Join AIA|DC's Design Excellence Committee for a film screening and panel discussion highlighting the profound contributions of South American women architects in the world of creativity, design, and diversity.

This program is part of a 4-part series showcasing 4 countries: Argentina, Peru, Chile and Brazil. Each session will include 4 panelists from the represented country that will share their work.

The series explore representation of diverse typologies of unseen architecture in South American countries all seen from the eyes of local women architects.

This 4x4 = 16 Brazil showcases the work of architects Gloria Cabral, Marta Moreira, Mariana Simas, and Cláudia Sales de Alcântara.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify emerging man-made materials and experimentation techniques that can be a conduct to allow social experiences and collaboration in low-income societies.
• Discover the design of public sector service architecture related to cultural, educational and academic buildings in the megalopolis of Sao Paulo.
• Discuss topics about equity and inclusion in the north of Brazil that include themes such as Collective Black Land, Discourse and Territory and Transatlantic Cities and Racial Thought.
• Illustrate the approach to rethink and give continuity to the iconic Brazilian Modern Architecture movement.

Presented by:

Francesca Franchi, AIA - Presenter

Cristiana Mascarenhas - Moderator   

Gloria Cabral

Arquiteta Gloria Cabral believes that architecture is her tool for making the necessary transformations in our society. Cabral was a partner of Gabinete de Arquitectura in Paraguay, from 2004 to 2020. She participated in the Rolex Mentor and Protégé program as a mentee of Peter Zumthor, during 2014 and 2015.

Among the many international recognitions that Cabral has received together with her partners are: the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale of Architecture, for Best Participation in the International Exhibition; the Architects 2018 Moira Gemmill Award for Emerging Women in Architecture; and the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2021.

She studied architecture at the University of Asunción where she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate, in 2020.

Marta Moreira

Arquiteta Marta Moriera founded MMBB Arquitetos in 1991 together with Fernando Franco and Milton Braga; later Maria João joined the team. The office focuses on the development of public and institutional projects in the areas of building, infrastructure and urban planning.

MMBB has won several distinctions and awards, such as the Archdaily Building of the Year 2023; the Brazilian Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai; the First Prize of the International Urban Project Award – IUPA 2020 and the Special Prize at the XI BIAU 2019, both with the SESC 24 de Maio building, in collaboration with Paulo Mendes da Rocha; the Prize at the IX BIAU 2014 with the Jardim Edite social housing complex; and the Best Entry with prize the Watery Voids proposal in the 3rd International Architecture Biennale of Rotterdam 2007.

She has been a professor of design at Escola da Cidade since 2001 and a member of the Association’s Presidency since 2019.

Moreira received her title from the School of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo (FAU/USP) in 1987.

Mariana Simas

Arquiteta Mariana Simas is a partner and the executive director at Studio MK27.

Her interests in the global architectural dialogue led her to head the communications efforts at MK27. She has had the opportunity to present and discuss the studio´s body of work on several institutions such as at the Archipel, Belgian Institute of Architects; Universidad Politecnica de Valencia; South Florida University and the Royal Academy of Arts, in London.

Simas is focused on developing masterplans and conceptual designs for competitions and pro-bono projects such as Catarina town, a planned sustainable city in the outskirts of São Paulo; a Pavilion in Chapultepec, City of Mexico; and the Occupation of the former Ford Factory in São Paulo, a housing project requested by the municipality for the unsheltered people.

Globally, she has designed projects such as the island for Patina hotel in the Maldives; an urban community in Madrid; and the Brazilian Pavilion for Expo Osaka 2025.

Sima believes that the purpose of her work is to create a healthy business model to allow for the intellectual research of architecture to thrive.

She studied at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo where she acted as treasurer of the student’s union, created a cooperative of employees that took over the school´s canteen, and generated a financial fund for the student´s activities that lasted for the years to come.

Cláudia Sales de Alcântara

Cláudia Sales de Alcântara is an architect and pedagogue, with a master's and a PhD degree in Brazilian Education. She has been working as a professor of architecture and urbanism since 2013.

Sales de Alcântara served as Federal Councilor for the state of Ceará between 2021-2023. She was the coordinator of the Temporary Commission on Race, Equity and Diversity - CTRED at the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil - CAU/BR, between 2021-2022. During 2021-2023 she acted as assistant coordinator of the Ordinary Commission for Education and Training – CEF; and assistant coordinator of the Temporary Commission on Affirmative Policies - CTPAF (2022-2023).
 
During her time at CAU/BR, she focused her work on developing the quality of teaching in architecture and urbanism; the implementation of policies to combat ethnic-racial discrimination in the profession; and promoting actions to enable the participation of minorities in the political process of the Council.

Sales de Alcântara teaches architecture and urbanism at the University of Unichristus, Fortaleza.

Organized by:

AIA|DC Design Excellence Committee

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

SILVER DONORS

AECOM

Ares Management

HOK

Mikela McMahon

MOYA

Perkins&Will

BRONZE DONORS

-Avalon Bay Communities

-Cunningham / Quill Architects PLLC

-David Haresign, FAIA

-Francesca Franchi, AIA

-Frederick & Cederna Architects

-Gerald Briggs, FAIA and Randy Briggs

-HGA

-Landdesign

-Mariela Buendia-Corrochano, IIDA, Assoc. AIA

-rdc

-shalom baranes associates architects

-SMITHGROUP

-WDG

-Whiting-Turner

-William Hodges Hendrix, AIA

-Winstanley Architects & Planners

VENUE PROVIDED BY:

-Brazilian Embassy of Washington, DC

It's that time of year!  Build a house made of candy, snowmen, a toy train, or decorate a tree to make a winter wonderland come to life.  Bring the family for a festive morning of handmade, holiday decorations! Great for kids ages 3 and up!

Join Dominion Lighting for an enlightening afternoon to explore cutting-edge LED lighting technologies with a special presentation by Dino Paturo from WAC Lighting. You'll quickly become a subject matter expert with all things LED as we break down the future of lighting design and innovation! 

After the learning presentation, join us for a relaxed and luminous happy hour in the 18-time award-winning Dominion Lighting Flagship showroom. Network with industry peers, exchange ideas and be inspired. 

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze the correct LED package that performs optimally for your various lighting applications and to meet your specific lighting needs. Learn about the different techniques for high-power and mid-power LED lighting, COB (Chip on Board) LEDs, and others.
• Discover how to select the various media types for lighting optics, including the latest reflectors, TIR lenses, and edge-lit panels. Assess the applications and material selection and how they contribute to the human connection to integrated spaces, including when designing for residential, hospitality, and commercial applications.
• Understand the style, function, and performance of LED lighting fixtures, from chandeliers and pendants to wall sconces and vanity lights, tape, undercabinet lighting, and exterior wall luminaires.
• Examine case studies that exemplify the role of LED luminaires and lighting systems in connecting people to integrated interior and exterior spaces.
• Discover the latest luminaire application efficacy and how this and other lighting design metrics are crucial in selecting LED lighting, including performance, energy savings, and ROI.

Organized by:

AIA Potomac Valley

Capital Area Custom Residential Architects Network, a tri-chapter committee founded jointly by AIA|DC, AIA Northern Virginia and AIA Potomac Valley

Join us for the Building Enclosure Council end-of-year gathering to discuss what the committee does and how to get involved.

Building Enclosure Council of Washington D.C. (BEC-DC) is an organization comprised of architects, engineers, contractors, consultants, and manufacturers who share a common interest in new and existing building enclosures and the science related to them. BEC-DC offers a forum for professionals in the construction industry to discuss and share valuable information relating to building enclosure design and their experiences with success and adversity.

For those interested in applying to the 2024 class of the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program (CKLDP), there will be an "Applications 101" information session hosted via Zoom.

This interactive Q&A event will be hosted by members of the CKLDP Advisory Committee and provides potential program scholars with an opportunity to ask questions and receive helpful hints about what to include – or not – in their program applications.

Interested candidates are encouraged to attend this event, but attendance is NOT mandatory in order to apply to CKLDP. We look forward to having you join us!

Organized by:

CKLDP Advisory Committee

Montgomery Planning is pleased to request nominations for an individual to participate on the Design Advisory Panel (DAP) for the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan area. The goal of the DAP is to review new projects in Downtown Bethesda and offer advisory comments that will heighten design excellence by improving the quality of architecture, landscape, and public space, guided by the approved Bethesda Downtown Plan Design Guidelines.

The DAP currently has one opening for a registered architect representing academia and we are inviting nominations to be considered for this position. Staff will review the applications and present a recommendation to the Planning Board by the end of the year. Letters of interest should include a brief resume. We ask that nominees submit through email to Grace Bogdan, Bethesda DAP Coordinator, grace.bogdan@montgomeryplanning.org, by Friday, November 10, 2023.

The DAP meets the 4th Wednesday of every month, currently in a hybrid of virtually and in-person at our offices in Downtown Wheaton. Meetings last at most three hours and project materials are provided a week in advance of each meeting. Click here for more information about the DAP, including video of recent meetings and the rules of procedure.

Come shape the future of the AIA|DC’s Committee on the Environment (COTE)! Following a hiatus during Covid, the COTEdc group is working to reorganize with educational and networking events beginning in 2024. This event is an informal meet-up to hear what COTEdc has been up to, and to solicit participation and ideas from members. We are hoping to hear what type of events you’d like to see in 2024. Please join if you are interested in participating in the committee! Thank you to our sponsor, Steelcase, for graciously sponsoring food and drinks for this event!

Doors Open — 5:30pm

Program Begins — 6:00pm

   Join Capital Area CRAN for our annual holiday party!

Our previous SFx event focused on the opportunities for Artificial Intelligence in Small Firms. The final SFx event of the year shifts its focus to the value of Human Intelligence in improving our design process and results. Understanding human behavior and cognition is a major value-add to design, orienting design-thinking to the realities of the people who experience design. Research in the field has exploded in the last 15 years and is in use at an expanding list of firms in the U.S. and abroad.

Likewise, there are ways of harvesting deeper insights into the needs, feelings, and aspirations of those we design for, capitalizing them pragmatically, incorporating them into design. In the process, there is the potential to increase client satisfaction, reduce design and design-revision hours, get faster design approvals from clients, increase repeat business, and, along the way, improve employee morale and profits.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand aspects of human behavior and cognition to improve the design process

• Explore current research about behavioral science and relationship to architecture

• Hear about ways to improve client satisfaction and reduce design revisions

• Improve team and employee morale, as well as project profitability

Presented by:

Milton Shinberg, AIA

Shinberg has investigated and brought to his own practice and teaching insights into architectural perception and cognition that are actionable in design since 1980. He lectures extensively, at AIA conferences and other national and international venues. He is progressing toward publication of a book on the subject. He is currently a Principal Emeritus with Shinberg.Levinas Architects. He is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Architecture & Planning, Catholic University of America and an advisory council member of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture.

Organized by:

AIA|DC Small Firm Exchange

Sponsored by: 

Actalent

INTRODUCING: THE OTJ LICENSURE SCHOLARSHIP FOR BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN ARCHITECTS & INTERIOR DESIGNERS

About OTJ Architects

OTJ Architects is a premier architecture and design practice that partners with leading organizations at key moments of transition in their development. With offices nationwide, OTJ delivers enduring human centric solutions that promote diversity, wellness, and sustainability across the commercial real estate, corporate, government, science and technology, multifamily, arts, culture, and education, as well as nonprofit sectors.  Signature recent projects include workplaces for Adobe, BMW, PBS, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Yelp; the renovations of the iconic Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, New York’s Webster Hall, and the Cincinnati Music Hall; laboratories for Dyno Therapeutics and Agios Pharmaceuticals; as well as the Visitation commercial mixed-use development in historic Frederick, MD. For more information, please visit otj.com.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access

OTJ believes that the future of our industry must be defined by measurable, time-bound action towards greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. The confluence of diverse backgrounds in the workplace sparks creativity, drives innovation, and empowers us all to rise above assumptions and stereotypes.  Achieving licensure in the fields of architecture or interior design represents the culmination of an educational journey unique to our profession. Licensure is also a vital avenue in the development of the next generation of design talent.   Black/African American professionals, however, face unique challenges on this path. Statistics are sobering.

Statistical Data from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB):

• In 2022, Black/African Americans accounted for 6.1% of the candidates taking the ARE exam.
• In 2022, Black/African Americans accounted for 3% of the candidates passing the ARE exam.
• In 2022, Black/African Americans make up 1.8% of the NCARB licensed certificate holders.

Statistical Data from the National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ):

• In 2020, Black/African Americans comprised 0.97% of the NCIDQ licensed certificate holders.  

It is also recorded that Black/African American candidates spend more on test taking and study materials on average.   

Scholarship Overview  

To help the most underrepresented racial group in our field, we are pleased to introduce the OTJ Licensure Scholarship for Black/African American Architects and Interior Designers. This scholarship provides funds and supporting materials for the pursuit of licensure by Blacks/African Americans in the architecture and interior design industry.

Two (2) scholarships are available each calendar year to offset the exam fees for the three (3) sections of the NCIDQ exam or the six (6) divisions of the NCARB (ARE) examination.   Please note that the scholarships do not include application fees or other ancillary expenses.

One (1) architectural recipient of the scholarship will be awarded:

• The annual cost for the six (6) ARE divisions within one given year
• Access to the online study guide Amber Book
• PPI exam prep materials for the ARE examination

One (1) interior design recipient of the scholarship will receive: 

• The one-time cost for three (3) sections of the NCIDQ examination
• Access to the online study guide Q-Practice
• PPI exam prep materials for the NCIDQ examination

Eligibility Requirements  

Candidates must be Black/African American citizens of the United States and either an architecture or interior design school graduate.  The college or university is not required to be NAAB or CIDA accredited institution. Applicants must hold an active National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) record to take the Architect Registration Exam (ARE) or an active National Certified Interior Design Qualification record holder to take the (NCIDQ) examination.

Application Process and Evaluation Criteria

Applicants should submit a 250-word essay that describes the personal relevance of becoming a Registered Architect or Certified Interior Designer. Award recipients will be selected based on the clarity of ideas expressed as well as their demonstrated commitment to our industry and their own professional growth within it (through activities, volunteerism, membership in professional organizations, etc.). Essay must be clearly accompanied by applicant’s contact information, including telephone number as well as email and mailing addresses. 

Deadlines

Candidates for Architect

• Application opens September 1, 2023
• Submission deadline December 1, 2023
• Recipients announced January 1, 2024

Candidates for Interior Designer

• Application opens August 1, 2023
• Submission deadline December 1, 2023
• Recipients announced January 1, 2024