Honoring Bob Moje, FAIA: AIA Virginia Noland Medal Recipient

11.15.19

It is with immense appreciation that we announce founding partner Bob Moje’s transition to a consultant role at VMDO. We hope that you’ll share in our gratitude as we honor Bob’s contributions to the firm, to the communities that he’s served, and to the profession. Bob will continue to influence the work as an educational design consultant while enjoying more time for the things he loves: yoga, golf, his growing family, and the pursuit of joy.


"Bob's design vision and leadership is purposeful, utterly authentic, and deeply holistic: for him, architecture encompasses the difficult realities of thoughtful programmming, specific site response, and material construction and the lived experiences, educational opportunities, and social bonds that can be sheltered and supported by well-conceived and well-made architecture. In these commitments and with these principles, Bob has engaged in the making of a truly sustainable architecture – and contributed to the making of a more sustained society."
—Peter MacKeith, Dean, University of Arkansas School of Architecture

In November 2019, Bob received the 2019 Noland Medal – the highest award bestowed by AIA Virginia to an architect. Over his 40+ years of practice, Bob advanced the practice of educational facility design considerably by developing innovative instructional environments for a multitude of school districts, thus significantly enriching the spaces where children learn and where educators teach. Bob's philosophy is encapsulated in his commitments to advancing education, advancing practice, and and advancing professional service outlined below.

Advancing Education

A nationally-recognized leader in the design of educational environments, Bob is a passionate believer in the ability of design to affect behavior in positive ways. He upholds that designers have a critical role to play in developing healthier lifestyles, particularly among our nation’s youth. Bob has dedicated his 40+ year career to designing learning environments and working with communities to improve their schools through designs that make a difference.

Advancing the Practice

In his 2017 TEDx talk "Designing a World for Joy," Bob reminds us that, in addition to being well-designed, the built environment must also provide joyful places that nourish learning and growth. Mirroring these external hopes internally, Bob has helped establish VMDO as a teaching firm that helps employees as well as clients question and (re)define the role of architecture in society – and become creative participants in developing future solutions. Through his mentorship of dozens of VMDO employees over his tenure, Bob has helped establish a firm culture that is people-oriented, family-friendly, and inclusive of different viewpoints, backgrounds, and experiences. The legacy Bob has helped build infuses all aspects of VMDO and the communities the firm serves.

Advancing Professional Service

In all of the above, there is no reference to one immensely important aspect of Bob’s character: his possession of that difficult-to-define and elusive quality called integrity that he carries with him in all that he does. With humility, reverence for the practice of architecture, a commitment to service, and a sense of humor that helps ground us all, Bob is a model for professional and personal integrity.

Congratulations, Bob! Thank you for all that you have done to elevate VMDO and the practice of architecture.

It is with immense appreciation that we announce founding partner Bob Moje’s transition to a consultant role at VMDO. We hope that you’ll share in our gratitude as we honor Bob’s contributions to the firm, to the communities that he’s served, and to the profession. Bob will continue to influence the work as an educational design consultant while enjoying more time for the things he loves: yoga, golf, his growing family, and the pursuit of joy.


"Bob's design vision and leadership is purposeful, utterly authentic, and deeply holistic: for him, architecture encompasses the difficult realities of thoughtful programmming, specific site response, and material construction and the lived experiences, educational opportunities, and social bonds that can be sheltered and supported by well-conceived and well-made architecture. In these commitments and with these principles, Bob has engaged in the making of a truly sustainable architecture – and contributed to the making of a more sustained society."
—Peter MacKeith, Dean, University of Arkansas School of Architecture

In November 2019, Bob received the 2019 Noland Medal – the highest award bestowed by AIA Virginia to an architect. Over his 40+ years of practice, Bob advanced the practice of educational facility design considerably by developing innovative instructional environments for a multitude of school districts, thus significantly enriching the spaces where children learn and where educators teach. Bob's philosophy is encapsulated in his commitments to advancing education, advancing practice, and and advancing professional service outlined below.

Advancing Education

A nationally-recognized leader in the design of educational environments, Bob is a passionate believer in the ability of design to affect behavior in positive ways. He upholds that designers have a critical role to play in developing healthier lifestyles, particularly among our nation’s youth. Bob has dedicated his 40+ year career to designing learning environments and working with communities to improve their schools through designs that make a difference.

Advancing the Practice

In his 2017 TEDx talk "Designing a World for Joy," Bob reminds us that, in addition to being well-designed, the built environment must also provide joyful places that nourish learning and growth. Mirroring these external hopes internally, Bob has helped establish VMDO as a teaching firm that helps employees as well as clients question and (re)define the role of architecture in society – and become creative participants in developing future solutions. Through his mentorship of dozens of VMDO employees over his tenure, Bob has helped establish a firm culture that is people-oriented, family-friendly, and inclusive of different viewpoints, backgrounds, and experiences. The legacy Bob has helped build infuses all aspects of VMDO and the communities the firm serves.

Advancing Professional Service

In all of the above, there is no reference to one immensely important aspect of Bob’s character: his possession of that difficult-to-define and elusive quality called integrity that he carries with him in all that he does. With humility, reverence for the practice of architecture, a commitment to service, and a sense of humor that helps ground us all, Bob is a model for professional and personal integrity.

Congratulations, Bob! Thank you for all that you have done to elevate VMDO and the practice of architecture.

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