Young Architects Forum

YAF Renaming Report - available on Community Hub

Since its founding in 1989, AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF) has periodically revisited the relevance of its name to ensure it accurately reflects the committee's evolving purpose and audience. This ongoing reflection underscores YAF's commitment to remaining both inclusive and representative of emerging voices within the architectural profession.

Before 2020, young architects (licensed less than ten years) were considered part of the AIA Emerging Professionals (EP) definition. Today, licensed architects are no longer considered emerging professionals in the revised definition. As YAF's identity has transitioned, an important question arose at its quinquennial summit event, Mission 2130 in August 2022: Does "Young Architects Forum" still represent this member group demographic accurately? In particular, does "young" best describe the YAF? This inquiry launched an initiative to gain a deeper understanding of its identity and the community it represents.

A "Special Projects" Focus Group was formed in 2023 as part of YAF, tasked with exploring the potential local and national implications of adopting a new committee name. This initiative continued through 2025, engaging in extensive research, discussion, and analysis across the organization. This report summarizes the findings, discussions,
and outcomes of that multi-year effort, serving as both a record of the process and a reference for future evaluation and decision-making.

Immense thanks to every individual engaged in this process, all of those willing to provide feedback, and to Jason Takeuchi for his leadership in the finalizing of this report and essential milestone. 

With pride, 
Sarah