Architecture Uncensored: The Value of Professional Memberships, Sept. 2

As a young professional, you quickly learn that life is expensive. Is it truly worth the extra cost to join a professional organization? What about the time necessary to fully invest in being involved? This debate will investigate how professionals find benefits in various organizations, or through other means.

We’re delighted to be joined by

• Marc Shaw, owner of Marc Shaw Architect
• Shane Gring, a community developer with USGBC // @ShaneGring
• Marcus Monroe, Assoc. AIA, a designer at Quinn Evans Architects and director of the Events and Outreach Committee at AFHdc (formerly Architecture for Humanity DC) as well as Co-Director for its Resiliency x Design Committee.

WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 2, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
WHERE: RTKL, 2101 L Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20037
PRICE: $10 for students & Assoc. AIA members; $15 for AIA & DAC members; $35 for non-members. Registration required via AIA|DC.
Credits: 1.0 LU

Register with AIA|DC. Can’t make it? Follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #ArchUncensored and check out the full lineup of Architecture Uncensored events.

Organized by: AIA|DC Emerging Architects Committee

Sponsored by: SmithGroupJJR and RTKL

#ArchUncensored, Aug 19: Ethics of Design & Business (with images, tweets) · AIAdcEmergArch · Storify

Read our Storify recap of the Aug. 19 #ArchUncensored debate on ethics of design and business.

via #ArchUncensored, Aug 19: Ethics of Design & Business (with images, tweets) · AIAdcEmergArch · Storify.

Coming Soon: RE-Form Design Competition!

The AIA|DC Emerging Architects Committee (AIA|DC EAC) has partnered with PriceModern, a national furniture solutions dealer, to announce its inaugural RE-Form Competition. RE-Form aims to bridge the boundaries of the design industry and promote a multidisciplinary dialogue towards design solutions.  Through an industry-wide design competition, RE-Form helps widen the definition of design work creative professionals do throughout the country. Entries for the design competition will be due on October 19^th 2015. Award winners will be announced at a gala reception at Washington, D.C.’s District Architecture Center (DAC) on November 12, 2015.

RE-Form particularly focuses on emerging design professionals by encouraging them to express themselves in a competition that offers opportunities to engage with other professionals, network within the community, and gain design exposure through the showcase of their unique work and points of view.  The competition’s Creative Manager, Zahira Crespo Suárez, noted that, “Traditional competitions are falling short in their need to catch up with evolving behaviors bred by new technologies, modern dynamics and ever-changing methods of design engagement. In an effort to satiate these needs, contemporary society is increasingly finding creative ways to interact to their environment”.

Check back often for more details on the RE-Form Competition!

New Application Deadline for the Carter Manny Award: November 15

The Graham Foundation announces a new application deadline for the Carter Manny Award, the foundation’s annual award for doctoral students working on dissertation topics in architecture. The annual application deadline is now November 15. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions in early spring of each year.

Applications for the 2016 Carter Manny Award are due November 15, 2015.

Since the Carter Manny Award’s establishment in 1996, over $672,000 has been awarded to support promising scholars whose doctoral projects shape contemporary discourse about architecture and significantly impact the field. Two Carter Manny Awards are given each year, one for dissertation writing and one for dissertation research. The foundation offers this prestigious annual award in honor of Carter H. Manny and his distinguished service to the Graham Foundation since its inception in 1956, first as a Trustee, as Director from 1971, and since his retirement in 1993, as Director Emeritus.

2016 CARTER MANNY AWARD
Application available online: September 15, 2015
Application deadline: November 15, 2015
Grant decision notification: Spring 2016

Students must be nominated by their department to apply for the Carter Manny Award. The award is open to students officially enrolled in schools in the U.S. and Canada, regardless of citizenship. Further information about the application and award eligibility will be available on the Graham Foundation website on September 15, 2015.

Announcement of the 2015 Carter Manny Award Winners 
Watch for our forthcoming announcement of the recipients of the 2015 Carter Manny Award on October 6, 2015.

Follow the Graham Foundation on twitter (@GrahamFound) and Facebook

2015 AIA|DC|EAC Thesis Showcase Presenters Announced!

Emerging Architects in our Nation’s Capital provide platform for graduates to present their work.

Washington, D.C.—The AIA|DC Emerging Architects Committee (AIA|DC EAC) is excited to announce our presenters for the second-annual Thesis Showcase. Five recent B.Arch and M.Arch graduates from schools around the world will present their thesis projects to members of the AIA|DC and the public. The showcase event aims to bridge the gap between recent graduates and local practicing architects, by providing an opportunity for practitioners to view a sample of the work hailing from architecture schools around the country and abroad. The selected presenters will showcase their work at AIA|DC’s District Architecture Center (DAC) on August 27, 2015 at 6:00pm. Following the presentations a networking reception will occur at DAC’s gallery space in Penn Quarter.

Thesis Showcase focuses on architecture school graduates by encouraging them to demonstrate their work in an environment that offers opportunities to engage with local architectural professionals, network within the community and gain industry exposure. The jury panel ranked all the submissions based on their graphics, conceptual clarity, topic relevance, uniqueness and overall completeness.

The AIA|DC EAC’s Thesis Showcase 2015 presenters are:
Cristina Shivers, M.Arch, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2015
Counter-Spaces and Notation Machines

Héctor Bermúdez-Ríos, B.Arch, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, 2014
Urban Lab

Zarith Pineda, M.Arch, Tulane University, 2015
Engineered Paradises: A Nation of Catharsis in Hebron, the West Bank

Ranim Orouk, B.Arch, American University of Sharjah, 2015
Reconstructing the Middle East

Jorge Fuentes, B.Arch, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, 2015
Post-Disaster Architecture: A Habitat Without Territory

WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 27, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
WHERE: District Architecture Center, 421 7th Street NW, Washington, DC
PRICE: Free, registration required via AIA|DC.

The selection committee was composed of a broad representation of DC-metropolitan area design professionals. Luis Vélez-Álvarez AIA, an AIA|DC director-at-large and selection committee member noted that, “The variety of subject matter submitted speaks to the recognition that architecture has a larger role than just to create spaces. Architecture has an obligation to have a positive impact in society, to preserve natural resources and to deal with larger global issues than just a singular project.” Other committee participants included members of: AIA|DC EAC’s Executive Committee, AIA|DC Board of Directors, Catholic University of America School of Architecture faculty, AIA National Associate Committee (NAC) Regional Director, AIA Young Architects Foundation (YAF) Regional Director, NCARB’s Outreach Manager, and an architectural publication editor.

About AIA|DC Emerging Architects Committee:
The Emerging Architects Committee (EAC) has four major objectives: PROVOKE current practices and discuss the future of the profession; ADVOCATE for emerging architects; OUTREACH to other AIA members, associated disciplines and the public community; MENTOR the next generation of architectural leaders. The Committee promotes these objectives through various educational, leadership development, and community involvement events.

About AIA|DC:
Founded in 1887, the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA|DC) serves the Nation’s Capital. It advances the value of architecture for its members, the profession of architecture, and the community by providing advocacy, leadership and resources for architects to design a better world. For more information please visit www.aiadc.com

AIA|DC|EAC thanks SmithGroupJJR for its generous and yearly support.

Physical Computing – Introduction to Arduino, Aug. 22

Please join AIA|DC’s Technology Committee for a half-day interactive introduction to Arduino and Firefly. During this program, the presenter will focus on physical computing devices that impact the profession of architecture and will investigate the infrastructure that makes them possible. Participants will then begin to build their own prototypes under the guidance of the instructor.

Requirements:
A basic understanding of Rhinoceros and Grasshopper is helpful, but not required. Arduino software is required for this seminar. To purchase a starter pack, please click here.

About the presenter:
Brent White, Assoc. AIA, is a designer with Cannon Design, an adjunct faculty at the UMD School of Architecture Planning & Preservation and a member of the AIA-DC Technology Committee. He has a background in physical computing and architecture where he has built several parametric platforms for virtually engaging in the creation of space.

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 22, 10.00am-12.00pm
WHERE: District Architecture Center, 421 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
PRICE: Students & Assoc. AIA members: $60 // AIA & DAC members: $100 // Non-members: $140 // Registration required via AIA|DC
Continuing Education Credits (CEUs): 4.0 LUs

Organized by: The AIA|DC Technology Committee | Hosted by: District Architecture Center | Sponsored by: Microdesk

EAC Mentoring Workshop: Growing Your Community, Aug. 25

Have trouble working a room? Not sure how to break into a conversation? Join us at our August Mentoring Workshop where Emilie Aries, the founder and CEO of Bossed Up, returns to speak about Growing Your Community (aka Networking).

Emilie Aries is the founder and CEO of Bossed Up, a personal and professional training organization that helps women craft sustainable careers. Emilie’s helped hundreds of women across the country navigate career transition and prevent burnout, and was recently awarded a Young Women of Achievement Entrepreneurship award by the Women’s Information Network.

WHEN: Tuesday, Aug. 25, 6-8pm
WHERE: The District Architecture Center, 421 7th Street NW, Washington, D.C.
PRICE: Free; registration required, via AIA|DC.

This past fall, Aries delivered a TED talk on the “Power of No” about drawing healthy boundaries and investing in sustainable long-term achievement. Aries also served as a keynote speaker at Brown University’s Women’s Mentorship Program Kickoff and presented on gender bias and its implications on hiring for Brandeis University’s Hiatt Career Center. She was also a featured speaker in this fall’s Women in Leadership program through the University of Maryland’s Carey School of Law and at the 7th Annual Yale Women’s Leadership Conference this month.

Previously, Aries has served in politics as a digital strategist and grassroots organizer, with an array of online and offline campaign experience. She earned her B.A. in political science from Brown University and completed a Fellowship on Organizing at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Aries is based in Washington, D.C., and is a regular contributor writing on gender roles and workplace culture at RoleReboot.org, The Huffington Post, and the Levo League.

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About AIA|DC Emerging Architects Committee’s Mentoring Workshops
AIA|DC|EAC’s Mentoring Workshops bring together Emerging Professionals (architects-in-training and newly licensed) on a monthly basis to discuss topics relating to you, the practitioner. This year’s theme is “Professional and Business-minded Growth” in which we will focus on the individual, helping to gain skills such as networking, revamping your LinkedIn page, and other topics related to starting one’s own firm. Each month will cover a different topic within our theme, with plenty of time for Q+A after each session. New interns, architects, and mentors are always welcome!

Each session is held on the last Tuesday of the month, from 6-8pm at the District Architecture Center. Upcoming workshops include:

September 30 – Starting Your Own Firm: Finances + Liabilities

October 28 – Starting Your Own Firm: Marketing for Architects

To wrap up the series, there will be a networking event with our joint associations on December 8, 2015 – stay tuned!

Organized by: AIA|DC Emerging Architects Committee

Sponsored by: SmithGroupJJR

Latest Issue of AIA YAF’s Connection Focused on the State of Practice

STATE OF PRACTICE

It’s very apparent that the state of practice has evolved, but how will it change in the future? In our first ever issue on the state of the profession, we examine current and future trends that impact how we do business.

Read the August 2015 issue of Connection, the architecture and design journal of the AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF).

Follow the AIA|YAF on Twitter at @AIAYAF

#ArchUncensored Recap: Research in Corporate Practice, Aug. 5 (with images, tweets) · AIAdcEmergArch · Storify

Read our Storify recap of the Aug. 5 #ArchUncensored debate on research in corporate practice

via #ArchUncensored Recap: Research in Corporate Practice, Aug. 5 (with images, tweets) · AIAdcEmergArch · Storify.

#ArchUncensored Speaker Spotlight: Mark Ramirez, Assoc. AIA

AIA|DC’s Emerging Architects Committee is pleased to announce that Mark Ramirez, Assoc. AIA, of Hickok Cole, will be joining us for our upcoming Debate on the Ethics of Design and Business, the third installment of our Architecture Uncensored series.

Mark Ramirez, AIA, Hickok Cole

Mark Ramirez, Assoc. AIA, an associate principal at Hickok Cole Architects // @HickokCole

With almost 20 years of experience, Mark Ramirez was responsible for the design and project management of numerous multi-million dollar projects including some of the city’s most notable development projects.

Mark earned his Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, which included two years of graduate school at the Virginia Tech Center for European Studies and Architecture located in Ticino region of Switzerland.

He joined Hickok Cole in 1998 and spent 8 years with the firm, where he managed large-scale mixed-use projects, Class A commercial office buildings, parking structures and medical office buildings. In 2006 he co-founded the Architecture firm Square 134, which specializes in mixed-use, office, multi-family and single-family projects.

During this time, Mark also taught at the University Maryland as a Guest Lecturer, where he furthered his passion for digital media, digital fabrication, and all things associated with the future of the design and construction industry.

Mark returned to Hickok Cole Architects in July of 2011 as Director of Corporate Office and Associate Principal where he continues to focus on futurist ideas and the changing nature of the office and work environment.

Most recently and as Director of the Corporate Office, his group was responsible for the winning entry in the National NAIOP Office of the Future Design competition.

Mark is a devoted husband and father of two intelligent, but generally adventurous, children. It is easy to see that the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Mark will be joined by:

• David Tracz, AIA, and David Shove-Brown, AIA, partners at Studio 3877 // @studio3877
• Stephan F. Andrews, Esq., Hon. AIA, a partner with Vandeventer Black

WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 19, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
WHERE: RTKL, 2101 L Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20037
PRICE: $10 for students & Assoc. AIA members; $15 for AIA & DAC members; $35 for non-members. Registration required (see link below).
Credits: 1.0 LU

Register with AIA|DC. Can’t make it? Follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #ArchUncensored and check out the full lineup of Architecture Uncensored events.

Organized by: AIA|DC Emerging Architects Committee

Sponsored by: SmithGroupJJR and RTKL