WDG recently launched the WDG/Special Projects Initiative (WDG/SPI) in support of educational and outreach programs in the Washington metropolitan area. Developed to commemorate WDG’s 75th anniversary this year, WDG/SPI’s inaugural project involves a collaboration between the design firm and a team of graduate students in The Catholic University of America’s (CUA) real estate development concentration.

The $35,000 gift provides scholarships and internship opportunities for students named to the collaborative team, who then work with WDG architects on the design of a complex, forward-thinking project involving research, cutting-edge technologies, and sustainable and socially relevant goals. The first endeavor, a single-family residence for a client in Washington, D.C., will serve as a regional demonstration project that showcases home design that has net-zero energy use while being beautiful, comfortable, and market-friendly.

The WDG/SPI studio is led by WDG Managing Principal and Director of Design Eric Liebmann, AIA, who is a senior visiting critic and lecturer in the graduate program at Catholic University. Liebmann is supported by Tim Bertschinger, a senior design architect at WDG who serves as a visiting critic and lecturer at CUA, also at the graduate level; and WDG Partner George Dove, FAIA, a 1972 CUA graduate who also serves as a senior visiting critic and lecturer.

WDG scholarship recipient Katherine Miller, who will graduate from CUA in 2014 with a Master of Architecture and a Master of Science in Sustainable Design, is participating in the WDG/SPI residential project. “Working at WDG on a project that directly pertains to my career path at CatholicUniversity has provided an amazing opportunity for real world and hands-on experience,” says Miller. “With my work experience thus far being in construction management, being able to work in such a large and well-known firm has been a great learning environment. I hope WDG continues to pursue such endeavors in the future!”

“While students crave real-world experience, professionals—conversely—seek opportunities for a deeper level of design investigation than our profit-centric work typically affords,” says WDG’s Liebmann. “Our net-zero house has offered an amazing array of challenges, which have tested the entire team at every level. We remain committed and confident that we will produce a product that will be truly unique in its commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability.”