2024 AIA Virginia Prize

The AIA Virginia Prize is a design charrette that engages students at all of the architecture programs in Virginia.  Conducted simultaneously at each institution, students are given the competition program Friday at 5 p.m. They work over the weekend to create a board presenting their design solution by 9 a.m. the following Monday.  The competition is intended to promote collaboration between the profession, students and professors in Virginia.

The first round of submissions is juried at the university level and up to 10 finalists from each school will be sent to be juried at the state level.

The 2024 competition takes place over the Feb. 2-4 weekend. Faculty at Hampton University are finalizing the brief. The challenge brief will be posted to this page at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2 and submissions are due to the school at 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 5.

We wish the participating students a pleasant outing and look forward to considering and celebrating their proposals.

Virtual and Augmented Reality Research Survey

The INFORM Lab research team from Virginia Tech is seeking to understand the perceived value of Virtual and Augmented Reality within the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Industry. This study will explore how industry members perceive these technologies and involves a 5-minute voluntary survey to collect data. The results of this study will be used by researchers to better adapt this technology to the industry. We would greatly appreciate anyone willing to take the survey (linked below) and help with this research!

If you are interested in the outcome of the study, please contact James Sims at sjames97@vt.edu. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the principle investigator Dr. Farrokh Jazizadeh at jazizade@vt.edu. Your input will be invaluable in shaping this research (IRB# 20-298)!

Survey link: https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eJuJ0aKobXEnkKV

2017 AIA Virginia Prize Awarded

At 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, students at the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, The Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC), and Hampton University were given a limited time challenge. By 9 a.m. Monday participating students had to turn in their design for a terminus for King Street at the Potomac River waterfront to celebrate its historic role as the origin of Alexandria and the front door of the City. It should be a significant public space that offers a destination, or as was written: ‘where one of America’s great streets meets one of America’s great rivers’. It should provide a counterpoint to the George Washington Masonic National Memorial at the other end of King Street.

2017 AIA Virginia President, Bill Brown, AIA, 2017 AIA Virginia Prize Jury Chair, Rachel Shelton, AIA, 2017 AIA Virginia Prize winner, Erik Styrbjorn Odd Torell from Virginia Tech, and Stewart Roberson, Chairman, President, and CEO of Moseley Architects. photo by Jay Paul

The Honorees

Erik Styrbjorn Odd Torell is the winner of the 2017 AIA Virginia Prize which includes a $1,500 cash prize.

The judges were impressed with the details of the structure, they felt he did an excellent job explaining the different aspects of the design on his board, and enjoyed how open the view was and especially enjoyed how the view was framed differently depending on which direction you were looking. They felt that this was a great design for an all year, any weather community space.

Best of School

Jonathan Legaspi received the Best of School for Hampton University.
Yuchao Xu received the Best of School for Virginia Tech.
M. Ryan Delaney received the Best of School for the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center. He also received the Runner-Up award.

Notable

Aneela Jain, Virginia Tech
Chris Cheng, Virginia Tech
Hannah McDorman, Virginia Tech
Minh Do, Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center
Terry Davis Jr., Hampton University
Victoria D’antone, Virginia Tech

Honorable Mention

Masie Carr, Virginia Tech

AIA Virginia would like to thank Moseley Architects for sponsoring the 2017 AIA Virginia Prize.

Davis to Step Down as Dean of CAUS

A.J. (Jack) Davis, FAIA, has announced that he will step down as dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech on June 30, 2017, at the conclusion of his second term as dean.

“Serving in one of the profession’s most notable posts in Virginia, Jack Davis has been among our most preeminent architect members,” says Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, Executive Director of AIA Virginia, “His enduring dedication to enriching the relationship between architectural education and professional practice has been admirable, and that quest has been of great benefit to us all.  We wish Jack the very best as he makes this significant career transition.”

Jack was President of the Virginia Society AIA (now AIA Virginia) in 2014 when we celebrated our Centennial. Read more about our Centennial Cellebrations>>

Jack was also fundamental in the development of the Virginia Accord which looks towards the next 100 years in Virginia, and brought together the planning and design disciplines to examine two key themes critical to the future — job creation and environmental sustainability. We considered these topics through the lenses of transportation, the constructed environment, public health, land development, and urban infill at the Virginia Accord on Sept. 19–20, 2014 at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, Va.
Read more about the Accord>>
Read a recap of the Accord>>

Read Jack’s retirement announcement from Virginia Tech.

AIA Virginia Prize Awarded To Tommy Kim

On Friday, September 11, at 5 p.m., over 300 students from Hampton University, Virginia Tech-Blacksburg, Virginia Tech-Washington Alexandria Architecture Center and the University of Virginia were given a challenge to design a response to a problem created by faculty from one of Virginia’s architecture schools. They had one weekend to consider as a work of art, the design of the Rocky Forge Wind Farm, now being developed in Botetourt County. They were told their submissions should not only meet the pragmatic demands of the turbine array, but also engage the inherent aesthetic potential in a large-scale human intervention within the natural landscape.

“Faculty from each school reviewed the submissions and sent their top 10 for final judging,” says AIA Virginia Executive Vice President/CEO Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA. “From these a four-judge panel selected one Prize winner, four best of school awards and five honorable mentions.

The Honorees

2015 AIA Virginia Prize

Jim Clark, FAIA awarding 2015 AIA Virginia Prize to Tommy Kim of Virginia Tech
Jim Clark, FAIA awarding 2015 AIA Virginia Prize to Tommy Kim of Virginia Tech. Photo by Jay Paul.

Tommy Kim is now in his final year of a five-year program at Virginia Tech-Blacksburg. Kim, who came to Virginia Tech following graduation from Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Va., spent one year of his architecture program at the university’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center.

The judges were most complimentary. “The building is almost completely hidden which adds to the intriguing experience,” says Jury Chair Jim Clark, FAIA. “The consistency in design and the sequence of events is very strong. Loved the vista image, especially how it balances the plan. Enjoyed that it was unique to the location.”

Best of School

Vaughn James, now in his last year at Hampton University

Lauren Scott, in her senior year at University of Virginia

Forrest Bibeau, in his final year at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg

Matthew Duncan, a graduate student at Virginia Tech-Washington Alexandria Architecture Center

Honorable Mention

Matthew Young, Virginia Tech

James Wood, Virginia Tech

Zeph Ruggles, University of Virginia

Seema Samudre, Virginia Tech

Min Hyoung Choe, Virginia Tech

The AIA Virginia Prize, a student competition held annually, is awarded following a weekend charrette at the four Virginia architecture schools.

International Union of Women Architects

The International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA), a center within Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies, hosted the 18th Congress of the International Union of Women Architects (UIFA), July 26-31, 2015, in Washington, D.C. and Blacksburg, Va.

UIFA Congress, July 2015
UIFA Congress at AIA, July 2015

The congress’s theme, “Contributing to the Constellation,” honored both organizations’ aims to exhibit and illuminate the woman’s influence in the field of architecture and other design disciplines. This idea of a constellation advances the archive’s mission to preserve the works of women pioneers – the first bright stars – in architecture and design.

Around 60 participants which comprised representatives from 15 countries on five continents trekked to Blacksburg to get a first-hand view of Tech’s International Archive of Women in Architecture.

Donna Dunay, G.T. Ward Professor of Architecture in Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design and chair of the IAWA said, “It has been almost 30 years since the UIFA Congress was first held in the United States, and the IAWA is excited to welcome a gathering that carries such weight, importance, and authority to empower, connect, and celebrate women in architecture.”

Dunay’s efforts were applauded by A. Jack Davis, FAIA LEED AP, Dean, College of Architecture and Urban Studies. “Professor Dunay is like a dedicated farmer who year after year, plants professional seeds and sows the crop for generations to come.  Her selfless and dogged commitment to preserving the work of women designers from the past has created an impressive lasting legacy for all future designers.”

Read more about the Congress’ visit to Blacksburg in The Roanoke Times.

deHahn Named Director of Tech’s School of Architecture + Design

Henri deHahn
Henri deHahn

Henri deHahn, provost for the NewSchool of Architecture + Design in San Deigo, Calif., will join Virginia Tech in June as the director of the School of Architecture + Design in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies.

deHahn will provide leadership to the undergraduate and graduate programs within the school, including the departments of architecture, landscape architecture, industrial design, and interior design as well as the six research and outreach centers housed within the school.

Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design offers undergraduate and graduate education through the Blacksburg, Va., campus, the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center in Alexandria, Va., and programs engaged at the Center for European Studies and Architecture in Riva san Vitale, Switzerland.

“Henri brings a wealth of national and international experience from large and academically diverse institutions to the School of Architecture + Design,” said Jack Davis, Reynolds Metals Professor of Architecture and dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies.

[adrotate banner=”55″]Prior to his most recent role as provost at the NewSchool of Architecture + Design, deHahn was department head and professor for the Department of Architecture at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and has held faculty positions with ETH Zurich — a renowned university in Zurich, Switzerland — and the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., and served as a visiting professor at the Aayojan School of Architecture in Jaipur, India.

In addition to his academic experience, deHahn has worked as an architect and consultant on a variety of projects in the United States and Switzerland.

deHahn earned his Master of Architecture from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, and his Bachelor of Science from the Collège Saint-Michel in Fribourg, Switzerland. He has completed additional studies in New York. at The Cooper Union and the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies.

Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies is composed of four schools: the School of Architecture + Design, including architecture, industrial design, interior design and landscape architecture; the School of Public and International Affairs, including urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy and government and international affairs; the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, which includes building construction in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and construction engineering management in the College of Engineering; and the School of the Visual Arts, including programs in studio art, visual communication and art history

Awards for Distinguished Achievement Announced

H. Randolph Holmes, Jr., AIA, Burchell Pinnock, AIA, and Keith Zawistowski, AIA, will each be honored with the Award for Distinguished Achievement on Nov. 7 at Architecture Exchange East during the Annual Meeting of the Membership and on Nov. 8 during the Visions for Architecture gala at the Jefferson Hotel. The Award for Distinguished Achievement signals especially noteworthy achievement by an architect in any one of the following categories: design, practice, education, service as “citizen architect,” and service to the profession. This award may serve as an accolade for the work of an entire career or recognize the current accomplishments of a younger leader.

H. Randolph Holmes, Jr., AIA
H. Randolph “Randy” Holmes, Jr., AIA

During his more than 30 years in practice, Randy Holmes, senior principal and president at Glavé and Holmes Architecture, has developed an outstanding body of work which is characterized by a deep respect for the region’s architectural heritage and a particular sensitivity to context. His commitment to an architectural expression which is not focused on buildings as objects, but as part of an environment has clearly placed the emphasis on human interaction and cultural heritage. A gifted designer, his passion for careful materials-selection and commitment to the highest standards of craftsmanship have transformed and elevated the practice of architecture in the state and demonstrated a modern approach to contextual design.

 

 

Burt Pinnock
Burchelle “Burt” Pinnock, AIA

With an approach to design that is both forward-thinking and historically sensitive, Burt Pinnock’s work is rooted in the belief that architecture can provide not only solutions to cultural challenges but true social change in our communities. As founder and principal of BAM Architects, and in his current role as principal at Baskervill, he has developed a portfolio of award-winning work and has become a powerful voice for creative, compelling, and responsible design. He co-founded Storefront for Community Design, a volunteer-based, nonprofit building and design resource aimed at “quality community development and strengthening the legacy of Richmond’s urban neighborhoods through education, advocacy, and participation.” For the past two decades he has powerfully combined passion, talent and personality to realize the many projects that have defined him both as an outstanding architect and an exemplary leader.

 

Keith and Marie Zawistowski
Keith Zawistowski, AIA, and Marie Zawistowski

In 2008 Keith Zawistowski, AIA, joined the faculty at Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design, where he co-teaches with Marie Zawistowski. In addition to teaching Professional Practice, Building Analysis, and Building Assemblies, they founded the design/buildLAB. The design/buildLAB is a project-based, experiential-learning program focused on the research, development and implementation of innovative construction methods and architectural designs. Students collaborate with local communities and industry experts to conceive and realize built projects that are both educational and charitable in nature. The aspiration of the innovative program is to reinforce the knowledge and skills necessary to the successful and meaningful practice of architecture by removing the boundaries between academy and professional practice. For their extraordinary joint efforts to advance the art and science of architectural education, the Society presents Keith Zawistowski with the Award for Distinguished Achievement and also recognizes Marie Zawistowski with Society Honors.

 

Society Honors Awarded to Marie Zawistowski

Marie and Keith Zawistowski
Marie and Keith Zawistowski

Marie Zawistowski will be recognized with Society Honors at the Visions for Architecture gala on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, at the Jefferson Hotel. Society Honors are bestowed upon organizations or citizens who have inspired, influenced, or complemented architecture or the architecture profession in Virginia through an allied profession, research, education, planning, legislation, journalism, the arts, or crafts.

In 2008 Marie Zawistowski joined the faculty at Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design, where she co-teaches with Keith Zawistowski. In addition to teaching Professional Practice, Building Analysis, and Building Assemblies, they founded the design/buildLAB. The design/buildLAB is a project-based, experiential-learning program focused on the research, development and implementation of innovative construction methods and architectural designs. Students collaborate with local communities and industry experts to conceive and realize built projects that are both educational and charitable in nature. The aspiration of the innovative program is to reinforce the knowledge and skills necessary to the successful and meaningful practice of architecture by removing the boundaries between academy and professional practice. For their extraordinary joint efforts to advance the art and science of architectural education, the Society presents Marie Zawistowski with Society Honors and also recognizes Keith Zawistowski with the Award for Distinguished Achievement.

LumenHAUS Honored at National Convention

Virginia Tech’s LumenHAUS was honored for their 2012 Institute Honors Award during the 63rd Annual Honors and Awards Celebration session at the AIA National Convention and Design Exposition on Friday, May 18, 2012.

The Institute Honors Awards program recognizes achievements for a broad range of architectural activity to elevate the general quality of architecture practice, establish a standard of excellence against which all architects can measure performance, and inform the public of the breadth and value of architecture practice.