2021 AIA Virginia Prize Challenge Released

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The 2021 AIA Virginia Prize competition kicked off the spring semester by offering students the opportunity to win a $2,000 prize. Three additional $300 “Best of School” prizes will also be awarded. The competition is a design charrette that engages students at all the accredited schools of architecture in Virginia and took place over the weekend of Jan. 22-25, 2021.

The first round of submissions have been juried at the university level and the finalists have been submitted for review by a state jury which will be announced in the coming month.

In a new initiative this year, AIA Virginia will convene a post-competition conversation with the students from the 4 schools, the jurors, and designers from the region. Watch for an upcoming event announcement to see the winning submissions, hear jury comments, and join the discussion.

2021 AIA Virginia Prize Challenge

Background

The 2021 prompt is inspired by the Equal Justice Initiative’s Community Remembrance Project:

The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) is a private, nonprofit organization that challenges poverty and racial injustice, advocates for equal treatment in the criminal justice system, and creates hope for marginalized communities. EJI opened The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama in 2018.

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice includes over 800 steel monuments, or pillars, one for each county in the United States where a racial terror lynching took place, with the names of the lynching victims engraved on the pillars. A field of identical monuments is in a park adjacent to the memorial. EJI’s Community Remembrance Project invites counties across the country to claim their monuments and install them in the counties they represent. In addition to installing the pillars, EJI encourages participating communities to place a historical marker and to collect soil from the site of the lynchings, to “allow communities to gain perspective and experience that we believe is crucial to managing the monument retrieval process wisely and effectively.”

The Challenge

Design a pillar installation for the City of Alexandria’s Market Square. Background, site plans and photos were provided.

About the AIA Virginia Prize

Conducted simultaneously at Hampton University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, the competition is a design charrette that engages students at all of the accredited schools of architecture in Virginia. Students are given the competition program on a Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. They work over the weekend to create a design solution and submit it by 9 a.m. the following Monday.

Launched in 1980, the competition is intended to promote collaboration between the profession, students, and professors in Virginia.

Development of the competition brief rotates between the four schools annually — the 2021 Prize challenge was developed by WAAC.

AEC Virtual Symposium: Registration is Open

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The 2021 AEC Virginia Spring Symposium will be hosted virtually by the Virginia chapters of the American Council of Engineering Companies, the American Institute of Architects, and the Associated General Contractors on March 17-19. Its vision is to bridge together architecture, engineering, and construction professionals to collaborate, create, and build for the future. The symposium will give participants a preview of the 2022 in-person conference being planned for Virginia Beach.

Register through the symposium’s website here>>

The following speakers have been invited* or have already confirmed participation:

The Honorable Ralph Northam
The 73rd Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia

Chris Chmura, Ph.D.
Founder of Chmura Economics & Analytics

Jason El Koubi
Executive Vice President of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership

The Honorable Emmett W. Hanger, Jr.*
Senate of Virginia – 24th District
Finance and Appropriations Committee

The Honorable Mark D. Sickles
Virginia House of Delegates – 43rd District
Vice-Chair of Appropriations Committee

2021 Student Design Competition Launches Jan. 22

Posted on by cguske

The 2021 AIA Virginia Prize competition kicks off the spring semester by offering students the opportunity to win a $2,000 prize. Three additional $300 “Best of School” prizes will also be awarded. The competition is a design charrette that engages students at all the accredited schools of architecture in Virginia.

The 2021 AIA Virginia Prize launches on Friday, Jan. 22 at 5 p.m. and runs through Monday, Jan.25 at 9 a.m.

Conducted simultaneously at Hampton University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC), students work over the weekend to create a design solution. Each school’s faculty reviews the submissions and sends up to 10 finalists to AIA Virginia for judging by a statewide jury.

Development of the competition brief rotates between the four schools annually — the 2021 Prize challenge was developed by faculty at WAAC.

The competition was launched in 1980 and is intended to promote collaboration between the profession, students, and professors in Virginia. Watch for announcement about the winner in the coming months.

To see the winners of last year’s competition, check out the 2020 Prize announcement.

Interested in supporting the AIA Virginia Prize by becoming a sponsor? Contact Jody Cranford.

ELA 2021 Class Announced

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Here’s the 2021 class of Emerging Leaders in Architecture.

Barbara Benesh, AIA, B. Grace Design
Marcos Alberto Borjas, Associate AIA, HKS Inc.
Kayla Bromley, Associate AIA, Reader + Swartz Architects, P.C.
Haley DeNardo, Associate AIA, Niles Bolton Associates
Maggie Dunlap, Associate AIA, WAAC
Alexandra Marie Foster, Associate AIA, MTFA Architecture, PLLC
Gary Glinsey, Hampton University
Aria Hill, Virginia Tech School of Arch + Design
Iroda Karimova, Associate AIA, HBA Architecture & Interior Design
Sasha A. Light, Associate AIA, Jacobs Engineering Group
Ashley Montgomery, Associate AIA, Hanbury
Hayley Owens, Associate AIA, VMDO Architects
Marium Rahman, Associate AIA, KGD Architecture
Stephanie Smid, Associate AIA, Jacobs
Lisette J. Stone, Associate AIA, SFCS Inc.
Taylor Terrill, Associate AIA, TKA Architects

If you are interested in supporting this group through a sponsorship, please contact Cathy Guske at cguske@aiava.org.

HRC Storytime: My Weird Project

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If you’ve worked in historic preservation, you’ve come across some pretty weird and wonderful stuff. To kick off the re-constitution of Virginia’s Historic Resources Committee, we’re hosting a social event on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. Got an unusual case study? A fascinating discovery? A horror story? Let’s hear ‘em!

Join us to hear strange but true tales from the world of historic preservation and get to know some of your preservation colleagues from around Virginia.

Register online and let us know if you’d like to share a story (or have us share one on your behalf).

You are Registered, Now What?

Posted on by cguske

You’ve completed your attendee registration for the 2020 Foresight events: YAFCON, Architecture Exchange East and Design Forum (click here if you haven’t!), now you are wondering “how do I access the events?”

You should have gotten an email with all the Zoom join links for the courses you added to your agenda (from rgeorge@aiava.org). We’re finding that this is going to junk mail for some, but sometimes it’s being rejected by email servers altogether. If you don’t have this email – send an email to cguske@aiava.org.

Another easy way of joining is through our virtual event space here: https://event.crowdcompass.com/foresight2020

You’ll have to login the first time, but from there you can visit our virtual exhibit hall, connect with other attendees, and join all your courses by clicking “My Schedule” on the upper left-hand side. (Screenshot below)

And remember to visit and connect with our exhibitors and sponsors who make these Foresight 2020 events possible! You’ll find the virtual exhibit hall when you select “Exhibitors” from the left side of the online event portal or along the top of the app.

We look forward to seeing you!

Webinars from The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design

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Welcome to a new day at The Branch Museum! We are excited to announce new virtual experiences through our two new webinar series (https://branchmuseum.org/webinars/). We particularly think that you will enjoy revisiting the old home of AIA Virginia, the Branch House, as it undergoes several phases of restoration.  The Branch House Restoration Series will bring you into our ongoing work on the beautiful 101-year-old Branch House. Through five webinars we will provide an opportunity to go where the public generally cannot explore: the roof and chimneys, the beautiful plaster work, and even the inner workings of the pipes and plumbing, as well as the history of the House. The first 3 of the 5 planned webinars in the series are available for registration now.

Others will follow:

  • The Branch House Roof, Wood Trim & Windows | Wednesday, December 2
  • The Branch House Brickwork & Mortars| Wednesday, January 13
  • The Restoration Dialogue – Solving the Unknowns of Preservation and Restoration – The Branch House Pipes | Wednesday, February 3

Architecture in Dialogue explores the architectural design process, which must begin in dialogue. The consideration of multiple issues and the inclusion of all voices is necessary to ensure that the built environment truly serves and uplifts the entire community. This need for input and involvement is especially important at a time when, whether through shifts in social norms or more sudden upheaval due to climate or disease, the built environment must change to be at once resilient and sensitive. All webinars in the series are available now for registration.

  • Placemaking and the Future of Richmond’s Monument Avenue | Wednesday, October 14
    • ( https://branchmuseum.org/placemaking-and-the-future-of-monument-avenue/ )
  • Community Needs and Revitalization in Richmond’s East End – The Kitchens at Reynolds | Wednesday, October 28
    • ( https://branchmuseum.org/webinar-community-needs-and-revitalization/ )
  • Healing Spaces — How the Coronavirus May Impact the Built Environment | Thursday, November 19
  • Adaptive Reuse in the Old Dominion (and Beyond) | Thursday, January 28
  • Ecological Resiliency and Design Inspiration — The 2019 Aga Khan Award | Thursday, February 18
    • ( https://branchmuseum.org/ecological-resiliency-and-design-inspiration-akaa/ )
  • Climate Change, Inequality, and Sustainability in Richmond |Thursday, March 11
    • ( https://branchmuseum.org/climate-change-inequality-and-sustainability/ )

Virginia Women in Design

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Evidence of a Treasure:
For the Future – Creating Constellations, Celebrations, and the Tracery of a Network.

Thursday, Oct. 22, noon-1:30 p.m.

Come and find out how you can be a part of the ongoing work of the International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA) to create a beautiful mosaic of women’s involvement in architecture with three glimpses into the IAWA constructing an invitation to you.

Earn 1.5 AIA LU

The event is free but registration is required.

Virginia Women in Design is using this platform to raise funds for the ACE Mentorship Program in Virginia. Please join us in making a donation today!

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.

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.