Photo caption and credit:

Southeast Neighborhood Library, Quinn Evans

Southeast Neighborhood Library is one of four Carnegie-funded libraries in Washington, DC. Constructed in 1922, it has served the Capitol Hill community for over 100 years. It occupies a triangular site at the intersection of 7th and D Streets SE, with South Carolina Avenue to the south. The building sits on a landscaped berm with the historic public entry on 7th Street, facing a public plaza with the Eastern Market Metro Station. In addition to providing a new universally accessible public entrance, the modernization and expansion provides additional meeting and gathering spaces; expands space for children's programs and early learning environments; and preserves and rehabilitates the historic landmark.

The project expands the original 8,500 square-foot structure to over 19,000 square-feet. Due to site constraints and the library's historic nature, much of the building expands below grade. The original basement level was lowered to align with the sidewalk level to the south, and an additional level was provided below it. A skylight is introduced in the landscaped berm, which provides natural light for the children's collections and program spaces at the lower floor, creating a warm and inspiring environment for children's activities. This is made possible by floor openings in the center of the library at the upper and ground floors, that allow daylight to filter down from a new skylight in the historic main roof.

Learning objective 1

Discuss the challenges of adapting a historic, Carnegie-era library to meet the evolving needs of a contemporary urban library.

Learning objective 2

Describe the process for preserving and restoring the character-defining features of a historic structure, while addressing the technical challenges of expanding below grade at a dense urban site.

Learning objective 3

Describe the process for re-interpreting the landscape design for the historic site.

Learning objective 4

Identify the strategies for integrating historic preservation, restoration, and new construction on a public library project with significant site constraints.

Presented By: 

Anthony Harris - Quinn Evans

Join the BEC DC for our End-of-Year Celebration! Let's wrap up the year by bringing together industry professionals, colleagues, and friends for an evening of networking, great conversations, and celebration. Enjoy the opportunity to connect, reflect on the year's achievements, and celebrate our building enclosure community.

Each year, the AIADC LA.IDEA Committee presents Maestrxs de Arquitectura, a signature lecture and networking event that celebrates the contributions of leading voices in architecture and design. Maestrxs brings a distinguished Latin American architect or designer to Washington, DC, to share their work, professional journey, and perspectives on the built environment.

Over the years, the program has welcomed an exceptional roster of speakers, including Francisco González Pulido at the National Building Museum (2022), Monica Ponce de Leon at the District Architecture Center (2023), Jean Pierre Crousse at the Embassy of Peru (2024), and Jaime Correa at the Embassy of Colombia (2025). Maestrxs de Arquitectura has become a highly anticipated event, bringing together architects, designers, students, and allied professionals from across the region while strengthening connections within our diverse design community in the nation's capital.

For the 2026 edition, we are honored to welcome Yiselle Santos Rivera AIA, AIA President-Elect 2026, as our featured speaker. A past President of AIA DC (2023) and a founding member of the AIADC LA.IDEA Committee, Yiselle has been a champion for equity, leadership, and representation within the profession. Her selection comes at a historic moment as she prepares to become the first Latina President of the American Institute of Architects.

Learning objective 1

Identify strategies for exercising leadership at any stage of a professional career, regardless of formal title, position, or authority.

Learning objective 2

Examine how authenticity, identity, and lived experience can serve as strengths in shaping leadership approaches and advancing the architectural profession.

Learning objective 3

Recognize barriers that have historically limited representation in architecture and evaluate practical actions that individuals and organizations can take to create more inclusive pathways to leadership.

Learning objective 4

Apply principles of courageous leadership to influence change within firms, professional organizations, and communities, even when formal permission or authority is absent.

Presenter Name

Yiselle Santos Rivera

Presenter Bio 

Yiselle Santos Rivera is an architect, medical planner, educator, and organizational strategist whose practice lives at the intersection of design excellence, social impact, and systems change. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she has spent more than two decades working across global design firms, academic institutions, and grassroots coalitions.

She is the AIA 2026 President-Elect and will serve as AIA President in 2027. She is the first Latina and first openly LGBTQIA+ architect elected to lead the American Institute of Architects, and the first AIA president to openly discuss being neurodivergent. She is leading the national association of 100,000+ architects into an era centered on restoring joy, humanity, and awe to the profession, reconnecting practitioners with why they entered the field in the first place.

She is the Principal and Owner of Santos Rivera Advisory / YSR, LLC, a Latina- and woman-owned consultancy advancing intercultural experience design, healthcare architecture, and organizational transformation. She has taught in the Department of Architecture at Howard University and is a third-year doctoral student in Leadership Psychology at William James College, where her research, with a concentration in applied neuroscience, explores belonging, identity, and systems-level change.

Formerly the Global Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at HKS, she led the firm's equity strategy across 26 offices and more than 1,600 employees. She founded WIELD (Women Inspiring Emerging Leaders in Design) and cofounded LA.IDEA, the first Latin American committee within AIA|DC. She writes regularly for The Latino Newsletter, where her essays on architecture, politics, and culture reach audiences well beyond the design profession.

The throughline across everything she builds, teaches, leads, and writes is designing environments, organizations, and professions where people can belong and thrive without erasing who they are.

2026 DC Design Awards

The DC Design Awards are back, and reinvented. This year, AIA|DC is turning the awards into an annual ceremony and gala-style reception celebrating the best of Washington’s built environment. Join colleagues from across the design and building community to honor the architects, designers and firms shaping the District’s skyline and streetscape, then stay for a night of celebration and conversation.

The Awards

Doors open at 7:00pm, program begins at 7:30pm

The evening opens with an awards ceremony honoring this year’s distinguished projects and people.

• AIA|DC Design Awards: Recognizing outstanding achievement across Architecture, Interior Architecture, Historic Resources and Urban Design/Master Planning.
• Washingtonian Residential Design Awards: Honoring excellence in distinctive residential projects in the region.
• Unbuilt Washington Awards: Bridging the academic and professional communities by celebrating research, conceptual exploration and innovation in design thinking in the DC Metro region.

The Chapter will also recognize individuals whose work as architects, advocates, educators, clients and partners makes Washington a better place:

• Emerging Architect Award: Honoring emerging leaders of any age whose early-career contributions and dedicated service have meaningfully impacted the architecture community.
• Centennial Medal Award: Recognizing an architect with at least a decade of service to the Chapter, community or profession.

The Reception

After the ceremony, from 8:30-11:00pm, the celebration moves to a gala reception with:

• Live entertainment
• Casino games
• Guided tours of the newly redesigned National Geographic Museum of Exploration
• Heavy hors d’oeuvres, small bite stations and dessert stations
• A full bar throughout the evening

Become a Sponsor

Put your company’s name in the spotlight. Sponsorship includes logo placement, social media features and custom branding on casino tables and signature cocktails, all in front of DC’s top design professionals. To learn more, review our sponsorship benefits and contact Kim Bender at kbender@aiadc.com.

Join AIA|DC CRAN and Capital Area CRAN for an evening of mentoring and mixing that connects emerging professionals with architects who’ve built careers in custom residential design. It’s designed for emerging professionals but open to anyone curious about residential practice.

The conversations will dig into the realities of residential work: career paths and licensure, running a practice, working with clients and consultants, and what it really takes to deliver a thoughtful, high-quality home. Along the way, we’ll talk about the architect’s role in healthy and sustainable materials, energy-efficient design, and advocating for the value of good design in our communities.

The evening opens with informal networking, so come early, grab a refreshment, and meet people across every stage of practice. By building connections between generations of architects, Home Grown strengthens the professional pipeline and supports the architect’s responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public through responsible residential design.

Bring your questions. You don’t need a portfolio or a polished elevator pitch, just curiosity.

This event is free, and refreshments will be provided.

Thank you to Ateliers Jacob for opening their doors and hosting us for the evening.

Learning objective 1

Identify professional development pathways in residential architecture, including licensure, practice management, and collaborative design, and explain how they support an architect’s responsibility to protect public health, safety, and welfare.

Learning objective 2

Discuss strategies for selecting healthy and sustainable building materials in residential projects, and describe how collaboration among architects, clients, and consultants improves indoor environmental quality and occupant well-being.

Learning objective 3

Recognize energy-efficient and resilient design strategies for residential buildings, and explain how they reduce environmental impact and improve long-term safety and performance for occupants.

Learning objective 4

Explain how architects can advocate for thoughtful, responsible residential design with clients and communities, and why that advocacy matters for safe, healthy, and livable neighborhoods.

Photo caption and credit:

Aerial View of Ruppert Nurseries (Courtesy of Ruppert Nurseries)

Join AIA DC COTE as we leaf-peep at Ruppert Nurseries! This tour will consist of a hay wagon ride around the tree farm during which we will cover the topics listed in the learning objectives. Q&A Sessions will take place during the tour and afterwards. Please dress appropriately for being outside and consider bringing a hat and walking shoes. Light refreshments and drinks will be provided by the RN team. It is about an hour drive to the location.

Learning objective 1

Evaluate how nursery‑level sustainability practices—including cover cropping, native species cultivation, and integrated pest management—impact site resilience, environmental health, and long‑term landscape performance in architectural projects.

Learning objective 2

Assess tree structure and health (pruning methods, root architecture, leaders, branching habits) to reduce site hazards, support safe circulation, and ensure long‑term compatibility with built elements such as foundations, pavements, and utilities.

Learning objective 3

Identify appropriate planting windows—including root‑pruned stock, summer digging limitations, and fall‑planting risks—to mitigate transplant failure, protect site investments, & support healthy establishment in compliance with project performance goals.

Learning objective 4

Coordinate effectively with landscape architects & contractors by integrating plant‑related constraints into site planning, documentation, & construction sequencing, reducing installation risks & improving overall project HSW outcomes.

Presented By: 

Kelly Lewis (President & Partner) 

Kelly started with Ruppert Nurseries in 1994. He is a Certified Professional Horticulturist and has a Texas A&M Certificate of applied business management.

Nick Graves (General Manager)

Nick has been with Ruppert since 2006 and has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Landscape Horticulture with a minor in Agricultural Business and Entomology. Nick is also a Certified Professional Horticulturist.

Photo caption and credit: 

Burrville Elementary School, Perkins Eastman DC

Join AIA|DC's Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) for networking and rapid-fire style presentations at the committee’s "Back to School" Fall Social.

This event will showcase current work related to the design of learning environments by firms in the DC metropolitan region. Presentations will highlight emerging trends through designs still on the boards, completed within the last year, or under construction.

Learning objective 1

Explore and understand how diverse spaces can support lifelong learning.

Learning objective 2

Describe new trends in school designs around the nation.

Learning objective 3

Explain and analyze existing school facilities for their inherent challenges.

Learning objective 4

Discuss and define 21st century learning environments.

Sponsored by: 

Main Sponsor

Secondary Sponsors

Photo Caption & Credit

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architecture

This course will explore the growing importance of resilient building design as a result of accelerating climate change and extreme weather events.

We will discuss resilient design principles and fenestration's role in resilient design, including; the importance of building product durability, energy efficiency, storm and hurricane protection, and how simple, passive, and flexible systems are more resilient.

In order to design with resiliency in mind, we must understand how natural disasters and extreme weather events affect the buildings where we live and work, as well as the surrounding communities. The building community must coalesce around efforts to design and build more resilient structures that can withstand high winds, flooding, earthquakes, and fire.

Learning Objective 1

Analyze the importance of resilient building design within the changing environment and extreme weather events.

Learning Objective 2

Identify and understand the 12 resilient design principles in the built environment.

Learning Objective 3

Examine fenestration’s role in resilient design and considerations for specifying highly durable and energy efficient products.

Learning Objective 4

Identify high performance windows and door products that should be considered when designing for resiliency.

Presenter Name

Diane van Horn

Presenter Bio

Diane van Horn is the Senior Architectural Territory Manager for Loewen Windows and Doors. In her role Diane is responsible for architectural specifications, project reviews, design assistance and delivering Continuing Education courses. Diane has experience in fenestration products for both residential and commercial applications. Diane currently serves on the Board of Directors for AIA New Jersey’s Newark & Suburban Chapter. In addition, Diane is a member of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) where she earned her Construction Document Technologist (CDT) certification.

Call for Nominations

The AIA|DC Nominating Committee is pleased to open nominations for the 2027 Board of Directors. Serving on the board is a meaningful way to shape the chapter's direction, strengthen the architecture community in the District, and represent the interests of AIA|DC's membership at the local and national level. We encourage all eligible members to consider the open positions below. Candidates should be prepared to commit the time and effort described in this form and to uphold the fiduciary and ethical responsibilities of chapter leadership.

The AIA|DC Nominating Committee Seeks nominees for open director and officer positions that meet the following qualifications:

OFFICERS

• President-Elect/VP | 1 year term
  • Must have previously served on the board for at least 1 year
• Treasurer | 1 year term
• Secretary | 1 year term

DIRECTORS

• Associate Director | 1 year term
  • 1 open seat
  • Must be an Associate AIA Member
• Young Architect Director | 1 year term
  • 1 open seat
  • Must be an architect licensed up to ten years of initial licensure
• Director-at-Large | 2 year terms
  • 3 open seats
  • Must have demonstrated leadership experience in one or more of the following chapter functions: Professional Education, Sponsorship, Advocacy, Honors & Awards, Membership/Committees

All nominees must be AIA members in good standing. Nominations will close on October 23 at 4pm. The Nominating Committee will review all submissions for eligibility before finalizing the ballot.

Questions about the nomination process, position responsibilities, or eligibility requirements can be directed to the Executive Director (kbender@aiadc.com).

Photo caption and credit:

Constance Gauthier Photography 

Join the CRAN committee for a private tour of a newly completed residence in the Palisades, set on a wooded bluff above the Potomac River valley. The house spans four levels and nearly 9,000 square feet. It's a close collaboration between GTM Architects, the interior design firm Studio Sophîste, and Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture, and each firm will lead part of the tour.

The team will talk through how they designed for a steep site and framed the river views, and how they built a high-performance envelope. They'll also show how the house supports multigenerational living and wellbeing. Sanders Company, the event sponsor, will talk about how the windows and doors were selected, detailed and installed, including the large openings that frame the views.

Note: This event is sponsored by the Sanders Company. 

Learning objective 1

Gain an understanding on how window and door systems are integrated into a high-performance building envelope.

Learning objective 2

Evaluate the safety requirements for large-format openings like bifold window walls and French doors.

Learning objective 3

Describe landscape strategies for building on a steep site.

Learning objective 4

Identify design strategies that support occupants' health and wellbeing across generations.

Presented by: 

Mark Kaufman - GTM

Martha Vicas - Studio Sophiste

Mark Finlayson - Richardson & Associates