Become an Architect

These are the reasons a few members of the AIA Potomac Valley chapter chose to become architects, pursuing a profession that uses both sides of the brain—creativity and big-picture thinking, along with a passion for detail and desire to solve problems.

EVER THINK OF BECOMING AN ARCHITECT?

What Is An Architect?
Steps To Becoming an Architect
Architecture Education
Architectural Experience Program (AXP)
Licensing Resources

Click the image of each winning project below for further details and photos.

2025 GOLD AWARD
Recognizing “Best in Show” – Residential

GOLD / Residential
PROJECT  Del Ray Passive House
LOCATION  Alexandria, Virginia
ARCHITECT  CEDAR Architects
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Deborah Buelow, AIA, Todd Yeomans, and Tim McCarthy
OWNER/CLIENT  Confidential
CONTRACTOR  Thorsen Construction
PHOTOGRAPHERS  Jennifer Hughes; Frazier Springfield

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Del Ray Passive House is a ground-up net-positive home guided by the principles of regeneration, quality, and collaboration. This project balances energy performance with joy; sustainability with the needs of a large family; connection to nature with privacy. The home has received PHIUS (Passive House Institute of the United States) design certification. Built to last for generations, it offers a model of what’s possible when sustainability is the foundation—not the finish.


2025 GOLD AWARD
Recognizing “Best in Show” – Non-Residential

GOLD / Institutional Architecture
PROJECT  Bowie State University, Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Communication Arts and Humanities
LOCATION  Bowie, Maryland
ARCHITECT  Perkins&Will
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Carl Knutson, AIA; Paul Harney, AIA; Renee Rodriguez, AIA; Thomas Butcavage, FAIA; Kate Carrico; Katie Janson; Brittany McNairy; Joshua Rubin, AIA; Veronica Hernandez; Laura McMullan; Elaine Zhang; Keegan Wilson; Christine Burton; Mike Johnson II; Marta Fenollosa, AIA
OWNER/CLIENT  Bowie State University
CONTRACTOR  Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
PHOTOGRAPHERS  Halkin Mason Photography; Lincoln Barbour

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Bowie State University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Center is an integral part of the campus experience, collecting and connecting students across various fields into a facility that is designed to encourage student self-expression and foster a collaborative environment for learning and creativity. The building equips students with, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated in his Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, “courage to face the uncertainties of the future.”

2025 PV AWARD
Recognizing the best project exemplifying elements of the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence

PV Award
PROJECT  Joy Evans Therapeutic Recreation Center
LOCATION  Washington, District of Columbia
ARCHITECT  DLR Group
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Matt Davitt, AIA; Rachel Chung, AIA; Hannah Caster, Jate Yonkos, Michael Boco, Hillary Keene, Chris Sanders, Bob Widger
OWNER/CLIENT  DC Department of General Services
CONTRACTOR  Smoot Construction Company
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT  CGLA
PHOTOGRAPHER  Allen Russ / Allen Russ Photography

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Joy Evans Therapeutic Recreation Center is a new state-of-the-art facility focused on providing therapeutic recreational programming and serving people of all ages and along the full spectrum of physical and cognitive abilities. It is sited on forested National Park Service land in Southeast Washington, DC and is designed to take full advantage of this location to harness the therapeutic benefits of biophilic design for its users by establishing strong connections to nature.