| Volume 11, No. 1 - January 31, 2017 |
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 Northern Virginia Community College: Loudoun Campus Higher Education Center, by Perkins Eastman Architects (more info) |
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This issue of BLAST is sponsored by Marvin Windows + Doors |
| Chapter Open House, Fat Tuesday, February 28, 6-8p |
| Join the fun and celebrate Mardi Gras with us at our annual Open House, featuring food from Southside, King Cake and our famous Hurricanes. This event is free and reservations are not necessary. Additional information is available here. |
"The Memory Code" – A Talk with Dr. Lynne Kelly The Young Architects Forum (YAF) has invited Dr. Lynne Kelly to speak about the ideas explored in her new book, “The Memory Code,” in which she looks at the historical significance of natural and built structures in sharing collective history and memory through ancient civilizations. She will discuss memory’s relevance not only in terms of its key role in the history of architecture, but also its implications in contemporary design. The book launches in the US on February 7 and is available for preorder on Amazon.Join YAF, the Washington DC Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology (APT), the Washington Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC) and Pegasus Books, for this thought-provoking evening lecture, reception and book signing on February 16, at 6:30p, at WAAC, located at 1001 Prince Street in Alexandria. AIA continuing education credits are offered. Additional information and registration are available here. |
| Women in Architecture Lecture Series 2017: Resiliency |
 Please join the Women in Architecture Committee for the 5th year of their lecture series! This year’s theme of Resilience will explore how architects, landscape architects, designers, planners, developers and civic leaders are responding to new vulnerabilities surfacing around the world. The discussions will examine resilience through the lenses of Economics, Civic Culture and the Environment. Presented on three different evenings beginning in late March, the series will explore questions about resilience in the built environment, solutions that designers are uniquely positioned to offer and what's on the horizon for resilient design.Mark your calendars for:
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| CRAN - Shear Walls and Lateral Bracing in Light Frame Construction Join the Capital Area CRAN on February 2 for a lunchtime presentation by Simpson Strong Tie offering insight into the interplay of structural requirements and design possibilities. Organized by the AIA Potomac Valley CRAN Committee and hosted by T.W. Perry at their Silver Spring showroom, the presentation will investigate the impact of wind and seismic loading on light frame structures, and how these forces are resisted in a structure; discuss selection criteria and the pros and cons of prescriptive vs. performance based (engineered design) solutions; and evaluate three code-approved pre-manufactured wall bracing equivalents that allow designers to maintain design flexibility while meeting code requirements. 1 HSW LU is offered. Register here. |
Volunteer Needed for Classes at Fort Hunt Elementary School Our Architecture Lab Committee is looking for a volunteer to help at Fort Hunt Elementary School, in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, as part of our Architecture in the Schools Program (AIS). Classes begin February 20 and run through the week of April 10. AIS matches design professionals with classroom teachers to enrich the learning experience of students. If you would like more information or to volunteer, email Elma Hajric Willcoxon, Associate AIA. |
| 2017 ARE Prep Series Continues |
| Our 2017 ARE Prep Series provides inclusive learning and applicable resources for ARE candidates regardless of the test version they intend to complete. Organized by our Young Architects Forum, our award-winning series continues into April. In addition, we are again organizing a weekend review session for Structural Systems with Professor David Thaddeus, AIA. Most sessions take place at AECOM's office in Arlington and via simulcast at AECOM's Roanoke office. Remaining ARE classes include:
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| AIA Conference on Architecture – A'17 |
The Annual AIA Convention is now the AIA Conference on Architecture, A'17 for short! The conference takes place in Orlando, April 27–29, focusing on the theme – ANTICIPATE – exploring what it means to anticipate need, challenge and change in architecture and design. Registration is open, so be sure to register early for reduced rates, tour availability and hotel access. Information and registration is available here.
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| Don't Forget to Renew Your 2017 AIA Membership |
 You are able to pay your dues online, by mail or by phone. If it helps, you may take advantage of the Dues Installment Program. Details are provided on the AIA website.
Awards and Opportunities Due February 10 – AIA Small Project Practitioners Pop-Up Competition Due February 10 – Small Project Practitioners Review Submissions Due February 13 – Justice Facilities Review Submissions Due February 27 – Washington Unbuilt Design Awards Due March 13 – AIA Healthcare Design Awards |
Design News
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| Job Board As a benefit to our members, we maintain a Job Board of local postings. Pay us a visit for new postings from: Esoarc Studio, MTFA Architecture, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Stantec, Helbing Lipp Recny Architects, RRMM Lukmire Architects, PRIME AE Group, RNL, BOWA and Karl Riedel Architecture. |
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Northern Virginia Community College: Loudoun Campus Higher Education Center |
 The Higher Education Center is a new academic building at NOVA's Loudoun Campus, built in response to a growing deficit of program area, and intended to be flexible enough to accommodate future shared use with a partner institution of higher education. It is designed to cultivate a culture of casual interaction, curiosity and discovery.The Center includes general classrooms, faculty office space, and a special-use space for campus-wide meetings and special events, as well as several specialized instructional spaces such as a recording studio, a Geo-spatial Information Systems (GIS) lab, and a communications resource center.  All of these spaces were arranged around a series of interconnected study lounges, so that students could gain a broad appreciation for the range of program offerings on the campus.In contrast with the tradition of enclosed offices, the faculty offices were designed to facilitate faculty interaction, with open workstations and shared lounge spaces. Located between the office space and the corridor, conference rooms were designed for both faculty consultation and students' group study. Sited on the fourth side of the campus' academic core, the Higher Education Center mediates between the pedestrian scale of the campus buildings to its north, and the automobile scale of Route 7, the county's busiest thoroughfare, to the south. To the public, the building announces a new presence for the college, and strengthens its image as a forward-looking and active institution. For the college community, the building represents, physically as well is conceptually, a path of discovery seeded with opportunity. |
 Photography © Alan Karchmer |
FEBRUARY CALENDAR 1 | Accessibility - ARE Supplemental Course 6:30p, Arlington/Roanoke. [info] 2 | CRAN - Shear Walls & Lateral Bracing in Light Frame Construction 12:00p, Silver Spring, Maryland. [info] 4 | ARE Exam Series: Construction Documents & Services - Legal 10:00a, Arlington/Roanoke. [info] 6 | Women in Architecture Committee Meeting 6:00p, Washington. [info] 6 | WAAC Career Fair Enrollment Begins Alexandria. [info] 8 | Architectural History I - ARE Supplemental Course 6:30p, Arlington/Roanoke. [info] 9 | Women in Architecture Happy Hour 6:30p, Washington. [info] 11 | ARE Exam Series: Programming, Planning + Practice 10:00a, Arlington/Roanoke. [info] 13 | AIA Northern Virginia Board Meeting 4:30p, Alexandria. [info] 13 | Committee Chairs Planning Meeting 6:30p, Alexandria. [info] 15 | 360 Mentoring General Session Arlington. [info] 16 | "The Memory Code" - A Talk with Dr. Lynne Kelly 6:30p, Alexandria. [info] 20 | Accessibility - Architecture in the Schools - Classes Begin [info] 22 | Architectural History II - ARE Supplemental Course 6:30p, Arlington/Roanoke. [info] 23 | Young Architects Forum Happy Hour 6:30p, Tysons. [info] 23 | WAAC Portfolio Review Alexandria. [info] 25 | ARE Exam Series: Site Planning + Design 10:00a, Arlington/Roanoke. [info] 28 | AIA Northern Virginia Open House 6:00p, Alexandria. [info] Upcoming Dates to Note: March 14 - WIA Lecture Series Begins March 18 - Regional of the Virginias Fellows Fête March 31-April 2 - Structural Systems Workshop April 9-15 - Architecture Week AIA Northern Virginia Calendar | AIA|DC Calendar | AIA Potomac Valley Calendar | AIA Virginia Calendar | Branch Museum Calendar For additional information on any of these events, please contact the Chapter House at (703) 549-9747 or aianova@aianova.org. The Chapter House is located at 1101 Duke Street, Alexandria 22314. |