Fourteenth Biennial Symposium
Co-hosted by the Latrobe Chapter, Society of Architectural Historians & D.C. Preservation League

Boozy brunch, spongy injera dinners, empanada midnight snacks—modern residents of the nation’s capital enjoy a dynamic food center, noted for its variety of culinary experiences and foods authentic to the region, including half smokes, mumbo sauce, and crabcakes. Less explored is how this culinary geography intersects with the built environment, and how those intersections have changed over time. From farms and agricultural homesteads that supplied historic markets to ethnic food enclaves fostered by DC’s role as the capital, the city is an experiment in democracy, architecture and flavor. How has the Washington metropolitan area facilitated the production and dissemination of foodstuffs across the region? How have patterns of work shaped patterns of eating? How does a focus on food generate new types of research methodologies? 

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Presentation Team:  

Leaders/Staff from five K-12 programs in the jurisdictions of Boston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.

• Host: Mary Fitch, AICP, Hon. AIA  Executive Director, AIA DC/Washington Architectural Foundation (WAF)
• Taylor Johnson  Design Education + Engagement Manager, Boston Society for Architecture/BSA Foundation
• Joanna Schmickel, FAIA  Program Director, WAF “Design Like a Girl”
• Tiffany Shepherd, CAE  Deputy Director, AIA Kansas City “Explore Architecture”
• Heidi Sohng  WAF Youth Programs Manager 
• Michael Spain, Assoc. AIA. NOMA  Director of Design Education, K-12 Design Education Program, Center for DesignPhiladelphia
• Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter, FAIA  Past President, Architecture for Communities Los Angeles
• Moderator:  Michael Armstrong  Board of Directors, Washington Architectural Foundation; Chief Executive Officer, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)

Agenda Format 

• Five 45-minute modules:  Local Program Case Study/Topic Panel/Attendee Q&A
• Lunch provided by AIA National

AGENDA
9 a.m.   Opening Remarks and Introduction:  Washington Architecture Foundation (9 am start)

• Case Study #1:  Boston (Johnson)
• Panel #1:  Developing Relationships with School Districts: Boston, DC (Sohng), LA, Philadelphia
• Q&A

Break

• Case Study #2: Kansas City 
• Panel #2: Recruiting and Keeping Volunteers: Boston, DC (Fitch), Philadelphia
• Q&A

Break

• Case Study #3:  Los Angeles (Wahlroos-Ritter)
• Panel #3:  Fundraising Sources and Approaches: Kansas City, DC (Fitch), Los Angeles
• Q&A

Lunch    

• Case Study #4: Philadelphia (Spain)
• Panel #4: Community Engagement, Outreach and PR:  Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia
• Q&A

Break

• Case Study #5: Washington, DC – “Design Like a Girl” (Schmickel)
• Panel #5: Operations, Infrastructure, Governance (All Panelists)
• Q&A

Comments/Reaction: Devon Davis Manager, K-12 Initiatives & Engagement, AIA

Closing Remarks: Washington Architecture Foundation (4 p.m. adjourn)

Construction tour of a 1911 Capitol Hill home undergoing an extensive modernization and restoration. The house was designed by noted architect Clement A. Didden and was previously used as a boardinghouse and a rectory over it’s lifetime. The tour will be led by the architect and builder on the project, Colleen Healey, AIA and John Allen of Allen Built, Inc. The tour will focus on approaches to working with historic homes including casing detailing & preserving, creative solutions to modernizing a classical floor plan, working around existing infrastructure and upgrading the energy efficiency (including AeroSeal technology) within a historic context. The project is in final stages of construction.

Presented by:

Colleen Healey, Healey Architecture
Colleen Gove Healey, AIA has almost 20 years of architectural experience in the DC Metro region and throughout the East coast. She has won over 50 local and national design awards for both residential and commercial design. Colleen’s work is published in dezeen, Home and Design, Interior Design Magazine, Enki, Washingtonian Magazine, Dwell, Architecture DC, Residential Design Magazine, AD, Living Etc and The Washington Post

John Allen, AllenBuilt

John Allen is President of AllenBuilt, Inc, a boutique, industrious general contractor and design/build firm serving the Washington DC metro area. They develop and build creative solutions for one-of-a-kind commercial and residential projects.

Organized by:

Capital Area Custom Residential Architects Network

The Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA|DC) and Washington Architectural Foundation (WAF) are proud to present Awards for Great People. Each year, our Fall Design Fête celebrates these individuals and their work in making Washington better through their contributions as architects, advocates, educators, clients and partners.

Centennial Medal
Glenn Brown Award
John 'Wieb' Wiebenson Award
Emerging Architects Award
Architectural Educator Award 
Public Service Award 
Partnership for the Planet Award 

Laureates are selected annually by the Awards for Great People Jury, comprised of at least two members of AIA|DC and two members of WAF who shall be appointed by the Presidents of both organizations. The jury may select more than one laureate, or no laureates, per award in a given year and may consider nominations from prior years and nominations of its own.

Eligibility, nomination and submission requirements for each award are further detailed here. There are no fees required for submission. Unless noted otherwise, posthumous awards may not be given.

Nominations for 2024 are due by 5:00 PM on May 5, 2024. Submit completed nominations via email to Mary Fitch at mfitch@aiadc.com.

Join us for a gallery talk in conjunction with our latest exhibition, Cooling the Planet one Step at a Time: 15 Ways to Reduce Your Home Carbon Footprint.

The founders of BLDUS will present recently completed houses from around the DC region that feature natural materials and embody an environmentalist ethos that prioritizes the health of a building's inhabitants equally to land from which its materials originated. BLDUS seeks opportunities in economies of scale, of scope, of density, of means, and of materials, integrating traditional construction methods with new technologies and organic materials ideally suited to their region--in Appalachia and Tidewater, that means wood, bark, cork, wool, mycelium, willow, hemp, bamboo, and stone--to create an architecture of accommodation. In 2023 BLDUS was honored with a Vanguard Award from Architectural Record and in 2019 with a Young Architect Award from The Architect's Newspaper.

Presenters: Andrew Linn and Jack Becker

Andrew Linn is co-principal and co-founder of BLDUS, an Anacostia-based architecture and development practice that operates throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, making healthy buildings that pay tribute to their context and gain integrity as they age. With a BArch from Cornell University and an MA in the History of Science and Medicine from Yale University, Andrew has taught at Virginia Tech, the University of Maryland and the Catholic University of America, and has previously worked for OMA, Tigerman McCurry, Fantastic Norway, and Arquitectonica.

Jack Becker is co-principal and co-founder of BLDUS, an Anacostia-based architecture and development practice that operates throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, making healthy buildings that pay tribute to their context and gain integrity as they age. Jack is a fourth-generation licensed architect and holds a B.Arch from Cornell University and a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard GSD. He has previous experience in architecture, development, and construction, and was awarded an AIA Young Architect Award in 2021.

This program is presented in association with Cooling the Planet one Step at a Time: 15 Ways to Reduce Your Home Carbon Footprint, on view at the District Architecture Center through April 26, 2023.

Meet Adrienne Moumin—photographer, collage artist, and educator. Adrienne creates intricate collages with photographs of simple structures. Follow Adrienne on a fun-filled journey through her collage-making world. Then, pick a photo of a building in DC and make it into a collage with your own artistic style! Art supplies, including small frames, are provided by the Washington Architectural Foundation.

This program is intended for ages 8 to 12. Attendance is limited to 12 children.

AIA24 is a premier annual conference that celebrates multidisciplinary solutions from across the built environment and the power of designing a better world, together.

The most impactful, forward-thinking solutions result from a convergence of thought. Solving today’s environmental, social, and ethical challenges requires bringing together diverse perspectives across the multiple disciplines of the built environment.

Enter the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design (AIA24), happening June 5–8 in Washington, D.C., home to AIA’s new global campus, several AIA chapters, and some of the most influential architecture, design firms, and manufacturers in the world.

Every year, the AIA and AEC communities convene to network, share knowledge, and find solutions to design a better world. The conference fuses together industries, identities, skills, styles, and values, to establish a new multidisciplinary understanding of today’s most pressing issues. And it unites tradition and innovation, art and technology, form and function, old and new, and global and local to examine, educate, and find solutions.

Through networking, education, events, tours, and the industry’s largest expo, AIA24 fosters cross-industry collaborations and solutions between licensed architects, design professionals, associates, engineers, contractors, interior designers, landscape architects, firm owners, owners/clients, emerging professionals, and beyond to showcase the strength of the AEC industry.

Uniting toward better outcomes highlights the value in each other’s unique skill sets and positions architects, designers, engineers, and builders as leaders designing a better world, together.

Attending the conference? Check out our local restaurant guide:

For those interested in getting involved with AIA|DC’s Committee on the Environment (COTE), we will be hosting our next committee meeting in-person on Thursday March 21st from 5:30-6:30pm at ZGF’s Washington DC’s office:

600 14th St NW Suite 800

Washington, DC 20005

The first 20 minutes of the committee meeting, we will have a special guest from Atelier Ten’s San Francisco office, Amy Leedham.  Amy will present to us remotely about the current regulatory climate and latest development on standards for embodied carbon.  This presentation does not provide CEUs.  

Join us for a joint event between the SFx and ACEL Committees, our 360 Mentorship Mixer! Professionals of all experience levels will engage in short, speed mentoring sessions with small groups of seasoned professionals and industry peers. Don't miss this unique opportunity to accelerate your career, gain fresh perspectives, and build lasting connections within the architecture and design community. Reserve your spot today!

Learning Objectives:

• Gain insights, advice, and industry knowledge in rapid, engaging sessions designed to maximize learning in a short amount of time. 
• Embrace fresh ideas, innovative approaches, and the latest trends shaping the future of architecture and design. 
• Expand your professional network by connecting with mentors and mentees from diverse backgrounds.
• Summarize the best ways to engage with a mentor and develop a symbiotic relationship.

Organized by:

AIA|DC Small Firm Exchange

AIA|DC ACEL Committee
 

The built environment generates almost 50% of global CO2 emissions. Architects, engineers, and building owners must work together and commit to net zero emissions by 2030 to reduce the impact on climate change as specified by various climate and decarbonization initiatives. Further, in order to address climate change and decarbonization, policymakers are enacting building performance laws that require buildings to meet certain performance standards. Design professionals are uniquely suited to mitigate help resolve the climate crisis through design, educating clients, and working with navigating policy requirements to advance decarbonization and build greener cities.

Join us at the District Architecture Center for the second DesignDC symposium of 2024.

8:30 - 9:00am: Coffee + Check-in

9:00am: Keynote: Strategies for Transformative Carbon Reduction
This session will address both the affordable housing crisis and climate resilience by focusing on two strategies: Office to Residential and Modular Construction.

• Selin Ozertugrul Ogutcu, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, FITWEL – Design Director, Gensler
• Duncan Lyons, RIBA, LEED® AP BD+C – Principal, Global Office Building Development Leader, Design Director, Gensler
• Paul Reibel, LEED AP – National Director, Surepods | Digital Building Components

10:15am: Slashing Carbon with an Analytical Sword – Three Case Studies from DC
Energy Shrink will share three case studies from DC — one iconic commercial building, and two multifamily buildings — for which the team of architects-turned-building scientists conducted simulations and identified possible measures that are technically feasible and achieve greater than 50% savings.

• Smita Chandra Thomas – Principal, Energy Shrink

11:30am: Beyond Scorecards – Connecting ESG Strategies to Sustainable Design 
Through case studies, best practices, and innovative approaches, this session aims to explain the symbiotic relationship between design and ESG objectives, and showcase how design choices influence carbon footprints, energy consumption, and overall sustainability performance beyond “checking the boxes” of a green building certification or code requirement.

• Lacey Lott, LEED AP, WELL AP, Fitwel Ambassador, BREEAM In-Use Assessor - Sr. Sustainability and ESG Project Manager, Baumann Consulting
• Jochen Schaefer, LEED AP - Sr. Sustainability Consultant and Director of Business Development, Baumann Consulting

12:30pm: Lunch, provided by the District Architecture Center

1:30pm: Multifamily Decarbonization and Higher Efficiency – Grabbing Past the Low Hanging Fruit
With advancing codes and programs, multifamily buildings are being challenged to both electrify and to become more energy efficient than ever before. While project design teams are typically familiar with the low hanging fruit for energy efficiency, more difficult energy efficiency decisions need to be made in order to meet updated efficiency goals. This session will focus on key components that affect operating energy and emissions of a multifamily building, and the next-step design decisions project teams can make to achieve higher levels of efficiency.

• Joseph Andracchio, PE, LEED AP - Green Verifier, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Steven Winter Associates
• Bruce Campbell, PE, CxA - Mechanical Department Head, Allen + Shariff Corporation
• Mohamed Seif Abaza, PE, CEM, CBCP, LEED AP - Commissioning, Allen + Shariff Corporation

2:30pm: Concrete + Getting to Zero Carbon
Prized for its durability, strength, and economy, concrete plays an outsized role in the building sector’s carbon footprint, contributing over 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions. This panel discussion will analyze successful strategies for implementing low-carbon concrete on projects, including how to manage for cost and schedule. 

• Arathi Gowda, AIA – Principal, ZGF Architects (Moderator)
• Brian Earle, AIA – Principal, ZGF Architects
• Michael Cropper, PE, LEED AP – Associate Principal, Thornton Tomasetti Structural 
• Melanie Gourke, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP – Senior Associate, HITT Contracting
• Rachel Williams, AIA, LFA, LEED BD+ – Architect, ZGF Architects

3:45pm: Closing Remarks + Adjourn

Thank you to our sponsors: