by Charles Hendricks | Jan 18, 2025 | community, Local Leaders, Office Culture, team
Each year Virginia Living Magazine hosts Best of Virginia 2025 divided up in regions across the Commonwealth. I humbly ask for your help, please vote for us in Virginia Living Magazine Best of Virginia 2025. We appear in two regions (Central and Shenandoah Valley) in three categories (architecture, interior design, and Kitchen and Bath design firm).
Shenandoah Valley: Best Architecture firm in Virginia, Best Interior Designer in Virginia, Best Kitchen and Bath Designer in Virginia
Central Virginia: Best Architecture Firm in Virginia, Best Interior Designer in Virginia, Best Kitchen and Bath Designer in Virginia
These award programs rely on number of votes. In this case, you can only vote once for each category and region. If you would be so kind, we would appreciate your vote in these 6 categories. Winning the award is important because it increases our exposure to people that may not already know about us.
Virginia Living is a lifestyle magazine that focuses on Virginia’s people, places, history, and culture. The awards are an annual issue highlighting local businesses in each region.
by Charles Hendricks | Jan 14, 2025 | architecture, Charlottesville, Office Culture, team
We’re excited to introduce you to our newest Designer, Emily Scognamillo.
Emily started in our Charlottesville office in November 2024 after graduating from Virginia Tech School of Architecture having earned both a B.ARCH degree in architecture and a B.S. in Business Marketing.
In Emily’s spare time, you’ll find her hanging out with her family or finding a quiet space to read away from her three older brothers. When asked about something – big or small – she’s really bad at, she said she’s really bad at keeping a beat or a rhythm, blaming her dad for passing it down to her! On the other hand, she’s got a hidden talent for being able to draw anything with any media – we’re sure that talent adds to her skills as a designer.
In the future, Emily wants to visit Italy and discover her Italian roots, adding to her travel experience from visiting Ireland in college. She spent a semester abroad but was never quite able to make it over to Italy.
We’re excited for what Emily is going to bring to the team!
by Charles Hendricks | Jan 4, 2025 | architecture, citizen architect, community, Harrisonburg Architect, Local Leaders, Office Culture, team
VPAS Soup, Socks, and Sunshine drive for older adults is running from January 2nd – 17th. Our office (downstairs in the foyer) is one of the collection sites along with Visiting Angels, Town of Timberville Town Hall, and the VPAS Harrisonburg office! So stop by 141 W. Bruce st and make a donation this coming week of socks, soup, or a card / drawing.
This event invites you to donate Men’s and Women’s socks, cans of soup, and cards, drawings, and kind notes for older adults in our area. VPAS will distribute them to those in need of comfort and warmth this winter. This kind gesture will certainly warm the hearts of those receiving, but also those VPAS volunteers getting to give the donations out.
Valley Program for Aging Services. This non-profit organization provides a range of services to help older adults (60+) in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia live independently and with dignity. They offer information and referrals, case management, home-delivered meals, congregate meals, transportation, caregiver support, and wellness programs. In essence, VPAS plays a crucial role in supporting the well-being of older adults in the Harrisonburg area and beyond.
To learn more about VPAS and their services, you can visit their website at https://vpas.info/.
by Charles Hendricks | Dec 31, 2024 | Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, community, Empathy, family, Holiday, Leadership, Local Leaders, Office Culture, Rotary, team
I have been selecting a word of the year for several years now, instead of making a resolution that I forget about before the first week of January comes to a close. It is not always a word that guides me during the year, but focusing on a word has had some power a few times as I was going through some rough patches in life. Grace is a word that I have adopted a few times and I feel like I have grown a lot into accepting things I cannot change and giving myself grace along the way. After a rather rough 2024, I think I need to focus on a new word for 2025. As I look to the year ahead, I know there will be challenges, but I am going to focus on joy this year. I am going to try to allow the frustrations and challenges in life to have less weight than the joy that I will have this coming year. I know I have a blessed life and have been given many opportunities that others have not been given. As I think back over the past year and all the challenges faced, I can see there was more joy than frustrations, I just gave the frustrations power.
In an effort to remember joy first, here is a list of some of the things that brought me joy this past year.
I got to see the Northern Lights for the first time. One of my clients shared images from his home under construction.
My youngest daughter graduated high school, traveled to Europe, and found the right college for her next chapter. My oldest daughter continues to thrive, impress, and conquer the world. They are both wonderful humans and bring me joy on a regular basis.
I got to celebrate Mariya as she entered the next chapter of her life while hanging out with some of our awesome Harrisonburg team members.
The MTC foundation formed and held its first fundraising event. I was able to support the event through social media promotion and giving time to the organization.
I got to see the Orioles win over the Yankees in dramatic fashion and share the experience with family (not all of which were thrilled with the outcome of the game). We also got to see a lot of fish, which is fun, and should always be part of a baseball game trip to maximize joy.
Another year of supporting WNRN’s books and brews was a highlight, especially when one of the authors is also one of your clients.
We got to see the finished cabin in West Virginia, the saved historic building in Broadway, the saved porch in Rockingham, the modern house in Rockingham, got a new office in Charlottesville, and started another project at Eastern Mennonite School – all of these and those not mentioned (especially those cool houses we have under construction that I will do updates on later) bring so much Joy!
Fireworks are fun and I had the chance to enjoy some thanks to Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and the Downtown Lottery. If you like fun things like fireworks you should support HDR too. Downtown also got a lot of new art work to fill our town with joy.
I made it to the Hot Air Balloon festival this year and the weather was nice enough that the balloons got to float away.
Our Rotary Club does amazing work allowing me to serve community through so many events including the Harrisonburg Soapbox Derby and partnering with We Serve at Eastern Mennonite High School to stuff stockings and clean up the highway. The best part of Rotary are the friendships we get to build and the difference we can make together in our community. The sense of joy in making our community better is endless.
We were able to host 12 artists for First Friday and I think they all made a least one sale at their shows. If nothing else, we added exposure to their work and celebrated the beauty of art creation in our community. Supporting local artists is a great source of joy.
I was able to attend a lot of musicals this year including Beetlejuice, Twelfth Night, Tina, Fiddler on the Roof, and Annie. Regardless of what you heard, I enjoy going to see these talented performers.
Dad and I attended our first JMU Men’s basketball games and they won.
I got to attend some amazing concerts to see some amazing talent including Judy Chops, Who Shot John, Wood Brothers, The Steel Wheels, Christone Kingfish, AJR, Almost Monday, mxmtoon, Nickel Creek, Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir, EMS Touring Choir, and more.
The Harrisonburg Rockingham Child Day Care Center opened! You want JOY, visit a daycare.
Our clients fast food oriental restaurant finished construction and opened and I got to eat some of their amazing food!
Red Wing Academy brings me so much joy each year playing at our First Friday event in December.
I got a Charlie Brown cake for my birthday!
Our Rotary Club took on the challenge to plant new Peace Poles in the community and register existing Peace Poles on the international Peace Pole map. This effort is so fulfilling, spreading Peace in our world that is so focused on violence. The Peace Pole is an internationally known symbol of Peace and stand as a daily reminder that we each have a role in spreading Peace on Earth. True Joy comes from helping build a stronger community.
I love mentoring, teaching, and sharing about architecture, building science, aging-in-place, using empathy as a design tool, and of course the history of the depot. This past year we hosted job shadow students in our office. I also had the chance to teach at Massanutten Technical Center. On the Road Collaborative students visited our office as did the Bridgewater historical society. We had the Central Virginia chapter of AIA visit the office to hear about our work.
Probably the best joy filled highlight of the year for me is how many times I have had a crowded table at my house filled with family or been invited into April’s house to join her crowded table. It is an awesome blessing in my life to have such a large group of family so close and we even got to spend some time with family from out of the area this year. I may not be the best cook around, but with April by my side (who is an excellent cook), we were able to make several meals that kept everyone happy this year.
Finally, what could be more joy filled that hanging out with Santa! Even better, finding out once again that I am Santa’s favorite Architect.
Photographers work in this blog post include Digital Minerva, Charles Hendricks, Asha Beck, and Herr and Company.
by Charles Hendricks | Dec 27, 2024 | architecture, Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, community, Empathy, Leadership, Local Leaders, Office Culture, Rotary, team
As we start a new year it is hard to resist the temptation to think about the difference we have made in this world. We are provided with many opportunities as architects to solve design challenges for our clients and friends. We get to find solutions that reduce impacts on our environment and improves resiliency for the future. It is an awesome profession if you are passionate about our world and all the living creatures on it. However, our work doesn’t have to stop at the built environment. We are part of a larger community and are able to use our social power and time for good. On January 1st we celebrate world day of Peace. At times it feels like we have almost no ability to make a large change and Peace is one of the largest.
The Rotary Club of Rockingham County took on the challenge to register existing Peace Poles in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County and to plant new ones. Rotary Clubs from across the valley are joining this effort let by our district Governor Bret Hrbek. We are seeing Peace Poles pop up across the valley with the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” The Rotary Peace Pole Project is a global initiative by Rotary International to promote peace and understanding among people of all cultures and backgrounds.
What is a Peace Pole?
A Peace Pole is a simple yet powerful symbol of peace. It is typically a pole with the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” inscribed on it, often in multiple languages. These poles are installed in public spaces like parks, schools, and community centers.
The primary goal of the Rotary Peace Pole Project is to:
- Inspire Peace: To inspire individuals to think about peace and its importance.
- Promote Tolerance: To foster tolerance and understanding among different cultures and beliefs.
- Encourage Action: To encourage people to take action to promote peace in their communities and the world.
By planting Peace Poles, Rotary clubs and individuals contribute to a global network of peace and hope. These simple monuments serve as reminders of our shared humanity and the importance of working together for a peaceful future. Peace Poles are located in nearly every country around the world, including notable locations such as:
- The North Magnetic Pole
- The Hiroshima Peace Memorial
- The Egyptian Pyramids in Giza
- The Aiki Shrine in Iwama, Japan
Plant a Peace Pole
If you want to be involved in supporting additional Peace Poles in Harrisonburg or Rockingham County reach out to us and we can get you connected. If you want to plant a Peace Pole somewhere else in the world reach out and I will do my best to find the right connection for you. The more of us coming together promoting Peace the better world we will leave for our children. This may be the most important project I have taken on over my career and certainly the most important over the last year.
by Charles Hendricks | Nov 27, 2024 | artwork, citizen architect, community, First Friday, Harrisonburg Architect, Local Leaders, Office Culture
Our December First Friday Holiday party is a special time. We always look forward to our artists that are here for one night only. This month, we are really excited about the creations that Erika Cash will bring for you to enjoy.
Royal Knotz was created by Erika at the beginning of 2024 as a branch off of her crochet business that she has with her mother, Wistful Willows. Royal Knotz focuses on crochet patterns that Erika develops herself.
Erika Cash is a wife and mother of 3. She has been crocheting for 26 years. Erika can bring many things to life with just a ball of yarn and a hook and has been commissioned to make many one-of-a-kind items. She loves creating crochet patterns and watching others bring the patterns to life. Erika sees crochet as a way to express herself and relieve stress.
