Public Announcements
2026 Pop-Up City
Photo Credit: Mario Gandia, @hanbury.design
On July 11, Pop Up City transformed Town Center of Virginia Beach into a vibrant celebration of architecture, creativity, and community. It was a huge success because of all of you.
For one incredible day, architects took over Town Center, sparking curiosity and imagination through playful design. We closed Commerce Street and filled it with professional cardboard structures rising in the shadow of the surrounding towers. Families enjoyed hands-on STEAM activities, children built and created in the Kids Build Zone using painted boxes, recycled cardboard, chalk, and tape, and a rocking DJ provided by CBDA kept the energy high throughout the event.
Events like Pop Up City do not happen without a dedicated team and a community willing to come together around a shared vision. We are incredibly grateful to our outstanding core event leadership team from AIA Coastal Virginia: Bernadette Keplinger (AIA CoVA), Tony Lin (Hanbury), Jonathan Hiser (PFA), Sharon Manana (WPA), and Brittany Raffin (WPA). Their passion, dedication, and countless hours of planning brought this event to life.
We also extend our sincere thanks especially to Jeanne Evans with CBDA, Christoper McKnight with the City of Virginia Beach, and the many volunteers, sponsors, educators, students, and industry partners who helped make the day possible.
Special recognition goes to the six incredible design firms that spent months imagining, designing, and constructing the featured cardboard builds. Their creativity, teamwork, and commitment were at the heart of the festival and inspired hundreds of visitors. Huge Cheers to all the building participants.
Firm Representatives:
- WPA: 11 employees + 4 friends + 2 children = 17
- HBA: 7
- Clark Nexsen: 7
- Hanbury: 5
- Dills Architects: 3 employees + 1 child = 4
- Moseley: 3
We are equally grateful for our STEAM activity partners, including Heartland Construction, ECS, Pennoni, Bon Secours, SMF, HRSD, AECOM, Silaw Lighting Design, artist Jo Majette, and the teachers of VA Epsilon and representatives from ATC, who provided engaging learning experiences for attendees of all ages.
A special thank you goes to MEB, who led the Kids Build Zone, along with volunteers from Hampton University, Virginia Beach high schools, creating a welcoming space where young builders could explore, create, and dream.
The impact of this year's event was remarkable:
- Approximately 600 visitors attended Pop Up City.
- More than 430 votes were cast for the cardboard build competition.
- Over 40 volunteers supported event operations and activity tables.
- 43 additional volunteers contributed directly to the firm build teams.
Most importantly, we witnessed the joy of children playing, building, imagining, and creating together. Those moments were a powerful reminder of why experiences like Pop Up City matter. Every cardboard creation, every question asked, and every new idea sparked helped plant seeds of curiosity and creativity that will stay with many of these young minds for years to come.
Pop Up City is more than a festival, it is an opportunity to elevate architecture in our community, celebrate the power of design, and inspire the next generation of designers, problem-solvers, and makers.
To everyone who contributed your time, talent, energy, and support: thank you. You should be incredibly proud of what we accomplished together. We cannot wait to see what we build next.
Check out photo gallery of Pop-Up City!
Check out the Media Clips about the event:
https://www.wavy.com/video/cardboard-creations-take-over-town-center-of-virginia-beach/11963803/
