Charles Bergen, AIA practiced architecture for 22 years until his lifelong passion for art intervened. After two summer residencies at Salem Art Works in upstate New York, Charles founded his art practice and began a career as a professional sculptor. Over several years, Bergen experimented with a range of materials—mostly metal and wood—and subjects: animals such as birds, dolphins, and fish; and figures like Chuck Brown and Theodore Roosevelt. Additionally, he proposed sculptural signage identifying “Barracks Row” and “Capitalsaurus Chasing a Falcarius.”

In recent years, Bergen’s practice has focused on public art projects, many of which were awarded through public commissions. Notable projects include the narrative Centennial Artwork for the City of Bowie, Maryland and fire and police call boxes-turned artworks for Rhode Island Avenue NE Main Street. One of Bergen’s most celebrated and talked about projects is the “Barnes Dance,” also known as a pedestrian scramble, with its whimsical graphic of dragons and Chinese zodiac images at the intersection of 7th and H Streets NW in Washington, DC’s Chinatown.

Bergen’s affection for animals and nature, combined with history, is evidenced in his body of work with sculptures that appear playful and decorative, yet serious and functional. With his artwork, he manages to strike a balance between imagery and narrative, demonstrating just enough to invite curiosity, imply a story, and inspire appreciation. This exhibition presents drawings, photographs, and objects from selected projects completed by the artist since 2014.

---

From Architect to Artist: Public Art by Charles Bergen, AIA is organized by AIA|DC for the Suman Sorg Gallery in collaboration with the artist.

This exhibition was designed and modeled in ArchiCAD19, courtesy of Graphisoft.

Generously supported in part by BluEdge.

Installation by Tim Anderson.

See more photos by Victoria Pickering.

Special thanks from the artist to:
Aaron Rogers, Adams Morgan Partnership BID, Amber Logan, Amin Abdullah, Anacostia Arts Center, Annie's Ace Hardware, Artsee, Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS, Brad Sargent, Brandon Bailey Art, Brian Barrie, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Carla Perlo, Cheryl Edwards, Chris Earley, Chris Shaheen, Christopher Harding, CulturalDC, Dance Loft on 14, Dance Place, Darian Lassiter, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, DC Office of Planning, District Department of Transportation, DowntownDC BID, Fabritek, Franciso Murillo, George Branyan, Giannettii Architectural Sculpture, Girikul Kulkarni, Greg Staley Photography, Hakeem Olayinka, HEP Construction, Independent Custom Metalworks, Jerrald Musser of Cutting Unlimited LLC, Judy Estey, Justin Fair, Kay Christy, Keast & Hood, Keona Pearson, Kristen Barden, Kyle Todd, Laran Bronze, Lauren Glover, Len Adams of Mid-Atlantic Welding & Fabrication Inc., Liam O'Connor, Linton Engineering, Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program, Mulheron Tree Experts, My Splash Pad, Patrick's Petcare, Prologue DC LLC, Rare Earth Metals, Raymond Kaskey, Rayseen Woodland, Ron Humbertson, Salem Art Works, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Stephanie Reyes, Stephen and Ginny Bergen, Stuart Eisenburg, Studio39 Landscape Architecture, Sujatha Jahagirdar, Todd Angelo Albin, Tonya Jordan, Train Printing, Tsahai Pettiford, and Washington Sculptors Group

The District Architecture Center is pleased to host Transforming Cities, Transforming Lives: The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme, an exhibition of 27 regeneration projects from nine countries that demonstrate how culture can have a positive impact well beyond conservation. These projects promote good governance, growth of civil society, rise in incomes and economic opportunities, greater respect for human rights, and better stewardship of the environment—even in the poorest and most remote areas of the globe. While some projects are completed, those that remain in progress go beyond mere technical restoration to address the questions of social and environmental context, adaptive re-use, institutional sustainability, and training.

The exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Aga Khan Council for the United States.

About The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme

The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme (AKHCP), through its projects, seeks to be a catalyst to improve quality of life by activating culture as a springboard for economic and social development. These projects are laboratories for ideas that can positively shape the future in ways that are meaningful, beneficial, and impactful. At their core is a message of opportunity, of potential, of hope.

The AKHCP works on regeneration projects in historic areas in ways that spur social, economic and cultural development.  Its central objective is to improve the lives of the inhabitants of these historic areas while promoting models that will sustain these improvements. The Programme has shown how the creation of parks and gardens, conservation of landmark buildings, improvements to the urban fabric and the revitalisation of cultural heritage—in many cases the only assets at the disposal of the community—can provide a springboard for social development.

About the Aga Khan Council for the United States

The Aga Khan Council for the United States of America is the social governance structure for Ismaili Muslims. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, The Aga Khan Council is supported by numerous volunteers throughout the country who provide their time and talent toward improving the quality of life of the community. His Highness the Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary Imam, or spiritual leader, of the Shia Ismaili Muslim Community.

The Ismaili Muslims are a culturally diverse community living in over 25 countries around the world. They adhere to a 1,400-year tradition of Shi'a values that are expressed through a commitment to a search for knowledge for the betterment of self and society; embracing pluralism by building bridges of peace and understanding; and generously sharing of one's time, talents, and material resources to improve the quality of life of the community and those among whom they live.

---

Organized by the Aga Khan Council for the United States of America in cooperation with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme, and AIA|DC.

Exhibition designed and modeled in ArchiCAD19, courtesy of Graphisoft.

Supported in part by BluEdge.

 

The Lost Whiskey Project by Greenspur, Excellence Award—Small Project for Washingtonian Residential Design Award - Photo © Mitch Allen Photography
 

This exhibition combines award-winning projects from two of AIA|DC’s largest competitions:

• Washingtonian Residential Design Awards
• Chapter Design Awards

Each year, our competitions recognize practitioners, educators, and students within the architecture community who demonstrate excellence in design. Projects are selected by distinguished juries of design professionals based outside of the Washington metropolitan region.

The exhibition features 31 projects organized by competition: single family, multifamily, and mixed-used residential projects in the Washingtonian Residential Design Awards; and architecture, interior architecture, historic resources, and urban design/master planning projects, including Presidential Citations, in the Chapter Design Awards. Citation categories include design and wellbeing, sustainable design, universal design, and urban catalyst.

2018 Washingtonian Residential Design Award winners: David Jameson Architect; demian\wilbur\architects; Eric Colbert & Associates PC; Greenspur; Jones & Boer Architects; McInturff Architects; reform llc; Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect; and Shalom Baranes Associates.

2018 Chapter Design Award winners: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; Dangermond Keane Architecture; EL Studio; Gensler; Hoffmann Architects, Inc./The Architect of the Capitol; ISTUDIO Architects; Jacobsen Architecture; McInturff Architects; Perkins Eastman; Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect; Shalom Baranes Associates; Skidmore, Ownings & Merrill LLP (SOM); SmithGroup; Studio Twenty Seven Architecture; and TEN Arquitectos/WDG Architecture.

---

Organized by AIA|DC for the SIGAL Gallery and Suman Sorg Gallery.

Exhibition designed and modeled in ArchiCAD19, courtesy of Graphisoft.

Supported in part by BluEdge.

The AIA|DC Emerging Architects Committee is pleased to present Next Generation Architects: 5th Annual Thesis Showcase, an exhibition of juried thesis projects by graduating students from schools of architecture around the globe. This program aims to spotlight the next generation of engaged architects emerging from today’s architecture schools.

Through independent research, with guidance from an advisor, students develop a topic over the course of a year, relating its relevance to the field of architecture through written and visual exploration. The process involves questions and analysis, research and documentation, and experiments and testing with explanation of findings that support a proposition. At the end of the year, students present their thesis projects to an audience of practitioners, faculty, and students.

Of the 26 submissions, 20 were selected for exhibition by a panel of jurors from the U.S. Green Building Council and AIA College of Fellows, including members of the AIA|DC Technology Committee and AIA|DC Design + Wellbeing Committee. Projects in this exhibition examine diverse topics: communities, death, environments, industry, nature, sustainability, transportation systems, and urbanism.

Four finalists, including Zoë Cope, Lindsay Connelly, Lonna Babu, and Wadiah Akbar, present their projects at the exhibition opening. Join us in celebration of these thought-provoking projects, shaped by the leaders of tomorrow.

 

---

Coordinators: Douglas Crawford, AIA, LEED AP B+C; David P. Leestma, AIA; and Leah Ijjas, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Organized by the AIA|DC Emerging Architects Committee

In cooperation with AIA|DC for the SIGAL Gallery

Supported in part by ARC Document Solutions

The Unbuilt Washington Awards bridge the academic and professional communities by providing a forum for recognizing the contributions of both younger and established practitioners alike.

Since 2009, AIA|DC has conducted an annual competition that recognizes excellence in both theoretical and unbuilt commissioned projects. Open to registered architects, associate architects, landscape architects, planners, interior designers, and students from the Washington metropolitan region, the competition typically yields unique, innovative, and thought-provoking concepts from around the globe.

The difference between theoretical and unbuilt commissioned projects is simple: theoretical projects refer to exploratory work without a client such as design competitions, hypothetical or research-oriented assignments, and student work; unbuilt commissioned projects refer to unexecuted work or work that is not yet constructed in project types such as buildings, interiors, monuments and memorials, planning, public art, public space, transportation infrastructure, and urban design.

Of the 75 submissions this year, 7 projects were chosen by a panel of distinguished jurors, including Scott Erdy, FAIA of Erdy McHenry Architecture; Pavlina Ilieva, AIA of PI.KL Studio; and Barbara Swift, FASLA of Swift Company.

Post Industrial Appalachia - Andrew Shea, University of Virginia
 

Angles of Incidence: Mirror, Film, and Architectural Plot Twists - Austin Edwards, University of Virginia

 

Folded Barcelona: A New Catalan Parliament - Fang Nan, Haoruo Zhu, and Manuel Bailo (supervisor), University of Virginia

 

 

Material Memory Retrofitting - 
Luis Pancorbo and Ines Martin with Austin Edwards, Tyler Mauri, and Katie LaRose (collaborators), Pancorbo Arquitectos

 

City Fragments, Building Transitions: An Urban Stitching of Hong Kong Film - Philip Chang, University of Virginia

Willamette Public Charter School - Portia Strahan, University of Utah

 

---

Organized by AIA|DC for the Suman Sorg Gallery

Designed and modeled in ArchiCAD19, courtesy of Graphisoft

Supported in part by BluEdge

David Cox, FAIA is a Founding Principal of cox graae + spack architects and recipient of the 2009 Centennial Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Chapter. Early in his education, in Louis Kahn’s University of Pennsylvania Master Class, David developed an interest in watercolor painting as a form of design representation and artistic expression. In retirement, he now devotes his time and energy to expanding his vast watercolor skill set and exploring opportunities to document the beauty that he encounters daily.

In collaboration with his gardener wife Mary Jane, David began an odyssey to arrange and paint the beautiful flowers she grew in their greenhouse and garden. His collection of floral watercolors celebrate light, color, texture, and materials. David paints with transparent colors, adding multiple layers that reveal extraordinary depth and character. Careful planning does not inhibit great creative spontaneity which is revealed as colors bleed and blend naturally on the paper, often within striking shapes and shadowy backgrounds. The collective works are a study in transparency and luminosity, depicting the beauty of the subject matter through light and the delicacy of a medium that captures a full range of variations in value and color, from subtle to striking.

Special thanks to David Cox, FAIA and Mary Jane Cox.

---

Curators: William Spack, AIA and Joanna Schmickel, AIA, LEED AP
Graphic designer: Kimberly Kunz
Art handler: Tim Anderson

Organized by cox graae + spack architects

In cooperation with AIA|DC for the Suman Sorg Gallery

Designed and modeled in ArchiCAD19, courtesy of Graphisoft

Supported in part by BluEdge

This exhibition highlights award-winning works of landscape architecture from the 2018 Professional Awards of the Potomac Chapter, ASLA. The range of projects encompasses residential, private and public practice, and a variety of project types that includes parks, courtyards, plazas, historic landscapes, and public realm guidelines.

The exhibition illustrates the range in scale and scope of the landscape architecture profession and highlights the high quality of work being produced in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. The Chapter’s 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, John G. Parsons, FASLA, is recognized in the exhibition, as are our three Edward B. Ballard Scholarship recipients.

For more information about the Potomac Chapter, ASLA, please visit: potomacasla.org.

About the American Society of Landscape Architects

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is a national professional organization representing 17,000 landscape architects. ASLA has 48 state and regional chapters. Founded in 1899, the mission of ASLA is to advocate, to lead, to educate, and to participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of cultural, natural and/or the built environments for human enjoyment. ASLA works to increase the public’s awareness of and appreciation for the profession of landscape architecture. ASLA is an active advocate for the profession at the local, state, and national levels on public policy issues, including licensure, livable communities, sustainable design, surface transportation, the environment, conservation issues, historic preservation, small business issues, and providing outdoor access that exceeds the requirements of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The early visionaries in the profession of landscape architecture noted that the designs of outdoor spaces are created for recreation, inspiration, and essential respite from the emerging urban environment. City parks and green spaces within the urban environment, along with private residential gardens, helps to improve physical and psychological health, strengthen our communities and make neighborhoods more attractive places to live and work. The profession enhances the outdoor environment for both private and public enjoyment. ASLA and its members are at the forefront of efforts to increase respect for the land and our natural environment, particularly on issues of prudent land use and planning, urban design, sustainable development, waste and water management including stormwater, resource preservation, recreation, and land reclamation.

About the Potomac Chapter, ASLA

The Potomac Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects represents nearly 400 landscape architects in DC, Northern Virginia, and Suburban Maryland. The purpose of ASLA is to advance the profession of Landscape Architecture in the eyes of the general public. The Chapter is the main advocacy body to advance the profession on the local level by holding events, meetings, outings and providing information regarding the profession to the local media and schools. The Chapter may also interface with municipal governments regarding local issues that could impact the profession, or the public realm.

---

Organized by the Potomac Chapter, ASLA

In cooperation with AIA|DC for the SIGAL Gallery

Supported in part by ABC Imaging

14th and Euclid Streets, NW, 1968 - Courtesy The Historical Society of Washington, D.C.

The 1960s was a decade of upheaval. Post-World War II suburbanization had left American cities economically fragile and socially stratified. An unpopular and seemingly endless war in Vietnam was fueling dissent. And racial inequality remained despite the continuing struggle for civil rights. 

Washington, DC, the nation’s capital, was not immune to the economic, social, and racial repercussions affecting American cities. In Washington’s black community, the pain, anger, and frustration felt by many would erupt into violence following the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. Three neighborhoods at the heart of DC’s black community were particularly hard hit: 14th and U Streets NW; 7th Street/Shaw NW; and H Street NE. It would take half a century for these neighborhoods to recover from the devastation. 

reBirth::Washington DC 50 Years after 1968 examines architecture’s role in the city’s rebirth. Organized geographically by neighborhood and chronologically by completion, it presents significant projects in each area that have served as catalysts for change.

Context
“April Uprising: DC After Martin Luther King's Assassination,” a short documentary film narrated by Aaron Gilchrist of NBC4, kicked off the opening reception on April 3. View the film here.

Contributors
Featured projects contributed by: AJArchitects.com llc; BELL Architects, PC; BKV Group; Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS; CORE architecture + design; CRTKL; Davis Brody Bond; DLR Group; dp+partners, llc; Eric Colbert & Associates PC; Esocoff & Associates Architects/Philip A. Esocoff, FAIA; Hickok Cole Architects; Martinez + Johnson Architecture; Morris Adjmi Architects; MV+A Architects; Norman Smith Architecture; Shalom Baranes Associates; SK+I Architecture; Suzane Reatig Architecture; Torti Gallas + Partners; Torti Gallas Urban; and Wiebenson & Dorman Architects PC.

Dedication
This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Barbara G. Laurie, AIA, NOMA. Ms. Laurie was Past President of AIA|DC and the Washington Architectural Foundation, Associate Professor of Architecture at Howard University, Partner at Devrouax & Purnell, and Friend and Colleague. Proceeds from the exhibition help benefit the Barbara G. Laurie Scholarship Program. Donate to the scholarship here or text SCHOLARS17 to 41444.

---

Organized by the Exhibition Committee in collaboration with AIA|DC for the SIGAL Gallery and Suman Sorg Gallery. Designed and modeled in ArchiCAD19, courtesy of Graphisoft. Supported in part by BluEdge.

Exhibition Committee: David Haresign, FAIA, Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS, co-chair; Matthew Bell, FAIA, University of Maryland/Perkins Eastman, co-chair; Roger K. Lewis, FAIA, Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland; Cheryl O’Neill, AICP, Torti Gallas + Partners
Script Writer: Mary Konsoulis, AICP, Consulting for Creative Community
Content Coordinator: Jenna Seybert, Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS
Editing: Mary Fitch, AICP, Hon. AIA and Kathleen Spencer, District Architecture Center
Exhibition Design: Scott Clowney, Assoc. AIA, District Architecture Center
Graphic Design: Jen Byrne, Live.Create.Play.LLC
Base Maps: Taylor Stout and Brian Tomaino, Torti Gallas + Partners
Digital Exhibit: University of Maryland, School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation; ARCH
478/678 Adaptation—Mapping Change Over Time at 14^th and U Streets, Professor Michele Lamprakos, PhD; Ryan Banger, Graphics Coordinator/Teaching Assistant; Adan Ramos, Graphics Editor. Students: William Ayres, Khaleef Bradford, Aldana Caceres, Eric Cho, Marissa Cutry, Mohit Dobariya, Ricky Fairhurst, Kaira Farrell, Kelcy Hayes, Mark Machado, Ryan McDonald, Francisco Orantes, Hector Pereira, Patricia Rowedder, Jenny Umana, Emma Weber, Kirsten Young, Susan Yu
Analysis Video: Virginia Tech, Washington Alexandria Architecture Center; Rallying for Rights: The City as a 1^st Amendment Landscape, Professor Susan Piedmont-Palladino. Students: Naseem Falla, Jasmine McNeil, Sonja Stojic, Alyssa Tope

Sponsors
This exhibition is made possible through generous support from:

Patron—Bill Bonstra, FAIA and Penny Karas; David and Patricia Haresign; Eric Colbert & Associates PC; Insight Property Group; Martinez + Johnson Architecture; MV+A Architects; Potomac Valley Brick; Silverback Development in Honor of Phil Esocoff, FAIA

  

       

Benefactor—Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS; CallisonRTKL; Interface Engineering, Inc.; Ogden CAP Properties in Honor of Phil Esocoff, FAIA; Perkins Eastman; Shalom Baranes Associates; SK+I Architecture; Susan and Eric Meyers; Torti Gallas + Partners

Supporter—BELL Architects, PC; Bowman Consulting; dp+partners, llc; Hickok Cole Architects; Horning Brothers; INTUS Windows; Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners; Jay and Rita Abraham Yurow; Lee & McShane, P.C.; Rathgeber/Goss Associates, P.C.; Roger K. Lewis, FAIA, Architect and Planner; SK&A Structural Engineers, PLLC

Contributor—Capitol Engineering Group, LLC; Suzane Reatig Architecture

Donation—CAS Engineering; Landscape Architecture Bureau (LAB)

AIA|DC proudly presents the work of Hoachlander Davis Photography, an award-winning architectural photography studio with more than 20 years of professional experience in the Washington Metropolitan region. Organized by theme, Hoachlander Davis: Photographing Spaces features over 20 projects and 100-plus images related to the photographers’ commercial and residential work. With each project, the photographer lends a special point of view from behind the camera to communicate the photoshoot experience.

Beyond celebrating the photographers’ images, the exhibition aims to emphasize the cooperative relationship between photographer and client, and highlight the photographer’s hand in the documentation of space. Dedicated to the art of photographing architecture, HDP’s commercial work is representational in nature in order to give the client a variety of exterior, interior, and abstract detail images. Space—how it appears and how it is used—at different times of day, in different seasons, under different conditions, and with or without people, is vital to the photographer’s portrayal.

Over the years, work by HDP has focused exclusively on photographing architecture and interior design for use in design awards, magazines, and marketing. They have built a rich portfolio consisting of a wide array of projects including churches, civic centers, healthcare facilities, homes, museums, commercial buildings, schools and universities.  Their clients include architects, construction companies, developers, interior designers, museums, and non-profit organizations.

In addition to their professional work, the three photographers developed Photographing Spaces, a website and blog created to inform and inspire architects, landscape architects, and designers with photography techniques and practices. In turn, they are equipped with knowledge about documenting their own work, as well as how to work better with professional photographers.

Credits

Organized by AIA|DC for the SIGAL Gallery in collaboration with Hoachlander Davis Photography. Coordinated by Scott Clowney, Assoc. AIA with support from Anice Hoachlander, Judy Davis, Allen Russ, and Jen Milbrett.

Special thanks: AllenBuilt, Inc.; Balodemas Architects; Barnes Vanze Architects, Inc.; Beyer Blinder Belle; Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS; Clark Realty Capital; EYP; FORM Architects; Hickok Cole Architects; John Moriarty & Associates; Jones & Boer Architects; NAWROCKI Architects; OPX; OTJ Architects; Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect; Schiller Projects; Shalom Baranes Associates; SmithGroupJJR; Studio Twenty Seven Architecture | Leo A Daly JV; STUDIOS Architecture; Wiedemann Architects; and Wingate Hughes Architects, PLLC.

Designed and modeled in ArchiCAD19, courtesy of Graphisoft.

Supported in part by BluEdge.

         

 

This exhibition combines award-winning projects from three of AIA|DC’s largest competitions:

• Unbuilt Washington Awards
• Washingtonian Residential Design Awards
• Chapter Design Awards

Each year, our competitions recognize practitioners, educators, and students within the architecture community who demonstrate excellence in design. Projects are selected by distinguished juries of design professionals based outside of the Washington metropolitan region.

The exhibition features 41 projects organized by competition: theoretical and unbuilt commissioned projects in Unbuilt Washington Awards; single family, multifamily, and mixed-used residential projects in Washingtonian Residential Design Awards; and architecture, interior architecture, historic resources, and urban design/master planning projects, including Presidential Citations, in Chapter Design Awards. Citation categories include design and wellbeing, sustainable design, universal design, and urban catalyst.

2017 Unbuilt Washington Award winners: aldayjover architecture and landscape, University of Virginia; HKS, Inc.; Luis Pancorbo and Ines Martin Robles, University of Virginia with Marcelo Ruiz Pardo and Sonia Nebreda; mcdowellespinosa, University of Virginia; Michael Beaman, University of Virginia; Perkins+Will; and Tyler Mauri with Austin Edwards, Ben Dinapoli, and Ziqi Chen, University of Virginia.

2017 Washingtonian Residential Design Award winners: Carter + Burton Architecture PLC; DLR Group/Sorg Architects/Weslake Reed Leskosky; EL Studio PLLC; KUBE Architecture; McInturff Architects; Richard Williams Architects PLLC; Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect; Shalom Baranes Associates; Shinberg.Levinas Architects; Square 134 Architects; and Wiebenson & Dorman Architects PC.

2017 Chapter Design Award winners: Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS; David Jameson Architect; Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroupJJR; Gensler; Hamilton Snowber Architects; Hartman-Cox Architects; MTFA Architecture; Quinn Evans Architects; Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect; Stanton Architecture; STUDIO Architecture; and Studio Twenty Seven Architecture. 

Closing Party: January 16th, 6:30pm

#DACGalleries