Richard Bierce, AIA, Kathleen Galvin, AIA, and Paula Loomis, FAIA, will be recognized with the Award for Distinguished Achievement at the Visions for Architecture gala on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, at the Hotel John Marshall. The Award for Distinguished Achievement signals distinguished achievement by an architect in any one of the following categories: design, practice, education, service as “citizen architect” and service to the profession; and thus may serve as an accolade for the work of an entire career or recognize the current accomplishments of a younger leader.
An architect and preservation consultant, Richard Bierce has dedicated his career to the preservation of Virginia’s rich architectural legacy. From serving as Alexandria’s historic resources director to a decade’s tenure with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to his own consultancy, his efforts on behalf of many of the Commonwealth’s historic treasures have had immeasurable impact.
Bierce has studied and documented individual buildings to develop thoughtful interventions that preserve their integrity and allow their continued use in the 21st century. He has inventoried and evaluated entire neighborhoods, and once listed, has protected them through written design guidelines. Not only do clients and their buildings benefit from his restoration expertise, but his public service record, beginning with the Peace Corps, has continued throughout his career, providing a lasting benefit to the Commonwealth and many local communities through his advocacy in numerous preservation organizations.
Kathleen Galvin, principal at Galvin Architects, has devoted more than three decades to smart growth management, equitable redevelopment, and creative place-making. Her urban design projects across the Commonwealth have benefited Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Orange, Mt. Jackson, Gordonsville, and Crozet. Nominators cited her talent to build consensus and to introduce others to the value of sensitive design thinking and problem-solving.
Currently serving her second term as a Charlottesville city councilor, Galvin is recognized as a solid voice of thoughtful reason and an advocate for city zoning that is inclusive and sensitive to the current residents of her city. She has championed urban design and infrastructure improvement projects, multi-modal street standards, sustainable building design and transformative community revitalization efforts to close academic achievement and wealth creation disparities in Charlottesville’s neighborhoods. The City’s Strategic Investment Area (SIA), a revitalization and redevelopment plan for a former industrial area south of downtown, was her vision and initiative. The SIA has been recognized with numerous awards and is now being implemented.
Throughout her career as both a military and civilian public architect, Dr. Paula Loomis has emphasized the importance of public architecture and the value of quality design in public buildings and places. Her service to the profession ranges from chapter to national level. As the Hampton Roads AIA president, Loomis encouraged the successful redevelopment of Norfolk’s Granby Street and initiated efforts to enhance public transportation in the region. She has also stood at the forefront of design excellence in the military services. As the base architect at Langley Air Force Base, for example, Loomis developed base architectural standards that returned Langley to its Tudor-Gothic roots. She went on to create standards for all Air Combat Command bases, as well as for other major commands, more recently incorporating sustainability requirements.
Her work on the national AIA Resiliency Committee led to her involvement in the Hampton Roads Sea Level Rise Preparedness and Resilience Intergovernmental Planning Pilot Project; she is now helping to re-start the Virginia Resilience Task Force so the Commonwealth can prepare for disasters. Serving on AIA’s Federal Acquisition Task Group (FATG), Loomis researched federal procedures to help make contracting easier for architecture/engineering firms – a benefit to many architects across Virginia.