Equity, diversity, and inclusion have been adopted into workplace culture and studio programming. But, justice — as a principle and directive — has catalyzed the effort for fundamental awareness and evident change within architecture. Why is justice a necessary design ethic? Virginia’s preeminent voices in equity, diversity, and inclusion weigh-in on why this question matters. As part of this series, educator, researcher, and member of AIA Virginia’s J.E.D.I. Committee, Kendall Nicholson, Assoc. AIA, talks about empathy and responsibility as the foundations of justice. “My hope,” he says, “is that architects and designers continue to develop their senses in the area of racial equity and advocate for the reallocation of resources based on history and systems.”
More »Building Science, Not Politics, is Virginia’s Future: An Interview with Passive House Pioneer Adam Cohen
Introduction: Adam Cohen is an architect and builder, and an early adopter of both Passivhaus practices represented by the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany, and Passive House practices represented by the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS). He is responsible for nine of the 20 projects certified or pre-certified by the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) in Virginia. Cohen is currently an Edmund Hillary Fellow and working with the Human Nest Project, a collective of entrepreneurs working to create pathways for sustainable economic and environmental growth.
More »Nourishing Employees Working from Home: Strategies to Survive & Thrive
It’s one year and counting since the Covid-19 pandemic sent us scurrying from our offices, doors shuttered, colleagues scattered. The emotional toll of the imposed isolation of working-from-home has not yet been measured, but it is real.
More »Engineer Q & A: Patreace Thornton, LEED Green Associate
In our ongoing series of profiles on industry movers and shakers, we spoke with electrical engineer Patreace Thornton to learn about her pathway into the profession.
More »Designer Q & A: Lauren Shumate, AIA
Contributor: Margaret Hancock
How did you come to architecture as a profession?
As an undergrad, I began studying historic preservation at a small liberal arts school. I quickly realized that my personal interest in the built environment was not just about researching, but about designing. So, I transferred to the University of Virginia and switched my academic focus to architecture — and loved every minute of it. After graduation, I worked for an architecture firm in Philadelphia for several years before returning to UVA for graduate school.
More »Designer Q & A: Simone Saidel, AIA
Contributor: Margaret Hancock
You are currently designing corporate interiors. What excites you about this niche and working with corporate clients?
Last year, I shifted to my current firm OPX from a small local firm in Alexandria. This is an exciting transition for me because in addition to a more distinct focus on corporate spaces, my portfolio is now at a national level with clients throughout America. It is invigorating as an architect and a self-identified “people person” to travel and meet with different individuals, and it is rewarding to help a company and its constituents transition into a new phase.
More »Designer Q & A: Thom White, AIA
Contributor: Margaret Hancock
What was your personal path to becoming an architect?
Accounts from my mom say that I wanted to be an architect early on. When visiting Virginia Tech, I fell in love with the architecture school and in my fourth year, had the good fortune of interning in Europe. That internship proved a formative experience for me as I spent six months in Berlin working alongside two Tech grads as they operated their international office.
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