| Volume 14, No. 1 - February 6, 2019 |
| previous | main menu | next |
 Brambleton Library, by HGA (more info) |
Architecture Week: Call for Tours |
|
|
Call for Building Tours during Architecture Week This year our chapter will celebrate Architecture Week April 20-28 through a variety of activities to engage and inform the public about the profession of architecture. Popular offerings in past years have been tours of recently completed projects led by the architects who were involved with the design and construction. These tours allow the public and our chapter members to experience buildings they may have seen under construction, or read about, and hear from the architects directly what considerations were important in the planning and execution of the project. If your firm has a project you would like to include in this year's Architecture Week please contact Joe McCoy at jmccoy@sanchezpalmerarchitects.com for more information. 2019 ARE Prep Series Underway Make this your year to get licensed: February 23 – Project Management, 10:00a-4:00p March 23 – Programming + Analysis, 10:00a-3:00p April 20 – Project Planning + Design, 10:00a-4:00p May 11 – Project Development + Documentation, 10:00a-4:00p June 22 – Construction and Evaluation, 10:00a-3:00p Organized by our Young Architects Forum, our award-winning ARE series takes place at AECOM in Arlington and via webcast in Roanoke and Norfolk. Visit our ARE Prep page to register and for additional for details. Be sure to register no later than noon the Wednesday prior to each session! 
AIA Virginia's Art of Practice Conference in CentrevilleAIA Virginia's second biennial Art of Practice conference will take place at The Winery at Bull Run in Centreville on March 22. This day-long event is intended to cultivate connections between peers in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. Both seasoned and emerging leaders will come together to share and learn best practices, advance their business skills, and form a lasting network of peers. Participants in the program will consider the following questions:
Architecture Billings Slow, but Close 2018 with Growing Demand Architecture firm billings growth softened in December but remained positive for the fifteenth consecutive month. AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for December was 50.4 compared to 54.7 in November. Despite the positive billings, a softening in growth was seen across several regions and sectors, as well as in project inquiries and design contracts. Key ABI highlights for December include:
AIA Consensus Construction Forecast Shows Continued Growth Through 2020  The recently released AIA Consensus Construction Forecast, reports that while signs point to a slowdown, growth in construction spending should continue through 2020. According to the report, compiled by AIA’s Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, spending on nonresidential buildings nationally is projected to grow by 4.4 percent this year, paced by healthy gains in the industrial and institutional building sectors. For 2020, growth is projected to slow to 2.4 percent, with essentially no increase in spending on commercial facilities but gains in the three-percent range in the industrial and institutional categories. Still, there is growing concern inside and outside of the industry that a broader economic downturn may be materializing over the next twelve to 24 months.Baker, the AIA Economics and Market Research Group, and the AIA Consensus Construction Forecast Panel, project continued healthy gains in construction activity in the near-term. Last year, spending on commercial facilities increased around 7 percent while advancing by about half that rate for institutional buildings and declining for the industrial sector. This year, gains in each of the major building sectors are expected to be in the 3 percent to 5 percent range. To learn more, read the complete report, with additional information and details on other building sectors and view the interactive Consensus Construction Forecast. Quick Notes... Registration Open for A'19... AIA Conference on Architecture, Blueprint for a Better Future, takes place June 6-8 in Las Vegas [info]... Opportunities to Pursue Business in China... at a series of trade events sponsored by U.S. Commercial Service in China March 28-April 2 [info]... AIA Virginia Firm Directory... to launch online in 2019 [info]... Awards and Opportunities Due February 15 – Submit Resumes for the Position of Architect of the Capitol Due February 22 – AIA Justice Facilities Review Submissions Due March 1 – Helene Combs Dreiling FAIA Fellowship Applications Due March 4 – Association for Preservation Technology Conference Abstract Submissions Due March 18 – AIA/AAH Healthcare Awards Due April 15 – AIA National Photography Competition Submissions |
Design News
|
| Job Board As a benefit to our members, we maintain a Job Board of local postings. Pay us a visit for postings from: ROKK Architecture; Cunningham Quill Architects; George Mason University; MV+A Architects; Bowie Gridley Architects; Little; KGD Architecture; MTFA Architecture; Hord Coplan Macht; Bowie Gridley Architects; and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. |
 |
Brambleton Library |
 Designed by HGA, in partnership with Loudoun County and Brambleton Group, LLC, the new Brambleton Library brings long-awaited resources and business capacity to a growing and award-winning master planned community for life-long learning, creativity, and gathering. Taking design cues from regional architecture, the design embraces a contemporary vision of the future. The 40,000-square-foot library occupies the lower two stories of a new four-story office building and shares a common lobby with a retail area.A colorful and interactive Discovery Wall spans two floors and engages library patrons of all ages. Children can walk alongside the wall and have an interactive experience - seeing, feeling, and reading information. Sturdy wood framed openings serve a variety of functions such as reading benches, display cases, staff access openings, viewing windows into study rooms, and colorful illuminated light boxes. Where the two floors join, "logs" spill out to become the main stairs which double as casual seating and a performance venue. Comfortable seating throughout the library encourages diverse users to linger; gathering spaces, such as the community meeting room, promote social interaction between neighbors; collaborative environments and program rooms support conversation, book clubs, and group study. The children’s area includes playful furniture and cozy nooks for interactive play and reading. All are welcome in the makerspace, where tinkering, sharing ideas, experiential learning, and common interests bring people together. Design features also enhance the quality-of-life, connectivity, and employment opportunities for residents, offering a "laptop bar," a mixing/recording room, and electrical access at every sitting area. Set behind glass walls inside the front entry, patrons are treated to a visual display of how Brambleton Library's automated book return system works.  Photography © Paúl Rivera |
 |
FEBRUARY CALENDAR 11 | AIA Northern Virginia Board Meeting 4:30p, Alexandria. [info] 19 | A Look Inside the AIA Individual Honors Programs 6:30p, Alexandria. [info] 20 | Women in Architecture Happy Hour 6:00p, Washington. [info] 23 | ARE Exam Series: Project Management 10:00a, Arlington. [info] 26 | WIA Book Chat 6:00p, Arlington. [info] 27 | CRAN - Integrating Acoustics into Architecture 12:00p, Vienna. [info] 27 | 360 Mentoring General Session 3 6:00p, Arlington. [info] Upcoming Dates to Note: March 5 - Chapter Open House March 8 - WIA Pop-Up Lunches March 22 - AIA Virginia Art of Practice Conference 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. |