Work Program Architects Recognized as a Top Impact Company by Real Leaders

Written by WPA on . Posted in AIA, ERT, Monticello Arcade, St. Pauls, Urban Design, Vibe District, WPA, WPA Studio.

Real Leaders® has unveiled its Top Impact Companies for 2025, and Work Program Architects (WPA) made the list! The Norfolk-based firm placed 66th among all honorees and 11th in the “Construction, Energy, and Facilities” category.

The Real Leaders Top Impact Companies list celebrates privately-owned businesses that excel in making meaningful contributions to the world. The competition, now in its seventh year, assessed companies based on revenue, growth and six key pillars of I.M.P.A.C.T.: Intention, Model, People, Accountability, Collaboration, and Transformation. WPA was recognized for creating “projects unique to their location that advance sustainability, climate resilience and social justice.”

“We truly appreciate being included on this list,” said CEO Mel Price. “Everyone at WPA  believes in the power of design to have positive impacts on people and communities. We work hard to do good, and we believe strongly in a more resilient future for our communities and environment.”

Real Leaders highlighted WPA’s contributions to sustainable design, emphasizing the firm’s commitment to creating spaces that promote environmental stewardship, community well-being, and lasting impact. 

This year’s list includes a variety of respected impact-driven brands across industries, such as Cotopaxi, PATH, Alter Eco Foods, and Climate First Bank. 

“It seems like every company is calling themselves an impact company these days,” said Kevin Edwards, President of Real Leaders. “We wanted to spotlight businesses that are genuinely dedicated to making a difference. By incorporating CEO interviews and community-driven impact evaluations, we ensured that only the most deserving organizations made the list.”

A special “Real Leaders UNITE” awards celebration will be held in San Diego on Feb. 3-4, 2025 to honor the winners. 

About Real Leaders

Real Leaders is the fastest-growing community for impact-driven leaders, supported by a global media platform that advocates for purpose-driven business. Founded in 2010, Real Leaders promotes responsible leadership that prioritizes employees, society, and the planet alongside profit. An independently owned Certified B Corporation and member of the UN Global Compact, Real Leaders is on a mission to unite farsighted leaders to transform our shortsighted world.

WAVY, WHRO Highlight Functionality and Resilience of New Perry Glass Studio

Written by WPA on . Posted in AIA, Architecture, Chrysler Museum, Education, ERT, Glass, Glass Studio, Hampton Roads, Monticello Arcade, Norfolk, Reslience, St. Pauls, Urban Design, Vibe District, Virginia, WPA, WPA Studio.

As the second and final phase of the Perry Glass Studio’s expansion and renovation nears completion, members of the press are taking notice of the new structure standing tall alongside the main Chrysler Museum of Art building in Norfolk, Virginia. These recent stories show how the WPA-designed project is elevating the museum’s beloved studio to become a world-class center for glass artistry that also demonstrates innovative approaches to flood mitigation.

The Perry Glass Studio has long been a cornerstone of the museum, offering hands-on experiences and drawing artists from around the world. With the $30 million expansion tripling its size, the studio will better meet a growing demand. “My favorite feature of this whole project is […] the ability to do more than one thing at once,” said Perry Glass Studio Program Director Robin Rogers in a recent WAVY segment.

While the renovation of the previously existing studio into additional instructional space is just now nearing completion, the studio’s 24,000-square-foot expansion has been open for months, providing a cutting edge facility for education, exhibitions, and live demonstrations, while also creating welcoming spaces for the community. 

In addition to functionality, the building’s design prioritizes resilience in the face of flooding. This was the focus of another recent segment, from WHRO. Norfolk’s vulnerability to sea level rise required innovative solutions to ensure the studio could withstand future flooding. 

“In our area in Norfolk, where many of our projects are, we have to deal with the environment first because of flooding,” project architect Robert Crawshaw told WHRO. “So not only are they getting the tidal (flooding), but they’re also getting all of the water that’s draining off of several square miles of area uphill.”

Measures include raising the building and the power transformer that keeps the furnaces running above the floodplain, as well as the installation of a large rain garden, designed by Stromberg Garrigan & Associates. As WHRO highlighted, the project emphasizes sustainability and adaptation, showcasing how design can address both creative and environmental challenges.

Watch and listen to the complete coverage at WAVY and WHRO.

Spreading the Word

Written by WPA on . Posted in AIA, Blog, Convention, Educational, Event, Uncategorized, Urban Design.

Sometimes we are so focused on our own practices and communities that we don’t stop to think that there may be worthwhile messages to share with others.

Practitioners who traveled to CNU 26: Savannah (Congress of the New Urbanism) in May learned about Norfolk’s Vision 2100. A multi-disciplinary team led and in-depth discussion on efforts to address sea-level rise and resilience to protect the city’s sweeping tidal landscape from recurrent flooding. The Ohio creek Watershed project, funded by a grant as a result of the National Disaster Resilience Competition, was featured. Presenters included Stephanie Bothwell, Urban and Landscape Design, Washington, D.C., Ann P. Stokes, Ann P. Stokes Landscape Architects, Norfolk, and WPA’s Mel Price.

WPA then headed to New York City for the AIA National Convention, June 21-23. WPA helped make eight videos for the Small Firm Exchange, dealing with such issues as attracting and retaining talent.

Big Time

Written by maintenance@gotechark.com on . Posted in AIA, AIA, Blog, Event, Norfolk.

Tuesday, Feb 27 at 7:15pm
NARO Cinema
Presented with AIA of Hampton Roads
BIG TIME The film follows young Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, one of architecture’s biggest stars, during the course of five years, while he struggles to finish his biggest project so far. We are let into Bjarke’s creative processes as well as the endless compromises that his work entails, and we are on the side when his personal life starts putting pressure on him, too. Bjarke Ingels’ company Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has been given the task of designing and building one of the skyscrapers that will replace the Twin Towers. The film offers an intimate look into the innovative and ambitious Danish architect, whom the entire world is celebrating as a young genius. (93 mins)  big time trailer and website
 
Introduction by Thom White and Jacob Combee of Work Program Architects in Norfolk.
 
“Somewhat incredibly, the buildings come to life: Kaspar Astrup Schröder puts Ingels’s remarkable communication skills to work through a series of sketches and chats, and then shows us the finished products.” – Alex Bozikovic, The Globe and Mail
 
“Director Kaspar Astrup Schröder’s gorgeous film is informed by that same charm and intelligence the way a sailboat is informed by 7 knots of westerly breeze.” – Chris Packham, Village Voice
 

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