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CONSTRUCTING AN EQUITABLE FUTURE Contributors

Bradley W. Johnson On October 2-4, more than 700 architects and design professionals Steven K. Dickens, AIA, LEED AP
from the greater Washington area will get together for AIA|DC’s
(“Peerless Pier”), is senior associate with
Eric Colbert & Associates.
annual professional conference, called DesignDC. Each year, we work
to identify a theme for the conference that is broad enough to include
all aspects of design, and also topical enough to respond to current
issues and concerns. Deane Madsen, Assoc. AIA (“On the
Waterfront” and “Juicy Design”), is a
This year’s theme, which focuses on constructing an equitable writer and architectural photographer
future, was quickly identified, because calls for greater equity have based in Washington, DC, and founder
been everywhere of late, and are a frequent topic of discussion among of the informal architectural appreciation
architects and designers, who are deeply engaged on issues such as society Brutalist DC.
affordable housing, displacement due to development, sustainable design, and universal
design—meaning design suitable for all people, regardless of age, size, ability, or disability. G. Martin Moeller, Jr., Assoc. AIA
Issues like these are rooted in a concern for providing access for people who, for one reason (“Amped Up” and “Eat, Drink, and Get
or another, haven’t had ready access to things that many of us may take for granted. Married”), is an independent curator
and writer, as well as senior curator at
Welcome! the editor of ARCHITECTUREDC.
the National Building Museum. He is

Ronald O’Rourke (“Boxed Up
and Ready to Go” and “Who’s on
As one expression of how designers are helping to create a more equitable future, the F1RST?”) is a regular contributor to
Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York recently staged an exhibition called ARCHITECTUREDC. His father, Jack
Access+Ability that showed more than 70 examples of designs developed in the last decade O'Rourke, was an architect in San
that demonstrate, in the museum’s words, “how users and designers are expanding and Francisco for more than four decades.
adapting accessible products and solutions in ways previously unimaginable.” As the museum
notes, “There has been a surge of design with and by people with a wide range of physical,
cognitive, and sensory abilities. Fueled by advances in research, technology, and fabrication,
this proliferation of functional, life-enhancing products is creating unprecedented access in
homes, schools, workplaces, and the world at large.”
I had a chance to see the exhibition during a recent visit to New
York and found it inspiring, optimistic, and simply amazing. One of
my favorite items was a beautifully designed wheelchair-accessible
pool from Japan. Another was a proposed new design for the symbol
indicating that something is accessible to people who use a wheelchair.
As you can see, the new design shows such people as capable and in
motion, as opposed to the old symbol which was much more passive.
As you go about your day, think for a moment what it might be like if you had limits
to your sight, hearing, mobility, or dexterity—and how smart design can address that. The
Cooper Hewitt’s exhibition closed on September 3, but all of its objects can be viewed online at
the museum’s website. Exhibitions like these are powerful reminders of the role that architects
and designers can play in creating a more hopeful and equitable world for everyone.
In this issue of the magazine, we are focusing on mixed-use projects and smaller projects
located in mixed-use developments. Mixed-use projects are all around us, but they aren’t
often showcased, even though they can pose complex challenges for architects and can
feature innovative solutions to those challenges. We hope you find the ones in these pages
interesting in terms of both their designs and what they reflect about the city’s evolving
built environment.
Also in this issue, we are inaugurating a new page focusing on the exhibitions we are
staging in our own Sigal and Sorg galleries here at the District Architect Center. Please stop
by and see those exhibitions if you have a chance. And as always, we love to hear from you,
so feel free to drop me a note.

Mary Fitch, AICP, Hon. AIA
Publisher
mfitch@aiadc.com
@marycfitch

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