Resilience was a key topic at AIA25 in Boston, and members of the AIA National Resilience and Disaster Response Committee embraced the opportunity to attend and lead multiple breakout sessions. In addition, co-chair Sammy Shams, chair-elect Alan Scott, and I hosted an open forum to share the work the RADR Committee has been doing.
Resilience is an especially important consideration right now, as our clients’ projects and communities face a growing range of risks. The architecture profession is well positioned to account for future climate conditions that will affect buildings designed today, for natural disasters occurring in areas without a history of such events, and for increasingly severe events, even when they are already anticipated. On top of these challenges, the federal government is reevaluating its priorities and funding for both resilience and post-disaster efforts. As states and local communities become more self-reliant, the AIA can help members prepare to navigate how these shifts will impact the built environment.
At our open forum, we talked about our major 2025 committee efforts, which include updating AIAU's resiliency-related offerings, creating a knowledge hub website to help AIA members quickly find useful resources for their practice, and building a list of members nationwide with post-disaster rebuild efforts. This network will quickly help local AIA components after a disaster to understand what architects can expect in the coming weeks, months, and years. Stephanie Lamore with AIA National spoke about our ongoing efforts to preserve federal funding–primarily through FEMA–to continue providing grants and post-disaster assistance. I also spoke with Julie Wormser, chief climate officer for the City of Cambridge, MA and Nasser Brahim, director of climate resilience with the Boston-area Mystic River Watershed Association. They shared valuable insight into how local communities identify key resilience projects and secure funding. While both have extensive experience with the impacts of sea level rise, their knowledge is broadly applicable to any community working to prioritize local resilience efforts. We all left the session inspired to maintain a positive outlook and seek opportunities to strengthen our communities, rather than dwell on policy changes beyond our control.
RADR committee members also participated in other sessions at the conference. Elizabeth Camargo and Sammy Shams were panelists for Future-Proofing Communities: The Power of Resilient Design in Architecture, where they shared their expertise on achieving resilience success across Florida and the tools they use to incorporate resiliency into more projects. Alan Scott and I led Resilient Design for Rapidly Evolving Natural Disaster Risks, where we emphasized the importance of accounting for future risks and climate factors that will affect projects. We also shared a range of resources provided by the AIA, government agencies, and other organizations to help members establish forward-thinking design criteria. Finally, Boston-based member Robin Seidel led multiple tours showcasing innovative resilient projects that both inspired attendees and helped them understand how to work with clients to carry resilience strategies through to project completion.
Thank you to all our current and former RADR members who made it out to Boston! Our committee is rich with expertise, and connecting in person helps strengthen the important work we do together to advance resilience and disaster recovery efforts across the entire AIA membership.