Please join us for a meaningful evening of cocktails and bold conversations, explore the themes of:

Stewardship, Preservation & the Evolution of Modern Living

Stewardship is at the core of each project on the Georgetown House Tour, and our panelists will explore how this responsibility of stewardship and protection of these historic spaces passes from generation to generation.

Panelists include:

• Melvin Hooks, Showroom Manager, B&B Italia
• Wayne Adams: Principal, BarnesVanze Architects
• Erica Burns: Principal, Erica Burns Interiors
• Joe Richardson: Founding Principal, Richardson & Associates

This session is a must-attend for architects committed to advancing sustainable design through the strategic use of hybrid steel and mass-timber systems. These systems combine the structural efficiency, durability, and fire resistance of steel with the environmental benefits and aesthetic warmth of timber. Attendees will explore how to address complex challenges such as fire safety, acoustic performance, and code compliance while maximizing material efficiency and reducing environmental impact. The webinar will also introduce forward-looking strategies for seamless material integration, flexible design approaches, and reduced lifecycle emissions. Participants will leave with actionable insights to design healthier, safer, and more adaptable built environments.

Presented by:

Larry Flynn

Larry Flynn brings over 30 years of experience in the design and construction industry, including 17 years as a journalist and editor covering commercial buildings and national infrastructure. For the past 20 years, he has held national roles at the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), focusing on outreach to architects and engineers through education, resources, and business development. As Architectural Liaison and Resource Specialist at AISC’s Architecture Center, Larry now curates tools and experiences that spark creativity and support architects in designing innovative, resilient buildings using structural steel. 

Sponsored by: 

American Institute of Steel Construction
 

Learning Objectives: 

• Define key components and benefits of hybrid steel and timber systems.
• Identify fire safety unique to these systems.
• Identify acoustic considerations unique to these systems.
• Analyze case studies to apply hybrid solutions in real-world projects.

HSW Justification: 

This course supports HSW by addressing fire safety, acoustics, and sustainability in hybrid systems, helping architects design safer, healthier, and more resilient buildings through practical strategies and real-world insights.
 

The Historic Resources Committee is hosting a mixer at SmithGroup to celebrate the relaunch of the committee to re-engage with preservation professionals in DC.

Sponsored by: 

Please join the COTEdc committee for our April committee meeting.  This month’s committee meeting will be hosted by ZGF and will share event updates for our May event which is coupled with DC Climate Week, as well upcoming building tours during the summer.  In addition, Arathi Gowda, Principal with ZGF and recent AIA Fellow (!!), will be our April “Friend of the Committee”.  Arathi will share her experience serving on the COTE National committee.  

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Patrick and Miranda at the following emails so we can plan the head count: patrick.keeney@wsp.com and m.ford@perkinseastman-dc.com

When: Thursday, April 17^th 5:30-6:30pm.  Please be sure to arrive promptly by 5:30pm to allow the meeting to progress on time. 

Where: ZGF Architects – 600 14^th St NW #800, Washington, DC 20005

Join Architects and Sustainability Specialists from Perkins Eastman for a tour of DC Public Schools' Bard High School Early College! Opened in 2022, the school is DC's first adaptive reuse, net-zero energy ready modernization. Located at the current site of the former Malcolm X Elementary School, the full modernization of the Bard High School Early College was completed in two phases, which included renovating a portion of the existing facility, as well as constructing a new addition. The goal for this modernization was to provide a cutting-edge facility that promotes the intellectual challenges of a college education and facilitates academic excellence.

Inspired by the idea of creating a diverse “learning landscape,” the design of the new Bard High School is comprised of an array of innovative indoor and outdoor places that afford a wide range of educational activities and that connect literally and metaphorically to Bard’s mission and vision. To achieve this, our team developed organizational and design principles drawn from extensive interaction and conversations with faculty and administrators. These principles created a vision for a campus that will inspire Bard students to succeed in the 21st Century.

Registration for this event is external and is being hosted by DC Climate week. ​By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of DC Climate Week.

Are you wondering how changes at the federal level will affect the environmental endeavors of the design and construction industry? The built environment is responsible for as much as 40% of annual global carbon emissions and has direct impacts on our natural environments, community wellness, and human health. Over the past few decades, both public and private efforts have aimed to reduce this impact. AIA|DC’s Committee on the Environment invites you to attend this panel discussion bringing together experts with experience in private architecture and engineering firms, academia, legislative advocacy, and local DC and federal government programs. Conversation will focus on how we can continue making positive change, including adapting strategies and messaging apart from political affiliations, collaborating on shared efforts, and discussing how others beyond the federal level can carry on the mission for climate action.

We are excited to present this event in coordination with DC Climate Week!

Presented by: 

Susan Piedmont-Palladino, Architect and Director of the WAAC

Linda Toth, Arup and on DC GBAC

Ben Evans, USGBC Federal Legislative Director

Brendan Owens, Former Chief Sustainability Officer at DoD

Michele Mihelic, AIA National, Sr. Director, Codes & Standards, Advocacy & Policy

Learning Objectives:

• Understand why architects are important to the mission for a sustainable and equitable future, and how we can drive climate action impacts/change.
• Discuss how to adapt our communication so that design impacts and value are recognized by all stakeholders.
• Examine how sustainability, resiliency, and climate change mitigation impact security and economic measures, such as emergency utility and shelter disruption, workforce instability, insurance risks, tax impacts, and short vs long term costs.
• Discuss ways the building industry can work together, including on state and local policy measures, grass roots advocacy, codes & standards, and taking advantage of the global reach of private American industry.

Registration Deadline: Midnight July 7th, 2025. 

Canstruction 2025 will take place at the National Building Museum Sunday, November 23rd, 2025 to Monday, December 1st, 2025.

About Canstruction: 

Canstruction is a nationwide program that aims to raise awareness about hunger. In DC, Canstruction is organized by the Washington Architectural Foundation as a creative design-build competition that benefits the Capital Area Food Bank through donations of canned goods. Teams from architecture and design firms from Washington, DC use their skills to build sculptures out of cans of food which are displayed for a week in the Great Hall of the National Building Museum. The nutritious shelf-stable food is donated to the CAFB for distribution to those in need after the event.

This program is generously sponsored by BluEdge, Capital Area Food Bank, DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, Giant, National Building Museum, TW Perry, and Washington Architectural Foundation.
 

Join representatives from the Washington Architectural Foundation and Capital Area Food Bank as we discuss Canstruction 2025!

Canstruction is a nationwide program that aims to raise awareness about hunger. In DC, Canstruction is organized by the Washington Architectural Foundation as a creative design-build competition that benefits the Capital Area Food Bank through donations of canned goods. Teams from architecture and design firms from Washington, DC use their skills to build sculptures out of cans of food which are displayed for a week in the Great Hall of the National Building Museum. The nutritious shelf-stable food is donated to the CAFB for distribution to those in need after the event.

This program is generously sponsored by BluEdge, Capital Area Food Bank, DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, Giant, National Building Museum, TW Perry, and Washington Architectural Foundation.

Come join us to celebrate the opening of our latest exhibition, My Ly Design: The Architecture of Art, and the end of Architecture Month 2025!

This exhibition explores the transformative power of placemaking art, inviting viewers to engage with the spaces that shape our communities. With a deep-rooted passion for urbanism and sustainable environments, My Ly approaches each project as an opportunity to create unique and meaningful connections through design. This exhibition showcases her ability to craft spaces that not only serve a function but also foster a sense of vitality, belonging and identity.

Drawing from her extensive background in architecture, urban design, and art, My's work blends creative vision a strong focus on community engagement. Her projects, both large and small, emphasize the importance of collaboration and inclusive design in shaping vibrant public and private spaces. As an award-winning designer, My's work in placemaking has been recognized for its ability to transform environments into active, living art.

Through this exhibition, My Ly Design invites viewers to reflect on public space and how creative design can impact social dynamics and cultural identity in the built environment.

Drinks and light hors d’oeuvres will be served.

How can architecture lead the way to foster a more resilient city—and planet—during uncertain environmental and socioeconomic times?

As the world confronts the challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, and societal upheaval, DC’s architecture and design practitioners continue to evolve. DesignDC will showcase innovative solutions to shape the built environment in a way that is sustainable and forward-thinking. 

During this conference, design professionals across the industry will explore new approaches and existing best practices that highlight responsive design strategies and the integration of green technologies into architecture.

Sessions and tours will address:

• Tips and tricks to start building a resilience practice
• Resilient design and adaptability in a volatile environmental and socioeconomic climate
• Sustainable materials and energy-efficient design

Agenda: 
September 30, 5:00 – 8:00pm:  Opening Keynote and Reception
October 1, 8:30am – 5:00pm: Education Sessions + Closing Keynote
October 2, 2:00 – 4:00pm: Offsite Tours 
Details below.

October 1: Education Sessions + Closing Keynote

8:30 - 9:00am: Doors Open + Check-in

9:00am - 10:00am: Designing Low-Carbon Buildings
By focusing on embodied carbon today, we can reshape the environmental legacy of the built environment for decades to come. Using real-world case studies, attendees will learn how early design interventions lead to low-carbon material choices and how to prepare and generate a Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA), including key inputs, available tools, and best practices for interpreting results. 

10:00am - 11:00am: Sustainability and Liability: Legal Issues and Best Practices
This session will explore best practices and strategies for being a positive driver of environmental progress while avoiding the unique legal pitfalls that arise when trying to affect human behavior and cultivate
experiential stewardship to nature and each other through design. Based on ‘lessons learned’ from recent projects, presenters will outline proven techniques for mitigating liability while successfully designing for the environmental and social good.

11:00am - 12:00pm: From Scarcity to Strategy: Regenerative Planning in Uncertain Times
In an era of climate disruption, political fatigue, and rapid change, planners are often asked to do more with less. But for many of us--and the communities we come from--that’s not a new challenge. This session explores what it means to design in circles: a planning philosophy rooted in return, feedback, and refinement. Through two resilience planning efforts--PLAN Danville and Climate Ready DC 2.0--presenters will examine how circularity shaped not just the process, but the practice: merging data with lived experience and refining climate strategies based on real feedback.

1:00pm - 2:00pm: The Value-Inclusive Design Model: A Pathway to Sustainable, Culturally Responsive, and Community-Driven Material Commons
The VID Model advocates for the incorporation of diverse stakeholder voices, particularly marginalized communities, in the design process. By prioritizing communal input, designers are encouraged to consider materials that are locally sourced, culturally significant, and regenerative. This approach not only strengthens community identity but also promotes sustainable material practices that align with the principles of radical material responsibility, thereby fostering a future that honors both people and the planet.

2:00pm - 3:00pm: Circular by Design: A New Approach to Materials
Circular design is a powerful way to reduce environmental impacts because it minimizes emissions and waste while unlocking the latent economic value of building materials. By pairing material optimization and
reuse with adaptable space planning, circular design maximizes the long-term utility of building materials as assets. This session introduces the Circular Design Primer for Interiors, a guide developed to help design
teams integrate circular economy principles into their projects – minimizing waste, reducing embodied carbon, and maximizing the long-term value of materials.

3:00pm - 4:00pm: The Greenest Building: The Black Magic of Adaptive Reuse and Modernizing Existing Buildings
Are global supply chains constrained? Is there uncertainty in construction costs and schedules? New buildings are no longer primary the focus of development in the DMV with double digit vacancy rates and changing norms for daily work and living. For the design professional in today’s uncertain market conditions, the design challenges exponentially increase when attempting to implement long-term resiliency, or cutting-edge sustainable practices. This session will explore how existing buildings can provide green paths towards design excellence and a profitable future in real estate. 

4:00pm - 5:00pm: Closing Keynote


October 2, 2:00 – 4:00pm: Offsite Tours
Limited capacity. Separate registration required. 

Rooted in history, designed for a sustainable future
This tour will give participants the exclusive chance to explore Vital Voices’ headquarter, a site that reimagines a historic building on Embassy Row as a model of sustainable design. The project transforms the seven-story brick structure into a state-of-the-art headquarters that embodies the mission of Vital Voices: an international nonprofit dedicated to empowering women leaders and advancing human rights around the globe. The design approach focused on creating a “livable” democratic workplace that is both functional and symbolic, while the reimagined floorplan opens up expansive sightlines and introduces natural light throughout the space. 
 

Construction Tour: Artful Resiliency at the Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden
This construction site tour of the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden will explore the challenges of revitalizing a public garden designed for resiliency and sustainability while supporting the museum’s mission of exhibiting its world-renowned collection of modern and contemporary art. The project is aiming for Sustainable SITES Gold Certification. Proper PPE including footwear, long pants, and hard hats are required for all participants.
 

Stead Park Recreation Center: DC’s First Net-Zero Energy Community Center
Stead Park is a modest but mighty intervention, implementing best practices and a responsive approach to yield big results for the city’s ambitions for sustainability. Located a short walk to the heart of the Dupont Circle neighborhood, participants will receive a site and building tour of Stead Park, set to become the first net-zero energy community center in Washington, DC. The modernization is an addition to, and renovation of, an existing, historic community center that enhances access to an array of multigenerational programming. In addition to highlighting the District’s ongoing commitment to sustainable practices, Stead Park is also one of the first projects completed under DC’s new Ready2Play Parks Master Plan, which seeks to use data-driven design and operational standards to address public health gaps across the city’s eight wards. The project is emblematic of the Plan’s vision: site-level interventions can mean bigger impacts at the city scale, helping to build a more resilient urban environment.

600 Fifth - Excellence through Reuse
Welcome to 600 5th NW in Washington, DC, the recently repositioned WMATA Headquarters / Jackson Graham Building in Judiciary Square. This tour will present the decision-making processes relating to the rationale and economics of preserving the existing structure and the inherent benefits. 600 5th NW provides significant environmental and economic solutions for the repositioning an existing building structure and transforming it into a Class-A office building. New green spaces, roof terraces, site water retention and a PV array contribute to the project’s sustainability. This, along with imaginative re-working of the floorplates, has created new daylit and comfortable interiors that provide intimacy while delivering unmatched views from the terraces. The entire 600 5th team is proud of this next-generation building enhancing its important site the District.

Keynote and educational sessions will take place at the District Architecture Center, 421 7th St NW.

Sponsors:

Sponsor DesignDC here!