Blogs

RUDC Letter from the Chair (March, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 2 days ago
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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, ...
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Member Spotlight: Bryce Bounds, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 5 days ago
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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 ...
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Letter from Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, FAIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 5 days ago
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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 ...
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Project delivery at AIA26

By Emma Tucker posted 9 days ago
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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 ...
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CCA-related content at AIA26

By Emma Tucker posted 9 days ago
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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 ...
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My experience in CCA: An interview with Shannon Perez

By Shannon Perez, Assoc. AIA posted 9 days ago
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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 ...
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Small Firm Guide to AIA26

By Scott Busby, AIA posted 14 days ago
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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 ...
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COD Spring Conference 2026 Featured Speaker: Joseph Valerio, FAIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 16 days ago
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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 ...
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COD Spring Conference 2026 Featured Speaker: Carol Ross Barney, FAIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 16 days ago
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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 ...
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COD Spring Conference 2026 Featured Speaker: Jonathan Moody, FAIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 16 days ago
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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 ...
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IAKC March Letter from the chair: Candice Rabovsky, AIA & Bob Dillon, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 18 days ago
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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 ...
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Advancing Urban Design Principles

By Alison Karfeld posted 18 days ago
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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, ...
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What's this COTE Top Ten button in the DDx?

By Michelle Amt, FAIA posted 19 days ago
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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 ...
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What's this COTE Top Ten button in the DDx?

By Michelle Amt, FAIA posted 19 days ago
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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 ...
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March 2026 AIA Corporate Partners COTE Newsletter Article: Kingspan

By Ellie Falcon posted 22 days ago
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Why site-specific EPDs matter for carbon-smart design decisions By Brent Trenga, director of sustainability, Kingspan Insulated Panels North America As architects work to meet increasingly ambitious climate goals, the conversation around embodied carbon has moved from abstract targets to material-level decision-making. Environmental product declarations (EPDs) play a critical role in that shift. Much like a nutrition label, an EPD transparently communicates the environmental impacts of a product across its life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use, and end of life. But for architects trying to meaningfully reduce ...
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AIA IDKC Project Highlight: Sanctuary

By Alison Karfeld posted 23 days ago
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AIA IDKC Project Highlight: Sanctuary by Doug Staker of Squaremoon Studio What and where is this project? Sanctuary is an architectural art installation series that uses a study in sacred space to question the relationship between religion and the LGBTQ+ community. The fourth iteration was presented in association with the Utah Pride Festival (Salt Lake City), Rexburg (Idaho) Pride Festival, and Westend Church Pride Celebration (New York City) in June 2024. The project is created with temporary materials at an architectural scale creating a contemporary take on sacred space in both form and program. It attempts to challenge norms ...
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January Letter from the IDKC Chair: Jacquelyn Block, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 24 days ago
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Dear Interfaith Design Knowledge Community, I’m grateful to be entering my fourth year of service on the Interfaith Design Knowledge Community leadership team and honored to serve as the 2026 Chair. IDKC has been an important part of my professional journey, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to help support and guide this community moving forward. I am a Principal at GFFdesign, where I lead our Faith & Community Practice. Throughout my career, I have always believed that designing places of worship is both a profound honor and a great responsibility. These spaces hold deep meaning for the people who gather within them. They are often ...
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Committee on Architecture for Education Spring Conference 2026—Designing Belonging: Reciprocity, Resilience, and Regeneration

By Alison Karfeld posted 24 days ago
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April 28–May 1 | Seattle | The Alexis Royal Sonesta Hotel Seattle Join us for the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education Spring Conference 2026! Set in a region defined by dramatic natural context, vibrant international trade, industrial innovation, ecological stewardship, and cultural diversity, this year’s program explores and builds on designing for belonging. Curated bus tours guided by architects, educators, clients, and community partners will highlight outstanding AIA award-winning and other projects across the learning continuum. Over four days, you'll gain place-based insight into how Seattle’s design community is advancing equity, belonging, ...
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CAE Spring Conference 2026—Designing Belonging: Reciprocity, Resilience, and Regeneration

By Alison Karfeld posted 24 days ago
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April 28–May 1 | Seattle | The Alexis Royal Sonesta Hotel Seattle Join us for the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education Spring Conference 2026! Set in a region defined by dramatic natural context, vibrant international trade, industrial innovation, ecological stewardship, and cultural diversity, this year’s program explores and builds on designing for belonging. Curated bus tours guided by architects, educators, clients, and community partners will highlight outstanding AIA award-winning and other projects across the learning continuum. Over four days, you'll gain place-based insight into how Seattle’s design community is advancing equity, ...
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CAE Letter from the Chair, Jason Forney, FAIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 25 days ago
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Dear CAE community, It’s an honor to serve as Chair of the American Institute of Architects Committee on Architecture for Education. I’ve dedicated much of my career to exploring how design enhances learning in all its forms, and through this committee, have had the chance to collaborate with those who share this commitment to advancing the quality and impact of educational environments. The opportunity to work alongside this extraordinary group of architects from across the country, as an at-large member and member of the leadership group, has deeply enriched and expanded my work, and I hope it can do the same for all of you. As an architect ...
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