Registration is now open for ArchEx 2023. I certainly hope you have reserved the dates of Wednesday 1 November to Friday 3 November and that you remain alert for our forthcoming announcement that the site is open for registration.
And while you are gearing up to plan your itinerary more precisely, please be aware of some important changes at this year’s conference. The event will open mid-morning Wednesday with plenary sessions including the “Kick Off and Keynote(s)” and will continue with our Annual Membership Meeting, sessions, tours, and workshops.
Thursday will begin with Coffee Conversations and Round Tables followed by the lunchtime Expo, afternoon sessions, and the Connections Happy Hour in the Exhibit Hall. Visions, our annual Honor and Awards gala, will be hosted at the Hippodrome on Thursday evening.
There will be more sessions and workshops on Friday morning before the majority of the program draws to a close around lunchtime.
We look forward to having you join us to connect across the Commonwealth, compare perspectives, and celebrate the achievements of our members, our colleagues, and our organization. I look forward to seeing you there.
Paul Battaglia, AIA Executive Vice President AIA Virginia
John Henri Spencer, FAIA, has been recognized with the William C. Noland Medal by AIA Virginia for his leadership within architectural education beyond the status quo to create opportunities for generations of architecture students. As the highest honor bestowed by AIA Virginia to an architect, the Noland Medal is intended to honor a distinguished body of accomplishments, sustained over time, spanning a broad spectrum of the profession, and transcending the scope of normal professional activities. The honor is in memory of William C. Noland, FAIA, one of the founders of the AIA in Virginia, its second president, and Virginia’s first member to be elevated to fellowship.
Spencer is a pioneering leader for Black architects in America, a distinguished teacher who influenced thousands of students, and a committed educational administrator who created countless programs, initiatives, and pathways for growth and mentorship. Under his leadership, the study of architecture at Hampton University evolved through focused curricular development, fundraising, and academic excellence–the pinnacle of a 63-year career of service in education, in the public arena, and to the profession of architecture. Spencer was born in Monrovia, Liberia to missionary parents serving at the Suehn Industrial Mission, which influenced his philosophy for teaching, community and professional service and social action. After high school in Huntington, West Virginia, John enrolled in the architectural engineering program at the Agricultural and Technical College (now university) in Greensboro, North Carolina. His education was interrupted by service in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and, upon discharge, John transferred to Hampton Institute (now University) graduating in 1956 with highest honors.
Spencer joined the faculty of the School of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he co-founded the Committee for the Collegiate Education of Black Students (CCEBS) with support from the Ford Foundation to increase the number of Black students enrolled at the school. The first group recruited by CCEBS arrived in 1968 and of the original 128 students, 90 graduated four years later in 1972–more than the total number of Black graduates of Amherst combined in its 105 years. In its first decade, CCBES recruited and Amherst graduated more than 2,000 Black students. At Amherst, he also led efforts to provide volunteer tutoring for Black students and led the Amherst Human Relations Council and Fair Housing Committee, and established Black history education in high schools that brought about positive change in the town of Amherst and beyond.
In 1970, Spencer returned to the Hampton Institute as Chair of the Department of Architecture, where he encouraged students to look beyond the campus gates and involve themselves in the larger community. Notably, he initiated a student exchange program between Hampton and Amherst, and a broader travel program soon followed, growing out of a need to strengthen the fifth-year planning studio. It began with trips to large American cities supported by alumni who provided housing and meals at no cost. With the support of faculty, Spencer revised and expanded the program to require a two-week travel module to foreign cities, from Europe to Asia, and from Africa to Latin America. Since then, he has always led by example, becoming the first Black architect elected to the National Architectural Accrediting Board, first Black architect appointed to the Virginia Licensing Board, and assuming numerous other local and national positions of influence within the profession.
In his nomination letter, Professor and Dean Emeritus of Howard University, Harry G. Robinson III, FAIA, noted, “His consistent leadership has contributed to the strength of the African American narrative in architecture and has increased the richness and stability of the Hampton University Department of Architecture. If the Noland Medal is the pinnacle of recognition, the contributions of Professor Spencer are nearly unmatched and exceeded most.”
The William C. Noland Medal will be presented at Visions for Architecture on Thursday, Oct. 8 in an online awards ceremony beginning at 4:30 p.m. The program is free but registration is required.
And, other social events and roundtable discussions
Foresight 2020 programming will be accessible online from anywhere in the world. Nearly every session (except our social events) offers AIA learning units. See the complete Foresight 2020 agenda and speaker list or register online today.
Featured Sessions Noah Scalin— ArchEx kicks off with a creative challenge from artist Noah Scalin to re-energize your imagination and creative spirit!
Ace Callwood — JEDI consultant Ace Callwood shares a roadmap for creating a sustainable DEI program in your firm.
Non-Profit Design: General Architecture Collaborative — hear about GAC, a non-profit landscape architecture design firm focused on housing, healthcare, and educational projects that serve underrepresented and developing communities.
Joel Sanders — Hear about MIXdesign — a think tank and design consultancy dedicated to creating designs that respond to the specific needs of traditionally marginalized individuals.
Riding the Vortex: African American Women Architects in Practice — Hear the unique perspectives of the Vortex Collaborators as they reflect upon the issues facing their unique cohort.
DAY 2: The Climate Crisis Wednesday, Nov. 4
Featured Sessions Ed Mazria— The founder of the 2030 Challenge and CEO of Architecture 2030 shares the steps designers must take right now to address the climate crisis and create lasting change.
Demystifying the 2030 Commitment: Firm Panel Discussion — Leaders from small, mid-sized and large firms share their research, best practices, and lessons learned.
Andrea Love— Hear about 2017 Young Architects Award winner Andrea Love’s groundbreaking work at Payette and the state-of-the art analytic tools used to minimize the impacts of buildings on the environment.
DAY 3: The Future Friday, Nov. 6
Featured Sessions The Economic and Construction Outlook— AIA and Harvard economist Kermit Baker shares his forecast for the industry.
Construction Site Data Automation with Agile Mobile Robots — Hear from Brian Ringley with Boston Dynamics and learn about the latest advancements in robotics.
LMNts: Design Research in Practice — Design research has fueled innovation and has had a profound impact on the practice, culture, and work of LMN Architects.
Resilience and Disaster Planning — Hear lessons learned from an A&E team who quickly responded to the COVID-19 crisis to identify and implement strategies to reduce the risk of virus transmission and build overall organizational resilience at the Institute of Defense Analyses.
Design Forum: In Praise of Shadows
Thursday, Nov. 5
Featured Speakers Steven Holl, FAIA (Steven Holl Architects | New York, NY) Steven Holl is widely recognized for his ability to blend space and light with great contextual sensitivity and to utilize the unique qualities of each project to create a concept-driven design.
Kirsten Murray, FAIA (Olson Kundig | Seattle, WA) Throughout her 30-year tenure at Olson Kundig, Kirsten Murray has created buildings and spaces that strengthen and enrich communities. Long inspired by Scandinavian modernist traditions, her architecture emphasizes warmth, natural materiality, tactility and refinement.
Herve Descottes (L’Observitoire International, New York, NY) Descottes creates the lighting concepts for all projects designed by L’Observatoire and has been recognized numerous times by the lighting design and architectural community.
David J. Lewis, AIA (LTL Architects, New York, NY) David Lewis, founding principal of LTL Architects, develops solutions that work within project constraints to inform the design trajectory, exploring opportunistic overlaps between space, program, form, budget, and materials.
YAFCON 2020: The Empathic Architect
DAY 1:Monday, Oct. 26 Join a lunchtime conversation on entrepreneurship and practice models and an evening panel discussion about Intentional Leadership
DAY 2: Tuesday, Oct. 27 Join a lunchtime conversation about non-traditional project financing and an evening panel discussion about Unconventional Clients
DAY 3: Wednesday, Oct. 28 Join a lunchtime conversation about work/life balance and taboo topics and an evening workshop about Active Listening/Effective Storytelling
DAY 4: Thursday, Oct. 29 Join a lunchtime conversation about the impact of the pandemic on EPs and an evening presentation of the 2020 class project from the Emerging Leaders in Architecture
DAY 5: Friday, Oct. 30 Join a lunchtime conversation JEDI issues and an evening PK focused on the topic of “From the Ground Up: Cultivating the Next Generation”
Foresight 2020 All Access Pass Choose this option if you want to do it all! Take your pick of any the sessions in our signature events or join us for everything.
AIA Member: $140
Assoc. AIA: $120
Non-member: $200
Student: $15
Design Forum: In Praise of Shadows Pass This ticket gives you access to the Design Forum on Thursday, Nov. 5. The program features Steven Holl, Kirsten Murray, Herve Descottes, David Lewis, and Kendall Buster — plus, a bonus virtual tour of the ICA on Oct. 29!
AIA Member: $70
Assoc. AIA: $60
Non-member: $100
Student: $10
Architecture Exchange East Pass We’ve assembled three incredible days of programming for ArchEx. This ticket gives you access to all of the sessions on Monday, Nov. 2, Wednesday, Nov. 4 and Friday, Nov. 6. And, ArchEx registration includes admission to YAFCON 2020, so there’s no need to purchase a separate ticket!
AIA Member: $70
Assoc. AIA: $60
Non-member: $100
Student: $10
YAFCON 2020 Pass Virginia’s Young Architects’ Forum (YAF) leaders have curated a week-long event designed to serve emerging professionals. ArchEx admission includes YAFCON, so use this option if you aren’t planning to attend any ArchEx programming.
AIA Member: $50
Assoc. AIA: $30
Non-member: $100
Student: $10
Visions for Architecture & Social Events Only Pass We’re offering lots of free programming through Foresight 2020.
Visions for Architecture
Firm Roundtables
Women in Design: Lunch and Conversation
Additional free events may be added, so check our agenda or watch your email for announcements.
Admission to Visions for Architecture and other social events are included free with all the other registration options, so choose this one if you aren’t planning on attending any of the other ticketed programming.
Check out the latest innovative products, services, and solutions from the industry’s best building product manufacturers in the Foresight 2020 virtual exhibit hall. Be sure to make time to speak with these important supporters of the program.
AIA Virginia is pleased to announce that our signature programs for 2020 will be delivered virtually under the umbrella of Foresight 2020. You’ll get to experience Visions for Architecture, Design Forum: In Praise of Shadows, and Architecture Exchange East in exciting new ways.
While we’ll miss getting together in person, keeping you safe and healthy is more important. And, because that face-to-face interaction is so critical, we’ve invested in a virtual event platform that encourages connections and interactions.
What stays the same?
High-quality speakers and content. Our planning committees are committed to delivering the very best speakers and most compelling discussions. They’ve already confirmed an incredible set of speakers for the Design Forum and the lineup at ArchEx is going to be just as impressive.
Exhibit Hall. We’ll still feature the latest products, services, and solutions from the industry’s best building product manufacturers in our virtual Exhibit Hall.
Networking and relationship building. We’ve built plenty of time into the schedule to engage with your colleagues.
What’s different?
No travel cost. You can login to the event wherever you happen to be on the day of the program.
Schedule. We’ve spread the programming out over a month.
Location. We’re planning to host everything in one virtual “spot.” After you register, you’ll download an app that will serve as our event lobby and hangout. It will work on any of your devices — your desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone.
Registration fees. It will cost less than ever before to attend. You can get a ticket to just one event, like the Design Forum or ArchEx, or get an all access pass to all of the Foresight 2020 programs.
And, Visions for Architecture will be free for everyone. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
Next Month’s Convening of a Family of Design Professionals
From November 6-8, we will be convening for AIA Virginia’s Architecture Exchange East at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. We will bring together hundreds, which include design professionals and students, from Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic to discuss the topic of Regarding Culture. Our keynote speakers are worth the wait! Dwayne Oyler, Pascale Sablan, and Patricia Gruits are the headliners that will take the stage and promise to leave you inspired about why we became architects.
On Wednesday, the complimentary Meeting of the Roundtables will take place in the afternoon. Did I mention this is FREE and worth 3 Learning Units? Those who attend will break into Roundtable groups, based on firm size, to discuss the pressing issues to their organization and engage in meaningful dialogue on best practices and lessons learned. This year, in the same room, there will also be an Emerging Professionals Roundtable where our future leaders will be able to share their perspectives with current firm leaders. Later that evening, we will host our Annual Membership Meeting to share with you our organization’s accomplishments and how we continue to position our members to be increasingly relevant to society. As part of this meeting, the John Braymer Leadership Circle [AIA Virginia Past Presidents] will host our annual Prosecco toast to celebrate our newly licensed architects with NCARB and DPOR leadership.
The rest of the conference contains individual seminars that have been organized by unique zones to allow you to easily satisfy your interests and educational yearning. Content has been curated and placed into the Inspiration, Future, HSW, Practice, History/Community, Public Work/Public Good, and Crowd-Sourced zones. For example, check out how our 2019 Emerging Leaders in Architecture (ELA) class is changing a community through design in the Future Zone. Friday night, we will celebrate our Design and Honors Awards recipients at our annual Visions for Architecture gala.
A great experience awaits you next month. Of course, you will grab some Learning Units, but you will also bond with your peers. Many call this event a “family reunion.” Various networking dinners and events will allow you to meet new friends and colleagues and reconnect with old ones whether you attend all three days or one.
I look forward to welcoming you to Richmond in three weeks!
With service, Corey Clayborne, AIA, MBA Executive Vice President
The T. David Fitz-Gibbon Firm Award will be presented to 3north at the Visions for Architecture gala on Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, at the Hilton Downtown Richmond. As the highest honor bestowed by the AIA Virginia to a Virginia-based architecture firm, the Fitz-Gibbon Architecture Firm Award recognizes a firm that has consistently produced distinguished architecture for at least ten years.
“I can say without reservation that 3north’s body of work rivals that of any of the top national design firms whose work I’ve observed at first hand. I cannot give them higher praise than to say that, as a knowledgeable client, I would place 3north in the top tier of any short list”
Samuel A. Anderson, III, FAIA
Since its founding in 1999, 3north has grown from a single architect to a multidisciplinary design firm with offices in Richmond and San Francisco. Their diverse portfolio of work — which includes hospitality, civic, commercial, educational, and residential projects — has earned awards and recognition for achievements in design excellence, environmental sustainability, and historic preservation.
The firm is deeply committed to supporting community nonprofits
and has created an office culture that encourages pro bono work, broad-based
volunteerism, board service, and speaking engagements. Beyond their community
involvement, the firm’s principals and staff have a long history of service to
the AIA and the profession. Through support of programming like AIA Richmond’s Front
Porch and Richmond Women in Design, to engagement with AIA Virginia in the
Emerging Leaders in Architecture program, the Art of Practice, and Architecture
Exchange East, to service at the national level through the Small Firm
Exchange, 3north has been a model for service to the profession.
In addition to cultivating a culture of service, the firm has nurtured an entrepreneurial spirit, founding several affiliate businesses and holding a number of patents pending.
Please plan to join us for an evening at the Hilton Downtown Richmond as we celebrate architecture and delight in the accomplishments of people and organizations whose vision and skills enrich our world.
Friday, the eighth of November Two Thousand Nineteen Hilton Downtown Richmond 501 East Broad Street Richmond, Virginia
6:30 p.m. Cocktail reception 7–11 p.m. Ceremony and dinner in the River City Ballroom
