Lawsuit Filed over the Planned Renovation of Kennedy Center
AIA has joined a broad coalition of eight preservation and architecture organizations in filing a lawsuit in federal district court in Washington, DC regarding proposed work at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This action responds to public statements indicating the building could be taken "down to the steel" during a two-year closure beginning July 4, 2026, raising concerns that irreversible changes might proceed without the required public review and professional input. The lawsuit asks the court to halt any further demolition or fundamental redesign activities until the government completes the required public review and consultation processes.
AIA's involvement builds on AIA's long history in preservation advocacy, from the creation of the Committee on Conservation of Public Architecture in 1890 to recent calls for transparency and adherence to review processes in the White House ballroom project. AIA will share updates and opportunities for engagement as the case progresses. More information on this case, including FAQs, can be found on AIA's dedicated AIA legal action page.
Professional Federal Designation of Architecture
As part of the Architecture Organizations Alliance, AIA sent letters of endorsement to the cosponsors of two bills to restore graduate and professional student loan limits. The bills respond to caps imposed after recent federal changes that eliminated Grad PLUS and narrowly defined "professional" programs, cutting students in architecture from the federal tools they rely on to complete accredited degrees. Restoring access to loans will help the architecture workforce, reduce delays in delivering housing and critical public projects, and keep students from being pushed into higher-risk private loans. The bills that AIA is currently supporting to correct this issue include:
- H.R. 6574, which removes the distinction between graduate and professional student, making the cap the same for everyone.
- H.R. 6718, which codifies architecture as a professional degree alongside other licensure-based fields, ensuring students can access the federal loan limits they need to complete their education, or
- H.R. 6677, which restores the loan structure that existed before recent arbitrary loan caps were proposed.
You can participate in congressional outreach on the issue of professional designation by signing up here.
21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Passes Senate
The Senate recently passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act with strong bipartisan support, marking a major step toward addressing the nation's housing affordability crisis. The bill focuses on increasing housing supply, lowering costs, and expanding access to housing through incentives for local development, expanded funding for construction and repairs, and streamlined regulations. It also includes provisions to limit large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes and strengthens financing tools for affordable housing.
The legislation now returns to the House for further consideration. The American Institute of Architects is supporting the housing bill and continues to advocate for the House to include a targeted waiver of Build America, Buy America requirements under U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to better support affordable housing development.
USCM Game Changer Program Kick Off
The Mayors Game Changer program, led by the American Institute of Architects in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, highlights the critical role of architects in shaping cities' entry into the growing sports and entertainment economy. Building on the official kick off with Carole Wedge, FAIA in Washington, DC in January, AIA participated in the follow up meeting this week in Orlando.
The initiative connects mayors with design leaders and sports industry experts to create place-based strategies for attracting new leagues. Through AIA's expertise in planning, infrastructure, materials, and community-centered design, architects help cities leverage facilities, public spaces, and waterfronts as catalysts for investment and identity. This collaboration elevates the AIA–USCM partnership as a national model for aligning design excellence with economic development and civic growth.
Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL)
State legislatures are increasingly targeting the licensing boards that govern architecture and allied professions, repackaging deregulation as government efficiency and workforce reform. AIA participates as a Steering Committee member in the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL), a national coalition representing more than 1.35 million licensed architects, engineers, surveyors, and landscape architects.
Through ARPL, AIA shares legislative intelligence and coordinates advocacy strategies with allied professions to support state components responding to threats. For 2026, ARPL is sharpening its strategy around economic framing, targeted engagement in high-risk states, and direct outreach to policymakers to make the case that well-functioning licensing boards are self-funded, private-sector protection for the public, not bureaucratic obstacles.
ICOR Practice Overlap Guidance
The Interorganizational Council on Regulation (ICOR) has released new Practice Overlap Guidance intended to provide licensing boards with a shared framework for evaluating situations where the scopes of architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, and surveying intersect. The guidance is nonbinding and does not change state law, but it covers more than 50 areas of interdisciplinary practice and is expected to serve as a reference point for boards, code officials, and policymakers navigating scope-of-practice disputes.
Because AIA and other professional associations were not formal participants in the task force and the document arrives amid active deregulation and encroachment efforts at the state level, AIA is gathering feedback from members and components to assess its potential implications for architectural practice.
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Courtney Prentiss, AIA, NOMA, NCARB
AIA Government Affairs Committee Member
Immediate Past NAC At-Large Director, Advocacy
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