Welcome to our team Hamza Hamdeh. This Pratt Institute of Architecture graduate with a minor in Sustainability played both basketball and volleyball for his alma mater. Hamza enjoys working on his Italian and helping out with the family business importing olive oil from their home in Palestine.
National Mall Vision Plan published in ArchitectureDC /
The latest issue of ArchitectureDC has published a terrific piece about Green City, Blue City, Old City, New City our vision for a more resilient National Mall in Washington DC. The Vision Plan - done in collaboration with the Virginia Tech Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center - is a culmination of years of study and planning for waterfront resilience on the Mall.
Read more here ArchDC_Winter 2022 (hbp.com)
Green City Blue City wins Gold Award /
We’re thrilled that “Green City Blue City” our vision for the National Mall has won Gold in the international Global Design Awards! For this effort we collaborated with students from Virginia Tech’s Washington Alexandria Architecture Center on plans for resilience, sustainability, and equity. The project is part of our studio’s ongoing study in the future of our nation’s capital. Pictured here is a rendering by WAAC exchange student Armondo Dai.
AIA DC Tour of Arboretum Community Center /
ISTUDIO Project Architect Sara Al Khatib led a tour of the newly opened Arboretum Community Center for the DC Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The center features a solar array and green roof as well as the first Mass Timber structure for the DC Department of General Services and the Department of Parks and Recreation. Glu-lam and Cross-laminated timber reduce the building’s carbon footprint by 30%
Twin Oaks Wins Gold at 2022 Global Future Design Awards /
Winner of the Global Future Design Awards, Twin Oaks Community Garden was designed to create inclusive and accessible community gardening space. The concrete pathway provides firm footing for ADA access and gardeners with wheelbarrows. Each run is gently sloped across the grade, connecting to the straight-run stair at the switchbacks. The pavillion is a plane of greenery lifted above the lower terrace; the planted roof becomes an artful lesson in smart storm water management as it slows rainwater runoff, filters particulates and reduces the urban heat island effect.
For more about the award visit 2022 Gold Winner - Twin Oaks Community Garden
Mayor Cuts Ribbon at First Mass Timber Project /
The first Mass Timber facility for DC DGS and DPR is open! Mayor Bowser was on hand to cut the ribbon and celebrate the new LEED Silver field house in Northeast Washington DC. Joining her were DC DGS Director Keith Anderson, Councilman Macduffie, ANC Commissioner Jackie Manning, and DC DPR Director Delano Hunter as well as children and parents from the Arboretum neighborhood. The Arboretum Community Center offers neighborhood residents programs that promote fitness and wellness on a tree-filled site next to the National Arboretum. Features like the CLT gymnasium and a solar PV array help to lower the carbon footprint and move closer to Net Zero energy. The project has already received international acclaim as a conceptual design.
Mayor Bowser Cuts Ribbon on New Arboretum Community Center, 11/5/22 - YouTube
Van Ness Elementary Wins Gold at AIAPV /
The rooftop curriculum garden and outdoor classroom canopy generated jury comment by “clearly announcing the new while paying homage to the old with sympathetic geometries and a warm material palette”. Van Ness Elementary School went on to win one of the evening’s highest awards - the Gold Award, recognizing “Best in Show” for the Potomac Valley AIA’s annual Excellence in Design Awards.
“A tasteful addition that boasts beautifully connected and engaging outdoor spaces. This project excels in breathing new life into an existing campus in a refreshing way.” Awards Committee Chair Scott Knudson, AIA and AIAPV President Scott Bowen led the ceremonies at the new Biomedical Sciences Facility at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, MD.
Maryland AIA Chapters - Van Ness Elementary School (secure-platform.com)
Van Ness Elementary School’s fast track summer expansion includes a new wing addition with rooftop classrooms, historic renovation of a field house, and new playgrounds. The team focused on wellness forward design exceeding the LEED-S standard and DCPS’s 21st Century Education specifications. The field house leaned into historic construction techniques incorporating natural ventilation. Previously in deficit of stormwater credits, the addition provides green roofs, garden roofs, and landscaping including rain and pollinator gardens for outdoor education.
Schneider Presents at NRPA Conference /
We’re pretty excited to be a part of this year’s National Recreation and Park Association annual conference. Principal Rick Schneider presents case studies in public architecture - and it turns out design for resilience looks a lot like design for excellence and sustainability…
If you’re in Phoenix for the event, mark your calendar for September 20th at 2:30pm!
Va Tech WAAC Scholars Celebrated at ISTUDIO /
What a pleasure to host the Virginia Tech WAAC Scholarship Recipients at our studio. Each year the WAAC Firm Advisory Board raises money to award scholarships to incoming students of Architecture and Planning. ISTUDIO’s three WAAC grads Sara AlKhatib, Ameya Kaulaskar, and Rick Schneider were on hand to recount their time at 1001 Prince Street and how it prepared them each for the path they’re on.
Event Theme: Italy, with Prosecco and Mediterranean bites reminiscent of our visit to Venice last Fall. The Biennale slideshow plays in the background…
Ameya Kaulaskar Joins ISTUDIO /
Welcome Ameya Kaulaskar, the studio’s newest intern architect! Ameya just completed his MS Arch at Virginia Tech’s Washington Alexandria Architecture Center – with a concentration in urban design. He grew up in central India and earned a BArch from the University of Mumbai. This soccer player loves to watercolor and he is learning about the culinary delights of cooking with south Indian spices.
Water Wellness House featured on ReThinking the Future Website /
The Water Wellness House is an update and addition to a Mid Century Modern home. The addition holds a new therapy pool and boasts the building’s MCM character. Learn more about the project on ReThinking the Future’s website, here!
Powell Wins Gold in Brick in Architecture Awards! /
New stair tower at rear draws inspiration from the form and function of the existing historic brick school building.
Powell Elementary School was awarded a Gold medal in the 2021 Brick in Architecture Awards. Hosted by the Brick Industry Association, the awards are the only national association to represent both manufacturers and distributors. Two different brick types were chosen to integrate the new with the old for this 90,000 sf addition/renovation. Brick details around the main entry inspired the design team to create the open-air stairwell made of brick.
Precedent: Lattice brick used on historic 1929 building, provides security and privacy at bathrooms
Solidity: Tower is along a public alley frequented by cars and trucks
Security: tower is away from the eyes of teachers, brick is secure; screening from
The design team aimed to create a modern design that integrated seamlessly with the existing, 1959 addition but inspired by the terracotta-colored brick of the original 1929 building.
Light: Lattice provides some openness for daylight
Pattern: a better look for the neighborhood than a 3-story blank wall; enliven a utilitarian façade
Fresh air is important for successful learning, so the open-air brick stair provides that air in between classes. Daylighting allows us to cut back on the energy cost of lighting an exterior stair. And the product is in harmony with the previous 1929 and 1959 wings, drawing inspiration from both.
For more see the BIA website here: 2021 Award Winners - K-12 Education (gobrick.com)
Arboretum Community Center wins two awards! /
2021 Global Future Design Awards, 2nd Award for Institutional Architecture Concept
2021 Rethinking the Future Award, Public Building Concept
The CLT and Glu-lam structure is up at the Arboretum Recreation Center! It’s the first Mass Timber facility for the DC Department of Parks and Recreation and we’re pretty excited.
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Mass timber is just one of the ways we’re reducing embodied as well as operational carbon at Arboretum Rec. Building materials such as Cross-laminated Timber and Glu-lam can significantly reduce embodied carbon in buildings compared to emissions-intensive steel and concrete.
For more about Arboretum Community Center click here!
Principal Rick Schneider joins the AIA College of Fellows! /
Amidst colleagues, friends and family, Principal Rick Schneider and the new fellows will walk the processional that signifies their entry into fellowship. The ceremony recognizes the Fellows for their significant contributions to architecture and society nationally, and for consistently achieving excellence in the profession.
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Rick has been practicing architecture for over 30 years. He founded ISTUDIO architects in 1999 on the principle of bringing sustainable and beautiful architecture to everyone. To this day, Rick honors this commitment in everything he does from building equitable spaces to passing on his knowledge and passions to the next generation of architects. Today we celebrate Rick's commitments to the architectural community as he enters the AIA College of Fellows.
AIA Fellows are recognized with the AIA’s highest membership honor for their exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society.
Architects who have made significant contributions to the profession and society and who exemplify architectural excellence can become a member of the AIA College of Fellows. Only 3 percent of the AIA members have this distinction.
ISTUDIO Wins Four Global Design Future Awards! /
The Architectural Press Release’s, “Global Future Design Awards 2021 had Received 470+ Projects | 70+ Categories | 200+ Awards | 110+ Winners | 30+ Countries participated this year”
WINNER: Kingman Island - http://www.architecturepressrelease.com/winner-kingman-island-istudio-architects/
SECOND PLACE: Marvin Gaye Rec - http://www.architecturepressrelease.com/second-award-marvin-gaye-recreation-center-istudio-architects/
SECOND PLACE: Arboretum - http://www.architecturepressrelease.com/second-award-arboretum-istudio-architects/
HONORABLE MENTION: Bwindi Eco Tourism Center - http://www.architecturepressrelease.com/honorable-mention-bwindi-eco-tourism-center-istudio-architects/
Schneider presents Climate Action Case Study with DC Preservation League /
ISTUDIO Principal Rick Schneider presents the rehabilitation of the Powell Elementary School as a case study in climate action.
Anyone interested in how a 21st century modern addition emulates the “historic” pre-AC ventilation system of a 1929 neo-colonial building…. tune in for this presentation with the DC Preservation League!
Powell Elementary is a prime example of a 21st century urban school – combining old and new to create vibrant, green, and healthy learning environments. Innovative Net Zero Energy features like daylighting and (the city’s first) natural ventilation are complemented by smart site and stormwater management design. Green building and sustainable site design contributed to LEED-S Gold design. In 2014, President Obama chose Powell ES as the location to announce his FY2015 Education budget. The project has been presented as a case study in civic places and has won numerous awards for design excellence + sustainable design.
The DC Preservation League, founded in 1971 as “Don’t Tear It Down,” is a non-profit membership-supported organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing Washington’s historic buildings and open spaces for future generations. As Washington’s citywide preservation advocacy organization, DCPL identifies significant buildings and neighborhoods throughout the District, monitors threats to them, and increases public awareness of historic resources.
What: Stewardship for Climate Action: Optimizing the Heritage Conservation Continuum for DC (Program 3)
When: December 8 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Where: virtual - for more info use the link above
ISTUDIO's Kingman Island Wins World Design Awards 2021 /
Winner of World Design Awards 2021: The Kingman Island Environmental Education Center was designed as a part of a competition to intertwine with adjacent ecosystems, mimicking natural flows and exhibiting their processes for children and adults alike. This education and research center for the DC Department of Parks and Recreation will make use of passive strategies for heating/cooling/ventilating and regenerate wetlands. These “constructed wetlands” work with a “Living Machine” to demonstrate habitat restoration and natural forms of wastewater treatment and garner LEED innovative credits.
For more about the award visit Kingman Island | ISTUDIO Architects | World Design Awards 2021 – The Architecture Community
Fairfax County Park Authority selects ISTUDIO Architects /
We're excited to announce that ISTUDIO has been chosen by the Fairfax County Park Authority as their architect for upcoming recreation and parks projects.
The FCPA manages 420 parks on more than 23,000 acres of land with 325 miles of trails, 263 athletic fields, nine RECenters, 5 nature and visitor centers, and a working grist mill at Colvin Run.
We look forward to making the FCPA Vision a reality - to inspire a passion for parks, healthy lifestyles, and stewardship.
ISTUDIO’s Tubman Elementary Wins World Design Awards 2021 /
Winner of World Design Awards 2021: ISTUDIO has designed a unique space for the Tubman Elementary School. The project represents a pilot program by the Office of the State Superintendent for Education aimed at teaching children how to prepare healthy meals. Along the the way students learn where their food comes from. The architecture celebrates the cycles of life: the changing seasons, the path of the sun, and the way water flows. Accessibility is built into the project with ramps, raised garden beds, and open counters to show that education is intended for all.
For more about the award visit Tubman Elementary School | ISTUDIO Architects | World Design Awards 2021 – The Architecture Community
PANEL: Shaping the City /
We'll be in Venice for Shaping the City, hosted by the ECC during the Venice Biennale. ISTUDIO Principal Rick Schneider will be presenting case studies in design for climate change and resilient cities as part of the Climate Change adaptation and Resilient Cities Panel. The session will take place during the afternoon Friday 15th of October at 8:30am (EST). And don't worry, it will also be accessible via Youtube Live on the European Cultural Center Italy Channel!
Click Here to Learn More & Register Here
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