| Volume 8, No. 2 - February 27, 2014 |
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 American University Cassell Hall, by Little (more info) |
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AIA Northern Virginia Annual Open House |
| Join the fun March 4, 6:00-8:00p Celebrate Mardi Gras at our Annual Open House, featuring food from Southside, a King Cake flown in from New Orleans and our famous Hurricanes.  This year we are excited to show the newly rearranged Chapter House space and introduce the new incubator space for architecture firms on the two upper floors. Our Open House serves as the premiere of this new space. Tour the building and learn more about the new incubator space from Jaan Holt, Director of WAAC, and Henry Hollander, Coordinator for Outreach & Alumni Relations at WAAC. This event is free and reservations are not necessary. Additional information is available here. |
| Valerie Hassett, FAIA Elected to the College of Fellows |
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Congratulations to Valerie on her elevation to the AIA College of Fellows. She was among 139 architects to be selected this year. Valerie, with Wiencek + Associates, was honored for her leadership with Women in Architecture, the Diversity Committee, and in legislative advocacy. We will publish more information on Valerie's achievements in our March/April newsletter. Congratulations also to AIA Northern Virginia Unassigned members Anthony S. Barnes, FAIA, with Barnes Vanze Architects, Inc., and Christopher Morrison, FAIA, with Cunningham | Quill Architects and to AIA Richmond member Sanford Bond, FAIA, with 3north, for their elevation to fellowship. |
| WIA Lecture Series Begins March 6 with Innovations in Profit and Compensation |
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March 6, 6:30-8:00p This is the first lecture of a three-part series focusing on innovation, organized by the AIA Northern Virginia Women in Architecture Committee (WIA). This presentation features a distinguished panel including Jay A. Stephens, Hon. AIA, Senior Vice President and General Counsel at the AIA; Alyssa Best, Career Coach; Jennifer Riskus, Manager of Economic Research at the AIA; and Donovan Olliff, AIA, chair of HOK's diversity advisory council. The other lectures in the series are Innovations in Technology on March 13 and Timeless Innovation: Chloethiel Woodard Smith on March 20. Detailed information and registration are available here. |
| DesignDC 2014 Call for Proposals Due March 3 |
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Do you have unique insight into latest trends, challenges and best practices in the design and construction industry? Submit a presentation proposal to share your knowledge at DesignDC. Proposals are due by March 3, at 11:59p. DesignDC 2014, hosted by the Baltimore, Northern Virginia, Potomac Valley and Washington Chapters of the AIA, the National Capital APA, the Washington Chapter of the ASLA and IIDA, is all about collaboration. The theme of this years conference, scheduled for October 1-3, is Smart Synergy. |
| ARE Prep Update - Registration Reopens for Accessibility & Structural Systems is Filling Fast |
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Our supplemental class on Accessibility, originally postponed for snow, has been rescheduled for March 5. So registration is again open and we will be accepting new reservations through 8:00a on Monday, March 3, or until capacity has been reached. For the ninth year in a row we are happy to welcome Professor David Thaddeus, AIA to teach his renowned Structural Systems workshop April 4-6. In three information packed days, Professor Thaddeus will prepare ARE candidates so they are able to fully understand the material and walk into the Structural Systems exam with confidence. This is our most popular class and it sells out every year. So reserve your place now. Information on our remaining ARE Prep sessions can be found here. |
| New on the Website |
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New Google Calendar: https://aianova.org/calendar.php Capital Area CRAN: https://aianova.org/cran.php Other committees are encouraged to develop content for committee webpages and contact aianova@aianova.org |
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American University Cassell Hall |
 Cassell Hall is a seven-story, 124,000sf, 365-bed residence, prominently located on the hill behind the President's Office Building and across Massachusetts Avenue from the Katzen Arts Center.Beyond Cassell's programmatic goals, there were considerable aesthetic and functional parameters that Little sought to help the University achieve. These included bridging the campus' existing Neo-Classical/Beaux-Arts architectural language, AU's desire to augment this language with referential but not literal design interpretations and consideration for the surrounding context, which includes the President's Office Building and the adjacent Wesley Theological Seminary. In addition, the design team was sensitive to the concerns of AU's residential neighbors, and the impact that a project of this size, scale and mass would have on the neighborhood's visual landscape.  Functionally, Cassell was intended to provide a series of amenities for the North Campus neighborhood, including a ground-floor student wellness and fitness center, classrooms and study areas and lobby and meeting spaces with six floors of suite-style living above these common areas. The design team worked to holistically reflect the building's organization and function in its exterior design. For example, the location of community lounges and kitchens at the center of each floor, stacked above the building's lobby and entry, was visually signaled in the design of the building by a metal sunscreen. Cassell also has a visual and physical connection to the existing residence hall buildings and the outside environment, achieved through design solutions such as glazing the ends of all internal corridors to ensure daylighting and views.Cassell was also designed to help the University achieve ambitious sustainability goals. Little created design strategies including a custom, high-performance pre-cast sandwich panel system with high R-values that sped construction considerably, and included sustainable fixtures and finishes for the interiors. In addition, the building uses a roof-mounted solar water heater system, as well as a passive solar reheat for the building's mechanical systems. Completed and occupied in 2013, Cassell Hall provides an attractive, durable and healthy living environment for AU's student body, with incredible views of the National Cathedral and the surrounding DC metropolitan area. 
Photography courtesy of Little
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MARCH CALENDAR 3 | Women in Architecture Committee Meeting 6:00p, Alexandria. [info] 4 | AIA Northern Virginia Annual Open House 6:00p, Alexandria. [info] 5 | Accessibility – ARE Supplemental Course Rescheduled 6:30p, Arlington. [info] 6 | WIA Lecture Series: Innovations in Profit and Compensation 6:30p, Washington, DC. [info] 8-10 | ARE: Building Systems - SOLD OUT 8:00a, Arlington. [info] 10 | AIA Northern Virginia Board Meeting 4:30p, Arlington. [info] 13 | WIA Lecture Series: Innovations in Technology 6:30p, Washington, DC. [info] 20 | WIA Lecture Series: Timeless Innovation - Chloethiel Woodard Smith 6:30p, Washington, DC. [info] 22 | ARE: Programming, Planning + Practice + Vignette 10:00a, Arlington. [info] 26 | Design Award Submittal Seminar Noon, Alexandria. 28 | Design Awards Committee Meeting Noon, Alexandria. [info] 28-29 | Confabulations: Storytelling in Architecture Alexandria. [info] 29 | ARE: Building Design + Construction Systems + Vignette 10:00a, Arlington. [info] Upcoming Dates to Note: April 4-6 - ARE: Structural Systems April 6-12 - Architecture Week April 6 - Walking Tour of Alexandria April 7 - WIA Committee Meeting April 10 - Design Awards Exhibit and Lecture April 11-12 - Virginia Design Forum: Dwelling AIA Northern Virginia Calendar | AIA|DC Calendar | AIA Potomac Valley 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 205 South Patrick Street, Alexandria 22314. |