Beyond Practice: Watercolors by David Cox, FAIA

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

2018 Professional Awards of the Potomac Chapter, ASLA

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

reBirth::Washington DC 50 Years after 1968

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 14th 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 1st 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)

Hoachlander Davis: Photographing Spaces

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.

         

 

The 2017 Awards Show

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

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

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On the Verge of Bizarre: Extraordinary Art by Vlad Zabavskiy

AIA|DC is pleased to present recent works by award-winning, Virginia-based artist Vlad Zabavskiy.

The Exhibition

The exhibition is organized in themes, such as landscapes, portraits, species, and still lifes. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to wear polarized 3D glasses in the gallery to view the paintings.

As the exhibition title suggests, Zabavskiy’s paintings are indeed bizarre and extraordinary. Zabavskiy uses a rich palette of colorful oils, including gold leaf, coupled with crackling and layered effects that produce vivid and compelling images. Lines, planes, and shapes are all visible, making an otherwise two-dimensional canvas seem anything but. To his surprise, Vlad discovered a unique three-dimensional quality to his paintings: polarized 3D glasses greatly enhance the painting’s depth of field.

In his most recent paintings, Zabavskiy explores the transition between realism and abstraction. Using algorithms to produce variations in generative design software, such as Processing, Fragmentarium, Structure Synth, and NodeBox, each painting is based on manipulated parameters that create an alternative picture. The results are playful, architectonic expressions that appear almost otherworldly—Cubist-like but not Cubist inspired.

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About Vlad Zabavskiy

Zabavskiy’s art has been exhibited locally at the Arlington Community Federal Credit Union, Del Ray Artisans Gallery, Edison Place Gallery, Gallery Underground, Human Rights Campaign Foundation, National Building Museum, Torpedo Factory Art Center, and Touchstone Gallery; internationally at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France and the World Trade Center in Moscow, Russia.

Zabavskiy is Senior Graphic Designer at the National Building Museum where his artwork has also been exhibited, most recently in Wright on the Walls. Vlad is a member of the Arlington Artists Alliance and The DC Creative Guild. He maintains a studio at the Columbia Pike Artist Studios in Arlington, VA.

To purchase artwork, visit the artist’s website at www.zabavskiy.com.
 

Design for Diversity: The Aga Khan Award for Architecture

Ancient Urbanism: How the Built Environment Influenced Society in the 11th Century Greater Middle East - Monday, October 16, 2017 (6:30 PM - 8 PM)

The Exhibition highlights 19 works of architecture from the 2014-2016 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is given every three years to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, planning practices, historic preservation and landscape architecture. Through its efforts, the Award seeks to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of societies across the world, in which Muslims have a significant presence. An emphasis is placed on projects that address pluralistic communities and bringing together diverse populations. As Shiraz Allibhai, Deputy Director of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, puts it, the Award “serves people, serves community.”

The exhibition emphasizes architectural works that not only provide for peoples' physical, social and economic needs, but that also stimulates and respond to their cultural expectations. The exhibition highlights the attention that is given to building schemes that use local resources and appropriate technology in innovative ways, and to projects likely to inspire similar efforts elsewhere.

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About The Aga Khan Award for Architecture

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is a program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), which has a wide range of activities aimed at the preservation and promotion of the material and spiritual heritage of Muslim societies. The AKTC is one of many agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network, a private, non-denominational international development organization, chaired by His Highness the Aga Khan. These agencies work to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa. Some programs, such as specific research, education and cultural programs, span both the developed and developing worlds. While each agency pursues its own mandate, all of them work together within the overarching framework of the Network so that their different pursuits interact and reinforce one another.

Established by His Highness in 1977, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture’s US$1 million prize is unique from many other architectural prizes in that it selects projects – from slum upgrading to high rise “green” buildings – that not only exhibit architectural excellence but also improve the overall quality of life.

Over the last four decades, it has steadfastly championed the needs and aspirations of human beings within the practice of architecture. The Award is also different because it not only rewards architects but also identifies municipalities, builders, clients, master craftsmen and engineers who have played important roles in the realization of a project.

About the Aga Khan Council for the United States of America

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.

Images

Superkilen Park in Copehagen, Denmark
Superkilen Park - Copehagen, Denmark

Moroccan fountain in the Black Market, while most of the objects and vegetation in the park have been imported from other cultural contexts and places. The park allows visitors to encounter and use these alien and exotic objects as an everyday life experience. Image courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Kristian Skeie.

Friendship Centre in Gaibandha, Bangladesh
Friendship Centre - Gaibandha, Bangladesh

Located in rural Gaibandha where agriculture is predominant, the project's roofscape merges with its environment. Image courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Rajesh Vora.

Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge in Tehran, Iran
Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge - Tehran, Iran

View from the south towards the Bridge and Alborz Mountains in the background. Image courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Barzin Baharlouie.

Isaam Fares Institute in Beirut, Lebanon
Isaam Fares Institute - Beirut, Lebanon

The project is a great asset to the campus, AUB and Beirut. The professionals describe the design as very contemporary, representative of its time and one that pushes the physical abilities of the materials used to the limit, while the art community views the building as a piece of art. Image courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Cemal Emden.

Ur Rouf Mosque in Bait, Bangladesh
Ur Rouf Mosque - Bait, Bangladesh

Column free prayer hall is raised on eight peripheral columns, in addition to four light courts, random circular roof openings allows daylight into the prayer hall creating an ornate pattern on the floor enhancing spirituality through light. Image courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Rajesh Vora.

Wish You Were Here! Vintage Postcards from Washington, D.C.

Related Programs

Tuesday, Aug 8, 2017: "Passport Destination: Taipei"
Thursday, Aug 31, 2017: "Greetings from Hometown Washington, DC"

About Exhibition

Travelers from around the world flock to the nation’s capital to experience extraordinary sites: stately buildings that house the government; commemorative structures that honor people and events; and grand institutions that celebrate the arts, humanities, and sciences.

Wish You Were Here! Vintage Postcards from Washington, D.C. takes visitors on a visual journey through the capital city as it was illustrated through postcards from the early-to-mid 20th century. Organized by AIA|DC, the exhibition features over 300 vintage postcards reproduced from collections held at the DC Public Library, Historical Society of Washington, D.C., and National Building Museum. The exhibition highlights sightseeing, transportation, street scenes, museum and government buildings, commercial establishments, sacred spaces, and parks.

The exhibition is divided into six sections: Traveling to Washington; Commencing the Adventure; Navigating the City; Exploring Iconic Landmarks; Discovering Local Places; and Remembering the Journey.

Curator’s Statement

Wish You Were Here! takes visitors on a visual journey through Washington, DC via vintage postcards from the early 20th century. The exhibition is not a history lesson on postcards, nor a complete story about each building or place represented. Rather, the exhibition offers an intimate perspective on the nation’s capital as a sightseer’s destination with many points of interest. The experience invites visitors to step into the world of each postcard and imagine the essence of its place and time.

The exhibition is partly inspired by an interest in cities and urban life, a love of travel, and the notion of time, as well as Lost Washington, D.C., a book by Paul Kelsey Williams which highlights extraordinary buildings in the capital city that no longer exist. Scott Clowney, a resident of Washington, DC since 2004, is Exhibitions Manager at the District Architecture Center. He is an architecture enthusiast, exhibitions specialist, and visual artist originally from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Send Us Your Postcards!

The spirit of mailing postcards is alive and well. Our newest exhibition features postcards that capture moments, places, and people from DC history. We want YOU to be a part of it.

Traveling this summer? Do you have family or friends in faraway places? Send us a postcard! Reach out to folks and ask them to send a postcard to DC from their neck of the woods. Include a note about your adventure or the landmark and landscape on the postcard.

Send postcards to our offices at the District Architecture Center. If you can’t send a postcard through snail mail, use an app like Postagram or TouchNote.

Mailing Address: District Architecture Center | 421 7th Street NW | Washington, DC 20004 | USA

Credits

Organized by AIA|DC for the Suman Sorg Gallery in cooperation with the DC Public Library, Historical Society of Washington, D.C., and National Building Museum.

Special thanks to Jerry A. McCoy, DC Public Library, Washingtoniana Division; Jessica Smith, Historical Society of Washington, D.C.; and Nancy Bateman, National Building Museum.

Conceived, curated, and designed by Scott Clowney, Assoc. AIA

Text edits by Mary Fitch, AICP, Hon. AIA

Installation by Rostin Rostai

Made possible with generous support from ABC Imaging.

Exhibition designed and modeled in ArchiCAD19, courtesy of Graphisoft.

 

2017 Professional Awards of the Potomac Chapter, ASLA

This exhibition highlights 15 award-winning works of landscape architecture from the 2017 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.  Two awards were given in our new category this year: Social Impact.

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 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, Beatriz Coffin, FASLA and Laurence Coffin, FASLA are recognized in the exhibition, as are two Edward B. Ballard Scholarship recipients.

For more information about the Potomac Chapter, ASLA, please visit: http://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.

Credits

Organized by the Potomac Chapter, ASLA in cooperation with AIA|DC for the SIGAL Gallery.

Potomac Chapter ASLAAIA|DCSIGAL Gallery

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Bees in the City

Exhibition Opening Reception: Bees in the City + The Pollinator-friendly Garden
Monday, April 10, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Native Bees—Protecting our Urban Pollinators
Tuesday, April 18, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Birds, bats and butterflies all take part in making our cities green but bees often play the biggest role.  Seventy-five percent of the world’s top 100 food crops rely on pollination from bees and other insects.  Our food supply, our major parks, even the plants in your garden all depend on bees.  How is it our world is so dependent on these tiny creatures and we know so little about them?  Bees in the City covers two types of bees:  honey bees who live in hives, and, native bees, representing about 80% of bee species, many of whom live completely solitary. 

In addition to learning about bees, the exhibition discusses how several world-famous architects have incorporated bee-inspired designs into their major works.  Finally, bees can also help us understand the modern design theory called biophilia, which reminds us that despite our preference to organize ourselves in cities, human beings need a connection to nature.  There is no stronger example of this than our centuries old relationship with bees.

The Pollinator-friendly Garden, an exhibition of botanical artworks by Studio 155 artists on view in the Suman Sorg Gallery through June 3 accompanies this exhibition.

Credits

Organized by AIA|DC for the SIGAL Gallery.

Graphic Design by Jennifer Byrne, Live. Create. Play. LLC

Made possible with generous support from ABC Imaging. Exhibition designed and modeled in ArchiCAD19, courtesy of Graphisoft.