Allison Ewing
Participant Statement
As an architect and leader, Allison Ewing has advanced sustainability through design, implementation and advocacy – both within and beyond the architectural profession — by modeling change in the building industry with solutions both visionary and practicable. Working on commercial, institutional, residential, and mixed-use projects at both large- and small-scale, Allison Ewing’s architectural experience spans twenty-five years and three continents. Ms. Ewing’s work seeks transformation – of site, of workplace, of living environment. She pursues design excellence at all scales, from site to building to detail – an approach which encompasses meeting client’s goals while arriving at elegant solutions that embody sustainable best practices.
Prior to forming her own firm HEDS with partner Chris Hays, Ms. Ewing was Partner at William McDonough + Partners, and design associate at the Italian firm of Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Her work experience also includes the offices of Cesar Pelli & Associates and Mitchell Giurgola Architects.
Ms Ewing has been a speaker at a number of national and international events related to sustainable design and her work has been published in EcoHome, USA Weekend, Dwell, Custom and the Washington Post Home. She has received many design awards, including “Custom Home of the Year Award” from Custom Home Magazine. The Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center of Virginia received the top Virginia AIA award in 2018.
Ms. Ewing received her Masters in Architecture from Yale University Graduate School of Architecture. She was a recipient of a Monbusho Fellowship to Japan where she studied Japanese housing.
Project Statement
Social: In assisting in the curating of patterns, I realized that local values, both past and present, influence built form. “Statues of white men on horses” are markers of the historical power structures — Charlottesville and UVA contain many examples.
Built: The over-scaled white colonnaded porticos of Thomas Jefferson’s UVA could be said to be part of Charlottesville’s “brand." The undulating brick walls found at UVA provide another example of a local vernacular.
Artifacts of human industry: If the Social and Built patterns above are intentional, those patterns which are by-products of human endeavors are not, yet they can contribute to the fabric of place. Vineyards, with rows of pillared vines, power pylons, farm fences and hay baling fall into this category. At a more micro-scale, telecom spools, abandoned chairs at the cattle market, beer kegs outside the local brewery, all evidence of patterns of human activity.
Natural: While nature abounds in patterns, I sought those that might be more unique to the Piedmont. Local mushrooms are one example. Even the patterns of water as it moves around river rock speaks to the geological characteristics of place.
