BLAST

Volume 3, No. 12 - November 24, 2009

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BLAST - News and Notes from AIA Northern Virginia

Berkeley County Judicial Center, by AECOM Design (more info)

Renew Your AIA Membership

Completing 2009 Continuing Education

Free Code Workshop

In Practice...

Featured Project: Berkeley
County Judicial Center

Calendar

AIA Northern Virginia Website

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Membership Renewal Time - Why Renew?

To find help dealing with the economy
From our free job board, seminars and articles on financial and legal issues, to helping unemployed members find jobs, we are here to help any way we can.

To keep informed on current issues affecting practice and find tools to help you manage your business
The Chapter offers useful professional practice information on our website, in AIA Northern Virginia News + BLAST.

To access a wide variety of free continuing education opportunities
We offer numerous sessions from our lunch seminars to special series like our Sustainability Training which not only helped our members prepare for LEED® accreditation, but earned them 25 HSW SD learning units, all free of charge. In fact, you can easily meet Virginia's new Mandatory Continuing Education requirement at no expense and then simply print your AIA transcript to submit with your license renewal.

To find fellowship and networking opportunities with your colleagues
Join us for our Chapter dinner, firm tours, Mardi Gras-themed Open House, building tours, wine tastings, Small Firm Roundtable and Young Architects Forum + Women in Architecture happy hours.

To support our emerging professionals
We provide study sessions for the ARE, free access to study materials, help in finding mentors, scholarships and many events to help develop professional skills from workshops with firm principals to the Inter-School Design Competition.

To promote the profession
From our Design Awards program, About Architecture and How To Work With An Architect series, referral lists on our website, ads in publications, our walking and bike tours and a series of other events during Architecture Week, the Chapter strives to bring a knowledge and appreciation of architecture and design to the public.

To serve your community and neighbors
Participate in Canstruction to help feed your neighbors in need and volunteer in a local school through our Architecture in the Schools program.

For additional information on membership benefits, see the AIA's Membership Resources Guide here. You will receive your 2010 AIA dues invoice shortly, if you haven't already received it. You are able to pay online, by fax or by mail. Specific instructions are included with your invoice.

In response to the economy, your AIA dues remain at the same amount as last year. In fact, for the last five years your AIA Northern Virginia dues have remained unchanged at $145 for architect members and $50 for associates.

To help members during these tough times, the AIA is offering a dues payment plan for those experiencing financial hardship. Under the payment plan, members are offered the opportunity to pay their dues in six installments. Members will be eligible to enroll between January 4 and April 30, 2010. Additional information on the plan is included on your invoice and is available here. In certain instances, the Institute is also authorized to grant hardship waivers requested by the local component.

We know everyone is concerned about the economy and money is tight. AIA Northern Virginia strives to offer members valuable benefits and to be available to help in any way we can. Our membership numbers have held remarkably steady this year. In fact, we actually have a few more members right now than we did at this time last year. That so many members chose to renew during a severe recession is a testament to the value they see in AIA membership.

Contact Debbie Burns, Executive Director, or Lorin Boswell, Membership Director, at (703) 549-9747 or aianova@aianova.org.

Looking for Continuing Education Credits Before the End of the Year?

Completing your continuing education credits before the end of the year is easier than you think. For starters, you may want to check your continuing education transcript to see where you stand. If you still need of a few more hours, you can check our Chapter calendar below; the December 7 Code Seminar offers 6 credits and the Lunch Seminar on December 9 offers two. Both events are free of charge.

Another easy way to obtain credits is to file a Self-Report Form online. You can self-report credit:

If you attend an educational program that is not offered by an AIA/CES Registered provider;

If you self-design a learning activity to meet a specific need, such as a research project;

If you participate in a professional community service activity, such as an architecture panel or community board meeting (for up to 2 credits each year).

To be eligible for credit, all self-reported activities must be planned educational activities that provide you with new knowledge that can be applied toward the practice of architecture. To determine what qualifies for self-reporting, ask yourself the following questions: Is this a planned learning activity? Is this activity intended to be educational or operational? Are you acquiring new knowledge or are you sharing your knowledge with others? How will you apply this new knowledge to your practice?

Not all self-reported activities can qualify for health, safety + welfare (HSW) or sustainable design (SD) credits, and some state licensing boards will not accept this type of reporting for mandatory continuing education (MCE) requirements. To check various state requirements, visit the MCE page for information.

Self-Report Forms must be completed and submitted online. The AIA no longer accepts paper copies; the form can be accessed on the AIA Education page.

Remember, the AIA requires 18 credits annually. For additional information on self-reporting and other continuing education issues, refer to the CES Survival Guide and know that you can always contact the Chapter with questions at (703) 549-9747 or aianova@aianova.org.

Free 2009 International Existing Building Code Workshop Announced

Offered as a free presentation by the City of Alexandria Office of Building and Fire Code Administration, the 2009 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) Workshop is scheduled for Monday, December 7.

This workshop offers an overview of the critical concepts of the 2009 IEBC, provides a basis for the correct use and application of the code, and builds understanding of the intent of the code through a review of the basic tables and categorizations. John Gibson with the International Code Council is the instructor.

Participants can earn 6 Continuing Education Learning Units for AIA, ICC and DHCD. The workshop will run from 8:30a-4:30p at the First Baptist Church of Alexandria, 2932 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22302. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided in the morning and a lunch break will be scheduled from noon-1:00p.

Registration is required and is limited to the first 100 participants. To register, email the AIA Northern Virginia Chapter at reservations@aianova.org and include name, phone number, email address, jurisdiction and your company/firm. Registration must be received by November 30.

* Please note, the International Code Council Code Seminar - 2006 IBC Fundamentals Structural Provisions Workshop, originally scheduled for December 4 by the Virginia Society AIA, has been cancelled.

In Practice...

New AIA Contract Documents Released in November
AIA Contract Documents recently released three new documents as part of the 4.2 software upgrade. The documents are Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) � Multi-party Agreement, B108-2009, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect for a Publicly-Funded or Insured Project and B202-2009, Standard Form of Architect's Services: Programming. Additional information on contract documents is available here.

AIA Leadership to Host Interactive Webinar on AIA 2010-2015 Strategic Plan
On November 24, at noon, George H. Miller, FAIA, 2010 president-elect, and Clark Manus, FAIA, 2010 first vice president-elect, will hold a webinar to review the final draft of the AIA Strategic Plan for 2010�2015. The plan will go to the board for approval the first week of December. To register, click here.

New Film Documents the Modernism of Julius Shulman
Visual Acoustics, The Modernism of Julius Shulman is a new documentary film about architectural photographer, Julius Shulman. The film traces Shulman's career as he captured the Modernist movement, photographing the work of Richard Neutra, Rudolph M. Schindler, Frank Lloyd Wright, John Lautner, Pierre Koenig and Frank Gehry, among others. Shulman died in July at 98. Visual Acoustics is directed by Eric Ricker and narrated by Dustin Hoffman. While the movie enjoyed a very brief run in DC last week, it is available at places like Netflix. Additional information on the movie is available here.

Berkeley County Judicial Center
AECOM Design | National Captial Office
Martinsburg, West Virginia

The Berkeley County Judicial Center design is an adaptive reuse of the Berkeley Building, a 1920s woolen mill and 1980s outlet mall, as a new judicial center. AECOM's design celebrates the original woolen mill by emphasizing its form and materials with a contrasting new glass and precast entrance. This approach enhanced its presence as a judicial facility while maintaining the local character and scale of the city of Martinsburg. The 122,600-square foot judicial center houses nine courtrooms and several hearing rooms for the Circuit, Magistrate, and Family courts plus administrative spaces for clerks and other county functions.

The existing Berkeley Building consisted of a four-story U-shaped building; a bridge connected the two wings of the U-shape creating a courtyard. Renovations made when the building was converted to an outlet mall were demolished and the courtyard cleared.

A new four-story addition infills the U-shaped portion, and includes the Magistrate and Circuit courtrooms. With respect for the building's context, original exterior walls are exposed in a new three-story light well to create a grand public space. Glass railing bridges serve as entrances to the courtrooms. Existing window openings act as a backdrop for the Judge's bench, bridging together the new and old architecture.

December 1 - David Jameson : Spotlight on Design
6:30-8:00p, at the National Building Museum. Hear David Jameson, FAIA, an Alexandria, Virginia-based architect, discuss his exploration of proportion, volume, light, and material in projects including the BlackWhite House, Jigsaw Residence, and Hoopers Island House. 1 AIA/CES LU, prepaid registration required here.

December 2 - Young Architects Forum Happy Hour
6:00p, at Yaku, in Arlington, Metro accessible via Courthouse. Please come out, socialize and enjoy the great Happy Hour specials. For additional information, contact the Chapter House at aianova@aianova.org or (703) 549-9747.

December 7 - 2009 International Existing Building Code (IEBC)
8:30a-4:30p, at the First Baptist Church of Alexandria, 2932 King Street, Alexandria 22302. Offered as a free presentation by the City of Alexandria, Office of Building and Fire Code Administration. See article above for more information.

December 9 - AIA Northern Virginia Lunch Series
11:00a-1:15p, at PSA-Dewberry, 8401 Arlington Boulevard, Fairfax 22031. ABCs of Access Control and Electronic Access Control + Security Systems presented by Bob Hicks and Randy Jump with Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. 2 AIA/CES LUs. Free; lunch provided. Registration required by emailing reservations@aianova.org. For additional information, click here.

December 14 - AIA Northern Virginia Board Meeting
4:30-6:00p, at the Chapter House, 205 South Patrick Street, Alexandria 22314. For additional information, contact the Chapter House at aianova@aianova.org.

December 16 - Women in Architecture Happy Hour
If you would like to receive information, please email WIA at wia@aianova.org.