Thursday, November 6, 2025, Design Award winners, Honorees, members, and guests gathered to celebrate the best for 2025. Please enjoy this gallery of photos from the event.
Photos by Cabay Photography – Nancy Parker.
The profession came together on November 2, 2023, at the Hippodrome in Richmond to celebrate exceptional individuals, projects, and firms. Photos by Karen Taylor Davis.
As I sit here, on this rain-soaked Saturday afternoon, I find myself thinking about the upcoming AIA Virginia event annual convention, Architecture Exchange East (ArchEx). This is one of my favorite yearly AIA Virginia events. I look forward to the opportunity to be with friends and colleagues; share stories; create new memories; celebrate with the Honors and Design Award winners; tours; seminars; and to be exposed to and learn about new products and materials. This event has it all. Frankly, I am always saddened when ArchEx is over.
ArchEx 2023 starts on Wednesday, November 1, with a Keynote speaker with a military background discussing teamwork, collaboration, risk management, and readiness. All terms we are familiar with but this will offer a different viewpoint. This will be followed by our AIA Virginia Annual Meeting where we review the AIA Virginia year, look at things planned for the coming year, and elect new AIA Virginia Officers. Wednesday finishes off with a number of different workshops, seminars, and tours.
I am particularly looking forward to Thursday. The day kicks off with Networking Coffees centered around various topics of conversation. The morning is filled out with our Firm Size and Career Stage Round Table conversations and discussions. Don’t forget to visit the Expo Hall for lunch on Thursday and a chance to check out the latest materials and trends from our vendors and sponsors. Lunch is followed by an afternoon full of great workshops and seminars. My favorite seminar occurs on Thursday afternoon…the “2023 Design Award Winners”, with thoughts and commentary by the Jury Chair. The seminar always offers interesting and sometimes curious insight into the Award winners. This is followed by another of my “must do” events, the Connections Cocktail Party. An opportunity to relax while you mix and mingle with sponsors, vendors, friends, and colleagues. Always a great time!!
This year the Connections Cocktail Party is a prelude to Visions; our signature Honors and Awards celebration. Visions offers a chance to celebrate the 2023 Honor and Design Award winners. This year, Visions will be held at the historic Hippodrome Theatre, only a short distance away from the Convention Center. The celebration offers opportunities to celebrate & connect with old and new friends, over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Visions celebration is always the highlight of ArchEx. Purchase your tickets before October 23, 2023.
ArchEx 2023 wraps up on Friday with a morning packed with seminars and workshops. Seminars on risk management, collaboration, preservation, and sustainability; something for everybody.
ArchEx 2023 is an event you do not want to miss! Registration is open and the discount period ends Friday! Register today>>
I look forward to seeing everyone at ArchEx.
Mitch Rowland, AIA
President
AIA Virginia
Visions for Architecture, created in 1998, is AIA Virginia’s annual Honors and Awards gala.
Visions celebrates the achievements of those whose work makes especially strong contributions to society and celebrates the recipients of AIA Virginia’s Honors Awards and the Awards for Excellence in Architecture.
Visions for Architecture 2023 will be held on Thursday, November 2nd at the Hippodrome in Richmond starting at 6:30 p.m.
Visions is now a more casual cocktail party with passed food instead of a seated dinner. Tickets can be purchased with or without your Architecture Exchange Registration here>> and are $125 each.
To support this event by becoming a sponsor, contact Jody Cranford at jcranford@aiava.org (800) 818-0289.
The profession came together for the first time in nearly two years at Visions for Architecture on Nov. 5, 2021 to hear a talk by 2020 AIA Gold Medal winner Marlon Blackwell, FAIA and to celebrate the AIA Virginia Honors Awards and Design Awards. Photos by Yuzhu Zheng.
Visions for Architecture 2021 was generously sponsored by the following:
Join us for our annual honors and awards celebration! This year, the audience can attend in person at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts or online.
Tickets to the 2021 Visions for Architecture Online are free with a suggested donation to AIA Virginia’s Hampton University Scholarship Fund Campaign. Donate online or text GIVE or DONATE to (202) 410-2150
(Tickets to the online event are free but registration is required.)
A cocktail hour follows the award ceremony at the live event.
If you’d like to attend in person, purchase your tickets using the form below the sponsors. Your in-person ticket includes a keynote address by Marlon Blackwell, FAIA beginning at 4 p.m.
*** Proof of vaccination against the COVID-19 virus is required to attend in person. Masks will be required at all times, except while eating and drinking. ***
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Jody Cranford with any questions!
AIA Virginia’s annual Honors and Awards gala, Visions for Architecture, will take place online on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020 beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Visions for Architecture,created in 1998, celebrates the achievements of those whose work makes especially strong contributions to society and celebrates the recipients of AIA Virginia’s Honors Awards and the Awards for Excellence in Architecture.
Visions for Architecture 2020 will be held virtually and delivered through our online event platform Foresight 2020.
In the past, proceeds from Visions have been designated to support educational programming. This year, tickets will be free — but we’ll be making a very special request of everyone who joins us.
Virginia’s only architecture program in an HBCU needs your support. We’ll be asking you to consider making a donation to Hampton University’s architecture department. Stay tuned for more information and save the date for Oct. 8!
The profession came together at Visions for Architecture on Nov. 8, 2019 to celebrate AIA Virginia Honors Awards and Design Awards. Photos by Yuzhu Zheng.
Visions for Architecture is generously supported by:
Underwriter Sponsors
3north
VMDO
Patron Sponsors
Clark Nexsen
Glave & Holmes Architecture
Hanbury
O’Hagan Meyer
Riverside Brick & Supply Co., Inc.
