Member Newsletter 

August 18, 2026

Newsletter

In This Issue

Events:

8/25 Sustainability Spotlight: Under Armour

9/18 Next Step Forum

9/23 Good Vibrations

Gala Updates:

3/6/27 Gala Announced

8/24 Project Deadline

Virginia Tech

Upcoming Events

August 25 | 5:30 p.m. | Committee Event

Sustainability Spotlight: Under Armour HQ

How do ambitious sustainability goals become successfully built projects? Join the SEA-MW Sustainable Design Committee for a presentation by Douglas Schweizer, Liz Resenic, and Ira Cohen, who will share how cross-disciplinary collaboration enabled one of the largest mass timber office buildings in the US while achieving bold embodied carbon, operational carbon, and wellness goals. Light snacks and beverages will be provided. 

September 18 | 9 a.m. | Career Event

2026 Next Step Career Forum

This annual event provides a forum for SEA-MW member firms to connect with undergraduate and graduate students in the area.  It also provides students with insight into careers in structural engineering. Students can learn more here.

September 23 | 6:30 p.m. | Member Meeting

Good Vibrations? Measuring, Feeling, and Fixing Building Motion

Join SEA-MW for our fall kick-off meeting! This interactive program will provide a practical framework for understanding and evaluating vibration in buildings. Using live demonstrations with seismographs, wired and wireless accelerometers, an active mass damper, and potentially a laser vibrometer, attendees will see how vibration is measured, processed, and interpreted in real time. 

2027 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Gala

March 6, 2027 | 6 p.m. - SAVE THE DATE

Mark your calendars for SEA-MW's 21st annual Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Gala to recognize outstanding achievements of DC-region structural engineering firms. This year's gala will be held at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC. Proceeds from the gala support SEA-MW's scholarships as well as other programming throughout the year. 

Call for Exceptional Projects!

Intent to Enter Deadline: August 24

SEA-MW's ESE Awards acknowledge projects that demonstrate exceptional innovation, creativity, and constructability, as well as individual structural engineers who have made outstanding contributions. The gala is attended by member firms and other industry leaders. Use the link below to learn more and submit a project for consideration. 

Project Spotlight

This feature highlights SEA-MW's 2026 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award winners and finalists.

Merit Awardee: New Construction over $100 Million

Virginia Tech Academic Building One

A+F Engineers

Virginia Tech’s Academic Building One, “The Center of Next”, located in Alexandria Virginia, was designed to foster collaboration between academia, industry, and government. It is housing graduate programs in computer science, computer engineering, and business while supporting research in artificial intelligence, quantum science, and next-generation technologies. The 300,000 SF building employs a sophisticated hybrid structural system that balances efficiency, performance, and architectural vision. An 11-story composite steel superstructure rises above a two-story cast-in-place concrete podium, providing both vertical capacity and flexibility in accommodating the diverse programmatic needs of the facility. Designed with cutting-edge technologies to provide lateral stability and flexibility for open interior layouts, the structural system accommodates specialized facilities such as a two-story drone cage, immersive visualization labs, and large open studios, requiring long spans, vibration-controlled framing and slopping façade. A+F Engineers engineered the building’s iconic gem-shaped heliomorphic form using advanced parametric modeling and analysis tools. The geometry was optimized to maximize solar energy capture via building-integrated photovoltaic insulated glass panels and horizontal photovoltaic shading fins, while simultaneously mitigating solar heat gain and glare to enhance occupant comfort.

View all award winning projects