AIA Virginia is pleased to announce that the 2021 Young Architects Award winner and president/CEO of the 2021 AIA Architecture Firm of the Year Jonathan Moody, AIA, will be a keynote speaker at Architecture Exchange East (ArchEx) on Wed., Nov. 3. Registration is now open. See the complete agenda.
About Architecture Exchange East
ArchEx is AIA Virginia’s annual conference. This year, it takes place (mostly) virtually from Nov. 1–5, 2021. The program is curated to bring together the brightest minds and most engaging speakers to explore a broad theme.
In 2021, we’ll consider consequences — both intentional and unintentional. Design sometimes follows unexpected paths. Like cracks in the sidewalk, the built environment blooms in surprising ways with unexpected actors, leading us to new horizons. This year’s program features designs and designers responding with innovation, synthesis, and perhaps even a lesson or two from the undesigned constraints around us.
About Jonathan Moody, AIA
Jonathan Moody is the president and CEO of the award-winning firm Moody Nolan. His commitment to mentorship and meaningful community engagement connects directly to our theme of intention and consequences. From his 2021 AIA Young Architects Award announcement.
Mentorship is a core element of Moody’s practice, and he facilitated a relationship between Columbus Public Schools, Columbus State Community College, and The Ohio State University School of Architecture to provide underserved young people with a new path to the profession. Every year, Moody assists students in Columbus West High School, which has one of the most diverse student populations in the city, as they design a library in conjunction with Columbus State Community College’s Credits Count Curriculum. Moody works closely with their teachers, welcomes students into his office, and takes students to visit library construction sites.
Moody believes that the profession must be a direct participant in the dialogue surrounding affordable housing, so he led the effort to establish the Moody Nolan Legacy House project. Every year, the nonprofit selects a location near one of the firm’s offices to build a house for a family in need. Two houses, one in Columbus and another in Nashville, have been completed with another slated for construction in Chicago. Read more.
About Moody Nolan
Moody Nolan is the largest African American owned and managed firm in the country. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, the firm has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Founded at a time when there was very little minority representation in the field, the diversity has remained a strength throughout their history. From their 2021 AIA Architecture Firm Award announcement:
“The founders’ belief that diverse perspectives foster creativity and more responsive solutions echoes throughout its 11 offices nationwide. Women comprise 42 percent of the staff, while more than 30 percent identify as minorities.
‘The culture of collaboration that fosters Moody Nolan’s success permeates all levels of their organization,’ wrote Graham S. Wyatt, FAIA, in a letter supporting Moody Nolan’s nomination for the Architecture Firm Award. ‘It is responsively client-focused, and it benefits from the exceptional diversity of Moody Nolan’s staff and project type experience. Above all, the firm’s culture is led by the extraordinary example of Curt Moody and by senior leaders in the firm’s many offices and areas of practice.’”