence: Architecture; Extended Use (including historic preservation and adaptive use) Interiors; Contextual Design; Residential Design and Small Projects. See complete descriptions of each category. 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

2021 Honors Awards: Call for Nominations

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Do you have a colleague who deserves recognition? Is there a firm that consistently produces incredible work? Is there a building that has captured your heart? Consider nominating them for AIA Virginia’s 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.

Important note: The AIA Virginia board, at its April 2021 board meeting, revised the date range for the Test of Time Award, expanding it to include work between 25-75 years old. As you’re considering your nominees, please keep this in mind!

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 Thursday, July 1, 2021 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.

Award Categories

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 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.

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 produced distinguished architecture 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.

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.

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.

2021 Design Awards: Call for Entries

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AIA Virginia’s Awards for Excellence in Architecture recognize outstanding design, built and unbuilt, from the past seven years. Also known as the Design Awards, the program is juried by a team of esteemed practitioners.

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 its submission. 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, 2014. Enter online.

In 2021, we’ve launched new and revised awards categories — including a small projects award and extended use awards. To learn more about these changes, watch the recording of an overview that we offered on May 14 at 4 p.m.

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

Awards Categories include:

  • Architecture;
  • Contextual Design;
  • Extended Use with the following sub-categories:
    • Historic Preservation
    • Adaptive or Continued Use
    • Continued Use of Owner-Occupied Single-Family House Following Renovation
  • Interiors;
  • Residential; and
  • Small Projects with the following sub-categories:
    • Up to $150K in construction cost
    • Up to $500K in construction cost
    • Under 5,000 square feet (Updated from 2,500)

Entries are due by 5 p.m. on June 24, 2021. Note: You should be prepared to submit your concealed ID and project submission upon entry.

Entry fees

AIA Virginia Members:
$190 for the first project
$160 for each additional project
The Small Projects Category has a reduced entry fee of $100 for each entry
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 for each entry

Not an AIA Virginia member? Apply for unassigned membership.

Enter

About the Framework for Design Excellence

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

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

The completed Framework for Design Excellence Project Information Form is required and shall be page 1 of each submission.

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.

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 school 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.

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.

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.

Mark Gardner Announced as 2020 Design Awards Jury Chair

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Principal of New York-based firm Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects and Director for the Parsons New School MArch program Mark Gardner, AIA, NOMA will serve as the jury chair for the 2020 Design Awards program.

About Mark Gardner, AIA, NOMA

Gardner takes a serious interest in the nexus of architecture and art — one of long-standing importance to both his professional practice and his writings. He is committed to practicing architecture as a socially beneficial art form.

Jaklitsch / Gardner Architects is an award-winning design practice with an international reputation for design excellence, material research, and its exacting commitment to craft. The firm has won an AIA National Honor Award and numerous AIANY, NOMA, and Architizer design awards. The practice is currently working with a non-profit partner on a Honey Bee Study Center in Dodoma, Tanzania.

Gardner is the Assistant Professor of Architectural Practice and Society at the School of the Constructed Environments, Parsons the New School. He’s on the Board of Overseers for the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School Of Design, where he is helping the school study issues of diversity and inclusion. He also currently serves on the board of the Youth Design Center (YDC), a nonprofit on a mission to reduce the number of disconnected youth in Brownsville, Brooklyn by lowering their barriers to entry to the STEAM professions and increasing their relevant experience in the innovation economy.

He is Past President and former Advocacy Chair for nycobaNOMA, the New York Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects. He is a member of the AIANY Exhibition Committee and Past Co-Chair and current member of the AIANY Diversity & Inclusion Committee. He is Vanguard Member of the Van Alen Institute’s Board of Trustees and a Fellow of the Urban Design Forum.

About the Design Awards

AIA Virginia’s Awards for Excellence in Architecture 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, 2012. 

There are five categories in the Awards for Excellence: Architecture; Historic Preservation; Interiors; Contextual Design; and Residential Design.

Each entry will be judged on how successful the project is in meeting its individual requirements, with particular emphasis on design excellence. In each category, consideration is given to aesthetics, social impact, innovation, context, performance, and stewardship of the natural environment.

Highlight Your Interiors Work in Inform

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Show off your design research and interiors projects! Contribute a project profile or your research and insights to the upcoming Interiors Issue of Inform Magazine.

Articles should be between 300-1,000 words (depending on the topic) and may link to outside sources — including your firm or university website. Content may be edited for style and accuracy.

Content Guidelines

Inform Magazine’s goal is to highlight our members’ contributions to the built environment to each other and to the public, so it is ideal to highlight methods, research, and materials that elevate the overall understanding of a particular typology or approach.

We ask our contributors to avoid marketing or sales-oriented language (as well as “archi-speak”) in submitted pieces, however you are welcomed —even encouraged — to credit consultants or products that contributed to the overall success of the project.

We’d ask you to share images of your work or research. We prefer images to be at least 650 pixels wide and ask that you include any necessary image credits.

Let us know if you want to contribute by Aug. 3.  The content deadline is Aug. 19. Questions? Contact Rhea George.   

Inform celebrates Virginia’s rich culture of design and the diverse individuals who shape it.

Show Us your Sketches

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Art can be healing. Inspiring. Challenging. Liberating. It can put a smile on someone’s face, bring people together, or provoke hard conversations. (Sometimes all at once.) Frankly, we could probably use a little bit of each of these things right now. Show us your sketches and we’ll share them with the world through Inform Magazine‘s platform.

Since its inception, we hoped Inform would be a place to exchange ideas and art. We’ve been lucky enough to have Virginia legend Carlton Abbott, FAIA be the first to share his sketch of a Nelson County Barn. Now, we’re hoping you’ll share your work too!

Simply fill out this brief form, give us your name and tell us a little bit about your sketch (if you feel like it), upload your sketch, and give us the thumbs up to share it. We’re looking forward to seeing what you’ve got!

Call for Entries: 2020 Design Awards

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AIA Virginia’s Awards for Excellence in Architecture recognize outstanding design, built and unbuilt, from the past eight years. Also known as the Design Awards, the program is juried by a team of esteemed practitioners. 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 after January 1, 2012. Enter online.

There are five categories in the Awards for Excellence:
Architecture
Historic Preservation
Interiors
Contextual Design; and
Residential Design.

Each entry will be judged on how successful the project is in meeting its individual requirements, with particular emphasis on design excellence.

In each category, consideration is given to aesthetics, social impact, innovation, context, performance, and stewardship of the natural environment.

Check out the complete descriptions of the awards categories, and review the regulations, eligibility requirements, and frequently asked questions for more information.

Entries are due by 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2020. Note: You should be prepared to submit your concealed ID and project submission upon entry.

Entry fees
AIA Virginia members: $190 for first project; $160 for additional projects
AIA Virginia Associate members: $85 for each project
Non-member w/ office in Virginia: $245 for first project; $220 for additional projects

Note that you must be a member or associate member of the AIA Virginia to receive a member discount. Only members of AIA Virginia are eligible for the discounted member rate, regardless of your national AIA member status.

Not an AIA Virginia member? Apply for unassigned membership.