AIA Virginia is pleased to recognize eight Virginians with 2016 Honors awards for their life commitment to creating, preserving and enhancing Virginia’s communities. These will be presented at the Visions for Architecture gala on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Virginia Tech Center for Design Research Director, ACSA Distinguished Professor and T.A. Carter Professor of Architecture Robert J. Dunay, FAIA, will be awarded the William C. Noland Medal. This is the highest award given to a member architect. Dunay’s work spans a 40-year career integrating teaching, research, and scholarship. He has established innovative cross-disciplinary projects connecting academia and architectural practice. In addition to teaching and influencing thousands of architects, his co-leadership of projects such as LumenHAUS which won an international Solar Decathlon Competition in Spain have brought worldwide acclaim to Virginia architecture. He has taken students abroad and created the only pre-professional summer camp focused on design for high school students in Virginia. His supporters credit him with the high national ranking of Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture and Design.
Virginia Tech Patrick and Nancy Lathrop Professor of Architecture Jaan Holt will be recognized with the Architecture Medal for Virginia Service. This is AIA Virginia’s most prestigious public award, honoring individuals or organizations that have made an unusually significant contribution to Virginia’s built environment or the public’s understanding and awareness of the built environment. For 44 years, Holt has served in the university’s architecture program including a six-year stint as chair. More than 35 years ago he co-founded the university’s Washington Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC), then permanently relocated to Alexandria to become the center’s director. He established a consortium to bring faculty and students from other national and international schools to WAAC creating an ethnically, culturally and educationally diverse program. Holt has elevated awareness of superb architecture by organizing several high-profile, Washington-based competitions, bringing international attention to WAAC and Virginia Tech.
Central Virginia architect R. Corey Clayborne, AIA, project manager and senior architect at Wiley|Wilson will receive the Award for Distinguished Achievement. Clayborne is active in AIA Richmond and AIA Virginia, serving on both boards of directors. He is particularly known for his mentorship of the next generation of architects, focusing on their entry into the AIA, licensure and professional and personal growth. His service to the community includes serving on the Charlottesville Planning Commission and the 100 Black Men of Central Virginia Mentoring program.
Richmond architect Rachel Shelton, AIA, project manager and project architect with Glavé &Holmes and Northern Virginia architect Katherine Williams, AIA, assistant project manager at Marion Construction are each to be honored with the Virginia Emerging Professional Award. In addition to her work with a variety of clients, Shelton has taken on a strong mentoring role. She serves on the AIA Richmond board and organizes networking opportunities. She also is a leader in Richmond Women in Design and a licensing advisor to new architects. Williams has advanced the profession through AIA service, writing, teaching and facilitation events. She is a past chair of the AIA Housing Knowledge Community advisory group, former editor of the National Organization of Minority Architects magazine and has organized numerous events connecting minority women architects.
Colonial Williamsburg Curator of Architecture William Graham and metal conservator Andrew Baxter will receive AIA Virginia Honors. In the 35 years Graham has been at Colonial Williamsburg, he has become a leading authority on architecture spanning 200 years in Virginia. His impact goes far beyond the scope of Colonial Williamsburg having served as a consultant for historic landmarks including Montpelier, Monticello, Blandfield, and Mount Vernon. Baxter, owner, and principal of Bronze et al Ltd. has enhanced and protected many well-known pieces of public art in Virginia and beyond. Of particular note is his work on all 13 statues of the George Washington Equestrian Monument at the Virginia State Capitol, the Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Maury statues along Richmond’s Monument Avenue and President James Monroe’s tomb canopy in Hollywood Cemetery.
AIA Virginia Managing Director Rhea George will receive Honorary Membership in AIA Virginia in recognition of what AIA Virginia Executive Vice President/CEO Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA calls “thoughtful and dedicated leadership in service to architects.” She has held a number of different positions on AIA Virginia’s professional staff and she has stepped up many times to fill temporary vacancies along with carrying out her normal duties. In the community, she has held several positions as a Chesterfield Board of Supervisors appointee. She’s a co-chair of the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg Education Action Council and she developed a Girl Scout architect badge program which she is currently encouraging the Girl Scouts to reinstate as a way to pave the way for more women to become architects.
Join us as we celebrate these honorees at the Visions for Architecture Gala on Nov. 4 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. RSVP online>>