| Volume 3, No. 13 - December 15, 2009 |
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 Potomacondo, by AURAFORM, INC (more info) |
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Happy Holidays! From AIA Northern Virginia |
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Why Community Service Belongs on Your 2010 Agenda by Matt Shuba, AIA Northern Virginia Communications Director |
| 2009 was a tense year for the American economy, a fact not lost on most architects (or graduating architecture students looking for jobs). Americans love to build, but home additions, new stores, remodels and beach houses everywhere have been put on hold as people have been encouraged to "tighten their belts." The good news is that the worst may be behind us. Though it has yet to hit the balance sheets of many firms, the stock market has grown for five straight months, employment figures have slowly been stabilizing over the last six, and the nation's GDP grew in the third quarter for the first time in a year. Even stingy housing prices have improved 11 out of the last 12 months. The bad news is that it can take time before it leads to new projects for firms. But rebuilding a bruised economy can't wait. Hard times don't obfuscate the need for safe housing and buildings, and there are many organizations devoted to organizing volunteer opportunities. If you own a firm and new projects have been slow, consider taking on pro bono work to keep employees occupied while you await projects if you can. Volunteerism helps organizational morale, and an office that feels busy feels strong. From a business standpoint, tax incentives may be available and just as importantly, a next job can come from anywhere. Friends, coworkers, family and acquaintances of satisfied clients can spread your name, whether they paid for your services or not. Likewise, if you are an individual who is under- or unemployed, volunteerism will keep your skills sharp while you help those less fortunate. You will likely meet other professionals in the building industry, so perhaps service can create job leads as well. Organizations offering volunteer opportunities for architects include:
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My Experience with Habitat for Humanity by Richa Bansal, Associate AIA |
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Like so many of my colleagues, I am a design professional who has been hit hard due to the economy's downturn. After job hunting for 4-8 hours every day, I find comfort and purpose in contributing my current reserve of available time towards "giving back" by volunteering for various community causes. It is a great way to maintain my presence, cultivate and even broaden my skills, stay connected with other architects and engineers, expand my professional and personal network, stay active, and find fulfillment. |
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In Practice... |
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Canstruction® Around the Corner AIA Northern Virginia will organize our 7th annual Canstruction® competition in early 2010. While we are all feeling the pain of the economy, it is even more difficult for the groups trying to help those in need. The Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), the recipient of our food, has seen a substantial increase in demand for their services over the last year. Our Chapter's Canstruction competition is the single largest food drive contributor to AFAC, contributing over 20,000 pounds of food in 2009. So please consider forming a team for the 2010 competition. It's fun and worthwhile! Watch for information in early 2010. Making the Jobs Bill Work for Architects Congress is moving quickly to develop legislation aimed at preserving jobs and reducing unemployment. In fact, the House hopes to craft a bill by Christmas. With the Architecture Billing Index maintaining a negative score, indicating a reduction in demand for design services, and architecture firms suffering the effects of the ongoing economic crisis, we need your help to ensure that this potential legislation is developed with provisions that work for architects. The AIA has provided Congress with recommendations for policies that will bring about short- and long-term recovery to our economy and lay the groundwork for more vibrant and sustainable communities. Congress will debate this bill in the coming weeks. You can help make sure that the plan helps the design and construction industry get back to work. For additional information and a link to help you easily contact your member of Congress, visit our website here. The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Green Projects Awards This awards program recognizes the benefits of sustainable design and acknowledges architects as leaders in the creation of environmentally responsible design solutions. Now in its 14th year, the program is one of the best known sustainable design recognition programs in the nation. Winning projects will be recognized with an AIA/COTE award certificate and acknowledged in the national press, on the AIA website, and at the AIA National Convention in June 2010. A new online submission process is in place. The registration fee for members is $325. Entries must be received by January 15. For complete information, visit the AIA website here. |
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Potomacondo |
 The project is a complete gut of a 1,400 square-foot condo on the sixth floor of the Potomac Plaza across from the Watergate. It overlooks the river, the Kennedy Center and the Memorial Bridge.The owner is a retired Architect. What interested me initially about the project was the unlikely and unpredictable cooperation between a retired Architect, with a long and distinguished career, and myself, a young Architect with a new firm just starting out. There seemed to me to be a real opportunity to learn something, and to listen. The space and the friendship that emerged is the product of that cooperation.  The space is open, like a gallery of living.The architecture is intentionally mute. It is conceived to recede humbly to the background, so the art and furniture and sculpture, and the breathtaking views of the city, can come forth proudly to the foreground. Black parquet floors, gray walls with gray plastic laminate and MDO casework, and a white stepped-ceiling to increase the perception of the space's height, are collectively the canvas for brightly colored paintings and custom-upholstered classic modern furniture. The owner and I enjoy the classic modern aesthetic, and we wanted to create a kind of homage to the rigor with which modern architecture was edited. Visitors often comment, "It's one big open space and modern, but somehow it feels warm." That was the goal; the essential without the esoteric. -Matt Jarvis, AIA, Principal |
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| Photography by Reel Works Media, LLC Added Dimensions, Contractor |
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January 8 - Architecture in the Schools Exhibit January 11 - AIA Northern Virginia Board Meeting January 20 - YAF + WIA Happy Hour January TBD - Construction Tour of William McDonough's New School of International Service at American University February 16 - Annual Chapter Open House |
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Marvin Windows / LightStyles, Ltd. |
The market has seen an increase in opportunities to work with rental property owners, such as Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and very often design is only half the way to a client singing your praises with recommendations and accolades. The other half is selecting products that achieve great design while reducing costs for property owners in the immediate and long-term. Helping your clients identify opportunities to reduce management headaches, like selecting products that are truly low maintenance and offer a proven longer lifespan, will help you standout as a big picture-thinker. |
