Leadership, Licensure and Accreditation at Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS
Professional milestones during one’s career are important moments of celebration and reflection, and a demonstrated commitment to the future to inspire, engage, and strengthen teams and organizations. In recent months, Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS is proud to have recognized pivotal accomplishments for several team members including elevation to Associate, architectural licensure, and WELL accreditation! Please join us in congratulating the following team members.
New to Our Team in 2021
We proudly celebrate our 4 new team members, who have joined us in 2021: Alanna Gladney, Gabriela Fuentes, Sumayia Samad, Jhave Buenaventura, and our Intern and Extern, Matt Gilmore and Oliver Church. Our people are our most valuable resource. These new team members were thoughtfully selected by the partners for their creativity, intelligence and talent, for their ability to operate in our collegial studio environment, and for their commitment and interest in our collaborative culture that values our clients, the community, continuing education, and the advancement of our profession.
Please join us in welcoming these dedicated individuals who passionately believe in the power of design to positively shape the world.
Our Recent Approvals
Across federal and local jurisdictions in the region, Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS has obtained community support and approvals on projects that require careful analysis and design solutions responding to unique urban conditions, while maximizing value for our clients. With over 150 entitlements awarded on more than 75 projects, we maintain a 100% approval rate. Most recently, B|HA worked closely with the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning, the Bethesda Board of Architectural Review and the Montgomery County Planning Board (MCPB) on projects located in Silver Spring, MD and Bethesda, MD, and with the DC Office of Planning (DCOP) and the Zoning Commission on an affordable housing project in Washington, DC.
Joining Our Team in 2020
The past few months have reinforced the importance of teamwork in the face of health challenges, and confrontation of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in society and in our profession. Our ongoing focus and attention on our team composition has allowed us to build, grow and develop our most valuable asset: our people. The most recent additions to our dynamic team bring talent, perspective, energy, creativity, and skill that make our solutions for each project unique to its special circumstances.
Williamsburg’s New Retail and Student Housing Goes Vertical
The Midtown Row mixed-use development in Williamsburg, VA is taking shape as steel and concrete podiums are in place and wood framing is complete on multiple buildings. Midtown Row includes four new mixed-use buildings with 70,000 square feet of retail, office, and housing for over 620 residents, two grocery-anchored shopping centers with community-serving retail, an activated community green space, and parking garage. Buildings 1 and 4, the two larger L-shaped buildings, will be the first to be constructed. Building 1 will serve as the main hub for community and resident interaction. It will house the leasing office and a series of amenity spaces for the residents including an exterior patio with a pool.
BECOMING ARCHITECTS: A Major Professional Milestone
Our team is very proud to announce that Richard Abendroth, AIA and Robert Kuentzel, AIA have both achieved licensure as Architects. At Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS, Richard and Robert gained requisite well-rounded on-the-job experience, and completed the National Council of Architectural Review Board Architectural Experience Program (AXP) and the 6-part Architectural Registration Exam (A.R.E.). The AXP requires completion of 3,740 hours across six professional practice areas while the A.R.E. assess knowledge and skills of the practice including areas that affect the integrity, soundness, and health impact of a building, as well as an architect’s responsibilities within firms, such as managing projects and coordinating the work of other professionals.
Learning and Leading in 2020
Last semester, the firm welcomed to the studio a talented intern, Michael Njo, an IPAL student from The Catholic University of America. The IPAL (Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure) program was created by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) in 2015. The program offers a dynamic, innovative path to licensure for students who are dedicated to becoming an architect by integrating the opportunity to gain the real-world experience necessary to complete the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®) and ensuring that each IPAL student can take all six divisions of the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®).