| Volume 15, No. 5 - May 28, 2021 |
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 Dominion Apartments, by Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS (more info) |
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This issue of BLAST is sponsored by CADD Microsystems, ECS Mid-Atlantic , LLC and TW Perry |
Design Awards – What Will You Submit? The 2021 AIA Northern Virginia Design Awards Call for Entries is open. Submittals are due Tuesday, June 15, 5:00p.Our awards program offers six award categories:
AIA's ABI Report - Design Activity Strongly Increases  Continuing its meteoric rebound, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) recorded its third consecutive month of positive billings. AIA's ABI score for April rose to 57.9 compared to 55.6 in March (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). Neither score has been achieved since before the Great Recession. During April, new project inquiries and new design contracts reached record highs with scores of 70.8 and 61.7 respectively. "This recent acceleration in the demand for design services demonstrates that both consumers and businesses are feeling much more confident about the economic outlook," said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. "The pent-up demand for new and retrofitted facilities is keeping architecture firms in all regions and building sectors busy."Key ABI highlights for April include:
Visit AIA's website for more ABI information. Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) Announces Two Upcoming Events 
Equity in Public Schools: Supporting our Communities through School DesignJune 2, 12:00-1:30p This virtual event will explore equity in the education systems, communities, and school facilities of three local public school districts – Alexandria City Public Schools, Baltimore City Public Schools, and Prince George’s County Public Schools – each with distinctive challenges, demographics, populations, and settings. Hear presentations from school system leaders facing challenges of inequity and resource disparity in their communities and schools, and the unique strategies established by each for the planning, design, and procurement of school facilities, followed by a facilitated discussion. 1.5 LU/HSW. This free event is in partnership with AIA Baltimore, AIA DC, and AIA Northern Virginia. Learn more>> Building Better Futures in Native American Communities June 15, 1:30-2:30p The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) provide oversight of the planning, design and construction of educational facilities on Native American reservations utilizing the BIA School Facilities Design and Space Guidelines as a template. These guidelines were developed collaboratively by the BIA and MOA ARCHITECTURE in Denver. During this program, MOA Principal and Educational Planner Jack Mousseau will discuss typical conditions and inequities encountered in reservation schools prior to renovation or replacement. 1 AIA LU|HSW. This free event is organized by our Committee on Architecture for Education and AIA Virginia. Learn more>> WIA Communications Workshop: Difficult Conversations, Negotiations and Disagreements June 23, 4:30-6:30p 
This is the third and final workshop in the Women in Architecture Communications Series. This interactive class will explore strategies to diffuse conflict, check emotions, focus the difficult conversations, and come up with strategies for coping during tumultuous times in your personal, public, and private lives. Participants will leave with actionable steps to level up communication skills. This workshop is sponsored by Shalom Baranes Associates Shalom Baranes Associates. Learn more.Quick Notes... Create a Sustainability Action Plan ... AIA offers a guide to creating a plan unique to your firm [info]... Join the 2021 COTE Open Forum ... to examine how architects can pursue climate action and climate justice [info]... AIA Conference on Architecture 2021 ... sessions on June 17, July 8, July 29, and August 19 [info]... ARE Prep Series continues ... two sessions remain in June and July... [info] Awards and Opportunities Due May 31 – Application due for City of Alexandria Boards, Commissions, and Committees Due June 2 – Modernism in America Awards Due July 1 – AIA Virginia Honors Awards Call for Nominations Due December 1 – International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA) Kristine Fallon Prize AIA Honors Currently Open for Submission: Due July 8 – Architecture Due July 8 – Twenty-five Year Award Due July 27 – Architecture Firm Award Due July 27 – Gold Medal Due August 5 – Interior Architecture Due September 5 – Regional & Urban Design |
Design News
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 Job BoardAs a benefit to our members, we maintain a Job Board of local postings. Pay us a visit for postings from: Architecture, Incorporated; George Mason University – Facilities Planning, Design and Construction; MV+A Architects; Powers Brown Architecture; Convene Architecture; Moseley Architects; LeMay Erickson Willcox Architects; O’Brien & Keane; MW Architects; and George Mason University, Department of Capital Strategy and Planning and MTFA Architecture While always free for Chapter members, we are waiving all Job Board fees to share as many job opportunities as we can. We also maintain a resume library and share resumes with firms that are hiring. So please send us your resume to us at aianova@aianova.org. |
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Dominion Apartments |
 Dominion is a renovated and preserved 188-unit multi-family residential apartment building with ground level retail. The existing mid-century modern building was constructed in 1955 and is a contributing resource in the Arlington Heights historic district. The building is ranked highly by Arlington County due to the strength of remaining original detail and character.The renovation respects and enhances many of the existing historic features of the building. The original steel windows have been replaced with new insulated aluminum windows that match the style and profile of the original windows. The existing ground floor retail storefront, awning, and canopy have been repaired using new materials to match the original. Care was taken to protect original detailing in the main lobby, preserving detailing at the ceiling and restoring original flooring. Unit Interiors were updated while using guidelines set forth by the National Park Service (NPS) and Virginia Department of Historic Resources (VDHR) to protect existing original elements where possible. All improvements, interior and exterior, were made within these guidelines to qualify for historic tax credit programs.  Photography © Anice Hoachlander, Hoachlander Davis Photography |
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JUNE CALENDAR 1 | Lighting & Plug Load Controls 12:00p. [info] 2 | Equity in Public Schools: Supporting our Communities through School Design 12:00p. [info] 2 | Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion: Equity in This Moment – Becoming an Ally 12:00p. [info] 3 | AIA Virginia Membership Meeting 6:30p. [info] 7 | WIA Committee Meeting 6:00p. [info] 12 | ARE Exam Series: Project Development and Documentation 5:00p. [info] 14 | AIA Northern Virginia Board Meeting 4:30p. [info] 15 | Building Better Futures in Native American Communities 1:30p. [info] 15 | Design Award Submissions Due 5:00p. [info] 17 | AIA Conference on Architecture 2021 10:00a. [info] 23 | WIA Communications Workshop: Difficult Conversations, Negotiations, and Disagreements 4:30p. [info] 25 | Design Awards Committee Meeting 12:30p. [info] 29 | Designing for Fire Safety 12:00p. [info] Upcoming Dates to Note: July 8 - AIA Conference on Architecture 2021 July 17 - ARE Exam Series: Construction and Evaluation July 19 - Committee Chairs Planning Meeting Combined Virginia / West Virginia Event Calendar Now you can find all the webinars and architecture events in the region in one place. AIA chapters across Virginia and West Virginia are contributing to a combined calendar on the Inform Magazine site. 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 aianova@aianova.org. The Chapter House is located at 1101 Duke Street, Alexandria 22314. |