The Capital Area CRAN was born of the notion that the Washington area’s residential architects could be better served by a committee made up of the three local chapters - AIA Northern Virginia, AIA|DC, AIA Potomac Valley.
The Capital Area CRAN (Custom Residential Architects Network) was launched at the beginning of 2013 by a steering committee made up of residential architect-members from all three AIA chapters, and plans were made to create bi-monthly programs that would serve the interests and needs of all of the area’s custom residential architects. By bringing CRAN to our local residential architects, our goal is to address unique issues related to custom residential practice while also serving a body of architects who have lacked the common resources often available to larger firms. As a forum, CRAN provides for the exchange of ideas, concerns, successes and failures, and resources that affect residential practice.
In fulfillment of the mission of AIA CRAN, future programs will embrace the following Mission and Initiative:
- Maintain relationships and communications with key sponsors.
- Capital Area CRAN (Custom Residential Architects Network) serves the unique needs of DC-area architects who specialize in custom residential design by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and resources that affect residential design practice. Capital Area CRAN is a tri-chapter committee of AIA|DC, AIA Potomac Valley & AIA Northern Virginia.
Please see the AIADC calendar for CRAN committee meetings and other events.
Generally, Capital Area CRAN will organize monthly events. In 2025, an effort will continue to be made to reinvigorate in person programming. But we also found that virtual events are a great way to reach more people than past years. Nationally other CRAN chapters are doing more in person tours to get new members and this is something that we plan to try to do more of this year.
We meet every other month virtually as a Capital Area CRAN group on the first or second Tuesday of the month at noon and on alternate months with just the AIA DC CRAN group. Meetings generally last an hour. Schedule of AIA CRAN meetings for the year are:
February 3rd
April 7th
June 9th
August 11th
October 13th
December 8th
Please contact DC Co-Chairs, Colleen Healey, AIA and Charles Warren to attend.