Tag: architecture exchange east

Online registration for Architecture Exchange East closes Nov. 2, 2018. Register today>>

This is the last chance for you to lock in your spot for our exciting conference. Here are a couple of sessions you might be interested in attending:

Designing Justice Facilities for Mental Health
3:15-5:15 p.m. Thursday, November 8th

Justice Architecture touches almost every citizen’s life, whether through a family member, colleague, or friend. As such, correctional facilities may have a more direct impact on a larger number of citizens than any other civic building type, and yet, they have changed relatively little in this country over the past half-century. Today’s criminal justice context acknowledges that individuals serving time will not return to society as improved citizens without treatment and/or better coping strategies. Rehabilitative programs in corrections target addictions, criminal thinking, anger management, parenting skills, and job skills, among others. Teaching inmates to make better, more informed decisions lies at the heart of most programs, with the ultimate goal of providing an improved framework for addressing life’s problems within the parameters of the law. At the same time programs deliver improved mechanisms for making better decisions, the secure correctional environment reduces the level of autonomy and individual decision-making to a minimum. The rigid structure imposed by the prototypical secure correctional environment delays much of the practice required to master new behaviors until after release. It is widely believed that this structure is necessary for security; yet other countries have achieved better results upon re-entry with a different structural approach. How do their populations differ? How are they the same? This session hopes to better define the relationship between rehabilitative programming and legacy U.S. institutional design, and to probe the extent to which more normalized housing and creative, new approaches to facility design (such as those used in other countries) might enhance programming success, without compromising security. Within this workshop, you will learn about where correctional architecture is going in terms of integrating innovative mental health, behavioral health, & re-entry programs into new, replacement, and renovated facilities. All are encouraged to attend – the solution to fewer correctional facilities and a more effective criminal justice system is in the hands of not only the design and health professionals but policy-makers and every community nation-wide.

Demystifying Security in Design: A Holistic Approach
3:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, November 8th

In today’s America, sincere emotion and fear surrounds the conversation on security as we become more aware of incidents of mass shootings, sexual assault, cyber bullying, and terrorism. Responses by many have called for the “hardening,” of our schools, cultural centers, and civic spaces. Designers have the awesome responsibility of respectfully listening to end users, distilling concerns, and yet still meeting clients’ functional, aesthetic, and programmatic needs. Architects, administrators, and educators can begin demystifying security by using a more democratic, holistic, and well-informed approach. Join us for a round table discussion with a group of panelists who work in multiple arenas: architectural design, infrastructure and technology, governance and legislation, and socio-emotional development.

Tour of the Varina Area Library
3:15-5:15 p.m. Thursday, November 8th

Tour the Varina Area Library which was awarded a 2017 AIA/ALA Library Building Award. The Varina Area Library, which opened on June 1, 2016, is a brand new 43,000 square foot building located on a 22 acre parcel of land in the rural, eastern section of Henrico County. The new state-of-the art-library replaces a small 6,000 square foot branch that served the Varina community for over 40 years. Varina’s citizens wanted an active library that provided a “next generation” of library services. To create a hub for learning with sufficient quiet space, the library features several unique learning spaces and programmatic elements that facilitate project-based learning pedagogies. More casual learning spaces are integrated throughout the library in the form of private and group study rooms outfitted with mobile, adaptable furniture to promote various learning, working, and collaborating styles.

Tour of Capitol Square
3:15-5:15 p.m. Thursday, November 8th

Explore one of America’s most influential buildings. The Virginia Capitol, a living landmark and home to the oldest elected legislative body in North America, was designed by Thomas Jefferson and was the first public building in the New World constructed in the Monumental Classical style. It has served as a prototype for countless capitols, public buildings, churches, and residences for more than 200 years. This tour will include an overview of Capitol Square, a survey of the Capitol’s architectural history, and a tour of the public spaces and exhibits inside the Capitol.

We look forward to seeing you in November!

Online registration for Architecture Exchange East closes Nov. 2, 2018. Register today>>