Lauren Wingo, a senior structural engineer with Arup based in their Washington, D.C. office, discusses her work on the renovation of 80 M Street SE — three floors designed by Hickok Cole constructed with cross-laminated timber (CLT) totaling nearly 108,000 square-feet of commercial office and conference space atop an existing seven-story office building. CLT is part of a family of engineered wood products known as mass timber that are far stronger than traditional lumber and used to span distances normally reserved for steel beams. The project is the first of its kind in Washington D.C. to feature a vertical extension constructed using mass timber and the first high-rise overbuild timber structure in North America.
More »In the Market for Adaptive Reuse
Between the University of Virginia’s leafy main campus and downtown Charlottesville’s picture book pedestrian mall, the 10th and Page neighborhood has become a living case study for nearly 25 years in post-urban renewal revitalization. After the destruction of the predominantly African-American neighborhood Vinegar Hill in the 1960s, many of its residents reestablished themselves in and around 10th and Page, which has been a stronghold of Black homeownership and generational wealth for more than a century.
More »CNCPT: How We’ve Structured Practice Technology to Maximize Innovation, Creativity, and Efficiency
Technology has dramatically changed how we work at Clark Nexsen, enhancing our ability to develop innovative and creative solutions across the company. New tools and technology, from drones to energy and daylight simulations, have impacted what and how we design and deliver projects to our clients. To effectively capitalize on how technology can augment our work, we created a comprehensive resource and strategic hub for practice technology within our firm that meets key goals: supporting our people with the technologies they use frequently, maximizing the potential benefit of those technologies, improving workflows and processes, and investigating and applying emerging technologies in our industry. Known as CNCPT (Clark Nexsen Creative Practice Technology), and pronounced “concept,” the central purpose of this collaborative is to apply advanced digital tools across our interdisciplinary practice to improve the quality and efficiency of our work, help clients make informed decisions, and remain at the forefront of technological innovation.
More »Building the Future by Preserving the Past: The Glass Light Hotel & Gallery
Designed in 1911 and built in 1912, the historic Royster Building was originally constructed as the headquarters for the F.S. Royster Fertilizer Company. The 15-story Classical-Revival structure was predominantly used as an office building, and most recently served as the headquarters for the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority until its reimagining as an intellectually curious boutique hotel — Glass Light Hotel & Gallery. The adjacent building was built in 1900 and was used for many purposes, including a department store, movie theatre, and, most recently, offices for the City of Norfolk. It now eloquently displays rotating exhibits of exquisite glass art from local and internationally renowned artists.
More »Pivoting to the Future
On Nov. 3, 2022, AIA Virginia announced architect Paul Battaglia, AIA, will be its next Executive Vice President bringing more than 25 years of practice, teaching, administration, and business development experience to lead the 2,500-member organization. Since 2011, Battaglia has been at Clark Nexsen, in recent years as a principal engaged in business development, where has specialized in education, research, outreach, and strategic partnerships. Battaglia has also held faculty positions at Hampton University, North Carolina State College of Design, VCU, and Virginia Tech, where he earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture.
More »Promoting Student & Teacher Wellness through K-12 School Design
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, the average student spends more than 15,000 hours in school by the time they graduate high school, second only to the amount of time spent at home. This makes it critically important to design school buildings that support the physical and mental wellness of students and teachers.
More »Virginia COTE Architects to Host ArchEx Workshops
William Abrahamson, AIA, is a senior associate at Grimm + Parker Architects, with offices in Charlottesville, Tysons, and Calverton, Maryland. He’s also Co-Chair of Virginia’s Committee on the Environment (COTE), which is hosting “Creating Your Sustainability Action Plan,” a workshop at Architecture Exchange East (ArchEx) in November. Since July, Virginia COTE members have been presenting a multi-part series called “Embodied Carbon 101,” which originated with the Boston Society of Architecture and aims to empower architects at the design and specification stages (and beyond) to make sustainable choices. At ArchEx, Abrahamson and COTE will offer specific and actionable steps for architects and designers to continuously work with the environment in mind.
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