Calling all Citizen Architects! Albemarle County's Historic Preservation Committee Needs You!

Hello, Citizen Architect! The Historic Preservation Committee for Albemarle County is looking for people willing to serve in identifying and documenting cultural resources of importance to the community and providing assistance and advice concerning the County’s historic preservation program. The Historic Preservation Committee is a public body appointed by the Board of Supervisors and is charged with protecting the County's historic and cultural resources.

According to Planning Commissioner and Historic Preservation Committee Liaison, Karen Firehock, now is a very exciting time to join as the committee develops strategies for preservation and restoration to tell the story of our past and chart our future. An update to the Comprehensive Plan is currently underway and the committee wants to ensure we have a rich diversity of perspectives while setting our county's goals and strengthening the committee’s commitment to telling the diverse and sometimes yet untold story of Albemarle.

The Historic Preservation Committee meets the 4th Monday of every month from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Members needs to commit to attending the majority of monthly meetings and do some reading and thinking in between to generate new strategies in conservation and to re-interpret our shared stories.  Currently, there are 6 members in the committee and 6 open seats. Ideal candidates are people with background or interest in historic preservation, real estate, construction, restoration of historic structures or landscapes, architecture. architectural history, preservation planning or other related fields (That’s you!). For more information, check out the Historic Preservation Committee’s website. Interested in applying? Use this link to send your application to the Board of Supervisors:

https://albemarle.granicus.com/boards/forms/536/apply/3853479?code=4aaf28d7-523b-40bd-a7a7-2517294b9183#Profile

If you has questions, contact us or the Committee Chair Ross Stevens. 

Va. Governor Need Architects' Insights

Virginia’s Secretary of the Commonwealth, Kelly Gee, encourages us to consider applying to be a Gubernatorial appointment to one of 320 boards that serve specific roles for the state. Three boards have openings reserved specifically for architects to start July 1, 2024!

The Art and Architectural Review Board is looking for a general public member to help fill out it’s 6 member roster, but there are obvious benefits to that member also being an architect. “The Art and Architectural Review Board is established as an advisory board to review the acquisition and the design of buildings and structures by the Commonwealth and advise the Governor of the artistic and architectural property thereof.”

https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/va-government/boards-and-commissions/comprehensive-board-listing/detail/?id=f3102c64-b375-ed11-81ab-001dd80724a2

The Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers & Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA) is asking for architects and a number of related disciplines to serve starting in July. The APELSCIDLA Board manages licensing, licensing requirements, and disciplinary actions for the eponymous professions. The board consists of of fifteen members as follows: three architects, three professional engineers, three land surveyors, two landscape architects, two certified interior designers, and two non legislative citizen members all of which meet monthly.

https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/va-government/boards-and-commissions/comprehensive-board-listing/detail/?id=e6102c64-b375-ed11-81ab-001dd80724a2

The State Building Code Technical Review Board needs an architect to fill an open board position. “The purpose of the State Building Code Technical Review Board is to hear appeals from decisions arising under applications of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, the Virginia Amusement Device Regulations, the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code, and the Virginia Industrialized Building Safety Regulations, and to render decisions on any such appeals; and to interpret the provisions of the Virginia Statewide Building Code and the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code and to make recommendations to the Board of Housing and Community Development for modification, amendment, or repeal of any such provisions.”

https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/va-government/boards-and-commissions/comprehensive-board-listing/detail/?id=ab0cf099-b375-ed11-81ab-001dd80724a2

Board positions are for 4 years with staggered starting dates. Every appointment will need two documents: a resume, or nearly any document that identifies your experience; and a financial disclosure form to identify potential conflicts of interest. The number of meetings vary between boards, but most boards follow the requirement of 50% of all meeting being virtual.

In addition to the three boards mentioned above for architects, a few additional boards may be of interest to you.

To submit your application follow the buttons at the link below.

https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/va-government/boards-and-commissions/

Valley Firm Crawl

AIA Central Virginia hosted a firm crawl in Harrisonburg on January 24th for JMU Architectural students. The tour started at the JMU Architectural school, where Jori Erdman, AIA gave a short presentation about the program at James Madison. Hannah Ahmad, NOMAS and Meghan McNeil, AIAS joined us to talk about specific projects that students are working on followed by a tour of the studio space and woodshop. 

The tour continued at the  Gaines Group Architects office a block away from the school. Charles Hendricks, AIA, CSI, CDT, CGP, CAPS, LEED AP BD & C and Deborah Smith, MBA, AIA, CSI, CDT discussed small firm life with those in attendance. The tour concluded at  LDDBlueline where Welby Layman, AIA spoke about working for a large firm with offices in multiple states. Boyang Li and Lydia Schwab, ASID, NCIDQ spoke about working at LDDBlueline and their experiences transitioning into their career after recently graduating. 

After the firm crawl several of the group joined other local designers and AIA Board members, Sid Griffin, AIA NOMA, Deborah Smith, Charles Hendricks, and Jonathan Moore, AIA for a happy hour at Pale Fire Brewing. There was discussion of design in Harrisonburg, running a firm, BIM, and recent design successes. Future meetings will be planned in Harrisonburg to continue to build community among valley designers.

Launch: Mid-Career Professionals!

AIA CV launches a new program!

This month, mid-career professionals from our Chapter met in a daylit gallery at Jbird Supply Coffee Roaster in Studio IX to kick-off our newest program, the ‘Mid-Career Professionals’ group. This ‘pilot program’ builds on the work of the AIA Virginia Mid-Career Taskforce and Mid-Career Roundtables, to give members a venue to discuss the joys and challenges of balancing work and life in one of its most demanding seasons. Our goal is to build a thriving community for Mid-Career members and try out different meeting formats to help inform program development at AIA Virginia.

The group’s far-reaching and engaging conversation about our paths in the profession, successes and challenges, and what a group like this can provide yielded a number of themes and take-aways we’ll explore in our next few meetings:

  • Comparison is the thief of joy - especially if you’re always ‘looking up’.

  • Who can you look to for advice, or a model - especially when you’re unfulfilled, overwhelmed, or stuck?

  • There are many paths to a good destination - but we have fewer choices ahead than behind.

  • How do you get ‘back in the game’ if you’ve been in ‘the safe lane’?

  • Community is what you make it!

After we met, almost half the attendees emailed me with ideas for future meetings and excitement about the possibilities of the group. It’s also encouraging that this group wants to keep ‘finding and celebrating joy’ at the center of our work together. I couldn’t agree more!
Thanks to all who attended, especially Allied Member Jeremy Boynton with Lighting Virginia, who donated the space!

-SHAWN MULLIGAN, AIA

AIA Central Virginia Mid-Career Professionals meet bi-monthly to learn from each other and local experts about the best ways to grow and thrive - in life and work. If you, or someone you know, wants to get involved, contact Shawn at: shawn@designclarity.co.

Fall Newsletter!

Visions for Architecture, AIA Virginia’s annual Design Awards in Richmond at ArchEx!

Fall Newsletter is out!
> Read it here

As fall gives way to winter, we’re enjoying time with the people we love and reflecting on lessons this year taught us. And at AIA CV, we’re busy making plans for next year - see our calendar for details - and reporting on some of the best architecture news in the region:

  • Winter Social + Annual Meeting - WED DEC 20th @ Common House!

  • Architecture Exchange East 2023 recap

  • Four local firms win state Design Awards

  • AIA CV Launches new program for Mid-Career Professionals

  • ELA 2023 designs Resilience Hubs for Albemarle County

Summer Newsletter!

Our Summer Newsletter is out!
> read it here

As we close out summer we’re reflecting on change, and celebrating the great work our allies and members do to design better places and build stronger communities.

Here are a few highlights:

  • AIA CV needs you - to join the Board!!

  • Architecture Week recap!

  • New Allied Membership program

  • The Haven, homelessness, and ‘radical hospitality’

  • Erwin-Ramsey Fellowship and affordable, equitable housing

  • EPs meet Engineers (Sprinpoint + Line and Grade)

Apply for ELA Class of 2024!

Join AIA Virginia for a year-long educational intensive -- Emerging Leaders in Architecture Class of 2024!

ELA is an intensive program of educational sessions structured around presentations, discussions, team exploration, analysis, consensus-building, collaboration, and case study activities undertaken over the course of a year by a small cadre of participants selected for their potential to be outstanding contributors to the profession and the community. Facilitators and mentors who are established leaders in the building, finance, non-profit, development, university, legal, consulting, and design professions and in the community at large develop and deliver the sessions, designed to provide participants with advanced knowledge and skills related to specific areas of leadership and practice. The class project for 2024 will be in Northern Virginia, so many sessions and the project work days will be located in the Northern Virginia area.

Applications Due to AIA CV by OCT 2nd, and to AIA VA by NOV 10th

To apply to represent AIA Central Virginia, click here.
AIA Central Virginia nomination application due > OCTOBER 2, 2023 

To learn more about the ELA program and apply to AIA VA, click here.
AIA Virginia applications due > NOVEMBER 10, 2023.

Architecture Week: Apex Plaza Building Tour

We had a wonderful visit at the Apex Plaza for Architecture Week 2023! Thank you William McDonough + Partners, Staengl Engineers, Hourigan Construction, and Apex Clean Energy for taking the time to welcoming us into your space and provide such an in depth tour. Members were able to listen and ask questions on all stages of the project, particularly exciting to discuss a mass-timber, net-energy-positive office building!!

We were very happy to provide members the opportunity for 1 HSW LU, thanks for showing up members!