Climate Action at AIA25: The COTE Guide
The AIA Conference on Architecture (AIA25) is June 4-7, 2025, in Boston
AIA25: schedule / register
The Committee on the Environment (COTE) Leadership Group and many COTE volunteers and members of the COTE Network of groups look forward to the conference every year as an opportunity to connect, learn, and continue our efforts toward our common goals. We hope you will join us for some networking at connection at the following events:
COTE Open Forum / EV114
Thursday, June 5: 11am-1230pm; Room TBD
Speakers: Robin Puttock, Barbra BatShalom
Join the COTE community for substantive facilitated engagement—a lively session of "curated networking"—on the connection between architectural education and practice. The session will kick off with remarks from COTE Chair Robin Puttock, two past winners of the COTE Top Ten for Students Competition, and longtime industry leader and educator Barbra BatShalom. The remaining time will feature engaged table discussions hosted by local leaders and COTE community members from around the nation. Topics will include advocacy, resilience, the Framework for Design Excellence, COTE groups, climate action/climate justice, architecture education, and more.
Free, but please sign up
Climate Action by Design: Networking Reception / EV128
Thursday, June 5, 5:00pm - 6:30pm; Omni Boston at the Seaport
This event will provide an opportunity to meet and build professional networks with other architects, designers, students, and AEC professionals who share your passion for sustainability and climate-resilient design. Mingle and network with like-minded peers as you share ideas and knowledge about integrating design outcomes for zero carbon, equity, resilience, and health in the built environment.
Fee: $79
Boston Society of Architects Open House / EV221
Friday, June 6, 5:00-7:00pm: BSA Space 290 Congress Street, 2nd Floor
This is another chance to connect with local COTE community members and others.
Fee: $15
AIA Awards Gala and After Party / EV130
Thursday, June 5, 6:00pm - 11:00pm; Omni Boston at the Seaport Ensemble Ballroom
In line with last year’s process, AIA is announcing all major national awards at the Awards Gala on Thursday evening. Top Ten winners will be celebrated there, along with winners of other national AIA awards.
Fee: $350 / $99 after party only
Many AIA25 sessions and events include members of the COTE community for focus on topics centered on climate action. To help you find those, we’ve compiled a list of some of the daily sessions, tours, symposia, and events (all at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center unless otherwise noted) that may interest you:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4
TAP + COTE Symposium: Advancing a Sustainable Future through Technology Innovation / SYM102
8:45am - 5:00pm (6 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 160ABC
Speakers: Jack Rusk (c.scale), Daniel Stine (Lake | Flato), Kjell Anderson (LMN), Sara Laudeman (Lord Aeck Sargent), Barry Alan Yoakum (Archimania), Corey Squire (BORA), Dana Moore (Dattner), Z Smith (EskewDumezRipple), Thelsa Collier (HNTB), Marisol Foreman, Ian Molloy, Cesar Escalante, Phil Northcott, Vickie Patel, and others
Fee: $149
Public Architecture Symposium: Scalable Design From Local to Global / SYM103
8:45am - 5:00pm (6 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 162AB
Speakers: many
Fee: $149
Safety Assessment Program / WE141
9:00am - 5:00pm (6.5 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 259AB
Fee: $149 for Members; $199 for Non-Members
Tides of Collaboration: Public-Private Synergy for a Resilient East Boston / WE111
9:30am - 10:30am (1 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 257AB
Speakers: Catherine McCandless (City of Boston Office of Climate Resilience), Robin Seidel (Weston & Sampson)
Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex (Tour) / ET116
9:30am - 11:45am (2 HSW/RIBA/LU); Tour Departures
Speakers: Erik Hegre (Behnisch Architekten)
Fee: $90
From Proof of Concept to Mainstream Solidification (Tour) / ET163
12:45pm - 4:30pm (3 HSW/RIBA/LU); Tour Departures
Speakers: Kate Bubriski (Arrowstreet), Katy Lillich (Arrowstreet), Andy Rodrigue (Arrowstreet), Samuel Lasky (William Rawn Associates)
Fee: $120
AIA2030, SE2050 & MEP2040: Collaborative Efforts Toward Carbon Neutrality / WE133
1:30pm - 2:45pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 254AB
Speakers: Nicole Isle (Glumac/Tetra Tech), Jennifer Wehling (HMC Architect), Molly Seto (KPFF)
Advancing Sustainable Architecture: Lake|Flato’s Journey With Autodesk Forma / WE131
1:30pm - 2:45pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 156ABC
Speakers: Daniel Stine (Lake | Flato), Elizaveta Biba (Autodesk), Miguel Elizardo (Lake | Flato)
Embodied Carbon: A Cross-disciplinary Perspective / WE160
1:30pm - 2:45pm (1 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 254AB
Speakers: Zachary Chabot, Pamela Conrad (Climate Positive Design), Cory Duggin (TLC), Jesse Walton (Mahlum)
Material Matters: Integrating Materials Into Sustainability Action Plans / WE132
1:30pm - 2:45pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 205AB
Speakers: Maria Papiez (Ewing Cole), Ashley Mulhall (GHC Orcutt Winslow), Lindsey Love (Regenerative Building Solutions)
Planet 2100: Biology, Living Organisms, Buildings & Architecture / WE128
1:30pm - 2:45pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 258AB
Speakers: Eric Corey Freed (CannonDesign), Alejandro Stochetti (CannonDesign), Meredith Banasiak (Boulder Associates)
Reducing Carbon: Better Enclosures by Studying the Best / WE126
1:20pm - 2:45pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 253AB
Speakers: Jessica Saravia (DMAC), David Altenhofen (RWDI), Will Babbington (Studio NYL), Eddy Santosa (Mott MacDonald)
Water & Equity: Driving Local & Global Health Through Design / WE136
3:30pm - 4:45pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 253AB
Speakers: Jean Carroon (Goody Clancy), Alyssa Murphy (Placework), Diantha Korzun (gbArchitecture)
THURSDAY, JUNE 5
COTE Open Forum (see above)
Revitalizing Housing Through Adaptive Reuse and Landscape Design (Tour) / ET158
11:00am - 1:30pm (2 HSW/RIBA/LU); Tour Departures
Speakers: Jason King (Arrowstreet), Josh Kleinman (Fox Rock Properties), Kaki Martin (Klopfer Martin Design Group), Katie Wirtz (Utile)
Fee: $95
AIA Historic Resources Committee Luncheon at the Boston Public Library / EV123
11:30am - 1:30pm (1.5 HSW/RIBA/LU); Boston Public Library, Guastavino Room
Speakers: John Ochsendorf (MIT), David Leonard (Boston Public Library), Ann Beha (Annum Architects)
Fee: $125
Managing Performance & Resilience in Building Renovations / TH300
4:00pm - 5:15pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 254AB
Speakers: Will Babbington (Studio NYL), Jessica Saravia (DMAC Architecture & Interiors), John Lesak
Future-proofing Communities: The Power of Resilient Design in Architecture / TH301
4:00pm - 5:15pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 205AB
Speakers: Elizabeth Camargo (EC Architecture + Design), Sammy Shams (HKS), Scott Brooks (Walt Disney Parks & Resorts US), Roderick Scott
Surviving & Thriving in the Design Data Desert / TH303
4:00pm - 5:15pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 210A
Speakers: Kevin Settlemyre, Keith Hempel (LPA), Vanessa Hostick (HOK), Dan Stine (Lake | Flato)
FRIDAY, JUNE 6
Preservation, Adaptive Reuse, Design for Deconstruction for the Carbon Win! / FR108
7:30am - 8:30am (1 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 205AB
Speakers: Daniel Stine (Lake | Flato), Nakita Reed (Quinn Evans)
Framework for Design Excellence Workshop at the NextGen Lounge / EV133
10:30am - 11:30am; AIA25 Expo NextGen Lounge
Speakers: Robin Puttock (Kennesaw State University), Joyce Raybuck (BNIM), Alyssa Murphy (Placework), Ozzie Tapia (LPA), Katie Ackerly (David Baker Architects), and Miguel Elizardo (Lake | Flato)
Walking Tour: Boston’s Fort Point Channel Landmark District / ET184
10:45am - 12:45pm (2 HSW/RIBA/LU); Tour departures
Speakers: Rachel Ericksen (Boston Landmarks Commission)
Fee: $75
AIA 2030 Commitment & Materials Pledge Open Forum / EV110
11:00am - 12:30pm; Room TBD
Speakers: Daniel Overbey (Browning Day), Jesse Walton (Mahlum), Melanie DeCola (AIA) & more
Demystifying the AIA Design Data Exchange: Collaborative Workshop for First-Time Users / EV152
1:00pm - 2:30pm (1 RIBA/LU) / Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (Expo Hall)
Speakers: Daniel Overbey (Browning Day), Melanie DeCola (AIA)
Resilience and Disaster Response Open Forum / EV143
2:00pm - 3:00pm (1 RIBA/LU) / Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (Expo Hall)
The Transformation of the Boston Public Library’s Roxbury Branch (Tour) / ET118a
(This was a COTE Top Ten Award winner!)
2:45pm - 4:15pm; Tour Departures
Speakers: Brett Bentson (Utile), Jeff Geisinger, Michael LeBlanc (Utile)
A Conversation With the 2025 AIA Firm Award Winner / FR408
4:00pm - 5:15pm (1.25 RIBA/LU); Room 210B
Speakers: Noah Marble (EskewDumezRipple), Alyson Steele (Quinn Evans), Jonathan Moody (Moody Nolan)
AI: Architecture’s Climate Resilience Future (A 20-Year Hurricane Katrina Retrospective) / FR405
4:00pm - 5:15pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 206AB
Speakers: Amber Lombardo (AIA Memphis), Daniel Stine (Lake | Flato), Mickey Howley (Woodville Main Street Association)
Centering Climate Justice in the Design Process / FR401
4:00pm - 5:15pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 210C
Speakers: Adele Houghton (biositu), Ellen Mitchell (LPA), Jason Forney (Bruner/Cott Architects), Kathleen Lane (AIA)
Found in Translation: Alignment of BIM Practices to Decarbonize Buildings / FR 407
4:00pm - 5:00pm (1 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 210A
Speakers: Sheena Zhang (Autodesk), Jordan Woodson (Arup), Pablo La Roche (Arcadis)
Zero* is 100% Possible by 2030 / FR40
4:00pm - 5:15pm (1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 204AB
Speakers: Vanessa Hostick (HOK), Vincent Martinez (Architecture 2030), Brad Jacobson (EHDD), Kjell Anderson (LMN)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7
Materials Pledge to Material Improvements: Starting & Managing the Process / SA103
7:30am - 8:30am (1 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 210C
Speakers: Tanya Eagle (JLL), Lona Rerick (ZGF)
Boston’s Resilient, Historic Buildings Design Guide: Lessons Learned / SYM105
10:30am - 1:30pm (3 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 156ABC
Speakers: City of Boston: Kathy Kottaridis, Rachel Ericksen, Nick Armata, Gabriela Amore, Chelsea Blanchard, Dorothy Clark and Jim Lindberg (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
Fee: $99
Resilience Design for Rapidly Evolving Natural Disaster Risks / SA305
12:00pm - 1 :00pm (1 HSW/RIBA/LU); Room 253C
Speakers: Alan Scott (Intertek), Nikolaus Remus
Additional tips:
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You may find it useful to refer to filter the full schedule by track or topic, which you can do by clicking the View All button at the top of the page, then choosing one or the other.
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This year (like last year, when this approach was enacted), conference participants do not sign up ahead of time for regular Sessions at AIA25. Sign-ups are still required and encouraged for Events, Tours, Symposia, and Open Studios (some with fees, which can be paid through the registration site).
If you know sessions that should be included here (or find errors), please email Kira Gould and we will do our best to amend.
See you in Boston!
Thank you to Katie Nordsenson fo BWBR for her work on this compilation.