The Loudoun County Department of Economic Development accepted the American Institute of Architect’s Virginia Honors award for the Loudoun County Design Cabinet at its Visions for Architecture gala on Friday, Nov. 8, 2019.
The award recognizes organizations that have inspired, influenced, or complemented the architecture profession in Virginia through research, education, planning, legislation, architectural writing and more.
“We’re thrilled to receive this honor, in recognition of Loudoun’s placemaking efforts through intentional design and architecture,” Loudoun Economic Development’s Executive Director Buddy Rizer said. “Creative design is about more than just aesthetics—studies have linked it to an enhanced sense of community. Every new construction project creates opportunities to build Loudoun’s identity.”
Loudoun Economic Development spearheaded the creation of the Design Cabinet in 2003 for the purpose of promoting high-quality, environmentally sustainable, and culturally respectful architectural and landscape design in one of the fastest-growing communities in the Commonwealth.
Loudoun’s Design Cabinet, comprised of private sector design professionals, holds charrettes to collaborate with the business community on design standards. The annual Signatures of Loudoun Design Awards help incentivize and reward creative architecture and design in the community.
The Design Cabinet is also asked to collaborate on a variety of community design-related projects, such as streetscape improvement, campus planning, sustainable design, and modifications to the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance.
“This started as a unique experiment nearly 20 years ago to determine whether design professionals could effectively work with their communities rather than for their communities,” AIA Virginia’s Managing Director Rhea George explained. “The collaborative approach taken by the Design Cabinet is a wonderful model for communities across the Commonwealth.”
Loudoun’s Business Development Officer Rick Morris attended the gala to accept the award on behalf of the Design Cabinet and Loudoun Economic Development.
To learn more about the Design Cabinet’s work in the Loudoun community, please visit their webpage.
