| Volume 1, No. 5 - May 9, 2007 |
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 Capital One Lecture Hall and Conference Center (more info) ©2006 Ballogg Photography, Chicago |
 Featured Project: Capital One Lecture Hall and Conference Center Visit the AIA Northern Virginia Website Reminder: Design Award Binders are Due by 3:00p this Friday, May 11 |
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Al Gore Challenges Architects to Design Change at Convention 2007 by Debbie Burns The 2007 AIA National Convention has just concluded. In addition to eleven hours of sessions, each of the four days was crammed with activities, including AIA150 celebrations; the elevation of new Fellows, including chapter members Michael T. Foster, FAIA and David Jameson, FAIA; election of national officers; a trade show featuring more than 850 exhibitors and of course the chance to connect with colleagues from all over the country. It is this collaboration among peers that invigorates and inspires, and really makes the trip to convention worthwhile. By far the most popular session featured Al Gore speaking about environmental issues impacting the globe, based on his Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Four thousand attendees filled the hall as Mr. Gore encouraged them to take a leadership role in bringing about change by designing sustainable buildings. |
 Photo by Debbie Burns |
The people of San Antonio were exceptionally gracious hosts as architects took over their city. There were welcome signs everywhere, from an embroidery shop that welcomed AIA members with an embroidered Chrysler Building in their window to the initials AIA illuminated across the fa�ade of the Hilton by carefully selected balcony lights. The 21,000 attendees overwhelmed the Riverwalk, the sidewalks, and every hotel and restaurant in town. Unlike Los Angeles last year and Las Vegas the year before, our group made a huge impact on the city. Why is Convention so popular? One reason is the opportunity to earn all necessary continuing education credits at one time. With the theme of Growing Beyond Green, many of the sessions focused on sustainable topics from Sustainability 101 to the Science of Sustainability. Tours, which are always the first sessions to fill, were numerous: visiting the historic San Antonio Missions to viewing the city�s architecture on Segways. 2008's Convention will be in Boston. |
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Changes Coming as NCARB Unveils New Architect Registration Examination 4.0 for July 2008 by Matt Shuba Beginning in July 2008, the nine divisions of the Architect Registration Exam will be reorganized into seven to be "more in line with with the day-to-day approach that an architect would take to solve a design problem," according to Dennis Ward, AIA, a leader of several ARE committees. This goal is to be achieved by creating exams that combine vignettes with multiple choice questions in each exam rather than the traditional model of having vignette-based divisions (such as Building Technology and Site Planning) and multiple choice divisions (Predeisgn and Lateral Forces). For example, the new "Building Design & Construction Systems" division (replaces Materials and Methods) will have 85 multiple choice questions and three vignettes. Additional goals of the new format include better integration of environmental practices and questions that more accurately reflect situations architects might encounter in an office environment. The move from nine divisions to seven is also designed to reduce potential travel costs associated with training for and taking the exams. ARE 3.1, the current system, will continue to be offered for an additional year in parallel to ARE 4.0, giving interns until June 2009 to complete the nine divisions. Those that have not completed by then may be required to take exams that will cover material they have already taken. Visiting NCARB's ARE page is the best way to be on top of these changes and understanding how they may affect your candidacy. |
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Capital One Lecture Hall + Conference Center |
Capital One, a Fortune 200 and top U.S. credit card company, hired Mancini Duffy to design its new auditorium and lecture hall. From the outside, this new 43,500-square-foot addition is the first structure that greets arriving visitors, making it the most prominent structure and a strong announcement of the character of the company. The building�s distinctive, curvilinear form anticipates the auditorium function, while its double-skinned glass rainscreen, lit from behind, makes it a beacon conveying both welcome and energy. Inside, the two-tiered, 450-seat lecture hall was designed for multiple functions. Though it has the formality appropriate to large corporate gatherings and serious learning experiences, the materials and detailing emphasize human scale. |
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 All project photos ©2006 Ballogg Photography, Chicago |
It was especially important to Capital One that the addition be not only a destination for particular occasions, but also a gathering space, used continually, informally, and collaboratively. The two-story, sky-lit atrium is thus both the connective tissue between new and existing structures and between lecture hall and conference center and also a distinct place in itself. To reinforce these two roles, the designers �borrowed� the materials and palette of the addition from the headquarters building, applying them with detailing and scale that distinguish new from old. Although the headquarters building already had conference center space, it, too, required significant functional and aesthetic redesign. The new conference center is married to the lecture hall and atrium, with a wide variety of public and private spaces. Multiple conference rooms can be separated or opened up, using the Skyfold system of dividers that vanish into the ceiling, making for an exceptionally flexible, multi-functional, multi-layered facility. The Lecture Hall & Conference Center will be host to the 2007 AIA Northern Virginia Design Awards Gala, where the building will be presented by project architects from VOA and Mancini Duffy. |
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May 10 - "Sense of Place" Exhibit Opening Reception May 11 - Design Awards Entries Due May 14 - Chapter Board Meeting May 16 - AIA Northern Virginia Lunch Seminar May 19 + 20 - "Paint" Alexandria Plein Air Event June 2 - ARE Prep Series: Mechanical, Electrical + Plumbing I June 6 through July 2 - "Paint" Alexandria Plein Air Exhibit June 9 - ARE Prep Series: Mechanical, Electrical + Plumbing II June 9 - AIA Northern Virginia Design Awards Gala |
