The District Architecture Center Opens to the Public

As a collaboration between the Washington Architectural Foundation and AIA DC, the District Architecture Center (DAC) is a place to celebrate architecture. On November 4, the DAC hosted their Grand Opening at their new location at 421 7th Street NW, Washington, DC. Cunningham | Quill Architects was in attendance, including Founding Principals Lee Quill, FAIA and Ralph Cunningham, FAIA, who also serves as the Vice President of the Washington Architectural Foundation.

Cunningham | Quill Architects staff at the District Architecture Center Opening.
Image appears courtesy of DC Modern Luxury, and was taken by Daniel Schwartz Photography.

At the event, winners of the DAC Service Awards were honored along with this year's newest DC area Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, which included Lee Quill, FAIA. Attendees also shared in the celebration of the Washington Architectural Foundation’s and the AIA DC Chapter’s future.

AIA DC and the DAC recognized this year's newest members of the College of Fellows.
Lee Quill, FAIA on the right.

House of Lebanon is Approved and Designated as a DC Landmark

House of Lebanon (Former Margaret Murray Washington School) Designated as Landmark

The Margaret Murray Washington School (27 O Street NW), built in 1912, will be designated as landmark in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites. Cunningham | Quill Architects plans to restore the building and modify the site to create affordable housing for the District of Columbia. Recently approved by the DC Historic Preservation Review Board on September 29th, the "House of Lebanon" Project will also have multi-purpose recreation and meeting spaces. To learn more about our approvals process, visit our Outreach Approach, or see DC HistoricPreservation for more information on the historic designation and approval of this project.

Lee Quill Leads National AIA SDAT Program in Colorado

Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, CO

Lee Quill, FAIA, one of the Founding Principals of Cunningham | Quill Architects, was selected in March as the Team Leader for the American Institute of Architects' Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) for the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado. Lee first visited the Pike's Peak area for two days in the beginning of April with AIA National Staff, and helped to develop an initial understanding of the study area. From the information gathered during these early meetings, the direction and focus of the SDAT study was formalized, and the members who constituted the final team were selected.

Lee Quill discusses infill development with participants of a Stakeholder Meeting.

Led by Lee Quill at the end of September, the SDAT group of nationally recognized architects and other professionals came together in Colorado Springs to collaborate and provide their expertise in support of a new sustainable vision for the region. Out of this comprehensive, multi-disciplinary planning effort, the group formed an implementable plan and guide that will help shape the built environment and market-based revitalization in new and infill areas around the region. Under Lee's guidance, the team worked with local decision makers and stakeholders to develop a vision and framework to reach a consensus for sustainability that will be developed for generations to come.

SDAT Members in the Field

The mission of the Pikes Peak Region SDAT was to engage citizens, elected officials, agencies and  business leaders to define a sustainable built environment plan that promotes “complete” and livable communities, promotes economic opportunity, raises the quality of life for all citizens, and builds an identity around its unique and natural environment.

SDAT Meeting with Team and Steering Committee

If you would like to see the findings from the week long effort, visit here for the final SDAT Presentation.

DC Solar Home Tour

The 2011 Tour of Solar Homes and Buildings included Cunningham | Quill Architects’ Right Size House on Sunday, October 2nd. Each year the tour features over 50 homes, all examples of sustainable living, highlighting innovative solar design and technology concepts.

Right Size House  |  Falls Church, VA

The Right Size House is a new, 2,400 sf modern passive-solar home designed to meet LEED for Homes Platinum criteria. It has a well-insulated envelope built with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). The house features highly efficient appliances, plumbing fixtures, lighting, and hybrid HVAC equipment. In addition, rainwater is collected in an underground cistern, helping to flush toilets and irrigate the zero-grass landscaping. The home has also been featured on the USA TodayGreen House Blog.

19th Annual DCBIA Community Improvement Day

After months of planning, the District of Columbia Building Industry Association (DCBIA) hosted their 19th Annual Community Improvement Day on October 1st at the Marvin Gaye Recreation Center in Northeast DC. Cunningham | Quill's Heather Daley, AIA, LEED-AP, was one of this year’s Co-Chairs for the event, along with Steve Hawryluk of James G. Davis Construction Corporation.

The focal point of the interior renovation to the rec center is a mural of Marvin Gaye.

Over 500 volunteers gave their time on Saturday to help the community of Capitol Heights improve their park. Projects included a complete interior renovation to the recreation center, cleaning the entire site, upgrading the baseball and sports fields by adding terraced seating, creating outdoor classrooms and shade pavilions, and unifying the landscape with new plantings and a paved pathway.

Outdoor pavilions serve as classrooms for the many summer programs at the rec center.

DC Mayor Vincent Gray was on hand to commemorate the project by cutting the ceremonial ribbon during the mid-day break. The Mayor was joined by Merrick Malone, President of DCBIA; Amin Muslim, Director of Constituent Services from Ward 7 Council Member Yvette Alexander's office; Gary Ball, Co-Chair of the DCBIA Community Services Committee, a representative from the DC Department of Parks and Recreation; and the Co-Chairs for the Event, Heather Daley and Steve Hawryluk.

The ribbon cutting. L-R: Gary Ball, Merrick Malone, Mayor Vincent Gray, Heather Daley, Amin Muslim.

Cunningham | Quill Architects has been proud to be involved with DCBIA's Community Improvement Day for the last seven years.

Cunningham | Quill volunteers at the end of the event.