News + Events
The Small Firm Exchange kickoff meeting was a major success last night! Dan’s shuffleboard court was a perfect setting for a beautiful evening outside.
Our chairs, C.J. LaMora and Dan Zimmerman, welcomed members and discussed their aspirations with the new group. A few rounds of shuffleboard rounded the evening and Sidney was able to present our final award of merit trophy, to Dan who was out of town for our Awards Gala. Congrats Dan!
Congratulations to our 2024 Chapter Honors + Design Awards recipients!! 🌟💫
We had a wonderful time celebrating on Oct. 23rd in Charlottesville, thank you all for attending! Thankful we can celebrate beautiful work and talented members in Central Virginia.
Special thank you to our Honors Committee lead by W. Douglas Gilpin Jr., FAIA, Hayley Owens, Assoc. AIA, Fred Wolf, AIA, Ed Ford, FAIA, and Elizabeth “Jo” Lawson, FAIA. And to our Guest Jury lead by, Marika Snider, PhD, AIA, NCARB, NCIDQ, who joined us from Memphis - big thank you!
Photos courtesy of Tom Daly Photography.
It is our pleasure to announce the winners of the 2024 AIA Central Virginia Honors + Awards! We will celebrate these distinguished individuals and project designers on October 23rd at our 2024 Honors + Awards Gala. Congratulations to all!
The Milton Latour Grigg FAIA Award
David M. Oakland, FAIA, LEED AP
Chapter Honors
Karim Habbab, Assoc. AIA
Caitlin Morgan, Assoc. AIA
Community Service Award
The Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review
The County of Albemarle Architectural Review Board
The Young Activist in Architecture Award
William H. Abrahamson, AIA
Student Projects
Award of Merit - ‘Folding Chair’, Ethan Edds and Amanda Nordwall, UVA School of Architecture
Architecture
Award of Excellence - Sylvan Scrapple, After Architecture
Award of Excellence - Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Cunningham | Quill Architects
Award of Merit - Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia, Bushman Dreyfus Architects
Award of Merit - Stead Park Recreation Center , VMDO Architects
Interiors
Award of Excellence -- Tribeca Loft, Two Street Studio
Award of Merit - Legends Sports, Alloy Workshop
Award of Merit - McKinnon and Harris NYC Flagship, Two Street Studio
Historic Preservation
Award of Excellence - Antler House Restoration, Two Street Studio
Residential Design
Award of Excellence - Night Song Bridge House, HEDS Architects
Award of Merit - Colonial Renovation & Modern Addition, Bushman Dreyfus Architects
AIA Central Virginia is excited to bring community and resources to our small firm community with the launch of a local AIA CV Small Firms Exchange (SFx). Following the mission and vision of the AIA National Small Firms Exchange, The AIA CV SFx will look to advance the mutual interests of architects practicing in small firms.
From the national SFx description, the objectives of the AIA SFx are as follows:
1. Advocate the value of small firms, the national SFx, and local SFx groups, both within the AIA and to the public.
2. Curate and disseminate the most pertinent resources and information, from the AIA & elsewhere, that benefit small firms.
3. Inform the AIA of current issues facing small firms and areas in which current resources/information are lacking.
Our local Small Firms Exchange will be co-chaired by C.J. LaMora, AIA, Principal at Circle Square Cross Architecture and Dan Zimmerman, AIA , Co-Founder and Principal at Alloy Workshop. Dan is also the AIA National Small Firms Exchange Representative for Virginia.
C.J. and Dan know about running small firms. Circle Square Cross - a small 3-person firm first formed in 2021 during the pandemic with projects in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. - was founded on the concept of remote work and making sure that each member is happy and healthy in their personal lives before they come to work. CSC focuses on residential architecture of all scales from bathroom renovations up to custom single-family homes and 40-unit apartment buildings. Alloy Workshop - a design-build architecture & construction firm specializing in residential and commercial remodeling and custom homes - has been a staple in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Architecture practice space. Testimonials show how much Alloy Workshop cares about their clients and their employees. Each member of the Alloy team gets the service of the entire company for a day to work on personal projects!
Some thoughts from our co-chairs:
“The Small Firm Exchange has been a place for me to find community, resources, and sound advice as I was starting my firm. In moving to Charlottesville and noting that new firms didn’t have the same resource, it was important to me to find a way to create that space. It is my hope that we can create a forum in which we thrive together as a community and highlights the creativity and insight that Small Firms possess. “ C.J. LaMora, AIA
“I am interested in helping C.J.'s efforts to link resources at the National level to our local members and vice versa. I am a big fan of small firms and have been amazed by the breadth of work and expertise I've been exposed to during my involvement with SFx. “ Dan Zimmerman, AIA
JOIN US for our inaugural AIA Central Virginia Small Firms Exchange meeting - AND SHUFFLEBOARD!
Join us for the Kickoff meeting of the CENTRAL VIRGINIA SMALL FIRM EXCHANGE
Come compete in the Shuffleboard Showdown and get to know other CVA small firm members
WED October 30th, 5:30-7:30pm.
Hosted by Dan Zimmerman of Alloy Architecture and Construction (1101 Sherwood Road, Charlottesville VA)
Light fare and drinks curtesy of AIA Central Virginia!
*This event was originally the 16th, but now reschedule to October 30th.
the AIA Central Virginia Technology in Architecture Practice Committee, in conjunction with the UVA AIAS, held a special event on September 24 at the School of Architecture to tap into perspectives from subject matter experts in 4 corners of the design industry. Titled ‘Is AI/Not AI: Dispelling myths and deciphering hype vs. practical applications of AI in the design industry’, the presentation looked to bring an honest perspective to the trajectory of AI in the architecture industry and how we can best prepare architecture students to work with the technology. Our panel included:
Onur Yüce Gün, PhD., Director of Computational Design at New Balance
Andrew John Wit, Associate professor and director of graduate studies within Temple Universities Tyler School of Art and Architecture
Steven Campbell, Lake|Flato Design Performance, BIM Manager
Altaf Ganihar, Founder, CEO at Snaptrude
In front of a live audience of 30+ students and professionals along with an equal number of virtual attendees, Bethany Pritchard and Sidney Griffin moderated the hybrid panel discussion around topics of best practices for AI’s integration into the practice of Architecture, AI’s role in education and workplace, and AI’s impact on Employment. If you missed out on this conversation, be sure to join us in our redux at Arch Ex on November 7th in Richmond! We will have 4 new panelists and questions geared towards architecture professionals!
This summer has been full of showroom and supplier visits for the Emerging Professionals. EP Liaison Danielle Granger has curated a list of visits and tours that did not disappoint! Sites included…
Virginia Metalcrafters Marketplace Tour in Waynesboro
Pella Showroom Tour in Charlottesville
Better Living Millshop Tour in Zions Crossroads
Be sure to join us for upcoming tours at Heartpine Co. on October 17th and Amherst Millshop on November 6th!
Thanks to our Valley Liaison, Charles Hendricks, we were able to secure a great location to gather and listen to Everyday Everybody at the Harrisonburg Music Series from under the grand farmers market canopy! Members from LDD Blueline, Gaines Group, and Balzer & Associates were there to soak up some great evening weather and good tunes. Thanks for the party, Harrisonburg!
Charles Hendricks, AIA (Central Virginia Valley Liaison) taught a week-long architectural summer camp at Massanutten Technical Center in July. This is the 5th time Charles has taken on this exciting challenge to encourage middle school students to think about our built environment. The students learn about defining space, scale, proportions, symmetry, style, significant historical architects, and even get to build a Lego City. Through the process of hand drafting a dream house they apply all these learned skills to build a 3D foam core model of their creation.
AIA CV Mid-Career Professionals had a great conversation about life, work, and finding your path this March with two local Fellows, Allison Ewing FAIA (HEDS Architects) and Doug Gilpin FAIA (W. Douglas Gilpin Architect). They joined us to discuss their careers, how Fellowship has impacted their outlook, and answer our questions.
Because our work is impacted by things beyond our control - inflation, clients’ changing priorities, or the performance of contractors – it’s critical to know what success means to you. During conflict, Ewing says “it’s best to remain neutral, stay helpful, and focus on what you can influence.” Her recipe for a successful project is to “focus on one clear idea that organizes the project and describe it in ways that are meaningful to your client - daylight, a great view, or interesting finishes.
Is success when preparation meets opportunity, or just a happy accident? For Gilpin, success comes from the people in your life – family, friends, colleagues, collaborators, and clients – and how you treat them. Building trusting relationships with clients and collaborators can help you and your team weather difficult times and enjoy your days. “The principal’s income comes after staff success and livelihood.” Take care of your people, and they’ll take care of you.
Communication is key. Avoiding and navigating conflict requires trust, good AIA contracts, and a proactive conversation about ways that projects go off track. As a business Owner, the most important things are rarely the ‘fun part’ we study in school - from understanding AIA Contracts, to managing client expectations, and negotiating a fee structure that affords you time to do the work and can adapt to change.
Ewing and Gilpin both left successful careers in great firms to start their own practice. As they enjoy the balance of rewards (control of what they do and when they do it) and challenges (doing it all with little support), these new endeavors provide unexpected joys and experiences. Ewing describe leaving a career in world-class firms to start a firm with her husband as letting go of one future and grabbing another. “You have to enjoy the ride. Some experiences are great, some are not, but you should recognize the orchids and onions alike, and enjoy them all.”
Looking ahead, Ewing and Gilpin shared concerns and excitement for our industry and world. With change in the air - social media changing client expectations, AI impacting our work and fees, changing climate, and a need for more AIA support for small firms - Gilpin encouraged us to find camaraderie in groups like this. For Ewing, finding “contentment in times of tension” requires focusing on priorities, like exercise and activities outside of work and being in community with friends and family. Gilpin loves challenging projects, engaged clients, and spending time with friends and family in Charlottesville and Block Island. This summer I hope all heed Ewing’s recommendation to “lean-in to things that fill your cup, so you can enjoy life and bring your refreshed self to your work.”
Photo Credit: Alan Karchmer
The jury for the AIA’24 Awards shone favorably on a number of firms and projects within AIA Central Virginia. VMDO Architects brought home an astounding 5 awards in various categories! Here’s a rundown of our local winners with links to jury’s comments. For a full synopsis, navigate to the AIA Awards page.
Congratulations to our AIA Central Virginia winners!
Small Project Award: Sylvan Scrapple | After Architecture
Housing Award: Thurston Hall Renovation | VMDO Architects
Education Facility Design Award: Cardinal Elementary School | VMDO Architects
Interior Architecture Award: University of Virginia, University Hospital Expansion | Perkins&Will
COTE Top Ten Award: Alice West Fleet Elementary School | VMDO Architects
COTE Top Ten Award: Thurston Hall Renovation | VMDO Architects
Architecture Award: Thurston Hall Renovation | VMDO Architects
