The deadline to submit your presentation proposal for Architecture Exchange East has been extended until April 30, 2018.
This year’s conference will be held Nov. 7–9, 2018, in Richmond, Virginia, and will bring together an audience of more than 1,000 architects and allied professionals over the course of the three-day event.
Our goal is to bring together the brightest minds and most engaging speakers to present talks that are future-focused on a wide range of subjects — and to provoke important conversations between design professionals.
Your talk could range from a one-hour session to a full-day workshop. We don’t want to box you into a particular format. We’re encouraging creative approaches to content delivery, including panel discussions, tours, and guided collaborative conversations.
To propose a seminar, workshop, or tour, complete the Presentation Proposal Form by April 30, 2018. Your proposal will be reviewed and you will be contacted by July 2018.
This year’s class of the Emerging Leaders in Architecture (ELA) program project will focus on the 10th & Page neighborhood of Charlottesville. The 10th & Page neighborhood is a traditionally African-American neighborhood that has a public housing presence. The city of Charlottesville is in desperate need of affordable housing and the City’s previous actions regarding redevelopment of Vinegar Hill has left a racial inequity that is still present today. Development of the surrounding areas around 10th and Page has led to a neighborhood that’s beginning to feel trapped by car traffic and surrounding, high-rent developments.
On Friday, March 9th, the ELA class met with local residents, local non-profits, and city officials to begin their dive into their work on the project area. City of Promise Program Director, Denise Johnson, spoke to the group about City of Promise’s mission and what they have found out about the area during its work. One thing that was noted was that most people in the neighborhood work from a place of surviving instead of sustaining. During their discussion with the residents, the class found that there has been a sense of tone deafness between the developers and residents. Some families that have lived in the neighborhood for generations are now feeling negative pressures from new surrounding developments.
In addition to their time spent meeting on Friday, the class also took time on Saturday, March 10th to continue their research. The group mapped the area to analyze different aspects of the site including topography, bus routes, school locations, and surrounding commercial buildings. They also continued their discussions with local residents.
Special thanks go out to the sponsors of the 2018 ELA program and to all who contribute in any capacity to make the program a success.
ELA Program Sponsors:
Patron ($1,500 – $1,999)
Moseley Architects
Supporter ($500 – $999)
SMBW
VMDO Architects
AIA Central Virginia
Design Forum XIII is now less than a month away, and we couldn’t be more excited. Space is limited, so be sure to register here today to secure your spot.
Presentations from Eric Höweler, Doris Kim Sung, Nathan King, David Freeland and Refik Anadol will offer insight into how we can utilize the ever growing and changing resources that expand the limits of design. We invite you to join us as we ask: Is it art? Is it architecture? Does it matter?
Visit the Design Forum page to learn more about this year’s speakers, program, sponsors, and venue.
Earn up to 6.5 AIA/CES learning units. (Tour participants earn 1 additional learning unit)
With Design Forum XIII less than two months away, AIA Virginia is excited to announce Eric Höweler, AIA, LEED AP of Höweler + Yoon as this year’s keynote speaker.
Early Bird rate runs through March 2 — register today and save!
Design Forum XIII will showcase dynamic figures in art and architecture who have embraced the blurring of lines between the disciplines. We invite you to join us as we ask: is it art? is it architecture? does it matter?
Visit the Design Forum page to learn more about this year’s speakers, program, sponsors and venue.
Earn up to 6.5 AIA/CES learning units. (Tour participants earn 1 additional learning unit)
Help curate the very best programming, tours, and courses for Architecture Exchange East.
AIA Virginia is looking for a diverse group of members from a range of professional backgrounds to help shape the educational content for Architecture Exchange East (ArchEx).
Members of the Program Advisory Group help identify potential speakers, provide suggestions for content, and evaluate speaker proposals.
Volunteers can expect to:
Brainstorm potential speakers, topics, and tours for ArchEx (about 30 minutes)
Participate in an organizational meeting (by conference call or online) and share suggestions (about 1 hour)
Evaluate a selection of proposed seminars and provide feedback (about 1-2 hours)
Enjoy discounted admission to ArchEx
If you’re interested in helping to create a cutting-edge educational program by joining the Program Advisory Group, simply email Rhea George at rgeorge@aiava.org by March 1.
The ArchEx Call for Proposals is now open. We are seeking experts both from within the profession and outside it to showcase cutting-edge case studies and the latest technologies, practices, and research at Architecture Exchange East.
Our goal is to bring together the brightest minds and most engaging speakers to present talks that are future-focused on a wide range of subjects ― and to provoke important conversations among design professionals.
Though Architecture Exchange East has a 30-year history, we are looking forward to building on the energy of last year’s conference with a renewed and vigorous focus on curating exceptional, inspirational content. We hope you will consider being an integral part of this gathering of creative professionals.
Your talk could range from a one-hour session to a full-day workshop. We don’t want to box you into a particular format. We’re encouraging creative approaches to content delivery, including panel discussions, tours, and guided collaborative conversations. We welcome all proposals.
To propose an offering, complete and submit the Presentation Proposal Formby April 9. Your proposal will be reviewed and you will be contacted by July 2016. Incomplete forms will not be accepted.
Process Outline
Phase I (Potential Speakers)
Review the proposal requirements and resources
Save Nov. 7–9, 2018 on your calendar
Develop your content
Submit (DEADLINE: April 9)
Phase II (Program Advisory Group)
Peer review
Proposals selected
Presenters notified (Late May)
Phase III (Speakers)
Return speaker agreement (DEADLINE: June 15)
Provide/update contact information for all co-speakers and panelists
Register for ArchEx — speakers attend free on the day they present
Submit presentation and supporting materials (DEADLINE: Oct. 18)
Suggestions and Questions
Suggestions for potential speakers or questions about the conference can be directed to Rhea George at rgeorge@aiava.org or (804) 237-1768.
We are excited to announce the individuals who are part of the 2018 class of Emerging Leaders in Architecture (ELA).
ELA Class of 2018
Amber Hall, AIA, College of William and Mary
April Pilcher, AIAS, Virginia Tech
Ian Vaughan, AIA, NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic Jacob Combee, AIA, Work Program Architects Jameel Tomlinson, Hampton University Kalee Hartman, Assoc. AIA, Glave and Holmes Keith Murphy, Assoc. AIA, 3north Kim Jusczak, AIAS, WAAC Laura Green, Assoc. AIA, LeMay Erickson Willcox Architects Michael Peterson, Assoc. AIA, Ionic Dezign Studios Nancy Redenius, Assoc. AIA, Hanbury Noah Bolton, VMDO Architects Rick Fischl, Assoc. AIA, SMBW, PLLC
Terri Lynn Wolfe, Assoc. AIA, Spectrum Design Tyler Jenkins, Assoc. AIA, VMDO Architects Zazu Swistel, AIAS, The University of Virginia
The 2018 Emerging Leaders in Architecture (ELA) program has just finished their second session of the year and they are off to an exciting start!
In the January session, the group heard from architectural historian Bryan Clark Green, Ph.D., Hon. AIA Virginia of Commonwealth Architects and Kelly O’Keefe, head of VCU’s Brandcenter. Bryan Clark Green, Hon. AIA Virginia spoke to the group about the principles of leadership in the architecture profession. He also discussed the origins of the profession and how the definition of who is an architect has changed over time. Kelly O’Keefe shared insights picked up during his life in branding and advertisement as well as during his time as an educator about the importance of creativity in leadership roles. Kelly implored the group to “Never let them take away your creativity”, something his father told him that sticks with him to this day.
The focus of the February session was serving communities and the group heard from excellent speakers. Kathy Galvin, AIA, spoke about her service on the Charlottesville City Council and how important architects can be when discussing policies for improving the community. Co-Founder of the Charlottesville Area Development Roundtable, Bob Pineo, discussed service being the backbone of the practice of architecture. Kurt Keesecker, AIA, spoke to the group about how each expert in the industry can bring a different set of skills to the table. Kurt discussed how he witnessed this take place through his service as Chair of the Charlottesville Planning Commission. There was also a tour of the Sunrise Neighborhood, a development built by Habitat for Humanity of Charlottesville. Rush Otis, of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, discussed with the group the importance of collaborating with the community in assessing its needs, instead of applying a set plan of preconceived notions.
Both sessions were capped off with briefings on the group’s upcoming project. The target area for the 2018 ELA class is the Preston Avenue area of Charlottesville. The group will have their first project work session and meet the neighborhood stakeholders in March.
Special thanks goes out to the sponsors of the 2018 ELA program and to all who contribute in any capacity to make the program a success.
ELA Program Sponsors:
Patron ($1,500 – $1,999)
Moseley Architects
Supporter ($500 – $999)
SMBW
VMDO Architects
AIA Central Virginia
Three new chapters have been added to the AIA Global Practice Primer, covering human resources, technology in practice, and sustainability.
The AIA Global Practice Primer is designed for architects who are either considering the pursuit of projects abroad or are already engaged in international work. It serves to highlight the intricacies and differences when it comes to working abroad, including specifics on how international practice generally differs from domestic architectural practice in the US.
The primer was produced by the AIA International Practice Committee and features contributors with a wealth of first-hand knowledge and expertise on international projects. From business development and marketing to legal issues and project delivery, this primer is designed to provide architects with the basics needed to expand your work internationally.
The International Practice Committee Advisory Group invites commentary on this document’s content and usefulness. Submit any feedback to Theresa Palma, director of international relations, at theresapalma@aia.org.
Virginia Design Forum XIII | April 6-7, 2018 | Taubman Museum of Art
As boundaries blur between traditional art/architecture and mechanical assembly and reproduction, it is essential that we stop to assess the way in which this changes the creative process, the built environment, and the profession altogether. This year’s Design Forum XIII: BLUR will explore the way in which technologies are reshaping the boundaries between experiential, art and architecture, creating new links between artists and architects and enabling the exchange of ideas and techniques in new ways.
Registration for the Design Forum XIII is now open>>
Visit our Design Forum page for more on this year’s schedule, sponsors and venue.
The Design Forum two-day conference will showcase dynamic figures in art and architecture who have embraced the blurring of lines between the disciplines. Presentations from Eric Höweler, Doris Kim Sung, Nathan King, David Freeland and Refik Anadol, among others, will offer insight into how we can utilize the ever growing and changing resources that expand the limits of design.
With the Taubman Museum for Art, southwestern Virginia’s preeminent art museum, as the venue and Virginia Tech right around the corner, the location will undoubtedly serve to inspire us as we explore the intersections of art, architecture, and technology. Participants can earn up to 7.5 AIA/CES learning units.
Eric Höweler
Eric Höweler AIA, LEED AP (b. Cali, Colombia) is a registered architect with more than 20 years of experience in practice. He received a Bachelor of Architecture and a Masters of Architecture from Cornell University. He is currently Associate Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Prior to forming Höweler + Yoon Architecture, Eric was a Senior Designer at Diller + Scofidio where he worked on the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and the Juilliard School/ Lincoln Center in New York. As an Associate Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Eric acted as the senior designer on the 118 story ICC Tower in Hong Kong
After receiving her B.A. at Princeton University and M.Arch. at Columbia University, Doris Sung worked in various offices in cities across the U.S. before arriving in Los Angeles in 2001. She developed her research focus while teaching at University of Southern California (USC), the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), University of Colorado and the Catholic University of America. In 1999, she opened dO|Su Studio Architecture and soon received many AIA and ASID awards for her work, including the prestigious accolades of AIA Young-Designer-of-the-Year, ACSA Faculty Design Award, R+D Honorable Mention from Architect Magazine and [next idea] award from ARS Electronica. Currently, she is working on developing smart thermobimetals and other shape-memory alloys, unfamiliar materials to architecture, as new materials for the “third” skin (the first is human flesh, the second clothing and the third architecture). Its ability to curl when heated allows the building skin to respond for purposes of sun-shading, self-ventilating, shape-changing and structure-prestressing. Her work has been funded by the national AIA Upjohn Initiative, Arnold W. Brunner Grant, Graham Foundation Grant, Architectural Guild Award and USC ASHSS and URAP Awards.
Nathan King is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech and has taught at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) and The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). With a background in Studio Arts and Art History, Nathan holds Masters Degrees in Industrial Design and Architecture. He earned a Doctor of Design from the Harvard GSD where he was a founding member of the Design Robotics Group with a focus on computational workflows and Additive Manufacturing and Automation in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industries. Beyond academia, King is the Director of Research at MASS Design Group, where he collaborates on the development and deployment of innovative building technologies, medical devices, and evaluation methods for global application in resource-limited settings. He consults on the development of research facilities, programs, and software to support the exploration of emerging opportunities surrounding technological innovation in art, architecture, design, and education.
David Freeland is a licensed architect in the State of California and has been principal at FreelandBuck in Los Angeles since 2010. With over 15 years of experience practicing architecture, he has worked on award-winning residential, commercial, urban and institutional projects with FreelandBuck as well as Michael Maltzan Architecture, Roger Sherman Architecture and Urban Design, RES4, and AGPS. He is a frequent collaborator with developers and planners with a focus on projects in Los Angeles including his public prize-winning entry for the 2006 Prop-X competition.
David is a faculty member at Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC) in Los Angeles and has taught design studios at UCLA and USC. From 2006-2012 he was faculty at Woodbury University where he was instrumental in the design of the digital fabrication lab. He is a graduate of University of Virginia and the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design where he received his Masters of Architecture.
Creators: Giant Glitch Architecture Illusions Overtake the Smithsonian
Refik Anadol
Refik Anadol is a media artist and director born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1985. Currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California. He is a lecturer and visiting researcher in UCLA’s Department of Design Media Arts.
He is working in the fields of site-specific public art with parametric data sculpture and live audio/visual performance with an immersive installation. His works particularly explore the space among digital and physical entities by creating a hybrid relationship between architecture and media arts. He holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles in Media Arts, Master of Fine Arts from Istanbul Bilgi University in Visual Communication Design as well as Bachelors of Arts with summa cum laude in Photography and Video. Co-founder and Creative director at Antilop.
He has been given awards, residencies and has served as a guest lecturer. He is the recipient of a number of awards, prizes including Microsoft Research’s Best Vision Award, German Design Award, UCLA Art+Architecture Moss Award, University of California Institute for Research in the Arts Award, SEGD Global Design Award and Google’s Art and Machine Intelligence Artist Residency Award. His site-specific audio/visual performances have been seen in Walt Disney Concert Hall (USA), Hammer Museum (USA), International Digital Arts Biennial Montreal (Canada), Ars Electronica Festival (Austria), l’Usine | Genève (Switzerland), Arc De Triomf (Spain), Zollverein | SANAA’s School of Design Building (Germany), santralistanbul Contemporary Art Center (Turkey), Outdoor Vision Festival SantaFe New Mexico (USA), Istanbul Design Biennial (Turkey), Sydney City Art (Australia), Lichtrouten (Germany).
Dezeen: Refik Anadol’s Infinity installation at SXSW immerses visitors in patterns of light
What were your favorite sessions at the 30th annual Architecture Exchange East this past November? A few of our members share their stories.
Keynote address by Marc Kushner
Marc Kushner is an architect and the creator of Architizer, an online hub for architecture. Architecture is not about math or zoning — it’s about visceral emotions. The power of architecture is emotional connections about the places we occupy. 90% of our time is spent indoors on average, where we are surrounded by architecture. Architecture is shaping our experiences.
Architecture works on the principle of a pendulum, innovation on one side, familiar forms and symbols on the other. We have seen the swing from Brutalism, to Post-Modernism, to De-constructionism. Instead of swinging back the Guggenheim Bilbao occurred. It united architects, academics, and the general public around it. Now innovating design has become associated with culture, civic places, and tourism.
Digital media increases the speed of architecture. There is a blurring of the line between innovation and symbol. We are all now architecture photographers. Social media allows your photographs of buildings to become part of your personal own narrative. – Chris Venable, AIA, Spectrum Design
509: AIA Virginia’s Disaster Assistance Program
As we watched the natural disasters in Houston, Florida, and Puerto Rico, it solidifies the importance of resiliency and reconfirms the significance of the role we play in our respective communities as architects. The AIA Virginia board of directors is supporting Paula Loomis, FAIA in reinvigorating AIA Virginia’s disaster assistance program that would partner with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Emergency Management. This key initiative is in the beginning stages and Paula Loomis conducted a presentation at ArchEx.
Paula described how, with this program, architects come on the scene after first responders to perform building assessments that determine if facilities are safe for re-entry. AIA National has a program and advises states to make sure your members are protected and Virginia has Good Samaritan Laws in place to protect volunteers. Paula would serve as the State Coordinator and be supported by Bob Magoon out of AIA Hampton Roads. The State Coordinator serves as the direct link to AIA National and the local AIA components. A scoping meeting has been set for December 1 to review, and modify as necessary, the 2011 MOU between AIA Virginia and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. The next step will be to solicit two contacts from each local chapter that would be willing to serve as coordinators and to begin plans to make Safety Assessment Program (SAP) training available. – Bill Brown, AIA, Moseley Architects
AIA Virginia Annual Meeting Call to Order – AIA Virginia Board President Bill Brown, AIA called the meeting to order and offered opening remarks that included the statement of the mission and vision of the organization. Minutes from the June 2017 Virtual Meeting of the Membership, as well as minutes from the November 2016 Annual meeting, were approved.
Board President Brown also took a moment to recognize the members of the 2017 Board of Directors, as well as recipients of the AIA Virginia 2017 Honor Awards. A resolution was put forward and passed in appreciation of exhibitors and sponsors of ArchEx 2017. Mr. Brown also updated the membership on the Board’s progress on the implementation of the 2017 – 2020 Strategic Plan, and related initiatives.
Treasurer’s Report – Mitch Rowland, AIA delivered the Treasurer’s Report, and informed the membership that AIA Virginia has paid off the line of credit, reported on membership and related revenue and stated that AIA Virginia will begin the 2018 fiscal year with cash reserves increased from last year.
The Board Secretary and Advisory Councils provided updates on key initiatives, plans for 2018, and continued progress on completing goals set by the 2017–2020 Strategic Plan. President-elect Keplinger, AIA led the membership in the passage of a motion to modify language in the recently updated Bylaws, in order to allow Associate Members the opportunity to serve in the role of Component Director. Additionally, the Membership was presented with an update from Regional Director Brian Frickie, AIA, which outlined the position and function of AIA’s Strategic Council.
Executive Vice President R. Corey Clayborne, AIA, and President-Elect Eric Keplinger, AIA finished out the meeting with brief updates, an announcement of the slate of 2018 Board Officers and Directors, and some words of inspiration for the coming year. – Gina Robinson, Assoc. AIA, HDR
504: Siting the Past/Projecting the Future: Public Debate and Richmond’s Landscape of Memory
David Buege and CL Bohannon
With a few weeks having passed to let those impressions that might filter to the top time to do so, I’m left with a number of vivid take-aways from ArchEX 2017. Front and center though are some of the illuminating points made by David Buege and CL
Bohannon in their thought-provoking presentation on the current controversy surrounding Richmond’s Civil War monuments.
A complicated subject and an emotion-charged debate, Buege and Bohannon recognized the many perceptions and connections that legitimately influence and shape myriad perspectives. Landscape – the canvas for these embattled and divisive symbols – is the medium of the American public and popular debate. What struck me most, is the individual experience of the landscape that for some is so different from my own. As a ‘northerner from the Midwest’, I realized that I’ve been so completely unaware – not conscious actually – of the presence these objects in the landscape command, and subsequently the emotions they stir.
Think about feeling “a thousand cuts” every time every day that you pass a Confederate monument… one Richmond African American’s experience every day as she drives to and from work. Just imagine. An awakening of sorts to someone else’s reality; the adage of ‘walking in another’s shoes’, now seeing more clearly through another’s eyes.
Rather than prescribing an antidote or proposing specific solutions, Buege and Bohannon suggest the notion of redoing as a form of doing –
(RE): implying an undoing of some previous action:
(RE)member
(RE)consider
(RE)contextualize
(RE)move
(RE)present
(RE)flect
(RE)cover
(RE)name
(RE)structure
(RE)conciliation
Small small pieces from an amazing presentation… to provoke us to think and engage in constructive dialogue. – Rob Reis, AIA, Hanbury
Walking Tour of the Virginia Capital Trail Our group enjoyed walking a couple miles along the Virginia Capital Trail on a beautiful fall afternoon. The 50-mile long walking and biking trail extends from Downtown Richmond to Jamestown. It follows the Route 5 corridor, which is one of the oldest travel corridors in Virginia dating to the colonial period.
The guides led our group along the westernmost segment of the trail extending from Great Shiplock Park along the Kanawha Canal to Shockoe Bottom, which passes beneath the ‘Low Line’ railroad trestle. Native plants have transformed this formerly overgrown and unused area into a successful linear park.
Tour of VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Arts (ICA) The VCU and BCWH team led a tour of the new Institute for Contemporary Art. Construction of the 41,000 s.f. Steven Holl design is nearing completion. Located at the corner of Broad and Belvidere, the ICA is intended to serve as a beacon of art and culture at one of Richmond’s busiest intersections.
The site opens to both the city and to the VCU campus, with landscape playing an important role in the design. The building is composed of curving volumes and spreading gallery wings which are clad in titanium-zinc panels. Our group was able to walk through the Galleries, Performance Space, and the back-of-house support spaces. The entry Forum is 33-foot high space filled with natural light and a sweeping grand stair. The ICA is scheduled to open in April 2018. – Chris Venable, AIA, Spectrum Design
New Licensee Prosecco Toast
In what organizers hope will become an annual tradition, seven new Virginia licensees were applauded and welcomed into the professional ranks by members of the APELSCIDLA licensing board, NCARB, AIAVA and of course, their colleagues. Kate Nosbisch shared insights and sage advice from her many years of leadership with APELSCIDLA, while Jared Zurn, AIA, Director of Examination brought congratulations from NCARB. Several former and current AIAV Virginia Board members shared their perspective on the promise that these newly minted architects hold and cheered their new status.
Registration is a career milestone – providing access and credibility while offering new opportunities in tandem with new responsibilities. It’s often recognized with new titles and assignments, and hopefully even, a bump in compensation. On this afternoon though, in a semi-circle around the new licensees, we paused to acknowledge their accomplishment, raising our champagne flutes in a spirit of celebration and camaraderie. Congratulations – well done! – Rob Reis, AIA, Hanbury
