Blogs

Earth Day: COTE Network Spotlight

By Lindsey Falasca, AIA posted 2 days ago
By: Lindsey Falasca, AIA (Incoming COTE Chair, 2027) Across the country, AIA COTE state and local chapters are driving meaningful climate action through advocacy, public education, and community-centered engagement, advancing resilience and sustainability in the built environment. In celebration of Earth Day, this spotlight highlights a range of initiatives designed to inspire and empower COTE groups nationwide to take action and lead climate solutions in their own communities. Advocacy COTE groups are influencing policy at the local and state levels. Their efforts include advancing building performance standards, expanding decarbonization initiatives, ...

RUDC Letter from the Chair (April, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 6 days ago
As we get closer to the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026, taking place June 10–13, 2026, in San Diego, California , we look forward to connecting with many of you in person and continuing the conversations that define and advance our work in urban design. If you are planning to attend and are engaged in urban design within your practice, we encourage you to join us for two RUDC-related programs taking place during the conference. These sessions reflect two important dimensions of our work—peer exchange and real-world application. Hope to see you there! Learn more & register: AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026 ...

April Member Spotlight: Jonathan Ward, FAIA, & Ghazal Khezri

By Alison Karfeld posted 7 days ago
As NBBJ’s Firmwide Design Leader and Design Partner, Jonathan Ward, FAIA, champions design excellence through an integrated, collaborative approach. Over three decades, he has led award-winning projects worldwide—from BlackRock, Tencent, and Samsung headquarters to health care, science, civic, and sports facilities. His work blends visionary design with human experience, creating healthy, sustainable environments that engage people and place. Widely published and honored by the AIA, RIBA, and others, Jonathan is also a frequent lecturer, juror, and critic internationally. Ghazal Khezri is an Architect, Educator, and Director at LOHA, based ...

IAKC April Letter from the chair: Candice Rabovsky, AIA & Bob Dillon, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 7 days ago
Dear IAKC members and colleagues, As spring unfolds, our community's energy and collaboration continue to grow. The recent AIAU course, Engineering Equity—coming soon on demand—featured Kieran Timberlake’s Interdisciplinary Engineering Building at the University of Washington and its emphasis on equitable design at all levels of stakeholder engagement. Speaking of learning and engagement, have you registered for AIA26 in San Diego? IAKC will host our annual forum highlighting this year’s emerging themes in interior architecture. Mark your calendars for Thursday, June 11 from 4-5pm. We hope to see you there! In addition to the ...

COTE Books: Design for Resilience / Details and Materials for Resilient Sites by Meg Calkins / reviewed by Shawn Swisher

By Kira Gould, Hon. AIA posted 7 days ago
COTE Books Please consider joining the COTE Book Talk with Meg Calkins and Shawn Swisher on June 18, 2026, 1-2pm ET: Register here . Thank you to AIA Minnesota COTE for hosting. Get 20% off the book with the code 26AEV1 at the Routledge site through June 2026. Design for Resilience Details and Materials for Resilient Sites: A Climate Positive Approach by Meg Calki ns Book Review by Shawn Swisher, AIA, LEED AP BD+C In daily practice, detail drawings are too frequently deferred to the final stages of design, the product of many months of conceptualizing, scrutinizing, negotiating, and, finally, documenting. Under the constraints ...

Happy April - Earth Month – so many great events happening!

By Lisa Ferretto, AIA posted 7 days ago
Happy April - Earth Month – so many great events happening! 4/8 Registration Deadline - AIA / ACSA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition 4/10 Early bird rates end - AIA26- Conference on Architecture & Design 4/12-18 AIA Architecture week 4/13-17 National Healthy Schools Day / Week 4/14 AIA 2030 Commitment: Participating as a Small Firm (AIA SFx, 2030, COTE, AIA NJ) 4/14-4/17 Living Future Conference 4/15 Architect’s ...

Technology content at AIA26

By Emma Tucker posted 20 days ago
If you are coming to the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design (AIA26) this year (June 10-13 in San Diego), there are a couple official TAP events plus many more great sessions to consider! This guide provides you with an inside look at some of the sessions and events that TAP members might be most interested in. Also make sure you visit the Innovate Zone on the Expo Floor for a curated cluster of related exhibitors, covering topics such as design software, AI, generative design, simulation, AR/VR, digital twinning, automation, and emerging tech. TAP events Wednesday: TAP+AI Taskforce Symposium at AIA26 Practical AI for Every ...

RUDC Letter from the Chair (March, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 25 days ago
As spring equinox arrives, it ushers in a season of renewal, growth, and fresh perspective—a moment to spring forward with new energy for urban design. Across our cities and regions, spring signals not just a change in weather but a chance to reimagine how we shape the built environment, strengthen communities, and design for resilience and connection. For RUDC, this sense of renewal reflects the work we do every day—advancing ideas, fostering collaboration, and cultivating leadership across a network now more than 10,500 members strong. Save the Date: 2026 RUDC Symposium – New York City We are pleased to share a Save the Date for the 2026 RUDC Symposium, ...

Member Spotlight: Bryce Bounds, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 28 days ago
Bryce Bounds, AIA, is a Miami native and Architect in the Public Works Department of Broward County Government in South Florida. Here are his answers to some key questions that sought to highlight his personal experience, above and beyond his professional biography. How long have you been a member? I signed up for a CEU session at AIA24 in Washington, D.C. hosted by the Public Architects Knowledge Committee and realized almost instantly that I was sharing a room with people doing the same work I was doing at the County. I also quickly realized how professional everyone was, and how much I could learn from them all. I volunteered to join ...

Letter from Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, FAIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 28 days ago
For me, one of the benefits of membership in the AIA is the opportunity it affords to meet other architects who feel the same passion as I do for architecture. It is a joy to share stories of design that overcomes great challenges, technical and otherwise, to create thriving, beautiful spaces. It is a reminder of the positive effects that good planning can have on communities. Almost 25 years ago the 9/11 terrorist attack destroyed the World Trade Center (WTC) Twin Towers along with the entire 16-acre WTC Site, devastating Lower Manhattan, including critical interstate and local transportation systems. Prime responsibility for planning and designing ...

Project delivery at AIA26

By Emma Tucker posted 03-12-2026
If you are coming to the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design (AIA26) this year (June 10-13 in San Diego), there is an official PDKC event plus many more great sessions to consider! This guide provides you with an inside look at some of the sessions and events that PDKC members might be most interested in. PDKC events Friday: Project Delivery & Public Architects Open Forum EV322 | 12:15-1:15pm The Public Architects and the Project Delivery Knowledge Communities are hosting a combined open forum to explore issues at the intersection of public projects and project delivery. Community leaders will facilitate round table discussions ...

CCA-related content at AIA26

By Emma Tucker posted 03-12-2026
If you are coming to the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design (AIA26) this year (June 10-13 in San Diego), there is an official CCA workshop plus many more great sessions to consider! This guide provides you with an inside look at some of the sessions and events that CCA members might be most interested in. Please be aware session dates, times, and locations are subject to change - click through to the conference schedule for up-to-date information. CCA events Wednesday: Architects in Work Boots WK110 | 9:00am-12:00pm | 3 LU For the third year in a row, the Construction Contract Administration (CCA) Knowledge Committee is ...

My experience in CCA: An interview with Shannon Perez

By Shannon Perez, Assoc. AIA posted 03-12-2026
By Shannon Perez, responding to questions shared by CCA leadership Name / Title / Company / Years in the profession Shannon M Perez / Senior Designer / USA Architects / 9ish What gets you up in the morning to go to work? What are you passionate about? The only thing motivating me still is all the work I have done to get to this point. On days when I just don’t want to get up and go, I think about past me and how mad she would be at current me if I just let it all slip away. I have always enjoyed optimizing and researching solutions for projects. I am passionate about vernacular design because there is so much to be learned from ...

Small Firm Guide to AIA26

By Scott Busby, AIA posted 03-07-2026
WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 First-Timers Orientation: AIA Conference on Architecture and Design 8:30am-9:30am EV100 Practical AI for Every Architect, hosted by Technology in Architectural Practice-SYMPOSIUM 9:00am-5:00pm STM100 Balancing Business, Risk & Resilience in Running Your Own Firm 10:00am -11:30am WK107 Financial Strategies for Fostering Your Firm's Success 11:30am-12:30pm SE113 AIA Annual Business Meeting 1:30PM-3:30PM EV101 The Nuts & Bolts of Succession Planning 2:00PM-3:00PM SE231 SFX Gathering at Local Firm Time/Location TBD THURSDAY JUNE 11 Big Firm/Little Firm: Designing Your Tech Stack 7:30AM-8:30AM ...

COD Spring Conference 2026 Featured Speaker: Joseph Valerio, FAIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-05-2026
As a founding principal of VDTA, Joe’s architectural expertise positions him as a leader and innovator in the design world. He is inspired by data driven design. At the same time, he is fascinated by designs open to multiple interpretations – in other words, ambiguous. Early in his career he was a committed teacher and researcher, becoming an Associate Professor of Architecture. His work has received six national AIA Awards, 33 Chapter Awards, and 62 major articles in professional journals. Most recently, the Ford Calumet Environmental Center (FCEC) won first place in the “Driehaus Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design,” and an AIA Chicago Chapter ...

COD Spring Conference 2026 Featured Speaker: Carol Ross Barney, FAIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-05-2026
Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, HASLA, the distinguished 2023 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal recipient, is a visionary architect, urbanist, mentor, and educator, and has relentlessly advocated that excellent design is a right, not a privilege. Through her unwavering dedication to design of public buildings and spaces that elevate our daily lives, she has produced distinctive structures and places that have become cultural icons. Notable projects include the design of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, replacing the bombed Murrah Federal Building, the Chicago Riverwalk, flagship restaurants for McDonald's in Chicago and Disney World, NASA Aerospace ...

COD Spring Conference 2026 Featured Speaker: Jonathan Moody, FAIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-05-2026
Jonathan Moody, FAIA, NOMA, NCARB, LEED AP, Fitwel, is CEO of Moody Nolan, the largest African American–owned architecture firm in the United States. With nearly 20 years at the firm, Jonathan’s work resides at the intersection of architecture and service—bringing transformational design to under-served communities. He believes architecture is a medium through which people can come together and participate in positive social change. Most recently, he has worked on a variety of civic, sports, education, healthcare, and institutional projects. Jonathan has helped continue to extend Moody Nolan’s position as the largest African American owned architecture ...

IAKC March Letter from the chair: Candice Rabovsky, AIA & Bob Dillon, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-03-2026
Hello everyone, As mentioned last month we have a lot planned for 2026! We met with AIA Interior Architecture local chapters from around the country during our February Knowledge Sharing Salon to talk about past successes and future goals. Join us on March 17 th for another great conversation. On March 19th we also have our first IAKC sponsored CEU of the year entitled “ Engineering Equity: The Design Process and Outcomes of the University of Washington's Interdisciplinary Engineering Building.” Alex Olevitch of KieranTimberlake will join us to discuss his firm’s approach to the design of the new Interdisciplinary Engineering building at the University ...

RUDC Leader Insights: Advancing Urban Design Principles

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-03-2026
While design guidelines and program certifications are long established in architecture—such as LEED, Fitwel, WELL, and Living Future—as catalysts for defining quality standards, those related specifically to urban design are also expanding in both utilization and impact. Urban design–related programs such as LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND), the STAR Community Rating System (STAR) by the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), and the Living Community Challenge by Living Future categorize critical components of urban quality. The ten principles of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence "…informs progress toward a zero-carbon, ...

What's this COTE Top Ten button in the DDx?

By Michelle Amt, FAIA posted 03-02-2026
The COTE® Super Spreadsheet has been a useful tool for architects seeking to measure and communicate design excellence. Developed in 2016 as part of the COTE Top Ten Toolkit, the spreadsheet provided a structured, quantitative way to standardize and evaluate project performance across the COTE Top Ten Measures. COTE created the toolkit--a combination of narratives, clear metrics, and a handy calculator to make those conversions--with the hope of not only making the process of submitting to and reviewing the COTE Top Ten Awards easier, but also to build the case for the real, quantifiable impact these winning projects had. When the AIA adopted the COTE Top ...