| Volume 11, No. 3 - April 7, 2017 |
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 7001 Arlington Road, by KGD Architecture (more info) |
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This issue of BLAST is sponsored by Big Ass Solutions |
| AlexRenew Selected for our 2017 Design Awards Celebration Venue |
 We are happy to announce that the recently completed Alexandria Renew Enterprises Environmental Center (AlexRenew), designed by Rust | Orling Architecture, will be the site of our Design Awards Celebration on Thursday, June 15.The building serves as the headquarters for AlexRenew, an advanced water resource recovery public utility on 33 acres in the Carlyle/Eisenhower neighborhood of Alexandria. The Center also serves as a community resource with educational displays in the lobby. Sustainable building features, including a well-insulated building envelope, plenty of natural daylight, vertical sun shades, photovoltaics and reclaimed water use, have allowed the Center to seek LEED® Platinum certification. We are happy to be able to offer building tours to our guests. AlexRenew appeared as our Featured Project in the November 2016 issue of BLAST, so read more about the building at https://aianova.org/BLAST/10-10.html Photography © Eric Taylor |
| Remember - Design Awards Entries due April 20 This year's jury is from the Denver area. We will host two separate panels of judges, one for commercial/ institutional/ historic projects and a separate one for residential architecture. We had 38 winning projects last year. So prepare your submittal for 2017 – aianova.org/DA17 Celebrate Architecture Week April 9-15 Last chance to register for great tours, lectures, exhibits, yoga and kids' activities. Continuing education credits are available. 
• Architecture at its Best: Exhibit of Award-Winning Projects by Local Architects• Architecture Week Book Displays Sunday, April 9 • Walking Tour of Historic Old Town Alexandria, 1:00-3:00p • Open House at Virginia Tech’s WAAC, 1:00-3:00p • Sculpting Space: Connecting Art to Architecture, 6:00-8:00p Wednesday, April 12 • The NEW Old Dominion Boat Club Construction Tour, 5:30-6:30p • VR for Architecture, 6:30p Thursday, April 13 • Native Places - A Presentation and Discussion on Travel Sketches, 6:00-8:30p • Family Activities at the Torpedo Factory, 6:00-9:00p Saturday, April 15 • Skyline Yoga, 10:00-11:00a • Oatlands Historic House and Gardens Tour, 10:00a-noon • Modular House Construction Tour, 10:00a-1:00p • Children's Architectural Scavenger Hunt, 1:00-3:00p Information and reservations are available here. |
| Intern No More: AIA Supports New Titles for Professionals Pursuing Licensure |
| A new position statement from AIA seeks to move beyond the outdated use of "intern." The AIA's Board of Directors updated the Institute's position statements to clarify the term "intern." The newly approved statement specified that, while "intern" remains a supported title for students working in an architectural office while pursuing an architecture degree, it should not apply to those who have already earned a NAAB-accredited degree and are currently working for a firm while pursuing licensure. For those individuals, AIA strongly supports two titles: "architectural associate" and "design professional." The statement is AIA's response to a lengthy debate on using "intern" to describe graduates on the path to licensure. And while the two terms come with their own complications on a state-by-state basis, there's a consensus across the profession that this statement is a much-needed step in the right direction. When considering these two titles, it’s important to keep in mind that "architect" and "architectural" are both protected terms in Virginia, used only to describe a licensed architect. Read the full announcement and the position statements here. |
WIA Lecture Series Continues This year's theme of Resilience will explore how architects, landscape architects, designers, planners, developers and civic leaders are responding to new vulnerabilities surfacing around the world. Two lectures remain: April 12, Resilience and Civic Culture at the Urban Land Institute April 19, Resilient Design and the Environment at Perkins Eastman |
| Considering Fellowship? |
 If you are considering elevation to Fellowship, please join Kathryn T. Prigmore, FAIA, Chair of our Fellows Committee, on Tuesday, May 16, from noon until 1:15p, at the Chapter House, to learn about submission requirements and the AIA Northern Virginia process. Strategies for obtaining and documenting experience, the online submission process, resources, and roles and responsibilities for you and your nomination team will be discussed.This meeting will also be of interest to current Fellows and other AIA members who are considering serving as a Sponsor for nominees. This session is recommended for members who would like to submit for the Class of 2018 as well as for those who are considering submitting sometime in the future. Information on Fellowship and sample submissions are available on the AIA website. Fellowship nominations will open this summer and Class of 2018 nomination packages will be due in early October 2017. For questions contact Kathie at ktpra@outlook.com. |
| Fellows Fête - 2017 Group Photograph |
 Kevin G. Sneed, FAIA - Honoree, Hugh C. Miller, FAIA, Charles E. "Chuck" Swartz, FAIA - Honoree; Lori Garrett, FAIA - Honoree, Wesley L. Page, FAIA - Honoree, Kathryn T. Prigmore, FAIA, Bruce M. Justice, FAIA, Steven E. Loomis, FAIA, Paula J. Loomis, FAIA, Donna W. Dunay, FAIA, Elizabeth W. "Jo" Lawson, FAIA, John A. Burns, FAIA, Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, Mary P. Cox, FAIA, Mary R. "Beth" Reader, FAIA, S. Michael Evans, FAIA, Baird M. Smith, FAIA, Thomas L. Kerns, FAIA, Robert A. Boynton, FAIA, Dr. Charles W. Steger, FAIA, Michael Bednar, FAIA, Robert J. Dunay, FAIA, Carlton S. Abbott, FAIA, Albert J. "Jack" Davis, FAIA, *Paul R. Erickson, FAIA, Honoree - unable to attend. Photograph © Marcia Smith. |
| Volunteer to Help Homeless Families the Day before A'17, with AEC Cares projectOrlando |
| This year, AEC Cares joins forces with the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida to renovate its Center for Women and Families. This event will bring together more than 100 industry volunteers to create a warmer and brighter space for homeless families. This seventh annual blitz build, "projectOrlando," will take place on April 26, the day before the Conference on Architecture 2017 in Orlando. Volunteer here. |
| Awards and Opportunities Due April 20 – AIA Northern Virginia Design Awards Entries Due Due April 11 – UIA Gold Medal and Vassilis Sgoutas Prize Nominations Due April 20 – Arthur N. Tuttle Jr. Graduate Fellowship in Health Facility Planning and Design Application Due April 20 – GMZ Graduate Fellowship in Health Facility Planning and Design Application Due April 24 – Summer Leadership Summit Next Generation Scholarship Application Due April 30 – Call for Nominees: Women Shaping Space in the Mid-Atlantic Submissions Due May 1 – Blueprint for the Future: A Home for Everyone Phase 1 Submission Due May 11 – Re-defining Home: Home Today, Home Tomorrow Competition Due May 21 – Architecture Exchange East Call for Presentations Join the AIA's Home Design Trends Survey Panel surveymonkey.com/r/HDTSjoin |
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 new postings from: MTFA Architecture, Hughes Group Architects, Bowie Gridley Architects, Jacobs, Helbing Lipp Recny Architects, Kerns Group Architects, RRMM Lukmire Architects and BDA Architects, Inc. |
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7001 Arlington Road |
 Located in downtown Bethesda and overlooking the Capital Crescent Trail, the project consists of a five-story apartment building enveloped by uniquely landscaped courtyards, all set atop an automobile dealership and subsurface garage. The site is flanked by dense commercial properties, so the vision was to create an "urban retreat" for the residents, and provide almost one acre of private open space in the downtown core.Natural grade change from the Capital Crescent Trail down to Arlington Road allowed the one-level garage to be built into the slope, creating a landscaped podium. The building is set back 60' from the rear lot line to create a serene "backyard" for residents and create a gradual transition between downtown and the single-family residential neighborhood on the other side of the trail. With the long narrow site and stick built framing, the building form is inherently horizontal. In order to break up the long lines, the design composed the functional unit mechanical closets, bio-filters and balconies, located on the perimeter of the units, into simple vertical armatures.  Photography © John Cole |
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APRIL CALENDAR 9-15 | Architecture at its Best: An Exhibit of Award-Winning Projects by Local Architects Alexandria. [info] 9-15 | Architecture Week Book Displays Local area libraries. [info] 9 | Walking Tour of Historic Old Town Alexandria 1:00p, Alexandria. [info] 9 | Open House at Virginia Tech's Washington Alexandria Architecture Center 1:00p, Alexandria. [info] 9 | Sculpting Space: Connecting Art to Architecture 6:00p, Alexandria. [info] 10 | AIA Northern Virginia Board Meeting 4:30p, Alexandria. [info] 11 | COTE Committee Meeting 6:00p, Arlington. [info] 12 | Women in Architecture Lecture Series 2017: Resilience and Civic Culture 6:00p, Washington, DC. [info] 12 | VR for Architecture 6:30p, Washington, DC. [info] 12 | The NEW Old Dominion Boat Club Construction Tour 5:30p, Alexandria. [info] 13 | "Native Places" - A Presentation and Discussion on Travel Sketches 6:00p, Alexandria. [info] 13 | Family Activities at the Torpedo Factory 6:00p, Alexandria. [info] 15 | Skyline Yoga 10:00a, Arlington. [info] 15 | Oatlands Historic House and Gardens Tour 10:00a, Leesburg. [info] 15 | Architecture Scavenger Hunt for Children 1:00p, Alexandria. [info] 15 | Modular House Construction Tour 10:00a, Alexandria. [info] 19 | Women in Architecture Lecture Series 2017: Resilient Design and the Environment 6:00p, Washington, DC. [info] 19 | 360 Mentoring General Session [info] 20 | Architecture Lab Committee Meeting 6:30p, Alexandria. [info] 20 | Design Awards Committee Meeting 12:00p, Alexandria. [info] 20 | Design Award Entries Due [info] 21-22 | WAAC Frascari Symposium III Alexandria. [info] 21 | Carlo Scarpa and Ceiling Design: The Querini Stampalia in Venice 5:30p, Alexandria. [info] 22 | ARE Exam Series: 4.0 Vignettes 10:00a, Arlington/Roanoke. [info] 23 | Young Architects Forum Brunch 11:00a, Washington, DC. [info] Upcoming Dates to Note: May 5 - Small Firms Roundtable: Sustainable Siding Options May 18 - Women in Architecture Happy Hour 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. |