| Volume 15, No. 9 - November 1, 2021 |
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 THEARC West, by Sanchez Palmer Architects (more info) |
Demand for Design Services Increases |
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This issue of BLAST is sponsored by Lee/Shoemaker PLLC |
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2021 Honor Awards Presented at Autumn Social Congratulations to all honorees!  Loudoun County Design Cabinet - Presented the AIA Northern Virginia Chapter Award for encouraging and promoting high quality design throughout Loudoun County since 2003. Rachel Montana Pampel - Presented the Award of Special Recognition for her organization of the Interschool Design Competition. Tom Sheridan with Potomac Valley Brick - Presented the Award of Special Recognition for his enduring support of our chapter and members. Jenine Kotob, AIA and Meredith Ellinger, AIA - Presented the Service to the Chapter Award for their leadership of the Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE). Manoj Dalaya, FAIA - Presented the Distinguished Leadership & Service Award for his strong leadership as Chapter President, focusing on member experience and addressing issues important to our membership. Joe McCoy, AIA - Presented the Outstanding Achievement Award with great appreciation for EVERYTHING he has done to help the chapter this year. Randall Mars, AIA - Presented the Award of Honor for years of service to the chapter, his dedication to teaching at WAAC, and his support of emerging professionals. The chapter also honored our wonderful staff during the event, recognizing Lorin Boswell and Matt Shuba, AIA for 15 years of service and Debbie Burns, Hon. AIA upon her retirement after 22 years as our Executive Director. Watch for additional information on the event and awards in our next newsletter! Demand for Design Services Continues to Increase  Architecture firms continue to report increasing demand for design services in September, according to the October 20 AIA Architecture Billings Index (ABI).The ABI score for September was 56.6, which is up from August’s score of 55.6. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings from the prior month. During September, scoring for both the new project inquiries and design contracts moderated slightly, but remained in positive territory, posting scores of 61.8 and 54.7 respectively. "The ABI scores over the last eight months continue to be among the highest ever seen in the immediate post-recession periods that have been captured throughout the index's history," said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. "However, it’s unlikely that revenue increases at architecture firms can sustain this pace. Given that growth in both new design contracts and project inquiries have moderated in recent months, we expect to see a similar path for the ABI." Visit AIA’s website for more ABI information. ARE Scholarship Applications due November 9 The Young Architects Forum has developed a scholarship program to support testing and defray the costs for the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). This scholarship is intended to recognize an Associate AIA member who has made significant contributions to the profession at an early stage in their career and to encourage their pursuit of licensure. Applicants must be an Associate member of AIA Northern Virginia and have an active NCARB record. The application and details can be downloaded here. Architecture Exchange East – November 1-5 Registration is now open for AIA Virginia’s ArchEx conference, offering both in person and online options. The conference theme considers consequences – both intentional and unintentional. Beginning with both Women in Design and Emerging Leaders in Architecture programs, amazing keynote addresses follow, featuring Jonathan Moody, AIA; Zena Howard, FAIA; and Marlon Blackwell, FAIA. Learn more and register on the AIA Virginia site. AIA Virginia Emerging Leaders in Architecture Program The ELA is an intensive program of educational sessions structured around presentations, discussions, team exploration, analysis, consensus-building, collaboration, and case study activities undertaken over the course of a year. The program consists of monthly, day-long seminars, work sessions, and class project presentations, culminating at a presentation at Architecture Exchange East in November. Sessions rotate among sites in Roanoke, Charlottesville, Richmond, Alexandria, and Norfolk. The class project for 2022 will be in Roanoke, so many sessions and the project workdays will be located in the Roanoke area. Applications are due by November 5. Additional information is available on the AIA Virginia website. Arlington Design Awards Program Submissions due December 6 
Arlington County's biennial design awards program, DESIGNArlington, is accepting submissions for great design in architectural, historic preservation, landscape, and public art projects. The program seeks to highlight excellence and diversity in the county's built environment.Eligible projects must have been completed since 2015 and may fall into any number of categories:
Quick Notes... AIA's Home Design Trends Survey ... Q3 focuses on home features showing both home offices and outdoor living spaces remain popular... [info] ... Practice Management Knowledge Community... conversation on adopting hybrid or virtual return-to-office strategies [info]... AIA Trust webinars... on critical risk topics: climate change, mediation, health insurance [info] ... Awards and Opportunities AIA Honors Currently Open for Submission: Due November 12 – AIA Small Project Award |
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 postings from: Convene Architecture; MW Architects; Winstanley Architects & Planners; Cook Architecture; FM Studios; Little; and LeMay Erickson Willcox Architects. AIA Northern Virginia Chapter members may post entries free of charge as a benefit of membership. Non-members are billed at a rate of $75 for each entry. 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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THEARC West |
 THEARC West is a new 100,000sf multi-use facility on the campus of the Town Hall Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC). Designed to serve the needs of a traditionally underserved community, the building provides expanded and complimentary program areas to existing amenities and is the new home to nine non-profit partner organizations that serve the surrounding community.Each partner organization was a stakeholder in early design discussions of the building concept. Periodic design presentations were made by the architect and client to the surrounding community through regular community forums that aimed to inform people about program offerings and encourage feedback on how to improve the center as a community resource. Criteria were established early on that any new development had to be durable, environmentally responsible, efficient, and provide long-lasting value. Equally important were the goals of a respectable civic building with efficient maintenance and operation that would fit financial resources and directly support programming. The building integrates the principles of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, progressing toward a zero-carbon, equitable, resilient, and healthy built environment.  Photography © Boris Feldblyum |
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NOVEMBER CALENDAR 1 | WIA Committee Meeting 6:00p. [info] 1-5 | Architecture Exchange East [info] 5 | AIA Virginia Emerging Leaders in Architecture Applications Due [info] 12 | Post-Disaster Safety-Assessment Program (SAP) Training 9:00a. [info] 16 | Understanding Mechanical Systems 12:00p. [info] 18 | Committee on Architecture for Education Meeting 12:00p. [info] 19 | J.E.D.I. IRL – Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion in Real Life 12:00p. [info] 20 | AIA Northern Virginia Board Retreat & Committee Chairs Meeting 8:30a. [info] 30 | Building Waterproofing Assemblies 12:00p. [info] Upcoming Dates to Note: December 6- Women in Architecture Meeting December 7 - LULA / Wheelchair Lifts for Commercial Applications December 16 - Committee on Architecture for Education 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. |