| Volume 4, No. 6 - May 26, 2010 |
| previous | main menu | next |
 Arlington Free Clinic, by Perkins+Will (more info) |
 |
|
Register Today for the 2010 Design Awards Gala |
|
Graciously hosted by our colleagues at the Boston Society of Architects, the jury session for the 2010 AIA Northern Virginia Design Awards Program was held on May 21, 2010, with some surprising results. With our very experienced jury consisting of Peter Kuttner, FAIA, Maryann Thompson, FAIA, Mark Hutker, AIA and Cliff Gayley, AIA LEED® AP, our transition to electronic submissions was not an issue. In fact, the electronic submission format provided definite benefits to the jury process beyond its inherently sustainable aspect by allowing for a more effective use of time before and during the session. |
|
AIA Northern Virginia's First Speed Mentoring Event |
|
As interns, we are required to have a mentor to review experience reports submitted for the IDP, but that mentor can be so much more than someone who signs off on your Training Units. They can also be a sounding board, a devil's advocate and a trusted advisor to help guide you through the profession. |
|
In Practice... |
|
Tour the Arlington Free Clinic, Featured Project in Today's BLAST We have arranged a tour of the Arlington Free Clinic, designed by Perkins+Will, on Monday, June 28, 6:00-7:00p. 1 AIA/CES HSW/SD learning unit is offered. The tour is free, but limited to 30 participants. To reserve a place, please email reservations@aianova.org. The Clinic is located at 2921 South 11th Street (corner of Columbia Pike and Walter Reed Drive), Arlington. Sponsored by the Chapter's Young Architects Forum and Committee on the Environment. Join AIA NOVA on Facebook AIA Northern Virginia is on Facebook, so please join our group. Currently on the Wall: information about the new International Green Construction Code (IGCC). Visit our Facebook group here. Can't Make It to Miami? - AIA Virtual Convention The AIA is pleased to announce the AIA Virtual Convention to be held in conjunction with the AIA National Convention and Design Exposition, June 10–12. You can view select convention sessions, including all three keynote presentations and more than 30 seminars through live web streams. CES credits are available and many sessions offer HSW and SD learning units. For a list of the available sessions, click here. Admission to the Virtual Expo, featuring nearly 100 exhibitors is free; convention sessions are available to AIA members for $160 and nonmembers for $275. Click here for complete information. 2011 AIA National Convention Call for Presentations The theme for 2011 is Innovations in Regional Design: Place‐making in the 21st Century Metropolis. The Call for Presentations is available here. Submission deadline is July 1, 2010. |
 |
Arlington Free Clinic |
 Arlington Free Clinic (AFC), the only clinic providing free health care to low‐income uninsured adults in Arlington, is now also the first free clinic in the nation to earn the prestigious LEED® Gold certification under the USGBC evaluation system for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI)."We knew sustainable design was the right thing to do," said Nancy Sanger Pallesen, Executive Director of Arlington Free Clinic (AFC). "Once we understood it could achieve a 'green' space that was beautiful, functional and cost effective, nothing could have stopped us!" AFC realized at their first meeting with the architects, Perkins+Will, they had found a design partner equally committed to this goal. Tama Duffy Day, design principal at Perkins+Will said, "We hope the success of this project will educate and encourage many healthcare providers to commit to achieve spaces that truly serve the health and emotion needs of clinic populations while operating more effectively and sustainably."  The project was a labor of love where all project team members focused on one shared vision: to design and construct a clinic through open, honest collaboration that was efficiently planned, completed within a modest budget, utilizing recycled, regional, renewable and non-toxic materials to create a space that inspires healing.Perkins+Will's approach is that health and sustainability naturally go hand in hand. A key driver for AFC was learning about Evidence Based Design (EBD), a practice that recognizes the built environment does have a positive influence on health. Since Arlington Free Clinic invests daily in human health and wellbeing, they wanted to incorporate systems, materials, lighting and controls to create an indoor environment that would increase patient, staff and visitor wellness and satisfaction. Water use was reduced through the use of low flow fixtures, flush control values and motion sensor faucets. The HVAC system was designed to increase comfort for occupants by monitoring carbon dioxide levels in high density spaces to reduce the amount of unnecessary cooling when unoccupied. Construction waste was recycled and construction materials, furniture and furnishings were regionally manufactured.  AFC learned that many EBD strategies align directly with designing a facility to meet LEED criteria. In an ongoing program, AFC implemented a Sustainable Building Education Outreach and Signage Program. With over 500 staff and volunteers and thousands of patients, sustainable education is widely visible in the Clinic. AFC also elected to contract with an organization that practices green housekeeping in efforts to bar harmful chemicals from the facility during routine cleaning and maintenance.The design and engineering team generously donated significant amounts of time and labor to the project. Along with Perkins+Will, the team included Integral Group for mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems as well as LEED commissioning, Washington Workplace for furniture and equipment and Bognet Construction Associates, the General Contractor. We have arranged a tour of the Arlington Free Clinic on June 28. See the announcement above for information. |
|
June 1 - DesignDC Early Bird Registration Ends June 5 - ARE Prep Series - Programming, Planning + Practice June 6 - AIA Northern Virginia Design Awards Gala June 10-12 - AIA National Convention June 14 - Northern Virginia Board Meeting June 15 - Traveling Happy Hour: Leesburg June 16 - AIA Northern Virginia Lunch Series June 16 - Women in Architecture Happy Hour June 17 - Speed Mentoring June 19 - ARE Prep Series - Site Planning + Design June 28 - Arlington Free Clinic Tour |